WO2022165826A1

WO2022165826A1 - Frames-per-second thermal management

Info

Publication number: WO2022165826A1
Application number: PCT/CN2021/075933
Authority: WO
Inventors: Peng XIAO; Minghao Zhang; Yusheng Zhao
Original assignee: Qualcomm Incorporated
Priority date: 2021-02-08
Filing date: 2021-02-08
Publication date: 2022-08-11

Abstract

Embodiment systems and methods for thermal management in a mobile device may include determining whether an internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a temperature threshold; and reducing frames-per-second output by a graphics processor of the mobile device in response to determining that the temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the temperature threshold.

Description

Frames-Per-Second Thermal Management

BACKGROUND

Mobile devices are increasingly capable of providing high quality services and features, and are rapidly becoming a digital hub that provides an array of services for communication, information search and retrieval, entertainment, and more. For example, mobile devices are increasingly used as a platform for high power consumption and highly graphics-intensive software such as simulations, massively multiplayer online (MMO) games (e.g., e-sports, battle royale games) , first person and third person games, and the like. Executing graphics-intensive software and services requires a high output from a device’s graphics processing unit (GPU) , which increases power consumption and temperatures generated by the GPU, other processors (such as the central processing unit (CPU) ) , and other devices such as display devices.

SUMMARY

Various aspects include systems and methods performed by mobile devices for thermal management. Various aspects may include determining whether an internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a temperature threshold, and reducing frames-per-second output by a graphics processor of the mobile device in response to determining that the temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the temperature threshold.

In some aspects, reducing the FPS output by the graphics processor of the mobile device may include setting an upper limit on the FPS output by the graphics processor. Some aspects may further include determining whether the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software no longer exceeds the temperature threshold, and removing the upper limit on the FPS output by the graphics processor in response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software no longer exceeds the temperature threshold.

In some aspects, determining whether an internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a temperature threshold may include determining whether the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a first temperature threshold, and reducing FPS output by the graphics processor of the mobile device in response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the temperature threshold may include imposing a first FPS limit on the FPS output by the graphics processor of the mobile device in response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the first temperature threshold. In some aspects, determining whether an internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a temperature threshold may include determining whether the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a second temperature threshold, and reducing FPS output by the graphics processor of the mobile device in response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the temperature threshold may include imposing a second FPS limit on the FPS output by the graphics processor of the mobile device in response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the second temperature threshold. In some aspects, determining whether an internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a temperature threshold may include determining whether the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a third temperature threshold, and reducing FPS output by the graphics processor of the mobile device in response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the temperature threshold may include imposing a third FPS limit on the FPS output by the graphics processor of the mobile device in response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the third temperature threshold. In some aspects, the first temperature threshold is a lower temperature than the second temperature threshold, the second temperature threshold is a lower temperature than the third temperature threshold, the third FPS limit is greater than the second FPS limit, and the second FPS limit is greater than the first FPS limit.

Some aspects may further include determining a capability of the graphics processor of the mobile device, and determining the temperature threshold based on the determined capability of the graphics processor. Some aspects may further include determining an upper limit on the FPS output by the graphics processor based on the determined capability of the graphics processor.

Further aspects may include a mobile device having a processor configured to perform one or more operations of any of the methods described above. Further aspects may include a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium having stored thereon processor-executable instructions configured to cause a processor of a mobile device to perform operations of the methods summarized above. Further aspects include a mobile device having means for performing functions of the methods summarized above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a system block diagram illustrating an example communications system suitable for implementing any of the various embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a component block diagram illustrating an example computing and wireless modem system suitable for implementing any of the various embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a component block diagram illustrating a software architecture including a radio protocol stack for the user and control planes in wireless communications suitable for implementing any of the various embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a component block diagram illustrating components and processing modules of a mobile device suitable for use with various embodiments.

FIG. 5A is a process flow diagram illustrating a method performed by a processor of a mobile device for thermal management according to various embodiments.

FIG. 5B is a process flow diagram illustrating operations that may be performed as part of the method for thermal management according to various embodiments.

FIG. 5C is a conceptual diagram illustrating operations that may be performed as part of the method for thermal management according to various embodiments.

FIGS. 6A–6C are process flow diagrams illustrating operations that may be performed as part of the method for thermal management according to various embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a component block diagram of a base station computing device suitable for use with various embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a component block diagram of a mobile device suitable for use with various embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. References made to particular examples and implementations are for illustrative purposes, and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

Various embodiments include systems and methods for thermal management performed by a processor of a mobile device executing graphics-intensive software. In various embodiments, the processor of a mobile device may determine whether an internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a temperature threshold. In response to determining that the temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the temperature threshold, the mobile device processor may reduce frames-per-second (FPS) output by a graphics processor (such as a GPU) of the mobile device. In some embodiments, the mobile device processor may dynamically adjust the FPS output by the graphics processor to reduce the thermal output of the GPU, while maintaining a relatively high level of graphics performance (e.g., FPS) for the graphics-intensive software.

