Kraev's Korner: System Ideality - Lesson 5

By Val Kraev
Editor's note: Kraev's Korner was first published in the newsletter of the Altshuller Institute, www.aitriz.org, in 2005. ur than!s to the Altshuller
Institute and the "e#hni#al Innovation $enter for letting us reprint this edu#ational series. %revious lessons #an be found b& sear#hing the "'I(
)ournal's ar#hives.
Ideality is one of the basic TRIZ concepts that make this methodology attractive and effective. Ideality is the essence that moves man to improve any
technical systems to make them faster! better and at lo"er cost. To increase the #sef#l f#nctions and$or to red#ce the harmf#l f#nctions moves the
system closer to Ideality. Therefore! Ideality can be described as follo"s%
&s the form#la states! a system's Ideality can be increased three "ays% () increasing the #sef#l f#nctions in the n#merator! *) decreasing any harmf#l
f#nctions or costs in the denominator or +) a combination of one and t"o.

The real system appro,imates the ideal system by resolving contradictions! #tili-ation of reso#rces! minimi-ing parts .trimming) and #sing ne"
physical chemical and geometrical phenomenon and effects "itho#t adding harmf#l f#nctions.

&ccording to """.dictionary.com! /ideal/ means%
(. & conception of something in its absol#te perfection.
*. 0ne that is regarded as a standard or model of perfection or e,cellence.
+. &n #ltimate ob1ect of endeavor2 a goal.
3. &n honorable or "orthy principle or aim.
&ccording to TRIZ! the Ideal 4ystem is a system that does not materially e,ist! "hile its f#nction is performed. 5#ring their evol#tions all systems
become more ideal and their abilities to meet the needs of people increases "hile their costs decrease. &chievement of an ideal is practically
impossible b#t is reliable as a g#ide d#ring problem solving and eval#ating sol#tions. The Ideal 4ystem is a theoretical concept and is a po"erf#l tool
#sed not only in TRIZ b#t also in other scientific areas. It is an effective approach related to the desire of the developer to get necessary f#nction
"itho#t complicating the system. &ct#ally! real systems appro,imate the ideal by increasing their profitable f#nctions and eliminating harmf#l factors.
The Ideal 4ystem serves like a compass that sho"s the co#rse in the beginning "hen the "ay for solving a ne" problem
has no obvio#s direction. &nother val#e of this definition is the estimation and comparison of the ne"ly created sol#tions
"ith the proposed Ideal one.
TRIZ proposes several different approaches to form#late and to achieve an ideal system. The first is improving the e,isting technical system. The
second is the creation of the ne,t generation of technology or system for implementation of the given f#nction.

6o" can an ideal system be #sed practically7 The Ideal 4ystem can be #sed either as an independent tool for problem solving or as a component of
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other TRIZ tools. The follo"ing e,amples demonstrate ho" the ideal system can be #sed as an independent tool demonstrating ho" home appliances
are evolving in the direction of their ideal states.
Imagine the ideal TV set. &ccording to TRIZ! itdoes not materially e,ist b#t! its f#nction of
broadcasting "ith pict#re and so#nd is performed. 6o" is this possible7

4eiko 9pson :orporation .9pson) anno#nced that it #sed its original ink1et printing technology to
s#ccessf#lly develop the "orld's first large;screen .3<;inch) f#ll;color organic light;emitting diode
.0=95) display prototype. This technology prod#ces high >#ality displays "ith thin a <.*mm screen
.like a piece of paper) beca#se it does not need a backlight #nit. 4elf;l#minescent 0=95 displays
offer o#tstanding vie"ing characteristics incl#ding% high contrast! "ide vie"ing angle and fast
response times. These ne" screens are "idely seen as the leading candidate for the ne,t generation
of thin! light"eight displays. 0ne of the ma1or obstacles to their reali-ation! ho"ever! has been the
perceived diffic#lty of forming organic layers on large;si-ed T?T .thin film transistor) s#bstrates.
.?or more information% http%$$""".epson.co.1p$e$ne"sroom$ne"s@*<<3@<A@(B.htm)

The 9pson TV set has appro,imated the ideal by increasing its #sef#l f#nctions and limiting its
overall dimensions and "eight.
TRIZ says the ideal phone set sho#ld not materially e,ist "hile its f#nction of initiating and receiving
information is completed.

