Phased Array Ultrasonics Patents: Leaders & Trends 2026
A data-backed look at phased array ultrasonics patent filings: who leads NDT inspection IP, how filing activity has moved since 2017, and where claim space is still open.
Filing growth = 2021 (42 records) → 2024 (22); 2024 is the last year we treat as complete. Top-5 share = the 5 largest assignees ÷ all 1,236 records in scope (CR5), not the ranked leaders only.
What this patent set covers
Phased array ultrasonics is a nondestructive testing method that steers and focuses ultrasonic beams electronically across an array of transducer elements, rather than relying on a single fixed-angle probe. The technique lets an inspector sweep a weld, a pipeline wall, a rail head or a composite structure without physically repositioning the sensor, and it is the basis for much of modern automated inspection in energy, rail and heavy manufacturing. This dataset covers 1,236 published records filed or published between 2015 and the 2026 cut-off, drawn from title/abstract mentions of phased array ultrasonics and from claims language combined with the relevant G01N testing subclasses.
The records span multiple receiving offices, with the United States, the European Patent Office and WIPO's PCT route carrying the largest volumes, alongside meaningful filing in Canada and Germany. Because a single invention can generate several family members across jurisdictions, the assignee ranking below is built on the full record set rather than a deduplicated family count, which is worth keeping in mind when comparing raw volumes to filing intent.
Filing trend and technology composition
Two views matter for this field: how filing activity has moved year over year, and which IPC subclasses carry the claim density. Both are shown below using the exact figures returned by the dataset.
Filing activity, 2017-2026
Filings ran from 64 records in 2017 to a peak of 87 in 2018, then eased through the following years; the 2021-to-2024 window shows a 48% decline, from 42 records down to 22. The final one to two years in any such trend are understated because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, so 2025 and 2026 should be read as still filling in rather than as a genuine drop-off.
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) is present in 98.5% of the 1,236 records, confirming this is fundamentally a testing-and-measurement patent set. The next largest subclasses are far smaller by comparison: A61B (diagnosis and surgery) at 9.9%, G01S (radar, sonar and positioning) at 7.8%, and G10K (acoustics) at 7.1%, each pointing to a different adjacent application of the same underlying array-steering methods.
Shares are the percentage of the 1,236 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Go deeper on Nondestructive Testing: Phased Array Ultrasonics Patent Landscape with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about nondestructive testing: phased array ultrasonics patent landscape and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaA representative record in this space
System for inspecting rail with phased array ultrasonics
A system for inspecting railroad rail using phased array ultrasonic technology measures the time of flight of ultrasonic signals at locations across the rail head to determine the wear profile of the rail. The rail wear profile is then used to adjust the focal laws of the phased array ultrasonic probes to dynamically compensate for changes in the rail profile as the inspection vehicle moves along the rails.Filed by Transportation Technology Center, Inc., published 2016-10-20.
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US5606971A | Method and device for shear wave elasticity imaging | 423 |
| 2 | US4689986A | Variable frequency gas-bubble-manipulating apparatus and method | 253 |
| 3 | US5278757A | Synthetic aperture ultrasonic imaging system using a minimum or reduced redundancy phased array | 234 |
| 4 | US6382028B1 | Ultrasonic defect detection system | 223 |
| 5 | US6128958A | Phased array system architecture | 157 |
| 6 | US3805596A | High resolution ultrasonic imaging scanner | 118 |
| 7 | US6813950B2 | Phased array ultrasonic NDT system for tubes and pipes | 106 |
| 8 | US7412890B1 | Methods and apparatus for detecting cracks in welds | 102 |
| 9 | US4890268A | Two-dimensional phased array of ultrasonic transducers | 100 |
| 10 | US8087298B1 | Ultrasonic probe deployment device for increased wave transmission and rapid area scan inspections | 99 |
Citation counts reflect influence within the searched corpus and skew toward older, foundational filings rather than current commercial relevance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
Put your own technology through the same analysis
Eureka on the web
When you want the answer in the next five minutes.
The agent works the prompt against patents and technical literature, citing every source.
Run your analysis now →MCP server & REST API
When it has to run inside your own pipeline.
Patent search, landscape analysis and assignee resolution as MCP tools. Drop them into any agent framework, or call REST directly.
Browse MCP servers →What the data says about this field
A few figures shape how a freedom-to-operate or whitespace assessment should read this dataset.
