Selective CPU Throttling for Thermal Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices face thermal management challenges as excessive heat generated by central processing unit (CPU) operations can lead to performance issues and potential shutdowns, with current solutions often globally reducing CPU operations regardless of task importance, affecting both high and low Quality of Service (QoS) tasks.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that selectively throttle CPU operations by monitoring thermal profiles and prioritizing CPU throttling for low QoS tasks while maintaining higher QoS tasks, using selective forced idling and adjusting processing core frequencies to manage thermal loads effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If global CPU throttling is applied to reduce thermal load, then thermal management is improved, but task execution performance deteriorates for both high and low QoS tasks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments tasks into different QoS categories (high QoS and low QoS tasks) and applies differentiated throttling strategies to each segment. High QoS tasks maintain normal CPU execution while low QoS tasks are selectively throttled, resolving the contradiction by preventing global performance degradation while achieving thermal management goals.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by implementing selective throttling where only specific tasks (low QoS) are affected by thermal management measures while other tasks (high QoS) continue to execute normally. This localized approach ensures that thermal load is reduced without unnecessarily impacting critical task performance.
2Temperature
If CPU operations are reduced to manage heat, then thermal load is decreased, but power consumption reduction is insufficient when thermal load exceeds threshold
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic action through forced idle periods for low QoS tasks, where these tasks are periodically suspended during execution windows when thermal load exceeds thresholds. This periodic throttling of non-critical tasks provides additional power consumption reduction beyond continuous operation throttling, directly addressing the insufficient energy loss reduction problem.
3Productivity
If selective throttling is applied to low QoS tasks only, then high QoS task performance is maintained, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by implementing a thermal management system that automatically monitors thermal load, identifies low QoS tasks, and applies selective throttling without requiring complex external control mechanisms. The system self-regulates by using thermal threshold comparisons and automated task classification, reducing the perceived complexity while maintaining high QoS task performance.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus of a device that manages a thermal profile of a device by selectively throttling central processing unit operations of the device is described. The device monitors the thermal profile of the device, where the device executes a plurality of tasks that utilizes a central processing unit of the device. In addition, the plurality of tasks includes a high QoS task and a low QoS process. If the thermal profile of the device exceeds a thermal threshold, the device increases a first CPU throttling for the low QoS task and maintains a second CPU throttling for the high QoS task. The device further executes the low QoS task using the first CPU utilization with the first processing core of the CPU by selectively forcing an idle of the low QoS task during an execution window. In addition, the device executes the high QoS task using the second CPU throttling with a second processing core of the CPU.