VEGA Grieshaber KG — Patent Portfolio & Competitor Landscape

Executive Summary

Key findings from VEGA Grieshaber KG's patent portfolio and the process measurement competitive landscape.

VEGA Grieshaber KG filed 924 patent families between 2014 and 2024, making it the most active patent filer in the level measurement technology space (CPC G01F 23/). The portfolio covers 22 filing jurisdictions with a strong focus on DE (628), US (337), and EP (299).

Technology Focus

VEGA's core technology is radar-based level measurement (377 families), followed by ultrasonic level sensing (137), pressure measurement (87), and antenna technology (129). The portfolio shows deep vertical integration from sensor hardware to signal processing and industrial IoT connectivity.

Competitive Position

In the G01F 23/ level measurement space, VEGA leads with ~653 families, ahead of Endress+Hauser (~512), Rosemount/Emerson (~223), Honeywell (83), ifm electronic (68), and KROHNE (61). VEGA's growth rate in this segment outpaces all named competitors.

Innovation Dynamics

Filing activity peaked at 140 families in 2020, up from 80 in 2014. The inventor base grew from 87 active inventors in 2015 to 188 in 2022, indicating a significant expansion of R&D capacity. Top inventor Levin Dieterle contributed to 117 families.

Filing Strategy

VEGA files almost exclusively on its own (only 9 co-filed families out of 924). The PCT rate of 22.9% suggests selective internationalization. Grant rates are strong: 67.9% at EP and 64.4% at US.

Filing Trend 2014–2024

Annual patent family filings by VEGA Grieshaber KG, counted by earliest filing year per DOCDB family.

VEGA's filing activity grew from 80 families in 2014 to a peak of 140 in 2020, representing a 75% increase. The dip in 2015 (44 families) is followed by steady growth through 2020. The years 2021–2023 show a consolidation around 99–136 families per year. The low count for 2024 (20) reflects the ~18-month PATSTAT publication delay and is not indicative of reduced activity.

* 2024: Data incomplete due to ~18-month publication delay (PATSTAT Autumn 2025 Edition). 2023 data may also be partially affected.

Data table: Filing Trend 2014–2024

Year	Patent Families
2014	80
2015	44
2016	59
2017	62
2018	80
2019	101
2020	140
2021	136
2022	99
2023	103
2024*	20

Technology Profile

VEGA's patent portfolio broken down by measurement technology. Families can carry multiple CPC codes — totals exceed the 924 family count.

Radar-based level measurement is VEGA's dominant technology, with 377 families in G01F 23/28x alone. Combined with radar systems (G01S 13/) and radar signal processing (G01S 7/), radar technology accounts for the majority of VEGA's innovation output. Ultrasonic level measurement (137 families) is the second-largest sensing modality, followed by pressure measurement (87) and capacitive level sensing (51). The 117 families in Communication/IoT (H04) reflect VEGA's push into Industry 4.0 connectivity.

Note: Patent families can be assigned to multiple technology areas. Chart totals exceed the total family count of 924.

Data table: Technology Profile

Technology Area	CPC Codes	Families
Radar Level	G01F 23/28x	377
Radar Systems	G01S 13/	216
Radar Signal Proc.	G01S 7/	160
Ultrasonic Level	G01F 23/296	137
Antenna Technology	H01Q	129
Communication/IoT	H04	117
Signal Processing	G01F 23/80x	92
Pressure Measurement	G01L	87
Industrial Control	G05B	82
Calibration/Testing	G01F 25/	77
Capacitive Level	G01F 23/26x	51
Radiation Measurement	G01T	37
Density Measurement	G01N 9/	31

Competitor Landscape — Level Measurement

Top patent filers in CPC G01F 23/ (level measurement by physical variables), 2014–2024. Competitor families counted across all filing jurisdictions.

VEGA is the most active patent filer in level measurement (G01F 23/) with 551 families, 69% more than second-placed Endress+Hauser (326). Rosemount (Emerson) ranks third with 223 families. Honeywell's level measurement filings have declined sharply — from 17–19 families/year in 2014–2015 to near zero from 2019 onward. VEGA's filings in this segment grew from 29 in 2015 to 77 in 2020.

