ETM551Lecture05

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ETM 551 Lecture 5 -ConceptGeneration.ppt

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Product Design & Development

Concept Generation


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Concept Generation Example:

Power Nailer

What existing solution concepts, if any,

could be successfully adapted for thisapplication?

What new concepts might satisfy theestablished needs and specifications?

What methods can be used to facilitate the

concept generation process?


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Concept DevelopmentProcess

Perform Economic Analysis

Benchmark Competitive Products

Build and Test Models and Prototypes

Identify

CustomerNeeds

Establish

TargetSpecifications

Generate

ProductConcepts

Select

ProductConcept(s)

Set

FinalSpecifications

Plan

DownstreamDevelopment

MissionStatement Test

ProductConcept(s)

DevelopmentPlan


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The Activity of Concept Generation A good concept is sometimes poorly

implemented in subsequent development

phases, but a poor concept can rarely bemanipulated to achieve commercial success.

Concept generation typically consumes lessthan 5% budget and 15% of the developmenttime

Because the concept genaration activity is notcostly, there is no excuse for lack of diligence

and care in executing asound conceptgeneration method.


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Preliminary questionsAfter identifying customer needs and

establishing target product specifications, theteam should ask:

What existing solutions could be adapted for this

application? What new concepts might satisfy these needs

and specifications?

What methods can be used to facilitate conceptgeneration process?


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Concept generation activity Structured approaches reduce the

likelihood of costly problems Common dysfunctions during concept

generation: Consideration of only one or two alternatives, often

proposed by the most assertive members of the team. Failure to consider carefully the usefulness of conceptsemployed by other firms in related and unrelatedproducts.

Involvement of only one or two people in the process,

resulting in lack of confidence and commitment by otherteam members.

Ineffective integration of promising partial solutions.

Failure to consider entire categories of solutions.


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A Five-Step Method Step 1: Clarify the Problem

Step 2: Search Externally

Step 3: Search Internally

Step 4: Explore Systematically Step 5: Reflect on the Results and the

Process


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Concept GenerationProcess

1. Clarify theproblem

Understanding Problem

decomposition Focus on critical

subproblems 3. Search internally

Individual Group

2. Search externally

Lead users Experts

Patents Literature Benchmarking

4. Explore

systematically

Classification tree Combination table

5. Reflect on solutionand process

Constructive feedback

SUBPROBLEMS

NEW

CONCEPTS

EXISTING

CONCEPTS

INTEGRATED

SOLUTIONS


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The nailer: Step 1Review assumptions underlying mission

statementThe nailer will:

use nails (as opposed to adhesives, screwsetc.).

be compatible with nail magazines on existing

tools. nail into wood.

be hand-held.


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Customer needs Customer needs (for a hand-held nailer):

The nailer inserts nails in rapid succession.

The nailer works into tight spaces

The nailer is lightweight. The nailer has no noticeable nailing delay

after tripping tool.


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Target specifications No noticeable nailing delay after pulling

trigger Nail lengths from 25 to 38 mm.

Maximum nailing energy of 40 J/nail. Nailing force of up to 2,000 N.

Peak nailing rate of 12 nails/second.


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Target specifications (cont) Average nailing rate of 4 nails/min.

Maximum trigger delay of 0.25 second.

Tool mass less than 4 kg

Maximum trigger delay of 0.25 sec.


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Problem decomposition

Decompose complex problem into

simpler sub-problems. Many design

challenges are too complexto solve asa single problem.

Split a complex problem into simpler sub-

problems.(Problem decomposition)


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Problem decomposition

Split system into modules

Examples:

document copierpaper clip

Many schemes Functional decomposition

Possible submodules:

Document handler

Paper feeder

Image capture device

Printing device

...

More dificult to split,

but sti ll possible...


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Problem Decomposition:

Function Diagram

Storenails

Store or

acceptexternalenergy

Isolatenail

Convert

energy totranslational

energy

Applytranslational

energy to nail

Sensetrip

Triggertool

Energy

Nails

"Trip" oftool

Drivennail

Hand-heldnailer

Energy (?)

Signal (?)

Material (nails)

Energy (?)

Signal (tool "trip")

INPUT OUTPUT

Material (driven nail)


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Some useful tips to get started Create a function diagram of an existing

product. Create function diagram based on an

arbitrary product concept already

generated by the team or on a knownsubfunction technology. Be sure to

generalize the diagram to the appropriate

level of abstraction.


