Grid-Forming Inverter for Industrial Plants Patent Landscape
Grid-Forming Inverter for Industrial Plants Patent Landscape in 2026
The grid-forming inverter for industrial plants patent space is highly concentrated, with ABB (Schweiz) AG holding the dominant position among a very small corpus of 18 patent families. The field experienced a sharp initial burst in 2019, went quiet, and has shown renewed activity in 2024–2025, though annual volume has eased significantly from that 2019 peak.
ABB leads an extremely concentrated, early-stage niche
ABB (Schweiz) AG is the clear leader in this space, ranking first by a wide margin. The top five filers account for the entirety of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, underscoring how few organizations have staked out formal IP positions here.
The concentration is extreme: effectively one commercial entity and one academic institution — SRM Institute of Science & Technology — constitute the identified applicant base. This tier gap between the leader and all others is unusually large for an industrial power-electronics topic.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ABB (Schweiz) AG | 12 | |
| 2 | SRM INST OF SCI & TECH | 1 |
ABB’s dominant position, anchored in H02J power-supply and grid-systems technology as well as G01R measurement, suggests its IP covers both the core inverter control architecture and the grid-monitoring functions that grid-forming operation requires. Challengers entering this space will need to design around a concentrated but well-defined claim landscape.
Patent applications from approximately the last 18–24 months are subject to publication lag and may be under-represented in this corpus; the 2024–2025 uptick should be interpreted cautiously as a lower-bound signal of renewed interest.
A 2019 spike, a long gap, and a cautious 2024–2025 re-emergence
Filing activity was essentially absent before 2019, surged in that single year, then fell silent for several years before showing modest renewed activity in 2024–2025. The technology mix is overwhelmingly anchored in power-supply and grid-systems classifications, with measurement and a few adjacent branches rounding out the portfolio.
Annual filing trend
The trend line shows a pronounced 2019 spike that accounts for the bulk of the corpus, followed by zero filings through 2023, and a modest recovery in 2024–2025. Given publication lag, the 2024–2026 values are likely understated; the re-emergence signal is directionally real but its magnitude should not be read as final.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H02J (power supply and grid systems) dominates the branch mix, confirming that grid integration and stability control are the core technical focus. G01R (electric and magnetic measurement) appears as a meaningful secondary branch, reflecting the sensing and monitoring requirements of grid-forming operation. B60L (electric vehicle propulsion), H02M (power conversion), F27B (furnaces and kilns), and H05B (electric heating and lighting) are present at much lower shares, pointing to specific industrial-load applications.
↗ 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 supply system and method for operating a pow…
A power supply system for providing, powered by an external power source, a load power to one or more loads is provided. The power supply system includes a power supply bus connectable to the external power source, a first electric component, a first feed forward data link, and a first synchronous condenser configured to output reactive power to the power… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Method and apparatus of detecting grid islanding | 6 |
| 2 | Method and apparatus of detecting grid islanding | 3 |
| 3 | Resilient on-site microgrid system | 1 |
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 decisions
The combination of extreme concentration, a past-peak filing pattern, and sparse adjacent branches creates both risks and entry points for R&D teams evaluating this technology area. The four dimensions below summarize the key strategic reads.
Post-peak field with early signs of renewed interest
The lifecycle assessment places this field in a decline stage, with annual filings easing back from the 2019 peak. The multi-year corpus remains small at 18 patent families. The 2024–2025 uptick may signal a second wave tied to broader industrial microgrid and energy-resilience drivers, but that signal is still subject to publication lag and should not yet be treated as a confirmed inflection.
Lifecycle: DeclineOne dominant commercial filer; academic presence minimal
The top five filers account for the full share of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, and only two applicants appear in the ranking: ABB (Schweiz) AG and SRM Institute of Science & Technology. This level of concentration in a technically important industrial-power topic is unusual and suggests the space has not yet attracted broad commercial competition. New entrants face a clear IP thicket from ABB but relatively open ground beyond its specific claim footprint.
High ConcentrationNo co-applicant activity identified in this corpus
No collaborative filings between multiple organizations were identified in the available evidence. This is consistent with a nascent, single-leader market where the dominant player has developed IP internally. It also means there are no established consortium or standards-body relationships visible in the patent record — a gap that may represent either an opportunity for coalition-building or simply a reflection of the corpus’s small size.
Evidence PendingUS-led filing footprint with PCT and EPO coverage
The United States leads in filing volume, followed by WIPO PCT applications and the European Patent Office, with secondary positions in Canada, Austria, Germany, and India. This distribution reflects a standard multinational industrial-equipment IP strategy, with the PCT route providing a cost-efficient path to multiple markets. India’s presence is notable given SRM Institute’s contribution and the growing industrial automation market there.
US / PCT / EPOGo 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.
