Protection Relay Algorithms Patents: Who Leads, Where Gaps Are 2026
Protection Relay Algorithms Patents: Filing Trends and Where the Field Is Still Open
42.0% of all 645 records sit with just five assignees, so the field reads as concentrated at the top with a long tail of single- and few-filing entrants behind them. Filings ran from 17 records in 2017 to a peak of 29 in 2020, then declined to 16 by 2024, a 45% drop over that three-year span. 2025 and 2026 show fewer records still, but publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so the most recent two years are undercounted rather than necessarily quiet.
- 1SCHWEITZER ENGINEERING LABORATORIES INC78
- 2SIEMENS AG58
- 3HITACHI ENERGY LTD51
- 4ABB (SCHWEIZ) AG43
- 5MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORP41
See the full protection relay algorithms analysis in Eureka
- The complete ranking, not just the top five
- Every IPC branch with its share of the corpus
- The most-cited records, and where claim space is still thin
Common questions about protection relay algorithm patents
How concentrated is the protection relay algorithms patent field?
It is moderately concentrated. Five assignees hold 271 of the 645 records in scope, which is 42.0% of the field, and the top 10 combined reach 60.8%. That leaves the remaining share spread across roughly ninety further ranked entities, many with only one or two records, so the field has a clear leading group plus a genuinely long tail rather than dozens of similarly sized competitors.
Is patent filing activity in protection relay algorithms growing or declining?
Over the last fully comparable span, filings fell from 29 records in 2021 to 16 in 2024, a 45% drop, after peaking at 29 in 2020. However, publication of a patent application typically lags its filing date by around 18 months, so the 2025 and 2026 figures in any dataset are still incomplete and should not yet be read as confirming a further decline. A later data cut is needed before drawing a firm conclusion about current-year activity.
Which technology areas get the most patent claims within protection relay algorithms?
Protective circuit arrangements (IPC class H02H) appear in 502 of 645 records, 77.8% of the field, and electric and magnetic measurement (G01R) appears in 184 records, 28.5%. These two classes anchor most filings around the trip decision itself and the current or voltage measurement feeding it. Classes tied to AI-based computing, general digital processing and digital transmission each cover under 5% of records, indicating those angles are comparatively under-claimed relative to the classical measurement-and-trip approach.
Disclaimer. This analysis is based on Patsnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent records and is provided for general information and reference only. Patent data carries inherent limitations — recent filings are under-counted because of publication lag, counts may be on a record or family basis, classification and applicant-name data may contain errors or duplicates, and the underlying search query defines the scope shown — so the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing here is an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Verify independently and review with qualified patent and legal professionals before acting on it.
Method: Filing trend and technology composition. Derived from a Patsnap search on Protection Relay Algorithms covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish. Every share divides by all records in scope. Data: Patsnap Eureka. See the full landscape report.