Multi-Source Thermal Power Envelope for Portable Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems for determining thermal power envelopes in portable computing devices (PCDs) fail to account for multiple heat sources, leading to inconsistent and inaccurate results that can negatively impact user experience.
Innovation Solution
An enhanced sustained thermal power envelope (S-TPE) system that accounts for multiple heat sources by monitoring power budget and sensor measurements correlated with the outer shell temperature, allowing for systematic adjustments to component performance settings to optimize user experience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a conventional S-TPE method collects measurements while applying workload on a single component, then the measurement process is simple and quick, but the resulting S-TPE is inaccurate when multiple heat sources are present
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the thermal power envelope measurement process into multiple independent measurements, each focusing on a specific component while others are held in idle state. This allows accurate measurement of each component's thermal contribution separately, then combines them to form a comprehensive multi-heat-source S-TPE, resolving the inaccuracy caused by simultaneous heat sources.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary actions by placing non-test components in idle state before conducting measurements. This preparatory step isolates the thermal contribution of the target component, ensuring that measurements reflect only the intended heat source's characteristics rather than being contaminated by other active components.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If current systems throttle multiple components uniformly to stay within power budget, then thermal energy generation is reduced, but user experience deteriorates due to unnecessary throttling of non-problematic components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by identifying specific components that contribute to thermal issues and applying throttling only to those components rather than uniformly throttling all components. The system determines which component is the primary heat source and selectively manages its power consumption, preserving performance of non-problematic components and thus maintaining user experience while still reducing thermal energy generation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses feedback mechanisms by continuously monitoring temperature sensors and component power consumption to dynamically adjust throttling decisions. The system measures actual thermal conditions and component contributions in real-time, then adjusts performance settings accordingly, ensuring throttling is applied only when and where necessary to maintain thermal boundaries without unnecessarily degrading user experience.
Data Source
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AI summary
Various embodiments of systems and methods are disclosed for determining a thermal power envelope. One method comprises determining a set of component and operating point combinations for a plurality of components in a portable computing device. Each component and operating point combination in the set defines an available operating point for each of the plurality of components. The portable computing device is iteratively set to each of the component and operating point combinations in the set. At each of the component and operating point combinations, power consumption data and skin temperature data is collected from a plurality of temperature sensors. An enhanced thermal power envelope is generated comprising the power consumption data and the skin temperature data for each of the component and operating point combinations.