By Gabby Chen

Haier, China's home appliance giant, topped the 2022 Global Smart Home Invention Patent Ranking (Top 100), with 5,691 patent applications, reported IPR Daily on January 6.

Other Chinese companies that entered top 20 include Midea, Gree, Hisense, Huawei, Xiaomi, AUX, and Tencent.

According to IDC, the sales of China's smart home devices are expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.4% over the next few years, with shipments approaching 540 million units and market size exceeding RMB800 billion ($117.79 billion) in 2025.

The ranking shows that smart home makers have shaped up in three major types of companies - traditional home appliances, Internet, and technology, said IPR Daily report.