Fault monitoring systems and methods for detecting connectivity faults

A fault monitoring system for detecting connectivity faults in a device control center, the device control center including at least one control section configured to control a supply of electrical power from a power source to a respective at least one device, the or each control section being electrically connected between the power source and the respective device at least at a first pair of terminals, one of the first pair of terminals connecting the control section to the power source side of a first power line and the other of the first pair of terminals connecting the control section to the device side of the first power line such that the control section completes the power circuit of the device, the fault monitoring system comprising:

• for the or each control section, at least a first pair of temperature sensors, one of the first pair of temperature sensors being adapted to detect a temperature of one of the first pair of terminals (TL1-IN), and the other of the first pair of temperature sensors being adapted to detect a temperature of the other of the first pair of terminals (TL1-OUT);
• a processor configured to receive the detected temperatures, calculate an IN-OUT difference, the IN-OUT difference being a difference between the temperatures of the first pair of terminals (ΔTL1), compare the calculated IN-OUT difference with a predetermined threshold value (ΔT*L1), whereby if the calculated IN-OUT difference (ΔTL1) greater than the predetermined threshold value (ΔT*L1), this is indicative of a connectivity fault at one of the first pair of terminals, and to generate at least one output signal based on results of the comparison;
• and
• an output module adapted to receive the output signal(s) generated by the processor and to communicate the output signal(s) externally.