Innovation Tool: TRIZ (An Introduction)

1Weaver Intro to Triz

Innovation Tool: TRIZ (An Introduction)

Jonathan WeaverUDM ME Department

Development support by David Roggenkamp and Arun Aakaluashok


References• There are numerous books on the subject and web materials available,

some of the best are at http://www.aitriz.org/ai/index.php, some specifics:– http://www.triz-journal.com/archives/2006/01/07.pdf– Kraev’s Corner featured a twelve lesson sequence in the Triz

Journal which you might enjoy; the lessons are available at http://www.triz-journal.com/archives/2006/

• A full listing of the 40 principles with examples can be found at http://www.triz-journal.com/archives/1997/07/b/index.html

• The contradiction matrix may be found at http://www.triz40.com/aff_Matrix.htm

• And Suddenly the Inventor Appeared, by Genrich Altshuller• Triz materials from Patsy Brackin, Rose Hulman.• Airbag example from: http://www.triz-journal.com

/archives/1997/07/a/index.html

http://www.aitriz.org/ai/index.php






http://www.triz-journal.com/archives/2006/01/07.pdf








http://www.triz-journal.com/archives/2006/






http://www.triz-journal.com/archives/1997/07/b/index.html








http://www.triz-journal.com/archives/1997/07/a/index.html





How Many Ways Do You Know to Move a Liquid?


• Acoustic Cavitation • Acoustic Vibrations • Archimedes’ Principle • Bernoulli’s Theorem • Boiling • Brush Constructions • Capillary Condensation • Capillary Evaporation • Capillary Pressure • Coanda Effect • Condensation • Coulomb’s Law • Deformation • Electrocapillary Effect • Electroosmosis • Electrophoresis • Electrostatic Induction • Ellipse • Evaporation • Ferromagnetism • Forced Oscillations • Funnel Effect

• Gravity • Inertia • Ionic Exchange • Jet Flow • Lorentz Force • Magnetostriction • Mechanocaloric Effect • Osmosis • Pascal Law • Resonance • Shock Wave • Spiral • Super Thermal Conductivity • Superfluidity • Surface Tension • Thermal Expansion • Thermocapillary Effect • Thermomechanical Effect • Ultrasonic Capillary Effect • Ultrasonic Vibrations • Use of foam • Wetting Knowledge from all fields


"The creative person pays close attention to what appears discordant and contradictory ...

and is challenged by such irregularities."

Frank Barron (1942-2002), was an internationally known psychologist and UC Berkeley professor who studied highly creative thinkers in architecture, science, mathematics and literature. He was Guggenheim Fellow and a Fellow for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. Barron received the American Psychological Association's Richardson Creativity Award and the Rudolf Arnheim Award for Outstanding Contribution to Psychology and the Arts.


Processing Sweet Peppers

• It used to be a labor-intensive process to de-seed peppers.• Now, to remove seeds from peppers, the peppers may be

placed in a pressure chamber. The pressure can be slowly increased so that the pressure diffuses through the pepper skin to the interior of the pepper. If the pressure is then suddenly reduced, the stem and seeds explode out of the pepper! (discovered c. 1945)

• What does this have to do with invention and innovation?


Beyond Peppers

• Other applications of pressure increase/drop:– Removing shells from sunflower seeds (1950)– Removing shells from cedar nuts (1950)– Cleaning filters– Unpacking parts wrapped in protective paper– Producing sugar powder from sugar crystal– Splitting artificial diamonds along micro-cracks (1972)

• More generally – store up energy and release it• More generally still – store a resource for later use


Genrich Altshullar, Father of TRIZ• Born 15-Oct-1926,• Age 14, patented underwater breathing apparatus that generated oxygen from hydrogen

peroxide.• Age 20, as Lieutenant in Caspian Sea Navy, patented method for escaping immobilized

submarine without diving gear and was offered position as patent examiner.• Age 22, wrote to Stalin to inform him that the Soviet Union’s approach to technology

was chaotic and ignorant and that he had devised a systematic approach by which any technical problem could be solved.

