SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DETECTING THERMAL RUNAWAY

• US 20160216719A1
• Filed: 01/22/2015
• Published: 07/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Saeidi, Mehdi, Mittal, Rajat, Mittal, Arpit, Coutts, Ryan Michael
• Granted Patent: US 10,061,331 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 3/08 giving differences of values using thermoelectric elements G01K7/02; giving differentiated values
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 3/10 in respect of time, e.g. reacting only to a quick change of temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1917 using digital means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/206 comprising thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3206 Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3243 Power saving in microcontroller unit
• 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

In one embodiment, a method of temperature control comprises receiving temperature readings from a temperature sensor on a chip, calculating one or more second derivatives of temperature with respect to time based on the temperature readings, and determining whether to perform temperature mitigation on the chip based on the one or more calculated second derivatives of temperature.

Claims

1. A temperature management system, comprising:

a calculation module configured to calculate one or more second derivatives of temperature with respect to time based on temperature readings from a temperature sensor on a chip; and

a temperature control module configured to determine whether to perform temperature mitigation on the chip based on the one or more calculated second derivatives of temperature.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a low-pass filter configured to low-pass filter the temperature readings to obtain filtered temperature readings, wherein the calculation module is configured to calculate the one or more second derivatives of temperature with respect to time based on the filtered temperature readings.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the temperature control module is configured to determine whether to perform temperature mitigation by comparing the one or more calculated second derivatives of temperature to a threshold.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the threshold is approximately equal to zero.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the temperature sensor is configured to generate a voltage or a current that is sensitive to a temperature of the chip, and to generate the temperature readings based on the voltage or the current.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a clock generator configured to output a clock signal with an adjustable clock frequency to a circuit on the chip, wherein the temperature control module is configured to instruct the clock generator to reduce the clock frequency if a determination is made to perform temperature mitigation.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a power source configured to provide an adjustable supply voltage to a circuit on the chip, wherein the temperature control module is configured to instruct the power source to reduce the supply voltage if a determination is made to perform temperature mitigation.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the temperature control module is configured to receive dynamic power estimates for a circuit on the chip from a power meter, to determine whether there is an increase in a dynamic power of the circuit based on the dynamic power estimates, and to determine whether to perform temperature mitigation based also on the determination of whether there is an increase in the dynamic power of the circuit.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the temperature control module is configured to determine an increase in the dynamic power of the circuit if a current one of the received dynamic power estimates is greater than a previous one of the received dynamic power estimates.

10. A method of temperature control, comprising:

receiving temperature readings from a temperature sensor on a chip;

calculating one or more second derivatives of temperature with respect to time based on the temperature readings; and

determining whether to perform temperature mitigation on the chip based on the one or more calculated second derivatives of temperature.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising low-pass filtering the temperature readings to obtained filtered temperature readings, wherein calculating the one or more second derivatives of temperature with respect to time is based on the filtered temperature readings.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein determining whether to perform temperature mitigation comprises comparing the one or more calculated second derivatives of temperature to a threshold.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the threshold is approximately equal to zero.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising reducing an operating frequency of a circuit on the chip if a determination is made to perform temperature mitigation.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising reducing a supply voltage of a circuit on the chip if a determination is made to perform temperature mitigation.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving dynamic power estimates for a circuit on the chip; and

determining whether there is an increase in a dynamic power of the circuit based on the dynamic power estimates;

wherein determining whether to perform temperature mitigation is based also on the determination of whether there is an increase in the dynamic power of the circuit.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein determining whether there is an increase in the dynamic power of the circuit comprises determining there is an increase in the dynamic power of the circuit if a current one of the received dynamic power estimates is greater than a previous one of the received dynamic power estimates.

18. An apparatus, comprising:

means for receiving temperature readings from a temperature sensor on a chip;

means for calculating one or more second derivatives of temperature with respect to time based on temperature readings; and

means for determining whether to perform temperature mitigation on the chip based on the one or more calculated second derivatives of temperature.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising means for low-pass filtering the temperature readings to obtained filtered temperature readings, wherein the means for calculating the one or more second derivatives of temperature with respect to time calculates the one or more second derivatives of temperature with respect to time based on the filtered temperature readings.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the means for determining whether to perform temperature mitigation comprises means for comparing the one or more calculated second derivatives of temperature to a threshold.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the threshold is approximately equal to zero.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising means for reducing an operating frequency of a circuit on the chip if a determination is made to perform temperature mitigation.

23. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising means for reducing a supply voltage of a circuit on the chip if a determination is made to perform temperature mitigation.

24. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

means for receiving dynamic power estimates for a circuit on the chip; and

means for determining whether there is an increase in a dynamic power of the circuit based on the dynamic power estimates;

wherein the means for determining whether to perform temperature mitigation determines whether to perform temperature mitigation based also on the determination of whether there is an increase in the dynamic power of the circuit.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the means for determining whether there is an increase in the dynamic power of the circuit comprises means for determining there is an increase in the dynamic power of the circuit if a current one of the received dynamic power estimates is greater than a previous one of the received dynamic power estimates.