Method for determining the contamination of a heat sink provided for cooling at least one electronic component, wherein - a load profile (I(t)) is continuously detected for the at least one electronic component, - at least one temperature profile (θ 2 (t), θ 2 (t), θ 3 (t)) of a temperature along a heat transfer chain from the at least one component to the heat sink is detected by at least one temperature sensor, - learning sections (T1 to T3) are determined in a training phase on an uncontaminated heat sink in such a way that they have sections of the load profile (I(t)) similar to one another and to a prototypical load profile section, - for each of the learning sections (T1 to T3) a section of the at least one temperature profile (θ 1 (t), θ 2 (t), θ 3 (t)) is detected in each case, - a decision function is determined from the plurality of sections assigned to the learning sections (T1 to T3) of the load profile (I(t)) and the at least one temperature profile (θ 1 (t), θ 2 (t), θ 3 (t)), which decision function is provided for application to a section of the load profile (I(t)) and to at least one section of a temperature profile (θ 1 (t), θ 2 (t), θ 3 (t)) detected in a manner corresponding thereto and which o detects an uncontaminated state of the heat sink if the presented section of the load profile (I(t)) is similar to the sections of the load profile (I(t)) detected in the learning sections (T1 to T3) and if the at least one corresponding section of a temperature profile (θ 2 (t), θ 2 (t), θ 3 (t)) is similar to the sections of the respective temperature profile (θ 1 (t), θ 2 (t), θ 3 (t)) detected in the learning sections (T1 to T3) and ∘ otherwise detects a contaminated state of the heat sink, and wherein in a subsequent classification phase ∘ classification sections (K1, K2) are determined in such a way that they have sections of the load profile (I(t)) which are similar to at least one section of the load profile (I(t)) assigned to a learning section (T1 to T3), ∘ the sections of the load profile (I(t)) and of the at least one temperature profile (θ 2 (t), θ 2 (t), θ 3 (t)) respectively assigned to a classification section (K1, K2) of the decision function determined in the training phase are presented and ∘ the contamination state of the heat sink is detected by means of the decision function. - a load profile (I(t)) is continuously detected for the at least one electronic component, - at least one temperature profile (θ 2 (t), θ 2 (t), θ 3 (t)) of a temperature along a heat transfer chain from the at least one component to the heat sink is detected by at least one temperature sensor, - learning sections (T1 to T3) are determined in a training phase on an uncontaminated heat sink in such a way that they have sections of the load profile (I(t)) similar to one another and to a prototypical load profile section, - for each of the learning sections (T1 to T3) a section of the at least one temperature profile (θ 1 (t), θ 2 (t), θ 3 (t)) is detected in each case, - a decision function is determined from the plurality of sections assigned to the learning sections (T1 to T3) of the load profile (I(t)) and the at least one temperature profile (θ 1 (t), θ 2 (t), θ 3 (t)), which decision function is provided for application to a section of the load profile (I(t)) and to at least one section of a temperature profile (θ 1 (t), θ 2 (t), θ 3 (t)) detected in a manner corresponding thereto and which o detects an uncontaminated state of the heat sink if the presented section of the load profile (I(t)) is similar to the sections of the load profile (I(t)) detected in the learning sections (T1 to T3) and if the at least one corresponding section of a temperature profile (θ 2 (t), θ 2 (t), θ 3 (t)) is similar to the sections of the respective temperature profile (θ 1 (t), θ 2 (t), θ 3 (t)) detected in the learning sections (T1 to T3) and ∘ otherwise detects a contaminated state of the heat sink, and wherein in a subsequent classification phase ∘ classification sections (K1, K2) are determined in such a way that they have sections of the load profile (I(t)) which are similar to at least one section of the load profile (I(t)) assigned to a learning section (T1 to T3), ∘ the sections of the load profile (I(t)) and of the at least one temperature profile (θ 2 (t), θ 2 (t), θ 3 (t)) respectively assigned to a classification section (K1, K2) of the decision function determined in the training phase are presented and ∘ the contamination state of the heat sink is detected by means of the decision function. o detects an uncontaminated state of the heat sink if the presented section of the load profile (I(t)) is similar to the sections of the load profile (I(t)) detected in the learning sections (T1 to T3) and if the at least one corresponding section of a temperature profile (θ 2 (t), θ 2 (t), θ 3 (t)) is similar to the sections of the respective temperature profile (θ 1 (t), θ 2 (t), θ 3 (t)) detected in the learning sections (T1 to T3) and ∘ otherwise detects a contaminated state of the heat sink, and wherein in a subsequent classification phase ∘ classification sections (K1, K2) are determined in such a way that they have sections of the load profile (I(t)) which are similar to at least one section of the load profile (I(t)) assigned to a learning section (T1 to T3), ∘ the sections of the load profile (I(t)) and of the at least one temperature profile (θ 2 (t), θ 2 (t), θ 3 (t)) respectively assigned to a classification section (K1, K2) of the decision function determined in the training phase are presented and ∘ the contamination state of the heat sink is detected by means of the decision function.