* 2024 excluded from trend chart due to publication lag. Endress+Hauser families counted under main han_name "ENDRESS HAUSER GMBH CO KG" only (Flowtec AG and other subsidiaries not included — see Methodology).

Data table: Competitor Trend in G01F 23/ (2014–2023)

Year	VEGA	Endress+Hauser	Rosemount	Honeywell
2014	50	50	28	17
2015	29	39	3	19
2016	37	24	15	8
2017	43	30	17	5
2018	56	40	12	4
2019	62	24	14	1
2020	77	26	7	0
2021	65	30	8	0
2022	63	25	8	2
2023	59	27	9	3

Technology Heatmap — VEGA vs. Competitors

Patent family counts per company and CPC subclass. Shows technology overlap and differentiation across the process measurement competitive set.

Company	G01F Level/Flow	G01S Radar	G01D Measuring	G01L Pressure	G01N Analysis	G05B Control	H01Q Antennas
VEGA Grieshaber	568	242	160	87	54	82	129
Endress+Hauser	360	123	185	276	471	158	54
Honeywell	181	526	155	106	412	701	89
Rosemount	122	88	6	—	10	1	38
ifm electronic	68	137	63	63	9	49	5
KROHNE	94	22	19	6	36	22	16

The heatmap reveals distinct competitive profiles: VEGA leads in level measurement (G01F) and radar/antenna technology — a vertically integrated sensor stack. Endress+Hauser has a broader portfolio, with strength in materials analysis (G01N: 471) and pressure (G01L: 276), reflecting its wider process measurement product range. Honeywell dominates in industrial control (G05B: 701) and radar systems (G01S: 526), but its level measurement activity has declined. Rosemount is highly focused on level/flow (122) and radar (88), with minimal activity elsewhere. KROHNE concentrates on flow measurement (G01F: 94) with limited diversification.

Note: Patent families can carry multiple CPC codes. Endress+Hauser figures are for the main entity "ENDRESS HAUSER GMBH CO KG" only. Honeywell counts include all process measurement-relevant CPC classes only.

Geographic Filing Strategy

VEGA's patent filing jurisdictions ranked by family coverage. Total: 22 offices.

VEGA's filing strategy centers on the DE–EP–US triad, covering the DPMA (628 families), EPO (299), and USPTO (337). The PCT route (WO: 200) is used for about 22.9% of families. China (146 families) is the fourth-largest national market, followed by Hungary (67) — where VEGA has production facilities. The presence in Croatia (17), Taiwan (24), and South Korea (32) indicates targeted protection in specific growth markets.

Note: One family can have applications at multiple offices. The sum of office counts exceeds the total family count (924) because families are typically filed in multiple jurisdictions.

Data table: Filing Jurisdictions

Office	Families	Applications
DE (DPMA)	628	634
US (USPTO)	337	358
EP (EPO)	299	309
WO (PCT)	200	204
CN (CNIPA)	146	149
HU	67	68
KR	32	32
TW	24	24
HR	17	17
ES	9	9
DK	6	6
PL	6	6
GB	5	5

Inventor Network

Top inventors at VEGA Grieshaber KG and R&D team size evolution. Inventors deduplicated by PATSTAT doc_std_name_id where available.

VEGA's most prolific inventor is Levin Dieterle with 117 families, followed by Clemens Hengstler (107) and Julian Epting (90). The top 10 inventors account for a substantial share of the portfolio. Notably, both Stefan and Volker Allgaier appear in the top 5, potentially indicating a family-connected research team or a shared technology cluster.

The number of active inventors at VEGA grew from 87 in 2015 to 188 in 2022, a 116% increase that correlates with the overall filing growth. This suggests a deliberate expansion of R&D capacity rather than increased output from a fixed team. The 2023–2024 decline is likely a data lag effect.

* 2024: Inventor counts incomplete due to publication delay. Deduplication based on PATSTAT doc_std_name_id; some inventors may still appear under multiple IDs if not yet harmonized.

Data table: Top Inventors

Inventor	Families
Levin Dieterle	117
Clemens Hengstler	107
Julian Epting	90
Stefan Allgaier	81
Volker Allgaier	80
Joerg Boersig	63
Steffen Waelde	54
Roland Baur	53
Christian Weinzierle	44
Christoph Mueller	42

Data table: Active Inventors Per Year

Year	Active Inventors
2014	157
2015	87
2016	108
2017	106
2018	119
2019	150
2020	170
2021	171
2022	188
2023	161
2024*	136

Grant Rate Analysis

Patent grant rates for VEGA Grieshaber KG by filing office, 2014–2024 filing cohort.