• Age 23, Invited to a meeting and taken into custody.• Age 24, Sentenced to 25 years in prison.• Age 29, Released early from prison following Stalin’s death and learns his grief stricken

mother has committed suicide.• Age 30, Publishes Psychology of Inventive Creativity.• Age 42, Organizes first TRIZ seminar.• Age 43, Publishes Algorithm of Inventing (40 Inventive Principles).• Age 50s, Diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.• Age 58, Publishes And Suddenly the Inventor Appeared.• Age 63, Named president of newly established Russian TRIZ Association.• Age 72, Dies. (1999)


TRIZTeoriya Resheniya Izobreatatelskikh Zadatch

• Altshuller recognized that the same fundamental problem (contradiction) had been addressed by a number of inventions in different areas of technology

• He also observed that the same fundamental solutions were used over and over again, often separated by many years

• He reasoned that if the latter innovator had had knowledge of the earlier solution, their task would have been straightforward

• He sought to extract, compile, and organize such information


Psychological Inertia Vector

Your training and biases may bring you down this path

A better solution might lie over here


Altshuller’s Research Results

Patents(World Wide)

Inventive Patents

KEY FINDINGS• Definition of inventive problems• Levels of invention• Patterns of evolution• Patterns of invention

200,00040,000


Five Levels of Invention

• LEVEL 1: Apparent (no invention)– Established solutions– Well-known and readily accessible– Example: Adjustable pedals in a car (already was

commonplace in airplanes)

• LEVEL 2: Minor Improvement– Small improvement of an existing system, usually with

some compromise– Example: Bifocals


Five Levels of Invention (Cont.)

• LEVEL 3: Invention Inside Paradigm– Significant improvement of an existing system– Example: Automatic transmission

• LEVEL 4: Invention Outside Paradigm– Involves changing the principle of performing the

primary function of an existing system– Example: jet engine applied to aircraft

• LEVEL 5: Discovery– Pioneer invention of an essentially new system– Example: first airplane


Level of Invention Writing Example

1. Apparent Write with a piece of graphite

2. Minor Improvement Pencil (wrapped graphite)

3. Significant Improvement Pen (ink replaces graphite)

4. Change in Principle for Primary Function

Printer

5. New System Electronic pen and paper

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Level_of_Invention


Levels of Innovation (Cont.)

Percentages of Levels of Invention

32

45

18

5 1Level 1: ApparentSolution

Level 2: Improvement

Level 3: Innovation

Level 4: Invention

Level 5: Discovery


Two Types of Contradiction

• Physical Contradiction– A conflict between two mutually exclusive physical requirements

to the same parameter of an element of the system• Element should be hot and cold• Element should be hard and soft

• Technical Contradiction (commonly referred to as a trade-off)– A conflict between characteristics within a system when

improving one parameter of the system causes the deterioration of other parameter

• Increasing the power of the motor (a desired effect) may cause the weight of the motor to increase (a negative effect).


Dealing with Physical Contradictions

• Four principles for overcoming physical contradiction:– Separation of contradictory properties in time or on

condition– Separation of contradictory properties in space– System transformations (or separation between the

parts and the whole)– Phase transformation, or physical-chemical

transformation of substances


Examples of Physical Contradictions

• Separation of contradictory properties in time– For overcoming nail’s rotation into the wall, we can propose to

make the nail with a noncircular section shape. But the process for production of these nails should be changed for making the new shape and it is expensive!

• Separation of contradictory properties in space– Bifocals by Ben Franklin

• System transformations– For measuring contact force between a door’s seal and housing of

the refrigerator, we can use some special electronic sensors between them. But what kind of sensors do we need and how to get them? Is there a simpler way to solve the problem?


Automotive Examples of Physical Contradictions

• Highways should be wide for easy traffic flow but narrow for low impact on communities.

• Braking should be instantaneous to avoid road hazards but braking should be gradual for control.

