Wireless Adapter Temperature Estimation via Operating Parameters
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Wireless adapters often become excessively hot during use, posing safety risks and potential damage, and existing solutions do not provide effective temperature measurement without requiring additional hardware like temperature sensors.
Innovation Solution
A method and device that measure operating parameters such as data transmission, transmit power, signal strength, and active usage time to estimate the temperature of a wireless adapter, allowing for warnings to be issued without the need for a dedicated temperature sensor, and can be implemented in existing adapters through firmware updates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a temperature sensor is added to the wireless adapter, then temperature measurement accuracy is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses operating parameters (power consumption, transmission time, data volume) as intermediary indicators to infer temperature without direct measurement. These parameters serve as mediators that correlate with thermal state, allowing temperature estimation through computational inference rather than physical sensing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/physical temperature sensor system with a computational model that calculates temperature based on electrical and operational parameters. This substitution eliminates the need for additional hardware sensors while providing sufficient temperature information for safety warnings.
2Ease of manufacture
If existing wireless adapters are used without modification, then ease of manufacture is improved, but the ability to measure temperature is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual model of the wireless adapter's thermal behavior by copying and analyzing its operational characteristics (power consumption patterns, transmission duration, data throughput). This virtual model allows temperature estimation without modifying the physical device, maintaining ease of manufacture while enabling temperature monitoring.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent monitors changes in operational parameters (power consumption, transmission time, data volume) that correlate with temperature changes. By tracking these parameter variations over time, the system infers thermal state without requiring additional sensors or device modifications.
3Measurement precision
If multiple operating parameters are measured and summed, then temperature estimation accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent measures multiple operating parameters (power consumption, transmission time, data volume) to obtain a comprehensive view of thermal state. While this exceeds the minimum single-parameter approach, the enhanced accuracy justifies the additional processing, particularly for safety-critical temperature monitoring applications.
Data Source
AI summary
A wireless adapter (10) is removably connected to an electronic device (30) to provide wireless connectivity for the electronic device (30). One or more operating parameters of the wireless adapter (10) are measured whilst the wireless adapter (10) is in use. A measure of the temperature of the wireless adapter (10) is obtained based on the measured one or more operating parameters.