Ultrasonic Sensor Patent Landscape 2026
Ultrasonic Sensor Patent Landscape in 2026
The ultrasonic sensor patent field encompasses 7,252 patent families and is in a declining phase, with annual volume easing back from its 2017 peak; Robert Bosch GmbH leads the field with the largest patent record count among the ranked applicants. Activity is spread across automotive proximity sensing, industrial non-destructive testing, and medical imaging, with a moderately concentrated top tier and meaningful participation from diversified electronics, automotive, and aerospace players.
Robert Bosch leads a moderately concentrated field
Robert Bosch GmbH holds the top position among ranked applicants with 1,202 patent records, followed closely by Toshiba (1,090) and Koninklijke Philips (1,011), forming a leading trio that covers automotive sonar, industrial inspection, and medical ultrasound respectively. The Boeing Company and General Electric round out the top five with 860 and 855 patent records each.
The top five filers account for 22% of the combined patent records of the hundred largest filers, indicating a moderately concentrated but not monopolistic competitive structure. A discernible tier gap separates the top three from ranks four and five, and a further step down separates them from mid-tier participants such as Denso (833), Valeo Schalter & Sensoren (744), and Samsung Electronics (535).
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert Bosch GmbH | 1,202 | |
| 2 | Toshiba Corporation | 1,090 | |
| 3 | Koninklijke Philips NV | 1,011 | |
| 4 | The Boeing Company | 860 | |
| 5 | General Electric Co | 855 | |
| 6 | Denso Corporation | 833 | |
| 7 | VALEO SCHALTER & SENSOREN GMBH | 744 | |
| 8 | Samsung Electronics Co Ltd | 535 | |
| 9 | LG Electronics Inc | 511 | |
| 10 | Siemens AG | 505 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Furuno Electric Co Ltd | 503 | |
| 12 | Olympus Corporation | 472 | |
| 13 | Panasonic Holdings Corporation | 464 | |
| 14 | Hitachi Ltd | 392 | |
| 15 | Panasonic Electric Works Co Ltd | 378 | |
| 16 | Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation | 346 | |
| 17 | Mitsubishi Electric Corporation | 340 | |
| 18 | Canon Inc | 338 | |
| 19 | Qualcomm Inc | 330 | |
| 20 | Baker Hughes Co | 319 |
The breadth of the top-applicant roster — spanning German automotive suppliers, Japanese conglomerates, Dutch medical imaging, and US aerospace and industrial companies — signals that ultrasonic sensing is a genuinely cross-industry enabling technology rather than a single-vertical domain, which means incumbents in one vertical typically do not block entry in another.
Patent counts for the most recent 18–24 months are subject to publication lag and will increase as applications are published; the apparent drop in recent periods should not be read as reduced commercial interest. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Annual volume has eased from a 2017 peak; material testing and positioning dominate the technology mix
The two charts below show the year-by-year filing trajectory and the distribution of activity across IPC technology branches, providing a view of both the temporal pace and the technical spread of ultrasonic sensor innovation.
Annual filing trend
Annual patent filings peaked in 2017 at 993 records and have trended downward since, reaching 835 in 2022 and 689 in 2023. Figures for 2024 onward are materially under-counted due to publication lag and should not be interpreted as a continued steep decline. The multi-year window still reflects a substantial body of active innovation.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
Material analysis and testing (G01N) and radar, sonar and positioning (G01S) together dominate the technology mix, reflecting the two largest application clusters: industrial non-destructive testing and automotive/proximity sensing. Medical diagnosis and surgery (A61B) forms the third-largest branch, underscoring the importance of ultrasound imaging in healthcare. Acoustics (G10K) and mechanical vibration generation (B06B) are present at meaningful but lower shares, pointing to transducer-level R&D. Flow and level measurement (G01F) and audio transducers (H04R) represent smaller but distinct application areas.
↗ 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.
Ultrasonic sensor device and ultrasonic transducer
An ultrasonic sensor device includes an ultrasonic transducer and a hollow case. The ultrasonic transducer includes a tubular housing having a bottom, a piezoelectric element and a vibrating surface. The piezoelectric element is fixed to an inner surface of the bottom of the tubular housing. The vibrating surface is an outer surface of the bottom of the… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medical diagnosis, treatment and imaging systems | 2,411 |
| 2 | Physiological monitor and associated computation, … | 2,220 |
| 3 | Asset system control arrangement and method | 1,776 |
| 4 | Intravascular imaging apparatus and methods for us… | 1,592 |
| 5 | Spiral scanner with electronic control | 1,556 |
| 6 | Sterile field interactive control displays | 1,445 |
| 7 | Intravascular imaging apparatus and methods for us… | 1,324 |
| 8 | Method for carrying out a medical procedure using … | 1,295 |
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.
