Industrial Robot Performance Testing Patent Landscape
PROFORM holds the largest single position in this compact field, with the top five filers accounting for 38% of the hundred largest filers’ combined output. The field peaked in 2020 and annual volume has since eased, leaving a relatively open landscape concentrated in China-originated filings and centred on manipulator and robot sub-classes.
PROFORM leads a China-dominated, modestly concentrated field
PROFORM is the clear front-runner with 10 patent families, ahead of EFORT Intelligent Equipment (6 families) and Brant Robotics (4 families). The top five filers together account for 38% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, indicating moderate-to-low concentration for a field of this size.
A visible tier gap separates PROFORM from the second-ranked applicant, but the gap narrows quickly below the top two, with most remaining players holding one to two families each. This flat mid-tier suggests no entrenched second-tier blocker and relatively low barriers to entering adjacent sub-classes.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PROFORM | 10 | |
| 2 | EFORT Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd. | 6 | |
| 3 | Brant Robotics Co., Ltd. | 4 | |
| 4 | China Electronics Reliability and Environmental Testing Institute | 3 | |
| 5 | Neuromeka | 2 | |
| 6 | College of Engineering | 2 | |
| 7 | Shanghai Robot Industry Technology Research Institute Co., Ltd. | 2 | |
| 8 | Jagadeesh G V | 1 | |
| 9 | Shenzhen Institute of Information Technology | 1 | |
| 10 | The Government of the United States of America | 1 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Wuhu Weizhong Robot Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 12 | Northeastern University (China) | 1 | |
| 13 | Babu Ravindra P | 1 | |
| 14 | TEXAS A & M UNIV SYST COLLEGE STATION A TX | 1 | |
| 15 | Nantong Huanhong Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 16 | Shanghai Jiao Tong University | 1 | |
| 17 | Zhang Cheng | 1 | |
| 18 | Hanzheng Testing Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 19 | CHONGQING INST OF GREEN & INTELLIGENT TECH CHINESE… | 1 | |
| 20 | Inspur Suzhou Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 |
PROFORM’s lead across manipulator and perforating-punching sub-classes signals a deliberate cross-application testing strategy rather than pure robotics IP, which distinguishes it from purely robot-focused challengers such as EFORT and Brant.
The most recent 18–24 months of data are subject to publication lag and likely under-represent actual filing activity; apparent softness in 2023–2024 data should be read with that caveat. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
A 2020 filing spike, a long tail of instrumentation classes, and a dominant manipulator core
The annual filing chart reveals a sharp concentration of activity around 2020, with volume tapering thereafter. The technology composition chart shows B25J (manipulators and robots) as the overwhelming dominant class, surrounded by a diverse set of lower-density measurement and testing branches.
Annual filing trend
Filings surged to a peak in 2020 and have moderated since; note that 2024–2026 bars are subject to publication lag and likely under-count true activity. The multi-year pattern nonetheless confirms that the peak has passed and the field is now in a consolidation phase.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
B25J (manipulators and robots) dominates the technology mix, reflecting the direct application focus. G01M (testing machine and structural balance), G01B (measuring length and dimensions), B26D (cutting machines), and B26F (perforating and punching) each hold smaller but distinct shares, pointing to cross-disciplinary testing instrumentation as a secondary theme.
↗ 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.
Static Compliance Performance Testing Device Appli…
The present invention relates to a static compliance performance testing device applied to an industrial robot, comprising a loading direction adjusting component and a loading force adjusting component, wherein the force applying end of the loading direction adjusting component is connected with an end mechanical interface of the industrial robot, and is… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Method and apparatus for locating physical objects | 190 |
| 2 | Automated testing and verification of a robotic sy… | 24 |
| 3 | 一种基于前馈神经网络的工业机器人整机性能预估方法 | 17 |
| 4 | 一种工业机器人运动学性能测试装置 | 17 |
| 5 | 一种基于连续动态时间规整的工业机器人轨迹准确度分析方法 | 13 |
| 6 | 应用于工业机器人的静态柔顺性能测试装置 | 13 |
| 7 | Static Compliance Performance Testing Device Appli… | 10 |
| 8 | 工业机器人距离性能测试方法 | 5 |
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 investment decisions
The combination of post-peak lifecycle, moderate concentration, minimal co-filing activity, and strong. China jurisdiction bias shapes both the risk and the opportunity in this space. Each dimension carries a distinct implication for teams deciding where to invest.
Post-peak, consolidating field
The lifecycle stage is classified as Decline, with annual filings easing back from the 2020 peak. This does not preclude incremental innovation but does suggest that broad foundational claims are largely staked. New entrants should target differentiated sub-problems — particularly in measurement methods and AI-assisted diagnostics — rather than re-filing in already-crowded manipulator sub-classes.
Lifecycle: DeclineModerate concentration with a flat mid-tier
The top five filers account for 38% of the hundred largest filers’ combined output, and most players below rank two hold only one or two patent families. This flat mid-tier implies that a focused filing programme of even three to five families in an under-served branch could establish a meaningful position. The tier gap above EFORT is the primary structural barrier.
