Circuits and methods providing temperature mitigation for computing devices using estimated skin temperature

A computer program product having a computer readable medium tangibly recording computer program logic for mitigating temperature of a device, the computer program product comprising:

• code to receive a signal from a temperature sensor, wherein the temperature sensor is disposed within the device having a processor that produces heat within the device,
• code to generate temperature data from the signal;
• code to remove high-frequency variations to multiplicatively attenuate amplitudes using a factor that is less than one, and to apply a delay, to generate data indicative of a temperature of an external surface of the device;
• and
• code to reduce an operating parameter of the processor in response to determining that the indicated temperature of the external surface of the device is greater than a threshold temperature.

A system for mitigating temperature, the system comprising:

• a processor;
• a housing configured to enclose at least a portion of the system, the processor being disposed within the system so that it is enclosed within the housing, the processor further being in indirect thermal contact with the housing;
• and
• a temperature sensing device disposed within the housing, the temperature sensing device being in electrical communication with the processor, the processor configured to perform the following operations:
• generate first temperature data indicative of a temperature experienced by the temperature sensing device;
• estimate a temperature of an external surface of the housing by generating second temperature data, wherein generating second temperature data includes:
• applying a transfer function to the first temperature data, the transfer function including removing high-frequency variations, multiplicatively attenuating amplitudes using a factor that is less than one, and applying a delay;
• and
• reduce an operating parameter of the processor in response to determining that the generated second temperature is greater than a threshold temperature.

A system for mitigating temperature, the system comprising:

• means for providing information indicating a temperature internal to an enclosed computing device;
• means for estimating a temperature of an external surface of the computing device by multiplicatively attenuating amplitudes using a factor less than one, removing high-frequency variations, and applying a delay, to the information indicating the temperature internal to the enclosed computing device and for producing a control signal based on an estimated temperature of the external surface of the computing device;
• means for reducing an operating parameter of the means for estimating in response to determining that the control signal indicates that the temperature of the external surface is greater than a threshold temperature;
• and
• a physical housing that includes the external surface of the computing device and configured to enclose the means for estimating, wherein the means for estimating is in indirect thermal contact with the physical housing.