What the competitive structure means for R&D strategy
The combination of a mature lifecycle, moderate concentration, active cross-industry collaboration, and broad jurisdictional spread shapes where new entrants and incumbents should focus their investment.
Field is in decline from a 2017 peak
Annual filing volume has been easing back from its 2017 peak of 993 patent records, and the lifecycle stage is classified as Decline. This suggests that foundational sensor principles are well-covered and the marginal return on broad-claim filings is lower. R&D investment is better directed toward specific application sub-domains — particularly those with sparser coverage — or toward integration with adjacent technologies such as AI-based signal processing (G06N) and MEMS fabrication (B81B/B81C).
Lifecycle: DeclineModerate concentration with meaningful mid-tier
With the top five filers holding 22% of the hundred largest filers’ combined patent records, no single player has locked up the field. The mid-tier — Denso, Valeo, Samsung, LG Electronics, Siemens, Furuno, and Olympus, each with 503–833 patent records — is active and technically diverse. New entrants face real prior-art density in core sonar and NDT sub-classes but can find room in application-specific niches where incumbents have thinner coverage.
Moderate concentrationAutomotive supply chains drive the most active co-filing
The most frequent co-filing pairs are Valeo Schalter & Sensoren with Volkswagen (35 joint records), Denso with Japan Automobile Research Institute (35 joint records), and Denso with Toyota Motor Corporation (32 joint records). Toshiba and Toshiba Medical Systems show 23 joint records, reflecting intra-group portfolio coordination. Philips co-filed with its electronics laboratory arms on 11 and 6 occasions respectively. These clusters confirm that automotive OEM–tier-1 partnerships and medical imaging conglomerate structures are the dominant collaboration models in this space.
OEM–tier-1 partnershipsUS leads; Europe and PCT routes provide broad coverage
The United States is the primary filing jurisdiction with 10,172 patent records, followed by Europe via EPO (4,462) and WIPO PCT (2,301). Canada and the United Kingdom each exceed 1,000 records, reflecting strong secondary markets. Australia adds 790 records. Singapore, New Zealand, South Africa, and the Philippines are represented at much smaller scales, suggesting limited systematic filing in Southeast Asia and Africa — a potential gap for applicants seeking regional market protection.
US-dominant, EPO secondaryGo beyond the landscape: Eureka’s TRIZ Solution agent breaks down an R&D problem and returns patented concept solutions, each with a technical approach and cited patent & literature evidence.
| Applicant | Collaborator | Co-filings |
|---|---|---|
| Valeo Schalter & Sensoren GmbH | Volkswagen AG | 35 |
| Denso Corporation | Japan Automobile Research Institute | 35 |
| Denso Corporation | Toyota Motor Corporation | 32 |
| Toshiba Corporation | Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation | 23 |
| Koninklijke Philips NV | LAB DELECTRONIQUE PHILIPS | 11 |
| Denso Corporation | Soken Inc | 7 |
| Koninklijke Philips NV | LAB DELECTRONIQUE & DE PHYSIQUE APPLIQUEES L E P | 6 |
| General Electric Co | V&M德国有限公司 | 5 |
| Valeo Schalter & Sensoren GmbH | BMW AG | 5 |
| Valeo Schalter & Sensoren GmbH | Porsche AG | 5 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Bosch and Valeo anchor automotive sonar; Boeing and GE lead industrial inspection
The top-ranked applicants cluster into two strategic groups: automotive proximity and parking-sensor specialists centered on G01S15 sonar sub-classes, and industrial/medical NDT players anchored in G01N29 material testing.
Robert Bosch GmbH
Robert Bosch GmbH leads all ranked applicants with 1,202 patent records and concentrates the vast majority of its portfolio in G01S15 (ultrasonic ranging and positioning, 403 records) and G01S7 (sonar signal processing, 329 records), with a smaller presence in G01S13. This positioning reflects near-complete alignment with automotive parking and proximity sensing. Recent momentum shows a 29% decline in filing rate versus the prior period, consistent with the field-wide easing from its 2017 peak.
patent records: 1,202Valeo Schalter & Sensoren GmbH
Valeo Schalter & Sensoren GmbH holds 744 patent records and mirrors Bosch’s G01S15 (381 records) and G01S7 (333 records) focus, making it the closest direct competitor in automotive ultrasonic proximity sensing. Its co-filing relationships with Volkswagen (35 records), BMW (5 records), and Porsche (5 records) demonstrate deep OEM integration. Recent filings are down 26% versus the prior period, tracking the broader market deceleration rather than any competitive loss.
