Patent ID: 8427171

Claim:
An electrical power system comprising an at least one battery cell comprising a cell body, a positive electrical connector for connection to a power transfer means, a negative electrical connector for connection to said power transfer means and a load drawing power from said cell body through the power transfer means, wherein: a) said electrical power system further includes means for detecting degradation of at least one of said positive and said negative electrical connectors; b) the power transfer means comprises one of a power regulator mounted to a circuit board having conducting elements, a bus bar, a wire or a sheet of metal; and, c) said means for detecting degradation of said at least one of the positive and negative electrical connectors comprises an at least one cell body temperature sensor disposed on the cell body; an at least one electrical connector temperature sensor placed close to the at least one of the positive and negative electrical connectors to measure the temperature of the at least one of the connectors and a software driven comparator in electrical communication with said at least one cell body temperature sensor, said at least one electrical connector temperature sensor and a connector current sensor, wherein said software driven comparator includes means for calculating, at a point in time, a difference between a measured cell body temperature and a measured at least one electrical connector temperature at a measured connector current at said point in time.