Dynamic Thermal Management via Frequency Clamping and Idle Injection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional systems for mobile devices face challenges in dynamic thermal management due to limitations in fine frequency adjustments and increased power consumption when reducing operating frequency, which can lead to performance reduction and heat-related issues.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves a dynamic thermal management system that uses frequency clamping and idle injection methods to adjust the state of processor cores, operating voltage, and clock signal frequency, allowing for precise control of thermal management while minimizing performance reduction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If operating frequency is reduced to manage thermal conditions, then temperature is reduced, but performance is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts thermal management strategies based on real-time temperature conditions and workload characteristics. The controller selectively applies frequency clamping, idle injection, or core state adjustments depending on the thermal situation, enabling adaptive thermal management that maintains performance when possible while managing temperature when necessary
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies different thermal management techniques to different processor cores based on their individual temperature conditions and workload states. By monitoring each core's temperature sensors and selectively applying cooling strategies to specific cores rather than uniformly across all cores, the system minimizes overall performance impact while managing hot spots
2Temperature
If frequency adjustment is used for thermal management, then temperature control is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies frequency clamping and idle injection only when and where necessary rather than continuously across the entire processor. By monitoring temperature thresholds and workload conditions, the controller activates thermal management techniques only for affected cores during specific time periods, reducing unnecessary power consumption from constant frequency adjustments
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses idle injection to allow processor cores to enter low-power idle states when thermal management is needed, rather than actively reducing frequency. The cores self-manage their power consumption by transitioning to idle states, which naturally reduces both temperature and power consumption without requiring continuous active control
3Device complexity
If coarse frequency adjustments are used, then thermal management is simpler, but performance reduction is larger
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the processor into multiple independently controllable cores, each with its own temperature sensors and control capabilities. This allows fine-grained thermal management where individual cores can be adjusted based on their specific thermal conditions, enabling precise temperature control without requiring coarse adjustments that would impact entire processor clusters
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes multiple parameters simultaneously including frequency, voltage, and core operational states to achieve thermal management. By adjusting the combination of these parameters rather than relying solely on frequency changes, the system can achieve finer thermal control with smaller performance penalties
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is an apparatus for dynamic thermal management, which includes a thermal management unit that determines whether there is a need to perform thermal management on a processor based on temperatures measured from a plurality of temperature sensors included in the processor and generates an indication signal, and a controller that performs the thermal management on the processor in response to the indication signal, by using a first method of adjusting a state of each of a plurality of cores included in the processor, a second method of adjusting a level of an operating voltage and a frequency of a clock signal, which are provided to the processor, and/or a third method for adjusting only the frequency of the clock signal to be provided to the processor, and where each of the plurality of cores is in a wake-up state or an idle state.