Event-Based Vision Sensor Patent Landscape 2026
Event-Based Vision Sensor Patent Landscape in 2026
The event-based vision sensor patent field is highly concentrated, with Sony-affiliated entities commanding an outsized share of 641 patent families in scope and the United States serving as the lead filing jurisdiction. The field is in a Growth stage, with multi-year activity up 240% versus the prior comparable window, though annual volume has eased from its 2023 peak and recent years remain understated by publication lag.
Sony’s affiliated entities command the field; challengers are distant
Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp leads all applicants with 251 patent families, more than three times the second-ranked Sony Group Corp at 75 patent families. The top five applicants — Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp, Sony Group Corp, Sony Advanced Visual Sensing AG, Prophesee Solutions, and OmniVision Technologies — together account for 62% of the combined output of the hundred largest filers.
The tier gap between Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp and the rest of the field is substantial. The nearest non-Sony challenger, Prophesee Solutions, holds 30 patent families, while OmniVision Technologies follows at 29. Below rank five, counts drop sharply, indicating a long tail of smaller participants.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp | 251 | |
| 2 | Sony Group Corp | 75 | |
| 3 | Sony Advanced Visual Sensing AG | 54 | |
| 4 | Prophesee Solutions | 30 | |
| 5 | OmniVision Technologies Inc | 29 | |
| 6 | Shenzhen Ruishizhixin Technology Co Ltd | 27 | |
| 7 | Samsung Electronics Co Ltd | 23 | |
| 8 | Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC | 22 | |
| 9 | Sony Europe BV | 15 | |
| 10 | University of Western Sydney | 12 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | His Majesty the King in Right of Canada (National Research Council of Canada) | 12 | |
| 12 | JVC Kenwood Corp | 12 | |
| 13 | National Research Council of Canada | 12 | |
| 14 | Ericsson | 10 | |
| 15 | CEA (Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives) | 9 | |
| 16 | Canon Inc | 8 | |
| 17 | Huawei Technologies Co Ltd | 7 | |
| 18 | Facense Ltd | 5 | |
| 19 | iniVation AG | 5 | |
| 20 | Elbit Systems Electro-Optics Elop Ltd | 4 |
Sony’s multi-entity presence — spanning Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp, Sony Group Corp, Sony Advanced Visual Sensing AG, Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC, and Sony. Europe BV — suggests a coordinated, vertically integrated IP strategy rather than isolated filings, making the competitive moat considerably deeper than any single entity’s count implies.
Filing counts for 2024 and 2025 are understated due to standard patent publication lag; the apparent easing from the 2023 peak should not be read as a contraction in actual R&D activity. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Multi-year growth is intact; pictorial communication dominates the technology mix
Annual filing volume expanded rapidly from 2020 onward, and the technology base is concentrated in image-capture and processing classes, though a meaningful spread into radar, positioning, material analysis, and AI signals broadening application scope.
Annual filing trend
Filings were minimal through 2019, then accelerated sharply from 2020 (35 families) through a peak of 176 in 2023. Counts for 2024 (115) and 2025 (61) reflect publication lag and should be treated as floor estimates, not real-activity declines. The 240% growth in recent versus prior three-year windows confirms the field is still expanding on a multi-year basis.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H04N (Pictorial communication) is dominant, reflecting the core pixel-readout and sensor-architecture work that defines the field. G01S (Radar, sonar & positioning) and G06T (Image data processing) are the next largest branches, indicating active development in depth sensing and computational imaging. Smaller but notable presences in G01N (Material analysis), G06V (Image/video recognition), H01L (Semiconductor devices), and G06N (AI models) point to emerging application verticals.
↗ 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.
