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Run your analysis now →https://www.patsnap.com/resources/blog/rd-blog/train-control-signaling-train-detection-patent-landscape-patent-landscape/ · Patsnap · data cut-off 2026-08-31 · downloaded from the live page
Patent Landscape · Rail & Transit SystemsTrain control signaling and train detection patents: who leads, and where the field is still open
A data-backed look at train control signaling and train detection patents: who leads filings, how the field concentrates, filing trends since 2017, and where claim space remains open.
1,075
Published Records
33%
Top-5 Share of All Records
-21%
Filing Growth 2021→2024
JP
Leading Jurisdiction
Filing growth = 2021 (28 records) → 2024 (22); 2024 is the last year we treat as complete. Top-5 share = the 5 largest assignees ÷ all 1,075 records in scope (CR5), not the ranked leaders only.
Published byPatsnap Research··6 min readSourced from Patsnap Eureka
Field Overview
What this landscape covers
This landscape maps 1,075 published records filed or published between 2015 and 2026 that combine train control signaling with train detection methods, filtered to railway-relevant IPC classes B61, B60L and B61L. The scope captures both trackside detection hardware — track circuits, axle counters, pick-up coils — and the control logic that consumes that detection data to set signal states or authorize movement. Train detection here means the sensing layer; train control signaling means the decision layer that acts on it, and most records in scope claim some link between the two.
Assignee concentration is high at the top: the leading five entities together hold 33.3% of all records, and the top ten hold 43.8%. Below that threshold, filing activity spreads across a long tail of single- and few-filing entrants — a pattern typical of a mature safety-critical field where a handful of legacy signaling vendors hold dense position and newer entrants file narrowly around specific detection methods or edge cases.
Filing activity and technology composition, 2015–2026
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Assignee ranking and totals. Derived from a Patsnap search on Train Control Signaling Train Detection Patent Landscape covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-08-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
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The Numbers
Filing trends and technology composition
Publication lags actual filing by roughly 18 months, so the most recent one to two years in any chart below are undercounts, not evidence of a real slowdown.
A 2020 peak followed by a measured pullback
Filings rose from 23 in 2017 to a peak of 32 in 2020, then eased to 28 by 2021. The complete-year window from 2021 to 2024 shows filings falling to 22 — a 21% decline over that three-year span. Figures for 2025 and 2026 are still incomplete due to publication lag and should not be read as a continuation of that decline.
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.
B61L dominates; B60L is the largest secondary branch
Railway traffic control (B61L) appears on 84.9% of the 1,075 records in scope, confirming that most filings frame train detection as a signaling-control problem rather than a standalone sensing one. Electric vehicle propulsion (B60L) at 15.6% and railway vehicle bodies (B61D) at 3.7% are the next most common secondary classifications, with transmission (H04B), auxiliary equipment (B61K), braking (B60T) and alarm systems (G08B) each appearing on under 3% of records — all plausible white-space adjacencies rather than crowded sub-fields.
Shares are the percentage of the 1,075 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Filing trend and technology composition. Derived from a Patsnap search on Train Control Signaling Train Detection Patent Landscape covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-08-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.
Go deeper on Train Control Signaling Train Detection Patent Landscape with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about train control signaling train detection patent landscape and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaRepresentative Filing
A representative train detection patent
Representative Record · JP2012055128A
Device and method for detecting signal for train control
日本信号株式会社
The filing describes a device that computes peak levels of detected waveform signals picked up from a ground-mounted coil beneath a moving train, then applies a limiter to convert signals above a fixed limiter level down to a stable range before a downstream detector computes a Q value from the processed waveform. The stated aim is to detect the control signal reliably regardless of the varying distance between the onboard and ground pick-ups.Filed by Nippon Signal, dated 2012-03-15 — a legacy signaling vendor with dense position across this landscape.
Most-cited records in this landscape
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US5519301A | Controlling/driving apparatus for an electrically-driven compressor in a car | 118 |
| 2 | US5735492A | Railroad crossing traffic warning system apparatus and method therefore | 99 |
| 3 | US20150232110A1 | Method & apparatus for a train control system | 88 |
| 4 | US5954299A | Railroad crossing traffic warning system apparatus and method therefore | 78 |
| 5 | US20150307119A1 | Method & apparatus for an auxiliary train control system | 68 |
| 6 | US20130018534A1 | Methods and systems for detection and notification of blocked rail crossings | 64 |
| 7 | US3794833A | Train speed control system | 64 |
| 8 | US20160189552A1 | Railroad crossing and adjacent signalized intersection vehicular traffic control preemption systems and metho… | 63 |
| 9 | EP2090491A1 | System for the detection of trains on railway lines | 48 |
| 10 | EP1338492A1 | System for occupancy detection in a railroad line and for digital communication with trains that run along sa… | 48 |
Ranked by citation count within the searched corpus; older records accumulate more citations by nature, so treat this as a signal of historical influence rather than current relevance.
Each row carries its publication number; clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Citation counts and representative records. Derived from a Patsnap search on Train Control Signaling Train Detection Patent Landscape covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-08-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
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What the data implies for filing strategy
Four figures from this dataset carry direct implications for where to file, who to watch, and what remains open.
Concentration
33.3%
of 1,075 records held by top 5
The top of the field is dense, not the whole field
With five assignees holding a third of all records and the fifth-place holder at only 34 records, the leadership tier is tight but the drop-off below tenth place (19 records) is steep. New entrants are more likely to find open claim space by working around specific detection methods than by challenging the leaders' core signaling logic head-on.
