Patent ID: 11881705
Assignee: SUMITOMO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES, LTD.
Field: Electrical machinery, apparatus, energy (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC H  G | IPC G  H

Claim 0:
1. A power distribution device for distributing electric power supplied via a wire and a fuse element over a plurality of paths, the fuse element having a melting threshold that is less than the maximum value of a current flowing through the wire, the power distribution device comprising:
a plurality of switches respectively provided on a plurality of supply paths;
a current detection circuit configured to detect a current value of a current flowing through the wire;
a temperature calculation unit configured to calculate a wire temperature of the wire based on the current value detected by the current detection circuit;
a condition determination unit configured to determine, when the plurality of switches are on, whether or not the wire temperature calculated by the temperature calculation unit is greater than or equal to a first temperature threshold;
a switching unit configured to turn off at least one of the plurality of switches if it is determined by the condition determination unit that the wire temperature is greater than or equal to the first temperature threshold; and
a temperature determination unit configured to determine whether or not the wire temperature calculated by the temperature calculation unit is greater than or equal to a second temperature threshold, which is less than or equal to the first temperature threshold, after the at least one switch is turned off by the switching unit,
wherein, if it is determined that the wire temperature is greater than or equal to the second temperature threshold for a predetermined time period or longer after the at least one switch is turned off by the switching unit, the switching unit is configured to turn off at least another one of the plurality of switches that are on even after the at least one switch is turned off.