Failsafe mechanism for preventing an integrated circuit from overheating

• US 20060029122A1
• Filed: 09/26/2005
• Published: 02/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jonathan P. Douglas, Scott J. Bowden
• Original Assignee: Jonathan P. Douglas, Scott J. Bowden
• Inventors: Bowden, Scott J., Douglas, Jonathan P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,296,928 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 374/170
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 3/005 Circuits arrangements for indicating a predetermined temperature fire detection G08B17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/206 comprising thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Techniques for preventing an integrated circuit (IC) from overheating are described herein. According to one embodiment, an exemplary process includes detecting whether a temperature of an integrated circuit (IC) exceeds a threshold independent of an operating state of the IC, and removing at least a portion of a power from the IC if the temperature of the IC exceeds the threshold. Other methods and apparatuses are also described.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

detecting whether a temperature of an integrated circuit (IC) exceeds a threshold independent of an operating state of the IC; and

removing at least a portion of a power from the IC if the temperature of the IC exceeds the threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the detection is performed while the IC is in a reset state.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the detection is performed as soon as the IC is powered up to a predetermined level or when the IC comes out of a reset state.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising configuring one or more thermal sensors prior to the detecting whether the temperature of the IC exceeds the threshold is performed based on a thermal configuration associated with the IC.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the configuring comprises:

reading thermal configuration data from a PROM of the IC, the thermal configuration data being associated with the IC; and

shifting the thermal configuration data to a register of the one or more thermal sensors, wherein the detecting whether the temperature of the IC exceeds the threshold is performed based on the thermal configuration data.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising asserting a first signal when the configuration of one or more thermal sensors is completed.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

stalling the detection for a period of time in response to the first signal to allow the one or more thermal sensors to be stable; and

asserting a second signal after the period of time expires to indicate the one or more thermal sensors are stable.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising generating a third signal to indicate whether the temperature of the IC exceeds the threshold based on readings of the one or more thermal sensors in response to the second signal.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the removing at least a portion of a power from the IC is performed based on the third signal.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising stalling the detection for a period of time until a power reaches a predetermined level prior to performing the detection.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a clock signal to control the detecting whether the temperature of the IC exceeds the threshold.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the generating comprises:

detecting whether an external clock exists;

deriving the clock signal from the external clock if the external clock source exists; and

generating the clock signal from an internal clock if the external clock source does not exist.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising generating a signal to indicate whether the clock signal is stable.

14-30. -30. (canceled)