DATA PROCESSING DEVICE AND PORTABLE DEVICE HAVING THE SAME

• US 20130173938A1
• Filed: 12/26/2012
• Published: 07/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Yang, Se-hyun
• Granted Patent: US 9,377,830 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/300
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/206 comprising thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3287 by switching off individual functional units in the computer system
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A data processing device includes a plurality of central processing unit (CPU) cores; a plurality of first switches connected between a power line and each of the plurality of CPU cores, respectively; a power management unit; and a dynamic voltage/frequency scaling control circuit configured to scale at least one of a voltage and a frequency of a clock signal which are supplied to each of the CPU cores according to a control of the power management unit, wherein the power management unit is configured to decrease at least one of the voltage and the frequency which are supplied to each of the CPU cores and generate each of first control signals controlling a switching operation of each of the plurality of first switches, according to a control of one of the CPU cores.

Claims

1-6. -6. (canceled)

7. A processor, comprising:

a thermal management unit configured to analyze thermal data output from thermal sensors and generate analysis data;

an interrupt controller configured to generate an interrupt signal based on the analysis data;

a power management unit configured to generate a first voltage control signal in response to the interrupt signal; and

a voltage supply circuit configured to interrupt a voltage supplied to at least one target power domain in response to the first voltage control signal.

8. The processor of claim 7, wherein the thermal sensors include,

a first sensor configured to measure absolute temperature inside the processor;

and

a second sensor configured to measure a relative temperature inside the processor.

9. The processor of claim 7, wherein the thermal management unit is configured to generate the interpretation data based on the thermal data and data stored in a look-up table.

10. The processor of claim 7, further comprising:

a central processing unit (CPU) configured to generate a scaling command in response to the interrupt signal; and

a clock management unit configured to generate a clock signal,

wherein the power management unit is configured to generate a second voltage control signal and a clock control signal in response to the scaling command,

wherein the voltage supply circuit is configured to decrease the voltage in response to the second voltage control signal, and the clock management unit is configured to decrease a frequency of the clock signal in response to the clock control signal.

11. A portable device, comprising:

the processor of claim 7; and

a display configured to display data processed by the processor.

12. The portable device of claim 11, wherein the thermal sensors include,

a first sensor configured to measure absolute temperature inside the processor;

and

a second sensor configured to measure relative temperature inside the processor.

13. The portable device of claim 11, wherein the thermal management unit is configured to generate the analysis data based on the thermal data and data stored in a look-up table.

14. The portable device of claim 11, further comprising:

a central processing unit (CPU) configured to generate a scaling command in response to the interrupt signal; and

a clock management unit configured to generate a clock signal,

wherein the power management unit is configured to generate a second voltage control signal and a clock control signal in response to the scaling command,

wherein the voltage supply circuit is configured to decrease the voltage in response to the second voltage control signal, and the clock management unit is configured to decrease a frequency of the clock signal in response to the clock control signal.

15. The portable device of claim 11, wherein the portable device is a smart phone or a tablet personal computer (PC).

16-19. -19. (canceled)