Thermal control method and thermal control system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9280188-B2
Application number	US-201414294170-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 3, 2014
Priority date	Jun 3, 2014
Publication date	Mar 8, 2016
Grant date	Mar 8, 2016

Abstract

The present invention provides a thermal control method and a thermal control system. The thermal control method comprises: detecting a temperature variance of a component of the electronic device to generate a detecting result; and determining a temperature threshold value for the integrated circuit as a throttling point according to the detecting result. The thermal control system comprises: a detecting unit, for detecting a temperature variance of a component of the electronic device to generate a detecting result; and a determining unit, for determining a temperature threshold value for the integrated circuit as a throttling point according to the detecting result.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thermal control method for an integrated circuit in an electronic device, comprising:
detecting a current temperature value of a component of the electronic device;
determining an initial temperature value of the component; and
comparing the current temperature value with the initial temperature value of the component to detect a temperature variance of the component and generate a detecting result; and
determining a temperature threshold value for the integrated circuit as a throttling point according to the detecting result;
wherein the step of determining the initial temperature value of the component comprises:
comparing the detected current temperature value with a first temperature threshold value.

2. The thermal control method of claim 1 , wherein the step of determining the initial temperature value of the component further comprises:
if the detected current temperature value is higher than the first temperature threshold value, then utilizing the first temperature threshold value as the initial temperature value of the component; and
if the detected current temperature value is lower than the first temperature threshold value, then utilizing a power value of the integrated circuit, a package thermal resistance coefficient, and an ambient temperature value to calculate the initial temperature value of the component.

3. The thermal control method of claim 1 , wherein the step of determining the temperature threshold value for the integrated circuit according to the detecting result comprises:
if the detecting result shows the temperature variance is lower than a predetermined temperature value, then utilizing a predetermined temperature threshold value as the temperature threshold value for the integrated circuit; and
if the detecting result shows the temperature variance is not lower than the predetermined temperature value, then determining a second temperature threshold value as the temperature threshold value for the integrated circuit, wherein the second temperature threshold value is lower than the predetermined temperature threshold value.

4. The thermal control method of claim 3 , wherein the step of determining the second temperature threshold value comprises:
calculating a difference between the predetermined temperature threshold value and a temperature variance of the integrated circuit corresponding to the temperature variance of the component to generate a calculating result;
comparing the calculating result with a first temperature threshold value;
if the calculating result is higher than the first temperature threshold value, then utilizing the calculating result as the second temperature threshold value; and
if the calculating result not higher than the first temperature threshold value, then utilizing the first temperature threshold value as the second temperature threshold value.

5. The thermal control method of claim 2 , wherein the first temperature threshold value is corresponding to a predetermined temperature threshold value of a housing of the electronic device.

6. The thermal control method of claim 1 , wherein the electronic device is a cellphone.

7. The thermal control method of claim 6 , wherein the component is a printed circuit board (PCB) of the cellphone.

8. The thermal control method of claim 6 , wherein the integrated circuit is a system on chip (SoC) of the cellphone.

9. A thermal control system for an integrated circuit in an electronic device, comprising:
a detecting unit, for detecting a temperature variance of a component of the electronic device to generate a detecting result; and
a determining unit, coupled to the detecting unit, for determining a temperature threshold value for the integrated circuit as a throttling point according to the detecting result;
wherein the function of detecting the temperature variance of the component of the electronic device to generate the detecting result comprises:
detecting a current temperature value of the component;
determining an initial temperature value of the component; and
comparing the current temperature value with the initial temperature value of the component to generate the detecting result;
wherein the function of determining the initial temperature value of the component comprises:
comparing the detected current temperature value with a first temperature threshold value;
if the detected current temperature value is higher than the first temperature threshold value, then utilizing the first temperature threshold value as the initial temperature value of the component; and
if the detected current temperature value is lower than the first temperature threshold value, then utilizing a power value of the integrated circuit, a package thermal resistance coefficient, and an ambient temperature value to calculate the initial temperature value of the component.

10. The thermal control system of claim 9 , wherein the function of determining the initial temperature value of the component further comprises:
if the detected current temperature value is higher than the first temperature threshold value, then utilizing the first temperature threshold value as the initial temperature value of the component; and
if the detected current temperature value is lower than the first temperature threshold value, then utilizing a power value of the integrated circuit, a package thermal resistance coefficient, and an ambient temperature value to calculate the initial temperature value of the component.

11. The thermal control system of claim 9 , wherein the function of determining the temperature threshold value for the integrated circuit according to the detecting result comprises:
if the detecting result shows the temperature variance is lower than a predetermined temperature value, then utilizing a predetermined temperature threshold value as the temperature threshold value for the integrated circuit; and
if the detecting result shows the temperature variance is not lower than the predetermined temperature value, then determining a second temperature threshold value as the temperature threshold value for the integrated circuit, wherein the second temperature threshold value is lower than the predetermined temperature threshold value.

12. The thermal control system of claim 11 , wherein the function of determining the second temperature threshold value comprises:
calculating a difference between the predetermined temperature threshold value and a temperature variance of the integrated circuit corresponding to the temperature variance of the component to generate a calculating result;
comparing the calculating result with a first temperature threshold value;
if the calculating result is higher than the first temperature threshold value, then utilizing the calculating result as the second temperature threshold value; and
if the calculating result not higher than the first temperature threshold value, then utilizing the first temperature threshold value as the second temperature threshold value.

13. The thermal control system of claim 10 , wherein the first temperature threshold value is corresponding to a predetermined temperature threshold value of a housing of the electronic device.

14. The thermal control system of claim 9 , wherein the electronic device is a cellphone.

15. The thermal control system of claim 14 , wherein the component is a printed circuit board (PCB) of the cellphone.

16. The thermal control system of claim 14 , wherein the integrated circuit is a system on chip (SoC) of the cellphone.

17. A thermal control method f

Assignees

• Mediatek Inc

Inventors

• Chen Tai-Yu
• Hsieh Wen-Tsan
• Yang Chi-Wei

Classifications

• G06F1/206 Primary

  comprising thermal management · CPC title

• H04M1/18

  Telephone sets specially adapted for use in ships, mines, or other places exposed to adverse environment (H04M1/19 takes precedence) · CPC title