Temperature feedback control system for dynamic voltage frequency scaling

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9411343-B2
Application number	US-201313871543-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 26, 2013
Priority date	Apr 28, 2012
Publication date	Aug 9, 2016
Grant date	Aug 9, 2016

Abstract

The present invention applies to the field of integrated-circuit control, and provides a temperature feedback control system and method for DVFS (Dynamic Voltage Frequency Scaling). In the present invention, a main processor sends a control data packet to a microprocessor according to a received temperature feedback trigger signal, and the microprocessor immediately triggers working of a temperature data acquiring module, and after the temperature data acquiring module acquires real-time temperature data of a chip, executes a temperature feedback algorithm on the real-time temperature data according to the control data packet to output a corresponding performance control parameter, so as to enable a DVFS circuit to adjust a working frequency and a working voltage of the chip, and further enable the chip to implement automatic frequency and voltage adjusting at a low voltage and a low temperature and at a high voltage and a high temperature.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A temperature feedback control system for DVFS (Dynamic Voltage Frequency Scaling), built in a chip, and comprising:
a DVFS circuit configured to adjust a working frequency and a working voltage of the chip,
a temperature data acquiring module configured to acquire real-time temperature data of the chip,
a microprocessor, and
a main processor, wherein:
the microprocessor connects to the DVFS circuit and the temperature data acquiring module separately and is configured to trigger, according to a control data packet sent by the main processor, working of the temperature data acquiring module, read the real-time temperature data from the temperature data acquiring module, and execute a temperature feedback algorithm on the real-time temperature data according to the control data packet to output a corresponding performance control parameter to the DVFS circuit;
the main processor connects to the microprocessor and is configured to generate and send the control data packet according to a temperature feedback trigger signal sent by a user, and send a process termination instruction when the microprocessor needs to terminate a work process; and
executing the temperature feedback algorithm comprises:
in response to determining that the real-time temperature data is equal to a low-temperature threshold T 0 , setting a dynamic threshold T 3 to a sum of the low-temperature threshold T 0 and a threshold adjustment step value d,
in response to determining that the real-time temperature data is equal to the dynamic threshold T 3 , assigning a first high-temperature threshold T 1 to the dynamic threshold T 3 ,
in response to determining that the real-time temperature data is equal to the dynamic threshold T 3 , determining whether the dynamic threshold is equal to a second high-temperature threshold T 2 , if yes, assigning the second high-temperature threshold T 2 to the dynamic threshold T 3 , and if no, assigning a sum of the dynamic threshold T 3 and the threshold adjustment step value d to the dynamic threshold T 3 ,
wherein T 2 is greater than T 1 , and T 1 is greater than T 0 .

2. The temperature feedback control system according to claim 1 , wherein the temperature feedback control system further comprises a timer, which connects to the microprocessor and is configured to output an interrupting signal at a preset interval to trigger entering of an interrupting processing routine by the microprocessor.

3. The temperature feedback control system according to claim 1 , wherein the temperature data acquiring module comprises:
a temperature sensor unit, configured to detect a temperature of the chip and generate a corresponding temperature analog signal;
a data processing unit, configured to trigger, according to an enabling signal sent by the microprocessor, working of the temperature sensor unit, to convert the temperature analog signal to a temperature digital signal; and
a storage unit, configured to store the temperature digital signal as real-time temperature data.

4. The temperature feedback control system according to claim 1 , wherein the microprocessor comprises:
an enabling signal generating unit, configured to generate the enabling signal according to a temperature acquiring start instruction in the control data packet;
a data reading unit, configured to read the real-time temperature data from the temperature data acquiring module;
a data operation and processing unit, configured to execute the temperature feedback algorithm to generate and output the corresponding performance control parameter; and
an interrupting triggering unit, configured to trigger, according to the interrupting signal sent by the timer, working of the data reading unit and the data operation and processing unit.

5. A temperature feedback control method that is based on a temperature feedback control system for DVFS (Dynamic Voltage Frequency Scaling), wherein the temperature feedback control method comprises:
generating and sending, by a main processor included in the temperature feedback control system for DVFS, a control data packet according to a temperature feedback trigger signal;
triggering, by a microprocessor included in the temperature feedback control system for DVFS, according to the control data packet, acquiring of real-time temperature data of a chip by a temperature data acquiring module included in the temperature feedback control system for DVFS;
reading, by the microprocessor, the real-time temperature data of the chip from the temperature data acquiring module, and executing, by the microprocessor, a temperature feedback algorithm on the real-time temperature data according to the control data packet to output a corresponding performance control parameter to a DVFS circuit included in the temperature feedback control system for DVFS; and
adjusting, by the DVFS circuit, a working frequency and a working voltage of the chip according to the performance control parameter;
wherein the microprocessor continues to read the real-time temperature data and execute the temperature feedback algorithm when the microprocessor does not receive a process termination instruction sent by the main processor,
wherein executing the temperature feedback algorithm comprises:
in response to determining that the real-time temperature data is equal to a low-temperature threshold T 0 , generating and outputting, by a data operation and processing unit, a corresponding performance control parameter to the DVFS circuit, and setting a dynamic threshold T 3 to a sum of the low-temperature threshold T 0 and a threshold adjustment step value d,
in response to determining that the real-time temperature data is equal to the dynamic threshold T 3 , generating and outputting, by the data operation and processing unit, a corresponding performance control parameter to the DVFS circuit, and assigning a first high-temperature threshold T 1 to the dynamic threshold T 3 , and
in response to determining that the real-time temperature data is equal to the dynamic threshold T 3 , generating and outputting, by the data operation and processing unit, a corresponding performance control parameter to the DVFS circuit, determining whether the dynamic threshold is equal to a second high-temperature threshold T 2 , if yes, assigning the second high-temperature threshold T 2 to the dynamic threshold T 3 , and if no, assigning a sum of the dynamic threshold T 3 and the threshold adjustment step value d to the dynamic threshold T 3
wherein T 2 is greater than T 1 , and T 1 is greater than T 0 .

6. The temperature feedback control method according to claim 5 , wherein the triggering acquiring of real-time temperature data comprises:
generating, by an enabling signal generating unit in the microprocessor, an enabling signal according to a temperature acquiring start instruction in the control data packet;
triggering, by a data processing unit in the temperature data acquiring module, according to the enabling signal, working of a temperature sensor unit;
detecting, by the temperature sensor unit, a real-time temperature of the chip and generating a corresponding temperature analog signal; and
converting, by the data processing unit, the temperature analog signal to a temperature digital signal, and storing the temperature digital signal as real-time temperature data in a storage unit.

Assignees

• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yao Zhen
• Chen Liqian
• Pan Lili

Classifications

• G06F1/206 Primary

  comprising thermal management · CPC title

• Y02B60/1275

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• G05D23/19 Primary

  characterised by the use of electric means {(G05D23/1393 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• G06F1/3296

  by lowering the supply or operating voltage · CPC title

• G06F1/324

  by lowering clock frequency · CPC title