1. School of Mechanical Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300401, China 2. National Engineering Research Center for Technological Innovation Method and Tool, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300401, China 3. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada
Product innovation is often a process for improving existing products. Low-end disruptive innovation (LDI) enables a product to meet the most price-sensitive customers in the low-end market. The existing LDI methods are mainly based on unnecessary characteristics of disruptive innovations. Thus, they cannot easily identify and respond to the LDI design needs. This study proposes a hybrid method for the product LDI in two levels of the product design based on the summarized definition and essential characteristics of LDI. Feasible areas of the product LDI are determined using a hybrid relational function model to identify the maturity of dominant technologies. The technologies are identified through the technical search and evaluation of the feasible area for innovation to form an initial LDI scheme. Then, the product function is optimized using the trimming concept of theory of inventive problem solving based on the characteristics of LDI. The final LDI scheme is formed and evaluated based on the essential characteristics of the product LDI. The feasibility of the proposed method is verified in the design of a new dropping pill machine.
Trim it. When an object component of the function is not needed by the system, the function carrier is deleted.
No
X
Trim function is performed by the function carrier. If the function carried out by the function carrier is no longer needed, it is deleted, and then the function carrier is also deleted.
B
The function performed by the function carrier is performed by the object component itself. If a system function can be executed by the target component, the original function carrier is trimmed.
Internal component of the system
C1
Function performed by the function carrier is performed by other components. If the system function can be executed by other components in the system, the original function carrier is trimmed, and the function is performed by other components in the system.
C2
Function performed by the function carrier is performed by the supersystem component. If the system function can be executed by the supersystem, the function carrier is trimmed, and the function is executed by the supersystem.
Component of the supersystem
Tab.1
Fig.3
Working voltage
Power
Diameter of dropping pills
Yield
Contour size
Weight
380 V
1.8 kW
0.5–5 mm
10000 pills/h
950 mm × 850 mm × 1900 mm
500 kg
Tab.2
Fig.4
Fig.5
Fig.6
Subfunction list
Performance indicators
Expectant performance rank
Transport liquid medicine
Rate of flow
0.1
Reliability
0.8
Drop liquid medicine
Rate of flow
0.1
Reliability
0.8
Tab.3
Fig.7
Fig.8
Component
Component importance
Agitator
?5.00
Medicine tank
8.00
Oil tank
4.06
Heating oil
4.37
Electric heater 1
4.06
Temperature sensor 1
2.63
Pressure sensor 1
0.00
Touch screen
0.19
Conveyor
2.00
Screen mesh
3.00
Temperature sensor 2
2.81
Circulating heating oil pump
?3.00
Liquid level sensor
0.00
Peristaltic pump
10.00
Processor
20.50
Dripper
10.00
Electric heater 2
8.75
Cooling oil
10.00
Circulating cooling oil pump
4.38
Temperature sensor 4
2.62
Cooling column
4.38
Electric heater 3
4.38
Heat exchanger
4.38
Tab.4
Fig.9
Subfunctions
Functional role coefficient
Subfunction list
Performance indicators
Expectant performance rank
Dominant subfunctions
Melt medicine
Heating time
0.6
?
?
Reliability
0.5
?
Transport liquid medicine
Rate of flow
0.1
?
?
Reliability
0.8
?
Drop liquid medicine
Rate of flow
0.1
?
?
Reliability
0.8
?
Cool pills
Cooling time
0.5
?
?
Reliability
0.5
Secondary subfunctions
Store medicine
Capacity
0.1
?
Collect pills
Capacity
0.1
?
Control system
Reliability
0.5
Tab.5
Fig.10
Fig.11
Variables
ith function level of the component-function model of the initial scheme
Local value difference of the jth local value
Function set of the hierarchical function model of the original product
Component-function-related problem function set of the original product
Function set of the component-function model of the original product
Useful function or component-related function set of the original product
Subfunction set of the original product
Function set of the component-function model of the initial scheme
Subfunction set of the initial scheme
, ,
Dominant, secondary, and equipped subfunction sets of the original product, respectively
Technology-related but component-independent function set
Function area set of potential LDI technologies
jth function of LDI potential technology function area set
Function point set of potential LDI technologies
, ,
Dominant, secondary, and equipped subfunction sets of the initial scheme, respectively
, ,
Functional role coefficient of dominant, secondary, and equipped subfunctions, respectively
,
Knowledges required to build the hierarchical and hybrid relational function models, respectively
Knowledge to decide the maturity of dominant technologies
Knowledge to build the component-function model
Knowledge to form the initial scheme
Knowledge to optimize functions of the initial scheme
,
Value and cost ratios of the original to the new product, respectively
m
Number of the initial scheme components
,
Hierarchical and hybrid relational function models of the original product, respectively
Component-function model of the original product
n
Number of the original product components
Importance degree of the kth component in the initial scheme
,
Component sets of the original product and initial scheme, respectively
, ,
Component sets of the dominant, secondary, and equipped subfunctions in the initial scheme, respectively
Value of the original product
,
Local values of the jth function before and after the new technology replacement, respectively
Value of the final design scheme
Final design scheme of product LDI
Initial scheme of product LDI
Total cost of the original product
Total cost of dominant subfunctions associated with the jth function before the new technology replacement
Total cost of the new product
Evaluation value of component functions
, ,
Evaluation values of the kth component functions associated with dominant, secondary, and equipped subfunctions, respectively
, ,
Rank sums of performance indicators of dominant, secondary, and equipped subfunctions, respectively
Rank sum of performance indicators of dominant subfunctions associated with the jth function before the new technology replacement
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