nach oben

Research in Engineering Design

Erschienen in:

22.08.2017 | Original Paper

The growing complexity in invention process

verfasst von: Jianxi Luo, Kristin L. Wood

Erschienen in: Research in Engineering Design | Ausgabe 4/2017

Einloggen

Aktivieren Sie unsere intelligente Suche, um passende Fachinhalte oder Patente zu finden.

search-config

KI-gestützte Suche

Aus

Abstract

Technological and design process complexities may pose challenges to engineering design and related outcomes through invention. Understanding the trends related to the complexity of inventions and invention processes is crucial for informing engineering design research and education for invention, but has not been formally developed in the design literature. Herein, we utilize a set of patent-based metrics, drawn from complex systems research and engineering design research, to detect various aspects of the complexity in invention processes. By an analysis of U.S. patents from 1975 to 2011, our results suggest that technology inventions have been increasingly (1) requiring larger teams and more distant collaboration, (2) integrating a growing base of prior technologies, and (3) delivering more systemic and integrative new technologies. These trends may positively reinforce each other so as to contribute to a continual growth of the complexity in invention processes. Individual productivity for invention is also in decline, as we measured from the patent data. These findings suggest the increasing importance of research, education and application of complex system analysis methods and tools to control and manage the complexity in invention processes.

Vorheriger Artikel What is a reference?

Nächster Artikel Bayesian network approach to change propagation analysis

Sie haben noch keine Lizenz? Dann Informieren Sie sich jetzt über unsere Produkte:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 102.000 Bücher
über 537 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Automobil + Motoren
Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
Finance + Banking
Management + Führung
Marketing + Vertrieb
Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe
Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

Jetzt informieren

Springer Professional "Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 67.000 Bücher
über 390 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Automobil + Motoren
Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

Jetzt informieren

In early 2013, The Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy (COSEPUP) of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), National Academy of Engineering (NAE), and Institute of Medicine (IoM) hosted a pair of workshops entitled “Trends in the Innovation Ecosystem: Can Past Successes Help Inform Future Strategies?” to discuss the challenges involved in innovation pathways and the key factors for innovation successes. The first workshop was held in Palo Alto, California on February 26, 2013; the second workshop was held in Washington, DC on May 20, 2013. Both workshops included diverse speakers and discussants from industries, government agencies and universities, to share and debate on the views of the key factors and trends in innovation, with a US focus together with global views.

Mann–Whitney U-test gives p value < 0.0001 for the difference.

Patent #7581231 is entitled “Computing system and method for allowing plurality of applications written in different programming languages to communicate and request resources or services via a common language runtime layer,” and is assigned to “Microsoft Corporation (Redmond, WA)”.

Mann–Whitney U-test gives p-value < 0.0001 for the difference.

Patent #7981455 is entitled “Automated food processing system and method,” and is assigned to “Restaurant Technology, Inc. (Oak Brook, IL)”.

Patent #7901365 is entitled “Method and apparatus for penetrating tissue,” and is assigned to “Pelikan Technologies, Inc. (Palo Alto, CA)”.

Different from scientific paper citations, patent citations are primarily added by patent examiners, who are independent, disinterested experts and assign citations based on the relevance of content (Alcacer and Gittelman 2006).

Ackoff RL (1971) Towards a system of systems concepts. Manag Sci 17(11):661–671CrossRef

Albrecht AJ, Gaffney JE Jr (1983) Software function, source lines of code, and development effort prediction: a software science validation. IEEE Trans Softw Eng 9(6):639–648CrossRef

Alcacer J, Gittelman M (2006) Patent citations as a measure of knowledge flows: the influence of examiner citations. Rev Econ Stat 88:74–779CrossRef

Allaire D, He Q, Deyst J, Willcox K (2012) An information-theoretic metric of system complexity with application to engineering system design. J Mech Des 134:100906-1CrossRef

