Technology roadmapping based On patent citation network considering technology life cycle

• Published in: 2011 IEEE International Technology Management Conference pp. 731 - 738
• Main Authors: Yujin Jeong, Byungun Yoon
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 01.06.2011
• Subjects: Citation analysis; Context; Couplings; Electron tubes; Fluctuations; Planning
• ISBN: 9781612849515; 1612849512
• DOI: 10.1109/ITMC.2011.5996050

Although there have been many studies conducted that deal with technology roadmap structure or roadmapping methods, most existing approaches concentrate on market-driven roadmapping. Moreover, a lot of the research depends on qualitative analysis; thus, less rigorous research has been conducted through quantitative analysis or systematic approaches. Hence, this paper aims to propose a new technology roadmapping approach considering technology life cycle through patent citation analysis, which is a relatively robust method of quantitative analysis. At first, patent data of relevant technologies and citation information are collected. Using these data, a patent citation network that consists of nodes (individual patents) and arcs between nodes (citation links between patents) is developed. Secondly, a stage of a selected technology in the life cycle is investigated by considering the year of patent application and the life cycle of the technology. Thus, the lifetime of a technology is estimated to plan the duration of technology development. In addition, subsequent technologies are grouped as nodes of a super-level technology to show the evolution of the technology for the period. Finally, a technology roadmap is drawn by connecting these technology nodes in a technology layer and estimating the duration of development time. In this paper, solar energy-related technology is chosen in order to illustrate the process of the proposed method. The results of this paper can be regarded as a novel approach to technology-driven roadmapping that effectively utilizes the quantitative patent data.