& Capanese phone firm! DTT 5o:oEo! created a "rist"atch phone that #ses its o"ner's finger as an
earpiece. The ?inger Fhisper set consists of a "atch;like terminal "ith an embedded microphone
"orn on the "rist that converts voice to vibration thro#gh an act#ator! and channels this vibration
thro#gh the bones to the tip of the inde, finger. Fhen the #ser inserts his finger into his ear canal! the
vibration is heard as a voice. The post#re of the #ser's hand is the same as #sing a cell#lar phone!
beca#se the microphone is located on the inner side of the "rist.
The ?inger Fhisper also eliminates the need for b#ttons by #sing an accelerometer to detect the
tapping action of fingers. :ombinations of the finger tapping se>#ence serve as Eorse code;like
commands s#ch as /talk/ or /hang #p./ Thro#gh a five;stroke tapping se>#ence! appro,imately +<
commands can be iss#ed.

.?or more information% http%$$"ristfashion.com$*<<3$<G$finger;"hisper.)

The phone set moves to"ard ideality by #sing h#man bones as the reso#rces for eliminating
#nnecessary phone parts.
Fhat is an ideal air freshener for rest rooms7 The freshener does not e,ist! b#t its f#nction of
eliminating odors is performed.

&s it t#rns o#t! #sing a light b#lb can do the freshener's "ork. The ne" fl#orescent light b#lb! ?resh*!
is a device that safely breaks do"n odors "hile providing light a healthy alternative to traditional
chemically based air fresheners. Fhen yo# t#rn on the light! ?resh* begins eliminating odors by #sing
HV rays to trigger a photocatalytic process in the titani#m o,ide coating. In addition! since it's a
compact fl#orescent b#lb! it "ill serve longer then conventional incandescent lamps and save money
by eliminating deodori-ers and red#cing energy costs.
.?or more information% http%$$""".fresh*.com)

The #sef#l f#nctions of the light b#lb are increased m#ch more then its cost and therefore! the b#lb's
ideality is also increased.
The concept of increasing the degree of ideality is f#ndamental to the lines of evol#tions of technical systems. TRIZ e,perts and inventors #se this
concept in practical activity "hile forecasting pro1ects for development f#t#re designs of machines and technologies.

Hsing the Ideal ?inal Res#lt for solving concrete problems "as created based on the general concept of the Ideal 4ystem. &ccording to TRIZ! if the
conditions of an inventive problem do not conflict "ith general nat#ral la"s! then the problem "ill have one or more sol#tions that appro,imate the
ideal sol#tion or the Ideal ?inal Res#lt. TRIZ offers several tools for finding these sol#tions. 0ne of them is the algorithm of inventing problem
solving &RIZ. ?or no" "e "ill foc#s on the I?R definition in this algorithmic logic.

Fhen "e solve a problem "ith &RIZ! "e can form#late the statement of the Ideal ?inal Res#lt .I?R) as% /The 4ystem itself performs the re>#ired
f#nction.s) "itho#t harmf#l effects and added complications./ The "ord /itself/ is key to form#lating the I?R that specifies strong direction for f#t#re
researches and eval#ates their acc#racy and >#ality.

By form#lating the Ideal ?inal Res#lt! the inventor defines specifically ho" to increase the beneficial factors and$or eliminate harmf#l factors for solving
the problem. :omparison of the developed ideas "ith the I?R demonstrates "hether the inventor "as right in the choice of the ma1or direction and
physical contradiction. The ideal sol#tion "orks as an e,treme goal. Fe can solve o#r problem easier if "e can see o#r desired sol#tion! i.e.! o#r goal.
It is important for any creative 1ob to kno" the I?R before solving the problem.

