Introduction to TRIZ by Lev Shulyak As Can Be Learned from His Biography, Genrich Some Basic TRIZ Tools
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Introduction to TRIZ by Lev Shulyak As can be learned from his biography, Genrich some basic TRIZ tools. It is here for two reasons: Altshuller analyzed thousands of worldwide patents First, it is important for new readers to first learn from the leading engineering fields. He then ana- TRIZ terminology and its meaning so that they may lyzed solutions that were, in his judgment, most ef- effectively utilize the 40 Principles to solve problems. fective. This work provided the first understanding Second, it is important for the reader to be familiar of the trends, or patterns, of evolution for technical with the philosophy underlying TRIZ tools and tech- systems. It also laid the foundation for the develop- niques in order to be able to fully apply them. ment of an analytical approach to solving inventive problems, later becoming the foundation for TRIZ, THE FOUNDATION OF TRIZ his theory of inventing problem solving, with its axiom: 1. Technical Systems: Everything that performs a function is a techni- The evolution of all technical systems is cal system. Examples of technical systems include cars, governed by objective laws. pens, books and knifes. Any technical system can con- sist of one or more subsystems. A car is composed of These laws reveal that, during the evolution of a the subsystems engine, steering mechanism, brakes technical system, improvement of any part of that and so on. Each of these is also a technical system system having already reached its pinnacle of func- unto itself (with its own series of subsystems) — and tional performance will lead to conflict with another each performs its own function. The hierarchy of tech- part. This conflict will lead to the eventual improve- nical systems spans from the least complex, with only ment of the less evolved part. This continuing, self- two elements, to the most complex with many inter- sustaining process pushes the system ever closer to acting elements. its ideal state. Understanding this evolutionary pro- The table below shows the hierarchy of the tech- cess allows us to forecast future trends in the devel- nical system called “Transportation.” In the left col- opment of a technical system. umn are names of technical systems. They are placed Over the past 40 years, TRIZ has developed into in descending order. Horizontal rows contain names a set of practical tools for inventing and solving tech- of subsystems that belong to the technical system nical problems of varying complexity. Today, we can described on the left. identify several basic TRIZ tools as well as other meth- For example, the technical system “Brake” is a ods and techniques that combine to makeup what is subsystem of the technical system “Car” — as well as known as Systematic Innovation. Students and fol- a supersystem for the technical system “Pad.” lowers of Altshuller developed these additional tech- niques over the past 15 years. When a technical system produces inadequate or This section provides a short introduction to harmful functions it may need to be improved. This T echnical SystemSystemss Subsystems for T echnical SystemSystemss T ransportatioransportationn Cars Roads Maps Drivers Service Stations Car Power train Brakes Heating Steering Electrical BrakeBrakess Brake pedal Hydraulic cylindersFluid Brake pad assembly Brake pad Assembly Pad Mounting plate Rivets P ad Particles A Particles B Chemical bond Chemical BonBondd Molecules A Molecules B requires the imaginative reduction of the system to Level #4. A new technology is developed con- its simplest state. In TRIZ, the simplest technical sys- taining a breakthrough solution that requires knowl- tem consists of two elements with energy passing from edge from different fields of science. one element to the other. This fourth level also improves upon a technical Chalk and a blackboard are not, together, a tech- system, but without solving an existing technical nical system unless some energy (mechanical force) problem. Instead, it solves the problem by replacing passes through the chalk causing it to interact with the original technology with a new technology. the chalkboard. The technical system “chalk, black- Level #5. Discovery of new phenomena. board and applied force” can then become functional Here a new phenomenon is discovered that al- — a chalkboard. Chalk and board, as separate ele- lows pushing the existing technology to a higher level. ments, are each independent technical systems. Chalk Altshuller concluded from his research that a large has a molecular structure. Interaction of different number of patents (77%) belong only to Levels #1 chemical elements within its structure produces a and #2. The practical utilization of TRIZ methodol- bond creating a material called “chalk.” Should the ogy can help inventors elevate their innovative solu- quality of the bond require improvement, then the tions to Levels #3 and #4. technical system of the molecular