Electric Ship Propulsion Reliability Patent Snapshot
The corpus of 4 patent families in electric ship propulsion reliability is narrow and China-dominated, with Wuhan Marine Electric Propulsion Research Institute holding the top position. Activity peaked in 2019 and annual volume has since eased, leaving a sparse and concentrated field with limited active competition outside China.
Wuhan Marine Electric Propulsion leads a highly concentrated, early-stage corpus
Wuhan Marine Electric Propulsion Research Institute (China Shipbuilding Group Co., Ltd. 712th Research Institute) is the top-ranked filer, holding 2 patent records, followed by several single-record applicants including Zhoushan Putuo Haiqiang Electric, individual inventors, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
The top five filers account for 60% of the ranked applicants visible in this query’ combined total, reflecting extreme concentration for so narrow a corpus. There is no meaningful second tier: all challengers hold a single patent record each.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wuhan Marine Electric Propulsion Research Institute | 2 | |
| 2 | Zhoushan Putuo Haiqiang Electric Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 3 | Zhang Qingfa | 1 | |
| 4 | Wuhan Institute of Marine Electric Propulsion | 1 | |
| 5 | Pang Zhisen | 1 | |
| 6 | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. | 1 | |
| 7 | Yichang Fazhong Ship Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 8 | Huang Guozhu | 1 | |
| 9 | Wang Wenzhong | 1 |
China, with isolated contributions from Japanese industry (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries) and Chinese individual inventors.
The most recent filing periods are subject to publication lag and should be interpreted cautiously; the apparent absence of 2024–2026 records does not necessarily indicate a complete halt in activity. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Activity peaked in 2019 and has since eased; marine propulsion dominates the technology mix
The filing trend and technology composition charts together reveal a field that saw a brief burst of activity around 2019 and has since contracted, with B63H (marine propulsion and steering) accounting for the large majority of records.
Annual filing trend
Filings spiked at 2 records in 2019, then fell to zero in 2020–2022, with isolated single-record appearances in 2023 and 2025. The recent-window growth rate is -50%, consistent with a field in decline from its 2019 peak. The 2024–2026 period is subject to publication lag and should not be read as a definitive endpoint.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
B63H (marine propulsion and steering) is visible in with 6 patent records, reflecting the core focus on propulsion hardware and control. Adjacent classes B63G (naval vessels), H02J (power supply and grid systems), and H02K (electric motors and generators) each carry only 1 record, indicating minimal exploration of power electronics and grid integration in this reliability-specific corpus.
↗ 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.
Power generation cassette type power plant for mar…
A power generation cassette type power plant for marine electric propulsion includes a multiplicity of power generation units each being formed as a power generation cassette including a power generator, a prime mover, for example an internal combustion engine for driving the power generator and a support structure for supporting the power generator and the… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Power generation cassette type power plant for mar… | 29 |
| 2 | 电动船舶的无级调速操纵装置 | 2 |
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.
What the structure means for R&D investment in electric ship propulsion reliability
The combination of a declining lifecycle stage, extreme concentration, China-centric jurisdiction, and sparse adjacent branches creates a field where entry barriers are low in absolute patent terms but strategic positioning is limited to a few institutional players.
Field is in decline from a 2019 peak
The lifecycle stage is classified as Decline, with annual filings easing back from the 2019 peak of 2 records. The multi-year recent-window growth is –50%, confirming reduced activity. New entrants considering this space face a field with thin prior art but also thin active community investment.
Lifecycle: DeclineSingle institution is visible in; no meaningful second tier
The top five filers hold 60% of the ranked applicants visible in this query’ combined total. Wuhan Marine Electric Propulsion Research Institute alone holds 2 patent records, double any single challenger. This concentration means the IP landscape can shift materially with even a small new filing campaign from an outside party.
High concentrationA compact co-inventor cluster centered on Huang Guozhu
The most active co-filing network connects Huang Guozhu, Wang Wenzhong, Zhang Qingfa, Pang Zhisen, and Yichang Fazhong Ship Co., Ltd., each pair sharing 1 collaborative record. This cluster appears to represent a single joint project rather than a broad ecosystem. No cross-institutional or cross-border collaboration is recorded in the evidence.
Tight inventor clusterChina is the visible jurisdiction; U.S. presence is limited to one record
China accounts for 5 of the patent records, with the United States contributing 1. No other jurisdictions appear in the evidence. This geographic skew means that any U.S. or European entity seeking freedom to operate or IP protection in electric ship propulsion reliability faces minimal incumbent filings outside China, but also limited prior art to build on.
China-visibleGo beyond the landscape: Eureka’s TRIZ Solution agent breaks down an R&D problem and returns patented concept solutions, each with a technical approach and cited patent & literature evidence.
| Applicant | Collaborator | Co-filings |
|---|---|---|
| Huang Guozhu | Wang Wenzhong | 1 |
| Huang Guozhu | Zhang Qingfa | 1 |
| Huang Guozhu | Pang Zhisen | 1 |
| Huang Guozhu | Yichang Fazhong Ship Co., Ltd. | 1 |
| Wang Wenzhong | Zhang Qingfa | 1 |
| Wang Wenzhong | Pang Zhisen | 1 |
| Wang Wenzhong | Yichang Fazhong Ship Co., Ltd. | 1 |
| Zhang Qingfa | Pang Zhisen | 1 |
| Zhang Qingfa | Yichang Fazhong Ship Co., Ltd. | 1 |
| Pang Zhisen | Yichang Fazhong Ship Co., Ltd. | 1 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
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.
Wuhan Marine Electric Propulsion Research Institute
The institute holds 2 patent records, the highest count in the corpus, focused entirely on B63H21 (marine propulsion and steering). Its associated entity — Wuhan Marine Electric Propulsion Research Institute (China Shipbuilding Group Co., Ltd. 712th Research Institute) — is flagged as a new entrant in the recent period with 1 additional record, suggesting continued if modest institutional investment. Technology emphasis is squarely on propulsion hardware rather than power electronics.
patent records: 2Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries holds 1 patent record, placing it among the single-record challengers but distinguished as the only major international industrial group in the corpus. No momentum data specific to Mitsubishi is available in the evidence. Its associated inventors (TSUJI MASANARI and others) show focus spanning B63H21, B63H23, and H02J3, indicating broader system-level coverage than the Chinese filers.
patent records: 1Frequently asked questions
The evidence covers 4 patent families in scope for this topic.
Wuhan Marine Electric Propulsion Research Institute (China Shipbuilding Group Co., Ltd. 712th Research Institute) is the top-ranked filer with 2 patent records, double any individual challenger.
China accounts for 5 of the patent records in the evidence, with the United States contributing 1 record. No other jurisdictions appear in the current corpus.
The field is classified as Decline, with annual filings easing back from a 2019 peak. The recent-window growth rate is -50% relative to the prior period.
B63H (marine propulsion and steering) is visible in with 6 patent records. Adjacent classes B63G (naval vessels), H02J (power supply and grid systems), and H02K (electric motors and generators) each carry only 1 record.
The evidence shows a compact co-inventor cluster connecting Huang Guozhu, Wang Wenzhong, Zhang Qingfa, Pang Zhisen, and Yichang Fazhong Ship Co., Ltd., each pair sharing 1 collaborative record. No cross-border collaboration is recorded in the evidence.
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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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