System and method for estimating ambient temperaure from portable computing device

Abstract

Various embodiments of methods and systems for estimating environmental ambient temperature of a portable computing device (“PCD”) from temperature measurements taken within the PCD are disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, it may be recognized that the PCD is in an idle state, thus producing little or no thermal energy. Temperature measurements are then taken from temperature sensors within the PCD and used to estimate the environmental ambient temperature to which the PCD is exposed. Certain embodiments may simply render the estimated ambient temperature for the benefit of the user or use the estimated ambient temperature as an input to a program or application running on the PCD. It is envisioned that certain embodiments of the systems and methods may use the estimated ambient temperature to adjust temperature thresholds in the PCD against which thermal management policies govern thermally aggressive processing components.

Description

Background technique [0001] Portable computing devices ("PCDs") have become a necessity for individuals on both a personal and professional level. These devices may include cellular telephones, portable digital assistants ("PDAs"), portable game consoles, palmtop computers, and other portable electronic devices. [0002] A unique aspect of PCDs is that they generally do not have active cooling devices such as fans, which are commonly found in larger computing devices such as laptops and desktops. Instead of using a fan, a PCD may rely on the spatial arrangement of the electronics package such that two or more active and heat producing components are not located adjacent to each other. Many PCDs also rely on passive cooling devices, such as heat sinks, to manage thermal energy between the electronic components that collectively form the individual PCDs. [0003] The reality is that PCDs are often limited in size, and therefore, space for components within a PCD is often at a ...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

[0003] The reality is that PCDs are often limited in size, so space for components within a PCD is often at a premium

Therefore, there is often not enough space in a PCD for engineers and designers to mitigate thermal degradation or failure of processing components by using clever spatial placement or strategic placement of passive cooling components

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