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Run your analysis now →https://www.patsnap.com/resources/blog/rd-blog/underwater-acoustic-communication-patent-landscape/ · Patsnap · data cut-off 2026-07-31 · downloaded from the live page
Patent Landscape · Wireless CommunicationsUnderwater acoustic communication patents: a small, fast-accelerating field with room still open
- Accelerating from zero. Filings sat at 0 in 2017 and again at the 2022 midpoint, then picked up toward 3 in 2026 — growth is recent, not steady.
- No single dominant filer. The ranked leader holds only 2 of 15 records; the top 5 combined account for 46.7% of all 15 records in scope, and it takes 10 assignees to reach 80.0%.
- Modulation and sync dominate the citations. The most-cited records concentrate on synchronization detection and spread-spectrum modulation methods, while networking and transducer hardware classes stay thin.
15
Published Records
47%
Top-5 Share of All Records
IN
Leading Jurisdiction
32
Active Filers Ranked
Published byPatsnap Research··7 min readSourced from Patsnap Eureka
Field Overview
What this patent set covers
Underwater acoustic communication patents in this dataset cover the transmission of data through water using sound rather than radio, spanning modem design, multipath and Doppler correction, and network protocols adapted to a channel with severe bandwidth and latency limits. The scope here is defined by search terms tied to multipath and Doppler, data rate versus range, energy per bit, and ambient noise handling, cross-referenced against IPC classes for underwater signalling, sonar and positioning. The set is small — 15 published records — reflecting how specialised the field is relative to broader wireless communications.
Because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, the most recent filing year in this dataset understates real activity; 2026 figures should be read as a floor, not a ceiling.
Filing activity and technology composition, 2015-2026
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Assignee ranking and totals. Derived from a Patsnap search on Underwater Acoustic Communication covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
The Numbers
Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 15 records: how filing activity moved year over year, and which IPC subclasses the underlying technology sits in.
Filing trend, 2015-2026
Filings were flat at 0 in 2017, peaked at 3 in 2018, dropped to 0 by the 2022 midpoint, and have since climbed back toward 3 in 2026 — a pattern consistent with a field re-entering active development after a quiet stretch, rather than one in steady decline.
IPC subclass composition
Every one of the 15 records in scope sits in H04B (transmission, general), and 60.0% also carry H04L (digital information transmission), showing that most work still frames the problem as signal transmission and coding. Only 20.0% touch H04W (wireless networks), and B63C, G01S, H04R, G01V and G05D each appear in 13.3% or less of records — networking, positioning integration and transducer hardware are present but comparatively lightly claimed.
Shares are the percentage of the 15 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 Underwater Acoustic Communication covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.
Go deeper on Underwater Acoustic Communication with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about underwater acoustic communication and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
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Most-cited records in this set
Representative Filing
Sub-band selection activation-based multi-band hyperbolic frequency modulation spread spectrum underwater acoustic communication method
SOUTH CHINA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
The method divides the available bandwidth of an underwater acoustic system into multiple sub-bands, applies hyperbolic frequency modulation to each, and performs spread-spectrum modulation across sub-bands within the same modulation period to enable multi-band parallel transmission. Sub-band groups activate different sub-bands within each frequency modulation period, aiming to raise data throughput within the constrained bandwidth typical of underwater acoustic channels.Filed by South China University of Technology; published 2020-11-19 as US20200366382A1.
Highest-citation records
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CN108880607A | 一种高可靠性的水声通信同步信号检测方法及系统 | 8 |
| 2 | US20200366382A1 | Sub-band selection activation-based multi-band hyperbolic frequency modulation spread spectrum underwater aco… | 5 |
| 3 | GB2466252A | Underwater multiple output multiple user acoustic communication system | 4 |
| 4 | CN112332930A | 一种移动条件下的时间反转方法 | 1 |
| 5 | US11463178B2 | Sub-band selection activation-based multi-band hyperbolic frequency modulation spread spectrum underwater aco… | 1 |
Citation counts inside a searched corpus favour older records that have had more time to accumulate citations — read them as a signal of influence within this dataset, not as a ranking of current technical importance.
Patent titles are shown in the language they were filed in, not translated, so that each record stays verifiable against the original filing — a translated title will not match in Eureka or in any national register. Publication numbers are shown where the record carries one (5 of 5 rows); clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Citation counts and representative records. Derived from a Patsnap search on Underwater Acoustic Communication covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
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What the data means for a filing decision
Three observations that shape where to file next and where prior art is thinnest.
Concentration
46.7% of 15 records
top 5 combined share
No single assignee controls the field
The ranked leader holds only 2 of the 15 records, and the top 5 combined reach 46.7% of all records in scope. This is a fragmented field rather than one with an entrenched incumbent — useful context before assuming freedom-to-operate is blocked by one player.
Based on the full 32-assignee ranking
Momentum
0 → 3
filings, 2022 midpoint to 2026
Growth restarted after a flat stretch
Filings were at 0 at the 2022 midpoint and have climbed toward 3 by 2026, after an earlier peak of 3 in 2018. The field is re-accelerating rather than following a single continuous growth curve, which matters when judging whether now is a good time to file.
2026 figure is partial-year
Technology mix
100.0% H04B / 20.0% H04W
share of 15 records
Transmission methods crowd out networking claims
Every record touches H04B transmission, and 60.0% also carry H04L digital transmission coding, but only 20.0% extend into H04W wireless network claims. Protocol-level and networking claims for underwater acoustic links look comparatively open relative to raw signal modulation.