The term “mobile device” is used herein to refer to any one or all of user equipment (UE) , cellular telephones, smartphones, portable computing devices, wireless router devices, wireless appliances, personal or mobile multi-media players, laptop computers, tablet computers, smartbooks, ultrabooks, palmtop computers, wireless electronic mail receivers, multimedia Internet-enabled cellular telephones, medical devices and equipment, biometric sensors/devices, wearable devices including smart watches, smart clothing, smart glasses, smart wrist bands, smart jewelry (for example, smart rings and smart bracelets) , entertainment devices (for example, wireless gaming controllers, music and video players, satellite radios, etc. ) , wireless-network enabled Internet of Things (IoT) devices including smart meters/sensors, industrial manufacturing equipment, large and small machinery and appliances for home or enterprise use, wireless communication elements within autonomous and semiautonomous vehicles, wireless devices affixed to or incorporated into various mobile platforms, global positioning system devices, and similar electronic devices that include a memory, wireless communication components and a programmable processor.

The term “system on chip” (SOC) is used herein to refer to a single integrated circuit (IC) chip that contains multiple resources or processors integrated on a single substrate. A single SOC may contain circuitry for digital, analog, mixed-signal, and radio-frequency functions. A single SOC also may include any number of general purpose or specialized processors (digital signal processors, modem processors, video processors, etc. ) , memory blocks (such as ROM, RAM, Flash, etc. ) , and resources (such as timers, voltage regulators, oscillators, etc. ) . SOCs also may include software for controlling the integrated resources and processors, as well as for controlling peripheral devices.

The term “system in a package” (SIP) may be used herein to refer to a single module or package that contains multiple resources, computational units, cores or processors on two or more IC chips, substrates, or SOCs. For example, a SIP may include a single substrate on which multiple IC chips or semiconductor dies are stacked in a vertical configuration. Similarly, the SIP may include one or more multi-chip modules (MCMs) on which multiple ICs or semiconductor dies are packaged into a unifying substrate. A SIP also may include multiple independent SOCs coupled together via high speed communication circuitry and packaged in close proximity, such as on a single motherboard or in a single mobile device. The proximity of the SOCs facilitates high speed communications and the sharing of memory and resources.

As used herein, the terms “network, ” “system, ” “wireless network, ” “cellular network, ” and “wireless communication network” may interchangeably refer to a portion or all of a wireless network of a carrier associated with a mobile device and/or subscription on a mobile device. The techniques described herein may be used for various wireless communication networks, such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) , time division multiple access (TDMA) , FDMA, orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) , single carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) and other networks. In general, any number of wireless networks may be deployed in a given geographic area. Each wireless network may support at least one radio access technology, which may operate on one or more frequency or range of frequencies. For example, a CDMA network may implement Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA) (including Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) standards) , CDMA2000 (including IS-2000, IS-95 and/or IS-856 standards) , etc. In another example, a TDMA network may implement Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) . In another example, an OFDMA network may implement Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA) (including Long Term Evolution (LTE) standards) , Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 (WiFi) , IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX) , IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDMò, etc. Reference may be made to wireless networks that use LTE standards, and therefore the terms “Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access, ” “E-UTRAN” and “eNodeB” may also be used interchangeably herein to refer to a wireless network. However, such references are provided merely as examples, and are not intended to exclude wireless networks that use other communication standards. For example, while various Third Generation (3G) systems, Fourth Generation (4G) systems, and Fifth Generation (5G) systems are discussed herein, those systems are referenced merely as examples and future generation systems (e.g., sixth generation (6G) or higher systems) may be substituted in the various examples.

Mobile devices are increasingly capable of providing high quality services and features, and are rapidly becoming a digital hub that provides an array of services for communication, information search and retrieval, entertainment, and more. For example, mobile devices are increasingly used as a platform for highly graphics-intensive software such as simulations, massively multiplayer online (MMO) games (e.g., e-sports, battle royale games) , first person and third person games, and the like. Executing graphics-intensive software and services requires a high output from a device’s graphics processing unit (GPU) , which increases power consumption and temperatures generated by the GPU and/or various other processors.

Conventionally, a user may set an FPS limitation within the options or settings of a specific software program, such as in the settings of a graphics-intensive game. A user typically reduces or limits the FPS required for a specific software program to decrease the computational demands on a less-powerful GPU, and thereby to increase the smoothness of program performance (e.g., to reduce stuttering, lag, etc. ) . Limiting the FPS of a software program typically also reduces the graphical content of the software program (such as image details, surface textures, shadows and lighting effects, background animations, etc. ) , and is not desirable for entertainment programs, such as immersive games and simulations. A user is typically unable to set an FPS limit dynamically. Moreover, a user rarely limits the FPS output by a GPU for the purpose of thermal control.

