Boundary Sample Selection for Device Deterioration Assessment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Outdoor devices such as transformers with metal housings deteriorate due to moisture and salt exposure, leading to rust and impaired durability, with workers sometimes incorrectly deciding to discard or reuse devices, resulting in increased operational costs and potential public safety issues.
Innovation Solution
A method involving deterioration acceleration treatments to determine the reuse threshold of devices by calculating an upper limit of deterioration based on new and repaired device trends, selecting a boundary sample indicating the limit state for device reuse, and registering this standard in a database for informed decision-making.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a worker determines whether to discard or reuse a device based on personal judgment, then the decision process is simple and quick, but the accuracy of the decision deteriorates leading to incorrect reuse or disposal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary deterioration acceleration treatments on sample devices before establishing the boundary sample criteria. By pre-testing and pre-establishing the boundary sample based on accelerated aging data, the system prepares decision-making standards in advance, eliminating the need for complex real-time judgments while ensuring accurate reuse decisions
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a boundary sample that serves as a reference model representing the maximum acceptable deterioration level. Workers can directly compare actual devices against this copied standard rather than making subjective judgments, ensuring consistent and accurate decision-making without requiring complex evaluation processes
2Reliability
If a worker with little knowledge discards a reusable device, then the risk of using defective devices is reduced, but operational cost increases due to premature disposal
Solution Approach 1:
The boundary sample serves as a reference model that captures the maximum acceptable deterioration level. By comparing actual devices against this standardized reference, the system enables accurate assessment of device condition, ensuring that reusable devices are not prematurely discarded while maintaining safety standards
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the abstract concept of device condition into a quantifiable parameter by measuring deterioration extent and comparing it against the boundary sample's deterioration level. This parameter-based approach converts subjective judgment into objective measurement, enabling cost-effective reuse decisions without compromising reliability
3Loss of energy
If a worker with little knowledge reuses a device that should be discarded, then operational cost is reduced, but the risk of device failure and public disaster increases
Solution Approach 1:
The boundary sample provides a standardized reference that clearly defines the maximum acceptable deterioration level. Workers can objectively compare actual devices against this reference model, ensuring that devices exceeding the boundary are not reused, thereby preventing safety incidents while avoiding unnecessary disposal of still-functional devices
Solution Approach 2:
The system establishes a clear feedback mechanism where device condition is assessed against the boundary sample standard. This feedback loop provides workers with objective criteria for decision-making, reducing reliance on personal judgment and ensuring consistent safety standards are applied across all reuse decisions
4Measurement precision
If deterioration acceleration treatment is performed on new and repaired devices, then the deterioration trend can be accurately determined, but the time and resources required for testing increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies deterioration acceleration treatment that modifies environmental parameters (temperature, humidity, salt concentration) to speed up the deterioration process. By changing these parameters, the system achieves in compressed time what would normally take years of natural exposure, enabling rapid acquisition of accurate deterioration trends for establishing boundary samples
Data Source
AI summary
A method is used for selecting a boundary sample. The method includes acquiring a deterioration trend of a new device by performing a deterioration acceleration treatment to the new device, acquiring deterioration trends of a plurality of repaired devices which have been repaired after long-term use by performing a deterioration acceleration treatment to the plurality of repaired devices, calculating an upper limit of deterioration of the repaired device based on the deterioration trend of the new device, and selecting a boundary sample indicating a limit state in which the device can be reused as a standard of reuse of the device by specifying a repaired device having the largest deterioration among the repaired devices having a deterioration not larger than the upper limit.