We love to take things apart!
We learn a lot by taking things apart. Our lab and storage areas stock many pieces and parts of former products for comparative reference and prototyping components. Constantly striving to avoid re-inventing the wheel, we capitalize on past experiences of others to assist in new developments. Our hands on approach also teaches us how interrelated products are. Oftentimes, components developed for one industry find use in many other industries.
Reverse Engineering for Product Development
Our product development reverse engineering services are dedicated to understanding how existing products are designed and operate. As we embark on a new design effort, we like to review previous designs from the client and competitors. The goal is to reduce the development time by reusing proven functions while identifying potential problems seen in prior generations.
Reverse Engineering for Competitive Analysis
A competitive analysis compares your product to your competition's products based on price and features. As we prepare a competitive analysis for your product, we take a hard look at the market segment and the key features demanded by the market. We compare features based on:
- Each feature's value to the overall product.
- Effectiveness, quality and/or performance of each feature.
- Missing or deficient features.
Reverse Engineering for Patent Infringement
Reverse engineering for patent infringement requires that we compare and contrast a product's design features to specific patent claims. Since patent claims are very specific, we prepare claim charts to document evidence of use according to each claim limitation. Once a claim chart is competed, it becomes clearer how closely a given product matches patent claims.
- Understanding how the product works in comparison to the patent.
- Is the product using novel methods or components provided by the patent?
- Are the practices involved in it's production applicable to other potentially infringing products?
- Can we collect evidence of use for possible patent infringement and/or patent valuation.
- Preparing claim charts for documenting features according to patent claims.
- Analyzing a patent family looking for potential intellectual property opportunities.
In our engineering laboratory, we can document the details of a product's assembly and operation with pictures, schematics and oscilloscope traces. Using Adobe's Creative Suite, we prepare formal reports documenting our observations. If patent usage is of interest, we can prepare evidence of use and claim charts to document potential patent infringements, patent avoidance techniques and novelty areas where an invention may be claimed.
Did you know that a front loading washing machine contains a 3-phase induction motor?
This three phase induction motor and variable speed controller came from a high efficiency front loading washing machine. The machine came to Marcotte Enterprises to evaluate a defective wash basin. The machine failed because acidic tap water corroded an aluminum frame that attached the stainless steel basket to the propulsion shaft. Over time, the aluminum frame corroded beyond the breaking point. As we dismantled the machine for scrap, we pulled the motor and controller aside. Unlike the wash basket design, the motor control design is nicely done.
The motor is a three phase motor with the controller providing pulse width modulated (PWM) phasing of the motor windings. The three phase approach has become common in motors where speed and direction control methods are desired. The Analog Devices motor microcontroller IC receives inputs from the timer and various machine sensors. These signals tell the controller to rotate clockwise or counter clockwise and it operates the motor at different speeds depending upon the wash cycle. There are even modes where the motor reverses direction back and forth to "tumble" the clothes. The microcontroller drives three sets of half bridge IGBT transistors through a commonly used International Rectifier half bridge driver IC. The controller receives 110V AC, rectifies it to DC, with the rectified minus (-) side being the "ground" of the circuit. Thus saving the cost of isolating the system. Surprisingly, this controller does not utilize a power factor correcting (PFC) front end despite it's high power consumption.