Low-power always-on event-based vision sensor
An event-based vision sensor is provided. The event-based vision sensor comprises an event-based vision sensor pixel array, an always-on row scanner, an always-on column scanner, a major row scanner and a major column scanner. The event-based vision sensor pixel array comprises a plurality of always-on pixels and a plurality of major pixels. The always-on… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Analyzing road surfaces | 30 |
| 2 | Data rate control for event-based vision sensor | 24 |
| 3 | Proximity sensor and proximity sensing method usin… | 17 |
| 4 | Data rate control for event-based vision sensor | 14 |
| 5 | Dynamic vision sensor and image processing device … | 13 |
| 6 | Method and apparatus for storing event signal and … | 12 |
| 7 | 用于基于事件的视觉传感器的数据速率控制 | 11 |
| 8 | Information processing device and information proc… | 9 |
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 competitive structure means for R&D strategy
The combination of high concentration, rapid multi-year growth, and adjacent under-served branches creates both entry barriers and navigable white-space opportunities for new and incumbent players.
Growth stage with annual volume easing from its 2023 peak
The lifecycle evidence places this field firmly in Growth, with recent three-year filings 240% above the prior window. Annual volume peaked in 2023 at 176 families and has since eased, a pattern consistent with maturing core sensor architecture claims. New entrants and challengers are still filing aggressively, suggesting foundational IP windows are not yet closed.
Growth stageTop five filers hold 62% of the leading-100 applicants’ combined output
Sony-affiliated entities occupy four of the top five slots, creating a dense IP cluster around core pixel-readout and event-driven readout architectures. The nearest independent challenger, Prophesee Solutions, holds 30 patent families. Entrants should map claim scope carefully before committing to sensor-architecture directions already saturated by Sony.
High concentrationCo-filing is almost exclusively Sony-internal; academic ties are narrow but present
The most active co-filing pairs are Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp with Sony Advanced Visual Sensing AG (16 joint families), Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp with Sony Europe BV (11), and Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp with Sony Group Corp (8). Beyond the Sony ecosystem, Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp co-filed with University of Zurich (3 families) and Sony Group Corp with ETH Zurich (3 families), suggesting targeted academic engagement on sensor algorithms. Independent cross-entity collaboration outside Sony is limited.
EcosystemUS leads filings; PCT and EPO show strong global protection intent
The United States is the lead office with 213 patent records, followed by WIPO PCT at 157 and the European Patent Office at 117. Japan (55) and China (36) are secondary markets. The breadth of PCT filings indicates that leading applicants are pursuing coordinated multi-jurisdiction protection rather than concentrating solely in home markets, raising freedom-to-operate complexity globally.
Multi-jurisdictionalGo 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp | Sony Advanced Visual Sensing AG | 16 |
| Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp | Sony Europe BV | 11 |
| Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp | Sony Group Corp | 8 |
| Sony Group Corp | Sony Europe BV | 4 |
| Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp | University of Zurich | 3 |
| Sony Group Corp | ETH Zurich | 3 |
| Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp | Sony Depthsensing Solutions SA/NV | 2 |
| Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp | Altair Semiconductor Ltd | 2 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp leads; challengers accelerate from small bases
The top two players differ markedly in technology emphasis: the leader is anchored in sensor pixel architecture, while the second-ranked entity has pivoted toward material analysis and testing applications, suggesting an emerging application diversification strategy.
Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp
With 251 patent families, Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp holds a dominant position with no close rival. Its technology focus is concentrated in H04N 25 (pixel-readout architectures, 222 families) and H04N 23 (camera systems, 60 families), with a secondary position in H01L 27 (semiconductor device integration, 26 families). Momentum is strongly positive at 3.1× vs. the prior three-year window, indicating accelerating output rather than a defending-incumbent posture.
families: 251Sony Group Corp
Sony Group Corp ranks second with 75 patent families and a momentum trend of +52% versus the prior three-year window. Unlike the leader, its primary technology emphasis has shifted toward G01N 15 and G01N 21 (material analysis and testing, 32 and 29 families respectively), with H04N 25 as a secondary focus at 19 families. This suggests Sony Group Corp is positioning event-based sensing for inspection and analytical instrumentation use cases beyond conventional imaging.
families: 75| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp | 170 | ▲ 3.1× vs prior 3-yr |
| Sony Group Corp | 44 | ▲ +52% |
| Sony Advanced Visual Sensing AG | 21 | ▬ 0% |
| Prophesee Solutions | 21 | ▲ new entrant |
| OmniVision Technologies Inc | 20 | ▲ new entrant |
| Shenzhen Ruishizhixin Technology Co Ltd | 25 | ▲ new entrant |
| Samsung Electronics Co Ltd | 7 | ▲ new entrant |
| Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC | 22 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served branches in image processing, material analysis, and semiconductor integration
Several IPC branches adjacent to the dominant H04N core show relatively low patent counts despite plausible technical relevance to event-based sensing; these represent observations of current sparsity, and entry paths should be validated against claim scope and commercial need before treating them as confirmed opportunities.
