Method and apparatus for detecting conditions of a peripheral device including motion, and determining/predicting temperature(S) wherein at least one temperature is weighted based on detected conditions

• US 8,392,340 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2009
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Cox, Keith, Kapoor, Gaurav, Culbert, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): VINCENT, DAVID ROBERT
• Application Number:
  US12/564,025
• Publication Number:
  US 20100235012A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,261 Days
• Field of Search: 706/12, 706/62
• US Class Current: 706/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/203 for portable computers, e.g. for laptops
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/206 comprising thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/324 by lowering clock frequency
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3296 by lowering the supply or operating voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses to automatically adjust a thermal requirement of a data processing system are described. One or more conditions associated with a data processing system are detected. A temperature requirement for the data processing system is determined based on the one or more conditions. The performance of the data processing system may be throttled to maintain a temperature of the data processing system below the temperature requirement. Detecting the one or more conditions associated with the data processing system may include determining a location of the data processing system based on a measured motion, a state of a peripheral device, a position of one portion of the data processing system (e.g., a lid) relative another portion of the data processing system (e.g., a bottom portion), a type of application operating on the data processing system, or any combination thereof.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented method, comprising:

detecting a plurality of conditions associated with a data processing system; and

determining a first temperature for the data processing system based on the plurality of conditions, the plurality of conditions including a state of motion of the data processing system and a state of a peripheral device that is coupled to the data processing system, wherein the first temperature is weighed based on the plurality of conditions.

2. The machine-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the detecting the plurality of conditions includes measuring a motion associated with the data processing system;

and determining a location of the data processing system based on the motion.

3. The machine-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the detecting the plurality of conditions includes determining the state of the peripheral device.

4. The machine-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the detecting the plurality of conditions includes determining a position of one portion of the data processing system relative to another portion of the data processing system.

5. The machine-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the detecting the plurality of conditions includes determining a type of application operating on the data processing system.

6. The machine-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising

predicting thermal requirements for each of the plurality of conditions;

and

weighing the predicted thermal requirements.

7. The machine-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising

throttling a performance of the data processing system to maintain a data processing system temperature below the first temperature.

8. The machine-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the determining the first temperature includes selecting a temperature set point for the data processing system based on the plurality of conditions.

9. A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing executable program instructions which when executed by a data processing system causes the system to perform operations, comprising:

detecting a plurality of conditions associated with a data processing system; and

determining a first temperature for the data processing system based on the plurality of conditions, the plurality of conditions including a state of motion of the data processing system and a state of a peripheral device that is coupled to the data processing system, wherein the first temperature is weighed based on the plurality of conditions.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the detecting the plurality of conditions includes measuring a motion associated with the data processing system;

and determining a location of the data processing system based on the motion.

11. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the detecting the plurality of conditions includes determining the state of the peripheral device.

12. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the detecting the plurality of conditions includes determining a position of one portion of the data processing system relative another portion of the data processing system.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the detecting the plurality of conditions includes determining a type of application operating on the data processing system.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9, further comprising instructions that cause the system to perform operations comprising:

predicting thermal requirements for each of the plurality of conditions; and

weighing the predicted thermal requirements.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9, further comprising instructions that cause the system to perform operations comprising

throttling a performance of the data processing system to maintain a data processing system temperature below the first temperature.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the determining the first temperature includes selecting a temperature set point for the data processing system based on the plurality of conditions.

17. A system, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to detect a plurality of conditions associated with a data processing system; and

to determine a first temperature for the data processing system based on the plurality of conditions, the plurality of conditions including a state of motion of the data processing system and a state of a peripheral device that is coupled to the data processing system, wherein the first temperature is weighed based on the plurality of conditions.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the detecting the plurality of conditions includes measuring a motion associated with the data processing system;

and determining a location of the data processing system based on the motion.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the detecting the plurality of conditions includes determining the state of the peripheral device.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the detecting the plurality of conditions includes determining a position of one portion of the data processing system relative another portion of the data processing system.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the detecting the plurality of conditions includes determining a type of application operating on the data processing system.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to

predict thermal requirements for each of the plurality of conditions;

and

to weigh the predicted thermal requirements.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to

throttle a performance of the data processing system to maintain a data processing system temperature below the first temperature.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein the determining the first temperature includes selecting a temperature set point for the data processing system based on the plurality of conditions.

25. A system, comprising:

means for detecting a plurality of conditions associated with a data processing system, the means for detecting comprising at least one processor; and

means for determining a first temperature for the data processing system based on the plurality of conditions, the plurality of conditions including a state of motion of the data processing system and a state of a peripheral device that is coupled to the data processing system, wherein the first temperature is weighed based on the plurality of conditions.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the means for detecting the plurality of conditions includes means for measuring a motion associated with the data processing system;

and means for determining a location of the data processing system based on the motion.