TRIZ

TRIZ - THE THEORY OF RESOLVING INVENTIVE SOLUTION

TRIZ is "a problem-solving, analysis and forecasting tool derived from the study of patterns of invention in the global patent literature". It was developed by the Jewish-born inventor and science-fiction writer Genrich Altshuller (1926-1998) and his colleagues, beginning in 1946. In English the name TRIZ is typically rendered as the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving - the TRIZ,

Генрих Саулович Альтшуллер

1926-1998

Genrikh Saulovich Altshuller (Ге́нрих Сау́лович Альтшу́ллер, (born Tashkent, Uzbek SSR, USSR, 15 October 1926; died Petrozavodsk, Russia, 24 September 1998), was a Soviet engineer, an inventor, and a science-fiction writer. He is the most notable for the creation of the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving, better known by its Russia acronym TRIZ. He founded the Azerbaijan Public Institute for Inventive Creation, and was the first President of the TRIZ Association. He also wrote science fiction books under the pen-name Genrikh Altov.

Working as a clerk in a patent office, Altshuller embarked on finding some generic rules that would explain creation of new and inventive, as well as patentable ideas. Finally, he developed the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving, the TRIZ.

A full-fledged TRIZ movement has been developed among many engineers and other technically inclined people by the 1970s, whereby G. Altshuller played the role of its intellectual leader. He lectured at TRIZ congresses, he published articles and books and corresponded with various TRIZ practitioners. He became the founding member and president of the Russian TRIZ Association .

Following Altshuller's insight, the theory developed on a foundation of extensive research covering hundreds of thousands of inventions across many technical disciplines to produce a methodology, which defines common patterns in the nature of inventive solutions and the distinguishing characteristics of the problems that these inventions have overcome.

TRIZ IS THE MOST POWERFUL ENGINEERING SCIENCE EVER DEVELOPED

An important part of the TRIZ has been devoted to revealing patterns of evolution. One of the main objectives, which has been pursued by leading practitioners of TRIZ science has been the development of an algorithmic approach to the invention of new systems, and to the refinement of existing ones.

TRIZ includes a practical methodology, tool sets, a knowledge base, and a model-based technology for generating innovative solutions and problem solutions. It is becomes very useful for a problem formulation, system analysis, failure analysis, and patterns of system evolution. There is a general similarity of the TRIZ purpose and its methods with the field of language patterns, across disciplinary practice for explicitly describing and sharing holistic patterns of any design.

The research has produced three primary findings:

Problems and their solutions are closely resemble across industries and sciences
Patterns of technical evolution are also resemble across industries and sciences
The innovations and inventiveness have been used scientific principles, effects and phenomena outside their own field in which they have been developed

TRIZ practitioners apply all these findings in order to create new products and to improve those products and associated services, systems, and applications.

Inventive problem solving methodology

By the early 1970s two decades of research covering hundreds of thousands of patents had confirmed Altshuller's initial insight about the patterns of inventive solutions and one of the first analytical tools was published in the form of 40 inventive principles, which could virtually account for all of those patents that presented truly inventive solutions.

Following this approach, the "Conceptual solution", shown in the diagram, can be found by defining the contradiction, which needs to be resolved and by systematically applying the 40 principles. By applying those principles, any existing technical "contradiction" within the problem at hand, enabling a direction towards the solution that is closer to the "ultimate ideal result".

40 PRINCIPLES OF TECHNICAL PROBLEMS

40 engineering principles are the foundation of the TRIZ. The next part of the problem solving process is to use the Contradiction Table

40 principles by names and groups

One of the tools which evolved as an extension of the 40 principles was a contradiction matrix in which the contradictory elements of a problem were categorized according to a list of 39 factors which could impact on each other. The combination of each pairing of these 39 elements is set out in a matrix (for example, the weight of a stationary object, the use of energy by a moving object, the ease of repair etc.)