Top 10 combined hold 43.8% of records.
Technology mix
84.9%
of records classified B61L
Signaling control, not sensing, is the crowded layer
The dominance of B61L over every other class means the control-and-decision layer is where prior art is thickest. Detection hardware classes such as G08B (2.0%) and B60T (2.1%) carry far fewer records, suggesting sensing-side novelty may face a shallower prior-art field than control-logic novelty.
B60L is the largest secondary class at 15.6%.
Filing trend
-21%
2021 to 2024 filing change
Activity has eased off its 2020 peak
Filings peaked at 32 in 2020 and fell to 22 by 2024, a complete-year decline of 21%. That does not necessarily signal reduced commercial interest; it may reflect consolidation of claim positions by incumbents rather than a shrinking opportunity, and 2025-2026 figures are too fresh to read either way.
2025-2026 filings are still incomplete due to publication lag.
Geography
243
Japan-filed records, the largest single office
Filing activity clusters in Japan, the US and Korea
Japan (243), the United States (205) and South Korea (149) together account for the bulk of receiving-office activity, with China (124), the EPO (94) and India (47) trailing. Strategy for any given jurisdiction should weigh this distribution against local enforcement priorities rather than assuming uniform global coverage.
Six receiving offices account for the bulk of tracked filings.
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Co-filing is rare and narrowly clustered
| Assignee | Co-assignee | Shared families |
|---|---|---|
| Kim Bong-taek | KIM E E | 46 |
| Kim Bong-taek | Shalom Engineering Co. | 14 |
| KIM E E | Shalom Engineering Co. | 14 |
| Hitachi, Ltd. | Japan Railway Construction, Transport and Technology Agency | 10 |
| Nippon Signal Co., Ltd. | Kyosan Electric Manufacturing Co., Ltd. | 5 |
| Nippon Signal Co., Ltd. | Central Japan Railway Company | 5 |
| Kim Bong-taek | Kim Hyo-sang | 5 |
| Kim Bong-taek | KIM HYO SANG | 5 |
Only 10 co-assignee pairs appear in this landscape, and the strongest pair recurs across three overlapping combinations — a sign that most filers in this field work independently rather than through joint development arrangements.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Co-assignee relationships and derived observations. Derived from a Patsnap search on Train Control Signaling Train Detection Patent Landscape covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-08-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
Next Steps
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to specific next questions rather than a single conclusion.
Map claim scope on the leading five
Pull the actual claim language for the top five assignees' most recent filings to see how tightly the core detection-to-signaling link is claimed, and where narrower method claims leave room.
Explore assignee claims in EurekaTrack the under-2% classes
G08B, B60T and B61K each sit under 2.3% of records — check whether that reflects genuine white space or simply a classification gap in adjacent filings.
Run a white-space search in EurekaWatch the 2025-2026 gap close
Revisit filing-trend figures once the current partial years mature, since the apparent 2021-2024 decline may look different once publication lag resolves.
Set a filing alert in EurekaSource: Patsnap Eureka. Forward-looking reading of the same dataset. Derived from a Patsnap search on Train Control Signaling Train Detection Patent Landscape covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-08-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
FAQ
Common questions on this landscape
The ranking in this dataset covers 100 assignees across 1,075 records, with the leader holding 115 records and the fifth-place holder at 34. That leaves a steep drop to the tenth-place holder at 19 records, meaning the field is concentrated at the very top but has a long tail below it. Rather than naming a single dominant player, the practical takeaway is that the top five together hold 33.3% of all records, so competitive mapping should focus first on that tier's claim scope.
Filings rose from 23 in 2017 to a peak of 32 in 2020, then eased to 28 in 2021 and down to 22 by 2024 — a complete-year decline of 21% over that span. Because patent publication typically lags actual filing by around 18 months, the 2025 and 2026 figures in any chart are undercounts and should not be read as continued decline. The honest read is that activity has cooled from its 2020 peak, not that the field is disappearing.
Railway traffic control, IPC class B61L, appears on 84.9% of the 1,075 records in scope, making it by far the dominant classification. Electric vehicle propulsion (B60L) is the next largest at 15.6%, followed by railway vehicle bodies, railway systems and cableways, and several smaller classes each under 4%. Since a record can carry multiple IPC classes, these figures describe overlap rather than mutually exclusive categories, and the concentration in B61L tells filers that control-and-decision logic is the most contested claim space.
Classes like G08B signalling and alarm systems (2.0%), B60T brakes and braking (2.1%), and B61K auxiliary equipment (2.3%) each appear on a small minority of the 1,075 records, in contrast to B61L's 84.9%. That gap suggests these adjacent branches carry lighter prior art relative to the core signaling-control layer, though a gap in this dataset's classification does not guarantee an enforceable open claim — it needs verifying against actual claim language before relying on it.
Japan leads with 243 tracked filings, followed by the United States at 205 and South Korea at 149. China (124), the European Patent Office (94) and India (47) follow behind. This distribution reflects where the legacy signaling vendors and major rail-equipment manufacturers concentrate their filing budgets, and it is a reasonable starting point for deciding where freedom-to-operate searches matter most.
Answers are grounded in the same dataset. Derived from a Patsnap search on Train Control Signaling Train Detection Patent Landscape covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-08-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
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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.