CMOS Image Sensor Integration Patents: Who Leads, Where the Gaps Are 2026
- Filing activity is flat, not growing. The trend runs from 2 filings in 2017 to a 2023 peak of just 4, with the most recent year showing zero — a small, mature corpus rather than an expanding one.
- One family cluster dominates citations. The five most-cited records, led by US9188765B2 at 135 citations, all trace to the same lens-array and depth-map lineage, concentrating influence rather than spreading it.
- Momentum has stopped across every tracked assignee. Every assignee in the recent-momentum data shows zero filings in the latest year, including a -100% YoY drop for Adeia Imaging — the leading names have gone quiet at once.
What this landscape covers
This dataset tracks patent families at the intersection of CMOS image sensors and system-level integration — camera-module assembly, sensor-to-ISP interfacing, wafer-level optics, and optics integration — filed against H04N23, H01L27/146 and H04N25 classifications. It is a narrow, well-defined slice: 22 published records, all routed through the United States receiving office, spanning 2015 through the 2026 data cut-off.
The technology composition sits almost entirely across three IPC subclasses — G02B optical elements, H04N pictorial communication, and G06T image data processing — appearing in 22, 22 and 21 of the 22 records respectively. That overlap signals a corpus where optics, transmission and downstream image processing are claimed together rather than in isolation, which is consistent with the module-integration framing of the search itself.
Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 22-family corpus: how filing activity has moved year over year, and which IPC subclasses carry the claim weight.
A flat-to-declining filing curve
Filings opened at 2 in 2017, held near the midpoint at 1 in 2022, and peaked at 4 in 2023 before falling off. Remember that the most recent year is always undercounted — publication typically lags filing by around 18 months — but even allowing for that lag, this is not a growth curve.
Three subclasses, near-total overlap
G02B (optics) and H04N (pictorial communication) each appear in all 22 records; G06T (image data processing) appears in 21. Filers here are not claiming a sensor or an optic alone — they are claiming the assembled path from lens to processed image, which is the defining feature of an integration-focused corpus.
Shares are the percentage of the 22 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on CMOS Image Sensor System Integration with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about cmos image sensor system integration and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaThe most-cited records
Systems and methods for generating depth maps using light focused on an image sensor by a lens element array (US9235898B2)
A camera array, an imaging device and/or a method for capturing image that employ a plurality of imagers fabricated on a substrate is provided. Each imager includes a plurality of pixels. The plurality of imagers include a first imager having a first imaging characteristics and a second imager having a second imaging characteristics. The images generated by the plurality of imagers are processed to obtain an enhanced image compared to images captured by the imagers. Each imager may be associated with an optical element fabricated using a wafer level optics (WLO) technology.Filed by Fotonation Limited, published 2016-01-12. One of five records in this corpus each cited over 100 times, all sharing the same lens-array/depth-map lineage.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US9188765B2 | Capturing and processing of images including occlusions focused on an image sensor by a lens stack array | 135 |
| 2 | US9235898B2 | Systems and methods for generating depth maps using light focused on an image sensor by a lens element array | 132 |
| 3 | US20160267665A1 | Systems and Methods for Generating Depth Maps Using Light Focused on an Image Sensor by a Lens Element Array | 118 |
| 4 | US20160269650A1 | Capturing and Processing of Images Including Occlusions Focused on an Image Sensor by a Lens Stack Array | 108 |
| 5 | US20180048830A1 | Capturing and Processing of Images Including Occlusions Focused on an Image Sensor by a Lens Stack Array | 78 |
| 6 | US10142560B2 | Capturing and processing of images including occlusions focused on an image sensor by a lens stack array | 72 |
| 7 | US20190109998A1 | Capturing and Processing of Images Including Occlusions Focused on an Image Sensor by a Lens Stack Array | 57 |
| 8 | US10375319B2 | Capturing and processing of images including occlusions focused on an image sensor by a lens stack array | 52 |
| 9 | US20190356863A1 | Capturing and Processing of Images Including Occlusions Focused on an Image Sensor by a Lens Stack Array | 50 |
| 10 | US20200389604A1 | Capturing and Processing of Images Including Occlusions Focused on an Image Sensor by a Lens Stack Array | 43 |
Citation counts reflect influence within the searched corpus and skew toward older filings; treat them as a signal of foundational status, not of current commercial relevance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Three readings of the same corpus, aimed at where an IP or R&D team would actually need to act.
