Knowledge based approach for identifying TRIZ contradictions

Solving ill-defined problems is a complex activity governed by the search for knowledge. The contribution of this article consists of an algorithm for problem analysis and a discussion on the role the knowledge plays in such an analysis. The authors propose, (1) an algorithm guiding the user to move from an indefinite problem situation to obtain a clearer problem formulation, following a process inspired to the ARIZ approach for fixing physical contradictions, and (2) some strategies and tools for selecting, acquiring and finally modeling necessary information to improve the effectiveness in building the contradiction model. All those strategies have been implemented in a knowledge management tool called KOM, working as an automatic patent searching engine based on functional oriented search. An exemplary application is presented to exp