Cobot Machine Vision Patent Landscape 2026
The cobot machine vision field is in a Growth stage, with filings expanding sharply on a multi-year basis though annual volume has eased from its 2023 peak. AIGEN INC leads a moderately concentrated field where the United States is the dominant filing jurisdiction and manipulator/robot control remains the defining technology axis.
AIGEN INC leads a fragmented but fast-growing field
AIGEN INC holds the top position with 5 patent families, followed by Intel Corp and Chengdu Qinchuan IoT Technology Co., Ltd., each with 4 patent families. The ranking shows a shallow tier structure where no single applicant has established an overwhelming lead.
The top five filers collectively account for 44% of the combined total among the hundred largest filers, indicating moderate concentration. Below the top tier, the remainder of the ranking is populated by single-family filers spanning startups, universities, and established industrial players.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AIGEN INC | 5 | |
| 2 | Intel Corporation | 4 | |
| 3 | Chengdu Qinchuan IoT Technology Co., Ltd. | 4 | |
| 4 | LAIR LIQUIDE SA POUR LETUDE & LEXPLOITATION DES PR… | 2 | |
| 5 | Air Liquide America Inc. | 2 | |
| 6 | Nanjing Nangote Electromechanical Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 7 | Fanuc Robotics North America Inc. | 1 | |
| 8 | Shenzhen Hans Robot Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 9 | Robotiq Inc. | 1 | |
| 10 | CHONGQING INST OF GREEN & INTELLIGENT TECH CHINESE… | 1 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Xiamen Tungsten Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 12 | The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois | 1 | |
| 13 | Bosde (Nantong) Intelligent Equipment Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 14 | Beijing Zhongye Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 15 | China North Vehicle Research Institute | 1 | |
| 16 | Techolution Consulting LLC | 1 | |
| 17 | K.S. Rangasamy College of Technology | 1 | |
| 18 | Dalian Jiaotong University | 1 | |
| 19 | Guangdong University of Technology | 1 | |
| 20 | Guangzhou Xiaojing Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 |
The top applicants’ positions imply early-mover advantage rather than entrenched dominance; the field remains open enough for well-targeted entrants, particularly in application-specific branches adjacent to the core manipulator class.
The most recent 18–24 months of filing data are subject to publication lag and likely undercount actual activity; the 2024 and 2025 figures should be treated as preliminary. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
A 2023 surge defines the growth arc; manipulator control dominates the technology mix
Two charts together show how rapidly the field has scaled and where technical effort is concentrated. The annual trend reveals the pace of expansion while the IPC composition reveals which sub-domains are attracting filings.
Annual filing trend
Filings were negligible before 2018, then grew steadily through 2021 before surging to a peak of 13 families in 2023. The 2024 and 2025 figures (8 and 10 respectively) appear lower but are understated by publication lag and should not be read as a genuine decline. The three-year recent window sits 267% above the prior three-year window, confirming that the multi-year growth trajectory remains intact.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
B25J (Manipulators & robots) dominates with 38 records, reflecting cobot hardware and control as the primary filing focus. Secondary branches — welding/brazing (B23K), pest control (A01M), material analysis (G01N), AI models (G06N), and photovoltaic systems (H02S) — each register at 5–6 records, signaling diverse application verticals beginning to emerge around the cobot core.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaHighly cited patent families surfaced by the query
Citation-heavy patent families returned by the query. Use this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents.
System and method for supporting work through coll…
A method of supporting work through collaboration with a collaborative robot includes a posture estimation unit that estimates posture and body information of a worker based on an image of the worker captured through a posture recognition camera module provided on one side of the worker and that estimates the state of the worker based on the estimated… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Methods and apparatus to train interdependent auto… | 41 |
| 2 | Collaborative robot network with hybrid electro-me… | 18 |
| 3 | Methods and apparatus to train interdependent auto… | 6 |
| 4 | Industrial internet of things for monitoring colla… | 5 |
| 5 | 基于机器视觉的高精度工业协作机器人系统及控制方法 | 5 |
| 6 | 一种基于视觉的协作机器人安全控制技术 | 5 |
| 7 | Collaborative robot network with hybrid electro-me… | 3 |
| 8 | Collaborative robot network with hybrid electro-me… | 3 |
Ranked by total forward citations. Citation counts favour older and broadly cited patent families, and broad or adjacent patents may appear when they match the search scope. Treat this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents. Some patent titles may be shown in their original, non-English language where an accurate translation could not be guaranteed.
What the structure means for R&D investment decisions
The combination of growth-stage lifecycle, moderate concentration, and a wide application footprint creates distinct strategic signals for engineering and IP teams considering entry or expansion.
Growth stage — multi-year expansion with eased annual pace
The field is classified as Growth: the recent three-year filing window sits 267% above the prior three-year window, confirming broad multi-year expansion. Annual volume peaked in 2023 and has eased since, though publication lag means 2024–2025 figures are incomplete. This stage favors foundational claim-building and application-specific differentiation over defensive portfolio depth.
Growth stageModerate concentration with a thin top tier
The top five filers hold 44% of the combined total among the hundred largest filers, but the individual leader (AIGEN INC) holds only 5 patent families. This shallow tier gap means the field is contestable: a focused filing program in a specific application branch could quickly establish a credible position. The long tail of single-family filers also reflects a wide and fragmented inventor base.
