SoC Thermal Controller Using Power-Aware ECU Throttling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing thermal mitigation strategies for system-on-chip (SoC) devices statically throttle electronic control units (ECUs) based on preconfigured criteria, which may not effectively reduce skin temperature and can unnecessarily throttle less power-consuming ECUs, affecting performance.
Innovation Solution
A power-aware thermal mitigation framework that dynamically calculates the power consumption of each ECU and applies thermal mitigation actions, such as frequency or clock throttling, to the ECU with the highest power consumption first, and if necessary, to subsequent ECUs, to efficiently manage heat based on actual power usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If static thermal mitigation strategies throttle ECUs based on preconfigured criteria, then thermal mitigation actions are applied, but the skin temperature reduction is ineffective and performance is unnecessarily impacted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic thermal mitigation by continuously monitoring the power consumption of each ECU and adjusting throttling decisions in real-time based on current power states rather than using static preconfigured criteria. This allows the system to adapt thermal mitigation actions to the actual runtime behavior of ECUs, applying throttling only when necessary and only to the most power-consuming ECUs, thereby reducing skin temperature more effectively while minimizing performance impact.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter used for thermal mitigation decisions from static preconfigured criteria to dynamic power consumption measurements. By calculating and using actual power consumption values of each ECU at runtime, the system identifies the most power-consuming ECUs and applies thermal mitigation actions selectively, improving both temperature reduction effectiveness and performance preservation.
2Temperature
If thermal mitigation actions are applied without considering actual power consumption, then thermal mitigation is performed, but power-consuming ECUs are not effectively targeted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the system continuously monitors and calculates the actual power consumption of each ECU at runtime. This feedback information is used to dynamically adjust thermal mitigation actions, ensuring that throttling is applied to the ECUs that are currently consuming the most power. This closed-loop approach ensures that thermal mitigation actions effectively target the sources of heat generation, improving both temperature reduction and energy efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses its own power consumption measurements to make intelligent thermal mitigation decisions. By calculating the power consumption of each ECU and using this information to determine which ECUs to throttle, the system serves itself with accurate, real-time data about its own operational state, eliminating the need for external or preconfigured thermal management policies.
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects relate to mechanisms for providing a power aware thermal mitigation framework for a system-on-chip (SoC) of a device (e.g., a mobile device). A thermal controller of the SoC is configured to calculate a respective power of each of a plurality of electronic control units (ECUs) on the SoC at run time. The ECUs may include, for example, central processing units (CPUs), graphic processing units (GPUs), neural signal processors (NSPs), etc. In response to a skin temperature of the device exceeding a threshold (e.g., a thermal limit of the device), the thermal controller may then be configured to apply at least one thermal mitigation action to at least one ECU of the plurality of ECUs based on the respective power of each of the ECUs.