Multi-Terminal HVDC Patents: Who Leads, Where the Gaps Are 2026
- Concentrated at the top. the top 5 assignees hold 58.3% of all 48 records in scope, and the top 10 hold 85.4% — this is a field with a narrow set of active filers, not a crowded open one.
- Filing has cooled since 2019. activity peaked at 11 records that year, fell to 3 by the 2022 midpoint, and shows no rebound through the most recent full year in the dataset.
- Protection dominates the claim space. H02J grid systems and H02H protective circuits together sit on 45.8% and 29.2% of records respectively, while measurement and digital-control classes barely register.
What this landscape covers
This dataset tracks patent filings at the intersection of multi-terminal HVDC systems, DC grids and meshed HVDC networks with claims specifically directed at DC fault clearing, converter control coordination, DC circuit breakers and protection selectivity. It is a narrow, protection-and-control-focused slice of the wider HVDC field rather than a survey of converter hardware or cable technology in general.
Coverage runs from 2015 through the 2026-07-31 cut-off, with 48 published records and 48 families in the assignee ranking. Publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so the most recent year in the trend understates real filing activity and should be read as a floor, not a ceiling.
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Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 48 records: how filing volume has moved year over year, and which IPC subclasses carry the claim density.
A field that peaked in 2019 and has not recovered
Filings rose to 10 in 2017 and peaked at 11 in 2019, then softened; by the 2022 midpoint annual filing had dropped to 3, and the trend line through the most recent year shows no sign of a rebound. Read the final year or two as understated given publication lag, but the multi-year decline from the 2019 peak is a real signal, not an artefact of the cut-off.
Protection and switching classes carry the weight
H02J (power supply & grid systems) appears on 45.8% of the 48 records, H02H (protective circuit arrangements) on 29.2%, and H01H (switches & relays) on 27.1% — together these three classes describe most of the claim activity. H02M (power conversion) sits at 16.7%, and G01R (measurement), B63J, G05F and G06F each cover a small fraction of records, with the last three at 2.1% apiece. Because records can carry multiple classes these shares sum past 100%, and that overlap is itself informative: protection claims are routinely bundled with grid-system and switching claims in the same filing.
Shares are the percentage of the 48 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Multi-Terminal HVDC and DC Grids with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about multi-terminal hvdc and dc grids and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaThe most-cited filings in this space
Source-network Coordination Type DC Circuit Breaker Based on Pre-charged Capacitors for MMC-Based DC Grid
A source-network coordination type direct-current (DC) circuit breaker based on pre-charged capacitors for an MMC based DC grid, filed against a four-converter-station loop topology connected through a double-loop DC overhead line. DC circuit breakers at each line end isolate a fault; an MMC active voltage adjusting control strategy is matched with pre-charged capacitor voltage in a self-adaptive mode to create a beneficial breaking condition for a quick mechanical switch branch, cutting off the fault line.Filed by Tianjin University, published 2022-09-29.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US9893633B1 | Modular multilevel DC-DC converter and associated method of use | 82 |
| 2 | US20120092904A1 | Coordinated control of multi-terminal HVDC systems | 44 |
| 3 | WO2012044369A1 | Coordinated control of multi-terminal HVDC systems | 32 |
| 4 | US20160254669A1 | Coordinated control of multi-terminal HVDC systems | 25 |
| 5 | CN109390964A | 含有电感型超导限流器和直流断路器的多端柔性直流系统 | 19 |
| 6 | CN109950890A | 一种全控型耗能装置 | 18 |
| 7 | US20220311241A1 | Source-network Coordination Type Direct-current (DC) Circuit Breaker Based on pre-charged Capacitors for Mod… | 15 |
| 8 | US20160285373A1 | Stereoscopic DC-DC converter and grid interconnector | 11 |
| 9 | GB2493911A | Circuit breaker conduction path | 11 |
| 10 | US9197068B2 | Coordinated control of multi-terminal HVDC systems | 11 |
Citation counts reflect influence inside the searched corpus and skew toward older filings; treat them as a marker of foundational status, 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 data means for filing strategy
Three findings that shape where a new filing would land and how defensible it would be.
A narrow set of active filers, not an open field
The top 5 assignees hold 58.3% of all 48 records and the top 10 hold 85.4%, against a ranked list of 34 companies overall. A new entrant is filing into a space where a small group already controls most of the documented claim territory in DC fault clearing and converter control coordination.
Filing activity has cooled from its 2019 peak
Volume rose through 2017-2019, then declined toward the midpoint of the dataset. None of the assignees tracked for recent-year momentum show filings in the latest year, which is consistent with either a genuine slowdown or a publication-lag gap that has not yet cleared.
