Heat regulator for integrated circuits

• US 5,287,292 A
• Filed: 10/16/1992
• Issued: 02/15/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation (Texas Instruments, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: PicoPower Technology, Inc. (Cirrus Logic Incorporated)
• Inventors: Lei, Emilia V., Kenny, John D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Teska, Kevin J.
• Application Number:
  US07/962,437
• Time in Patent Office: 487 Days
• Field of Search: 364/557, 364/550, 364/707, 395/550, 395/750, 361/98, 361/103, 361/106, 340/596
• US Class Current: 702/132
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/206 comprising thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/0248 for electrical or thermal protection, e.g. electrostatic discharge [ESD] protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 6/005 using digital thermal images
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

The temperature of a circuit is monitored and controlled by accumulating an estimate of heat generated in the circuit, and decreasing heat generation in the circuit when necessary. A periodic sampling of the operating mode of the circuit, as determined by clock speed and bus cycle activity, is used to determine heat accumulation in the circuit. An up/down counter increments when the sampling shows an operating mode indicating heating of the circuit and decrements when the sampled mode indicates cooling of the circuit. The circuit is forced to cool if a count on the up/down counter reaches a programmable threshold. Cooling is accomplished by slowing the clock speed of the circuit.

Claims

1. An apparatus for regulating a temperature of a circuit comprising:

(a) a circuit activity monitor for providing a measure of the mode of operation of the circuit;

(b) an excess heat counter coupled to the activity monitor for keeping a temperature count in response to the mode of operation of the circuit, the temperature count changing as a function of time at a rate selected to match net heat generation in the circuit at a desired temperature; and

(c) a cooling trigger coupled to the excess heat counter, the cooling trigger causing the circuit to cool in response to the temperature count reaching a trigger value.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cooling trigger comprises a device that sends a signal which forces the circuit being regulated to operate only in modes of operation which cause the circuit being regulated to cool toward a desired temperature.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the circuit activity monitor measures the mode of operation of the circuit by periodic sampling.

4. The apparatus of any of claim 1-3, wherein the excess heat counter comprises an up/down counter having a plurality of output leads, the plurality of output leads carrying signals which represent the temperature count.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuit includes a clock and wherein the circuit activity monitor comprises a means for periodically determining the speed of the clock in the circuit being regulated.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

(a) the circuit to be controlled comprises;

(i) a CPU operable at a low clock speed and a high clock speed,

(ii) a CPU clock speed status line which carries a signal indicating whether the CPU is running at the low clock speed or the high clock speed, and

(iii) a set speed line for providing a control signal to the CPU to control the clock speed of the CPU, such that when a signal is asserted to the set speed line the CPU operates at the low speed;

(b) the circuit activity monitor comprises a flip-flop with an input lead, an output lead, and a clock lead, the input lead being connected to the CPU clock speed status line, the clock lead being connectable to a sampling clock, the output lead carrying a heat signal that indicates the clock speed of the CPU when the flip-flop last clocked, the heat signal indicating either heating of the CPU or cooling of the CPU, where a high CPU clock speed on the CPU status line indicates heating and low CPU clock speed signal indicates cooling;

(c) the excess heat counter comprises;

(i) means for generating a count clock signal, and

(ii) an up/down counter with a plurality of count output leads, an up/down input lead, and a clock input lead, the plurality of count output leads carrying signals which represent the temperature count, the up/down input lead being connected to the output lead of the flip-flop so that when the heat signal indicates heating the temperature count will change in one direction, and when the heat signal indicates cooling the counter output will change in the opposite direction, the clock input lead of the up/down counter being connected to the means for generating a count timing signal thereby allowing the means for generating a count timing signal to determine when the temperature count changes and the rate of the temperature count change;