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
ABB anchors the field; DG Matrix and SRM hold marginal positions
The applicant landscape is effectively a two-tier structure: ABB (Schweiz) AG as the sole substantial commercial filer, and two smaller entities — DG Matrix and SRM Institute of Science & Technology — with single-digit contributions. Momentum data and technology emphasis differ markedly across these tiers.
ABB (Schweiz) AG
ABB (Schweiz) AG holds 12 patent families, making it the overwhelmingly dominant filer in this niche. Its technology emphasis spans H02J 3 (grid-connected power systems) as the primary focus, G01R 19 (voltage and current measurement) as a strong secondary, and H02J 9 (emergency power supply systems). Recent momentum shows a sharp decline of approximately 80% versus the prior period, consistent with the post-2019 filing gap — though the 2024–2025 applications suggest ABB may be re-engaging the space.
families: 12DG Matrix
DG Matrix is an emerging challenger whose technology focus is differentiated from ABB’s: its filings concentrate on B60L 53 (EV charging and propulsion infrastructure), H02J 3 (grid systems), and H02M 1 (power conversion front-ends). This EV-grid integration angle is technically adjacent to industrial grid-forming applications and suggests DG Matrix is approaching the space from an EV-charging infrastructure direction rather than traditional industrial-plant control.
families: not individually ranked| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| ABB (Schweiz) AG | 2 | ▼ -80% |
Furnace-load and heating-circuit control are under-served adjacent branches
Two IPC branches in the corpus — F27B (furnaces and kilns) and H05B (electric heating and lighting circuits) — each appear only once, representing sparse adjacent territory relative to the dominant H02J core. These are observations of relative low coverage; their value as entry points depends on an organization’s specific industrial end-markets.
F27B · Furnaces & kilns grid integration
Only one patent record touches the F27B (furnaces and kilns) branch, making it the most sparsely covered industrial-load application in the corpus. Steelmakers, cement producers, and specialty-materials processors that operate high-power arc or induction furnaces face acute grid-stability challenges that grid-forming inverter technology is well-suited to address. An organization with both power-electronics and thermal-process expertise could file in this intersection with minimal current IP overlap.
Search this in Eureka →H05B · Electric heating and lighting circuit control
The H05B branch (electric heating and lighting circuits) also has only one patent record in this corpus. Industrial facilities with large resistive heating loads — including food processing, chemical reactors, and drying systems — represent a plausible application segment where grid-forming inverter control of local bus voltage could improve energy efficiency and resilience. The sparse coverage here may reflect the novelty of applying grid-forming architectures to non-motor industrial loads rather than a lack of commercial relevance.
Search this in Eureka →How ABB, DG Matrix, and SRM differ by technology route
Strength of each leader across the main technology routes.
| Player | H02J 3 · Power supply & grid systems | G01R 19 · Electric & magnetic measurement | B60L 53 · Electric vehicle propulsion | H02M 1 · Power conversion (AC/DC etc.) | H02J 9 · Power supply & grid systems |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABB (Schweiz) AG | Strong · 12 | Strong · 7 | Absent | Absent | Emerging · 2 |
| SRM Institute of Science & Technology | Strong · 1 | Absent | Absent | Strong · 1 | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The current corpus contains 18 patent families in scope. This is a small, specialized niche; the limited size reflects both the nascent state of grid-forming inverter deployment in heavy industry and the highly focused IP strategy of the dominant filer, ABB (Schweiz) AG.
ABB (Schweiz) AG is the clear leader, holding 12 patent families — the large majority of the total corpus. SRM Institute of Science & Technology holds one patent family as the only other ranked applicant in the evidence.
Filings surged in 2019, then went to zero through 2023, with modest activity reappearing in 2024 and 2025. The lifecycle evidence places the field in a decline stage, with annual volume eased from its 2019 peak. The 2024–2025 uptick is subject to publication lag and should be treated as a directional signal rather than a confirmed trend reversal.
The United States leads in filing volume, followed by WIPO PCT applications and the European Patent Office. Canada, Austria, Germany, and India each have at least one filing, indicating a multinational protection strategy by the dominant filer.
H02J (power supply and grid systems) is by far the dominant IPC branch, reflecting the core grid-integration focus of the technology. G01R (electric and magnetic measurement) is the most significant secondary branch, followed by B60L (EV propulsion), H02M (power conversion), F27B (furnaces and kilns), and H05B (electric heating and lighting circuits).
The evidence identifies F27B (furnaces and kilns) and H05B (electric heating and lighting circuits) as the branches with the fewest filings — one patent record each — relative to the dominant H02J core. These represent adjacent industrial-load applications where grid-forming inverter IP coverage is sparse, though their attractiveness as filing targets depends on an organization’s specific product and market focus.
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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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