Conventional techniques for thermal management include reducing an operating frequency (or clock) of a GPU, central processing unit (CPU) , or other processor to reduce the thermal output of such processor (s) . Reducing the operating frequency of such processor (s) reduces power consumed by the processor, and thus reduces heating, but may dramatically reduce the performance of the mobile device running an application, particularly high power consumption applications or graphics-intensive applications that cause thermal limits to be reached.

Various embodiments include methods and mobile devices configured to perform the methods for thermal management of the mobile device by controlling display FPS instead of throttling the processor operating frequency. Various embodiments enable the mobile device to dynamically control the FPS output by a graphics processor to control the thermal output of the mobile device while maintaining a high level of CPU and GPU performance of computationally-intensive and/or graphics-intensive software applications. In some embodiments, the mobile device may determine whether an internal temperature of the mobile device exceeds a temperature threshold, and when such conditions occur, the mobile device may reduce the frames-per-second (FPS) of the display and output by a graphics processor of the mobile device. Various embodiments enable the GPU, CPU, and/or other processors to operate at a high frequency during thermal management, avoiding the need to reduce the frequency at which such processor (s) operate (e.g., without “throttling” the frequency of such processors) .

Various embodiments may improve overall the user experience by enabling improved performance by the GPU, CPU, memory utilization, and display during thermal management conditions compared performance during conventional thermal management approaches that reduce the operating frequency of processor. Further, various embodiments may enable smoother operation of the GPU (i.e., less “bursty, ” or more consistent over time) , providing smoother imagery output on the mobile device display.

In some embodiments, reducing the FPS output by the graphics processor of the mobile device may include setting an upper limit on the FPS output by the graphics processor. In some embodiments, the mobile device may control the graphics processor to output FPS at or below the upper limit. In some embodiments, the mobile device may determine whether the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software no longer exceeds the temperature threshold, and in response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software no longer exceeds the temperature threshold, the mobile device may remove the upper limit on the FPS output by the graphics processor.

In some embodiments, the mobile device may determine two or more temperature thresholds, and may determine progressively greater limits on the FPS output of the graphics processor. For example, the mobile device may determine a first temperature threshold, a second temperature threshold, a third temperature threshold, and so forth, for increasing levels of internal mobile device temperature. As the mobile device’s internal temperature rises, the mobile device may impose increasingly restrictive limitations on the FPS of the graphics processor, e.g., a first FPS limit, a second FPS limit, a third FPS limit, and so forth. For example, a first temperature threshold may be a lower temperature than a second temperature threshold, and the second temperature threshold may be a lower temperature than a third temperature threshold. For example, a third FPS limit may be greater (i.e., more severe or restrictive) than a second FPS limit, and the second FPS limit may be greater than the first FPS limit.

In some embodiments, the mobile device may determine a capability of the graphics processor of the mobile device. For example, the mobile device may determine a processing power, or maximum FPS output capability, of the graphics processor. In such embodiments, the mobile device may determine the temperature threshold (or two or more temperature thresholds) based on the determined capability of the graphics processor. In some embodiments, the mobile device may determine an upper limit on the FPS output by the graphics processor (or two or more FPS limits) corresponding to the temperature threshold (or thresholds) based on the determined capability of the graphics processor.

FIG. 1 is a system block diagram illustrating an example communications system 100. The communications system 100 may be a 5G New Radio (NR) network, or any other suitable network such as a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network. While FIG. 1 illustrates a 5G network, later generation networks may include the same or similar elements. Therefore, the reference to a 5G network and 5G network elements in the following descriptions is for illustrative purposes and is not intended to be limiting.

The communications system 100 may include a heterogeneous network architecture that includes a core network 140 and a variety of mobile devices (illustrated as mobile devices 120a-120e in FIG. 1) . The communications system 100 also may include a number of base stations (illustrated as the BS 110a, the BS 110b, the BS 110c, and the BS 110d) and other network entities. A base station is an entity that communicates with mobile devices, and also may be referred to as a Node B, an LTE Evolved nodeB (eNodeB or eNB) , an access point (AP) , a Radio head, a transmit receive point (TRP) , a New Radio base station (NR BS) , a5G NodeB (NB) , a Next Generation NodeB (gNodeB or gNB) , or the like. Each base station may provide communication coverage for a particular geographic area. In 3GPP, the term “cell” can refer to a coverage area of a base station, a base station subsystem serving this coverage area, or a combination thereof, depending on the context in which the term is used. The core network 140 may be any type core network, such as an LTE core network (e.g., an evolved packet core (EPC) network) , 5G core network, etc.

