Real-Time Power Electronics Temperature Estimation Using Precomputed Thermal Coefficients
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for real-time temperature estimation in power electronics systems require significant computational resources, are costly, and often cannot measure internal component temperatures, limiting their accuracy and feasibility in simple and low-cost systems.
Innovation Solution
A method that estimates temperatures of electric components in real-time using self-heating and external heating coefficients, which are precalculated through simulation or measurement, allowing for accurate temperature estimation with reduced computational resources by outsourcing calculation effort and using a simple and low-cost power electronics system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If separate measurement of temperatures of each electrical component is performed, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and cost increase due to installation space constraints and high costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces thermal resistance and thermal capacity as intermediary parameters to indirectly determine component temperatures. Instead of direct measurement, the system uses these thermal properties combined with power loss data to calculate temperatures, thereby avoiding the need for physical temperature sensors on each component while maintaining measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/physical measurement system (temperature sensors) with a calculation-based system using thermal models. By substituting direct thermal measurement with computational estimation based on power loss and thermal properties, the system achieves temperature monitoring without the complexity and cost of multiple sensors.
2Measurement precision
If known temperature estimation approaches using thermal resistance and thermal capacity are used, then temperature estimation capability is improved, but computational resources required increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary calculation of self-heating coefficients and external heating coefficients offline or during system initialization. By precomputing these heating coefficients based on thermal resistance and thermal capacity data, the system reduces the computational burden during real-time operation, requiring only simple multiplications with power loss values rather than full thermal simulations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the temperature estimation problem into separate components: self-heating (internal power loss) and external heating (environmental influence). By segmenting the total temperature calculation into these independent parts with precomputed coefficients, the system simplifies real-time computation while maintaining accuracy.
3Measurement precision
If a further computer or computer with increased resources is provided, then temperature estimation capability is improved, but cost, energy consumption, installation space, and heat production increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a simplified computational model that copies the essential thermal behavior of the system using precomputed coefficients. Instead of implementing full thermal simulation capabilities requiring powerful computers, the system uses a lightweight calculation model that replicates temperature estimation functionality with minimal computational resources.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method (100) for real-time estimation of temperatures (T) of electric components (2) in a power electronics system, the method (100) comprising the steps of: - obtaining a current reference temperature (Tref); - obtaining current power loss values (PL) of the electric components (2); - determining self-heating coefficients (6) of the electric components (2) for the obtained current power loss values (P); - determining external heating coefficients (5) of the electric components (2); and - estimating the temperatures (T) of the electric components (2) in real-time based on the obtained current reference temperature (Tref), the determined self-heating coefficients (6) and the determined external heating coefficients (5).