US 2014/0006818 A1Published application

System and Method For Adaptive Thermal Management In A Portable Computing Device

AssigneeQUALCOMM Incorporated

InventorsParas S. Doshi, Ankur Jain, Unnikrishnan Vadakkanmaruveedu, Vinay Mitter, Anil Vootukuru, Ronald F. Alton, Jon J. Anderson

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Abstract

Various embodiments of methods and systems for adaptive thermal management techniques implemented in a portable computing device (“PCD”) are disclosed. Notably, in many PCDs, temperature thresholds associated with various components in the PCD such as, but not limited to, die junction temperatures, package on package (“PoP”) memory temperatures and the “touch temperature” of the external surfaces of the device itself limits the extent to which the performance capabilities of the PCD can be exploited. It is an advantage of the various embodiments of methods and systems for adaptive thermal management that, when a temperature threshold is violated, the performance of the PCD is sacrificed only as much and for as long as necessary to clear the violation before authorizing the thermally aggressive processing component(s) to return to a maximum operating power.

Claims40

Dependent claims

A method for adaptive thermal management in a portable computing device (“PCD”), the method comprising:

defining a discrete number of performance levels for one or more processing components in the PCD, wherein each of the performance levels is associated with a power frequency supplied to the one or more processing components;
defining temperature thresholds associated with one or more components in the PCD, wherein each of the one or more components is a junction component, package on package (“PoP”) memory component or outer shell component;
monitoring a plurality of temperature sensors in the PCD, wherein each temperature sensor is associated with one of a junction component, package on package (“PoP”) memory component, and outer shell component;
receiving an interrupt signal from one of the plurality of temperature sensors, wherein the interrupt signal indicates that an initial temperature threshold has been exceeded;
sampling at time based intervals, at a first rate, temperature signals from one or more of the plurality of temperature sensors;
receiving a temperature signal indicating that at least one of the temperature thresholds has been violated;
and
reducing the performance level of one or more of the processing components from a maximum performance level to a next highest performance level within the defined discrete number of performance levels.

5 more elements

A computer system for adaptive thermal management in a portable computing device (“PCD”), the system comprising:

a dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (“DVFS”) module, configured to:
define a discrete number of performance levels for one or more processing components in the PCD, wherein each of the performance levels is associated with a power frequency supplied to the one or more processing components;
and
reduce the performance level of one or more of the processing components from a maximum performance level to a next highest performance level within the defined discrete number of performance levels;
and
an adaptive thermal management (“ATM”) module, configured to:
define temperature thresholds associated with one or more components in the PCD, wherein each of the one or more components is a junction component, package on package (“PoP”) memory component or outer shell component;
monitor a plurality of temperature sensors in the PCD, wherein each temperature sensor is associated with one of a junction component, package on package (“PoP”) memory component, and outer shell component;
receive an interrupt signal from one of the plurality of temperature sensors, wherein the interrupt signal indicates that an initial temperature threshold has been exceeded;
sample at time based intervals, at a first rate, temperature signals from one or more of the plurality of temperature sensors;
and
receive a temperature signal indicating that at least one of the temperature thresholds has been violated.

9 more elements

A computer system for adaptive thermal management in a portable computing device, the system comprising:

means for defining a discrete number of performance levels for one or more processing components in the PCD, wherein each of the performance levels is associated with a power frequency supplied to the one or more processing components;
means for defining temperature thresholds associated with one or more components in the PCD, wherein each of the one or more components is a junction component, package on package (“PoP”) memory component or outer shell component;
monitoring a plurality of temperature sensors in the PCD, wherein each temperature sensor is associated with one of a junction component, package on package (“PoP”) memory component, and outer shell component;
means for receiving an interrupt signal from one of the plurality of temperature sensors, wherein the interrupt signal indicates that an initial temperature threshold has been exceeded;
means for sampling at time based intervals, at a first rate, temperature signals from one or more of the plurality of temperature sensors;
means for receiving a temperature signal indicating that at least one of the temperature thresholds has been violated;
and
means for reducing the performance level of one or more of the processing components from a maximum performance level to a next highest performance level within the defined discrete number of performance levels.

5 more elements

A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method for adaptive thermal management in a portable computing device, said method comprising:

defining a discrete number of performance levels for one or more processing components in the PCD, wherein each of the performance levels is associated with a power frequency supplied to the one or more processing components;
defining temperature thresholds associated with one or more components in the PCD, wherein each of the one or more components is a junction component, package on package (“PoP”) memory component or outer shell component;
monitoring a plurality of temperature sensors in the PCD, wherein each temperature sensor is associated with one of a junction component, package on package (“PoP”) memory component, and outer shell component;
receiving an interrupt signal from one of the plurality of temperature sensors, wherein the interrupt signal indicates that an initial temperature threshold has been exceeded;
sampling at time based intervals, at a first rate, temperature signals from one or more of the plurality of temperature sensors;
receiving a temperature signal indicating that at least one of the temperature thresholds has been violated;
and
reducing the performance level of one or more of the processing components from a maximum performance level to a next highest performance level within the defined discrete number of performance levels.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.