# US 12,560,641 B2 · Method of monitoring reliability of system including electrical components > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,560,641 B2 - Document ID: US12560641B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/491,766 - Filed: 2023-10-21 - Published: 2024-05-09 - Granted: 2026-02-24 - Earliest claimed: 2022-10-21 - Assignees: Aptiv Technologies AG - Applicants: Aptiv Technologies AG - Inventors: Markus Heinrich; Guillaume Tournabien - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12560641B2 ## CPC - G01K 7/42: Circuits effecting compensation of thermal inertia; Circuits for predicting the stationary value of a temperature - G01R 31/2628: {for measuring thermal properties thereof} - G01K 3/005: {Circuits arrangements for indicating a predetermined temperature (fire detection G08B17/00)} - G01R 31/005: {Testing of electric installations on transport means} - G01K 3/08: giving differences of values (using thermoelectric elements G01K7/02); giving differentiated values - G01K: MEASURING TEMPERATURE; MEASURING QUANTITY OF HEAT; THERMALLY-SENSITIVE ELEMENTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (radiation pyrometry G01J5/00) - G01R: MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES (indicating correct tuning of resonant circuits H03J3/12) ## Abstract A system includes at least one electrical component. A method of monitoring reliability of the system includes receiving input data including electrical characteristics of the at least one electrical component. The method includes processing the input data using a stored thermal model representing heat transfer for the at least one electrical component to determine temperature information of the at least one electrical component. The method includes monitoring the reliability of the system using the determined temperature information. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of monitoring reliability of a system including a plurality of electrical components, the method comprising: for each electrical component of the plurality of electrical components: receiving input data including at least two of: a voltage across the electrical component, a current through the electrical component, and an electrical resistance value of the electrical component, and processing the input data using a stored thermal model representing heat transfer for the electrical component to determine a temperature difference of the electrical component relative to a reference temperature, wherein the heat transfer refers to heat flow between a first point of the electrical component, where a temperature is to be estimated, and a second point at the reference temperature; monitoring the reliability of the system based on output data of the processing; comparing output data from processing the input data with a threshold value to detect an abnormality in the system; and in response to detecting the abnormality in the system, turning off at least one electrical component of the plurality of electrical components, wherein the processing is first performed for a first electrical component of the plurality of electrical components and includes estimating an electrical current value based on the determined temperature difference of the first electrical component, and wherein the processing is then performed for a second electrical component of the plurality of electrical components using the estimated electrical current value as input data. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein processing the input data includes estimating an electrical power dissipated by the electrical component. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein: receiving the input data further includes retrieving from memory a stored maximal ambient temperature that is expected near the electrical component; and the method includes determining the reference temperature based on the stored maximal ambient temperature. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein: a sensor and the electrical component are mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB); receiving the input data includes receiving a measured temperature from the sensor; and the method includes determining the reference temperature based on the measured temperature. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein: receiving and processing the input data are performed iteratively to determine, at each iteration, a value of an incremental temperature variation of the electrical component relative to the reference temperature, over a time step; and processing the input data includes accumulating successive values of incremental temperature variation to estimate a value of the temperature difference. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5 further comprising estimating, at each iteration, an electrical resistance value of the electrical component based on the reference temperature and the estimated value of the temperature difference. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6 wherein the estimated value of the electrical resistance is used as input data at an immediately subsequent iteration in processing the input data to determine the temperature difference of the electrical component. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6 wherein processing includes estimating, at each iteration, an electrical current value flowing through the electrical component from a measured voltage value across the electrical component and the estimated electrical resistance value. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein turning off at least one electrical component of the plurality of electrical components selectively includes turning off the system. ### Claim 10 A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: for each electrical component of a plurality of electrical components of a system: receive input data including at least two of a voltage across the electrical component, a current through the electrical component, and an electrical resistance value of the electrical component, and process the input data using a stored thermal model representing heat transfer for the electrical component to determine a temperature difference of the electrical component relative to a reference temperature, wherein the heat transfer refers to heat flow between a first point of the electrical component, where a temperature is to be estimated, and a second point at the reference temperature; monitor reliability of the system based on output data of the processing; compare output data from processing the input data with a threshold value to detect an abnormality in the system; and in response to detecting the abnormality in the system, turn off at least one electrical component of the plurality of electrical components, wherein the processing is first performed for a first electrical component of the plurality of electrical components and includes estimating an electrical current value based on the determined temperature difference of the first electrical component, and wherein the processing is then performed for a second electrical component of the plurality of electrical components using the estimated electrical current value as input data. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10 wherein turning off at least one electrical component of the plurality of electrical components selectively includes turning off the system. ### Claim 12 A monitoring device configured to monitor reliability of a system including a plurality of electrical components, the monitoring device comprising: a memory configured to store instructions; and at least one processor configured to execute the instructions, wherein the instructions include: for each electrical component of the plurality of electrical components: receiving input data including at least two of a voltage across the electrical component, a current through the electrical component, and an electrical resistance value of the electrical component, and processing the input data using a stored thermal model representing heat transfer for the electrical component to determine a temperature difference of the electrical component relative to a reference temperature, wherein the heat transfer refers to heat flow between a first point of the electrical component, where a temperature is to be estimated, and a second point at the reference temperature; monitoring the reliability of the system based on output data of the processing; comparing output data from processing the input data with a threshold value to detect an abnormality in the system; and in response to detecting the abnormality in the system, turning off at least one electrical component of the plurality of electrical components, wherein the processing is first performed for a first electrical component of the plurality of electrical components and includes estimating an electrical current value based on the determined temperature difference of the first electrical component, and wherein the processing is then performed for a second electrical component of the plurality of electrical components using the estimated electrical current value as input data. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The monitoring device of claim 12 wherein turning off at least one electrical component of the plurality of electrical components selectively includes turning off the system. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) A vehicle comprising the monitoring device of claim 12.