Leadership sits with a handful of filers, not a single monopolist
The leading assignee holds 89 records, with the fifth-place holder at 34 and the tenth at 25. The top 5 combined account for 21.6% of all records in scope, and the top 10 combined for 33.3% — meaningful concentration, but well short of lockout, leaving room for a long tail of smaller filers.
Activity has eased from its 2018 peak, but recent years are still incomplete
The field peaked at 87 records in 2018 and has since declined to 22 by 2024, the most recent year that can be read as complete. Because publication trails filing by roughly 18 months, 2025 and 2026 figures will fill in further and should not yet be read as continued decline.
The core is testing methodology; the edges reach into medical and acoustic domains
Almost every record in this set falls under G01N material analysis and testing, but secondary IPC classes show the same array-steering approach applied to medical diagnosis (A61B, 9.9%), radar and sonar (G01S, 7.8%) and acoustics (G10K, 7.1%) — each a candidate adjacency for a claim strategy that starts from an NDT core.
Co-filing is rare and concentrated in steel and rail supply chains
Only ten co-assignee pairs appear in the dataset, and the strongest pairing links a French oil and gas tubular specialist with a Japanese steel producer, well ahead of the next pairings involving other Japanese steelmakers and instrumentation firms.
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to nondestructive testing: phased array ultrasonics patent landscape, with the prior art for and against each one.
Where to take this analysis
The figures above answer where filing has concentrated; the questions below are where a working team typically needs to go next.
Map the white space behind the core
Secondary classes like G10K acoustics and G01M structural balance sit well below G01N in filing density, which is where a narrower first claim is more likely to clear prior art.
Explore whitespace in EurekaTrack the leading filers' recent activity
With top-5 concentration at 21.6% of records and a long tail beyond the ranked leaders, watching the leader's newest publications is a cheap way to anticipate where claim scope will tighten next.
Monitor assignees in EurekaStress-test a design-around against cited art
The most-cited records in this set date back decades; a freedom-to-operate check should weigh their claim scope against newer filings rather than citation count alone.
Run a claim comparison in EurekaFrequently asked questions
The assignee ranking for this dataset covers 100 companies built from 1,236 published records, with the leading filer holding 89 records. The top 5 filers combined account for 21.6% of all records in scope, and the top 10 combined account for 33.3%, which indicates real but not overwhelming concentration. Beyond the ranked leaders there is a long tail of entities with only a handful of filings each, so a competitive scan should not assume the field is a two- or three-player market.
Filing peaked at 87 records in 2018 and has since eased, with the 2021-to-2024 window showing a 48% decline from 42 records down to 22. That said, 2024 is the most recent year that can be treated as complete, because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months. The apparent drop in 2025-2026 figures reflects this reporting lag rather than a confirmed slowdown in inventive activity.
G01N, material analysis and testing, appears in 98.5% of the 1,236 records in this dataset, confirming the field's core is testing methodology rather than a specific end application. Meaningful secondary presence appears in A61B (diagnosis and surgery, 9.9%), G01S (radar, sonar and positioning, 7.8%), G10K (acoustics, 7.1%), G01B (dimensional measurement, 6.1%) and B06B (mechanical vibration generation, 5.5%). Because a single record can carry several classes, these shares add up to more than 100% and should be read individually against the 1,236-record total, not summed.
The United States carries the largest volume of receiving-office activity in this dataset at 458 records, followed by the European Patent Office at 243 and the WIPO PCT route at 98. Canada (76) and Germany (73) also show meaningful filing, reflecting the rail, pipeline and heavy-industry inspection markets where this technology is commercially deployed. A filer targeting global protection in this space should expect EPO and PCT filings to be the norm rather than the exception given this distribution.
US20160304104A1, filed by Transportation Technology Center, Inc. and published in October 2016, describes a system for inspecting railroad rail using phased array ultrasonics that measures time-of-flight signals across the rail head to derive a wear profile, then dynamically adjusts the phased array focal laws to compensate for that wear as the inspection vehicle moves. It is a representative example of how this technology is applied outside the more heavily cited weld- and pipe-inspection use cases, and it illustrates the pattern of combining sensing data with real-time array reconfiguration that recurs across the dataset. Anyone filing in rail or transit inspection should review its claim scope before drafting closely adjacent wear-compensation claims.
Research Nondestructive Testing: Phased Array Ultrasonics Patent Landscape in depth with Eureka
Go past this page: query the whole nondestructive testing: phased array ultrasonics patent landscape corpus yourself, in your own scope.
Every answer comes back with patent numbers you can open.
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.