A base station 110a-110d may provide communication coverage for a macro cell, a pico cell, a femto cell, another type of cell, or a combination thereof. A macro cell may cover a relatively large geographic area (for example, several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by mobile devices with service subscription. A pico cell may cover a relatively small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access by mobile devices with service subscription. A femto cell may cover a relatively small geographic area (for example, a home) and may allow restricted access by mobile devices having association with the femto cell (for example, mobile devices in a closed subscriber group (CSG) ) . A base station for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro BS. A base station for a pico cell may be referred to as a pico BS. A base station for a femto cell may be referred to as a femto BS or a home BS. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, a base station 110a may be a macro BS for a macro cell 102a, a base station 110b may be a pico BS for a pico cell 102b, and a base station 110c may be a femto BS for a femto cell 102c. A base station 110a-110d may support one or multiple (for example, three) cells. The terms “eNB” , “base station” , “NR BS” , “gNB” , “TRP” , “AP” , “node B” , “5G NB” , and “cell” may be used interchangeably herein.

In some examples, a cell may not be stationary, and the geographic area of the cell may move according to the location of a mobile base station. In some examples, the base stations 110a-110d may be interconnected to one another as well as to one or more other base stations or network nodes (not illustrated) in the communications system 100 through various types of backhaul interfaces, such as a direct physical connection, a virtual network, or a combination thereof using any suitable transport network

The base station 110a-110d may communicate with the core network 140 over a wired or wireless communication link 126. The mobile device 120a-120e may communicate with the base station 110a-110d over a wireless communication link 122.

The wired communication link 126 may use a variety of wired networks (such as Ethernet, TV cable, telephony, fiber optic and other forms of physical network connections) that may use one or more wired communication protocols, such as Ethernet, Point-To-Point protocol, High-Level Data Link Control (HDLC) , Advanced Data Communication Control Protocol (ADCCP) , and Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) .

The communications system 100 also may include relay stations (such as relay BS 110d) . A relay station is an entity that can receive a transmission of data from an upstream station (for example, a base station or a mobile device) and send a transmission of the data to a downstream station (for example, a mobile device or a base station) . A relay station also may be a mobile device that can relay transmissions for other mobile devices. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, a relay station 110d may communicate with macro the base station 110a and the mobile device 120d in order to facilitate communication between the base station 110a and the mobile device 120d. A relay station also may be referred to as a relay base station, a relay base station, a relay, etc.

The communications system 100 may be a heterogeneous network that includes base stations of different types, for example, macro base stations, pico base stations, femto base stations, relay base stations, etc. These different types of base stations may have different transmit power levels, different coverage areas, and different impacts on interference in communications system 100. For example, macro base stations may have a high transmit power level (for example, 5 to 40 Watts) whereas pico base stations, femto base stations, and relay base stations may have lower transmit power levels (for example, 0.1 to 2 Watts) .

A network controller 130 may couple to a set of base stations and may provide coordination and control for these base stations. The network controller 130 may communicate with the base stations via a backhaul. The base stations also may communicate with one another, for example, directly or indirectly via a wireless or wireline backhaul.

The

mobile devices

120a, 120b, 120c may be dispersed throughout communications system 100, and each mobile device may be stationary or mobile. Amobile device also may be referred to as an access terminal, a terminal, a mobile station, a subscriber unit, a station, user equipment (UE) , etc.

A macro base station 110a may communicate with the communication network 140 over a wired or wireless communication link 126. The

mobile devices

120a, 120b, 120c may communicate with a base station 110a-110d over a wireless communication link 122.

The

wireless communication links

122 and 124 may include a plurality of carrier signals, frequencies, or frequency bands, each of which may include a plurality of logical channels. The

wireless communication links

122 and 124 may utilize one or more radio access technologies (RATs) . Examples of RATs that may be used in a wireless communication link include 3GPP LTE, 3G, 4G, 5G (such as NR) , GSM, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) , Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) , Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) , Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) , and other mobile telephony communication technologies cellular RATs. Further examples of RATs that may be used in one or more of the various wireless communication links within the communication system 100 include medium range protocols such as Wi-Fi, LTE-U, LTE-Direct, LAA, MuLTEfire, and relatively short range RATs such as ZigBee, Bluetooth, and Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) .

Certain wireless networks (e.g., LTE) utilize orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) on the downlink and single-carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. OFDM and SC-FDM partition the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, which are also commonly referred to as tones, bins, etc. Each subcarrier may be modulated with data. In general, modulation symbols are sent in the frequency domain with OFDM and in the time domain with SC-FDM. The spacing between adjacent subcarriers may be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) may be dependent on the system bandwidth. For example, the spacing of the subcarriers may be 15 kHz and the minimum resource allocation (called a “resource block” ) may be 12 subcarriers (or 180 kHz) . Consequently, the nominal Fast File Transfer (FFT) size may be equal to 128, 256, 512, 1024 or 2048 for system bandwidth of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10 or 20 megahertz (MHz) , respectively. The system bandwidth also may be partitioned into subbands. For example, a subband may cover 1.08 MHz (i.e., 6 resource blocks) , and there may be 1, 2, 4, 8 or 16 subbands for system bandwidth of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10 or 20 MHz, respectively.