• Upholstery should be luxurious but be easy to maintain.• The frame should be heavy (for structural safety) but the

frame should be light (for cost and ease of assembly.)• Manufacturing should be done in small lots for flexibility

but manufacturing should be done in large lots for low cost.


Airbag Examples of Physical Contradictions

• The deployment threshold should be high and low • The air bag should be aggressive and de-powered • The air bag should protect everyone and harm no one • The gas should be generated quickly and slowly• The sensor should be complex and simple• The air bag should exist and should not exist


Automotive Examples of Technical Contradictions

• The vehicle has higher horsepower, but uses more fuel• The vehicle has high acceleration but uses more fuel• The ride feels smoother, but the handling is difficult on

high speed curves• A pick-up truck has high load capacity (stiff rear

suspension) but the ride is rough.• Putting controls on stalks increases driver convenience, but

makes assembly of the steering column more complex.• Electric vehicles can go long distances between

recharging, but the battery weight gets too high to move at all!


Airbag Examples of Technical Contradictions

• High power ("aggressive") deployment saves lives of average-sized drivers, but increases injuries to unbelted or small passengers

• Adding more sensors to customize the deployment to the circumstances, and thereby save lives of small and unbelted people, increases the complexity of the system


Handling Technical Contradiction

• Altshuller identified a set of engineering parameters such that a contradiction can be stated in the form improving one parameter causes deterioration of the other parameter

• A set of inventive principles are developed• A tool is provided which helps direct the inventor to a

appropriate principles for a given contradiction• Based on his patent research, Altshuller identified the 39

engineering parameters that may be involved in a contradiction


Altshuller’s 39 Engineering Parameters

1. Weight of moving object2. Weight of non-moving object3. Length of moving object4. Length of non-moving object5. Area of moving object6. Area of non-moving object7. Volume of moving object8. Volume of non-moving

object9. Speed10. Force

11. Tension, pressure.12. Shape13. Stability of object14. Strength15. Durability of moving object16. Durability of non-moving

object17. Temperature18. Brightness 19. Energy spent by moving

object20. Energy spent by non-moving

object


Altshuller’s 39 Engineering Parameters (Cont.)

21. Power22. Waste of energy23. Waste of substance 24. Loss of information25. Waste of time26. Amount of substance27. Reliability28. Accuracy of measurement29. Accuracy of manufacturing30. Harmful factors acting on

object

31. Harmful side effects32. Manufacturability33. Convenience of use34. Repairability35. Adaptability36. Complexity of device37. Complexity of control38. Level of automation39. Productivity


Inventive Principles

Based on his patent research, Altshuller identified a total of 40 inventive principles that can be applied to resolve contradictions amongst the engineering parameters.


40 Inventive Principles

1. Segmentation2. Extraction3. Local Quality4. Asymmetry5. Combining6. Universality7. Nesting8. Counterweight 9. Prior counter-action10. Prior action

11. Cushion in advance12. Equipotentiality13. Inversion14. Spheroidality15. Dynamicity16. Partial or overdone action17. Moving to a new dimension18. Mechanical vibration19. Periodic action20. Continuity of useful action


40 Inventive Principles (Cont.)

21. Rushing through22. Convert harm into benefit23. Feedback24. Mediator25. Self-service26. Copying27. An inexpensive short-lived

object instead of an expensive durable one

28. Replacement of a mechanical system

29. Use a pneumatic or hydraulic construction

30. Flexible film or thin membranes

31. Use of porous material32. Changing the color33. Homogeneity34. Discarding and Recovering35. Transformation of physical

and chemical states of an object

36. Phase transition37. Thermal expansion38. Use strong oxidizers39. Inert environment40. Composite materials


Principle 1: Segmentation

• Divide an object into independent parts– Replace mainframe computer by personal computers– Replace a large truck by a truck and trailer

• Make an object easy to disassemble– Modular furniture – Quick disconnect joints in plumbing

• Increase the degree of fragmentation or segmentation– Replace solid shades with Venetian blinds– Use powdered welding metal instead of foil or rod to

get better penetration of the joint


If we have to paint the wooden stairs that lead us to the second floor, then, we should paint every other step and then once those steps are dried then we will paint the rest of the steps. This allows us to use the stairs without having to wait for all of them to dry with just some minor inconveniences.