structure must be analyzed. At the same time, chalk is a subsystems of 3. Law of Ideality the supersystem chalkboard. The goal of any technical system is to provide All subsystems are interconnected with each other some function. Conventional engineering thought within the bounds of the higher system. Changes in states: “It is required to deliver such and such a func- any one subsystem can produce changes in higher, tion. Therefore, we must build such and such a mecha- supersystems. When solving a technical problem al- nism or device.” TRIZ thinks: “It is required to de- ways consider interactions of the existing technical liver such and such a function without introducing a system with those systems above and below it. new mechanism or device into the system.” In addition, technical systems are like biological The Law of Ideality states that any technical sys- systems. They are not immortal. They emerge, ripen tem, throughout its lifetime, tends to become more to maturity, and die — only to be replaced with new reliable, simple, effective — more ideal. Every time systems. we improve a technical system, we nudge that sys- tem closer to Ideality. It costs less, requires less space, 2. Levels of Innovation wastes less energy, etc. Analysis of a large number of patents reveals that Ideality always reflects the maximum utilization not every invention is equal in its inventive value. of existing resources, both internal and external to Altshuller proposed five levels of innovation: the system. The more free or readily available the Level #1. A simple improvement of a technical resources utilized, the more ideal the system will be. system. Requires knowledge available within a trade We can judge an inventive work by its degree of relevant to that system. Ideality. The further an invention is from its Ideal state, Level #2. An invention that includes the resolu- the more complex the system will be — and visa versa. tion of a technical contradiction. Requires knowl- What happens when a system reaches Ideality? The edge from different areas within an industry relevant mechanism disappears, while the function is performed. to the system. Level #3. An invention containing a resolution Example:A meat plant in South America ships of a physical contradiction. Requires knowledge from its product to the United States. Refrigeration is other industries. required during transport to keep the meat frozen. Level #1 is not really innovative. It provides only The meat is flown to the United States, so refrig- an improvement to an existing system without solv- eration systems were installed in cargo planes. When ing any technical problem. Levels #2 & #3 solve con- competition increased, the owner of the plant sought tradictions, and therefore are innovative by definition. to reduce delivery cost. It became obvious that he must increase the amount of product per air ship- 4. Contradictions ment. Analysis of the situation revealed that he As mentioned before, the most effective solutions could compete better if the weight of the refrig- are achieved when an inventor solves a technical prob- eration system were replaced with that of meat. lem that contains a contradiction. When and where He did exactly that. Flying at an altitude of 15,000 does a contradiction occur? It occurs when we are - 25,000 feet the air temperature is below 32 o F, trying to improve one characteristic, or parameter, so no refrigeration system was actually needed. Con- of a technical system and cause another characteris- clusion: Utilization of existing resources costing tic, or parameter, of the system to deteriorate. A com- nothing brought the system closer to Ideality. promise solution is then usually considered. A technical system has several characteristics (pa- The art of inventing is the ability to remove bar- rameters) — weight, size, color, speed, rigidity, and riers to Ideality in order to qualitatively improve a so on. These characteristics describe the physical state technical system. (In this book we are talking only of a technical system. When solving technical prob- about technical systems. Of course, this statement lems, these characteristics help determine the tech- can be applied to any system.) nical contradictions residing in the problem. There are several ways to make a system more ideal: A. Increase the amount of functions of the system. Examples: Increasing the power of an engine (positive improve- Example:An entertainment center contains a ra- ment) requires an increase in the size of the engine dio, tape player, CD player, and amplifier. (negative effect). So, an inventor considers increas- ing the power partially in order to reduce the nega- B. Transfer as many functions as possible to that tive effect (compromise solution). working element which produces the system’s final action. To increase the speed of an airplane, a new and more powerful engine is installed. This increases the Example:A crimping tool also cuts wire, strips weight of the airplane so the wings can no longer insulation, and crimps the terminal to the wire.