Digital X-Ray Inspection Patents: Top Companies & Filing Trends 2026
A data-driven look at digital X-ray and computed radiography nondestructive inspection patents: 229 records, filing trends through 2024, IPC technology mix and the leading assignees.
Filing growth = 2021 (7 records) → 2024 (5); 2024 is the last year we treat as complete. Top-5 share = the 5 largest assignees ÷ all 229 records in scope (CR5), not the ranked leaders only.
What this landscape covers
This landscape draws on 229 published records filed between 2015 and the 2026 data cut-off that claim digital radiographic, computed radiographic, digital X-ray or flat-panel X-ray detector methods applied to nondestructive testing, inspection or defect detection. The scope spans hardware — detector arrays, source geometry, scanner frameworks — and the software layers built on top of them, including image processing and automated defect classification. Patent families, not raw document counts, are the fairer unit for comparing filers, since families neutralise aggressive continuation practice and multi-jurisdiction filing by any single applicant.
Coverage is strongest in material-analysis-and-testing claims (IPC G01N), with meaningful secondary activity in image processing, diagnostic imaging and semiconductor-adjacent detector work. Filing offices span the United States, China, Europe, the WIPO/PCT route, South Korea and Canada, indicating protection strategies built for multiple markets rather than a single home jurisdiction.
Filing trends and technology composition
The dataset covers 229 published records dated 2015-01-01 through 2026-08-31, drawn from filings that claim digital radiographic, computed radiographic, digital X-ray or flat-panel X-ray detector methods applied to nondestructive testing and defect inspection.
Filing activity, 2017-2026
Annual filings rose from 6 in 2017 to a peak of 14 in 2022, then eased to 5 by 2024 — a -29% change over that three-year span. 2025 and 2026 figures are still incomplete because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so the recent-year dip should not be read as a slowdown in research activity.
Publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so 2025 onwards are still filling in. Growth rates on this page therefore end at 2024; running them to the last bar would understate the field.
Technology composition by IPC subclass
G01N (material analysis and testing) anchors 55.0% of the 229 records, far ahead of any other subclass. Image processing (G06T) and diagnostic imaging (A61B) each sit at 13.5%, with semiconductor devices (H01L), digital data processing (G06F), X-radiation measurement (G01T), pictorial communication (H04N) and geophysics (G01V) trailing behind — records can carry more than one class, so these shares sum above 100%.
Shares are the percentage of the 229 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Nondestructive Testing: Digital X-Ray Nondestructive Inspection Patent Landscape with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about nondestructive testing: digital x-ray nondestructive inspection patent landscape and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaRepresentative filing and most-cited prior art
GB2368764B — Digital radiography inspection apparatus for large object
The detection system uses a detector including a high-specific-activity isotopic gamma ray source and its shielded container, a chamber for radiating, collimators and a detector array, a signal processing system and a carrying mechanism for translation. The system also uses a rotary scanner framework of ring type on which the detector is mounted, allowing projective images from any designated direction and cross-sectional images at a designated position using only one set of ray sources.Filed by Tsinghua University; illustrates the apparatus-level claim style typical of large-object inspection systems in this field.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US6839403B1 | Generation and distribution of annotation overlays of digital X-ray images for security systems | 246 |
| 2 | US20030167616A1 | Inspection and sorting system and method for part repair | 116 |
| 3 | US6529622B1 | Method and apparatus for identifying defective regions in a discrete pixel detector | 89 |
| 4 | US20070025512A1 | Lobster eye X-ray imaging system and method of fabrication thereof | 83 |
| 5 | US6701615B2 | Inspection and sorting system and method for part repair | 80 |
| 6 | US7236564B2 | Linear array detector system and inspection method | 70 |
| 7 | US7231017B2 | Lobster eye X-ray imaging system and method of fabrication thereof | 52 |
| 8 | US6658089B1 | System and method for image identification and quality indication for radiographic inspection | 44 |
| 9 | US6618465B2 | X-ray shielding system and shielded digital radiographic inspection system and method | 43 |
| 10 | US20140207874A1 | Systems and methods for collaborating in a non-destructive testing system | 35 |
Citation counts reflect influence within the searched corpus and skew toward older records; they are not a measure of current commercial importance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
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These figures come directly from the 229 records in scope; they point to where claim space is crowded, where it is thin, and which routes have proven commercially durable.
A small group sets the claim structure
The five leading assignees together account for 78 of the 229 records in scope. With 89 companies in the ranked list overall, most filers hold only one or a few records, meaning the practical competitive question is less about a crowded field and more about how tightly the leaders have staked out the core detector-and-signal-processing claims.