VEGA achieves strong grant rates at the EPO (67.9%) and USPTO (64.4%), well above typical averages. The low DPMA rate (26.1%) reflects the nature of German patent examination — many DE filings serve as priority filings that are later pursued via EP or PCT, and may not be individually granted. The CN grant rate of 0% is a data artifact — CNIPA grant information is often delayed or incomplete in PATSTAT. WO applications (7.5%) are procedural — they enter national phase where granting occurs.

Grant rates for filings from 2022–2024 are artificially low due to examination pendency (typically 3–5 years at EPO, 2–3 years at USPTO). The rates above include all filing cohorts 2014–2024 and are therefore conservative for recent years.

Data table: Grant Rates by Office

Office	Total Families	Granted	Grant Rate
EP	299	203	67.9%
US	337	217	64.4%
DE	628	164	26.1%
WO	200	15	7.5%
CN	146	0	0.0%

Methodology

Data source, search strategy, and known limitations of this analysis.

Data Source

EPO PATSTAT Global, Autumn 2025 Edition, accessed via Google Cloud BigQuery (project: patstat-mtc, dataset: patstat). Analysis date: March 2026.

PATSTAT contains bibliographic data for ~140M patent applications worldwide. Data freshness: applications published through approximately mid-2024.

Search Strategy

VEGA identified via harmonized applicant name (han_name) matching %vega grieshaber%. 18 name variants found, all mapping to the same harmonized entity "VEGA GRIESHABER KG".

Competitor landscape based on VEGA's top CPC subclasses: G01F 23/ (level measurement), G01F 25/ (calibration), G01F 22/ (volume flow). Competitors identified as top filers in these CPC areas.

Counting Method

All counts use DOCDB patent families to avoid double-counting the same invention filed in multiple jurisdictions. One family = one invention, regardless of how many national applications it contains.

Patent families can be assigned to multiple CPC codes. Technology profile chart totals therefore exceed the total family count (924). This is expected and documented.

Filters Applied

Filing years: 2014–2024
IP type: Patents of invention only (ipr_type = 'PI')
Design patents excluded (appln_kind != 'D')
Pseudo-families excluded (docdb_family_id > 0)
Applicant role: applt_seq_nr > 0

Scope Limitations

Utility models and designs are excluded (patent applications only)
Applications filed before 2014 are not included
Subsidiaries or brands not identified in name variant search: none identified
Endress+Hauser competitor counts use main entity "ENDRESS HAUSER GMBH CO KG" only — subsidiaries like Endress+Hauser Flowtec AG (137 additional families in G01F 23/) are counted separately in the heatmap but not aggregated
CN grant rate shows 0% — this is a PATSTAT data limitation, not reflective of actual grants
2023–2024 data is affected by the ~18-month publication delay
Co-applicant analysis found only 3 partners (Binder GmbH, Fehling Instruments, Klaus Kienzle) — VEGA files almost exclusively as sole applicant

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Glossary

Patent Family (DOCDB): A group of patent applications that protect the same invention across different countries. Counted once to avoid double-counting.
EP / WO / DE / US / CN: Patent office codes: EP = European Patent Office, WO = International (PCT), DE = Germany (DPMA), US = United States (USPTO), CN = China (CNIPA).
CPC (Cooperative Patent Classification): A classification system jointly maintained by EPO and USPTO. More granular than IPC. Example: G01F 23/284 = Level measurement using electromagnetic waves.
PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty): An international filing route (WO application) that allows applicants to seek patent protection in multiple countries through a single application.
Grant Rate: Percentage of patent applications that are ultimately granted. Rates for recent years appear low because examination takes 3–5 years.
G01F 23/ — Level Measurement: CPC subgroup for indicating or measuring liquid level or level of fluent solid material. Includes radar (23/284), ultrasonic (23/296), capacitive (23/26), and other sensing principles.
CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate): The mean annual growth rate over a specified period longer than one year. Smooths out year-to-year fluctuations.

Report Files

All SQL queries and the complete data basis are available for download.

queries.sql