Patent ID: 8853518

Claim:
A system comprising: a plurality of semiconductor devices; an electronic circuit structured to control and/or monitor said semiconductor devices; a thermoelectric power generator structured to provide power to power said electronic circuit from heat generated by said semiconductor devices; a power supply structured to provide power to power said electronic circuit; and a circuit structured to provide power to power said electronic circuit from at least one of said thermoelectric power generator and said power supply, wherein said circuit comprises a number of sensors structured to sense at least one characteristic of said semiconductor devices or said thermoelectric power generator, a plurality of switches structured to enable or disable power from said thermoelectric power generator and said power supply, and a processor cooperating with said number of sensors and said plurality of switches to provide the power to power said electronic circuit from at least one of said thermoelectric power generator and said power supply; wherein said power supply powers said electronic circuit until a temperature from said heat generated by said semiconductor devices is greater than a predetermined value; and wherein said processor is structured to monitor said temperature and responsively disable said power supply and enable said thermoelectric power generator.