Computer chip heat responsive method and apparatus
View Patent ↗Disclosed is an apparatus incorporating hardware based logic and a predetermined default list of software affecting responses to be taken in connection with temperatures sensed by thermal sensors checking the temperature of portions of computer logic. At the time application software is loaded, the software can modify the default response list. The list of responses to be taken and the over temperature conditions at which they are to be activated are stored in hardware directly accessible by hardware based thermal sensor monitoring logic for direct control of the hardware. The control can alter conditions such as clock frequency, stopping use of application software, interrupting OS functionality, removing power from components and so forth.
1. A method of reducing hot spot temperatures in specific logic defined circuitry islands of an integrated circuit chip, comprising:
providing a temperature sensor for each of a plurality of logically definable islands of circuitry on a chip;
incorporating an action list of possible responses to given hot spot temperatures in software to be run on a PU (processing unit) utilizing said chip;
storing the selected response(s) in hardware for direct access by action selecting logic circuitry;
selecting at least one of the possible responses to be used as a function of a detected specific island hot spot temperature; and
activating an action in accordance with a selected response.
2. A method for providing a programmable response for thermal sensor implementation on a chip substrate defining a plurality of islands, comprising:
generating an action list of different possible responses associated with said islands to hot spots on said substrate;
storing the action list in hardware for direct access;
detecting one of said hot spots and parameters associated with said detected one of said hot spots;
selecting one of said possible responses from said action list functionally related to said parameters; and
activating said response in response to said selecting.
3. A method of responding to integrated chip hot spots in computer apparatus, comprising:
incorporating at least one thermal sensor in computer circuitry likely to overheat;
monitoring said at least one thermal sensor whereby at least one default response stored in hardware is provided upon detection of a thermal sensor traversing a predetermined temperature; and
accepting inputs from application software to modify said at least one default response.
4. The method of claim 3 , comprising in addition a list of default responses that are to be taken for each of a plurality of predetermined temperatures traversed by said at least one thermal sensor.
5. The method of claim 4 , comprising in addition means for dynamically modifying any part of a list of default responses that are to be taken for each of a plurality of predetermined temperatures traversed by said at least one thermal sensor via inputs from running application software.
6. Computer apparatus, comprising:
at least one thermal sensor circuit;
thermal sensor hardware based monitoring logic circuit including response action storage means;
control means operable to alter computer operational attributes in accordance with instructions from said thermal sensor monitoring logic circuit; and
code imbedded in software being run on the computer which may dynamically update potential response actions in said response action storage means of said thermal sensor monitoring logic circuit in accordance with requirements of the computer program being run.
7. A method of modifying computer hardware operating parameters as a function of sensed chip operating temperatures where the computer includes at least one thermal sensor and associated temperature monitoring hardware logic having response action storage capability, comprising:
generating a hardware based default action list of responses to be taken by the monitoring hardware with detected sensor temperature changes, wherein the default action list is at least stored in the monitoring hardware; and
changing the action taken by the hardware logic as a function of running computer software inputs to said hardware logic.
8. Computer apparatus, comprising:
at least one thermal sensor circuit; and
thermal sensor monitoring logic circuit including software modifiable default response action storage means, wherein the thermal sensor monitoring logic is at least configured to select a potential response from an action list of potential responses stored in the software modifiable response action storage means.
9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8 , comprising, in addition;
means, responsive to software supplied inputs, operable to modify at least one of the default responses to be taken by said monitoring logic circuit.
10. A computer program product for providing a programmable response for thermal sensor implementation on a chip substrate defining a plurality of islands, the computer program product having a medium with a computer program embodied thereon, the computer program comprising:
computer code for generating an action list of different possible responses associated with said islands to hot spots on said substrate; and
computer code for replacing default hardwired responses in a software modifiable response action storage means with said action list of defined responses in the software modifiable response action storage means.
11. A computer program product for redefining a hardwired response for hot spots on a chip substrate defining a plurality of islands, the computer program product having a medium with a computer program embodied thereon, the computer program comprising computer code, imbedded in software being run on the computer, for redefining and/or dynamically updating the hardwired response actions in response action storage means of thermal sensor monitoring logic circuit in accordance with requirements of the computer program being run, wherein the computer code for redefining and/or dynamically updating at least comprises having computer code for storing an action list of potential responses in the response storage means.
12. A computer program product for redefining a hardwired default response for hot spots on a chip substrate defining a plurality of islands, the computer program product having a medium with a computer program embodied thereon, the computer program comprising computer code for changing the hardwired default action taken by hardware logic as a function of running computer software inputs to said hardware logic, wherein the computer code for changing comprises at least computer code for storing an action list of potential responses in a response storage means located in said hardware logic.
13. A computer program product for redefining a hardwired default response for hot spots on a chip substrate defining a plurality of islands, the computer program product having a medium with a computer program embodied thereon, the computer program comprising:
computer code for retrieving an action list of different possible responses associated with said islands to hot spots on said substrate from a running application program; and
computer code for replacing default hardwired responses with said application program action list of defined responses, wherein the computer code for replacing comprises at least computer code for storing an action list of potential responses in a response storage means located in said hardware logic.