Using text mining and chance discovery for exploring technological directions via patent data

To work out the situation and directions of a technology is essential for an industry, companies, and stakeholders so as to facilitate the decision makers to bring up rational judgments for their decisions. Solar cell, one of renewable energies, is growing at a fast pace with its long-lasting and non-polluting natures. In order to explore the situation and directions of technology, two approaches, namely text mining and chance discovery are employed to conduct the cluster analysis and association analysis on the patent data. Consequently, the technical topics have been found after similarity measurement; the subtopics and relations have been recognized after KeyGraph generation and data crystallization. Finally, according to the relation patterns, the situation and directions of thin-film solar cell have been identified and stated.