# US 9,521,246 B2 · Thermal control method and thermal control system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,521,246 B2 - Document ID: US9521246B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/670,418 - Filed: 2015-03-27 - Published: 2015-12-03 - Granted: 2016-12-13 - Earliest claimed: 2014-06-03 - Assignees: Mediatek Inc. - Applicants: Mediatek Inc. - Inventors: Jih-Ming Hsu; Wei-Ting Wang; Wen-Tsan Hsieh; Tai-Yu Chen; Chia-Feng Yeh; Chien-Tse Fang - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9521246B2 ## CPC - H04M 1/72454: according to context-related or environment-related conditions - G06F 1/206: {comprising thermal management} - H04M 1/72406: by software upgrading or downloading - H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract The invention provides a thermal control method and a thermal control system. The thermal control method comprises: detecting a temperature variance of a component of the electronic device to generate a detecting result; and determining a temperature threshold value for the integrated circuit as a throttling point according to the detecting result. The thermal control system comprises: a detecting unit, for detecting a temperature variance of a component of the electronic device to generate a detecting result; and a determining unit, for determining a temperature threshold value for the integrated circuit as a throttling point according to the detecting result. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A thermal control method for an integrated circuit in an electronic device, comprising: detecting a current temperature value of a component of the electronic device to generate a first detecting result; determining a current temperature threshold value for the integrated circuit according to the first detecting result and a first function; and gradually adjusting the current temperature threshold value according to the detected current temperature value of the component to reach a target temperature threshold value for the integrated circuit. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The thermal control method of claim 1, further comprising: detecting a current temperature value of the integrated circuit to generate a second detecting result; and determining whether to enter/exit a dynamic thermal management (DTM) operation according to the first detecting result and the second detecting result. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The thermal control method of claim 2, wherein the step of determining whether to enter/exit the DTM operation according to the detecting result comprises: determining a DTM temperature threshold value according to the first detecting result and a second function; comparing the current temperature of the integrated circuit with the DTM temperature threshold value; if the current temperature of the integrated circuit is higher than the DTM temperature threshold value, then entering the DTM operation; and if the calculating result is not higher than the DTM temperature threshold value, then exiting the DTM operation. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The thermal control method of claim 3, further comprising: loading a firmware comprising parameters of the first function and the second function. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The thermal control method of claim 3, wherein the first function and the second function are continuous functions. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The thermal control method of claim 1, further comprising: continuously detecting a current temperature value of the integrated circuit to generate a second detecting result; determining whether to enter/exit a dynamic thermal management (DTM) operation according to the first detecting result and the second detecting result after determining the current temperature threshold value for the integrated circuit according to the detecting result. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The thermal control method of claim 6, wherein the step of determining whether to enter/exit the DTM operation according to the detecting result comprises: determining a DTM temperature threshold value according to the first detecting result and a second function; comparing the current temperature of the integrated circuit with the DTM temperature threshold value; if the current temperature of the integrated circuit is higher than the DTM temperature threshold value, then entering the DTM operation; and if the calculating result is not higher than the DTM temperature threshold value, then exiting the DTM operation. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The thermal control method of claim 7, further comprising: loading a firmware comprising parameters of the first function and the second function. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The thermal control method of claim 7, wherein the first function and the second function are continuous functions. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The thermal control method of claim 1, wherein the first function is a continuous function. ### Claim 11 A thermal control system for an integrated circuit in an electronic device, comprising: a first detecting unit, for detecting a current temperature value of a component of the electronic device to generate a first detecting result; and a determining unit, coupled to the first detecting unit, for determining a current temperature threshold value for the integrated circuit according to the first detecting result and a first function, and gradually adjusting the current temperature threshold value according to the detected current temperature value of the component to reach a target temperature threshold value for the integrated circuit. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The thermal control system of claim 11, further comprising: a second detecting unit, for continuously detecting a current temperature value of the integrated circuit to generate a second detecting result; wherein the determining unit further determines whether to enter/exit a dynamic thermal management (DTM) operation according to the first detecting result and the second detecting result. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The thermal control system of claim 12, wherein the function of the determining unit of determining whether to enter/exit the DTM operation according to the detecting result comprises: determining a DTM temperature threshold value according to the first detecting result and a second function; comparing the current temperature of the integrated circuit with the DTM temperature threshold value; if the current temperature of the integrated circuit is higher than the DTM temperature threshold value, then entering the DTM operation; and if the calculating result is not higher than the DTM temperature threshold value, then exiting the DTM operation. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The thermal control system of claim 13, wherein the determining unit further comprises a function of loading a firmware comprising parameters of the first function and the second function. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The thermal control system of claim 13, wherein the first function and the second function are continuous functions. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The thermal control system of claim 11, further comprising: a second detecting unit, for continuously detecting a current temperature value of the integrated circuit to generate a second detecting result; wherein the determining unit further determines whether to enter/exit a dynamic thermal management (DTM) operation according to the first detecting result and the second detecting result after determining the current temperature threshold value for the integrated circuit according to the first detecting result. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The thermal control system of claim 16, wherein the function of the determining unit of determining whether to enter/exit the DTM operation according to the detecting result comprises: determining a DTM temperature threshold value according to the first detecting result and a second function; comparing the current temperature of the integrated circuit with the DTM temperature threshold value; if the current temperature of the integrated circuit is higher than the DTM temperature threshold value, then entering the DTM operation; and if the calculating result is not higher than the DTM temperature threshold value, then exiting the DTM operation. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The thermal control system of claim 17, wherein the determining unit further comprises a function of loading a firmware comprising parameters of the first function and the second function. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The thermal control system of claim 17, wherein the first function and the second function are continuous functions. ### Claim 20 (depends on 11) The thermal control system of claim 11, wherein the first function is a continuous function. ### Claim 21 (depends on 11) The thermal control system of claim 11, wherein the electronic device is a cellphone. ### Claim 22 (depends on 11) The thermal control system of claim 11, wherein the component is a printed circuit board (PCB) of the cellphone. ### Claim 23 (depends on 11) The thermal control system of claim 11, wherein the integrated circuit is a system on chip (SoC) of the cellphone.