Temperature averaging thermal sensor apparatus and method

• US 7,587,262 B1
• Filed: 11/07/2000
• Issued: 09/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Pippin, Jack D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rodriguez; Paul L
• Assistant Examiner(s): PROCTOR, JASON SCOTT
• Application Number:
  US09/707,448
• Time in Patent Office: 3,227 Days
• Field of Search: 361/93.8, 361/103, 438/54, 700/121, 700/299, 716/1, 703/13, 703/17, 703/7, 703/21, 713/322, 702/132, 374/15, 374/103, 374/137, 307/117, 307/126, 307/177, 257/467, 257/178, 257/633, 257/720, 257/747
• US Class Current: 700/299
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/19 characterised by the use of electric means G05D23/1393 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 3/265 using bipolar transistors only
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 3/267 using both bipolar and field-effect technology
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/206 comprising thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/324 by lowering clock frequency
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3024 where the computing system component is a central processing unit [CPU]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3058 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring environmental properties or parameters of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring of power, currents, temperature, humidity, position, vibrations thermal management in cooling arrangements of a computing system G06F1/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3093 Configuration details thereof, e.g. installation, enabling, spatial arrangement of the probes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A temperature averaging thermal sensor is implemented in an integrated circuit such as a microprocessor. The temperature averaging thermal sensor monitors the temperature of the integrated circuit in a plurality of different locations across the integrated circuit, calculates an average temperature and generates an output to indicate that the average temperature of the integrated circuit has attained a pre-programmed threshold temperature. In a microprocessor implementation, the microprocessor contains a plurality of thermal sensors each placed in one of a plurality of different locations across the integrated circuit and an averaging mechanism to calculate an average temperature from the plurality of thermal sensors. Sense circuitry reads the programmable input values and generates an interrupt when the temperature of the microprocessor reaches a threshold temperature. In addition to a temperature averaging thermal sensor, the microprocessor contains halt logic that halts operation of the microprocessor when the temperature attains a critical temperature.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit comprising:

a plurality of thermal sensors each placed in one of a plurality of different locations on the integrated circuit;

an averaging mechanism to calculate an average temperature from the plurality of sensors; and

a register associated with the averaging mechanism to store a threshold temperature value and interrupt logic associated with the averaging mechanism to generate an interrupt if the calculated average temperature exceeds the threshold temperature.

2. The integrated circuit of claim 1 further comprising clock adjustment logic to decrease a clock frequency of the integrated circuit in response to an interrupt from the interrupt logic indicating that the threshold temperature has been exceeded.

3. The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein the register is programmable by the integrated circuit.

4. The integrated circuit of claim 3 further comprising threshold adjustment logic to program the register to a different threshold temperature in response to an interrupt from the interrupt logic indicating that the threshold temperature has been exceeded.

5. The integrated circuit of claim 4 wherein the threshold adjustment logic is further to program the register to a second different threshold temperature in response to an interrupt from the interrupt logic indicating that the first different threshold temperature has been exceeded.

6. The integrated circuit of claim 1 further comprising clock adjustment logic to control the temperature of the integrated circuit by increasing and decreasing an integrated circuit clock frequency in response to the calculated average temperature.

7. The integrated circuit of claim 1 further comprising halt logic to halt operation of the integrated circuit in response to the calculated average temperature.

8. An integrated circuit comprising:

a plurality of thermal sensors each placed in one of a plurality of different locations on the integrated circuit;

an averaging mechanism to calculate an average temperature from the plurality of sensors; and

an interrupt handler to display information regarding the calculated average temperature to a user of the integrated circuit.

9. The integrated circuit of claim 8 further comprising interrupt logic to generate a first interrupt if the calculated average temperature exceeds a first threshold and a second interrupt if the calculated average temperature exceeds a second threshold.

10. A method comprising:

sensing temperature at a plurality of different locations on an integrated circuit;

calculating an average temperature from the plurality of different sensed temperatures; and

storing a threshold temperature value in a register and generating an interrupt if the calculated average temperature exceeds the stored threshold temperature.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising comparing each of the plurality of sensed temperatures to a threshold and generating an interrupt in response thereto.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising decreasing a clock frequency of the integrated circuit in response to an interrupt indicating that the threshold temperature has been exceeded.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising programming the register to a different threshold temperature in response to an interrupt indicating that the threshold temperature has been exceeded.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising programming the register to a second different threshold temperature in response to an interrupt indicating that the first different threshold temperature has been exceeded.

15. The method of claim 10 further comprising controlling the temperature of the integrated circuit by increasing and decreasing an integrated circuit clock frequency in response to the calculated average temperature.

16. The method of claim 10 further comprising halting operation of the integrated circuit in response to the calculated average temperature.

17. The method of claim 10 further comprising generating a first interrupt if the calculated average temperature exceeds a first threshold and a second interrupt if the calculated average temperature exceeds a second threshold.

18. A method comprising:

sensing temperature at a plurality of different locations on an integrated circuit;

calculating an average temperature from the plurality of different sensed temperatures; and

displaying information regarding the calculated average temperature to a user of the integrated circuit.