Lifespan Prediction Method for Power Electronics Circuits Using Efficiency Monitoring

Reusing electronic systems is essential for reducing electronic waste (e-waste). To achieve this, it is crucial to quantitatively estimate the remaining useful life of the electronic systems. In this paper, we propose a method for predicting the lifespan of power-conversion circuits by visualizing long-term trends in power-conversion efficiency. Power-conversion efficiency is a universal metric regardless for power-conversion circuits. By monitoring the efficiency, it can be possible to quantitatively assess the extent of circuit degradation. To validate the proposed method, thermal cycling tests were conducted on commercially available DC-DC converters. The results indicated that lifespan prediction based on long-term trends in power-conversion efficiency is feasible for power-conversion circuits.