Trigger Circuit Power Telemetry for Subsystem Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Power-limited electronic devices face performance degradation due to arbitrary throttling of subsystems without accurate thermal and power consumption information, leading to unnecessary power consumption and thermal impact.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method that monitors power consumption levels of subsystems using trigger circuits to activate power telemetry mode only when thresholds are exceeded, allowing for precise management of power consumption based on telemetry data, and terminating telemetry when consumption levels drop below predetermined criteria.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If power telemetry mode is continuously active to monitor subsystem power consumption accurately, then power consumption management precision is improved, but overall power consumption and thermal impact increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic sampling of power consumption data at predetermined intervals rather than continuous monitoring. The processor obtains power consumption data from the subsystem at discrete time points, enabling accurate power management while significantly reducing the energy overhead compared to continuous telemetry operation. This periodic action allows the system to balance measurement precision with power efficiency.
2Loss of information
If power telemetry is activated for all subsystems continuously, then power consumption information accuracy is improved, but device complexity and power overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by enabling power telemetry selectively for specific subsystems based on their individual power consumption characteristics and thermal impact, rather than uniformly across all subsystems. The processor determines which subsystems require monitoring and activates telemetry only for those, reducing overall system complexity and power overhead while maintaining accurate power consumption information for the critical subsystems.
3Temperature
If arbitrary throttling is applied to prevent excessive power consumption and temperature, then thermal management is improved, but subsystem performance degrades unnecessarily
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback-based thermal and power management where the processor continuously monitors actual power consumption data from subsystems and adjusts throttling decisions based on real-time feedback. Instead of arbitrary throttling, the system uses the obtained power consumption information to make informed decisions about when and how much to throttle each subsystem, preventing excessive temperature and power consumption while minimizing unnecessary performance degradation. The feedback loop enables dynamic adjustment of subsystem operation to maintain optimal performance within thermal and power constraints.
Data Source
AI summary
Power and thermal management that uses trigger circuits to activate power telemetry. A power consumption level of a subsystem is monitored using a trigger circuit while power telemetry mode for the subsystem is inactive. When the monitored power consumption level exceeds a threshold, the trigger circuit activates the power telemetry mode of operation in which telemetry information of the subsystem is provided to a controller. Power consumption of the subsystem is then managed by the controller based on telemetry information obtained under the power telemetry mode. The controller can determine whether a power consumption level of the subsystem has dropped below a threshold, based on telemetry information obtained under the power telemetry mode. The controller may terminate the power telemetry mode when the power consumption level has dropped below the threshold. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.