Method and apparatus for monitoring the temperature of a processor
First Claim
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1. A processor comprising:
- a chip having a processing core integrated thereon;
a thermal sensor integrated on the chip, the thermal sensor having first and second terminals;
a first external I-O port coupled to the first terminal for connection to an external control circuit; and
a second external I-O port coupled to the second terminal for connection to the external control circuit.
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Abstract
A processor comprises a processing core integrated on the same chip with a temperature sensing diode. The two terminals of the diode are coupled to each of two I-O ports of the processor. In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, the electrical characteristics across the I-O ports are measured by an external control circuit to calculate a temperature of the processor. This temperature is compared to a threshold, and either an overtemp or undertemp signal is transmitted via a control line.
293 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A processor comprising:
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a chip having a processing core integrated thereon;
a thermal sensor integrated on the chip, the thermal sensor having first and second terminals;
a first external I-O port coupled to the first terminal for connection to an external control circuit; and
a second external I-O port coupled to the second terminal for connection to the external control circuit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
a third external I-O port; and
a clock throttling circuit integrated on the chip to adjust a frequency of a clock signal supplied to the core in response to a signal received at the third port from the external control circuit.
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3. The processor of claim 2, wherein the clock throttling circuit includes a phase locked loop.
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4. The processor of claim 3, wherein the clock throttling circuit includes an output clock control gating circuit.
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5. The processor of claim 1, further comprising:
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a third external I-O port; and
a throttling circuit integrated on the chip to place the processor into a low power mode in response to a signal received at the third port from the external control circuit.
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6. The processor of claim 1, wherein the thermal sensor comprises a semiconductor device formed in the semiconductor substrate of the chip and wherein the first and second external I-O ports are coupled to opposite sides of the semiconductor device.
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7. The processor of claim 1, further comprising:
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a third external I-O port; and
a throttling circuit integrated on the chip to first place the processor into a low power mode in response to a signal received at the third port from the external control circuit and to second adjust a frequency of a clock signal supplied to the core in response to a signal received at the third port from the external control circuit.
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8. The processor of claim 1, further comprising:
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a third external I-O port; and
a throttling circuit integrated on the chip to first place the processor into a normal power mode in response to a signal received at the third port from the external control circuit and to second adjust a frequency of a clock signal supplied to the core in response to a signal received at the third port from the external control circuit.
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9. The processor of claim 1, wherein the first and second external I-O ports comprise electrically conductive pins.
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10. A computer system comprising:
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a processor having a processing core integrated with a thermal sensor on a substrate;
a control circuit, external to the processor, coupled to the thermal sensor, to determine if a temperature of the processor, as sensed by the thermal sensor, exceeds a threshold; and
a control line coupled to the control circuit to transmit a signal that indicates if the temperature exceeds the threshold. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method of monitoring a temperature of a processor comprising:
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measuring electrical characteristics across first and second external I-O ports of the processor, the first and second external I-O ports being coupled to a device integrated with a processing core on a chip of the processor;
calculating the temperature based on the electrical characteristics;
comparing the temperature to a first threshold; and
transmitting an overtemp signal to the processor via a control line if the temperature exceeds the first threshold. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
reducing a frequency of a clock signal in response to receiving the overtemp signal; and
increasing the frequency of the clock signal in response to receiving the undertemp signal.
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23. The method of claim 20, further comprising:
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reducing a voltage supplied to the processing core in response to receiving the overtemp signal; and
increasing the voltage supplied to the processing core in response to receiving the undertemp signal.
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24. The method of claim 19, wherein measuring the electrical characteristics includes measuring the electrical characteristics of a diode integrated on the chip.
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25. The method of claim 19, further comprising:
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first placing the processor into a low power mode in response to receiving the overtemp signal; and
second adjusting a frequency of a clock signal supplied to the core in response to receiving the overtemp signal.
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26. The method of claim 19, further comprising:
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first placing the processor into a normal power mode in response to receiving the undertemp signal; and
second adjusting a frequency of a clock signal supplied to the core in response to receiving the undertemp signal.
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Specification