METHOD FOR ADAPTIVELY ADJUSTING FRAMERATE OF GRAPHIC PROCESSING UNIT AND COMPUTER SYSTEM USING THEREOF

• US 20140092103A1
• Filed: 01/30/2013
• Published: 04/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
• Original Assignee: NVIDIA Corporation
• Inventors: Saulters, Scott, Kumar, Ratin, Leroy, Lieven
• Granted Patent: US 10,459,873 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/501
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/206 comprising thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3215 Monitoring of peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/325 Power saving in peripheral device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/00 Digital computers in general details G06F1/00 – G06F13/00; Data processing equipment in general

Abstract

The invention provides a method for adaptively adjusting a framerate of a graphic processing unit (GPU). For example, when the GPU workload is high and the temperature of the GPU is close to high temperature, the framerate can be decreased to reduce the workload; when the GPU workload is low, the framerate can be permitted to increase to raise the workload. By the present invention, the GPU is permitted to operate at maximum temperature. The method comprises the steps of: (a) receiving an execution parameter associated with at least one GPU; (b) comparing if the execution parameter is greater than a first reference value; and (c) in the event the execution parameter is greater than the first reference value, increasing a sleep time and power-gating the at least one GPU based on the sleep time to adjust the framerate.

Claims

1. A method for adjusting a framerate of at least one graphic processing unit (GPU), comprising the steps of:

receiving an execution parameter associated with the at least one GPU;

determining that the execution parameter is larger than a first reference value; and

increasing a sleep time and power-gating the at least one GPU based on the sleep time to adjust the framerate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the execution parameter is a temperature value of the at least one GPU.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the execution parameter is a power value of the at least one GPU.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

setting a polling cycle;

repeatedly performing the receiving step, the determining step, and the increasing step in accordance with the polling cycle;

determining that the execution parameter is larger than the first reference value; and

decreasing the polling cycle time.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the execution parameter is larger than the first reference value; and

adjusting the sleep time based on the difference value between the execution parameter and the first reference value.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining that a difference value between the execution parameter and the first reference value gets increased; and

increasing the sleep time.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the execution parameter is less than a second reference value, wherein the second reference value is less than the first reference value; and

decreasing the sleep time and power-gating the at least one GPU based on the sleep time to adjust the framerate.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

setting a polling cycle;

repeatedly performing the receiving step, the determining step, the increasing step, the step of determining that the execution parameter is less than a second reference value, and the decreasing step in accordance with the polling cycle;

determining that the execution parameter is less than the second reference value; and

increasing the polling cycle time.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining that the execution parameter is less than the second reference value; and

adjusting the sleep time based on the difference value between the execution parameter and the second reference value and power-gating the at least one GPU based on the sleep time to adjust the framerate.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining that the difference value between the execution parameter and the second reference value gets increased; and

decreasing the sleep time.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

setting a polling cycle,

repeatedly performing the receiving step, the determining step, the increasing step, the step of determining that the execution parameter is less than a second reference value, and the decreasing step in accordance with the polling cycle;

determining that the execution parameter is larger than the second reference value and less than the first reference value; and

increasing the polling cycle time.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining that the execution parameter is larger than the second reference value and less than the first reference value; and

adjusting the sleep time based on the difference value between the execution parameter and the first reference value, and power-gating the at least one GPU based on the sleep time to adjust the framerate.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining that a difference value between the execution parameter and the first reference value gets increased; and

decreasing the sleep time.

14. A computer-readable medium storing instructions, that when executed by a processor, cause a computer system to adjust a framerate of at least one graphic processing unit (GPU), by performing the steps of:

receiving an execution parameter associated with the at least one GPU;

determining that the execution parameter is larger than a first reference value; and

increasing a sleep time and power-gating the at least one GPU based on the sleep time to adjust the framerate.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, further comprising:

setting a polling cycle;

repeatedly performing the receiving step, the determining step, and the increasing step in accordance with the polling cycle;

determining that the execution parameter is larger than the first reference value; and

decreasing the polling cycle time.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, further comprising:

determining that the execution parameter is larger than the first reference value; and

adjusting the sleep time based on the difference value between the execution parameter and the first reference value.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising:

determining that a difference value between the execution parameter and the first reference value gets increased; and

increasing the sleep time.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, further comprising:

determining that the execution parameter is less than a second reference value, wherein the second reference value is less than the first reference value; and

decreasing the sleep time and power-gating the at least one GPU based on the sleep time to adjust the framerate.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising:

setting a polling cycle;

repeatedly performing the receiving step, the determining step, the increasing step, the step of determining that the execution parameter is less than a second reference value, and the decreasing step in accordance with the polling cycle;

determining that the execution parameter is less than the second reference value; and

increasing the polling cycle time.

20. A computing device for adjusting a framerate of at least one graphic processing unit (GPU), the computing device comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory includes a program having instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive an execution parameter associated with the at least one GPU;

determine that the execution parameter is larger than a first reference value; and

increase a sleep time and power-gating the at least one GPU based on the sleep time to adjust the framerate.