CPU Core Priority Grouping for Thermal Control Under Heat Limits
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing thermal generation control methods in semiconductor devices, such as IPA and Japanese unexamined Patent Application publication 2007-109085, degrade the performance of critical functions like the Driver Monitoring System and meter cluster function, impairing driver safety and user experience, while struggling to avoid performance degradation of high-priority functions during thermal control.
Innovation Solution
A semiconductor device with a thermal generation control unit that selectively targets CPU cores with low-priority applications for thermal control, adjusting operating frequencies and power supply to reduce thermal generation while maintaining high-priority application performance, using a temperature determination unit, control target determination unit, and application allocation unit to manage thermal control based on priority groups.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If thermal generation control is performed on all CPU cores using fixed coefficients, then thermal generation is suppressed, but performance of all functions including critical functions is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments CPU cores into different priority groups (high-priority group and low-priority group) based on the importance of applications executed thereon. The control target determination unit identifies CPU cores in the low-priority group as control targets for thermal generation control, while CPU cores in the high-priority group are excluded from control targets. This segmentation allows selective thermal control that suppresses thermal generation in non-critical functions while preserving performance of critical functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different control characteristics to different parts of the system by assigning different priority levels to different CPU cores. High-priority CPU cores maintain normal operation characteristics while low-priority CPU cores are subject to thermal control measures such as frequency reduction. This local differentiation ensures that thermal control is applied where it is least impactful to system reliability.
2Temperature
If operating frequency is lowered to reduce thermal generation, then thermal control is achieved, but performance of high-priority functions is also degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments CPU cores into different priority groups (high-priority group and low-priority group) based on the importance of applications executed thereon. The control target determination unit identifies CPU cores in the low-priority group as control targets for thermal generation control, while CPU cores in the high-priority group are excluded from control targets. This segmentation allows selective thermal control that suppresses thermal generation in non-critical functions while preserving performance of critical functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different control characteristics to different parts of the system by assigning different priority levels to different CPU cores. High-priority CPU cores maintain normal operation characteristics while low-priority CPU cores are subject to thermal control measures such as frequency reduction. This local differentiation ensures that thermal control is applied where it is least impactful to system productivity.
3Temperature
If application operation content is changed to control thermal generation, then thermal control is achieved, but processing capability of hardware is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments CPU cores into different priority groups (high-priority group and low-priority group) based on the importance of applications executed thereon. The control target determination unit identifies CPU cores in the low-priority group as control targets for thermal generation control, while CPU cores in the high-priority group are excluded from control targets. This segmentation allows selective thermal control that suppresses thermal generation in non-critical functions while preserving processing capability in critical functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different control characteristics to different parts of the system by assigning different priority levels to different CPU cores. High-priority CPU cores maintain normal operation characteristics while low-priority CPU cores are subject to thermal control measures such as frequency reduction. This local differentiation ensures that thermal control is applied where it is least impactful to overall processing capability.
Data Source
AI summary
The CPU includes a plurality of CPU cores. The temperature determination unit determines whether or not the temperature indicated by the acquired temperature information is equal to or higher than a threshold value. When it is determined that the temperature indicated by the temperature data is equal to or higher than the threshold value, the thermal generation control unit performs thermal generation control on the CPU. The group data includes high-priority group information specifying a CPU core of a first group to which execute of a high-priority application is allocated in the CPU, and low-priority group information specifying a CPU core of a low-priority group to which execution of a low-priority application is allocated in the CPU. Based on the group data, the control target determining unit determines a CPU core to be subjected to thermal generation control from among the CPU cores of the low priority group.