Crop Phenotyping Sensor Integration Patent Snapshot
The crop phenotyping sensor integration space is highly concentrated, with the top two applicants — Agri Victoria Services and C-CROP Ltd — together holding the majority of the 18 patent families in scope. Activity surged sharply from 2022 onward, and the field is still expanding on a multi-year basis even as annual volume has eased from its 2022 peak.
Two applicants dominate a nascent, fast-concentrating field
Agri Victoria Services Pty Ltd leads the ranking with 7 patent families, followed closely by C-CROP Ltd with 6 and Crocus Labs GmbH with 3. The remaining three ranked applicants — Iowa State University Research Foundation, Mineral Earth Sciences LLC, and KWS Saat SE & Co. KGaA — each hold 1 patent family.
The top five filers account for 95% of the combined total among the ranked applicants visible in this query, signalling an extremely high degree of concentration for a field of this size. The gap between the top tier (Agri Victoria Services and C-CROP Ltd) and the rest is large relative to overall corpus volume.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Agri Victoria Services Pty Ltd | 7 | |
| 2 | C-CROP Ltd | 6 | |
| 3 | Crocus Labs GmbH | 3 | |
| 4 | Iowa State University Research Foundation | 1 | |
| 5 | Mineral Earth Sciences LLC | 1 | |
| 6 | KWS SAAT SE & CO KGAA | 1 |
The positions of the two visible assignees suggest first-mover advantages are already being established through sensor fusion and image-processing approaches, leaving limited room for late entrants to claim broad foundational coverage without differentiated technical angles.
The most recent filing years are further understated by typical patent publication lag; the apparent drop after 2022 should not be read as a decline in activity. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
A 2022 surge reshaped the field; radar and image processing dominate the technology mix
The annual filing trend reveals a sharp inflection in 2022, while the technology composition chart shows that sensing and image-processing branches together define the current technical core.
Annual filing trend
Filings were negligible from 2017 through 2021, then jumped markedly in 2022 before easing in subsequent years. The 2023–2026 period is understated by publication lag and should not be interpreted as stagnation; the multi-year growth rate of 1400% confirms the field expanded substantially over the recent three-year window relative to the prior one.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
Radar, sonar and positioning (G01S) and image data processing (G06T) are the two largest branches, each appearing across 13 patent records, closely followed by horticulture and forestry (A01G) and material analysis and testing (G01N) with 12 records each. Plant breeding (A01H) and dimensional measurement (G01B) are present but at lower volume, while bioinformatics (G16B), image/video recognition (G06V), and biochemical testing (C12Q) are sparsely represented.
↗ 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/process for in-field measurement…
A measurement system including: a. a sensor system that includes: i. a Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) module with a laser emitter configured to generate measurement data representing raw range measurements to measure heights of a crop, and ii. a computing module, including: at least one wireline/wired communications module configured to communicate… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | High-throughput large-scale plant phenotyping inst… | 28 |
| 2 | Plant phenotyping techniques using optical measure… | 9 |
| 3 | Controlled environment agriculture method and syst… | 4 |
| 4 | System and method/process for in-field measurement… | 3 |
| 5 | Method and system for performing data analysis for… | 3 |
| 6 | Plant phenotyping | 2 |
| 7 | System and Method/Process for In-Field Measurement… | 1 |
| 8 | Controlled environment agriculture method and syst… | 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.
Agri Victoria Services Pty Ltd
Agri Victoria Services Pty Ltd holds 7 patent families and is a new entrant with all recent filings concentrated in the latest window. Its technical emphasis is on LiDAR and radar-based positioning (G01S17, G01S13) combined with horticultural sensing applications (A01G22), indicating a focus on three-dimensional in-field plant measurement systems.
families: 7C-CROP Ltd
C-CROP Ltd holds 6 patent families and is also a new entrant. Its technical profile spans optical material analysis (G01N21), LiDAR positioning (G01S17), and image data processing (G06T7) in equal measure, suggesting an integrated multispectral and computational imaging approach distinct from the leader’s predominantly radar-centric stance.
families: 6Frequently asked questions
The current corpus covers 18 patent families in scope. This is a small but rapidly growing field, with the multi-year growth rate standing at 1400% when comparing the recent three-year window to the prior one.
Agri Victoria Services Pty Ltd leads with 7 patent families, followed by C-CROP Ltd with 6 and Crocus Labs GmbH with 3. Iowa State University Research Foundation, Mineral Earth Sciences LLC, and KWS Saat SE & Co. KGaA each hold 1 patent family.
Radar, sonar and positioning (G01S) and image data processing (G06T) are the largest branches, each appearing across 13 patent records, closely followed by horticulture and forestry (A01G) and material analysis and testing (G01N) with 12 records each.
The United States is the lead jurisdiction with 7 patent records, followed by Israel with 4, Europe (EPO) with 3, and WIPO (PCT) with 2. Australia, Canada, and New Zealand each account for 1 record.
Filings were minimal from 2017 to 2021, surged in 2022, and appear lower in 2023 onward. This apparent easing should not be read as a real decline — the most recent years are understated by patent publication lag, and the multi-year growth rate of 1400% confirms the field remains in a Growth lifecycle stage.
No co-applicant filing relationships are recorded in the current corpus. The field appears dominated by independent filers at this stage, though the presence of Iowa State University Research Foundation suggests academic participation that could seed future academic-industry co-filings.
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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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