Top-5 share: 38%No recorded co-applicant activity
The collaboration evidence shows no co-filing partnerships in the dataset. This is notable for a field with multiple university-affiliated applicants (Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Northeastern University China, Texas A&M) — it suggests that academic–industry knowledge transfer is happening informally or via licensing rather than through joint patent filings. A consortium filing strategy could be a differentiator.
Co-filings: none recordedChina-dominant with limited Western footprint
China accounts for the largest share of patent records, followed by the United States, Europe (EPO), India, and WIPO (PCT). The limited EPO and PCT coverage from leading Chinese filers indicates that most portfolios are not globally prosecuted, leaving non-China jurisdictions relatively open to parallel filings by Western or Korean entrants such as Neuromeka.
Lead office: ChinaGo 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.
PROFORM leads with a cross-application focus; EFORT anchors the pure-robotics challenger tier
Two players account for the majority of top-tier activity: PROFORM with a distinctive cross-class portfolio spanning manipulators and perforating-punching equipment, and EFORT Intelligent Equipment with a focused manipulator and structural-testing position. Below them, three new entrants emerged in the most recent filing window.
PROFORM
PROFORM holds 10 patent families — the largest position in scope. Its technology focus spans B25J 9 (manipulator programming and control), B25J 15 (grippers and end-effectors), and B26F 1 (perforating and punching), an unusual cross-class combination that suggests performance testing tied to tool-change and end-effector qualification workflows. No momentum data is available for PROFORM in the recent-vs-prior window, implying its current lead was built in an earlier filing cycle.
families: 10EFORT Intelligent Equipment
EFORT Intelligent Equipment holds 6 patent families, focused on B25J 19 (robot safety and monitoring) and G01M 13 (gear and drive-train testing), reflecting a performance-testing strategy centred on mechanical integrity and condition monitoring. Momentum data shows EFORT’s affiliated entity (Efort Intelligent Robot Co., Ltd.) as a new entrant in the most recent filing window, suggesting active continuation of their programme.
families: 6| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Efort Intelligent Robot Co., Ltd. | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
| Shanghai Robot Industry Technology Research Institute Co., Ltd. | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
| Inspur Suzhou Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served instrumentation and structural-testing branches adjacent to the dominant robot class
While B25J dominates the corpus, several measurement and testing IPC classes carry low patent-record counts relative to their technical relevance to robot performance qualification. These branches are observations of relative sparsity; two carry enough plausible technical value and realistic entry paths to warrant closer examination.
G01M · Testing machine & structural balance
G01M (testing machine and structural balance) holds 7 patent records in scope — sparse given that mechanical integrity testing is a fundamental requirement in robot qualification standards. The sub-class G01M 13 (gear and drive-train testing) already appears in EFORT’s portfolio, confirming technical adjacency. An entrant with expertise in vibration analysis, fatigue testing, or drivetrain diagnostics could file into this branch with limited overlap against existing positions.
Search this in Eureka →G01B · Measuring length & dimensions
G01B (measuring length and dimensions) holds 5 patent records, despite dimensional accuracy being a primary performance metric for industrial robots under ISO 9283. The sub-class G01B 21 (non-optical length measurement) and G01B 11 (optical/laser measurement) both appear in the dataset but at very low density. Teams developing laser tracker, structured-light, or encoder-based calibration methods for robot accuracy verification face a largely open filing landscape in this branch.
Search this in Eureka →How leading applicants differ across technology sub-classes
Route coverage across the main technology branches in the current evidence set.
| Player | B25J 19 · Manipulators & robots | B25J 9 · Manipulators & robots | B25J 15 · Manipulators & robots | B26F 1 · Perforating & punching | B25J 13 · Manipulators & robots |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PROFORM | Absent | Strong · 10 | Strong · 8 | Strong · 8 | Absent |
| College of Engineering | Strong · 2 | Strong · 2 | Strong · 2 | Absent | Strong · 2 |
| China Electronics Reliability and Environmental Testing Institute (CAICT Fifth Institute / China Saibao Laboratory) | Strong · 3 | Strong · 2 | Absent | Absent | Strong · 2 |
| Efort Intelligent Robot Co., Ltd. | Strong · 6 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Brant Robotics Co., Ltd. | Strong · 4 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Shanghai Robot Industry Technology Research Institute Co., Ltd. | Strong · 2 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Vellore Institute of Technology | Strong · 1 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Strong · 1 |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus contains 58 patent families in scope, representing the global body of identified IP directly relevant to industrial robot performance testing.
PROFORM holds the largest position with 10 patent families, ahead of EFORT Intelligent Equipment (6 families) and Brant Robotics (4 families).
China is the lead jurisdiction by patent records, followed by the United States, Europe (EPO), India, and WIPO (PCT). This reflects the concentration of robot manufacturing and testing R&D in China.
No — the lifecycle stage is classified as Decline. Annual filings peaked in 2020 and have eased since. The most recent 18–24 months of data are subject to publication lag, so current activity may be modestly higher than recorded counts suggest, but the overall trend is post-peak.
B25J (manipulators and robots) is by far the dominant class by patent-record count, followed at a distance by B26D (cutting machines), B26F (perforating and punching), G01M (testing machine and structural balance), and G01B (measuring length and dimensions).
No co-applicant partnerships are recorded in the evidence for this corpus. Despite several university-affiliated applicants being present, all identified filings appear to have been made by single applicants.
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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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