Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

International Business Machines Corporation

Sony Corporation

Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc.

Iwao Takiguchi

Tetsuji Tamura

Kazuaki Yazawa

Atsuhiko Imai

Kenichi Adachi

Toshiyuki Takahashi

Makoto Aikawa

Sang Hoo Dhong

Charles Ray Johns

Gilles Gervais

Brian King Flachs

Michael Fan Wang

Yosuke Muraki

Hiroki Kihara

Hajime Yano

Munehiro Yoshida

Kirk David Peterson

David William Boerstler

Jieming Qi

Eskinder Hailu

Daniel Lawrence Stasiak

Brad William Michael

Koji Inoue

Jonathan James DeMent

Robert Walter Berry, Jr

Toshiyuki Hiroi

Byron Lee Krauter

Stephen Douglas Weitzel

Kazuhiko Miki

Yoshiyuki Kamon

Kazuaki Mitsui

Melia F Gordon

Motoyuki Yoshizumi

In a control stack included in a software, a control execution unit allows a receiving unit to receive the temperatures of a main processor and a graphic processor. When it determines based on these temperatures that a thermal error has occurred, the control execution unit allows a type acquisition unit to acquire the type of an application running currently. The control execution unit then performs hardware control processing for adjusting the operation of hardware, and software control processing for changing the operation of an application, so as to control the state of heat generation in the hardware. In the software control processing, the control execution unit acquires, from a reaction table, a control method corresponding to the combination of the part where a thermal error has occurred and the type of the running application, and provides control according to the acquired control method.

Method and apparatus for controlling heat generation

A determining unit determines the state of the microprocessor. A setting unit sets a power supply voltage to be supplied to the microprocessor according to the state of the microprocessor determined by the determining unit. A power supply circuit supplies the power supply voltage set by the setting unit, to the microprocessor via a power supply line. The determining unit determines repeatedly the state of the microprocessor at preset timing, and the setting unit resets the power supply voltage every time the determination is performed by the determining unit.

Method and program for setting microprocessor power supply voltage

In a power supply apparatus for supplying a target power supply voltage to a microprocessor, a system controller sets the target power supply voltage to be supplied to the microprocessor based on a voltage configuration signal outputted from the microprocessor and outputs a voltage setting signal corresponding to the target power supply voltage. The regulator circuit generates the target power supply voltage set by the system controller based on the voltage setting signal outputted from the system controller and supplies the voltage to the microprocessor. The system controller acquires the conditions of the microprocessor, such as the operating time and temperature of the microprocessor and the amount of computation in the microprocessor, and reflects the acquired conditions on the setting of the power supply voltage.

Power supply apparatus with system controller

An electromotive cooling head includes a substrate, an N-pole magnet, and an S-pole magnet, and kept in intimate contact with the backside of the semiconductor integrated circuit so as to cover it. The substrate has a fluid channel having a micro-channel structure, through which a conductive fluid flows. An anode and a cathode are disposed to sandwich the fluid channel. The conductive fluid interacts with a magnetic field to thereby induce an electromotive force between the anode and the cathode. A circuit includes, on its backside, a power supply voltage terminal and a ground terminal, and is driven by the electromotive force induced in the electromotive cooling head.

Power supply system employing conductive fluid

This task management method includes dividing a unit time of processing into a reserved band for guaranteeing real-timeness and a non-reserved band not for guaranteeing real-timeness, and skipping a task to be executed in the non-reserved band as appropriate when processor throughput falls. That is, when the operating frequency of the processor is lowered in order to suppress heat generation, the real-timeness of tasks to be executed in the reserved band is guaranteed at the expense of processing the task to be executed in the non-reserved band in a best-efforts fashion.

Skipping non-time-critical task according to control table when operating frequency falls

Mechanisms for generating a worst case current waveform for testing of integrated circuit devices are provided. Architectural analysis of an integrated circuit device is first performed to determine an initial worst case power workload to be applied to the integrated circuit device. Thereafter, the derived worst case power workload is applied to a model and is simulated to generate a worst case current waveform that is input to an electrical model of the integrated circuit device to generate a worst case noise budget value. The worst case noise budget value is then compared to measured noise from application of the worst case power workload to a hardware implemented integrated circuit device. The worst case current waveform may be selected for future testing of integrated circuit devices or modifications to the simulation models may be performed and the process repeated based on the results of the comparison.

Generating a worst case current waveform for testing of integrated circuit devices

A heat generation amount estimation unit acquires the number of sub processors currently in operation, acquires the current operating frequency, and estimates the amount of heat generation after a period &#x394;t. A temperature control unit estimates the temperature after the period &#x394;t based on the current temperature input from a temperature sensor and the amount of heat generation estimated, and compares it with a predetermined threshold temperature. If the predetermined threshold temperature is reached, the temperature control unit acquires the number of sub processors available in parallel after the period &#x394;t from a task management unit, and consults a performance table to determine which operation point to shift to. A sub processor control unit and a frequency control unit switch to the number of sub processors in operation and the operating frequency accordingly. The performance table lists possible operation points in order of performance.