Each of the 39 elements is represented down the rows and across the columns (as the negatively affected element) and based upon the research and analysis of patents: wherever precedent solutions have been found that resolve a conflict between two of the elements, the relevant cells in the matrix typically contain a sub-set of three or four principles that have been applied most frequently in inventive solutions which resolve contradictions between those two elements.

ARIZ is an algorithmic approach to finding inventive solutions by identifying and resolving contradictions. This includes the "system of inventive standards solutions" which Altshuller used to replace the 40 principles and contradiction matrix, it consists of SuField (surface-field) modeling and the 77 inventive standards. A number of TRIZ-based computer programs have been developed, such as Inventive Machine back in 1994, whose purpose is to provide assistance to engineers and inventors in finding inventive solutions for technological problems. Some of these programs are also designed to apply another TRIZ methodology whose purpose is to reveal and forecast emergency situations and to anticipate circumstances which could result in undesirable outcomes.

BASIC PROCEDURES DURING PROCESS OF SOLVING TECHNICAL PROBLEMS

Ideal final result (IFR) - the ultimate idealistic solution of a problem when the desired result is achieved by itself.Note that the Ideal Final Result is also an ARIZ term for the formulation of the inventive problem in the form of a Technical Contradiction (IFR-1) and a Physical Contradiction (IFR-2);
Administrative contradiction - contradiction between the needs and abilities;
Technical contradiction - an inverse dependence between parameters/characteristics of a machine or technology;
Physical contradiction - opposite/contradictory physical requirements to an object;
Separation principle - a method of resolving physical contradictions by separating contradictory requirements;
Vepol or Su-field - a minimal technical system consisting of two material objects (substances) and a "field". "Field" is the source of energy whereas one of the substances is "transmission" and the other one is the "tool";
Fepol or Ferfiel - a sort of Vepol (Su-field) where "substances" are ferromagnetic objects;
Level of invention;
Standard solution - a standard inventive solution of a higher level;
Laws of technical systems evolution;
Algorithm of inventive problems solving (ARIZ), which combines various specialized methods of TRIZ into one universal tool;
Talented Thinking or Thinking in Time and Scale;
Effect : Scientific knowledge to solve problem listed by not alphabetical order but functional order

LEVELS OF INVENTION

Level of invention (or degree of inventiveness, or level of solution, or rank of solution, or rank of invention) is a relative degree of changes to the previous system (or solution) in the result of solution of inventive problem (one containing a contradiction). Term was defined and introduced by TRIZ author G. S. Altshuller.

After initially reviewing 200,000 patent abstracts, Altshuller selected 40,000 as representatives of high level inventive solutions. The remainder involved direct improvements easily recognized within the specialty of the system.

Altshuller separated the patents' different degrees of inventiveness into five levels:

Level 1 – Routine design problems solved by methods well known within the specialty. Usually no invention needed.

example: use of coal for writing

Level 2 – Minor improvements to an existing system using methods known within the industry.

example: graphite pencil (wrapped coal stick)

Level 3 – Fundamental improvement to an existing system using methods known outside the industry.

example: ink pen (ink instead of coal)

Level 4 – A new generation of a system that entails a new principle for performing the system's primary functions. Solutions are found more often in science than technology.

example: printer (another whole system for writing)

Level 5 – A rare scientific discovery or pioneering invention of an essentially new system.

example: electronic pen&paper (see Anoto)

These levels of invention are applied to solutions rather than problems requiring a system of solution.

TRIZ COMPONENTS

Identifying a problem: contradictions

Altshuller has shown that at the heart of some inventive problems lie contradictions (one of the basic TRIZ concepts) between two or more elements, such as, "If we want more acceleration, we need a larger engine; but that will increase the cost of the car," that is, more of something desirable also brings more of something less desirable, or less of something else also desirable.

These are called technical contradictions by Altshuller. He also defined so-called physical or inherent contradictions: More of one thing and less of the same thing may both be desired in the same system. For instance, a higher temperature may be needed to melt a compound more rapidly, but a lower temperature may be needed to achieve a homogeneous mixture.

