Two Pluses 8

Principles

by Kalevi Rantanen
TRIS OY
Brahenk. 9 E 18
FIN-20100 TURKU, FINLAND
phone/fax +358 2 251 1623
E-mail: kalevi.rantanen@pp.kolumbus.fi

Last updated November 9, 1997

Archive
Previous tutorial: Structural Standards
Next tutorial: Effects
Return to TRIZ Page (home page)

Outline

Handy rules
Studying the bicycle
Exercises
Computer support
Further reading

Handy rules

Ideas the trends give are general and often abstract. To get more detailed
recommendations collections of inventive principles, effects and standards has been
built. The first depository was a collection of principles, developed by G. S. Altshuller and
his team already in the beginning of 1970s.

Ellen Domb and Karen Tate have published the list of 40 inventive principles with good
examples in the TRIZ Journal. In addition, the authors and the journal have kindly permissed
to download a single copy for personal study. So I highly recommend you to download your
personal copy. The internet link is TRIZ Journal, July 1997.

It is interesting and useful simply to browse principles and study examples. But yet more
interesting and useful is to use principles together with trends and connect them
with technical and physical contradictions. So called Altshuller´s matrix connects
conflicting requirements and inventive principles. You can find the matrix in the
internet, from the home page of Valery Dolgashev: Matrix.

We begin from the idea of principles: Engineers and other experts have usually some thumb
rules, based on experience. Personal experience, however, is limited. Principles is a collection
of good thumb rules. It reflects the experience of whole inventor generations.
Let´s pick up some excerpts from the collection of Altshuller:
- Segmentation, the first principle in the list (compare with the segmentation trend)
- "Nested doll"
- Preliminary action
- Skipping
- Blessing in disguise
- Use thermal expansion
- Use phase transition

Principles are tools for solving engineering contradictions:

System Feature 1 Feature 2
Original
system + -
... ... ...
Ideal
system + +

Principles are tools for solving physical contradictions, too:

System Feature 1 Feature 2
Physical
feature ... ...
Opposite
feature ... ...
Ideal
system + +

Studying the bicycle

Principle 1. Segmentation

B. Make an object easy to disassemble

More modular bikes. More cost-efficiency

Principle 4. Asymmetry

A. Change the shape of an object from symmetrical to asymmetrical

There are ideas to make a chainring with oval cross-section

Principle 6. Universality

A. Make a part of object perform multiple functions

Bikes have become more and more specialized. By increasing modularity (see principle 1)
is possible to make the bike more universal. More cost-efficiency, more market opportunities
The frame of bicycle which works as a suspension, too

Principle 15. Dynamics

B. Divide an object into parts capable of movement relative to each oher

More possibilities to change the dimensions of the bike. By increasing modularity
(see principle 1) is possible to make the bike more dynamic, too.

Principle 27. Cheap short-living objects

B. Replace an expensive object with a multiple of inexpensive objects, comprising certain
qualities (such as service-life, for instance)

A very cheap and short-living bike? Or very long-living?

Exercises

Exercise 1. Look at principles list. Add your own examples.

Exercise 2. Transform the Ideal Final Result using principles.

Exercise 3. Analyze, how to improve cost-effectivenessa and market
opportunities applying innovative design principles.

Computer support

Invention Machine Principles contains the principles and graphical examples. Software
also contains so called Altshuller´s matrix, which connects principles with
contradictions. See IMLab

System	Feature 1	Feature 2
Original system	+	-
...	...	...
Ideal system	+	+