Failsafe mechanism for preventing an integrated circuit from overheating

• US 7,690,843 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2007
• Issued: 04/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Bowden, Scott J., Douglas, Jonathan P.
• Primary Examiner(s): KAPLAN VERBITSKY, GAIL
• Application Number:
  US11/906,406
• Publication Number:
  US 20080031303A1
• Time in Patent Office: 918 Days
• Field of Search: 374/99, 374/1, 374170-172, 374/178, 374/163, 374/183, 374/185, 702130-136, 702/139, 702/99, 327/512, 327/513, 715/500, 714/100
• US Class Current: 374/170
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 3/005 Circuits arrangements for indicating a predetermined temperature fire detection G08B17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/206 comprising thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Techniques for preventing an integrated circuit (IC) from overheating are described herein. According to one embodiment, an exemplary process includes detecting whether a temperature of an integrated circuit (IC) exceeds a threshold independent of an operating state of the IC, and removing at least a portion of a power from the IC if the temperature of the IC exceeds the threshold. Other methods and apparatuses are also described.

Claims

1. A method comprising

detecting, via a power detection logic of a processor, whether a power level from a power source reaches a threshold;

detecting, via a thermal sensor of the processor, subsequent to performing the detecting the power level reaches the threshold, whether a temperature of the processor powered by the power source exceeds the threshold independent of an operating state of the processor;

removing, via an input/output (I/O) logic of the processor, at least a portion of a power from the processor if the temperature of the processor exceeds the threshold; and

detecting, via a clock detection logic of the processor, whether a clock signal is stable prior to performing the detecting whether the temperature of the processor exceeds the threshold, the processor being driven by the clock signal.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating, via a clock generating logic of the processor, a clock signal to control the detecting whether the temperature of the processor exceeds the threshold, and generating a signal to indicate whether the clock signal is stable.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the generating of the clock signal to control the detecting comprises:

detecting whether an external clock is available;

deriving the clock signal from the external clock if the external clock source is available; and

generating the clock signal from an internal clock if the external clock source is not available.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising configuring, via a configuration logic, one or more thermal sensors prior to the detecting whether the temperature of the processor exceeds the threshold, the configuring being performed based on a thermal configuration associated with the processor.

5. A processor comprising

a power detection logic to detect whether a power level from a power source reaches a threshold;

a thermal sensor to detect, subsequent to performing the detecting the power level reaches the threshold, whether a temperature of the processor powered by the power source exceeds the threshold independent of an operating state of the processor;

an input/output (I/O) logic to remove at least a portion of a power from the processor if the temperature of the processor exceeds the threshold; and

a clock detection logic to detect whether a clock signal is stable prior to performing the detecting whether the temperature of the processor exceeds the threshold, the processor being driven by the clock signal.

6. The processor of claim 5, further comprising a clock generation logic to generate a clock signal to control the detecting whether the temperature of the processor exceeds the threshold, and generate a signal to indicate whether the clock signal is stable.

7. The processor of claim 5, wherein the clock generation logic is further to:

detect whether an external clock is available;

derive the clock signal from the external clock if the external clock source is available; and

generate the clock signal from an internal clock if the external clock source is not available.

8. The processor of claim 5, further comprising a configuration logic to configure one or more thermal sensors prior to the detecting whether the temperature of the processor exceeds the threshold, the configuring being performed based on a thermal configuration associated with the processor.

9. A computer system comprising

a storage medium;

and

a processor coupled with the storage medium, the processor having

a power detection logic to detect whether a power level from a power source reaches a threshold,

a thermal sensor to detect, subsequent to performing the detecting the power level reaches the threshold, whether a temperature of the processor powered by the power source exceeds the threshold independent of an operating state of the processor,

an input/output (I/O) logic to remove at least a portion of a power from the processor if the temperature of the processor exceeds the threshold, and

a clock detection logic to detect whether a clock signal is stable prior to performing the detecting whether the temperature of the processor exceeds the threshold, the processor being driven by the clock signal.

10. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the processor further having a clock generation logic to generate a clock signal to control the detecting whether the temperature of the processor exceeds the threshold, and generate a signal to indicate whether the clock signal is stable.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the clock generation logic is further to:

detect whether an external clock is available;

derive the clock signal from the external clock if the external clock source is available; and

generate the clock signal from an internal clock if the external clock source is not available.

12. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the processor further having a configuration logic to configure one or more thermal sensors prior to the detecting whether the temperature of the processor exceeds the threshold, the configuring being performed based on a thermal configuration associated with the processor.