An inventive situation which challenges us to be inventive, might involve several such contradictions. Conventional solutions typically "trade" one contradictory parameter for another; no special inventiveness is needed for that. Rather, the inventor would develop a creative approach for resolving the contradiction, such as inventing an engine that produces more acceleration without increasing the cost of the engine.

Inat the level ventive principles and the matrix of contradictions

Initial development of 40 principles allows to solve technical problems at the first three levels of inventive complexity. Contradiction matrix allows about 1,600 different system features that one typically wants to improve, such as speed, weight, accuracy of measurement and so on. Columns refer to typical undesired results. Each matrix cell points to principles that have been most frequently used in patents in order to resolve the contradiction.

Laws of technical system evolution

Main article: Laws of technical systems evolution

Altshuller also studied the way technical systems have been developed and improved over time. From this, he discovered several trends (so called Laws of Technical Systems Evolution) that help engineers predict the most likely improvements that can be made to a given product. The most important of these laws involves the ideality of a system.

Substance-field analysis

One more technique that is frequently used by inventors involves the analysis of substances, fields and other resources that are currently not being used and that can be found within the system or nearby. TRIZ uses non-standard definitions for substances and fields. Altshuller developed methods to analyze resources; several of his invention principles involve the use of different substances and fields that help resolve contradictions and increase ideality of a technical system. For instance, videotext systems used television signals to transfer data, by taking advantage of the small time segments between TV frames in the signals.

SuField analysis produces a structural model of the initial technological system, exposes its characteristics, and with the help of special laws, transforms the model of the problem. Through this transformation the structure of the solution that eliminates the shortcomings of the initial problem is revealed. SuField analysis is a special language of formulas with which it is possible to easily describe any technological system in terms of a specific (structural) model. A model produced in this manner is transformed according to special laws and regularities, thereby revealing the structural solution of the problem.

ARIZ - algorithm of inventive problems solving

ARIZ - an algorithm of inventive problems solving with a list of about 105 step-by-step procedures to solve contradictions, where other tools of TRIZ alone (Sufield analysis, 40 inventive principles, etc.) are not sufficient.

Use of TRIZ on Management Problems]

Although TRIZ was developed from the analysis of technical systems, it has been used widely as a method for understanding and solving complex management problems. Examples include finding additional cost savings for the legal department of a local government body: the inventive solution generated was to generate additional revenue.

FOR NEW INVENTORS AND THOSE WHO HAVE DONE INVENTIVE PROBLEMS SOLVING IN THE PAST

Rewrite a problem description to make it more general as it is
Do not spend your time searching and analyzing patents of the similar topics
Try do discover the existing technical contradiction withing the problem description
Use principles to apply them for your solution
See if a contradiction matrix can help you cinceptin locating the essence of your problem and see what principles had been used to solve
Search the Internet for all engineering principles: mechanical, electrical, environmental, agricultural, optical, magnetic, pneumatic, etc.
Build a 'toolbox' of your favorite principles among 5,500 available
Build a prototype to make a 'proof of concept" for the purpose of presenting it to your client
Build a working model
Apply for a patent of a principle of the solution, not for a device
Create or make several devices using this principle
Market and sell devices one at a time.

This is Theory and Practice of Inventive Creativeness

The writer of this post managed to apply TRIZ methodology in solving any other problems, other than technical using Rapid Development Tool, which allows you to find a solution to practically any problem, such as: corporate, marketing and sales, financial, linguistic, scientific, or any other. It also help you to reduce decision making process by at least 50%. Please come back for more information when it will be available.

Global Technologies

RAPID DEVELOPMENT TOOL

as driving force in a car analogy

Each engine gear is a powerful multi-disciplinary processor that is based on three self-contained modules running independently or in a group:

Main Gear 1. Topic Selection – a Search Engine

It consists of Identification and Classification Processor Module (ICPM)

2. Team Organizer (TO)

It consists of the following components:

Intellectual Capital Assessment (ICA)

Group Member Selector/Eliminator (GMSE)

Proposal and Presentation Builder (PPB)

3. Idea Generator (IG)

It is based on recent psychological breakthrough in generating unbiased suggestions from team members

Rear Gear 1. Problem Formulation and Description Module (PFDM)

It results in obtaining the simplest, yet the most universal and most descriptive formulation of the problem, task or activity

2. Methodology of the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (abbreviated TRIZ).

It consists of over 3.5M inventions world-wide, 5 classes, 35 levels, 76 standards, over 500 powerful methods, techniques and steps, over 1,500 technical contradictions, as well as a knowledge base with over 5,000 technical principles, effects and phenomena.

