Thermal mitigation of multi-core processor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016124476-A1
Application number	US-201514675409-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 31, 2015
Priority date	Oct 30, 2014
Publication date	May 5, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product are provided. The apparatus may be a UE. The UE has a processor including a plurality of cores. The plurality of cores includes a first core and remaining cores. The UE determines a temperature of the first core of the plurality of cores. The first core processes a load. The UE determines that the temperature of the first core is greater than a first threshold. The UE determines that the temperature of the first core is not greater than a second threshold. The second threshold is greater than the first threshold. The UE transfers at least a portion of the load of the first core to a second core of the remaining cores in response to determining that the temperature of the first core is greater than the first threshold.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of operating of a user equipment (UE), the UE having a processor including a plurality of cores, the plurality of cores including a first core and remaining cores, comprising:
determining a temperature of the first core of the plurality of cores, the first core processing a load; determining that the temperature of the first core is greater than a first threshold; determining that the temperature of the first core is not greater than a second threshold, the second threshold being greater than the first threshold; and transferring at least a portion of the load of the first core to a second core of the remaining cores in response to determining that the temperature of the first core is greater than the first threshold.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining temperatures of each core of the remaining cores, wherein the at least the portion of the load of the first core is transferred to the second core based on the determination of the temperatures of each core of the remaining cores.

3 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising determining which of the remaining cores has a lowest temperature, wherein the at least the portion of the load is transferred to the second core in response to determining that the second core has the lowest temperature of the remaining cores.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the at least a portion of the load is all the load, and all the load is transferred from the first core to the second core in response to determining that the second core has the lowest temperature of the remaining cores.

5 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising determining that a temperature of the second core is less than a third threshold, the third threshold being less than the first threshold, wherein all the load is transferred to the second core in response to determining that the second core has a temperature less than the third threshold.

6 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
powering up the second core before transferring all the load from the first core to the second core; and powering down the first core in response to transferring all the load from the first core to the second core.

7 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
determining that each core of the remaining cores has a temperature greater than a third threshold, the third threshold being less than the first threshold; and transferring a remaining portion of the load to a set of cores of the remaining cores to share the load between the second core and the set of cores.

8 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising determining a respective temperature difference of the respective temperature of each of the remaining cores from the temperature of the first core, wherein the load of the first core is shared among the remaining cores based on the respective temperature differences of the remaining cores.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least a portion of the load is transferred further in response to determining that the temperature of the first core is not greater than the second threshold, the method further comprising:
determining a second temperature of the first core of the plurality of cores; determining that the second temperature of the first core is greater than the second threshold; and reducing a power consumption of the first core in response to determining that the second temperature of the first core is greater than the second threshold.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the reducing the power consumption of the first core includes at least one of
reducing a frequency of the first core; reducing a supply voltage of the first core; power collapsing the first core; and transferring all the load of the first code to at least one core of the remaining cores.

11 . A thermal control module for managing thermal energy of a processor including a plurality of cores, the plurality of cores including a first core and remaining cores, comprising:
means for determining a temperature of the first core of the plurality of cores, the first core processing a load; means for determining that the temperature of the first core is greater than a first threshold; means for determining that the temperature of the first core is not greater than a second threshold, the second threshold being greater than the first threshold; and means for transferring at least a portion of the load of the first core to a second core of the remaining cores in response to determining that the temperature of the first core is greater than the first threshold.

12 . The thermal control module of claim 11 , further comprising means for determining temperatures of each core of the remaining cores, wherein the at least the portion of the load of the first core is transferred to the second core based on the determination of the temperatures of each core of the remaining cores.

13 . The thermal control module of claim 12 , further comprising means for determining which of the remaining cores has a lowest temperature, wherein the at least the portion of the load is transferred to the second core in response to determining that the second core has the lowest temperature of the remaining cores.

14 . The thermal control module of claim 13 , wherein the at least a portion of the load is all the load, and all the load is transferred from the first core to the second core in response to determining that the second core has the lowest temperature of the remaining cores.

15 . The thermal control module of claim 14 , further comprising means for determining that a temperature of the second core is less than a third threshold, the third threshold being less than the first threshold, wherein all the load is transferred to the second core in response to determining that the second core has a temperature less than the third threshold.

16 . The thermal control module of claim 14 , further comprising:
means for powering up the second core before transferring all the load from the first core to the second core; and means for powering down the first core in response to transferring all the load from the first core to the second core.

17 . The thermal control module of claim 12 , further comprising:
means for determining that each core of the remaining cores has a temperature greater than a third threshold, the third threshold being less than the first threshold; and means for transferring a remaining portion of the load to a set of cores of the remaining cores to share the load between the second core and the set of cores.

18 . The thermal control module of claim 17 , further comprising means for determining a respective temperature difference of the respective temperature of each of the remaining cores from the temperature of the first core, wherein the means for transferring is configured to share the load of the first core among the remaining cores based on the respective temperature differences of the remaining cores.

19 . The thermal control module of claim 11 , wherein the means for transferring is configured to transfer the at least a portion of the load further in response to determining that the temperature of the first core is not greater than the second threshold, the thermal control module further comprising:
means for determining a second temperature of the first core of the plurality of cores; means for determining that the second temperature of the first core is greater than the second threshold; and means for reducing a power consumption of the first c

Assignees

• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Mittal Rajat
• Krishnappa Madan
• Chandra Rajit
• Tamjidi Mohammad

Classifications

• G06F9/4856

  resumption being on a different machine, e.g. task migration, virtual machine migration (G06F9/5088 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F9/5094

  where the allocation takes into account power or heat criteria (power management in computers in general G06F1/3203; thermal management in computers in general G06F1/206) · CPC title

• G06F1/3296

  by lowering the supply or operating voltage · CPC title

• G06F1/3203

  Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode · CPC title

• G06F1/329

  by task scheduling · CPC title