System and method for causing reduced power consumption associated with thermal remediation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9354679-B2
Application number	US-201213730386-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 28, 2012
Priority date	Dec 28, 2012
Publication date	May 31, 2016
Grant date	May 31, 2016

Abstract

Particular embodiments described herein can offer a method that includes receiving a signal indicating whether at least one device is in a low power mode, determining that the at least one device is in a first thermally benign state based, at least in part, on the signal, and performing a first operation associated with a reduced thermal remediation power consumption.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method to reduce power consumption of a device, the method comprising:
receiving, at a processor of the device, a signal indicative of whether a power state of the device is a power state having lower power consumption than a level 0 power state;
determining, by the processor, that the device is in a first thermally benign state based, at least in part, on the signal;
causing, by the processor at least in part in response to the determination that the device is in the first thermally benign state, the performance of a first operation of a thermal remediation system, wherein the first operation is to result in a reduction in power consumption of the thermal remediation system;
determining that the device is in a second thermally benign state based, at least in part, on the signal, wherein the second thermally benign state is associated with less heat generation than the first thermally benign state;
causing, by the processor at least in part in response to the determination that the device is in the second thermally benign state, the performance of a second operation of the thermal remediation system, wherein the second operation is associated with causing greater reduction of power consumption associated with thermal remediation than the reduction of power consumption associated with the first operation;
determining that the device is in a third thermally benign state based, at least in part, on the signal, wherein the third thermally benign state is associated with less heat generation than the second thermally benign state; and
causing, at least in part in response to the determination that the device is in the third thermally benign state, reduction of power consumption associated with a cooling device;
wherein the first operation relates to reducing a sampling frequency associated with a thermal sensor, and wherein the second operation relates to disabling a thermal sensor.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the device comprises a controller hub.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining that the device is in a first thermally benign state comprises determining that a low power duty cycle of the signal exceeds a threshold duty cycle.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first operation relates to reducing power consumption associated with a software module associated with monitoring thermal sensor information, a thermal sensor, or a cooling device.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving thermal sensor information; and
determining that the thermal sensor information indicates a temperature within a predetermined temperature threshold.

6. An apparatus to reduce power consumption comprising:
logic, the logic at least partially including hardware logic, to:
receive a signal indicative of whether a power state of a device is a power state having lower power consumption than a level 0 power state;
determine that the device is in a first thermally benign state based, at least in part, on the signal;
cause, at least in part in response to the determination that the device is in the first thermally benign state, performance of a first operation of a thermal remediation system, wherein the first operation is associated with a reduction of power consumption of the thermal remediation system;
determine that the device is in a second thermally benign state based, at least in part, on the signal, wherein the second thermally benign state is associated with less heat generation than the first thermally benign state;
cause, at least in part in response to the determination that the device is in the second thermally benign state, performance of a second operation of the thermal remediation system, wherein the second operation is associated with causing greater reduction of power consumption associated with thermal remediation than the reduction of power consumption associated with the first operation;
determine that the device is in a third thermally benign state based, at least in part, on the signal, wherein the third thermally benign state is associated with less heat generation than the second thermally benign state; and
cause, at least in part in response to the determination that the device is in the third thermally benign state, reduction of power consumption associated with a cooling device;
wherein the first operation relates to reduction of a sampling frequency associated with a thermal sensor, and wherein the second operation relates to disablement of a thermal sensor.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the device comprises a processor or a controller hub.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein determination that the device is in a first thermally benign state comprises determination that a low power duty cycle of the signal exceeds a threshold duty cycle.

9. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the first operation relates to reduced power consumption associated with a software module associated with monitoring of thermal sensor information, a thermal sensor, or a cooling device.

10. The apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising logic, the logic at least partially including hardware logic, to:
receive thermal sensor information; and
determine that the thermal sensor information indicates a temperature within a predetermined temperature threshold.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium to reduce power consumption, the non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer instructions, that, when executed by at least one processor, cause an apparatus comprising the at least one processor to:
receive a signal indicative of whether a power state of a device is a power state having lower power consumption than a level 0 power state;
determine that the device is in a first thermally benign state based, at least in part, on the signal;
cause, at least in part in response to the determination that the device is in the first thermally benign state, performance of a first operation of a thermal remediation system, wherein the first operation is to result in a reduction in power consumption of the thermal remediation system;
determine that the device is in a second thermally benign state based, at least in part, on the signal, wherein the second thermally benign state is associated with less heat generation than the first thermally benign state;
cause, at least in part in response to the determination that the device is in the second thermally benign state, performance of a second operation of the thermal remediation system, wherein the second operation is associated with causing greater reduction of power consumption associated with thermal remediation than the reduction of power consumption associated with the first operation
determine that the device is in a third thermally benign state based, at least in part, on the signal, wherein the third thermally benign state is associated with less heat generation than the second thermally benign state; and
cause, at least in part in response to the determination that the device is in the third thermally benign state, reduction of power consumption associated with a cooling device;
wherein the first operation relates to reduction of a sampling frequency associated with a thermal sensor, and wherein the second operation relates to disablement of a thermal sensor.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the device comprises a processor or a controller hub.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 11 , wherein determination that the device is in a first thermally benign state comprises determination that a low power duty cycle of the signal exceeds a threshold duty cycle.

14. The computer readable med

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Gough Robert
• Cooper Barnes
• Astekar Basavaraj
• Gedeon Mazen
• Soe Soethiha

Classifications

• G06F1/3243

  Power saving in microcontroller unit · CPC title

• Y02B60/1239

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• G06F1/3206

  Monitoring of events, devices or parameters that trigger a change in power modality · CPC title

• Y02B60/1275

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• G06F1/206 Primary

  comprising thermal management · CPC title