Lithium-Ion Cell Manufacturing Patents: Leaders & Trends 2026
- Filing has already peaked. activity crested at 36 families in 2024 after climbing from 7 in 2017, and the partial 2026 count is running well below that peak.
- The United States dominates filing venues. 80 of 165 families were filed there, more than double the next largest office, EPO at 37.
- Momentum has cooled across the named assignees. several major filers show 0 families in the latest year, with more than one posting a -100% year-on-year drop.
Filing growth compares 2021 (21 records) with 2024 (36) — 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 165 records in scope (CR5), not by the ranked leaders only.
What this dataset covers
This landscape tracks 165 patent families filed against a search combining electrode coating, cell manufacturing and electrode calendering terms with claims language around slurry mixing, drying process, coating uniformity, defect inspection and formation process, restricted to H01M4, H01M10 and B05D1 classifications. The scope is deliberately narrow: it is not general battery chemistry, it is the manufacturing and process-control layer that turns a chemistry into a working electrode.
Coverage runs from 2015 through the 2026-07-31 cut-off. Because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, the most recent one to two years understate real filing activity and should be read as provisional rather than a genuine decline.
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Filing trends and classification spread
Two views of the same 165-family dataset: how filing volume has moved year over year, and how those families spread across the classifications adjacent to the core H01M battery class.
A peak year already behind the field
Filings rose from 7 in 2017 to a peak of 36 in 2024, passing through 18 at the 2022 midpoint. That trajectory is flat-to-declining rather than accelerating, and the partial 2026 figure of 2 continues that pattern once the publication lag is accounted for.
Coating and drying sit well behind the core class
All 165 families touch H01M (batteries, cells and fuel cells), the anchor classification. Coating processes (B05D, 19 records) and coating apparatus (B05C, 17) are the next largest groups, with spraying (B05B), drying (F26B), electrical measurement (G01R), capacitors (H01G) and welding (B23K) each appearing in single digits — a sign that most claim activity still runs through the battery-specific class rather than generic process equipment classes.
Shares are the percentage of the 165 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Lithium-Ion Cell Manufacturing and Electrode Coating with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about lithium-ion cell manufacturing and electrode coating and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaMost-cited prior art and a representative recent filing
Quality control method and system for electrode manufacturing (WO2025201658A1)
Filed by ABB Schweiz AG, this application covers sensor devices and methods for detecting corrosion of an electrode substrate during water-based electrode coating, centred on measuring hydrogen gas emitted from an electrode using a hydrogen gas sensor, optionally combined with microwave sensing, to determine quality parameters and control the manufacturing process.Filed October 2025 — illustrates where recent applicants are directing new claims: in-line quality detection rather than the coating chemistry itself.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US20110183203A1 | Polymer supported electrodes | 109 |
| 2 | US20190123339A1 | Anode electrode composition of li-ion battery cell | 52 |
| 3 | US20110129701A1 | Secondary battery | 26 |
| 4 | JP1999176422A | Manufacture of electrode for battery | 19 |
| 5 | US20150380721A1 | Rechargeable lithium battery | 18 |
| 6 | US20090208838A1 | Electrode assembly and secondary battery having the same | 16 |
| 7 | US20080274398A1 | Electrode assembly and secondary battery having the same | 14 |
| 8 | CN112038633A | 一种锂离子电池硅碳负极粘结剂、负极极片及制备方法 | 13 |
| 9 | EP2328211A1 | Secondary battery | 12 |
| 10 | US20200365871A1 | Electronic circuits with directly integrated electrochemical cells | 11 |
Citation counts are drawn from a searched corpus and skew toward older filings that have had more time to accumulate citations — treat them as markers of historical influence, not current relevance.
Patent titles are shown in the language they were filed in, not translated, so that each record stays verifiable against the original filing — a translated title will not match in Eureka or in any national register. Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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Browse MCP servers →What the filing pattern signals
Three read-throughs from the trend, classification and geographic data that matter for anyone deciding where to file or where to look for freedom to operate.
Growth has plateaued past its high point
The climb from 7 families in 2017 to 36 in 2024 was steady, but the 2022 midpoint of 18 shows the growth was front-loaded rather than accelerating into the peak. A partial 2026 count of 2 is consistent with a maturing rather than an expanding filing field, once publication lag is factored in.
The United States is the primary battleground
Nearly half of all families in this dataset were filed in the United States, with EPO a distant second at 37 and China at 14. That concentration means US prosecution history and US prior art carry disproportionate weight when assessing freedom to operate in this manufacturing layer.
