Fig. 4.1 Example of the main display of the [Effect Module]:
Specifying [Functions], [Effects], and [Examples]
4.
To learn various methods for implementing technological goals
(Effects Module: Part 2. Functions)
The most important usage of the [Effects
Module] is that the user, by specifying the
technical goal he wants to achieve,
retrieves various methods and means which may be
useful to achieve the goal.
This usage is one essencial part of the TRIZ methodology. It
is useful not only for studying
the knowledges implemented in the tool but also, and with
more importance, for searching means
of solving user's own technical problem.
For users to specify their technical
goals (or target functions), TRIZ offers a
hierarchically
classified table of goals, as shown in Table
4.1. The classified goals are
expressed in the form of "what object"
and "what action". The goals at the top level are
as follows (in an order rearranged
by the present author instead of the alphabetical order
in the tool):
| Substances (as the object): | obtain, retain, protect, eliminate,
move, separate, measure properties of, change properties of |
| "Fields" (as the object): | generate, accumulate, absorb,
change spacial arrangement of, measure properties of, change properties of |
These goals are further classified
in detail at the lower levels; in total, 283 goals (or target
functions) are listed.
Table 4.1
Classification table of the [Functions] (i.e. target functions) in the
[Effect
Module]
| 1.
Substance: Change Properties
change acoustic properties change area change chemical properties change color change conductivity change corrosion resistance change density change elasticity change electric properties change friction coefficients change hardness change image change magnetic properties change mechanical properties change optical properties change plasma properties change plasticity change roughness change shape change sizes change solubility change state of aggregation change strength change structure change surface properties change thermophysical properties change viscosity change volume change wetting angle produce image |
2.
Substance: Eliminate
absorb gaseous substance absorb liquid substance absorb substance break down solid break down solid's surface decompose hydrate decompose hydride decompose hydroxide decompose oxide decompose substance remove gaseous substance remove gaseous substance impurities remove impurities remove impurities from surface remove liquid substance remove liquid substance impurities remove loose substance remove loose substance impurities remove particles of substance remove solid remove substance treat solid's surface |
| 3.
Substance : Measure properties
define dimensions define position define structure detect defects detect impurities detect substance determine change in size determine chemical properties determine composition determine corrosion resistance determine level of liquid determine solubility determine surface properties measure density measure elasticity measure electric properties measure inertia characteristics measure magnetic properties measure mass measure mechanical properties measure optical properties measure out substance ? measure roughness measure thermophysical properties measure viscosity measure volume visualize object's changes visualize presence of certain substance |
4.
Substance : Move
agitate loose substance change level of liquid move gaseous substance move liquid substance move loose substance move object move particles of substance move solid body move solid body (in cycles) move solid body (micromovement) move submolecular particles orient object orient particles of substance orient solid body orient submolecular particles rotate particles of substance rotate solid stir liquid substance transmit gaseous substance transmit image transmit liquid substance transmit loose substance transmit solid |
| 5.
Substance : Obtain
evolve gaseous substance evolve liquid substance extract substance obtain preset surface form produce aerogel produce aerosol produce emulsion produce foam produce gaseous substance produce gaseous substance (bubbles) produce gel produce ions produce liquid substance produce liquid substance (drops) produce loose substance produce plasma produce solid substance produce solid substance (crystals) produce solid substance (film) produce solution synthesize acid synthesize hydrate synthesize hydride synthesize hydroxide synthesize salt synthesize substance 6.
Substance : Protect
|
7.
Substance : Retain
apply substance to surface deposit particles on surface embed particles in material hold gaseous substance hold liquid substance hold loose substance hold particles of substance hold solid join particles of substance join solid bodies join solid bodies (stick together) join solid bodies (weld together) retain gaseous substance retain liquid substance retain loose substance retain particles of substance retain solid 8.
Substance : Separate
|
| 9.
Field : Absorb
absorb accelerating particles' flow absorb acoustic field absorb heat energy absorb mechanical energy absorb mechanical vibration energy absorb optical radiation absorb Roentgen rays 10.
Field : Accumulate
11.
Field : Change Properties
|
12.
Field : Generate
create accelerating particles' flow create electric current create electric field create magnetic field create temperature gradient evolve heat energy generate acoustic field generate optical radiation generate radio waves initiate chemical reaction produce difference of pressures produce impact waves produce mechanical force produce mechanical vibrations produce pressure pulses produce substance flow 13.
Field : Measure properties
14.
Field : Redistribute in Space
|
[Operation:
See Fig. 4.1.
In the [Functions window] located at the middle left in the
initail display
of the [Effects Module], you should specify (and click) your technical
goal
(or target
function) you want to achieve, by using the classification shown in Table
4.1.
In the [Effects
window] at the upper right of the display, there appears a list of possible
candidate
methods for achieving the target function. By clicking one of those
methods in
the [Effects
window], a list of application examples of the method appears in the
[Examples
window] at the lower right of the display. Double-clicking any of
the effects
or examples
guides you to the display of the effect or the example, in the form as
demonstrated
already in Section 3. ]
Fig. 4.1
Example of the main display of the [Effect Module]:
Specifying [Functions], [Effects], and [Examples]
Thus, corresponding to the target
function you want to achieve, you can obtain a large
number of Effects (i.e. technical
principles) and Examples (i.e. technical application
cases) in an assocative way.
This function is very useful. Since the "goal" is specified in
an abstract term as discussed above,
the "means" thus suggested may contain quite
different methods which can be used
in various situations. The user should read (or take
a look at) each of these methods
and consider how it can be used in his own problem.
Some of them may be useless because
of so much difference in the situation setting, but
there can be some others which may
be applicable to the user's problem and yet not
thought of by the user. You
can get acquainted with excellent methods used in other
areas and can get nice hints of
new methods for solving your own problems.
One of the features of the [TechOptimizer]
as a tool is its powerful ability of retrieving
information in the Effects and Examples
databases of the [Effects Module] by using
various ways of associative search.
The mechanism of this associative search seems to
be implemented by use of keywords
(or other means) set in the texts of each database
item. Fig. 4.2 shows the association
relation (or search mechanism) of these databases as
understood by the present author.
Fig. 4.2
Association relation and information retrieval schemes in the Effects
and
Examples databases
of the [Effects Module]
[Operation:
To access the Effects and Examples databases, you should first open one
of
the three
main displays (i.e. [Functions] window, [Effects] window and [Examples]
window) of
the [Effects Module], then open the [Database] menue in the menue bar,
and
click either
[Effect database] or [Example database]. Similarly in the [Database]
menue,
you may click
the [Find] command to open the [Find] window for searching the database
with a keyword.
From the [Effects] window and the [Examles] window, you may use
various associative
information retrieval methods shown in Fig. 4.2, even though the
operation
details are not described here. ]
The associative retrieval methods
discussed above are very useful. Especially, the
keyword search in the [Find] window
is powerful. For instance, by searching with the
keyword of "heat pipe", 9 technical
principles ("Effects") and 10 application examples are
retrieved, as demonstrated in Fig.
4.3. This keyword search is implemented as the
matching of the keywords in the
titles of Effects and Examples.
Fig. 4.3
An Example of the [Find] keyword search in the [Effects Module]:
Technical principles ("Effects") and application examples retrieved with
the
keyword "heat pipe",
| Top of this page | Table 4-1 Classified target functions | 4-1 Specifying a target function | 4-2 Associative search | 4-3 Keyword search | Next page |
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Last updated
on Feb. 25, 1999. Access point: Editor: nakagawa@utc.osaka-gu.ac.jp