Capsule Endoscope Patents: Who Leads, Where Filings Slowed 2026
- Filings peaked in 2020 at 41 and have since declined, with the midpoint year 2022 at just 7 — a flat-to-declining trend rather than an emerging one.
- China dominates the filing venue count at 96, more than double the United States at 67, signalling where enforcement and freedom-to-operate risk concentrates first.
- Every tracked assignee shows 0 filings in the latest year, including a -100% YoY drop for one mid-tier filer — a sign the field is consolidating rather than expanding.
What this landscape covers
Capsule endoscope localization and control spans the hardware and software that let a swallowed imaging device be tracked inside the body and actively steered — magnetic guidance coils, position-detection systems, adaptive frame-rate and radio-transmission control, and the locomotion mechanisms that move a capsule through the alimentary tract. This dataset draws on 256 patent families published between 2015 and mid-2026, filtered to records combining capsule-endoscopy terms with control-system and localization language under core IPC classes A61B1/00, A61B5/06 and A61B1/04.
The filing curve tells a specific story: activity built steadily to a peak in 2020, then eased off, with the most recent full years showing far fewer new families than the peak. Because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, the last one to two years in any such trend will always look thinner than they eventually turn out to be — but even allowing for that lag, the trajectory here is downward rather than accelerating.
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Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 256-family dataset: how filing volume has moved year over year, and which IPC subclasses carry the claim density.
A peak-and-decline curve, not a growth curve
Filings rose from 11 in 2017 to a peak of 41 in 2020, then fell back sharply — the 2022 midpoint sits at just 7. That shape is more consistent with a technology area that had its land grab already than one still opening up. Treat the final one to two years as understated given publication lag, but the multi-year decline predates any lag effect.
Diagnosis and surgery claims dominate the class mix
A61B (diagnosis and surgery) covers all 256 records by design of the search, but the secondary classes show where the real technical spread sits: A61M (body-fluid devices, 15 records) and H04N (pictorial communication, 14 records) are the next-largest clusters, followed by thinner activity in A61N electrotherapy, G02B optics, A61G patient transport, H01F magnetics and G01B measurement — each in single digits. That long, thin tail suggests most secondary technical angles are lightly claimed relative to the core imaging and control claims.
Shares are the percentage of the 256 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Capsule Endoscope Localization and Control with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about capsule endoscope localization and control and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaThe most-cited prior art in this space
Control method and control system for capsule endoscope (US20210076916A1)
The patent, assigned to Ankon Technologies, covers a control method that acquires the frame rate of a capsule endoscope and controls how many radio-frequency transmission channels are turned on based on that frame rate, using at least two channels to transmit captured images. It is framed as an adaptive way to distribute image data across multiple RF channels rather than a fixed single-channel link.Filed and published 2021-03-18; assignee ANKON TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US20130218024A1 | Interventional In-Situ Image-Guidance by Fusing Ultrasound and Video | 320 |
| 2 | US20080194912A1 | Electronically Controlled Ingestible Capsule for Sampling Fluids in Alimentary Tract | 248 |
| 3 | US20050192478A1 | System and method for endoscopic optical constrast imaging using an endo-robot | 192 |
| 4 | US20070244388A1 | Position Detection System, Guidance System, Position Detection Method, Medical Device, and Medical Magnetic-I… | 137 |
| 5 | US20060178557A1 | Self-stabilizing encapsulated imaging system | 88 |
| 6 | US20150018614A1 | Apparatus and method for controlling movement of a capsule endoscope in digestive tract of a human body | 59 |
| 7 | CN103169443A | 基于灵巧机器人的磁控主动式胶囊内窥镜运动控制系统 | 55 |
| 8 | JP2005052637A | Capsule type device and capsule type device driving control system | 43 |
| 9 | CN105852783A | 一种胶囊内窥镜控制系统 | 39 |
| 10 | US20110245611A1 | Expandable capsule endoscope and expandable capsule endoscopy system | 37 |
Citation counts favour older filings that have had more time to accumulate citations within this corpus — read them as a signal of influence on later filings, not as a ranking of current commercial relevance.
Patent titles are shown in the language they were filed in, not translated, so that each record stays verifiable against the original filing — a translated title will not match in Eureka or in any national register. Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Browse MCP servers →What the numbers mean for a filing decision
Three data points that change how a freedom-to-operate or white-space assessment should be scoped for this field.
The growth phase has passed
Filing volume peaked in 2020 and dropped sharply by the 2022 midpoint. Combined with every tracked assignee showing zero filings in the latest year, this reads as a maturing or consolidating field rather than one still attracting new entrants.
China leads filing volume by a wide margin
Chinese receiving-office filings outnumber US filings by roughly 1.4x, with EPO, WIPO, South Korea and Austria trailing well behind. Anyone assessing freedom to operate needs to prioritise Chinese-language prior art and local assignees first.
Secondary claim territory is thin
Outside the core diagnosis-and-surgery class, no secondary IPC subclass exceeds 15 records. Magnetics (H01F, 3), measurement (G01B, 2) and patient transport (A61G, 3) are barely claimed at all relative to the core imaging and control art.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to capsule endoscope localization and control, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who is filing, and where the activity has gone quiet
The assignee set is dominated by Chinese capsule-endoscopy manufacturers and their overseas holding entities, with academic and individual inventors filling out a long tail.