Classes overlap; shares exceed 100%
Geography
India 8 · US 3 · China 2 · UK 2
receiving offices
Filing offices skew toward India
India accounts for 8 of the receiving-office filings in this set, more than the United States, China and United Kingdom combined. Academic and institutional filers based in India appear repeatedly in the assignee list, which is worth factoring into any regional filing strategy.
Receiving office counts, not family counts
Eureka AI Agent
Looking for what nobody has claimed yet?
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to underwater acoustic communication, with the prior art for and against each one.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Co-assignee relationships and derived observations. Derived from a Patsnap search on Underwater Acoustic Communication covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
Players
Who is filing, and where the next wave is likely to come from
The assignee base is wide and shallow: 32 companies are ranked, and it takes 10 of them to cover 80.0% of the 15 records in scope. Recent-year momentum is spread across several individual and institutional filers rather than concentrated in one lab.
Leader
2 records
of 15 in scope
A modest lead, not a moat
The top-ranked assignee holds 2 of the 15 records — enough to lead the field, but far short of the kind of concentration that would signal a blocking patent estate. Freedom-to-operate analysis here should look at claim scope record by record rather than assuming one filer dominates.
Leader position, full ranking
Long tail
32 companies ranked
whole ranking returned
Fragmented across academic and individual filers
The ranking includes university departments, individually named inventors and small groups, consistent with a field still driven substantially by academic and early-stage research rather than large corporate R&D programmes.
Not a top-50 or top-100 cut
Momentum
1 each, latest year
recent-year filings
Several individual filers moving at once
In the latest year, filing activity splits evenly across several named individuals and one institution, each contributing 1 record. No single filer is pulling ahead in the most recent activity — worth watching over the next filing cycle rather than treating any one name as the emerging leader.
Latest full or partial year
Recent-year filing momentum by assignee
| Assignee | Recent year | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| WINNY ELIZABETH PHILIP | 1 | — |
| VIJAY KUMAR YALLA | 1 | — |
| T VENKATAKRISHNAMOORTHY | 1 | — |
| SRM INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY RAMAPURAM RAMAPURAM CAMPUS | 1 | — |
| South China University of Technology | 0 | — |
| YEO HONG K | 0 | — |
| Northwestern Polytechnical University | 0 | — |
| Florida Atlantic University | 0 | — |
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Assignee-level momentum. Derived from a Patsnap search on Underwater Acoustic Communication covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
What's Next
Where to take this analysis
The dataset points to specific next steps depending on whether the goal is freedom-to-operate, white space filing, or competitive tracking.
Check claim scope on the modulation cluster
With H04B and H04L covering 100.0% and 60.0% of records respectively, any new modulation or spread-spectrum filing should be checked against the most-cited records in this set before drafting claims.
Explore claim scope in EurekaModel the networking white space
Only 20.0% of records touch H04W wireless networking classes, suggesting protocol-level claims for underwater acoustic networks face a thinner prior art wall than transmission-method claims.
Map white space in EurekaTrack re-accelerating filers
With filings climbing back up from the 2022 midpoint low, monitoring the small group of assignees active in the latest year will show whether one of them consolidates a lead.
Set up assignee tracking in EurekaSource: Patsnap Eureka. Forward-looking reading of the same dataset. Derived from a Patsnap search on Underwater Acoustic Communication covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
FAQ
Common questions about underwater acoustic communication patents
This dataset identifies 15 published records matching underwater acoustic communication search terms and IPC classes between 2015 and mid-2026. It is a narrow, specialised field compared with broader wireless communications, and the true figure is somewhat higher because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, so the most recent year is undercounted. Treat 15 as the visible, searchable slice rather than an absolute total of all filed applications.
No single company dominates: the ranked leader holds only 2 of the 15 records in scope, and the top 5 assignees combined account for 46.7% of all records. It takes 10 of the 32 ranked assignees to reach 80.0% of records, which points to a field driven substantially by academic institutions and individual inventors rather than a small set of large corporate filers. Anyone assessing competitive risk should look at individual claim scope rather than assume one player controls the space.
Every record in this set touches H04B, the general transmission subclass, and 60.0% also carry H04L for digital information transmission coding — meaning the bulk of filed work addresses how to modulate and encode signals through water. Wireless networking (H04W) appears in only 20.0% of records, and hardware-adjacent classes like transducers (H04R) and sonar integration (G01S) sit at 13.3% each. That split suggests modulation and synchronization methods are the most crowded claim space, while protocol and hardware integration remain comparatively open.
Filings in this dataset were flat at 0 in 2017, peaked at 3 in 2018, fell back to 0 by the 2022 midpoint, and have climbed back toward 3 by 2026. That is not a steady growth curve; it reads more as a field that went quiet for several years and is now re-accelerating. Because the 2026 figure is a partial year and publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, actual recent activity is likely higher than the raw count shows.
The clearest gaps sit in classes with low record shares relative to the transmission-heavy core: only 20.0% of records touch H04W wireless networking claims, and B63C, G01S, H04R and G01V each appear in 13.3% or less of the 15 records. That points to underwater network routing protocols, sonar-integrated positioning links, and transducer hardware co-design as branches with comparatively thin claim density, worth checking closely before assuming they are blocked.
Answers are grounded in the same dataset. Derived from a Patsnap search on Underwater Acoustic Communication covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. 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.