Patent ID: 8922152

Claim:
A temperature protection device comprising: a temperature detector configured to detect a temperature of a semiconductor component; a temperature estimator configured to estimate an estimated temperature of the semiconductor component; an overheated determining component configured to determine whether the semiconductor component is in an overheated state based on the detected temperature and the estimated temperature by using a first estimated temperature at a time point when the detected temperature has reached a first threshold temperature and a second estimated temperature that is estimated subsequent to the time point at which the detected temperature has reached the first threshold temperature, the overheated determining component being further configured to calculate a temperature differential between the first estimated temperature and the second estimated temperature, and determine that the semiconductor component is in an overheated state when the temperature differential has exceeded a second threshold temperature; and an overheating protection component configured to protect the semiconductor component from the overheating based on a determination made by the overheated determining component.