Ice Detection Patents: Who Leads, Where the Gaps Are 2026
Ice Detection and Icing Condition Sensing Patents
98.2% concentration. The top 5 of 6 ranked assignees account for 54 of 55 records in scope, leaving almost no room outside the incumbent set. Filings rose from 2 in 2017 to a peak of 9 in 2018, then eased. Comparing the last two complete years available, 2021 to 2024, filings dropped 67%, from 3 to 1. Treat 2025 and 2026 as incomplete rather than as evidence of further decline.
- 1罗斯蒙特航天公司58.2%
- 2波音公司21.8%
- 3佩尼&圣伊莱斯航空航天有限公司7.3%
- 4(由空军部长代表的)美利坚合众国7.3%
- 5加拿大专利和开发有限公司3.6%
See the full ice detection and icing condition sensing 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 ice detection patents
Who holds the most patents in ice detection and icing condition sensing?
The dataset’s assignee ranking has only six companies, and one of them holds 32 of the 55 records in scope, far ahead of the rest. The next four together make up most of the remainder, so the top five combined hold 54 of the 55 records, or 98.2%. This is a genuinely concentrated field rather than one with a dominant leader and a broad supporting cast.
Is the ice detection patent field still growing?
No, based on complete-year data it is contracting. Filings peaked at 9 records in 2018, and across the most recent comparable window, from 2021 to 2024, filings fell 67%, from 3 down to 1. Figures for 2025 and 2026 are still incomplete because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, so they should not yet be read as further decline or as a rebound.
What technology areas dominate ice detection patent claims?
Aircraft equipment, IPC class B64D, appears in 74.5% of the 55 records, making it by far the largest single category. Material analysis/testing (G01N) and signalling/alarm systems (G08B) each cover 27.3% of records. Measurement-specific classes like G01B, G01W, F01D, G01K and B64C are all present but each covers under 15% of records, pointing to comparatively lighter claim density there.
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 Ice Detection and Icing Condition Sensing 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.