LINKING MULTIPLE INDEPENDENT CONTROL SYSTEMS TO DISTRIBUTE REPONSE

• US 20140074313A1
• Filed: 06/17/2013
• Published: 03/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Cox, Keith, Culbert, Michael F., Wan, Kit-Man
• Granted Patent: US 9,436,497 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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: G05D 23/1919 characterised by the type of controller
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/206 comprising thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/46 Multiprogramming arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/34 Arrangements for cooling, heating, ventilating or temperature compensation ; Temperature sensing arrangements thermal treatment apparatus H01L21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00

Abstract

A linked multiple independent control system can include two or more independent controllers configured to cooperatively control operating points of a system. In one particular embodiment, the linked multiple independent control system can control operating temperatures of a computing device. In one embodiment, the independent controllers can operate in parallel to develop control effort signals that are used by the computing device to affect operating parameters of one or more components included in the computing device. In another embodiment, independent controllers can have independent temperature thresholds that can affect control effort signals only from the related controller.

Claims

1. A method of controlling an attribute of a computing device, comprising:

determining a current value of the attribute associated with at least a portion of the computing device;

determining a plurality of control effort values based on the current value of the attribute for each controller of a plurality of independent linked controllers;

selecting a maximal control effort of the plurality of control effort values; and

applying the maximal control effort to manipulate the attribute.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the attribute is an operating temperature of the computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each control effort value of the plurality of control effort values is an amount of control effort to exert to manipulate the attribute to be near a predetermined operating point.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each controller of the plurality of independent linked controllers is a proportional, integral, derivative (PID) controller.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the plurality of control effort values comprises:

determining, at each controller of the plurality of independent linked controllers, a control effort value within an operating range of each controller.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the operating range of each controller is between 0% and 100% control effort.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the operating range of each controller are non-overlapping across all controllers of the plurality of independent linked controllers.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the operating range of each controller are partially overlapping between adjacent values of control effort.

9. A method of controlling a temperature of a computing device, comprising:

determining a current operating temperature of at least a portion of the computing device;

computing a first temperature management effort value when the operating temperature is greater than a first temperature threshold, wherein the first temperature management effort value is limited to a first value;

computing a second temperature management effort value when the operating temperature is greater than a second temperature threshold, wherein the second temperature threshold is greater than the first temperature threshold and wherein the second temperature management effort value is limited to a second value; and

,

selecting the maximal value of the first and the second temperature management effort values.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first and second temperature management values represent an amount of control effort to exert to manipulate the current operating temperature to be near a predetermined operating point.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the first and second temperature management values are determined at first and second respective temperature controllers.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first and second temperature controllers are each a proportional, integral, derivative (PID) controller.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein computing the first and second temperature management effort values each comprises:

determining, at a respective controller of the first and second controllers, a temperature management effort value within an operating range of the controller.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the operating range of each controller is between 0% and 100% temperature management effort.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the operating range of each controller are non-overlapping ranges.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the operating range of each controller are partially overlapping between adjacent values of temperature management effort.

17. A control system for controlling an attribute of a computing device, comprising:

a plurality of independent linked controllers configured to receive a current value of the attribute associated with at least a portion of the computing device, the plurality of controllers further configured to determine a plurality of individual control effort values based on the current value of the attribute;

a control device configured to apply a maximum control effort value of the plurality of individual control effort values to manipulate the attribute.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the attribute is an operating temperature of the computing device.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein each control effort value of the plurality of control effort values is an amount of control effort to exert to manipulate the attribute to be near a predetermined operating point.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein each controller of the plurality of independent linked controllers is a proportional, integral, derivative (PID) controller.