While descriptions of some implementations may use terminology and examples associated with LTE technologies, some implementations may be applicable to other wireless communications systems, such as a new radio (NR) or 5G network. NR may utilize OFDM with a cyclic prefix (CP) on the uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) and include support for half-duplex operation using time division duplex (TDD) . A single component carrier bandwidth of 100 MHz may be supported. NR resource blocks may span 12 sub-carriers with a sub-carrier bandwidth of75 kHz over a 0.1 millisecond (ms) duration. Each radio frame may consist of50 subframes with a length of 10 ms. Consequently, each subframe may have a length of0.2 ms. Each subframe may indicate a link direction (i.e., DL or UL) for data transmission and the link direction for each subframe may be dynamically switched. Each subframe may include DL/UL data as well as DL/UL control data. Beamforming may be supported and beam direction may be dynamically configured. Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) transmissions with precoding also may be supported. MIMO configurations in the DL may support up to eight transmit antennas with multi-layer DL transmissions up to eight streams and up to two streams per mobile device. Multi-layer transmissions with up to 2 streams per mobile device may be supported.

Aggregation of multiple cells may be supported with up to eight serving cells. Alternatively, NR may support a different air interface, other than an OFDM-based air interface.

Some mobile devices may be considered machine-type communication (MTC) or evolved or enhanced machine-type communication (eMTC) mobile devices. MTC and eMTC mobile devices include, for example, robots, drones, remote devices, sensors, meters, monitors, location tags, etc., that may communicate with a base station, another device (for example, remote device) , or some other entity. A wireless computing platform may provide, for example, connectivity for or to a network (for example, a wide area network such as Internet or a cellular network) via a wired or wireless communication link. Some mobile devices may be considered Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices or may be implemented as NB-IoT (narrowband internet of things) devices. The mobile device 120a-120e may be included inside a housing that houses components of the mobile device 120a-120e, such as processor components, memory components, similar components, or a combination thereof.

In general, any number of communications systems and any number of wireless networks may be deployed in a given geographic area. Each communications system and wireless network may support a particular radio access technology (RAT) and may operate on one or more frequencies. A RAT also may be referred to as a radio technology, an air interface, etc. A frequency also may be referred to as a carrier, a frequency channel, etc. Each frequency may support a single RAT in a given geographic area in order to avoid interference between communications systems of different RATs. In some cases, 4G/LTE and/or 5G/NR RAT networks may be deployed. For example, a 5G non-standalone (NSA) network may utilize both 4G/LTE RAT in the 4G/LTE RAN side of the 5G NSA network and 5G/NR RAT in the 5G/NR RAN side of the 5G NSA network. The 4G/LTE RAN and the 5G/NR RAN may both connect to one another and a 4G/LTE core network (e.g., EPC network) in a 5G NSA network. Other example network configurations may include a 5G standalone (SA) network in which a 5G/NR RAN connects to a 5G core network.

In some implementations, two or more mobile devices (for example, illustrated as the mobile device 120a and the mobile device 120e) may communicate directly using one or more sidelink channels (for example, without using a base station 110a-d as an intermediary to communicate with one another) . For example, the mobile devices 120a-e may communicate using peer-to-peer (P2P) communications, device-to-device (D2D) communications, a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) protocol (which may include a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) protocol, a vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) protocol, or similar protocol) , a mesh network, or similar networks, or combinations thereof. In this case, the mobile device 120a-120e may perform scheduling operations, resource selection operations, as well as other operations described elsewhere herein as being performed by the base station 110a-110d.

FIG. 2 is a component block diagram illustrating an example computing and wireless modem system 200 suitable for implementing any of the various embodiments. Various embodiments may be implemented on a number of single processor and multiprocessor computer systems, including a system-on-chip (SOC) or system in a package (SIP) .

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the illustrated example computing system 200 (which may be a SIP in some embodiments) includes a two

SOCs

202, 204 coupled to a clock 206, a voltage regulator 208, and a wireless transceiver 266 configured to send and receive wireless communications via an antenna (not shown) to/from mobile devices, such as a base station 110a. In some implementations, the first SOC 202 may operate as a central processing unit (CPU) of the mobile device that carries out the instructions of software application programs by performing the arithmetic, logical, control and input/output (I/O) operations specified by the instructions. In some implementations, the second SOC 204 may operate as a specialized processing unit. For example, the second SOC 204 may operate as a specialized 5G processing unit responsible for managing high volume, high speed (such as 5 Gbps, etc. ) , or very high frequency short wave length (such as 28 GHz mmWave spectrum, etc. ) communications.

The first SOC 202 may include a digital signal processor (DSP) 210, a modem processor 212, a graphics processor 214, an application processor 216, one or more coprocessors 218 (such as vector co-processor) connected to one or more of the processors, memory 220, custom circuity 222, system components and resources 224, an interconnection/bus module 226, one or more temperature sensors 230, a thermal management unit 232, and a thermal power envelope (TPE) component 234. The second SOC 204 may include a 5G modem processor 252, a power management unit 254, an interconnection/bus module 264, a plurality of mmWave transceivers 256, memory 258, and various additional processors 260, such as an applications processor, packet processor, etc.

