Automatic adjustment of thermal requirement based on motion detection and frequency of disturbances

• US 8,756,176 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2013
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• 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:
  US13/776,239
• Publication Number:
  US 20130179000A1
• Time in Patent Office: 477 Days
• Field of Search: 706/12, 706/45, 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 disturbances of a data processing system, wherein each disturbance includes a range of motion, wherein the range of motion increases and decreases and includes a portion more than a predetermined non-zero range threshold, and wherein the plurality of disturbances are separated from each other by respective periods of time;

comparing a frequency of the plurality of disturbances with a rate threshold;

determining a position of the data processing system based on the comparing; and

adjusting a temperature set point for the data processing system based on the position.

2. 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 temperature set point.

3. The machine-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the detecting each disturbance includes:

measuring an acceleration associated with the data processing system; and

determining the range of motion based on the measured acceleration.

4. The machine-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the determining the position includes:

increasing a confidence for a first location of the data processing system if the frequency is less than the rate threshold; and

increasing the confidence for a second location of the data processing system if the frequency is more than the rate threshold.

5. The machine-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting the temperature set point includes selecting the temperature set point based on the position.

6. The machine-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising determining a state of a peripheral device.

7. The machine-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising determining a position of one portion of the data processing system relative to another portion of the data processing system.

8. The machine-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising determining a type of application operating on the data processing system.

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 disturbances of a data processing system, wherein each disturbance includes a range of motion, wherein the range of motion increases and decreases and includes a portion more than a predetermined non-zero range threshold, and wherein the plurality of disturbances are separated from each other by respective periods of time;

comparing a frequency of the plurality of disturbances with a rate threshold;

determining a position of the data processing system based on the comparing; and

adjusting a temperature set point for the data processing system based on the position.

10. 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 temperature set point.

11. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the detecting each disturbance includes:

measuring an acceleration associated with the data processing system; and

determining the range of motion based on the measured acceleration.

12. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the determining the position includes:

increasing a confidence for a first location of the data processing system if the frequency is less than the rate threshold; and

increasing the confidence for a second location of the data processing system if the frequency is more than the rate threshold.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the adjusting the temperature set point includes selecting the temperature set point based on the position.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9, further comprising instructions that cause the system to perform operations comprising determining a state of a peripheral device.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9, further comprising instructions that cause the system to perform operations comprising determining a position of one portion of the data processing system relative to another portion of the data processing system.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9, further comprising instructions that cause the system to perform operations comprising determining a type of application operating on the data processing system.

17. A system, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to;

detect a plurality of disturbances of a data processing system, wherein each disturbance includes a range of motion, wherein the range of motion increases and decreases and includes a portion more than a predetermined non-zero range threshold, and wherein the plurality of disturbances are separated from each other by respective periods of time,

compare a frequency of the plurality of disturbances with a rate threshold;

determine a position of the data processing system based on the comparison, and

adjust a temperature set point for the data processing system based on the position.

18. 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 temperature set point.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the detecting each disturbance includes:

measuring an acceleration associated with the data processing system; and

determining the range of motion based on the measured acceleration.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the determining the position includes:

increasing a confidence for a first location of the data processing system if the frequency is less than the rate threshold; and

increasing the confidence for a second location of the data processing system if the frequency is more than the rate threshold.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the adjusting the temperature set point includes selecting the temperature set point based on the position.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a state of a peripheral device.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a position of one portion of the data processing system relative to another portion of the data processing system.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a type of application operating on the data processing system.