Workload Determination via Supply Current Slope Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Determining the workload of electronic devices, particularly hardware blocks, is challenging due to the need for additional infrastructure and monitoring of internal behavior and external communications, which increases system complexity.
Innovation Solution
Monitoring the supply current and frequency relationship of electronic devices to determine workload, allowing for the management of workload by adding or removing functionality, and switching hardware on or off, without significant additional infrastructure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If workload determination is performed by monitoring internal behavior and external communications of hardware blocks, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional functional blocks and infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the workload determination function from complex internal monitoring to a simple external current measurement. By measuring only the supply current of the hardware block, the system eliminates the need for internal functional blocks and complex communication monitoring, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining workload determination capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces supply current as an intermediary parameter that indirectly reflects workload. Instead of directly monitoring complex internal behaviors and communications, the system uses current measurement as a mediator that correlates with workload levels, simplifying the measurement process while preserving accuracy
2Measurement precision
If workload determination requires monitoring external communications and internal behavior, then measurement precision is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to increased monitoring requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential workload information from complex multi-dimensional monitoring (internal behavior + external communications) and represents it through a single measurable parameter: supply current. This extraction simplifies the operation to a single measurement action while preserving the ability to accurately determine workload
3Measurement precision
If additional functional blocks are incorporated to analyze hardware unit behavior, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases due to higher processor frequencies and additional hardware infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/physical approach of incorporating additional hardware functional blocks with an electrical measurement approach. By using current sensing circuits to measure supply current, the system substitutes complex hardware analysis infrastructure with simpler electrical measurement, reducing device complexity while maintaining measurement precision
Data Source
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AI summary
An electronic device is provided with at least one functional unit (HB) performing a processing, wherein the functional unit (HB) receives a supply current (Isupply). A supply current monitor (SCM) is provided for monitoring the supply current (Isupply) to determine an average supply current (Iavg). A characterization unit (CU) is provided for determining a first relation between the averaged supply current (Iavg) and an operation frequency of the functional unit and/or for determining a second relation between a workload of the functional unit (HB) and the average supply current (Iavg) of the functional unit (HB). Furthermore, a slope calculation unit (SCU) is provided for determining the slope of the first and/or second relation. The operation of the functional unit (HB) is controlled according to the results of the slope calculation unit (SCU).