Foreign Object Detection Patents: Leaders, Trends & White Space 2026
- Concentrated but not locked down. The top 5 assignees hold 47.2% of all 271 records in scope, and the top 10 hold 64.2% — meaningful share still sits outside the leading group.
- Filing peaked in 2022. Filings hit 34 in 2022 and fell to 9 by 2024, a 65% drop from 2021's 26 filings — publication lag means 2025-2026 figures are still filling in.
- Power electronics dominates the claim map. 81.9% of records sit in H02J power supply and grid systems, while image-based detection (G06T) appears in just 2.6% of records.
Filing growth compares 2021 (26 records) with 2024 (9) — a three-year span. 2024 is the most recent year we treat as complete: publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so 2025 onwards are still filling in and any growth rate that ends there would understate the field. Top-5 share is the combined record count of the five largest assignees divided by all 271 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
What this landscape covers
Foreign object detection is the safety layer that keeps a wireless charging pad from heating a dropped coin, key or paperclip past a safe temperature. The patent activity mapped here spans quality-factor sensing, power-loss accounting, thermal sensing and detection-sensitivity tuning across 271 published records filed between 2015 and 2026. Most of the claim space sits inside conventional power-electronics classifications rather than novel sensing modalities, which tells a filer where the crowded ground actually is.
The records split heavily toward control-circuit and coil-side detection methods, with a smaller but persistent cluster addressing electric-vehicle charging pads specifically. Citation weight concentrates in a handful of early filings that established the core metal-detection and loop-array sensitivity techniques still referenced today.
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Filing trends and technology composition
Two views of the same 271-record dataset: filing activity over time, and how those records distribute across IPC subclasses.
Filings rose to a 2022 peak, then declined
Filings climbed from 16 in 2017 to a peak of 34 in 2022, then fell from 26 in 2021 to 9 in 2024 — a 65% decline over that span. Because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, the 2025 and 2026 figures are still incomplete and should not be read as a continued slide.
Power supply and grid systems dominate the claim space
H02J (power supply & grid systems) appears in 81.9% of the 271 records, far ahead of G01V-classified geophysics-adjacent sensing methods at 35.4% and EV propulsion (B60L) at 27.3%. Image-based approaches (G06T) and general transmission (H04B) each appear in only 3% or fewer records, marking them as comparatively open ground. Because a single record can carry multiple IPC classes, these shares are calculated against the full 271-record total and add up to more than 100%.
Shares are the percentage of the 271 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Foreign Object Detection and Wireless Charging Safety with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about foreign object detection and wireless charging safety and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaRepresentative filing and most-cited prior art
Power transmission system, foreign object detection device, and coil device
A foreign object detection device sits between a wireless power transmitter coil and receiver coil, with a cover whose top surface is inclined relative to the coil plane — sloping downward from a low-sensitivity region toward a high-sensitivity region. The geometry is used to even out detection sensitivity across the coil area rather than relying on uniform sensor placement.Filed by IHI Corporation, published 2018-01-25.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US20130099592A1 | Contactless power supplying system and metal foreign object detection device of contactless power supplying s… | 115 |
| 2 | US20160149440A1 | Wireless inductive power transfer | 94 |
| 3 | US20090127936A1 | Power transmission control device, power transmitting device, electronic instrument, and non-contact power tr… | 88 |
| 4 | US20090026844A1 | Power transmission control device, power transmission device, electronic instrument, and non-contact power tr… | 85 |
| 5 | US20150109000A1 | Systems, methods, and apparatus for increased foreign object detection loop array sensitivity | 71 |
| 6 | US20150331135A1 | Systems, methods, and apparatus for foreign object detection loop based on inductive thermal sensing | 70 |
| 7 | US7812481B2 | Power transmission control device, power transmission device, electronic instrument, and non-contact power tr… | 68 |
| 8 | US8004118B2 | Power transmission control device, power transmitting device, electronic instrument, and non-contact power tr… | 55 |
| 9 | US20190363588A1 | Extended Foreign Object Detection Signal Processing | 50 |
| 10 | US20080197712A1 | Power transmission control device, power transmission device, electronic instrument, and non-contact power tr… | 49 |
Ranked by citation count within the searched corpus; older filings accumulate more citations by nature of tenure, so treat this as a signal of influence on later designs rather than of current commercial relevance.
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Browse MCP servers →What the numbers mean for a filing decision
Three patterns stand out once the raw counts are put in context: where claim density sits, how fast the field is moving, and which sensing routes carry the citation weight.
Leadership is real but not exclusive
Just over 47% of all records in scope belong to the five leading assignees, rising to 64.2% for the top 10. That leaves more than a third of the field split among a long tail of single- or few-filing entrants, which is where freedom-to-operate analysis has to work hardest.