Example of Segmentation


Principle 2: Taking Out

• Separate an interfering part or property from an object, or single out the only necessary part (or property) of an object. – Locate a noisy compressor outside the building where

compressed air is used– Use fiber optics or a light pipe to separate the hot

light source from the location where light is needed – Use the sound of a barking dog, without the dog, as a

burglar alarm


Principle 3: Local Quality

• Change an object's structure from uniform to non-uniform, change an external environment (or external influence) from uniform to non-uniform– Use a temperature, density, or pressure gradient

instead of constant temperature, density or pressure• Make each part of an object function in conditions most

suitable for its operation– Lunch box with hot and cold compartments

• Make each part of an object fulfill a different and useful function.– Pencil with eraser


A complete list of the principles with examples can be found where these three samples were obtained:



Principle 1: SegmentationInternational Space Station has highly modularized architecture

Principle 2: ExtractionIsolate the outhouse

http://www.locoloo.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/outhouse.122131732_std.jpg


Principle 3: Local QualityA Swiss Army Knife where each part fulfills a different and useful function

Principle 4: AsymmetryNASCAR circle track suspension is asymmetric to favor left turns

Source: walmart.com


Principle 3: Local QualityA Swiss Army Knife where each part fulfills a different and useful function

Principle 4: AsymmetryNASCAR circle track suspension is asymmetric to favor left turns

Source: walmart.com


Principle 5: CombiningA washer/dryer combo

Source: http://www.haier.com/index.htm

Principle 6: UniversalityAn iPhone performs many functions (Yes it’s an example of Combining too.)


Principle 7: NestingConstruction cones nest for easy storage

Principle 8: CounterweightDirigibles are naturally weighted to prevent roll


Principle 9: Prior Counter-actionTBD

Principle 10: Prior ActionLunchables conveniently pre-gather everything needed


Principle 13: The Other Way AroundRotate the wheel rather than the tire iron

Source: gizmo.com

Principle 18: Mechanical VibrationDrive nails with 35 strikes per second

Principle 34: Discarding and RecoveringExternal fuel tank and twin rockets recovered after launch

Source: howstuffworks.com


Contradiction Table

Engineering ParametersE

ngin

eeri

ng P

a ram

eter

s39 Parameters

39 P

aram

eter

s

Inventive Principles useful to solve

the contradiction


Excerpt of the Contradiction Table from http://www.triz40.com/aff_Matrix.htm

Worsening feature


Your Problem

Generic Problem

Your Solution

Generic Solution

The Direct Path Can Be Elusive


Fertilizer Example

• The Problem: Optimal use of fertilizer requires that it be applied when the soil reaches a specific temperature.

• Because soil temperatures change continually, the challenge for tomato growers was being able to distribute fertilizer over a vast amount of acreage at the precise moment the soil reaches optimal temperature.


Fertilizer Example (Cont.)

• In TRIZ terms, this problem presents as one of production rate vs temperature.

• If we look at the contradiction matrix, we find the intersection of production rate and temperature and infer four suggested principles to apply:– #10: Preliminary Action (perform before needed)– #21: Skipping– #28: Mechanics Substitution– #35: Parameter Changes (such as state changes)


Fertilizer Example (Cont.)

• These four principles would be investigated to see if they lead to any new ideas

• In this case, principle 10 leads to an excellent solution:

– If the fertilizer is packaged in capsules containing a liquefied gas, the capsules can be applied to the soil ahead of time. When the soil reaches optimum temperature, the gas expands, breaks the capsule, and releases the fertilizer.