Material testing is the anchor claim
G01N (material analysis and testing) appears in 55.0% of records, dwarfing the next tier of image processing and diagnostic imaging at 13.5% each. New filers building on image-processing or AI-classification layers are adding to a much thinner claim base than the underlying detector-and-defect-testing art.
Growth peaked in 2022, not accelerating now
Filings rose from 6 in 2017 to a peak of 14 in 2022 before easing to 5 by 2024, a -29% change across that window. Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, 2025-2026 counts are still filling in and should not be read as a continued decline.
Protection is multi-market, not single-market
The United States leads with 84 filings, with China and the EPO each near 26, WIPO/PCT at 24, South Korea at 16 and Canada at 11. Freedom-to-operate work in this field needs to clear at least these six offices rather than assuming US-only exposure.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to nondestructive testing: digital x-ray nondestructive inspection patent landscape, with the prior art for and against each one.
| Assignee | Co-assignee | Shared families |
|---|---|---|
| SKF Aerospace France SAS | SKF Group | 6 |
| Tsinghua University | XIANG XINCHENG | 2 |
| Tsinghua University | WU ZHIFANG | 2 |
| Tsinghua University | WANG LIQIANG | 2 |
| Tsinghua University | LIU YISI | 2 |
| Tsinghua University | AN JIGANG | 2 |
| Nuctech Company Limited | Tsinghua University | 1 |
Only 7 co-assignee pairs exist across the dataset, and the strongest pairing (6 shared records) is a single aerospace-supplier relationship — most filers, including the leading research institutions, file solo rather than through joint-applicant structures.
Where to take this analysis
The figures above establish the shape of the field. The next layer of decisions — which specific claims block a design, where a first-filer advantage still exists — needs claim-level reading rather than aggregate counts.
Check freedom to operate against the leading claim holders
With the top 10 assignees holding 48.0% of all 229 records, a new filing in the G01N-heavy detector or signal-processing space should be checked against those specific claim sets before drafting.
Run a clearance search in EurekaWatch the under-claimed adjacent branches
Geophysics-adjacent (G01V, 5.7%) and pictorial-communication (H04N, 7.0%) claims are thin relative to the G01N core, suggesting room for a first claim that ties detector output directly to those use cases.
Explore white space in EurekaRe-run the trend once 2025-2026 filings publish
Because publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, the post-2022 dip in filings is not yet a reliable signal; revisit the growth figure once another year of data lands.
Track filing trends in EurekaFrequently asked questions
Filing is concentrated at the top of the ranking: the leading assignee holds 31 records out of 229, and the five leading assignees together account for 34.1% of all records in scope. The ranked list itself covers 89 companies, so beyond the leaders there is a long tail of single- or few-filing entrants. This pattern is typical of instrumentation fields where a handful of established equipment makers and research institutions set the claim structure early and smaller filers build narrower improvements around it.
Annual filings rose from 6 in 2017 to a peak of 14 in 2022, then declined to 5 by 2024, a -29% change over that three-year window. Because publication typically lags actual filing by around 18 months, the 2025 and 2026 figures in any dataset are still incomplete and should not be read as evidence of a slowdown. The safest read is that the field grew through the early 2020s and the post-2022 numbers need another year or two of data before a trend judgment is reliable.
Material analysis and testing claims under IPC class G01N appear in 55.0% of the 229 records, making it by far the largest single technology bucket. Image data processing (G06T) and diagnostic/surgical imaging (A61B) each appear in 13.5% of records, followed by semiconductor devices, general digital data processing, X-radiation measurement, pictorial communication and geophysics-adjacent applications. Because a single record can carry multiple IPC classes, these shares add up to more than 100% and should be read as overlapping technology footprints rather than mutually exclusive buckets.
The United States receives the most filings among the offices tracked, with 26 in China and 26 at the European Patent Office close behind, followed by 24 through the WIPO/PCT route, 16 in South Korea and 11 in Canada. This spread indicates the technology is being protected across multiple major markets rather than concentrated in a single jurisdiction, which matters for anyone assessing freedom to operate — clearance searches need to cover at least these six offices to be credible.
GB2368764B, assigned to Tsinghua University, claims a large-object digital radiography inspection apparatus combining an isotopic gamma-ray source with shielded container, a radiating chamber, collimators, a detector array, signal processing and a ring-type rotary scanner framework. It blocks systems that reproduce that specific single-source, ring-type rotary architecture to obtain both projective and cross-sectional images. It does not block differently structured scanners, such as linear-stage or multi-source designs, so new entrants generally have a viable design-around path through scanner geometry rather than through the imaging concept itself.
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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.