Allen RC (1983) Collective invention. J Econ Behav Organ 4:1–24CrossRef

Alstott J, Triulzi G, Yan B, Luo J (2015) Predicting invention with technology networks, 2015 conference for complex systems, Tempe, Arizona

Alstott J, Triulzi G, Yan B, Luo J (2017) Mapping technology space by normalizing technology relatedness networks. Scientometrics 110(1):443–479CrossRef

Altshuller GS (ed) (1984) Creativity as an exact science—the theory of the solution of inventive problems. Gordon and Breach Publishers, Luxembourg

Altshuller GS (1990) The art of inventing (and suddenly the inventor appeared). Technical Innovation Center, Worcester

Altshuller GS, Shapiro RB (1956) O Пcиxoлoгии изoбpeтaтeльcкoгo твopчecтвa (On the psychology of inventive creation)(in Russian). Boпpocы Пcиxoлoгии (The Psychological Issues) 6:37–39

Ameri F, Summers J, Mocko G, Porter M (2008) Engineering design complexity: an experimental study of methods and measures. Res Eng Des 19:161–179CrossRef

Anderson PW (1972) More is different. Science 177:393–396CrossRef

Arthur B (1999) Complexity and the economy. Science 284:107–109CrossRef

Arthur B (2007) The structure of invention. Res Policy 36:274–287CrossRef

Arthur B (2009) The nature of technology. Free Press, New York

Badii R, Politi A (1997) Complexity: hierarchical structure and scaling in physics. Cambridge University Press, CambridgeCrossRefMATH

Basberg BL (1987) Patents and the measurement of technological change: a survey of the literature. Res Policy 16:131–141CrossRef

Bashir HA, Thomson V (1999) Estimating design complexity. J Eng Des 10(3):247–257CrossRef

Bearden DA (2003) A complexity-based risk assessment of low-cost planetary missions: when is a mission too fast and too cheap? Acta Astronaut 52(2):371–379CrossRef

Bennett CH (1990) How to define complexity in physics, and why. In: Zurek WH (ed) Complexity, entropy, and the physics of information. Addison-Wesley, Reading, pp 443–454

Bergek A, Bruzelius M (2010) Are patents with multiple inventors from different countries a good indicator of international R&D collaboration? The case of ABB. Res Policy 39:1321–1334CrossRef

Blanchard BS, Fabrycky WJ, Fabrycky WJ (1990) Systems engineering and analysis. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs

Braha D, Bar-Yam Y (2007) The statistical mechanics of complex product development: empirical and analytical results. Manag Sci 53(7):1127–1145CrossRefMATH

Braha D, Maimon O (1998) The measurement of a design structural and functional complexity. IEEE Trans Syst Man Cybern Part A 28(4):527–535CrossRefMATH

Browning T, Eppinger S (2012) Design structure matrix. The MIT Press, Cambridge

Bunch B, Hellemans A (2004) The history of science and technology. Houghton Mifflin Co, New York

Campbell RS (1983) Patent trends as a technological forecasting tool. World Patent Inf 5:37–143CrossRef

Cardin MA (2014) Enabling flexibility in engineering systems: a taxonomy of procedures and a design framework. J Mech Des 136(1):011005CrossRef

Cascini G, Russo D (2007) Computer-aided analysis of patents and search for TRIZ contradictions. Int J Prod Dev 4:52–67CrossRef

Charkarabarti AK, Dror I, Nopphdol E (1993) Interorganizational transfer of knowledge: an analysis of patent citations of a defense firm. IEEE Trans Eng Manag 40:91–94CrossRef

Chessa A, Morescalchi A, Pammolli F, Penner O, Petersen AM, Riccaboni M (2013) Is europe evolving toward an integrated research area? Science 339:650–651CrossRef