Airbag Example

• It would take a while to go through the airbag example in detail

• See “Contradictions: Air Bag Applications” at http://www.triz-journal.com/archives/1997/07/a/index.html


Piping of Steel Shot Example

• Pipe for transporting steel shot– Problem: Pipe wears out at spots from steel shot

movement.– Conflict: Shot must move, but movement causes wear.

• TRIZ Conflict– Improving objective: Productivity (#39) – Worsening objective: Loss of substance (#23)


Piping of Steel Shot Example (Cont.)

• Suggested principles: – #10: Preliminary action, #23: Feedback, #35: Parameter

changes, and #28: Mechanical interaction substitution -- Use electrical, magnetic fields to interact with object.

Source: slides from Patsy Brackin, Rose-Hulman


Piping of Steel Shot Example (Cont.)

• Solution– Place a magnet at high wear spots (corners)

to adhere shot to pipe to create a coating.

Source: slides from Patsy Brackin, Rose-Hulman


Final Remarks (Cont.)

• Try to avoid some of the common dysfunctions exhibited by development teams during concept generation, which include:– Consideration of just a few alternatives, often proposed by

the most assertive members of the team.– Failure to consider carefully the usefulness of the concepts

employed by other firms in related and unrelated products.– Involvement of only one or two people in the process,

resulting in a lack of confidence and commitment by the rest of the team.

– Ineffective integration of promising partial solutions.– Failure to consider entire categories of solutions.


Final Remarks

• Thinking out of the box is severely over rated in my opinion; the real key is to make the box as large as possible, and make sure the right stuff is in the box!

• Triz is one tool that can help enlarge – and fill with the appropriate stuff – your box!


Grow Your Box!

YouYour companyYour industryAll industriesThe worldAll that can ever be known


"Because ideas have to be original only with regard to their adaptation to the

problem at hand, I am always extremely interested in how others have used them."

• Thomas Edison (1847-1931) was one of the most prolific inventors in American history, holding more than 1,000 patents. He is best known for invention of a long burning light bulb and applying mass production and team work to the process of invention. Edison's inventions also included the phonograph and motion picture camera.


• This is intended to be a brief introduction to TRIZ. There is an awful lot more available on the topic readily available for anyone wanting to learn more!

• Time permitting, let’s take a look at some of the examples in Kraev’s Corner: Lesson 6

Closing


SIT

• Structured Inventive Thinking (SIT) is a method for developing creative solutions to technical problems.

• It is an outgrowth of the "Theory of Inventive Problem Solving"

• Triz was extensively revised and simplified, enabling the method to be learned in a significantly shorter time, and with less reliance on external databases.


SIT (Cont.)

• SIT aims to: – focus the problem solver on the essence of the problem– overcome psychological barriers to creative thinking– enable the discovery of inventive solutions– make the process an efficient one

• More info on SIT can be found on the web or on your company’s intranet


SIT Derailing Detector Example

Background• Braking system of trains includes a pipe that passes along the train, in which

the air is at a pressure of 5 atmospheres. When the pressure drops, the train stops. Under emergency conditions (such as derailing), the air must be released very quickly. To ensure fast enough release of the air, it should exit through an opening that is at least 10 cm2. During normal operating conditions, this opening should be closed with a stopper. The stopper should be released by the air pressure itself.

• A new derailing detector has been developed. The idea is that in normal operation, the stopper is to held in place by the derailing detector, and when derailing occurs the detector stops exerting force on the stopper and it is released. The problem is that the derailing detector can exert only 0.5 Kgf, not enough to balance the 50 Kgf applied by the internal pressure.

compressed air

stopper

derailingdetector


SIT Derailing Detector Example (Cont.)

• Routine Ideas1. To use a lever2. To add more derailing detectors, each will support a smaller

stopper3. To squeeze the stopper in its place so that friction will carry out

some of the load


SIT Derailing Detector Example (Cont.)

• Inventive solution is shown

derailingdetector

stopper

stopper

Documents

Innovation Tool: TRIZ (An Introduction)