Coating-specific claims remain a minority
Every family in the dataset touches the core H01M battery classification, but only 19 also carry a B05D coating-process classification and 17 a B05C apparatus classification. Most applicants are still anchoring claims in battery-specific language rather than generalised coating or drying process claims.
Cooling activity among previously active filers
Multiple assignees that filed actively in prior years show zero families in the latest year, with more than one recording a -100% year-on-year change. That drop-off is a mix of genuine slowdown and publication lag, but it is consistent enough across filers to suggest the field is between innovation cycles rather than mid-surge.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to lithium-ion cell manufacturing and electrode coating, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who is filing, and where the gaps sit
The assignee table is dominated by established battery and materials manufacturers, but recent-year momentum has slowed across nearly all of them, opening room for process-control specialists to stake out narrower claims.
A dense but not runaway-concentrated field
The assignee ranking spans the full 165-family dataset without a single filer dominating outright, and several of the most active names show flat or declining recent-year filings rather than continued acceleration.
Several major filers have gone quiet
More than one previously active assignee shows a 100% year-on-year drop to zero families in the latest year, a pattern consistent with either a genuine pause or filings still working through the publication pipeline.
Non-traditional filers are entering through quality control
ABB Schweiz AG's 2025 application on hydrogen-sensor-based electrode quality control shows industrial automation and sensing companies filing into this space alongside the traditional cell manufacturers, via in-line inspection rather than coating chemistry.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| BYD Company Limited | 1 | — |
| Sunwoda Battery Co. | 0 | -100% |
| LG Energy Solution, Ltd. | 0 | — |
| Samsung SDI Co., Ltd. | 0 | -100% |
| Sila Nanotechnologies, Inc. | 0 | -100% |
| LG Chem, Ltd. | 0 | — |
| Daiichi Kogyo Seiyaku Co., Ltd. | 0 | — |
| Enovix Corporation | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The filing data points to a field that has passed its peak filing rate but still has open claim space in process-control and inspection sub-areas. These next steps narrow the question to a specific filing decision.
Map freedom to operate around the most-cited prior art
Before drafting new claims in coating uniformity or defect inspection, check them against the highest-cited records in this corpus, several of which date back over a decade and still anchor prosecution in this space.
Run a freedom-to-operate check in EurekaTrack assignee momentum before choosing a filing venue
With US filings outnumbering the next largest venue by more than two to one, and several major assignees showing zero recent filings, a venue and timing decision should account for both concentration and the current lull.
Explore assignee activity in EurekaCommon questions about this landscape
This dataset identifies 165 patent families published between 2015 and the 2026-07-31 cut-off, matched against claims and abstract language covering electrode coating, cell manufacturing, electrode calendering, slurry mixing, drying process, coating uniformity, defect inspection and formation process, restricted to the H01M4, H01M10 and B05D1 classifications. Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, the true count for the most recent one to two years is understated. Treat the 165 figure as a snapshot of a maturing corpus rather than the full universe of relevant filings.
No, the data shows filings peaked at 36 families in 2024 after rising from 7 in 2017, passing through 18 at the 2022 midpoint. The partial 2026 count of 2 continues a flat-to-declining trend even allowing for publication lag. That pattern, combined with several major assignees showing zero filings in the latest year, points to a field that has already been through its main filing surge rather than one still accelerating.
The United States leads by a wide margin with 80 of the 165 families in this dataset, followed by the European Patent Office at 37, China at 14, the WIPO PCT route at 13, Japan at 5 and India at 4. That concentration means US prior art and prosecution outcomes carry the most weight for anyone assessing freedom to operate in this manufacturing layer, though PCT filings suggest some applicants are still keeping multi-jurisdiction options open.
WO2025201658A1, filed by ABB Schweiz AG and published October 2025, covers methods and systems for quality control of electrode manufacturing that detect corrosion of an electrode substrate during water-based coating, specifically by measuring hydrogen gas emitted from the electrode using a hydrogen gas sensor, optionally combined with microwave sensing. It does not cover coating chemistry or slurry composition. Work that avoids hydrogen-gas-based corrosion detection, or that applies to non-water-based coating processes, is likely to sit outside its claim scope, but a full clearance opinion should check the granted claim set once examination proceeds.
The classification data shows every family touches the core H01M battery classification, but only a minority also carry B05D coating-process (19 records) or B05C coating-apparatus (17 records) classifications, with drying (F26B), electrical measurement (G01R) and spraying (B05B) classifications appearing in single digits. That thin coverage in process-control adjacent classes, combined with cooling filing momentum among the largest assignees, suggests sub-areas like in-line coating uniformity sensing, drying parameter control and defect inspection during calendering remain comparatively under-claimed.
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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.