Permutation Index Search for High-Dimensional Content
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge lies in efficiently searching high-dimensional digital content, such as images, across vast databases while balancing accuracy and computational workload, as existing methods often require significant processing power and may limit results to specific categories, restricting cross-category search capabilities.
Innovation Solution
The creation of search indexes with unique properties, including permutation prefix length and vector quantization, allows for flexible indexing and retrieval, enabling efficient search processes by selecting the appropriate index based on computational workload and recall needs, and expanding search results at query time by traversing multiple posting lists with varying prefix lengths.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If more content is searched and ranked, then search accuracy is improved, but computational workload increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the search index into multiple posting lists based on permutation prefixes of different lengths. Each posting list contains object vectors sharing a common permutation prefix, allowing the system to search through smaller, organized segments rather than the entire database at once. This segmentation enables progressive search expansion from shorter to longer prefixes, balancing computational load with search accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a dynamic search strategy where the system adapts the permutation prefix length based on computational resources and search requirements. The search process can dynamically expand from shorter prefixes (less computational load) to longer prefixes (higher accuracy) depending on available processing capacity, making the search behavior flexible and adaptive rather than static.
2Productivity
If category filtering is applied to reduce computational load, then processing efficiency is improved, but search versatility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal search index structure that can handle multiple categories and search scenarios through a single unified approach. The permutation-based indexing system works across different content types and categories without requiring separate indexed structures for each category, enabling the same mechanism to provide both efficient processing and broad versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent pre-computes and stores permutation prefixes for object vectors during the indexing phase, organizing data in advance according to permutation relationships. This preliminary organization allows the search phase to simply traverse pre-sorted posting lists rather than performing complex filtering operations, maintaining both efficiency and cross-category capability.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are provided for creating and utilizing search indexes with different properties to provide efficient and flexible means for retrieving and ranking high-dimensional content. A first index and a second index are generated with a different sets of properties, which may include a permutation prefix length and a vector quantization scheme, and are each associated with a computational workload. Further, at least one index structure may be created with a posting list associated with a permutation prefix and a set of references, rather than only a permutation prefix, to balance out posting lists of variable lengths within the index. Another embodiment of the disclosure provides for expansion of search results at search time, rather than during indexing, by retrieving posting lists associated with shorter permutation prefix after an initial list is determined to have insufficient recall.