Adjust voltage for thermal mitigation

• US 10,103,714 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2016
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Jain, Palkesh, Mehrotra, Manoj, Pan, Yuancheng Chris, Hu, Shih-Hsin Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Skibinski, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US15/058,001
• Publication Number:
  US 20170257079A1
• Time in Patent Office: 959 Days
• Field of Search: 307115, 307112, 307113, 713300, 713320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/206 comprising thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3234 Power saving characterised by the action undertaken
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3296 by lowering the supply or operating voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/0016 by using a control or a clock signal, e.g. in order to apply power supply
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 3/011 Modifications of generator to compensate for variations in physical values, e.g. voltage, temperature to maintain energy constant H03K3/015
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Apparatuses and methods to adjust voltage for thermal mitigation are provided. The apparatus includes a circuit, a plurality of switches configured to provide power of a power domain to the circuit, a plurality of thermal sensors disposed at different locations about the circuit and configured to detect temperatures at the different locations, and a control circuit configured to determine that one of the detected temperatures at one of the locations exceeds a temperature threshold, and in response, adjust one or more of the plurality of switches in proximity with the one location to reduce power provided to the circuit. The method includes providing power of a power domain through a plurality of switches, detecting a temperature at a location exceeding a temperature threshold, and adjusting the plurality of switches in proximity with the location to reduce the power provided, in response to the detecting the temperature exceeding the temperature threshold.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a circuit;

a plurality of switches configured to provide power of a power domain to the circuit;

a plurality of thermal sensors disposed at different locations about the circuit and configured to detect temperatures at the different locations; and

a control circuit configured to determine that one of the detected temperatures at one of the locations exceeds a temperature threshold, and in response, adjust one or more of the plurality of switches in proximity with the one location to reduce the power provided to the circuit.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured to adjust a resistance of the one or more of the plurality of switches with a predetermined setting to reduce the power provided to the circuit.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control circuit is configured to turn off a predetermined number of the one or more of the plurality of switches to reduce the power provided to the circuit.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of switches are configured to provide at least one operating voltage in a voltage domain to the circuit, and the control circuit is configured to adjust the one or more of the plurality of switches to reduce one of the at least one operating voltage at the one location.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the control circuit is configured to adjust the one or more of the plurality of switches to reduce the one of the at least one operating voltage at the one location to an operating voltage threshold in accordance with a predetermined setting.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of switches are further arranged as a first set and a second set of unit switches, and wherein the control circuit is configured to operate the first or second set of unit switches.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of switches are arranged in parallel.

8. A method for adjusting voltage for thermal mitigation, comprising:

providing power of a power domain through a plurality of switches;

detecting a temperature at one location of a plurality of locations exceeding a temperature threshold;

adjusting one or more of the plurality of switches in proximity with the one location to reduce the power provided, in response to the detecting the temperature exceeding the temperature threshold.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the adjusting the one or more of the plurality of switches comprises adjusting a resistance of the one or more of the plurality of switches with a predetermined setting to reduce the power provided.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the adjusting the one or more of the plurality of switches comprises turning off a predetermined number of the one or more of the plurality of switches to reduce the power provided.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

providing at least one operating voltage in a voltage domain; and

adjusting the one or more of the plurality of switches to reduce one of the at least one operating voltage at the one location.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the adjusting the one or more of the plurality of switches to reduce the one of the at least one operating voltage at the one location comprising applying a predetermined setting to the one or more of the plurality of switches to reduce the one of the at least one operating voltage at the one location to an operating voltage threshold.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

arranging the plurality of switches as a first set or a second set of unit switches; and

operating the first or second set of unit switches.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of switches are arranged in parallel.

15. An apparatus, comprising:

a first core comprising a first switch coupled to a supply voltage in a voltage domain and configured to provide a first voltage and a second core comprising a second switch coupled to the supply voltage in the voltage domain and configured to provide a second voltage, the first core and the second core sharing a power domain, wherein;

the first core is configured to operate at the first voltage of the voltage domain, and

the second core is configured to operate at the second voltage of the voltage domain; and

a control circuit configured to independently adjust each of the first and second voltages of the voltage domain for thermal mitigation by adjusting the first switch and the second switch, respectively,

wherein each of the first and second switches comprises a plurality of unit switches, and the control circuit is configured to independently adjust each of the first and second voltages of the voltage domain for thermal mitigation by turning off a number of the plurality of unit switches of the first and second switches, respectively.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the control circuit is further configured to adjust the first and second voltages to operating voltage thresholds for the first and second cores, respectively.

17. The apparatus of claim 15,

wherein the first core further comprises a first sensor configured to detect a temperature of the first core, and

the second core further comprises a second sensor configured to detect a temperature of the second core, and

wherein the control circuit is further configured to determine that the temperature of the first or second cores exceeds a temperature threshold.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein each of the plurality of unit switches of the first and second switches is arranged as a first and a second set of unit switches, and the control circuit is configured to operate the first set or the second set of unit switches.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein each of the plurality of unit switches is arranged in parallel.

20. A method for adjusting voltage for thermal mitigation, comprising:

providing power to a first core and a second core sharing a power domain;

operating the first core at a first voltage of a voltage domain comprising providing the first voltage through a first switch coupled to a supply voltage in the voltage domain;

operating the second core at a second voltage of the voltage domain comprising providing the second voltage through a second switch coupled to the supply voltage in the voltage domain; and

adjusting independently each of the first and second voltages of the voltage domain for thermal mitigation comprising adjusting the first switch and the second switch, respectively,

wherein each of the first and second switches comprises a plurality of unit switches, and the adjusting independently each of the first and second voltages of the voltage domain for thermal mitigation comprises turning off a number of the plurality of unit switches of the first and second switches, respectively.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the adjusting independently each of the first and second voltages comprises adjusting the first and second voltages to operating voltage thresholds for the first and second cores, respectively.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

detecting a temperature of the first core;

detecting a temperature of the second core; and

determining that the temperature of the first or second cores exceeds a temperature threshold.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

arranging the plurality of unit switches as a first set and a second set of unit switches; and

operating the first set or second set of unit switches.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein each of the plurality of unit switches is arranged in parallel.