G01N · Material analysis & testing
With 64 patent records, G01N is the fourth-largest branch but holds only a 6% share among the leading branches — sparse relative to the sensor’s demonstrated utility for high-speed inspection of materials, surfaces, and biological samples. Sony Group Corp’s recent pivot into G01N 15 and G01N 21 (32 and 29 families respectively) signals commercial interest, but independent coverage remains thin. Entrants with domain expertise in industrial inspection or life-science imaging could find navigable claim space here, provided they validate freedom-to-operate against Sony’s growing positions.
Search this in Eureka →H01L · Semiconductor devices
H01L (Semiconductor devices) accounts for 38 patent records and a 3% share — low for a field whose performance ultimately depends on pixel-level semiconductor architecture. Most H01L activity is concentrated within Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp’s own portfolio (H01L 27, 26 families). This sparsity in independent semiconductor-device filings suggests that novel pixel circuit topologies, stacked sensor architectures, and process-level innovations remain relatively open territory for fabless design houses and foundry-linked R&D teams willing to differentiate at the silicon level.
Search this in Eureka →How leading applicants differ by technology route
Strength of each leader across the main technology routes.
| Player | H04N 25 · Pictorial communication (video/TV) | H04N 23 · Pictorial communication (video/TV) | G01S 17 · Radar, sonar & positioning | G06T 7 · Image data processing & generation | H04N 5 · Pictorial communication (video/TV) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp | Strong · 222 | Moderate · 60 | Emerging · 21 | Emerging · 15 | Emerging · 19 |
| Sony Advanced Visual Sensing AG | Strong · 44 | Emerging · 5 | Emerging · 5 | Emerging · 5 | Emerging · 8 |
| Sony Group Corp | Strong · 19 | Strong · 17 | Strong · 10 | Strong · 14 | Moderate · 5 |
| OmniVision Technologies Inc | Strong · 29 | Moderate · 9 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Prophesee Solutions | Strong · 30 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Samsung Electronics Co Ltd | Strong · 15 | Absent | Strong · 8 | Absent | Moderate · 6 |
| Shenzhen Ruishizhixin Technology Co Ltd | Strong · 26 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The evidence corpus covers 641 patent families in scope globally. This total reflects multi-jurisdictional filings deduplicated at the family level.
Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp leads with 251 patent families, followed by Sony Group Corp (75) and Sony Advanced Visual Sensing AG (54). The top five applicants together account for 62% of the combined output of the hundred largest filers.
The field is in a Growth stage. Recent three-year filings are 240% above the prior three-year window. Annual volume peaked in 2023 at 176 families and has eased since, but 2024 and 2025 counts are understated by publication lag and should be treated as floor estimates.
The United States is the lead office with 213 patent records, followed by WIPO PCT (157) and the European Patent Office (117). Japan (55) and China (36) are secondary jurisdictions. The strong PCT presence indicates broad multi-jurisdictional protection strategies.
Based on current filing counts, G01N (Material analysis & testing) at 64 records and H01L (Semiconductor devices) at 38 records are adjacent branches with lower density relative to the dominant H04N core. These are observations of sparsity and should be validated for commercial entry feasibility.
Co-filing activity is predominantly Sony-internal. The most active pairs are Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp with Sony Advanced Visual Sensing AG (16 joint families) and with Sony Europe BV (11). External academic ties include Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp with University of Zurich (3 families) and Sony Group Corp with ETH Zurich (3 families). Independent cross-entity collaboration outside the Sony ecosystem is limited.
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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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