Graph Contrastive Learning With Information Bottleneck Guidance

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing graph contrastive learning models require substantial domain expertise for customization and are challenging to design for specific datasets due to their unique properties, such as rich structural information and diverse distributions, lacking guiding principles for selecting optimal components.

Innovation Solution

The Information Bottleneck (IB) principle is applied to decouple graph contrastive learning into three modules: view augmentation, view encoding, and representation contrasting, optimizing for minimal mutual information between representations while maximizing task-relevant information, using InfoGCL framework to unify these components.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If existing graph contrastive learning models are used, then graph representation learning can be performed without label information, but the models require substantial domain expertise for customization and are challenging to design for specific datasets

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveEase of model designVSAvoidModel complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the graph contrastive learning model into three distinct modules: view augmentation module, view encoding module, and representation contrasting module. Each module handles a specific aspect of the learning process, making the overall system more manageable and easier to design for specific datasets without requiring extensive domain expertise.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a universal framework that can be applied to different graph datasets and tasks through configurable modules. The view augmentation module can apply different augmentation strategies, the view encoding module can use various encoder architectures, and the representation contrasting module can employ different contrastive loss functions, allowing the same framework to serve multiple purposes across different domains.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Measurement precision

If contrastive learning methods are applied to graph data, then performance on benchmark datasets is improved, but the models lack guiding principles for selecting optimal components for specific datasets

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovePerformance accuracyVSAvoid ease of model configuration
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms where the representation contrasting module provides guidance back to the view augmentation and view encoding modules. The contrastive loss computation and gradient backpropagation enable the model to automatically adjust and optimize its components based on performance feedback, eliminating the need for manual guiding principles for component selection.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The patent enables dynamic selection and adjustment of module parameters during training. The model can adaptively choose augmentation strategies, encoder configurations, and contrastive approaches based on the specific characteristics of the input dataset, making the system easier to operate without requiring pre-established guiding principles for each dataset type.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS12488238B2Information-aware graph contrastive learning
Publication Date: 2025.12.02 NEC CORP
  • US12488238B2 patent drawing
  • US12488238B2 patent drawing
  • US12488238B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A method for performing contrastive learning for graph tasks and datasets by employing an information-aware graph contrastive learning framework is presented. The method includes obtaining two semantically similar views of a graph coupled with a label for training by employing a view augmentation component, feeding the two semantically similar views into respective encoder networks to extract latent representations preserving both structure and attribute information in the two views, optimizing a contrastive loss based on a contrastive mode by maximizing feature consistency between the latent representations, training a neural network with the optimized contrastive loss, and predicting a new graph label or a new node label in the graph.