The corpus has stopped growing
Filing volume never exceeded 4 in a single year and the latest tracked year shows zero. Combined with an 18-month publication lag, this points to a technology area that reached its claim density early and has not been re-energised by a second wave of filers.
Influence sits with one lineage
The five most-cited records in this dataset are all variations on the same lens-array and depth-map architecture. A newcomer's freedom-to-operate analysis should start there, since that lineage anchors the prior art baseline for the whole space.
The leading filers have gone quiet together
Every assignee with recent-momentum data recorded zero filings in the latest year, including a -100% year-over-year decline for Adeia Imaging. That is unusual for a still-cited corpus and suggests consolidation of rights rather than active new claiming.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to cmos image sensor system integration, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who holds the claims
A small assignee set, all showing the same pattern: prior activity concentrated in a shared corporate lineage, followed by a stop in the most recent filing year.
Adeia Imaging LLC
Shows a -100% year-over-year drop in the most recent tracked year, the only assignee in this set with a measured YoY figure — a sharp stop rather than a gradual wind-down.
Pelican Imaging (assignee lineage)
Associated with the foundational lens-array and depth-map families that carry the corpus's highest citation counts, but shows no filings in the latest tracked year.
Fotonation-linked entities
The representative record in this dataset, US9235898B2, was filed under this lineage. Filing activity across the related entity names has also gone to zero in the latest year.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Pelican Imaging (Cayman) Limited | 0 | — |
| ADEIA IMAGING LLC | 0 | -100% |
| Pelican Imaging Corporation | 0 | — |
| FotoNation Cayman Limited | 0 | — |
Working with this landscape
The corpus is small and its filing curve has flattened, which changes what a next step should look like.
Check freedom-to-operate against the lens-array lineage first
The top five cited records share one architectural lineage. Any new camera-module or depth-sensing filing should be checked against that lineage before broader searching, since it anchors most of the corpus's prior art.
Explore this in EurekaTreat the zero-filing latest year with caution
Publication lag of roughly 18 months means the most recent year understates real activity. Re-check filing counts for this space again once later-year publications catch up.
Track this space in EurekaLook at the under-claimed branches before the core
Sensor-to-ISP interface protocols and wafer-level alignment tolerancing show thinner density than the core lens-array claims, which may leave more room to file a defensible first claim.
Map white space in EurekaQuestions practitioners ask
Within this dataset, influence is concentrated in a small lineage of families tied to Fotonation, Pelican Imaging and Adeia Imaging, which trace back to the same lens-array and depth-map architecture. The five most-cited records, led by US9188765B2 at 135 citations, all belong to this lineage rather than being spread across many independent filers. Anyone assessing risk in this space should treat that lineage as the reference point, since it defines most of the prior art baseline other filings sit against.
Filing activity in this specific dataset has flattened: it opened at 2 filings in 2017, peaked at only 4 in 2023, and shows zero in the latest tracked year. Because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, the most recent year is likely undercounted, but the broader curve across nearly a decade does not show sustained growth. That pattern suggests the core architecture was claimed early and later entrants have not significantly added to it, at least within this IPC scope.
US9235898B2, assigned to Fotonation Limited, covers a camera array or imaging device using multiple imagers fabricated on a single substrate, where imagers with differing imaging characteristics are combined and processed to produce an enhanced image beyond what any single imager captures. It also references wafer-level optics fabrication for the associated optical elements. This claim scope sits at the centre of the lens-array and depth-map lineage that dominates citations in this corpus, so it is a natural starting point for any freedom-to-operate check involving multi-imager or depth-sensing camera modules.
Relative to the dense, well-cited claims around multi-imager lens arrays and depth mapping, sub-areas such as sensor-to-ISP interface protocols, wafer-level optics alignment tolerancing, multi-imager substrate co-packaging, and camera-module thermal or mechanical integration show thinner claim density in this dataset. These are not unclaimed, but they carry less concentrated prior art than the core lineage. A first claim in these branches would need to specify the interface, tolerance, or packaging method precisely enough to sit outside the broader lens-array claims already on file.
Based on recent-year momentum data, none of the tracked assignees — including Adeia Imaging, which shows a -100% year-over-year decline — recorded any filings in the latest tracked year. This is not typical of an actively expanding field; it more closely resembles a corpus where the founding entities have consolidated rights rather than continuing to file. Anyone monitoring this space for new competitive activity should watch for new entrants outside this original assignee set rather than expecting continued output from the incumbents shown here.
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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.