Enhanced & Synthetic Vision Patents: Who Leads, Filing Trends 2026
Enhanced and Synthetic Vision Systems: Patents Shaping the Cockpit Display
One filer holds 321 of 540 records (89.1% for the top five combined) — this field is concentrated at the top with a long tail of single- and double-digit filers behind it. Filings peaked at 72 in 2018 and have declined since; 2021 (17) to 2024 (4) is a 76% drop over the last three-year span the dataset treats as complete. 2025 and 2026 show near-zero counts, but publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so those years are still filling in rather than reflecting an actual stop in filing.
- 1HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC321
- 2ROCKWELL COLLINS INC101
- 3BOMBARDIER INC23
- 4THALES SA23
- 5LOCKHEED MARTIN CORP13
See the full enhanced and synthetic vision systems 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 this landscape
Who holds the most patents in enhanced and synthetic vision systems?
One assignee holds 321 of the 540 records in scope, far ahead of the next four combined, which together bring the top five to 89.1% of all records. This concentration means the leading assignee’s portfolio effectively defines the boundaries of the occupied claim space in terrain rendering, sensor fusion and display integration. Any new entrant should map their intended claims against that portfolio before drafting, since the remaining 43 ranked companies hold comparatively small numbers of records by comparison.
Is patent filing in synthetic vision systems still growing?
No. Filings peaked at 72 in 2018 and fell to 4 by 2024, a 76% drop from the 17 filed in 2021, which is the most recent three-year span the dataset treats as complete. Counts for 2025 and 2026 appear even lower, but publication typically lags actual filing by around 18 months, so those most recent years are not yet a reliable read on current activity. The honest read is a field that filed heavily in the late 2010s and has since slowed rather than one that has stopped outright.
What technology areas do these patents actually cover?
The claim space centers on positioning and navigation: G01C (distance, navigation and gyroscopes) appears in 50.9% of the 540 records and G08G (traffic control systems) in 42.6%. Aircraft equipment (B64D), radar and positioning (G01S), and image processing (G06T) each appear in roughly a sixth to a fifth of records, covering sensor fusion and rendering. Optical hardware (G02B) is the smallest slice at 7.2%, suggesting most protection sits in software and data-fusion logic rather than physical sensor design.
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 Enhanced and Synthetic Vision Systems 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.