Activity has cooled from its 2022 peak
Filings rose to a peak of 34 in 2022 before falling to 9 by 2024, a 65% decline over that three-year window. Several of the largest historical filers show no publications in the latest tracked year, though that reading is softened by the 18-month publication lag.
Power-circuit methods crowd the field
The overwhelming majority of records classify under power supply and grid systems, meaning detection-sensitivity and power-loss-accounting claims are densely occupied. Image-based detection and general transmission methods each sit under 3%, suggesting comparatively lighter claim coverage there.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to foreign object detection and wireless charging safety, with the prior art for and against each one.
The assignee landscape
Forty-six companies appear in the ranked list built from these 271 records, with filing concentrated at the top but a substantial tail of smaller filers below it.
A clear filing leader, still short of dominance
The top-ranked assignee holds 45 records, well ahead of the field, but that still leaves the large majority of the 271-record dataset held elsewhere — no single company controls the claim space outright.
A steep drop after the leaders
Filing volume drops sharply after the top few positions, from 45 at the top to 12 by fifth place and 7 by tenth. That gradient suggests the field has one or two anchor filers surrounded by a broader set of moderate, steady contributors.
Several historical leaders show no recent publications
A number of the assignees with the largest historical filing counts show zero publications in the most recent tracked year, some down 100% year-over-year. Given the 18-month publication lag, this understates true recent activity rather than confirming an exit from the field.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| WiTricity Corp | 0 | -100% |
| Koninklijke Philips N.V. | 0 | — |
| Delta Electronics, Inc. | 0 | — |
| Qualcomm Incorporated | 0 | — |
| Canon Inc. | 0 | -100% |
| Apple Inc. | 0 | -100% |
| IHI Corporation | 0 | — |
| General Electric Company | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to specific next steps depending on whether the goal is freedom-to-operate, portfolio benchmarking, or identifying open claim space.
Map claims against the H02J cluster
With 81.9% of records classified under power supply and grid systems, any new filing touching detection-sensitivity or power-loss-accounting methods should be checked against this cluster first.
Explore claim charts in EurekaWatch the post-2022 filing slowdown
The drop from 34 filings in 2022 to 9 in 2024 could reflect consolidation, a shift to trade-secret protection, or simply the reporting lag — worth tracking as 2025-2026 data fills in.
Track filing trends in EurekaTest the under-claimed branches
Image-based detection and general transmission methods sit at 3% or below of records, a candidate zone for differentiated claims away from the crowded power-circuit approaches.
Run a white-space search in EurekaCommon questions about this landscape
Foreign object detection covers methods for identifying metal or other objects sitting between a wireless power transmitter and receiver coil before they overheat. In this dataset the core approaches include quality-factor method sensing, power-loss accounting, thermal sensing, and coil-array detection-sensitivity tuning. Most of these are claimed as control-circuit or coil-geometry inventions rather than as separate sensor hardware, which is why the majority of records classify under power supply systems (H02J) rather than imaging or measurement classes.
Filing is concentrated at the top: the five leading assignees together hold 47.2% of the 271 records in scope, rising to 64.2% across the ten leading assignees. Beyond that, a long tail of smaller filers holds the remaining share, drawn from a ranked list of 46 companies in total. No single company controls the field outright, even though the leading assignee holds a clear volume advantage over the rest.
Filings peaked at 34 in 2022 and had fallen to 9 by 2024, a 65% decline from the 26 filings recorded in 2021. That looks like a slowdown, but publication typically lags actual filing by around 18 months, so the 2025 and 2026 counts in any dataset are understated and should not yet be read as confirming a continued decline. The safer read is that activity cooled from its 2022 peak through the last fully reported year.
The clearest gaps sit outside the dominant power-circuit cluster: image-based object classification and general transmission methods each appear in 3% or fewer of the 271 records, compared with 81.9% for power supply and grid systems methods. Detection-sensitivity approaches specific to electric-vehicle charging pads, and false-trigger discrimination logic, also show comparatively thin coverage relative to the core cluster. These are reasonable starting points for a novelty search before drafting new claims.
The most-cited records in this dataset date back to the early-to-mid 2010s and cover foundational metal-detection and loop-array sensitivity methods for contactless power systems. High citation counts in a searched corpus favour older filings simply because they have had more time to be cited, so this is better read as a map of technical influence than a ranking of current commercial importance. Newer filings addressing the same problem may be equally significant but have not yet accumulated comparable citation counts.
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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.
Nothing on this page constitutes an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate, or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial, investment, or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Any patent, commercial, or strategic decision should be verified independently and reviewed with qualified patent, legal, and domain professionals. Patsnap makes no warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose of the information presented.
Machine translation. Assignee and organisation names originally recorded in Chinese, Japanese or Korean have been rendered into English by an AI translation step so that the tables stay readable. These renderings are best-effort and may not match a company’s registered English name; the original name is what the underlying patent record carries, and it is what any Eureka query launched from this page uses.