Processor for controlling performance in accordance with a chip temperature, information processing apparatus, and method of controlling processor

A technology for supplying a power supply voltage to a microprocessor. Before normal arithmetic processing of the microprocessor, duty cycle correction process for adjusting the duty cycle of a clock signal inside the microprocessor is performed. In the duty cycle correction process for adjusting the duty cycle, the duty cycle of the clock signal is adjusted so as to minimize the power voltage at which the microprocessor is still operable.

Method for controlling operation of microprocessor which performs duty cycle correction process

Systems and methods for positioning thermal sensors within an integrated circuit in a manner that provides useful thermal measurements corresponding to different parts of the integrated circuit. In one embodiment, an integrated circuit includes multiple, duplicate functional blocks. A separate thermal sensor is coupled to each of the duplicate functional blocks, preferably in the same relative location on each of the duplicate functional blocks, and preferably at a hotspot. One embodiment also includes thermal sensors on one or more functional blocks of other types in the integrated circuit. One embodiment includes a thermal sensor positioned at a cool spot, such as at the edge of the integrated circuit chip. Each of the thermal sensors may have ports to enable power and ground connections or data connections between the sensors and external components or devices.

Systems and methods for thermal sensing

A temperature sensor measures a temperature of a certain location inside a processor. An overall heat amount measurement unit measures the overall amount of heat of the processor. A temperature estimation unit estimates the temperatures of a plurality of hot spots occurring in the processor based on the temperature of the certain location detected by the temperature sensor, and determines the maximum temperature of the processor. The temperature estimation unit switches between maximum load temperature estimation coefficients and individual load temperature estimation coefficients stored in a storing unit for reference, depending on the overall amount of heat of the processor, and applies them to a temperature estimation function(s) for converting the sensor temperature into the temperatures of the hot spots. An operating frequency control unit exercises control for lowering the operating frequency of the processor when the maximum temperature of the processor estimated by the temperature estimation unit exceeds a predetermined limit temperature.

Processor, processor system, temperature estimation device, information processing device, and temperature estimation method

In one embodiment, a test system tests a device under test (DUT). The DUT includes an internal test controller that executes built-in self-test (BIST programs. Built-in self-test programs include array-based automatic built-in self-test programs, discrete and combinational logic built-in self-test programs, and functional architecture verification programs (AVPs). An external manufacturing system test controller manages the internal test controller within the DUT and determines minimum operating voltage levels for a power supply input voltage that supplies the DUT. A logic simulator provides a modeling capability to further enhance the development of minimum voltage power supply input operational values for the DUT.

Method and apparatus for testing to determine minimum operating voltages in electronic devices

A temperature predicting unit predicts the temperature of an electronic device after a predetermined period, and the speed of temperature variation from the operating state of the load. Based on the results of prediction by the temperature predicting unit, a selection unit instructs either one or both of a nozzle control unit and an electric fan control unit to exercise control. According to a control signal from the selection unit, the nozzle control unit transmits a control signal to a nozzle unit to drive a jet cooling apparatus. According to a control signal from the selection unit, the electric fan control unit transmits a control signal to an electric fan unit to drive an electric fan. The selection unit selects the electric fan when the predicted speed of temperature variation exceeds a predetermined threshold, and selects the jet cooling apparatus when the predetermined thresholds is not exceeded.

Electronic device cooling apparatus and method for cooling electronic device with temperature prediction

An integrated circuit die is disclosed including a temperature detection circuit and a memory configured to store calibration data. The temperature detection circuit is operatively coupled to the memory, and receives an input signal. The temperature detection circuit is configured to produce an output signal dependent upon the input signal and indicative of whether a temperature of the integrated circuit die is greater than a selected temperature. During a normal operating mode of the integrated circuit die the input signal comprises the calibration data. A system and methods for calibrating the temperature detection circuit are also described.

Integrated circuit die including a temperature detection circuit, and system and methods for calibrating the temperature detection circuit

A headphone containing right/left-channel acoustic units capable of converting an analog audio signal into acoustic sounds. An input jack to which is supplied a digital audio signal derived from a digital audio appliance is provided within the headphone. A D/A converter for D/A-converting the digital audio signal supplied to the input jack into an analog audio signal, and an amplifier for amplifying the analog audio signal derived from the D/A converter to supply the amplified analog audio signal to the right/left-channel acoustic units, are provided in this headphone.

Headphone capable of directly converting digital audio signal into

A remote controller that has preset therein control signals of various formats/code systems in correspondence with different kinds of electronic equipment and of different manufacturers detects the control signal from another remote controller typically used with the electronic equipment, compares it with the preset data, selects a predetermined signal from the preset data and stores it in a memory for use in controlling the electronic equipment. Identifier codes may also be stored in the memory to save memory capacity. With only one input operation, all control signals in the same category, such as channel codes for a television, may be learned and stored in the memory in correspondence with the respective keys. Provision is made to determine whether the input control signal is in the form of a toggle code, thereby executing the learn function for control signals that include the toggle code.

Growing community of inventors

Kanagawa, Japan

Iwao Takiguchi