Cobot Work-Cell Integration Patent Snapshot 2026
Precise Automation Inc dominates a highly concentrated field, holding the largest share of patent records among the top filers, while the broader corpus remains small and specialized. The field is expanding on a multi-year basis — recent-window growth is well above the prior period — though annual volume has eased from its 2018 peak and the most recent years remain understated by publication lag.
Precise Automation leads a tightly concentrated field
Precise Automation Inc holds the top position in cobot work-cell integration, followed by Brooks Automation US LLC and a cluster of new entrants including Air Liquide America, Lincoln Global, HighRes Biosolutions, and Siemens Industry Software.
The top five filers account for 83% of the combined total among the ranked applicants visible in this query, signaling a highly concentrated visible assignee structure with a pronounced gap between the leader and the rest of the field.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Precise Automation Inc | 8 | |
| 2 | Brooks Automation US LLC | 5 | |
| 3 | LAIR LIQUIDE SA POUR LETUDE & LEXPLOITATION DES PR… | 2 | |
| 4 | HighRes Biosolutions Inc | 2 | |
| 5 | Siemens Industry Software Ltd | 2 | |
| 6 | Air Liquide America Inc | 2 | |
| 7 | Lincoln Global Inc | 2 |
Precise Automation’s lead reflects a sustained focus on manipulator mechanics and control systems, while challengers enter with narrower, application-specific footprints — welding, life-science automation, and industrial software — suggesting the field is attracting specialists rather than broad-portfolio incumbents.
The most recent 18–24 months of filing data are likely under-counted due to patent publication lag and should not be read as a slowdown in activity. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Multi-year growth continues despite an eased annual pace
Two charts frame the field’s trajectory and technology mix: the annual filing trend reveals the growth pattern over time, while the IPC composition shows which technical disciplines are visible in and where gaps exist.
Annual filing trend
Filing activity peaked in 2018, fell through 2020–2022, and has recovered since 2023. The recent three-year window sits well above the prior three-year window, confirming multi-year growth. Years 2024–2026 are likely understated by publication lag and should not be read as a plateau.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
B25J (Manipulators & robots) is the visible branch, present across the full corpus, confirming that cobot hardware and kinematics are the core technical focus. G05B (Control & regulating systems) and B23K (Welding, soldering & brazing) are meaningful secondary branches. B60L (Electric vehicle propulsion) and G06T (Image data processing) each appear in only one patent record, marking them as sparse adjacent areas.
↗ 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.
Collaborative robot
A collaborative robot employs low ratio drives for three or more axes of movement, such as three primary axes. An arm assembly may be mounted to a support for movement along a vertical linear axis, and the arm assembly may include first and second arm links that are each rotatable about vertical axes, e.g., such that the arm links move in a horizontal… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Collaborative robot | 32 |
| 2 | Collaborative robot | 27 |
| 3 | Collaborative robot | 26 |
| 4 | Collaborative robot | 5 |
| 5 | Collaborative robot | 3 |
| 6 | Mobile robotic processing station, processing syst… | 1 |
| 7 | Cobot welding trajectory correction with smart vis… | 1 |
| 8 | Cobot welding trajectory correction with smart vis… | 1 |
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.
Assignee snapshot from the current evidence set
The applicants below are visible in this query result. Because the evidence set is relatively small, read this section as a directional snapshot rather than a full competitive ranking.
Precise Automation Inc
Precise Automation holds 8 patent records, the largest position in this corpus. Its technology emphasis spans B25J 9 (robot manipulator configurations), B25J 13 (robot control), and G05B 19 (programmable control systems), reflecting an integrated hardware-plus-control strategy. No momentum data for this applicant is present in the recent-entrant evidence, indicating it is an established rather than newly entering filer in this space.
8 patent recordsLincoln Global Inc
Lincoln Global Inc holds 2 patent records and is flagged as a new entrant in the recent filing window. Its technology focus is concentrated in B23K 26 and B23K 9 (laser and arc welding) alongside B25J 13 (robot arm control), positioning it as a welding-specific cobot integrator rather than a general-purpose robotics player. This application-vertical approach differentiates it clearly from the leader.
2 patent recordsFrequently asked questions
The scoped corpus contains 18 patent families. This is a relatively small and specialized field, and the filing base is concentrated among a handful of active applicants.
Precise Automation Inc leads with 8 patent records, the largest position among all ranked applicants. Brooks Automation US LLC is the second-largest filer with 5 patent records.
The field is in a Growth stage. The recent three-year filing window sits well above the prior three-year window, confirming multi-year expansion. Annual volume peaked in 2018 and has eased since, so the field is growing on a cumulative basis while annual pace remains below its historical high.
The United States leads with 7 patent records, followed by Europe (EPO) with 5, WIPO (PCT) with 4, and Canada with 2. No Asian jurisdictions appear in the current evidence.
B25J (Manipulators & robots) is the visible branch, present across all 18 patent records. G05B (Control & regulating systems) and B23K (Welding, soldering & brazing) are meaningful secondary branches. B60L and G06T each appear in only one patent record.
One co-filing relationship is documented: Air Liquide America Inc and L’Air Liquide SA pour l’Etude et l’Exploitation des Procedes Georges Claude filed together on one patent. Cross-entity collaboration beyond affiliated corporate groups is not evident in the current evidence.
Built on Patsnap Open Platform
This report’s underlying patent dataset — filings, assignees, technology clusters — is open for developers via MCP and REST API. Free to start, 10,000 credits, no credit card required.
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.