Combustion & Emissions Control Patents: Who Leads, Where Gaps Are 2026
Combustion and emissions control patents: who holds the claim space, and what is still open
Concentration is real but not total. the top 5 filers hold 31.8% of all 1,166 records in scope, and the top 10 hold 42.2% — leaving well over half the field to a long tail of single- and few-filing entrants. Annual output peaked at 86 records in 2017. The clean comparison window shows filings falling from 40 in 2021 to 22 in 2024, a -45% move over three years; 2025 and 2026 figures are still filling in under publication lag and should not be read as a continued decline.
- 1FORD GLOBAL TECH LLC14.3%
- 2CATERPILLAR INC8.7%
- 3OWENS CORNING INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL LLC3.3%
- 4CUMMINS INC2.8%
- 5HINDERKS MITJA VICTOR2.7%
See the full combustion & emissions control patent landscape analysis in Eureka
- The complete ranking, not just the top five
- Every IPC branch with its share of the corpus
- The most-cited records, and where claim space is still thin
Common questions on combustion and emissions control patents
Who are the leading patent filers in combustion and emissions control?
One assignee leads the ranked field with 167 records, more than five times the fifth-place total of 31. Behind that leader the drop-off is gradual rather than sharp — tenth place still holds 19 records — which points to several established engine and component makers running sustained, comparable filing programmes. The top 10 filers combined account for 42.2% of all 1,166 records in scope, leaving the majority of the corpus to a long tail of smaller filers.
Is patent filing in this field growing or shrinking?
Filing peaked at 86 records in 2017 and has since declined; the clean comparison window shows a -45% drop from 40 records in 2021 to 22 in 2024. Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, 2025 and 2026 figures are still incomplete and should not be read as evidence of a further slowdown. Taken together, the trend through 2024 shows a real contraction from the 2017 high rather than a plateau.
Which technology areas see the most patent activity?
Engine control (F02D) and fuel supply and carburettors (F02M) are the two densest classes, each covering roughly a fifth of the 1,166 records in scope. Internal-combustion engine design (F02B) follows close behind at 16.0%. Exhaust treatment, separation processes and electric-vehicle propulsion classes are filed far less often, which is a useful signal for where claim space is comparatively open.
Disclaimer. This analysis is based on Patsnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent records and is provided for general information and reference only. Patent data carries inherent limitations — recent filings are under-counted because of publication lag, counts may be on a record or family basis, classification and applicant-name data may contain errors or duplicates, and the underlying search query defines the scope shown — so the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing here is an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Verify independently and review with qualified patent and legal professionals before acting on it.
Method: Filing trend and technology composition. Derived from a Patsnap search on Combustion & Emissions Control Patent Landscape covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-08-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish. Every share divides by all records in scope. Data: Patsnap Eureka. See the full landscape report.