Lifetime estimation of electrolytic capacitors
AssigneeDelta Electronics (Thailand) Public Co., Ltd.
InventorChristian Krumpholz
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The device to estimate the lifetime consumption of one or more electrolytic capacitors comprises a temperature sensor which is thermally insulated from the ambient by being arranged either between two equal electrolytic capacitors connected in parallel with each other or on the case of an electrolytic capacitors and where it is covered with a layer of thermally insulating material. The device comprises further a controller which is suitable to estimate the lifetime consumption based on the measurement data of the temperature sensor.
Claims17
An apparatus, comprising one or more electrolytic capacitors and a device configured to estimate a lifetime consumption of the one or more electrolytic capacitors, the device comprising:
- a) a temperature sensor which is thermally insulated from an ambient by being arranged
- i) either between two equal electrolytic capacitors connected in parallel with each other or
- ii) on a case of an electrolytic capacitor and covered with a layer of thermally insulating material and
- b) a controller which is suitable to estimate the lifetime consumption based on measurement data of the temperature sensor;
- wherein the controller
- a) determines the lifetime consumption and its uncertainty in regular time segments;
- b) whereby each time segment is represented by a mean temperature and a mean effective ripple current which are averages over all suitable measurements obtained during the time segment and
- c) whereby a total lifetime consumption is a sum over all previously determined lifetime consumptions, and whereby the total lifetime consumption is determined and stored.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.