patent records: 744| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Robert Bosch GmbH | 67 | ▼ -29% |
| The Boeing Company | 13 | ▼ -84% |
| General Electric Co | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
| Valeo Schalter & Sensoren GmbH | 49 | ▼ -26% |
| Denso Corporation | 38 | ▼ -49% |
| Toshiba Corporation | 2 | ▼ -89% |
| Butterfly Network Inc | 2 | ▼ -96% |
| Samsung Electronics Co Ltd | 13 | ▼ -50% |
Under-served adjacent branches worth monitoring
The whitespace analysis identifies IPC branches that are adjacent to the dominant classes but carry a relatively lower share of activity, which may reflect genuine technical sparsity rather than lack of applicability.
G01F · Flow, Level & Volume Measurement
With 1,208 patent records and a 3% share of the branch distribution, flow and level measurement is notably sparser than the dominant G01N and G01S classes despite ultrasonic transit-time and Doppler flow meters being commercially significant in utilities, oil and gas, and process industries. Applicants in industrial IoT or smart-metering looking to establish IP positions in clamp-on or inline ultrasonic flow sensing would encounter a less crowded prior-art landscape than in automotive sonar or NDT, though they would face established players such as Baker Hughes and Yokogawa Electric in adjacent sub-classes.
Search this in Eureka →H04R · Loudspeakers & Audio Transducers
H04R covers acoustic transducer design at the component level and registers 1,121 patent records — a 2% share — despite being the foundational engineering layer underlying virtually every ultrasonic application. Sparser coverage here may reflect that transducer IP is filed primarily under G01S or B06B rather than H04R, but it could also indicate genuine room for differentiated piezoelectric or CMUT transducer array patents. Entrants with MEMS or thin-film processing expertise could explore this branch as a complement to the denser B06B class, particularly for wearable or miniaturized sensor applications.
Search this in Eureka →How leading applicants differ by technology sub-class emphasis
Strength of each leader across the main technology routes.
| Player | G01N 29 · Material analysis & testing | G01S 15 · Radar, sonar & positioning | G01S 7 · Radar, sonar & positioning | A61B 8 · Diagnosis & surgery | B06B 1 · Generating mechanical vibrations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Bosch GmbH | Absent | Strong · 403 | Strong · 329 | Absent | Emerging · 40 |
| Valeo Schalter & Sensoren GmbH | Absent | Strong · 381 | Strong · 333 | Absent | Absent |
| Koninklijke Philips NV | Strong · 138 | Strong · 121 | Strong · 138 | Strong · 191 | Moderate · 94 |
| Butterfly Network Inc | Strong · 77 | Strong · 94 | Strong · 142 | Strong · 116 | Strong · 135 |
| General Electric Co | Strong · 393 | Absent | Absent | Emerging · 63 | Emerging · 48 |
| Toshiba Corporation | Strong · 169 | Strong · 110 | Strong · 90 | Strong · 118 | Absent |
| Denso Corporation | Absent | Strong · 252 | Strong · 183 | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The analysis covers 7,252 patent families in scope. Applicant rankings within the report are based on patent record counts, which can exceed the family total because a single family may be filed across multiple jurisdictions and IPC classes.
Robert Bosch GmbH leads all ranked applicants with 1,202 patent records, followed by Toshiba (1,090) and Koninklijke Philips (1,011). The top five — Bosch, Toshiba, Philips, Boeing, and GE — together account for 22% of the combined records of the hundred largest filers.
The field is classified as Decline, with annual filing volume easing back from a 2017 peak of 993 patent records. Figures from 2024 onward are subject to publication lag and undercount actual recent activity, so the apparent sharp drop in those years should not be taken at face value.
Material analysis and testing (G01N) and radar, sonar and positioning (G01S) are the two largest branches, reflecting industrial non-destructive testing and automotive proximity sensing respectively. Medical diagnosis and surgery (A61B) is the third-largest, followed by acoustics (G10K) and mechanical vibration generation (B06B).
The United States leads with 10,172 patent records, followed by the European Patent Office (4,462) and WIPO PCT (2,301). Canada and the United Kingdom each exceed 1,000 records. Australia adds 790 records, while Singapore, New Zealand, South Africa, and the Philippines have much smaller representation.
The most active co-filing relationships are between Valeo Schalter & Sensoren and Volkswagen (35 joint records), Denso and Japan Automobile Research Institute (35 joint records), and Denso and Toyota Motor Corporation (32 joint records). Toshiba and Toshiba Medical Systems show 23 joint records. These patterns reflect automotive OEM–tier-1 supply-chain partnerships and medical imaging conglomerate structures as the dominant collaboration models.
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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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