Patent ID: 9391539
Filing Date: 2016-07-12
CPC Classification: H02H,H02M,H02P

Claim Text:
1. A method for operating an inverter, wherein the inverter has a plurality of phase systems, each of the plurality of phase systems with an outer conductor and at least one semiconductor component, and also a temperature monitoring device that has a plurality of temperature sensors, wherein each temperature sensor of the plurality of temperature sensors is used to sense a temperature of at least one portion of at least one of the phase systems, the method comprising: ascertaining a plurality of temperature gradients from the sensed temperatures, determining at least one deviation in at least one of the plurality of temperature gradients from a gradient estimate, and if the deviation exceeds a threshold value, identifying an error in the inverter, wherein the gradient estimate is an approximate determination of at least one of the temperature gradients that is ascertained by a controller of the inverter on the basis of at least one operating parameter of the inverter.