Apparatus for controlling internal heat generating circuit

• US 6,463,396 B1
• Filed: 04/19/1999
• Issued: 10/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Nishigaki, Nobutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): ASSOUAD, PATRICK J
• Application Number:
  US09/294,600
• Time in Patent Office: 1,268 Days
• Field of Search: 702/132, 713/300, 713/320, 713/322, 713/323, 257/467, 257/470, 327/512
• US Class Current: 702/132
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/206 comprising thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/81 by operating on the power supply, e.g. enabling or disabling power-on, sleep or resume operations

Abstract

In a computer system constituted by a portable computer and a desk station used to expand the function of the portable computer, the portable computer has a communication connector used for communication with the desk station, in addition to a connector for connecting a system bus in the portable computer to the desk station. Temperature control in the portable computer is also executed. The computer may include a one-chip controller that includes an element having a characteristic that varies with temperature and further includes a dedicated pin electrically connected to the element. The element may be mounted on a portion of an integrated circuit substrate. The dedicated pin may be provided on a portion of a connection pin arrangement. The computer may further include a temperature detecting element configured to detect a temperature of the one-chip controller via the dedicated pin, and may further include a controlling unit configured to control an internal heat-generating circuit on said integrated circuit substrate to decrease the temperature of said one-chip controller when the temperature detected by said temperature detecting element exceeds a set temperature.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a one-chip controller including an element having a characteristic that varies with temperature and including a dedicated pin electrically connected to said element, said element being mounted on a portion of an integrated circuit substrate, said dedicated pin being provided on a portion of a connection pin arrangement;

a temperature detecting element configured to detect a temperature of said one-chip controller via said dedicated pin; and

a controlling unit configured to control an internal heat-generating circuit on said integrated circuit substrate to decrease the temperature of said one-chip controller when the temperature detected by said temperature detecting element exceeds a set temperature.

5. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said controlling unit controls a clock frequency of said internal heat-generating circuit to be decreased when the temperature detected by said temperature detecting element exceeds a first threshold, and controls a main body of said electronic apparatus to be automatically powered off when the temperature detected by said temperature detecting element exceeds a second threshold higher than the first threshold.

9. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said controlling unit controls periodically switching a mode to supply an operating clock to said internal heat-generating circuit and a mode to stop the supply of the operating clock thereto when the temperature detected by said temperature detecting element exceeds a first threshold, and controls a main body of said electronic apparatus to be automatically powered off when the temperature detected by said temperature detecting element exceeds a second threshold higher than the first threshold.

12. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said controlling unit controls a main body of said electronic apparatus to be automatically powered off, based on the temperature detected by said temperature detecting element.

2. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a one-chip controller including an element having a characteristic that varies with temperature and including a dedicated pin electrically connected to said element, said element being mounted on a portion of an integrated circuit substrate, said dedicated pin being provided on a portion of a connection pin arrangement;

a temperature detecting element configured to detect a temperature of said one-chip. controller via said dedicated pin;

a command issuing unit configured to issue a command to control an internal heat-generating circuit on said integrated circuit substrate to decrease the temperature of said one-chip controller when the temperature detected by said temperature detecting element exceeds a set temperature; and

an interrupt issuing unit configured to issue an interrupt signal to said one-chip controller when the temperature detected by said temperature detecting element exceeds the set temperature,

wherein said one-chip controller controls said internal heat-generating circuit in accordance with the issued command in response to the issued interrupt signal.

6. The electronic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said one-chip controller controls a clock frequency of said internal heat-generating circuit to be decreased when the temperature detected by said temperature detecting element exceeds a first threshold, and controls a main body of said electronic apparatus to be automatically powered off when the temperature detected by said temperature detecting element exceeds a second threshold higher than the first threshold.

10. The electronic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said one-chip controller controls periodically switching a mode to supply an operating clock to said internal heat-generating circuit and a mode to stop the supply of the operating clock thereto when the temperature detected by said temperature detecting element exceeds a first threshold, and controls a main body of said electronic apparatus to be automatically powered off when the temperature detected by said temperature detecting element exceeds a second threshold higher than the first threshold.

13. The electronic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said one-chip controller controls a main body of said electronic apparatus to be automatically powered off, based on the temperature detected by said temperature detecting element.

3. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a one-chip controller including an element having a characteristic that varies with temperature and including a dedicated pin electrically connected to said element, said element being mounted on a portion of an integrated circuit substrate, said dedicated pin being provided on a portion of a connection pin arrangement;

a temperature detecting element configured to detect a temperature of said one-chip controller via said dedicated pin;

an analog-digital converting unit configured to convert the temperature detected by said temperature detecting element from an analog signal to a digital signal;

a control signal generating unit configured to generate a control signal to decrease the temperature of said one-chip controller when a voltage value of the digital signal exceeds a set voltage value; and

a controlling unit configured to control an internal heat-generating circuit on said integrated circuit substrate to decrease the temperature of said one-chip controller in response to the generated control signal.

7. The electronic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said controlling unit controls a clock frequency of said internal heat-generating circuit to be decreased when the temperature detected by said temperature detecting element exceeds a first threshold, and controls a main body of said electronic apparatus to be automatically powered off when the temperature detected by said temperature detecting element exceeds a second threshold higher than the first threshold.