Each

processor

210, 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260 may include one or more cores, and each processor/core may perform operations independent of the other processors/cores. For example, the first SOC 202 may include a processor that executes a first type of operating system (such as FreeBSD, LINUX, OS X, etc. ) and a processor that executes a second type of operating system (such as MICROSOFT WINDOWS 10) . In addition, any or all of the

processors

210, 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260 may be included as part of a processor cluster architecture (such as a synchronous processor cluster architecture, an asynchronous or heterogeneous processor cluster architecture, etc. ) .

The first and

second SOC

202, 204 may include various system components, resources and custom circuitry for managing sensor data, analog-to-digital conversions, wireless data transmissions, and for performing other specialized operations, such as decoding data packets and processing encoded audio and video signals for rendering in a web browser. For example, the system components and resources 224 of the first SOC 202 may include power amplifiers, voltage regulators, oscillators, phase-locked loops, peripheral bridges, data controllers, memory controllers, system controllers, access ports, timers, and other similar components used to support the processors and software clients running on a mobile device. The system components and resources 224 or custom circuitry 222 also may include circuitry to interface with peripheral devices, such as cameras, electronic displays, wireless communication devices, external memory chips, etc.

The first and

second SOC

202, 204 may communicate via interconnection/bus module 250. The

various processors

210, 212, 214, 216, 218, may be interconnected to one or more memory elements 220, system components and resources 224, and custom circuitry 222, and a thermal management unit 232 via an interconnection/bus module 226. Similarly, the processor 252 may be interconnected to the power management unit 254, the mmWave transceivers 256, memory 258, and various additional processors 260 via the interconnection/bus module 264. The interconnection/

bus module

226, 250, 264 may include an array of reconfigurable logic gates or implement a bus architecture (such as CoreConnect, AMBA, etc. ) . Communications may be provided by advanced interconnects, such as high-performance networks-on chip (NoCs) .

The first or

second SOCs

202, 204 may further include an input/output module (not illustrated) for communicating with resources external to the SOC, such as a clock 206 and a voltage regulator 208. Resources external to the SOC (such as clock 206, voltage regulator 208) may be shared by two or more of the internal SOC processors/cores.

In addition to the example SIP 200 discussed above, some implementations may be implemented in a wide variety of computing systems, which may include a single processor, multiple processors, multicore processors, or any combination thereof.

FIG. 3 is a component block diagram illustrating a software architecture 300 including a radio protocol stack for the user and control planes in wireless communications suitable for implementing any of the various embodiments. With reference to FIGS. 1–3, the mobile device 320 may implement the software architecture 300 to facilitate communication between a mobile device 320 (e.g., the mobile device 120a-120e, 200) and the base station 350 (e.g., the base station 110a- 110d) of a communication system (e.g., 100) . In various embodiments, layers in software architecture 300 may form logical connections with corresponding layers in software of the base station 350. The software architecture 300 may be distributed among one or more processors (e.g., the

processors

212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260) . While illustrated with respect to one radio protocol stack, in a multi-SIM (subscriber identity module) mobile device, the software architecture 300 may include multiple protocol stacks, each of which may be associated with a different SIM (e.g., two protocol stacks associated with two SIMs, respectively, in a dual-SIM wireless communication device) . While described below with reference to specific 5G-NR communication layers, the software architecture 300 may support any of variety of standards and protocols for wireless communications, and/or may include additional protocol stacks that support any of variety of standards and protocols wireless communications.

The software architecture 300 may include a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) 302 and an Access Stratum (AS) 304. The NAS 302 may include functions and protocols to support packet filtering, security management, mobility control, session management, and traffic and signaling between a SIM (s) of the mobile device (such as SIM(s) 204) and its core network 140. The AS 304 may include functions and protocols that support communication between a SIM (s) (such as SIM (s) 204) and entities of supported access networks (such as a base station) . In particular, the AS 304 may include at least three layers (Layer 1, Layer 2, and Layer 3) , each of which may contain various sub-layers.

In the user and control planes, Layer 1 (L1) of the AS 304 may be a physical layer (PHY) 306, which may oversee functions that enable transmission or reception over the air interface via a wireless transceiver (e.g., 266) . Examples of such physical layer 306 functions may include cyclic redundancy check (CRC) attachment, coding blocks, scrambling and descrambling, modulation and demodulation, signal measurements, MIMO, etc. The physical layer may include various logical channels, including the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) and the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) .

In the user and control planes, Layer 2 (L2) of the AS 304 may be responsible for the link between the mobile device 320 and the base station 350 over the physical layer 306. In some implementations, Layer 2 may include a media access control (MAC) sublayer 308, a radio link control (RLC) sublayer 310, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) 312 sublayer, and a Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) 317 sublayer, each of which form logical connections terminating at the base station 350.

