Laser Diode for Lighting Patent Snapshot 2026
The laser diode lighting space is a compact, maturing field where two applicants share the lead position and lighting-component classification dominates the technology mix. Annual filing volume peaked in 2021 and has since eased, signalling a field that is consolidating rather than expanding.
Two applicants share the lead in a concentrated, post-peak field
Signify Holding BV and Kyocera SLD Laser Inc jointly top the applicant ranking, each holding 11 patent records — together accounting for a visible share of activity among the largest filers. The top five applicants together hold 53% of the combined patent records of the ranked applicants visible in this query, confirming a highly concentrated visible assignee structure.
Below the top two, a clear tier gap separates STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS and Soraa Laser Diode Inc (4 patent records each) from the rest of the field, where no single applicant exceeds 3 records. This two-tier structure limits the effective challenger pool.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Signify Holding BV | 11 | |
| 2 | Kyocera SLD Laser Inc | 11 | |
| 3 | STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS | 4 | |
| 4 | Soraa Laser Diode Inc | 4 | |
| 5 | UJL | 3 | |
| 6 | Ushio Inc | 2 | |
| 7 | Hanteng Automobile Co Ltd | 2 | |
| 8 | MINIST OF TRADE IND & ENERGY | 2 | |
| 9 | Toshiba Tec Corporation | 2 | |
| 10 | Beijing Gongda Yaxin Optoelectronics Technology Co Ltd | 2 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Koninklijke Philips NV | 2 | |
| 12 | Shanghai Blue Lake Lighting Technology Co Ltd | 2 | |
| 13 | Nitto Denko Corporation | 2 | |
| 14 | Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences | 1 | |
| 15 | Lumileds Holding BV | 1 | |
| 16 | Ricoh Co Ltd | 1 | |
| 17 | Xinyi Xiyi Advanced Materials Research Institute of Industrial Technology | 1 | |
| 18 | Shi Xiaoqing | 1 | |
| 19 | Fujitsu Ltd | 1 | |
| 20 | Sichuan Changhong Electric Co Ltd | 1 |
The dominance of an established lighting conglomerate (Signify) alongside a specialist laser diode firm (Kyocera SLD Laser) suggests the space is contested from both the luminaire system side and the photonics component side — implying different IP strategies and different freedom-to-operate considerations for new entrants.
Recent filing years (approximately 2024–2026) are subject to publication lag and should be treated as under-counted; apparent low activity in those years does not necessarily reflect a real drop in R&D investment. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Filing peaked in 2021; lighting-component classes dominate the technology mix
Two charts capture the temporal and technological structure of this space: annual filing volume from 2017 to the present, and the distribution of IPC classification branches across the corpus.
Annual filing trend
Filing activity grew from 3 patent records in 2017 to a peak of 8 in 2021, then retreated to 5 in 2022, 3 in 2023, and 2 in each of 2024 and 2025. The 2024–2026 data points are subject to publication lag and represent a floor rather than a ceiling for those years. The overall pattern is consistent with a field that expanded through the late 2010s, peaked around 2021, and is now in a post-peak consolidation phase.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
F21K (light sources) is the most represented branch with 39 patent records, followed by F21V (lighting device components) at 25 and H01S (lasers and stimulated emission) at 23. The strong presence of F21Y (light-source form index, 21 records) and G02B (optical elements and systems, 17 records) shows that luminaire-level integration and beam optics are central technical themes. H04N (pictorial communication, 15 records) reflects laser-based projection and display lighting 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.
Integrated laser lighting and lidar system
The present disclosure provides a mobile machine including a laser diode based lighting system having an integrated package holding at least a gallium and nitrogen containing laser diode and a wavelength conversion member. The gallium and nitrogen containing laser diode is configured to emit a first laser beam with a first peak wavelength. The wavelength… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Light-source apparatus and lighting apparatus | 76 |
| 2 | Laser lighting device | 45 |
| 3 | Integrated laser lighting and lidar system | 44 |
| 4 | Laser lighting having selective resolution | 33 |
| 5 | Laser lighting having selective resolution | 31 |
| 6 | Integrated laser lighting and LIDAR system | 22 |
| 7 | Laser lighting having selective resolution | 21 |
| 8 | Lighting apparatus | 10 |
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.
Assignee snapshot from the current evidence set
The applicants below are visible in this query result. Because the evidence set is relatively small, read this section as a directional snapshot rather than a full competitive ranking.
Signify Holding BV
Signify Holding BV holds 11 patent records and entered the recent filing window as a new entrant, with 5 patent records in the recent period, indicating a fresh and actively growing portfolio. Its technology focus is concentrated in F21V 9 (lighting device components), F21K 9 (light sources), and F21Y 115 (light-source form index) — a luminaire and light-source integration emphasis consistent with a full-system lighting incumbent.
patent records: 11Kyocera SLD Laser Inc
Kyocera SLD Laser Inc also holds 11 patent records, matching the leader on volume, but with a markedly different technology focus: G02B 26 and G02B 27 (optical elements and systems) and H04N 9 (pictorial communication and video) are visible in its portfolio. This positions Kyocera SLD Laser as a specialist in laser beam optics and display/projection lighting rather than luminaire integration. Momentum data for this applicant is not available in the evidence.
patent records: 11Frequently asked questions
The analysis covers 39 patent families in scope. Within the top-100 applicant ranking, the top five filers account for 53% of combined patent records, reflecting a concentrated field.
Signify Holding BV and Kyocera SLD Laser Inc are tied at the top with 11 patent records each. STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS and Soraa Laser Diode Inc follow with 4 patent records each, representing the second competitive tier.
Annual filing volume peaked in 2021 at 8 patent records and has eased since. The field is in a post-peak, consolidating phase. The most recent years (2024–2026) are subject to publication lag and their counts are likely under-represented.
The United States leads with 22 patent records, followed by China with 14, Europe (EPO) with 9, WIPO (PCT) with 8, and Japan and South Korea each with 5. These counts are at the patent-record level.
The most-cited work is titled ‘Light-source apparatus and lighting apparatus’ with 76 citations, followed by ‘Laser lighting device’ at 45 citations and ‘Integrated laser lighting and lidar system’ at 44 citations. Multiple records citing ‘Laser lighting having selective resolution’ also appear prominently.
The only documented co-applicant relationship is an internal arrangement between two STMicroelectronics entities — STMicroelectronics S.p.A. (Italy) and STMicroelectronics (Rousset) SAS — which jointly filed 4 patent records. No cross-company or industry-academia collaboration is evidenced in the data.
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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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