&RIZ proposes to #se the concept of Ideal ?inal Res#lt for different levels of the improved system. The first level is related to #sing e,ternal scope and
reso#rces of the system "itho#t any large e,penses. This reso#rce is called the ,;element and it can be some s#bstance or part of e,isting system's
s#rro#ndings incl#ding the s#per;system! environment and by;prod#ct. I?R in that case means that the application of an ,;element sho#ld eliminate a
harmf#l f#nction or negative effect "hile performing the #sef#l f#nction or positive effect "itho#t complicating the system.
Fashing "indo"s is a diffic#lt 1ob! partic#larly for the e,terior of tall b#ildings "ith fi,ed "indo"s. 4ometimes
specially trained and certified people are hired for this diffic#lt 1ob. It is dangero#s and e,pensive "ork. Is it possible
to clean office "indo"s from the inside7

?orm#lating a first;level I?R provides the ne,t model% the ,;element "ill allo" for the cleaning of the e,terior of the
"indo" from inside "itho#t complicating the design of the cleaning system.




Hse a cleaning tool "ith a magnet .,;element) for cleaning the "indo"s. 0ne cleaning part of the tool is located on
the glass s#rface inside the room and has a magnet. &nother part of the tool is installed on the o#tside glass
s#rface opposite the interior! also "ith a magnet. The parts are attached to each other by magnetic force. Fhen
inner tool moves! the e,terior cleaning part moves "ith it.
This magnet;cleaning tool provides sim#ltaneo#s cleaning of both sides of the glass by physically cleaning 1#st one
side "hile physically inside the room.

.?or more information% http%$$eng.bestsme.com$sho"room$man#fact#re$man#fact#re@v.1sp7
top@men#I<AJs#b@men#(I<KJpageI(JidIBB)
Therefore! the second level is improved or intensified from the previo#s I?R beca#se it does not allo" the introd#ction of ne" s#bstances or parts into
the system d#ring problem solving. In this case! the system itself .#sing its o"n reso#rces only) "ill eliminate the harmf#l f#nction and$or #ndesirable
negative effect "hile performing the #sef#l f#nction and$or necessary effect "itho#t complicating the system.
?orm#lating the second;level I?R provides the ne,t model of the sol#tion% the
"indo" itself "ill allo" for the o#tside cleaning of the glass s#rfaces from the
inside of the room "itho#t complicating the "indo" design "hile performing
the typical "indo" f#nction.
Hse sliding "indo"s bet"een t"o moved frames "ith an additional movable slat
for the cleaning foam or br#sh. The cleaning foam or br#sh strips are installed on
the inner s#rfaces of the hori-ontal parts of frames and movable slat. Fhen the
inner frames move together the foam or br#sh strips slide on the o#ter glasses and
provide its cleaning. In this e,ample! the "indo" itself provides self;cleaning and
happens "hen "e are inside the room.


&nother sol#tion is in the second;level I?R! a rotating "indo" frame. ?irst! the
inner s#rface of this "indo" is cleaned. &fter the frame rotates! the o#ter s#rface
can be "ashed from the inside of the room.

.?or more information% http%$$""".h"indo".com$$pages$Fhy.html)
The third level is the highest for the I?R beca#se it form#lates the model of the f#t#re sol#tion for the -one of one element in the system. This -one is
an area in "hich a basic physical contradiction is developed bet"een opposing re>#irements on a physical level. The I?R in this case is% -one of
contradiction itself .#sing reso#rces of this -one only) providing opposite macro or micro physical states or actions indicated in the form#lated
physical contradiction.
?orm#lating the third;level I?R provides the ne,t model of the sol#tion% o#tside
glass s#rface itself breaks do"n the contaminants and self;cleans. This s#rface
does not "orsen the initial glass transparence "ith minimal changes of the
e,isting system.

Lilkington &ctiv glass has a special nano;scale e,tremely thin and transparent
coating of microcrystalline titani#m o,ide that reacts to daylight.

This reaction breaks do"n the dirt on the glass! "itho#t a need for detergent.
Fhen "ater hits it! a hydrophilic effect is created so that "ater and dirt slide off.