Corporate-and-holding-company pairings are the norm
The strongest co-assignee link — five shared families between a Shanghai-based capsule endoscopy manufacturer and its Singapore IP holding entity — reflects a common structure in this field: an operating company files locally, then assigns or co-assigns to an offshore holding vehicle for international protection.
No assignee is currently active
Every assignee tracked for recent-year momentum, including the largest Chinese filers and a Korean university technology-transfer office, shows zero filings in the most recent year, with at least one showing a full -100% year-on-year drop.
Chinese manufacturers anchor the field
Multiple distinct Chinese entities — spanning Chongqing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Hangzhou and Jiaxing addresses — appear among the tracked assignees, alongside a Korean university consortium and legacy Japanese endoscopy makers, pointing to a genuinely international but China-centred competitive set.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Shanghai Ankon Medical Technology Co., Ltd. | 0 | — |
| Shenzhen Zifu Medical Technology Co., Ltd. | 0 | -100% |
| Chonnam National University Industry Foundation | 0 | — |
| Ankon Technologies (Wuhan) Co., Ltd. | 0 | — |
| ANX ROBOTICA CORP | 0 | — |
| Chongqing Jinshan Medical Appliance Co., Ltd. | 0 | — |
| Olympus Medical Systems Corporation | 0 | — |
| Olympus Corporation | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The filing data points to a field past its peak with concentrated claim territory in China — the next steps depend on whether you are scoping freedom to operate or looking for a filing gap.
Run a freedom-to-operate check against the Chinese filer cluster
With 96 of 256 families routed through China and co-assignee structures linking operating companies to offshore holding entities, a targeted FTO search against the leading Chinese manufacturers is the highest-value next step before committing to a design.
Explore assignee claims in EurekaTest the under-claimed branches for a first-filer position
Magnetics, measurement precision and RF channel allocation show single-digit-to-low-teens filing counts against a much larger core imaging claim base — worth a deeper novelty search before assuming the space is occupied.
Run a white-space search in EurekaCommon questions about capsule endoscope patents
Filing activity is concentrated among a small group of Chinese capsule-endoscopy manufacturers, several of which co-assign families to offshore IP holding entities for international coverage. Legacy Japanese endoscopy makers and a Korean university technology-transfer consortium also appear in the assignee set, but with far fewer families each. Because every tracked assignee shows zero filings in the most recent year, current leadership reflects historical filing volume rather than active momentum.
No — the data shows a peak of 41 families in 2020 followed by a sharp decline to just 7 by the 2022 midpoint, and every tracked assignee recorded zero filings in the latest year. Some of the most recent slowdown is likely exaggerated by publication lag, since filings typically take around 18 months to appear in the public record. Even accounting for that lag, the multi-year downward trend from 2020 predates any lag effect and points to a maturing field rather than a growing one.
China leads with 96 receiving-office filings, well ahead of the United States at 67 and the European Patent Office at 42. WIPO/PCT filings account for 16, with South Korea and Austria trailing at single digits. This distribution means Chinese-language prior art and Chinese assignees should be the first stop in any freedom-to-operate review for this technology.
US20210076916A1, assigned to Ankon Technologies, claims a control method that measures a capsule endoscope's frame rate and adjusts how many radio-frequency transmission channels are active based on that rate, using at least two channels to transmit captured images. It is narrowly scoped to adaptive multi-channel RF image transmission rather than to capsule locomotion or magnetic steering broadly. Designers working on single-channel transmission architectures, or on frame-rate control that does not tie to channel count, sit outside its core claim language.
The secondary IPC classes show the thinnest coverage relative to the core diagnosis-and-surgery claims: magnetics (H01F) and measurement (G01B) each have only a handful of records, and electrotherapy integration (A61N) and optics (G02B) are similarly light. These branches sit well below the core imaging and control claim density, suggesting room for narrowly scoped filings around coil design, position-measurement precision, or optical path components rather than broad locomotion or steering claims, which are more heavily occupied.
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Disclaimer. This page is generated from Patsnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent and scientific-literature records, and is provided for general information and reference only.
Patent data carries inherent limitations: recent filings (typically the most recent 18–24 months) are under-counted due to standard publication lag; counts may be reported at either a patent-family or a patent-record basis and are not always directly comparable; classification, applicant-name, and citation data may contain errors, duplicates, or omissions; and the underlying search query defines and constrains the scope shown. As a result, the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing on this page constitutes an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate, or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial, investment, or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Any patent, commercial, or strategic decision should be verified independently and reviewed with qualified patent, legal, and domain professionals. Patsnap makes no warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose of the information presented.
Machine translation. Assignee and organisation names originally recorded in Chinese, Japanese or Korean have been rendered into English by an AI translation step so that the tables stay readable. These renderings are best-effort and may not match a company’s registered English name; the original name is what the underlying patent record carries, and it is what any Eureka query launched from this page uses.