Multiple sensor thermal management for electronic devices
View Patent ↗A device includes a current source circuit to separately provide a first current and a second current and a thermal detection device coupleable to the output of the current source circuit. The device further includes a voltage detection circuit to provide a first indicator of a first voltage representative of a voltage at the thermal detection device in response to the second current and a second indicator of a second voltage representative of a voltage difference between the voltage at the thermal detection device in response to the second current and a voltage at the voltage detection device in response to the first current. The device further includes a temperature detection circuit to provide an over-temperature indicator based on the first indicator and the second indicator, wherein an operation of a circuit component of the device can be adjusted based on the over-temperature indicator.
1. A method comprising:
determining a first voltage across a first thermal detection device disposed at a first location of an electronic device in response to a first current at the first thermal detection device at a first time;
determining a second voltage across the first thermal detection device in response to a second current at the first thermal detection device at a second time;
determining a first thermal characteristic of the first location of the electronic device based on a comparison of a third voltage representative of the second voltage to a fourth voltage representative of a difference between the second voltage and the first voltage; and
adjusting, based on the first thermal characteristic and a threshold, an operation of a first circuit component of the electronic device associated with the first location.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining the third voltage based on an attenuation of the second voltage by an adjustable attenuation factor, wherein the threshold is based on the adjustable attenuation factor.
3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
selecting at least one of the first current and the second current from a plurality of currents so as to adjust the threshold.
4. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
determining the fourth voltage based on an amplification of the difference between the second voltage and the first voltage by an adjustable gain factor, wherein the threshold is based on the adjustable gain factor.
5. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
determining a fifth voltage across a second thermal detection device disposed at a second location of the electronic device in response to a third current at the second thermal detection device at a third time;
determining a sixth voltage across the second thermal detection device in response to a fourth current at the second thermal detection device at a fourth time;
determining a second thermal characteristic of the second location of the electronic device based on a comparison of a seventh voltage representative of the sixth voltage and an eighth voltage representative of a difference between the sixth voltage and the fifth voltage; and
adjusting, based on the second thermal characteristic, an operation of a circuit component of the electronic device associated with the second location.
6. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
determining a fifth voltage across the first thermal detection device in response to a third current at the first thermal detection device at a third time subsequent to the first time and the second time;
determining a sixth voltage across the first thermal detection device in response to a fourth current at the first thermal detection device at a fourth time subsequent to the first time and the second time; and
determining a second thermal characteristic of the first location based on a comparison of a seventh voltage representative of the sixth voltage to a eighth voltage representative of a difference between the sixth voltage and the fifth voltage; and
enabling a disabled operation of a circuit component of the electronic device associated with the first location in response to the second thermal characteristic being less than the threshold.
7. The method of claim 2 , wherein the third voltage is the second voltage and wherein the fourth voltage is the difference between the second voltage and the first voltage.
8. The method of claim 2 , wherein adjusting an operation of the first circuit component comprises at least one of:
disabling an enabled operation of the first circuit component in response to the first thermal characteristic being greater than the threshold; and
enabling a disabled operation of the first circuit component in response to the first thermal characteristic being less than the threshold.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein disabling an enabled operation of the first circuit component comprises at least one of clock gating the first circuit component or configuring the first circuit component into a reduced power dissipation state.
10. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first thermal detection device comprises a p-n junction.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the p-n junction comprises one of a diode or a diode-connected transistor.
12. The method of claim 10 , wherein determining the first voltage across the first thermal detection device comprises:
providing the first current to a p-type region of the p-n junction via a first interconnect and a second interconnect at the first time; and
providing a third current to an n-type region of the p-n junction via a third interconnect at the first time, wherein the third current is substantially equal to a current at the second interconnect at the first time and wherein a resistance of the third interconnect is substantially equal to a resistance of the second interconnect.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein determining the second voltage across the first thermal detection device comprises:
providing the second current to the p-type region via the first interconnect and the second interconnect at the second time; and
providing a fourth current to the n-type region via the third interconnect at the second time, wherein the fourth current is substantially equal to a current at the second interconnect at the second time.
14. In a device comprising a p-n junction disposed at a location of the device, the p-n junction having a p-type region with a first interconnect and a second interconnect coupled thereto and an n-type region with a third interconnect and a fourth interconnect coupled thereto, a method comprising:
during a first phase:
providing a first current to the p-type region via the first interconnect, a second current to the p-type region via the second interconnect, and a third current to the n-type region via the third interconnect, wherein the second current is substantially equal to the third current; and
determining a first voltage across the second interconnect and the third interconnect in response to providing the first current, the second current and the third current; and
during a second phase:
providing a fourth current to the p-type region via the first interconnect, a fifth current to the p-type region via the second interconnect, and a sixth current to the n-type region via the third interconnect, wherein the fifth current is substantially equal to the sixth current; and
determining a second voltage across the second interconnect and the third interconnect in response to providing the fourth current, the fifth current, and the sixth current; and
determining a thermal characteristic of the location of the device based on a comparison of a third voltage representative of the second voltage to a fourth voltage representative of a difference between the second voltage and the first voltage.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the p-n junction comprises one of a diode or a diode-connected transistor.
16. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
adjusting an operation of a circuit component associated with the location of the device based on the thermal characteristic.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein adjusting an operation of the circuit component comprises at least one of:
disabling an enabled operation of the circuit component in response to the thermal characteristic being greater than a threshold; and
enabling a disabled operation of the first circuit component in response to the first thermal characteristic being less than the threshold.
18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
selecting at least one of the first current and the second current from a plurality of currents so as to adjust the threshold.
19. The method of claim 17 , wherein disabling an enabled operation of the circuit component comprises configuring the circuit component into a reduced power dissipation state.
20. The method of claim 17 , wherein disabling an enabled operation of the circuit component comprises clock gating the circuit component.
21. A method comprising:
determining a first voltage, based on a voltage difference between a second voltage across a thermal detection device at a first time and a third voltage across the thermal detection device at a second time, the first voltage is proportional to a temperature of the thermal detection device disposed at a location of a device;
determining a fourth voltage, based on the third voltage, that is inversely proportional to the temperature of the thermal detection device; and
determining whether the location of the device has an over-temperature characteristic based on a comparison of the first voltage and the fourth voltage.
22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the thermal detection device comprises a p-n junction.
23. The method of claim 21 , further comprising:
adjusting an operation of a circuit component associated with the location of the device responsive to determining whether the location has an over-temperature characteristic.
24. The method of claim 23 , wherein adjusting an operation of the circuit component comprises at least one of:
disabling an enabled operation of the circuit component in response to determining the location has an over-temperature characteristic; and
enabling a disabled operation of the circuit component in response to determining the location does not have an over-temperature characteristic.