Moderately concentratedLimited co-filing activity; two documented partnerships
Evidence shows two co-applicant pairs: Air Liquide America Inc. with L’Air Liquide S.A. (1 joint family), and Chongqing University with the Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (1 joint family). Both collaborations tie industrial gas/welding applications to cobot vision. The low collaboration count overall suggests the ecosystem has not yet consolidated around shared R&D structures.
Nascent collaborationUS leads, China competitive; Europe and PCT sparse
The United States leads with 16 records, followed by China with 14. Europe (EPO) and WIPO (PCT) each register only 3 records, and India has 2. The thin PCT and EPO coverage relative to US and China activity suggests that many applicants have not yet pursued broad international protection — a potential filing gap for incumbents seeking global rights in fast-growing verticals.
US–China duopolyGo beyond the landscape: Eureka’s TRIZ Solution agent breaks down an R&D problem and returns patented concept solutions, each with a technical approach and cited patent & literature evidence.
| Applicant | Collaborator | Co-filings |
|---|---|---|
| Air Liquide America Inc. | L’Air Liquide S.A. | 1 |
| Chongqing University | Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences | 1 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
AIGEN INC and Intel Corp lead with distinct technology emphases
The top two ranked applicants each bring a different technical angle to cobot machine vision — one rooted in outdoor/agricultural robotics, the other in AI-driven perception and general manipulator control.
AIGEN INC
AIGEN INC holds the top position with 5 patent families and is classified as a new entrant by momentum data, with 3 recent families filed in the latest period. Their technology focus spans pest and vermin control (A01M) alongside core manipulator classes (B25J 9 and B25J 15), indicating a strategy centered on outdoor autonomous cobots for agricultural settings. This niche application differentiates them clearly from industrial-automation incumbents.
families: 5Intel Corp
Intel Corp holds 4 patent families, tying with Chengdu Qinchuan IoT Technology Co., Ltd. for second place. Intel’s technology focus is concentrated in B25J 9 (manipulator control) and AI model classes G06N 3 and G06N 5, reflecting an emphasis on perception and inference architectures for cobot vision systems. Intel is not flagged as a new entrant in the momentum data, suggesting an established but selective presence in this space.
families: 4| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| AIGEN INC | 3 | ▲ new entrant |
| Chengdu Qinchuan IoT Technology Co., Ltd. | 4 | ▲ new entrant |
| Air Liquide America Inc. | 2 | ▲ new entrant |
| L’Air Liquide S.A. | 2 | ▲ new entrant |
| Chongqing University | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
| Sarcos Technology and Robotics Corporation | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
| Guizhou Leikangna Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served branches adjacent to the cobot vision core
Several IPC branches sit at the margins of the dominant B25J cluster with low filing counts. These are observations of relative sparsity; where plausible technical value and a realistic entry path exist, they are noted as worth watching.
G06N · AI Models for cobot perception
With only 5 records in the AI models class (G06N) against 38 in the core manipulator class, machine-learning inference architectures specifically tailored to cobot vision remain sparsely covered. Intel’s existing focus here provides proof of technical relevance, but the thin filing count leaves substantial claim space. Teams working on on-device or edge inference for cobot perception could establish differentiated positions with targeted filings.
Search this in Eureka →G01N · Material Analysis & Inspection
Material analysis and testing (G01N) registers only 5 records, despite quality-inspection being a primary industrial use case for cobots equipped with vision systems. The gap between market relevance and IP coverage is notable. An entry path exists through vision-based defect detection, surface measurement, or inline chemical composition analysis linked to the cobot end-effector — domains where B25J and G01N claims naturally overlap.
Search this in Eureka →How leading applicants differ by technology route
Route coverage across the main technology branches in the current evidence set.
| Player | B25J 9 · Manipulators & robots | B25J 19 · Manipulators & robots | A01M 21 · Pest & vermin control | B25J 13 · Manipulators & robots | B25J 15 · Manipulators & robots |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIGEN INC | Strong · 5 | Absent | Strong · 5 | Absent | Strong · 5 |
| Chengdu Qinchuan IoT Technology Co., Ltd. | Strong · 4 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Intel Corporation | Strong · 4 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| L’Air Liquide S.A. | Strong · 2 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Air Liquide America Inc. | Strong · 2 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Rajalakshmi Engineering College | Strong · 1 | Absent | Absent | Strong · 1 | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The analysis covers 40 patent families in scope globally. The United States leads with 16 records at the jurisdiction level, followed by China with 14.
AIGEN INC is the top-ranked applicant with 5 patent families, ahead of Intel Corp and Chengdu Qinchuan IoT Technology Co., Ltd., each with 4 patent families.
Yes, the field is in a Growth stage. The recent three-year filing window is 267% above the prior three-year window. Annual filings peaked in 2023 at 13 families and have eased since, but 2024 and 2025 data are incomplete due to publication lag and should not be read as a real decline.
B25J (Manipulators & robots) dominates with 38 records. Secondary branches — welding/brazing (B23K), pest control (A01M), material analysis (G01N), AI models (G06N), and photovoltaic systems (H02S) — each register 5–6 records, reflecting diverse application verticals.
AI model architectures for cobot perception (G06N) and material analysis/inspection applications (G01N) are the most notable under-served adjacent branches, each with only 5 records against 38 in the core manipulator class.
The United States (16 records) and China (14 records) dominate. Europe (EPO) and WIPO (PCT) each have only 3 records, indicating that many applicants have not pursued broad international protection — a potential gap for filers seeking global exclusivity.
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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.
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