Protection claims are bundled with grid-system claims
H02J and H02H together describe most of the field's claim density, and H01H switching claims overlap heavily with both. Filings rarely isolate protection logic from the grid-system context it operates in, which narrows the room for a standalone protection-only claim to stand apart from prior art.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to multi-terminal hvdc and dc grids, with the prior art for and against each one.
Who holds the core claims
A small group of utilities, research institutes and equipment makers account for most of the documented activity; the rest of the ranked list files once or twice each.
A single leader well ahead of the rest
The top-ranked assignee holds 7 of the 48 records in scope, roughly double the count at fifth place. That gap suggests a sustained, multi-year filing programme rather than opportunistic one-off filings.
A fast taper after the top five
Filing counts drop from 4 at fifth place to 2 by tenth, and the ranked list runs to 34 companies total. Most of that list files in the low single digits, which is typical of a technically narrow niche rather than a broad commercial race.
Inventor-level collaboration is concentrated too
Ten co-assignee pairings appear in the dataset, with one individual inventor recurring across the three strongest pairs. That pattern points to a small cross-organisational team working converter control coordination problems together rather than isolated corporate silos.
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| SuperGrid Institute SAS | 0 | — |
| Huazhong University of Science and Technology | 0 | — |
| Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission plc | 0 | — |
| ABB Switzerland Ltd | 0 | — |
| ABB Research Ltd | 0 | — |
| State Grid Hubei Electric Power Co., Ltd. Luotian County Power Supply Company | 0 | — |
| State Grid Corporation of China | 0 | — |
| SRIVASTAVA KAILASH | 0 | — |
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to a concentrated, slowing field with specific under-claimed branches. The next steps depend on whether the goal is freedom-to-operate, portfolio benchmarking, or identifying a filing gap.
Map claims against the leading assignees
With 58.3% of records held by five companies, a freedom-to-operate check should start by pulling full claim sets from the leader and the next four ranked assignees before drafting in the core H02J/H02H space.
Run an assignee claim comparison in EurekaTest a claim in the under-claimed branches
G01R measurement, G05F control-variable and G06F digital-processing classes each cover a small fraction of the 48 records, suggesting room for a claim that pairs DC fault clearing with real-time sensing or software-defined selectivity logic.
Draft and stress-test a claim in EurekaCommon questions on this landscape
This dataset identifies 48 published records covering multi-terminal HVDC systems, DC grids and meshed HVDC networks specifically claiming DC fault clearing, converter control coordination, DC circuit breakers or protection selectivity, spanning 2015 through the 2026-07-31 cut-off. That is a narrow, protection-focused slice of the broader HVDC field rather than a count of every HVDC-related filing. Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, the true current total is somewhat higher than the 48 records captured here.
The ranking lists 34 companies, with the leader holding 7 of the 48 records and the top five combined accounting for 58.3% of all records in scope. The top ten extend that to 85.4%, leaving a long tail where most of the remaining assignees hold only one or two filings each. This is a concentrated field led by a mix of utilities, equipment manufacturers and research institutes rather than one dominated by a large number of active competitors.
Filing activity peaked at 11 records in 2019 after rising from 10 in 2017, then declined toward 3 records by the 2022 midpoint of the dataset. The trend does not show a rebound through to the most recent year, though that final year is necessarily understated by publication lag. Taken together, the pattern reads as a field that had an early filing wave and has since cooled rather than one still accelerating.
US20220311241A1, filed by Tianjin University, describes a source-network coordination type DC circuit breaker using pre-charged capacitors for an MMC-based DC grid built on a four-converter-station loop topology with double-loop DC overhead lines. Its core mechanism pairs an active voltage-adjusting control strategy with self-adaptive pre-charged capacitor voltage to create favourable breaking conditions for a quick mechanical switch branch. Anyone designing a DC circuit breaker that coordinates converter-side voltage control with mechanical switching in a looped MMC grid should check this filing's claim scope closely before finalising a similar architecture.
The dense claim territory sits in H02J grid systems, H02H protective circuits and H01H switching, which together cover most of the 48 records and heavily overlap with each other. Classes like G01R measurement, G05F variable control and G06F digital processing each appear on only a small fraction of records, pointing to under-claimed ground around real-time DC fault sensing, adaptive control software and digital protection-selectivity algorithms. A new filing that combines DC fault clearing with one of these thinner classes has more room to establish a distinct claim than one filed squarely inside the H02J/H02H core.
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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.