COSEPUP—The Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine (2013) Trends in the Innovation Ecosystem: Can Past Successes Help Inform Future Strategies? Summary of Two Workshops. The National Academies Press, Washington, DC

de Neufville R, Scholtes S (2011) Flexibility in engineering design. MIT Press, Cambridge

de Solla Price DJ (1965) Networks of scientific papers. Science 149:510–515CrossRef

de Weck O, Roos D, Magee CL (2011) Engineering systems: meeting human needs in a complex technological world. MIT Press, Cambridge

Enos JL (1962) Invention and innovation in petroleum refining industry. Natl Bur Econ Res 1211:299–322

Fleming L, Sorenson O (2001) Technology as a complex adaptive system: evidence from patent data. Res Policy 30:1019–1039CrossRef

Fu K, Chan J, Cagan J, Kotovsky K, Schunn C, Wood K (2013) Discovering structure in design databases through functional and surface based mapping. ASME J Mech Des 135:031006CrossRef

Fu K, Murphy J, Otto K, Yang M, Jensen D, Wood KL (2014) Design-by-analogy: experimental evaluation of a functional analogy search methodology for concept generation improvement. Res Eng Des 26(1):77–95CrossRef

Fu K, Yang M, Wood KL (2016) Design principles: literature review, analysis, and future directions. ASME J Mech Des 138(10):101103CrossRef

Funk J, Luo J (2015) Open standards, vertical Disintegration and entrepreneurial opportunities: how vertically-specialized firms entered the U.S. semiconductor industry. Technovation 45(46):52–62CrossRef

Griffin A (1997) The effect of project and process characteristics on product development cycle time. J Mark Res 34(1):24–35CrossRef

Griliches Z (1990) Patent statistics as economic indicators: a survey. J Econ Lit 28:1661–1707

Hagedoorn J (2002) Inter-firm R&D partnerships: an overview of major trends and patterns since 1960. Res Policy 31:477–492CrossRef

Hall BH, Jaffe A, Trajtenberg M (2005) Market value and patent citations. Rand J Econ 36(1):16–38

He Y, Luo J (2017) Novelty, conventionality, and value of invention. In: Proceedings of the seventeenth international conference on design computing and cognition (DCC)

Hirtz J, Stone R, McAdams D, Szykman S, Wood K (2002) A functional basis for engineering design: reconciling and evolving p0revious efforts. Res Eng Des 13(2):65–82CrossRef

Holtta KMM, Otto KN (2005) Incorporating design effort complexity measures in product architectural design and assessment. Des Stud 26(5):463–485CrossRef

Huebner J (2005) A possible declining trend for worldwide innovation. Technol Forecast Soc Change 72:980–986CrossRef

Jaffe B, Trajtenberg M, Henderson R (1993) Geographic localization of knowledge spillovers as evidenced by patent citations. Q J Econ 108:577–598CrossRef

Jewkes J, Sawers D, Stillerman R (1958) The sources of invention, 1st edn. Macmillan, New York

Jones BF (2009) The burden of knowledge and the death of the Renaissance man: is innovation getting harder? Rev Econ Stud 76(1):283–317CrossRefMATH

Jones B, Wuchty S, Uzzi B (2008) Multi-university research teams: shifting impact, geography, and stratification in science. Science 322:1259–1262CrossRef

Koh H, Magee CL (2006) A functional approach for studying technological progress: application to information technology. Technol Forecast Soc Change 73:1061–1083CrossRef

Koh H, Magee CL (2008) A functional approach for studying technological progress: extension to energy technology. Technol Forecast Soc Change 75:735–758CrossRef

Kurtoglu T, Tumer IY (2008) A graph-based fault identification and propagation framework for functional design of complex systems. J Mech Des 130(5):051401CrossRef

Levin R, Klevorick A, Nelson R, Winter S (1987) Appropriating the returns from industrial research and development. Brook Pap Econ Act Microecon 3:783–820CrossRef

Luo J (2010) Hierarchy in industry architecture: transaction strategy under technological constraints. MIT Doctoral Dissertation, pp 41–44

Luo J (2015a) The united innovation process: integrating science, design and entrepreneurship as sub-processes. Des Sci 1:e2CrossRef

