Knowledge Graph Question Answering for Accurate Multi-Hop Queries

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing question answering models, such as LLMs and supervised learning methods, generate inaccurate and inefficient answers due to reliance on unstructured data, hallucinations, and the high cost of labeled data, leading to inefficient resource usage and incorrect information.

Innovation Solution

A computer-implemented method that generates a query focused hyper-relational knowledge graph by extracting entities and relations from input documents, using a pretrained neural network to predict answers without labeled data, optimizing storage and computational resources.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If large language models are used for question answering, then structured sentence generation capability is improved, but factual accuracy deteriorates due to hallucinations

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesentence generation capabilityVSAvoidfactual accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary verification mechanism between the LLM's sentence generation and the final output. A fact-checking module acts as a mediator that validates the generated sentences against the knowledge base, preventing hallucinated facts from being output while preserving the LLM's natural language generation capabilities.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements a feedback loop where the output of the LLM is continuously validated against the knowledge base. When inconsistencies or hallucinations are detected, the system provides feedback to correct the generated sentences, ensuring factual accuracy while maintaining the ease of operation of the LLM.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If training-based methods are used for multi-hop question answering, then answer accuracy is improved, but data labeling cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveanswer accuracyVSAvoiddata labeling cost
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables self-service through automated entity extraction and relation identification from unstructured text. The knowledge graph is automatically constructed from available documents without requiring manual labeling, allowing the system to achieve high answer accuracy while eliminating the costly data labeling process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs preliminary action by pre-processing documents to extract entities and relations before the actual question answering process. This preliminary structuring of information into a knowledge base eliminates the need for time-consuming data labeling during training, while maintaining high accuracy for multi-hop questions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Loss of information

If complete text documents are accessed for question answering, then information completeness is improved, but computational efficiency deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation completenessVSAvoidcomputational efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts only the relevant entities and relations from complete text documents to construct a knowledge graph. This extraction process removes unnecessary information while preserving all factually relevant data, enabling the system to maintain information completeness while significantly improving computational efficiency during question answering.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the complete text documents into discrete entities and relations, organizing them into a structured knowledge graph. This segmentation allows the system to access only the specific segments relevant to each question, rather than processing entire documents, thereby maintaining information completeness while enhancing computational efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP4660837A1Computer implemented method for question answering
Publication Date: 2025.12.10 FUJITSU LTD
  • EP4660837A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4660837A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4660837A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A computer-implemented method of generating an answer from an input query and input documents, comprising extracting input query entities from the input query and input document entities from the input documents, sampling a schema of in-domain queries with the input query to generate a query sampled schema, generating an entity-document graph from the input documents and input document entities, generating a hyper-relational knowledge graph by extracting, for each input query entity, a document title and relation to an input document entity of the input document entities from the input documents in the entity-document graph, sampling the hyper-relational knowledge graph with the query sampled schema to generate a query focused hyper-relational knowledge graph, predicting an answer to the input query by inputting the query focused hyper-relational knowledge graph and input query into a pretrained neural network, outputting the answer.