Planetary Gearbox Fatigue Patent Snapshot 2026
The planetary gearbox fatigue patent space is extremely small and highly concentrated, with the top five filers accounting for 91% of activity among the hundred largest filers, and the REM Technology–OSRO pairing controlling the dominant superfinishing route. The field is in a decline phase following its 2017 peak, though the publication lag window means very recent filings may be under-represented.
REM Technology and OSRO hold a commanding lead in a tightly held niche
The planetary gearbox fatigue evidence snapshot is a narrow, specialist niche. REM Technology Inc ranks first with 43 patent records, followed by OSRO GmbH with 35 patent records — together they account for the large majority of documented activity among the top-ranked filers.
Concentration is extreme: the top five filers hold 91% of the combined total among the ranked applicants visible in this query, creating a steep tier gap between the two leaders and all challengers. David Brown Santasalo UK holds fourth place with 4 patent records, and Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co KG sits fifth with 2 patent records — illustrating how sharply activity drops beyond the top two.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | REM Technology Inc | 43 | |
| 2 | OSRO GmbH | 35 | |
| 3 | ORSO | 5 | |
| 4 | David Brown Santasalo UK (Ind) Ltd | 4 | |
| 5 | SCHAEFFLER TECHNOLOGIES AG & CO KG | 2 | |
| 6 | Changchun Qianbang Test Equipment Co Ltd | 2 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Wuxi Weifu China Ital Gear Co Ltd | 2 | |
| 8 | Zhejiang Cenfit Machinery Co Ltd | 1 | |
| 9 | NSK Ltd | 1 | |
| 10 | Zhuzhou Jiuzhou Transmission Machinery Co Ltd | 1 | |
| 11 | David Brown Gear Systems Ltd | 1 | |
| 12 | Qianguo County Chengrui Wind Energy Co Ltd | 1 |
The leaders’ positions signal that any new entrant seeking to challenge in the core superfinishing route for planetary gear fatigue mitigation will face an unusually consolidated prior-art evidence snapshot from two closely collaborating entities.
The most recent 18–24 months of filings are subject to publication lag and are likely under-counted; the apparent absence of very recent records should not be read as a definitive cessation of activity. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
A sparse filing history dominated by surface-finishing technology
Annual filing activity has been intermittent across the decade, peaking in 2017 and again showing a small cluster in 2025. The technology composition is dominated by gearing and grinding classifications, reflecting the superfinishing approach taken by the visible assignees.
Annual filing trend
Filings peaked in 2017, remained near zero for most of the subsequent years, and show a small uptick in 2025. Given publication lag, the 2025 figure and any 2024–2026 activity should be treated as provisional; the overall trajectory is consistent with a field past its peak rather than actively growing.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
F16H (Gearing and transmissions) and B24B (Grinding and polishing) are the two visible IPC classes, reflecting the superfinishing-centric approach of the visible assignees. B23F (Gear and thread cutting) forms a secondary cluster, while branches such as C21D (Heat treatment), C23C (Coating and surface deposition), and F03D (Wind motors) each represent only a small share, signalling under-served adjacent territory.
↗ 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.
Superfinishing large planetary gear systems
Disclosed herein is a new improved large planetary gear system used on the input stage of wind turbine power generators. This improved planetary gear system reduces or eliminates lubricant debris traditionally generated from the gear teeth, thereby eliminating an initiating source for bearing failure. To achieve these results, some and preferably all of the… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Superfinishing large planetary gear systems | 35 |
| 2 | Superfinishing large planetary gear systems | 32 |
| 3 | 矿用车轿轮边减速器行星齿轮及其制造方法 | 21 |
| 4 | Planetary gear assembly | 16 |
| 5 | Planet gear assembly | 14 |
| 6 | Superfinishing large planetary gear systems | 10 |
| 7 | Superfinishing large planetary gear systems | 8 |
| 8 | Superfinishing Large Planetary Gear Systems | 8 |
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.
REM Technology Inc
REM Technology Inc holds 43 patent records — the highest count in the ranking — concentrated in B24B 31 (grinding and polishing), F16H 55, and F16H 57 (gearing and transmissions). This trifecta reflects the superfinishing process applied to planetary gear tooth surfaces as the primary fatigue mitigation method. No applicant momentum data is available to characterise recent trajectory, but the company’s deep co-filing relationship with OSRO GmbH reinforces its position at the centre of the ecosystem.
43 patent recordsOSRO GmbH
OSRO GmbH holds 35 patent records and mirrors REM Technology’s technology emphasis almost exactly, with leading positions in B24B 31, F16H 55, and F16H 57. The high degree of overlap and the 32 co-filed records shared with REM Technology suggest that OSRO functions as a close development partner rather than an independent challenger. No applicant momentum data is available to characterise recent trajectory.
35 patent recordsFrequently asked questions
The evidence includes 5 patent families in scope for this topic. The corpus is notably small, reflecting a highly specialist niche rather than a broad technology domain.
REM Technology Inc leads with 43 patent records, followed by OSRO GmbH with 35 patent records. These two entities together account for the large majority of activity among the top-ranked filers, with all other applicants holding 5 or fewer patent records each.
The visible approach is superfinishing of planetary gear tooth surfaces, reflected in the leading IPC classes F16H (Gearing and transmissions) and B24B (Grinding and polishing). The most-cited patent titles in the evidence are all variants of superfinishing large planetary gear systems.
China leads by patent-record count, followed by the United States and Europe (EPO). Coverage also extends to Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, South Korea, Norway, Denmark, and via WIPO PCT, indicating multi-jurisdictional protection strategies by the visible assignees.
The lifecycle stage is classified as Decline, with annual filings having eased back from the 2017 peak. The most recent 18–24 months are subject to publication lag, so very recent activity may be under-represented, but the overall trajectory is past-peak rather than actively growing.
Yes. Coating and surface deposition (C23C) and heat treatment of metals (C21D) each appear in only 3 patent records — a 2% share each — despite their technical relevance to gear fatigue life. Wind-turbine gearbox applications (F03D) are similarly sparse with 3 patent records, representing an adjacent area where filing density is low relative to known industrial demand.
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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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