Luo J (2015b) A simulation-based method to evaluate the impact of product architecture on product evolvability. Res Eng Des 26:355–371CrossRef

Magee C, Frey D, Wood KL (2013) Advancing design research: a ‘Big-D’ design perspective. In: International conference on research into design (ICoRD’13). Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, Chennai

Meyer MH, Utterback JM (1995) Product development cycle time and commercial success. IEEE Trans Eng Manag 42(4):297–304CrossRef

Mukherjea S, Bhuvan B, Kankar P (2005) Information retrieval and knowledge discovery utilizing a biomedical patent semantic web. IEEE Trans Knowl Data Eng 17:1099–1110CrossRef

Murmann PA (1994) Expected development time reductions in the German mechanical engineering industry. J Prod Innov Manag 11(3):236–252CrossRef

Nelson R, Winter S (1982) An evolutionary theory of economic change. Harvard University Press, Cambridge

Newman MEJ (2011) Complex systems: a survey. Am J Phys 79:800–810CrossRef

Novak S, Eppinger SD (2004) Sourcing by design: product complexity and the supply chain. Manag Sci 47(1):189–204CrossRef

Otto KN, Wood K (2001) Product design: techniques in reverse engineering, systematic design, and new product development. Prentice-Hall, New York

Otto KN, Camburn B, Wood KL, Bouffanais R, Kyoseva E, Low HY, Poletti D, Simpson R, Nannicini G, Yong J, Mathur A (2014) Integrated 2D design in the curriculum: effectiveness of cross-subject engineering challenges. In: ASEE annual conference

Pahl G, Beitz W, Feldhusen J, Grote KH (2007) Engineering design: a systematic approach, vol 157. Springer, BerlinCrossRef

Palani Rajan PK, Van Wie M, Campbell MI, Wood KL, Otto KN (2005) An empirical foundation for product flexibility. Des Stud 26(4):405–438CrossRef

Pavitt K (1985) Patent statistics as indicators of innovative activities: possibilities and problems. Scientometrics 7:77–79CrossRef

DARPA META Report (2011) Accessible at the web page: http://www.darpa.mil/Our_Work/TTO/Programs/AVM/AVM_Design_Tools_(META).aspx

Ruths J, Ruths D (2014) Control profiles of complex networks. Science 343(6177):1373–1376MathSciNetCrossRefMATH

Sage AP, Rouse WB (2009) Handbook of systems engineering and management. Wiley, Berlin

Sahal D (1981) Patterns of technological innovation. Addison-Wesley, Reading

Shannon CE (1948) A mathematical theory of communication. Bell Syst Tech J 27: 379–423 and 623–656

Simon H (1962) The architecture of complexity. Proc Am Philos Soc 106(6):467–482

Simon HA (1996) The sciences of the artificial, 3rd edn. MIT Press, Cambridge

Simpson T, Jiao J, Siddique Z, Hölttä-Otto K (2014) Advances in product family and product platform design: methods and applications (eds). Springer, Berlin

Sinha R, Paredis CJ, Liang VC, Khosla PK (2001) Modeling and simulation methods for design of engineering systems. J Comput Inf Sci Eng 1(1):84–91CrossRef

Sinha K, Omer H, de Weck O (2013) Structural complexity: quantification, validation, and its systemic implications for engineered complex systems. In: Proceedings of international conference on engineering design, 19–22 August, 2013, Seoul, Korea

Song B, Luo J (2017) Identifying patent precedents for engineering design: an iterative heuristic method of mining text, citation and inventor information. In: ASME international design engineering technology conference, August 6–9, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

Song B, Triulzi G, Alstott J, Yan B, Luo J (2016) Overlay patent network for analyzing design space evolution: the case of hybrid electrical vehicles. In: 14th international design conference, May 16–19, Cavtat, Dubrovnik, Croatia

Sosa ME, Eppinger SD, Rowles CM (2007) A network approach to define modularity of components in complex products. J Mech Des 129(11):1118–1129CrossRef

