Systems and methods for thermal management of a chassis-coupled modular mobile electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10042402-B2
Application number	US-201514680955-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 7, 2015
Priority date	Apr 7, 2014
Publication date	Aug 7, 2018
Grant date	Aug 7, 2018

Abstract

Systems and methods for thermal management of a mobile electronic device. During operation of a modular mobile electronic device that is coupled to one or more modules via respective module interfaces of the electronic device, a thermal controller of the electronic device is used to update at least one system thermal goal based on a change for a module thermal model for at least one module coupled to the electronic device. A determination is made as to whether the updated at least one system thermal goal is satisfied based on thermal data provided by a plurality of thermal sensors arranged at locations associated with the electronic device. Responsive to a determination that the updated at least one system thermal goal is not satisfied, the thermal controller controls heat transfer to satisfy the updated at least one thermal goal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising: during operation of an electronic device that is coupled to one or more modules via respective module interfaces of the electronic device, using a thermal controller of the electronic device to:
update one or more system thermal goals based on a change for a module thermal model for at least one module coupled to the electronic device, wherein the one or more system thermal goals comprise a decreasing temperature gradient across a chassis of the electronic device
determine whether the one or more system thermal goals are satisfied based on thermal data provided by a plurality of thermal sensors arranged at locations associated with the electronic device; and
responsive to a determination that the one or more system thermal goals are not satisfied, control heat transfer to satisfy the one or more system thermal goals, wherein the controlling heat transfer comprises controlling a display of the electronic device to generate one or more directions to change a layout configuration of the one or more modules to satisfy the one or more system thermal goals.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more system thermal goals correspond to the module thermal model.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the one or more system thermal goals are an operating constraint of an associated module,
wherein the change to the module thermal model is a change to the operating constraint in the module thermal model, and
wherein the thermal controller updates the one or more system thermal goals that correspond to the module thermal model based on the change to the operating constraint in the module thermal model.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the operating constraints of the one or more modules include at least one of temperature ranges and maximum temperature changes.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the thermal controller determines the one or more system thermal goals based on module thermal goals of module thermal models stored by the thermal controller.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the thermal controller determines goals of module thermal models stored by the thermal controller and generates one of the one or more system thermal goals for at least one of the determined goals of the module thermal models.

7. The method of claim 6 ,
wherein the thermal controller generates a system thermal goal for each goal in a subset of goals of the module thermal models, and
wherein the thermal controller determines the subset of goals by: identifying conflicting goals and redundant goals; and resolving conflicting goals and filtering redundant goals, and
wherein the one or more system thermal goals include operating constraints of respective modules.

8. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein the thermal controller stores thermal models for the one or more modules coupled to the electronic device in a storage device of the thermal controller, and
wherein the thermal controller stores thermal models in association with respective locations at which corresponding modules are arranged on the chassis of the electronic device.

9. The method of claim 8 ,
further comprising: during operation of the electronic device, using the thermal controller to change the module thermal model for the at least one module.

10. The method of claim 9 ,
wherein the thermal controller changes the module thermal model based on at least one of:
thermal constraints of nearby modules;
thermal constraints of nearby components of the electronic device; and
thermal constraints of at least one local area of the chassis of the electronic device.

11. The method of claim 9 ,
wherein the thermal controller changes the module thermal model based on at least one of thermal data provided by the plurality of thermal sensors, module information for the at least one module, module information for other modules of the electronic device, and system information of the electronic device,
wherein module information includes at least one of module type, operating state, power data, and context information of a module, and
wherein system information includes at least one of operating state, power data, and context information of a modular electronic device enablement system of the electronic device.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the thermal controller changes the module thermal model based on change in power characteristics of at least one of the at least one module and a module power network of the electronic device.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein thermal data includes at least one of; a temperature; and a temperature change within a predetermined period.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of thermal sensors include at least one of a thermal sensor arranged at a location on the chassis of the electronic device, a thermal sensor included in a module coupled to the electronic device via a module interface of the electronic device, and a thermal sensor included in an enablement system of the electronic device.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the thermal controller determines that the one Of more system thermal goals that have been updated are satisfied based on at least one of:
thermal data of a first module corresponding to the one or more system thermal goals;
thermal data associated with at least one module located near the first module;
thermal data associated with at least one local area of the chassis of the electronic device;
operating state of the first module;
operating state of modules near the first module;
power data of the first module;
power data of modules near the first module;
context information of the first module; and
context information of modules near the first module.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the controlling heat transfer comprises: controlling a display of the electronic device to display information to direct a user to move two or more of the one or more modules farther apart to satisfy the one or more system thermal goals that have been updated.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the controlling heat transfer comprises: controlling at least one active heat management system of the electronic device to perform at least one of:
routing heat towards a location of the electronic device;
selectively increasing heat transfer between two locations on the chassis of the electronic device;
selectively decreasing heat transfer between two locations on the chassis; and
thermally isolating a module.

18. An electronic device system comprising:
a chassis;
a plurality of thermal sensors arranged at locations associated with the system;
a plurality of module interfaces, each module interface constructed to removably couple a module to the system;
a module power network (MPN) constructed to provide power transfer between modules coupled to the system via respective ones of the plurality of module interfaces;
a module communication network (MCN) constructed to enable data transfer between modules coupled to the system via respective module interfaces;
a thermal controller coupled to the module power network, the thermal controller constructed to, during operation of the system;
update one or more system thermal goals based on ,a change for a module thermal model for at least one module coupled to the electronic device, wherein the one or more system thermal goals comprise a decreasing temperature gradient across the chassis of the electronic device;
determine whether the one or more system thermal goals are satisfied based on thermal data provided by a plurality of thermal sensors ar

Assignees

• Google Inc
• Google Llc

Inventors

• Eremenko Paul
• Fishman David
• Newburg Seth
• Knaian Ara
• Bober Marisa

Classifications

• G06F1/206 Primary

  comprising thermal management · CPC title

• G06F1/203

  for portable computers, e.g. for laptops · CPC title