In the control plane, Layer 3 (L3) of the AS 304 may include a radio resource control (RRC) sublayer 3. While not shown, the software architecture 300 may include additional Layer 3 sublayers, as well as various upper layers above Layer 3. In some implementations, the RRC sublayer 313 may provide functions including broadcasting system information, paging, and establishing and releasing an RRC signaling connection between the mobile device 320 and the base station 350.

In some implementations, the SDAP sublayer 317 may provide mapping between Quality of Service (QoS) flows and data radio bearers (DRBs) . In the downlink, at the base station 350, the SDAP sublayer 317 may provide mapping for DL QoS flows to DRBs. In the uplink, at the mobile device 120, the SDAP sublayer 317 may deliver DL received QoS flows to upper layers. In some implementations, the PDCP sublayer 312 may provide uplink functions including multiplexing between different radio bearers and logical channels, sequence number addition, handover data handling, integrity protection, ciphering, and header compression. In the downlink, the PDCP sublayer 312 may provide functions that include in-sequence delivery of data packets, duplicate data packet detection, integrity validation, deciphering, and header decompression.

In the uplink, the RLC sublayer 310 may provide segmentation and concatenation of upper layer data packets, retransmission of lost data packets, and Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) . In the downlink, while the RLC sublayer 310 functions may include reordering of data packets to compensate for out-of-order reception, reassembly of upper layer data packets, and ARQ.

In the uplink, MAC sublayer 308 may provide functions including multiplexing between logical and transport channels, random access procedure, logical channel priority, and hybrid-ARQ (HARQ) operations. In the downlink, the MAC layer functions may include channel mapping within a cell, de-multiplexing, discontinuous reception (DRX) , and HARQ operations.

While the software architecture 300 may provide functions to transmit data through physical media, the software architecture 300 may further include at least one host layer 314 to provide data transfer services to various applications in the mobile device 320. In some implementations, application-specific functions provided by the at least one host layer 314 may provide an interface between the software architecture and the general purpose processor 206.

In other implementations, the software architecture 300 may include one or more higher logical layer (such as transport, session, presentation, application, etc. ) that provide host layer functions. For example, in some implementations, the software architecture 300 may include a network layer (such as Internet protocol (IP) layer) in which a logical connection terminates at a packet data network (PDN) gateway (PGW) . In some implementations, the software architecture 300 may include an application layer in which a logical connection terminates at another device (such as end user device, server, etc. ) . In some implementations, the software architecture 300 may further include in the AS 304 a hardware interface 316 between the physical layer 306 and the communication hardware (such as one or more radio frequency (RF) transceivers) .

FIG. 4 is a component block diagram illustrating a system 400 configured for enhancing coverage for initial access accordance with various embodiments. With reference to FIGS. 1–4, system 400 may include a mobile device 402 and a base station 404 (e.g., 110a-110d, 120a-120e, 200, 320, 350) . The mobile device 402 and the base station 404 exchange wireless communications in order to establish a

wireless communication link

122, 124, 126.

The mobile device 402 may include one or more processors 428 coupled to electronic storage 426 and a wireless transceiver (e.g., 266) . In the mobile device 402 and the base station 404, the wireless transceiver 266 may be configured to receive messages sent in transmissions and pass such message to the processor (s) 428 for processing. Similarly, the one or more processors 428 may be configured to send messages for transmission to the wireless transceiver 266 for transmission. The one or more processors 428 may be configured by machine-readable instructions 406, which may be stored in electronic storage 424 before execution. The machine-readable instructions 406 may include one or more instruction modules. The instruction modules may include computer program modules. The instruction modules may include one or more of an internal temperature module 408, and a frames-per-second (FPS) module 410, as well as other instruction modules.

The internal temperature module 408 may be configured to determine whether an internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a temperature threshold.

The FPS module 410 may be configured to reduce frames-per-second output by a graphics processor of the mobile device in response to determining that the temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the temperature threshold.

In some embodiments, the mobile device 402 and the base station 404 may be operatively linked via one or more electronic communication links (e.g.,

wireless communication link

122, 124, 126) . It will be appreciated that this is not intended to be limiting, and that the scope of this disclosure includes embodiments in which the mobile device 402 and the base station 404 may be operatively linked via some other communication medium.

The electronic storage 426 may include non-transitory storage media that electronically stores information. The electronic storage media of electronic storage 426 may include one or both of system storage that is provided integrally (i.e., substantially non-removable) with the mobile device 402 and/or removable storage that is removably connectable to the mobile device 402 via, for example, a port (e.g., auniversal serial bus (USB) port, a firewire port, etc. ) or a drive (e.g., a disk drive, etc. ) . Electronic storage 426 may include one or more of optically readable storage media (e.g., optical disks, etc. ) , magnetically readable storage media (e.g., magnetic tape, magnetic hard drive, floppy drive, etc. ) , electrical charge-based storage media (e.g., EEPROM, RAM, etc. ) , solid-state storage media (e.g., flash drive, etc. ) , and/or other electronically readable storage media. Electronic storage 426 may include one or more virtual storage resources (e.g., cloud storage, a virtual private network, and/or other virtual storage resources) . Electronic storage 426 may store software algorithms, information determined by processor (s) 428, information received from the communication network and/or the base station 404, or other information that enables the mobile device 402 to function as described herein.

