Patent ID: 11953386
Assignee: KIA MOTORS CORPORATION
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G  H | IPC G  H

Claim 0:
1. A method for estimating a junction temperature of a power semiconductor device of a power module and controlling the power module, the power module including a first power semiconductor device disposed adjacent to a heat sink for cooling and having a temperature sensor, and a second power semiconductor device disposed adjacent to the first power semiconductor device and having no temperature sensor, and the method comprising:
computing, by the processor, a junction temperature prediction value of the first power semiconductor device based on a power loss and a thermal resistance of the first power semiconductor device;
computing, by the processor, a junction temperature prediction value of the second power semiconductor device based on a power loss and a thermal resistance of the second power semiconductor device;
computing, by the processor, a temperature prediction value of the heat sink by subtracting the junction temperature prediction value of the first power semiconductor device from a sensing temperature sensed by the temperature sensor;
determining, by the processor, the junction temperature of the second power semiconductor device by adding the temperature prediction value of the heat sink to the junction temperature prediction value of the second power semiconductor device; and
stopping, by the processor, an operation of the power module in response to determining that the determined junction temperature of the second power semiconductor device is greater than a preset reference value.