Distribution Feeder Automation Patents: Who Leads, Trends 2026
Distribution feeder automation patents: mapping fault isolation, self-healing networks and who actually holds the claims
Concentrated at the top. The five leading assignees hold 62.5% of all 104 records in scope, and the leading ten hold 81.7% — a field where a handful of grid-equipment incumbents set the terms. Filings rose to a peak of 5 in 2019, then eased; the tracked growth figure of 4 filings in 2021 down to 2 in 2024 (-50%) is the most recent span long enough to read as a trend, since 2025 and 2026 are still incomplete due to publication lag.
- 1ABB RES LTD22
- 2S&C ELECTRIC CO16
- 3HITACHI ENERGY LTD11
- 4ABB (SCHWEIZ) AG8
- 5ABB POWER GRIDS SWITZERLAND AG8
See the full distribution feeder automation 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 about distribution feeder automation patents
How many distribution feeder automation patents have been filed recently?
This dataset tracks 104 published records filed between 2015 and mid-2026 that combine feeder automation or self-healing network concepts with specific mechanisms such as fault isolation time or sectionalizer coordination. Filing activity peaked at 5 records in 2019, and the 2021-2024 span shows a drop from 4 to 2 filings, a 50% decline over that period. Because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, the 2025 and 2026 counts in any such dataset are understated and should not yet be read as a continued slowdown.
Who are the leading patent holders in distribution feeder automation?
Ownership is concentrated: the leading assignee holds 22 of the 104 records in scope, and the top five assignees combined hold 62.5% of all records. The top ten extend that to 81.7%, after which the ranking tapers into a long tail of single- or few-filing entrants. This pattern is typical of grid-equipment fields where a small number of incumbents have built protection-and-restoration portfolios over many years.
What technology areas do these patents actually cover?
The dataset splits mainly across protective circuit arrangements (H02H, 38.5% of records) and power supply/grid systems (H02J, 33.7%), reflecting the core function of isolating faults and restoring feeder loops. A meaningful minority of records also carry business/admin data processing (G06Q, 20.2%), general digital data processing (G06F, 13.5%) and AI-based computing (G06N, 12.5%) classes, showing that reliability-index and switching-sequence logic is increasingly implemented as software and analytics rather than purely as protection hardware.
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 Distribution Feeder Automation covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. 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.