3. Solution Module (SM)

A concept of obtaining solution to a problem prior to the actual process of solving that problem is valid, and it is based on the following preposition:

“ If a problem has a description, it has a solution” or “If a problem can be formulated, it can be solved”

Front Gear 1. Action Plan Stage (APS)

This is not just a designing and writing a business plan. This is a plan of action that is based on the Prognosis of Technical System Development (PTSD) – a separate part of the TRIZ methodology.

2. Development Stage (DS)

This module, either technical or any other, requires an expert system solution. It is an integral part of this product.

3. Implementation Stage (IS)

As a part of the Function System Deployment (FSD), this stage is based on the latest process control standards, project and product development, techniques and practice.

Conclusion:

This hypothetical sports car is capable of running in at least three different modes of operation:

1. By Main, Rear or Front gear independently with its own knowledge base

2. In combination of any two gears running simultaneously as follows:

a) main and rear gear

b) main and front gear

c) rear and front gear

Each combination of gears is powered by separate heuristic algorithm capable of self-running and self-tuning.

Note 1: There is an extra item that has been incorporated into every gear and each individual component of the Rapid Development Tool.

It includes an algorithm presently known as Ideal Result (IFR) method. IFR has been tailored for each module and component.

Note 2: Every module and each component has been independently developed. They represent self-contained methodologies to be

used independently from each other.

Note3: Each gear combines three modules that run simultaneously. The principle behind those gears is based on the Theory of Optimization, that is a combination of modern mathematics, linguistics, human neurology, and relational database plus data warehousing.

Please note: The undersigned is expressing his apology for not fully disclosing each and every module and component of the Rapid Development Tool due to the Intellectual Property nature of this development.

Emil Sagal Ph.D, P.Eng, PE

Toronto

Jan 1, 2001

TRIZ SOFTWARE

TRIZ-related software products are available from:

The Invention Machine Corporation, http://www.invention-machine.com Case studies and interviews with users on the web site.
CREAX, http://www.creax.com (also has an excellent web site with links to hundreds of creativity sites and a free newsletter, and a 30-day free download of the software.)
Ideation International, http://www.ideationtriz.com (web site has about 50 articles, some promoting their software but some on general topics.)
TRIZContrasolve, http://www.ideacore.com
IWINT http://www.iwint.com (lots of case studies on the website)
Systematic Innovation http://www.systematic-innovation.com
Ideal Matrix http://www.idealmatrix.com
Pretium http://www.pretiumllc.com Some TRIZ-based and some other innovation tools.

Russian Inventors

This is a list of inventors from the Russian Federation, Soviet Union, Russian Empire, Tsardom of Russia and Grand Duchy of Moscow, including both ethnic Russians and people of other ethnicities.

This list also includes those who were born in Russia or its predecessor states but later emigrated, and those who were born elsewhere but immigrated to the country or worked there for a considerable time, (producing inventions on Russian soil).
For Russian inventions in chronological order, see the Timeline of Russian inventions and technology records.
For the full plain list of Russian inventors on Wikipedia, see Category:Russian inventors.

Alphabetical list:

Contents: Top · 0–9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

List of Russian Inventors: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Russian_inventors#M

Innovation Levels

Innovations

Any innovation sooner or later leads to invention

There are 5 levels of inventive problems solving – the way when a solution of a technical problem leads to invention and, if it is clear from other claims, to a patent. In the meantime, every level is related to some creativity of a person who is trying to solve one problem or another. The following table will give you a simple explanation how levels of creative problem solving conform to technical problem complexity.

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