Company patents
Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.
PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA CORP. demonstrates a concentrated patent strategy in core aerospace technologies, with Gas Turbine Plants (36.9% of portfolio) and Steam / Gas Turbines (35.3%) dominating, yet both show significant declines in patenting activity so far in 2026, at -37.7% and -42.0% respectively. Surprisingly, while overall aerospace categories are seeing a slowdown in 2026, the company is showing an emerging focus on Bearings & Shafts, which experienced a 41.7% YoY growth in 2025, suggesting a strategic pivot towards foundational mechanical components within its broader manufacturing interests.
Patent Trend by Technology Area
Yearly patent publications since 2023
Product themes
Product-level themes inferred from filings since 2023, with category chips showing where each theme appears. Select a theme to filter the patents below.
1,895 US filings (since 2023) · 8 categories · 32 themes
Support systems for gas turbine engines, including specialized pumps, cleaning methods for engine components, mobile power generation units, and specific structural components like joints and fasteners.
Systems and methods for real-time or periodic assessment of turbine engine health, including detection of wear, damage, unbalance, or deterioration, to enable predictive maintenance and extend operational life.
Techniques and structures within heat exchangers designed to enhance heat transfer efficiency by controlling and optimizing fluid flow, including baffle arrangements, jet impingement, and condensate management.
Integration of electric machines, energy storage, and power transfer systems with gas turbine engines to enable hybrid operation, electric starting, or auxiliary power generation, improving efficiency or operational flexibility.
Integration of electric motors, power generation, and distribution systems for propelling aircraft, including components for coupling motors to propellers and managing electrical power.
Focuses on the development and application of novel materials, coatings, and manufacturing processes to improve the performance, durability, and cost-effectiveness of turbine engine components.
Bearings that utilize a pressurized gas or liquid film to create a non-contact support surface, reducing friction and wear, often incorporating specific flow restriction or airfoil designs.
Design and control of electromechanical or hydraulic actuators for moving aircraft components like wing tips, control surfaces, or landing gear, often focusing on efficiency, redundancy, or specific operational profiles.
Combustor and fuel supply system designs that enable operation with multiple fuel types (e.g., conventional, ammonia, hydrogen) or optimize fuel-air mixing for improved efficiency, reduced emissions, or specific power cycles.
Focuses on optimizing the geometry, structure, and internal flow channels of impellers, blades, and housings to improve fluid dynamics, efficiency, or specific performance characteristics of centrifugal pumps and fans.
Innovations in the design, materials, and maintenance of seals, valves, and related components to improve durability, reduce leakage, and enable specific pump functions like high-pressure operation or automated seal replacement.
Technologies for detecting operational parameters, monitoring component health, and diagnosing malfunctions in aircraft using various sensors and data analysis, often employing AI/ML.
Systems designed to regulate the flow, pressure, and distribution of non-fuel gases and fluids within aircraft, such as cabin air, oxygen supply, or pneumatic actuation systems.
Designs for gear systems, particularly epicyclic configurations, to achieve high gear ratios for efficient power transfer between engine shafts and components like fans, often integrating with electric machines.
Systems and methods for ensuring robust and reliable aircraft control, often involving multiple control computers, adaptive control laws, or sophisticated pilot input interfaces, especially in the presence of failures or environmental disturbances.
Design and integration of bearings within larger mechanical systems or devices, focusing on mounting structures, housing, endplay management, and overall assembly for specific applications.
Pumps and blowers specifically adapted or designed for unique fluid types, challenging environments, or particular industrial, medical, or consumer applications, often involving debris, specific gas mixtures, or precise delivery requirements.
Technologies for storing, managing pressure, and safely distributing hydrogen fuel within an aircraft, including tank integration, pressure control, and leak detection.
Methods and components for converting power into mechanical motion to drive pump mechanisms, encompassing electric motors, hydraulic actuators, and specialized motion converters like ball screws or solenoids.
Designs and components for efficiently supplying, collecting, and managing lubricants (oil, grease) within gearboxes and transmissions to reduce friction, dissipate heat, and extend component operational life.
Improvements to the internal components and configurations of rolling element bearings, such as cage designs, separator materials, raceway geometry, or adjustable elements, to enhance performance or lifespan.
Components and designs focused on preventing ingress of contaminants (e.g., dirt, water) or egress of lubricants from bearing systems, often using elastic seals, shields, or labyrinth structures.
Novel configurations and materials for gears and drivetrain components, including specialized profiles, self-aligning features, damping elements, and complex gear train arrangements like planetary, cycloidal, or strain wave gearing.
Systems that employ imaging and image processing to automatically detect defects, verify states, or ensure quality control in manufactured goods, printed materials, or industrial processes.
Methods and systems for detecting fluid or gas leaks, or assessing the quality and continuity of seals in containers, systems, or structures. This often involves pressure changes, electrical properties, or acoustic analysis.
Innovations in aircraft airframe design, material usage, and aerodynamic surfaces to improve performance characteristics such as weight, rigidity, short take-off/landing capabilities, or stall resistance.
Systems and methods for monitoring, regulating, and diagnosing the performance and health of pumps and fans, including speed control, flow rate management, abnormality detection, and safety mechanisms like overspeed safeguards.
Innovations in aircraft cabin design, including reconfigurable spaces, passenger amenities, integrated displays, and automated control of cabin devices based on flight status.
Utilizing sound and vibration analysis to detect malfunctions, assess balance, or monitor the operational health of machinery and structures. This often involves sensors, signal processing, and pattern recognition.
Systems and methods for monitoring, controlling, and optimizing the movement of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other aircraft, including real-time connectivity, flight planning, and route modification.
Addresses the design and arrangement of electric motors, transmissions, and associated power electronics (like inverters) to form integrated drive units for hybrid or electric vehicles, including specific components like busbars and electric brakes.
Development of novel materials or material compositions to enhance bearing performance, such as wear resistance, friction reduction, or load capacity, often involving composites, ceramics, or specialized coatings.
Patents
Showing 1-10 of 2779