Maglev Noise & Vibration Patent Snapshot 2026
The maglev noise and vibration IP space is extremely small and highly concentrated, with two organisations — Dalian Whim Sci & Tech and Lawrence Livermore National Security — jointly accounting for a dominant share of the corpus. Activity peaked in 2020 and has since eased, leaving the field in a contraction phase with most filings concentrated in China.
Two filers dominate an early-but-contracting niche
The corpus stands at 13 patent families. Dalian Whim Sci & Tech Ltd Co and Lawrence Livermore National Security LLC each hold 5 patent records — together representing the clear first tier — followed by Southwest Jiaotong University and Changzhou Zhitong Rail Transit Technology Development Co. at 3 records each.
The top five filers account for 75% of the ranked applicants visible in this query’ combined total, indicating extreme concentration for a corpus of this size. A meaningful tier gap separates the two co-leaders from the remaining eight ranked organisations, most of which hold only one or two records.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DALIAN WHIM SCI & TECH LTD CO | 5 | |
| 2 | Lawrence Livermore National Security LLC | 5 | |
| 3 | Southwest Jiaotong University | 3 | |
| 4 | Changzhou Zhitong Rail Transit Technology Development Co. | 3 | |
| 5 | National University of Defense Technology | 2 | |
| 6 | Tongji University | 2 | |
| 7 | Shree Guru Gobind Singh Tricentenary University | 1 | |
| 8 | Baoji Julong Railway Equipment Co. | 1 | |
| 9 | North University of China | 1 | |
| 10 | Lanzhou Jiaotong University | 1 |
The leaders’ positions reflect distinct institutional orientations: Dalian Whim Sci & Tech is a specialist commercial entity, while Lawrence Livermore National Security brings a US national-laboratory perspective rooted in the Inductrack passive-levitation programme. This divergence suggests the IP space is being shaped by two largely parallel innovation streams rather than a single visible school of thought.
Filings from 2024 onward are subject to publication lag and should be treated as incomplete; the apparent low counts in those years do not necessarily indicate continued decline. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
A 2020 spike followed by easing activity; propulsion class dominates the technology mix
The annual filing trend reveals a single pronounced peak in 2020 followed by sharply lower annual volumes, while the technology composition chart shows that electric-vehicle propulsion (B60L) accounts for the plurality of filings, with railway systems and track infrastructure as secondary branches.
Annual filing trend
Filing volume surged to 5 records in 2020 — the highest single-year count in the data window — then fell back to 1–2 records per year through 2022–2023. Years 2024 onward carry publication-lag risk and should not be read as confirmed activity levels.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
B60L (Electric vehicle propulsion) is the visible IPC branch with 17 records, reflecting the core electromagnetic and power-management aspects of maglev systems. B61B (Railway systems & cableways) and E01B (Railway track & permanent way) each contribute 5 records, capturing guideway and infrastructure-side noise and vibration work. H01F (Magnets, inductors & transformers) adds 4 records; all remaining branches each hold 3 records or fewer, underscoring how thinly populated the adjacent technical sub-fields currently are.
↗ 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.
Guideway for a magnetic levitation train
A guideway for a magnetic levitation train includes a levitating structure that is fixedly attached to a magnetic levitation train, and a guideway girder, which in an area that magnetically communicates with the magnetic levitation train is plate-shaped. The guideway girder has laterally protruding edges on which operational components are arranged, a… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Inductrack III configuration-a maglev system for h… | 19 |
| 2 | Inductrack iii configuration – a maglev system for… | 19 |
| 3 | 适用于中低速磁浮车F轨的动力吸振装置及F轨结构 | 18 |
| 4 | Inductrack III configuration—a maglev system for h… | 18 |
| 5 | Inductrack iii configuration – a maglev system for… | 18 |
| 6 | 电磁悬浮列车轨道系统及悬浮电磁铁 | 12 |
| 7 | 一种磁浮列车振动控制装置及方法、磁浮列车 | 10 |
| 8 | Guideway for a magnetic levitation train | 9 |
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.
Dalian Whim Sci & Tech Ltd Co
Dalian Whim Sci & Tech holds 5 patent records, the joint-highest in the corpus, with technology emphasis spread across B60L 13 (electric vehicle propulsion), B61B 13 (railway systems and cableways), and H01F 7 (magnets and inductors). This breadth across propulsion, systems, and magnetics suggests a vertically integrated approach to maglev noise and vibration management. The applicant is flagged as a new entrant in the momentum data, indicating recent activity from a previously low base.
patent records: 5Lawrence Livermore National Security LLC
Lawrence Livermore National Security LLC also holds 5 patent records, concentrated in B60L 13 (electric vehicle propulsion) and anchored by the Inductrack III programme — the most-cited work in the corpus with up to 19 citations per record. As a US national laboratory, its prosecution strategy appears oriented toward securing foundational passive-levitation IP rather than incremental system patents. No momentum trend data is separately reported for this entity in the evidence.
patent records: 5Frequently asked questions
The corpus covers 13 patent families. This is a niche area by any measure, and the small size means individual filings have an outsized effect on concentration and trend statistics.
Dalian Whim Sci & Tech Ltd Co and Lawrence Livermore National Security LLC are joint leaders, each with 5 patent records. Southwest Jiaotong University and Changzhou Zhitong Rail Transit Technology Development Co. follow with 3 records each.
The field is classified as Decline: annual filings peaked in 2020 at 5 records and have eased back to 1–2 records per year since. Publication lag affects the most recent years and they should not be read as confirmed continued decline.
China is the lead jurisdiction with 10 records, followed by the United States with 6. Europe (EPO) and WIPO (PCT) each account for 2 records, with Hong Kong and India contributing 1 each.
The Inductrack III configuration patents associated with Lawrence Livermore National Security are the most-cited records in the corpus, with citation counts of up to 19. This reflects the foundational nature of passive-levitation track design in the broader maglev research community.
Yes. F16F (Springs & vibration dampers) and B61L (Railway traffic control) each hold only 1 patent record, and B61D (Railway vehicle bodies) holds 1 as well. These branches represent low-incumbent-density areas adjacent to the core propulsion and track classes, though their commercial viability depends on specific system architecture choices.
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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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