11. The electronic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said controlling unit controls periodically switching to a first mode to supply an operating clock to said internal heat-generating circuit and to a second mode to stop the supply of the operating clock thereto when the temperature detected by said temperature detecting element exceeds a first threshold, and controls a main body of said electronic apparatus to be automatically powered off when the temperature detected by said temperature detecting element exceeds a second threshold higher than the first threshold.

14. The electronic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said controlling unit controls a main body of said electronic apparatus to be automatically powered off, based on the temperature detected by said temperature detecting element.

4. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a one-chip controller including an element having a characteristic that varies with temperature and including a dedicated pin electrically connected to said element, said element being mounted on a portion of an integrated circuit substrate, said dedicated pin being provided on a portion of a connection pin arrangement;

a temperature detecting element configured to detect a temperature of said one-chip controller via said dedicated pin;

an analog-digital converting unit configured to convert the temperature detected by said temperature detecting element from an analog signal to a digital signal;

a control signal generating unit configured to generate a control signal to decrease the temperature of said one-chip controller when a voltage value of the digital signal exceeds a set voltage value; and

a controlling unit configured to control an internal heat-generating circuit in said integrated circuit substrate to decrease the temperature of said one-chip controller in response to the generated control signal.

8. The electronic apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said controlling unit controls a clock frequency of said internal heat-generating circuit to be decreased when the temperature detected by said temperature detecting element exceeds a first threshold, and controls a main body of said electronic apparatus to be automatically powered off when the temperature detected by said temperature detecting element exceeds a second threshold higher than the first threshold.

15. The electronic apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said controlling unit controls a main body of said electronic apparatus to be automatically powered off based on the temperature detected by said temperature detecting element.

16. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a semiconductor circuit including an element having a characteristic that varies with temperature and including a terminal that is electrically connected to said element and outputs a signal corresponding to the characteristic of said element;

a temperature detecting element configured to detect a temperature of said semiconductor circuit via said terminal; and

a controlling unit configured to control a main body of said electronic apparatus to be automatically powered off when the temperature detected by said temperature detecting element exceeds a set temperature.

17. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a semiconductor circuit including an element having a characteristic that varies with temperature and including a terminal that is electrically connected to said element and outputs a signal corresponding to the characteristic of said element, said semiconductor circuit operating according to a clock frequency;

a temperature detecting element configured to detect a temperature of said semiconductor circuit via said terminal; and

a controlling unit configured to control the clock frequency of said semiconductor circuit to be decreased when the temperature detected by said temperature detecting element exceeds a first threshold, and to control a main body of said electronic apparatus to be automatically powered off when the temperature detected by said temperature detecting element exceeds a second threshold higher than the first threshold.

18. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a semiconductor circuit including an element having a characteristic that varies with temperature and including a terminal that is electrically connected to said element and outputs a signal corresponding to the characteristic of said element, said semiconductor circuit operating according to a clock frequency;

a temperature detecting element configured to detect a temperature of said semiconductor circuit via said terminal; and

a controlling unit configured to control periodically switching to a first mode to supply an operating clock to said semiconductor circuit and to a second mode to stop the supply of the operating clock thereto when the temperature detected by said temperature detecting element exceeds a first threshold, and to control a main body of said electronic apparatus to be automatically powered off when the temperature detected by said temperature detecting element exceeds a second threshold higher than the first threshold.

19. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a one-chip controller including an element having a characteristic that varies with temperature and including a dedicated pin electrically connected to said element, said element being mounted on a portion of an integrated circuit substrate, said dedicated pin being provided on a portion of a connection pin arrangement;

a temperature detecting element configured to detect a temperature of said one-chip controller via said dedicated pin;

a negative feedback controlling unit configured to control an internal heat-generating circuit on said integrated circuit substrate to decrease the temperature of said one-chip controller when the temperature detected by said temperature detecting element exceeds a set temperature; and

a controlling unit configured to control a main body of said electronic apparatus to be automatically powered, based on the temperature detected by said temperature detecting element.

20. A control method applied to an electronic apparatus having a semiconductor circuit including an element having a characteristic that varies with temperature and including a terminal that is electrically connected to said element and outputs a signal corresponding to the characteristic of said element, said method comprising:

detecting a temperature of said semiconductor circuit via said terminal; and

controlling a main body of said electronic apparatus to be automatically powered off when the temperature detected in said detection exceeds a set temperature.

21. A control method applied to an electronic apparatus having a semiconductor circuit including an element having a characteristic that varies with temperature and including a terminal that is electrically connected to said element and outputs a signal corresponding to the characteristic of said element, said semiconductor circuit operating according to a clock frequency, said method comprising:

detecting a temperature of said semiconductor circuit via said terminal; and

controlling the clock frequency of said semiconductor circuit to be decreased when the temperature detected in said detection exceeds a first threshold, and controlling a main body of said electronic apparatus to be automatically powered off when the temperature detected in said detection exceeds a second threshold higher than the first threshold.

22. A control method applied to an electronic apparatus having a semiconductor circuit including an element having a characteristic that varies with temperature and including a terminal that is electrically connected to said element and outputs a signal corresponding to the characteristic of said element, said semiconductor circuit operating according to a clock frequency, said method comprising:

detecting a temperature of said semiconductor circuit via said terminal; and

controlling periodically switching a mode to supply an operating clock to said semiconductor circuit and a mode to stop the supply of the operating clock thereto when the temperature detected in said detection exceeds a first threshold, and controlling a main body of said electronic apparatus to be automatically powered off when the temperature detected in said detection exceeds a second threshold higher than the first threshold.