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Tips to get started Follow one of the flows (e.g., materials)

and determine what operations arerequired.

The details of the other flows can be

derived by thinking about theirconnections to the initial flow.


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Two other approaches Decomposition by sequence of user

actions. Move tool to approximate nailing position,

Position tool precisely,

Pull trigger.

Decomposition by key customer needs

Fires nails in rapid succession, Fits in tight places,

Has large nail capacity.

Products with very simple

technical functions involvinga lot of user interactions

Products in which form, and

not working principles or

technology, is the primary

problem


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Focus on critical sub-problems The aim of decomposition techniques is to

split a complex problem into simpler sub-problems, then tackle each in a focused

way.


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The Nailer:

Step 2 - Search externally Conduct external searches to find existing

solutions to either the overall problem or asub-problem identified during the

decomposition step.

Use search engines (in advanced mode)

to find existing solutions discussed on

Internet sites.


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External and Internet Searches:

Hints for finding related solutions

Lead Users

see emerging needsbefore others

adopt and generateinnovations first

Benchmarking competitive products

Experts

technical experts experienced

customers

Patents

search relatedinventions

Literature technical journals

conferenceproceedings

trade literature

government reports consumer information


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Patents Try the European patent office

http://ep.espacenet.com

US patent office

http://patft.uspto.gov


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Step 3 - Search internally Suspend judgment

Suspend evaluation for the days or weeksrequired to generate a large set of alternativesis critical to success.

Generate a lot of ideas

Most experts believe that the more ideas ateam generates, the more likely the team is toexplore fully the solution space.


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Step 3 - Search internally (cont) Welcome ideas, even if they do not seem

very feasible Ideas which initially appear infeasible can

often be improved, debugged or repaired

by other members of the team.

Use graphical and physical media.

Reasoning about physical and geometricinformation with words is difficult.


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Hints for Generating Solution

Concepts Make analogies

Experienced designers always askthemselves what other devices solve a relatedproblem.

Wish and wonder

Beginning a thought or comment with I wishwe could..... or I wonder what would happenif .... helps to stimulate oneself or the groupto consider new possibilities.


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Hints (cont) Use related stimuli

Most individuals can think of a new idea whenpresented with a new stimulus.

Use unrelated stimuli

Occasionally, random or unrelated stimuli canbe effective in encouraging new ideas.

Set quantitative goals Set a goal of 10 or 20 concepts.


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Hints (cont) Use the gallery method

Use the gallery method to display a largenumber of concepts simultaneously fordiscussion.


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TRIZ In the 1990s, a Russian problem solving

methodology called TRIZ (a Russianacronym for theory of inventive problemsolving) began to disseminate in Europe

and USA. Useful in identifying physical working

principles.

The key idea is to identify a contradictionthat is implicit in a problem.


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Solutions for two of thenailers subproblems


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The nailer:

Step 4 - Explore systematically After external and internal search there

are probably tens or hundreds of solutionsto subproblems, or concept fragments

Navigate the space of possibilities

With the concept classification tree

With the concept combination table


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Conceptclassification tree

Use it to:

Prune less promisingbranches (carefully)

Identify related versusindependent approaches

Highlight inappropriateemphasis (certainbranches)

Refine problem

decomposition.


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Refining problem decomposition Too much instantaneous power (~10000Watt)

for an outlet, battery or fuel cell to deliver in few

miliseconds Must accumulate and then trigger


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Concept combination table

A systematic approach to combine partial solutions


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M i th l ti


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Managing the exploration

process Combination tables and classification trees

are not unique Just simple ways to organize thoughts

Exploration step acts as a guide for further

creative thinking

Often the concept generation phase is not

so straightforward In fact its almost always iterative...

S 5 R fl h R l d


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Step 5: Reflect on the Results and

the Process Is the team developing confidence that the

solution space has been fully explored? Are there alternative function diagrams?

Are there alternative ways to decompose

the problem? Have external sources been thoroughly

pursued?

Have ideas from everyone been acceptedand integrated into process?


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Summary A product concept is an approximate

description of the technology, workingprinciples, and form of the product.

The concept generation begins with a set

of customer needs and targetspecifications.

In most cases an effective team will

generate hundreds of concepts, of which 5to 20 will merit serious consideration.


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Summary The concept generation consists of 5

steps Clarify the problem

Search externally

Search internally

Explore systematically

Reflect on the solutions and the process

ETM551Lecture05

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