The fig#re to the left demonstrates%
( M 5irt! glass! nano;scale &ctiv coating containing microcrystalline titani#m
dio,ide.
* M 4#n shines on "indo". The HV rays trigger a chemical reaction in &ctiv
coating! "hich breaks the adhesion of dirt to the "indo".
+ M Fhen "ater hits the glass a hydrophilic effect is created. Fater spreads
evenly over the s#rface! instead of in droplets. The "ater takes the dirt "ith it as it
r#ns off the "indo".

.?or more information% http%$$"""."indo"stoday.co.#k$self@cleaning@glass.htm)
?orm#lating Ideal ?inal Res#lts different levels helps s#ggest sol#tions for improving the system () #sing the s#per;system reso#rces .,;element)! *)
#sing the system reso#rces .system itself) and +) the application of conflicting -one reso#rces only s#bsystem itself. The e,ploration of the ideal res#lt
is constricted by the e,ternal system to 1#st one element of the system.

The first t"o ideal res#lts are technical ideal final res#lts! beca#se they form#late models of the f#t#re sol#tion on the engineering or technical level.

The I?R for conflicting -ones is a physical ideal final res#lt! beca#se this form#lation is related to the physical level of the f#t#re sol#tion. 5evelopment
of the sol#tion in accordance "ith the physical ideal final res#lt often re>#ires application of special scientific kno"ledge and allo"s getting ne"
sol#tion concepts at the highest possible innovation levels.
Htili-ation of Ideality concept and Ideal ?inal Res#lt are attractive and effective TRIZ tools for problem solving. ?orm#lation of these definitions for
specific problems provides the best direction for the development of concepts that approach the ideal sol#tion "hile minimi-ing e,penses.
Summary
TRIZ methodology is based on the key concept of the Ideality and! s#bse>#ently! on the development of the Ideal ?inal Res#lt. 9laboration of these
statements helps the inventor >#ickly #nderstand his goal d#ring the problem;solving process! organi-e mental reso#rces in the right direction and
lead to strong sol#tion concepts "ith the minimal "aste of time and money.
Practical Work

Quiz
Fhat kinds of I?R .of s#per;system! system or s#b;system) are #sed in the problem solving sit#ations described belo"7
Problem
4ometimes it is hard to bend over to tie a
shoelace. 6o" can "e solve that problem7
4hoelaces sho#ld be tied to keep yo#r shoes on yo#r feet. :hange the shoelaces to black elastic bands. This "ay yo# never ever have to bend over
to tie shoelaces again.

Problem
6o" can yo# avoid leaking "ater d#e to the e,cessive condensation of moist#re on
the cold pipes of air conditioners! refrigerators or cold "ater pipes7
Frap the pipes that contain the most condensation on them "ith t"o or three layers of cotton cloth to prevent the condensation from leading to
leaking.

About the Author:
Val Kraev is the chief TRIZ officer of the Technical Innovation :enter in Forcester! E&! H4&! and has contrib#ted several very val#able case st#dies
to The TRIZ Co#rnal. :ontact Val Kraev at kraev .at) tri-.org or visit http%$$""".tri-.org.
Tree !ome Pro"lems #or TRI$ Ideality A%%lication

Coca-Cola Problem
If "e do not drink a "hole bottle of :oca;:ola and place it into the refrigerator! the rest of aerated
beverage "ill lose gas and its optimal taste. 6o" can "e overcome this loss of carbonation and good
taste by #sing ideality principle7
Shovel Problem
Fhile shoveling footpaths in "inter! the sno" and especially sleet sticks to the shovel. The
shovel becomes heavy "ith the e,tra "eight and it is harder to shovel. :leaning the shovel
every time yo# scoop is also an #npleasant and ard#o#s task. 6o" can "e solve this problem
approaching ideality7
Bench Problem
&fter rain or sno"! the o#tside bench is "et for several ho#rs and cannot be #sed.
6o" can "e protect a street bench from the rain or sno" and provide a dry and
comfortable seat after a rain sho"er by applying the Ideal ?inal Res#lt7