(d) the cooling trigger comprises a device with one or more input lead and an output lead, the one or more input leads of the device being connected to one or more of the plurality of output leads of the up/down counter, the output lead of the device being connected to the set speed line of the circuit so that the device can send a signal on the set speed line to force the circuit to low clock speed operation when the temperature count reaches the trigger value.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the means for generating a count clock signal comprises:

a multiplexer with a first input lead, a second input lead, a select lead, and an output lead, the first input lead being connectable to a first count clock operating at a first frequency, the second input lead being connectable to a second count clock operating at a second frequency, the select input lead being connected to an output lead of the flip-flop, the output lead of the multiplexer being connected to the clock lead of the up/down counter, the generated count clock signal being either a clock signal at the first frequency or a clock signal at the second frequency depending on the heat signal.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuit includes a CPU and a bus and the circuit activity monitor comprises means for periodically determining a clock speed of the CPU and periodically determining activity on said bus.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the excess heat counter comprises an up/down counter which changes depending on the clock speed of the CPU and the activity on said bus.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising:

adjusting means coupled to said CPU to adjust a clock signal supplied thereto; and

wherein the cooling trigger sends a signal to said adjusting means causing a slowing of said clock speed supplied to said CPU when the temperature count reaches the trigger value.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

(a) the circuit comprises;

(i) a CPU operable at a low clock speed and a high clock speed,

(ii) a CPU clock speed status line which carries a signal indicating whether the CPU is currently running at the low clock speed or the high clock speed,

(iii) a set speed line for providing a control signal to the CPU to control the clock speed of the CPU, such that when a signal is asserted to the set speed line the CPU operates at the low speed,

(iv) a bus, and

(v) a bus activity line which carries a signal indicating the bus activity;

(b) the circuit activity monitor comprises;

(i) a multiplexer having a first signal input lead connected to the CPU clock status line, a second signal input lead connected to the bus activity line, a select input lead connectable a bus select timing clock, and an output lead for providing an output signal, the output signal being either the signal on the CPU clock status line or the signal on the bus activity line; and

(ii) a flip-flop with a data input lead connected to the output lead of the multiplexer, a clock input lead connectable to a sampling clock, and an output lead carrying a heat signal indicating either heating or cooling where high CPU clock speed or bus activity indicates heating;

(c) the excess heat counter comprises

(i) means for generating a count clock signal, and

(ii) an up/down counter with a plurality of output leads that carry signals which represent the temperature count, an up/down input lead connected to the output lead on the flip-flop so that when the heat signal indicates heating the up/down counter changes the temperature count in one direction, and when the heat signal indicates cooling the temperature count changes in the opposite direction, and a clock input lead connected to the means for generating a count timing signal thereby allowing the means for generating a count timing signal to determine when the counter output changes and the rate of the counter output change; and

(d) the cooling trigger comprises a device with one or more input lead and an output lead, the one or more input leads of the device being connected to one or more of the plurality of output leads of the up/down counter, the output lead of the device being connected to the set speed line of the circuit so that the device can send a signal on the set speed line to force the circuit to low clock speed operation when the temperature count reaches the trigger value.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein means for generating a count clock signal comprises:

a means for multiplexing clock signals having a plurality of input leads, a select lead, and an output lead, the plurality of input leads being connectable to a plurality of clocks which generate clock signals on the plurality of input leads, the output lead of the multiplexing means being connected to the clock lead of the up/down counter and carrying the count clock signal, the count clock signal being equal to a signal on one of the input leads.

13. A method for operating an integrated circuit comprising the steps of:

(a) determining temperatures of the integrated circuit that results when the circuit operates in various operating modes;

(b) limiting the amount of time that the integrated circuit spends operating in modes that result in temperatures higher than the desired operating temperature; and

limiting the ratio of the time that the circuit operates in a mode that results in temperature higher than the desired operating temperature to the time the circuit spends operating in a mode that results in temperatures lower than the desired temperature so that the ratio is not greater than a predetermined ratio that results in the desired temperature.

14. A method for controlling a temperature of a circuit operable in a plurality of modes, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) monitoring activity of said circuit by sampling the operating mode of said circuit;

(b) accumulating a temperature count by successive addition of values proportional to net heat that would be accumulated in the circuit if the circuit operated in the sampled operating mode at a desired temperature for the time between samplings,; and

(c) forcing the circuit to cool if the temperature count is equal to or greater than a trigger value.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the circuit is forced to cool by forcing the circuit to operate for a time only in modes where the heat generated in the circuit is less than the heat lost to the surroundings at the desired operating temperature.