Srinivasan V, Song B, Luo J, Subburaj K, Elara MR, Blessing L, Wood K (2017) Investigating effects of stimuli on ideation outcomes. ICED17: 21st International conference on engineering design, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, 21–25 Aug 2017

Stone RB, Wood KL, Crawford RH (2000) A heuristic method to identify modules from a functional description of a product. Des Stud 21(1):5–31CrossRef

Stone RB, Tumer IY, Van Wie M (2005) The function-failure design method. J Mech Des 127(3):397–407CrossRef

Suh N (2001) Axiomatic design: advances and applications. Oxford University Press, New York

Summers J, Shah J (2010) Mechanical engineering design complexity metrics: size, coupling, and solvability. J Mech Des 132(2):021004-1CrossRef

Szykman S, Sriram RD, Bochenek C, Racz JW, Senfaute J (2000) Design repositories: engineering design’s new knowledge base. IEEE Intell Syst 15:48–55CrossRef

Telenko C, Camburn B, Wood KL, Holtta-Otto K, Otto K (2014) Designettes: new approaches to multidisciplinary engineering design education. In: Proceedings of the ASME 2014 international design engineering technical conferences & computers and information in engineering conference, pp 35137

Telenko C, Sosa R, Wood KL (2014b) Changing conversations and perceptions: the research and practice of design science. In: Lindeman U, Chakrabarti A (eds) Chapter: impact of design research on practice (IDRP). Springer, Berlin

Tilstra A, Seepersad C, Wood KL (2012) High definition design structure matrix for quantitative assessment of product architecture. J Eng Des 23(10–11):767–789CrossRef

Triulzi G, Alstott J, Luo J (2016) Predicting inventor movements. In: ModSTI: modelling science, technology, and innovation conference. National Academy of Sciences, Washington DC, 17 May, 2016

Uzzi B, Mukherjee S, Stringer M, Jones B (2013) Atypical combinations and scientific impact. Science 342:468–472CrossRef

Vest CM (2009) Grand challenges and engineering systems: inspiring and educating the next generation. In: Presentation given at the 2009 annual meeting of council of engineering systems universities, Cambridge, MA

Wuchty S, Jones B, Uzzi B (2007) The increasing dominance of teams in production of knowledge. Science 316:1036–1039CrossRef

Yan B, Luo J (2017a) Measuring technological distances for patent mapping. J Assoc Inf Sci Technol 68(2):423–437CrossRef

Yan B, Luo J (2017b) Filtering technology networks for predicting technology diversification of inventors and organizations. In: J Assoc Inf Sci Technol (In press)

Titel: The growing complexity in invention process
verfasst von: Jianxi Luo
Kristin L. Wood
Publikationsdatum: 22.08.2017
Verlag: Springer London
Erschienen in: Research in Engineering Design / Ausgabe 4/2017
Print ISSN: 0934-9839
Elektronische ISSN: 1435-6066
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00163-017-0266-3

Premium Partner

Marktübersichten

Die im Laufe eines Jahres in der „adhäsion“ veröffentlichten Marktübersichten helfen Anwendern verschiedenster Branchen, sich einen gezielten Überblick über Lieferantenangebote zu verschaffen.

Zur Marktübersicht

Springer Professional

Abstract

Bitte loggen Sie sich ein, um Zugang zu Ihrer Lizenz zu erhalten.

Sie haben noch keine Lizenz? Dann Informieren Sie sich jetzt über unsere Produkte:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Springer Professional "Technik"

Weitere Artikel der Ausgabe 4/2017

Design Verification through virtual prototyping techniques based on Systems Engineering

Bayesian network approach to change propagation analysis

Should we manage the process of inventing? Designing for patentability

What is a reference?

Development and presentation of the first design process model for sports equipment design

Design for excess capability to handle uncertain product requirements in a developing world setting

Premium Partner

Marktübersichten