The dataset used for this analysis contains 386 published records filed between 2015 and the 2026 data cut-off, covering extractive sampling, dilution probes, stack gas analyzers and the calibration, data acquisition and certification claims built around them. This counts families in the assignee ranking rather than raw document duplicates across jurisdictions, which gives a fairer picture of distinct inventions than a raw publication count would. Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, the true count for 2025-2026 filings will rise as those applications continue to publish.

Filing is concentrated at the top: the leading assignee holds 68 of the 386 records, and the top 5 assignees combined account for 32.1% of the field. The top 10 extend that to 44.6%, after which the ranking spreads across 90 more companies with much smaller counts, including industrial IoT platforms, oil and gas operators, analytical instrument makers and university research groups. This shape — one strong leader, a competitive next tier, then a long tail — is typical of a technology tied to both regulatory compliance and industrial process control.

Filings peaked at 34 in 2022 and had eased to 19 by 2024, a 17% decline over that three-year span using only complete-year data. The 2025 and 2026 figures currently show lower counts, but these should not be read as a slowdown since publication lag means recent applications are still being published. The honest read is that growth has cooled from its 2022 high point, not that the field is shrinking.