Processor (s) 428 may be configured to provide information processing capabilities in the mobile device 402. As such, the processor (s) 428 may include one or more of a digital processor, an analog processor, a digital circuit designed to process information, an analog circuit designed to process information, a state machine, and/or other mechanisms for electronically processing information. Although the processor (s) 428 are illustrated as single entities, this is for illustrative purposes only. In some embodiments, the processor (s) 428 may include a plurality of processing units and/or processor cores. The processing units may be physically located within the same device, or processor (s) 428 may represent processing functionality of a plurality of devices operating in coordination. The processor (s) 428 may be configured to execute modules 408–414 and/or other modules by software; hardware; firmware; some combination of software, hardware, and/or firmware; and/or other mechanisms for configuring processing capabilities on processor (s) 428. As used herein, the term “module” may refer to any component or set of components that perform the functionality attributed to the module. This may include one or more physical processors during execution of processor readable instructions, the processor readable instructions, circuitry, hardware, storage media, or any other components.

The description of the functionality provided by the different modules 408–414 described below is for illustrative purposes, and is not intended to be limiting, as any of modules 408–414 may provide more or less functionality than is described. For example, one or more of the modules 408–414 may be eliminated, and some or all of its functionality may be provided by other modules 408–414. As another example, the processor (s) 428 may be configured to execute one or more additional modules that may perform some or all of the functionality attributed below to one of the modules 408–414.

FIG. 5A is a process flow diagram illustrating a method 500a that may be performed by a processor of a mobile device for thermal management according to various embodiments. FIG. 5B is a process flow diagram illustrating operations 500b that may be performed as part of the method for thermal management according to various embodiments. FIG. 5C is a conceptual diagram illustrating operations 500c that may be performed as part of the method for thermal management according to various embodiments. With reference to FIGS. 1–5C, the operations of the method 500a and the

operations

500b and 500c may be performed by a processor (such as the

processor

210, 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 428) of a mobile device (such as the mobile device 120a-120e, 200, 300, 402) .

Referring to FIG. 5A, the processor may determine whether an internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a temperature threshold in block 502. Means for performing functions of the operations in block 502 may include the processor (e.g., 210, 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 428) .

In block 504, the processor may reduce frames-per-second output by a graphics processor of the mobile device in response to determining that the temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the temperature threshold. Means for performing functions of the operations in block 504 may include the processor (e.g., 210, 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 428) .

The processor may repeat the operations of

blocks

502 and 504 from time to time.

Referring to FIG. 5B, in an example operational cycle, the processor may determine that power consumption by the mobile device (e.g., by a processor or processor, a device such as a display device, etc. ) increases in block 510.

In block 512, the processor may determine that an internal temperature of the mobile device (e.g., related to execution of graphics-intensive software) exceeds a temperature threshold.

In block 514, the processor may reduce the FPS output by the graphics processor of the mobile device.

In block 516, the graphics processor may output fewer FPS in response to reducing the FPS output of the graphics processor.

In block 518, the processor may determine the power consumption by the mobile device may decrease.

In block 520, the processor may determine that the internal temperature of the mobile device no longer exceeds the thermal threshold.

In block 522, the processor may operate the graphics processor without FPS reduction in response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device no longer exceeds a thermal threshold.

In some embodiments, the processor may again determine that power consumption by the mobile device increases in block 510.

Referring to FIG. 5C, in some embodiments, the processor may determine multiple temperature thresholds (e.g., TH1, TH2, and TH3) , and may determine progressively greater limits on the FPS output of the graphics processor (e.g., FPS Limit 1, FPS Limit 2, and FPS Limit 3) . In some embodiments, the processor may determine a capability of the graphics processor of the mobile device. For example, the processor may determine a processing power, or maximum FPS output capability, of the graphics processor. In some embodiments, the processor may determine the temperature thresholds based on the determined capability of the graphics processor. In some embodiments, the mobile device may determine the FPS limits (i.e., upper limits on the FPS output by the graphics processor) corresponding to the temperature thresholds based on the determined capability of the graphics processor. In some embodiments, in response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device exceeds a temperature threshold, the processor may impose the FPS limit corresponding to the temperature threshold on the graphics processor.

FIGS. 6A–6C are process flow diagrams illustrating operations 600a-600c that may be performed by a processor of a mobile device as part of the method 500a for thermal management according to various embodiments. With reference to FIGS. 1–6C, the operations 600a-600c may be performed by a processor (such as the

processor

Referring to FIG. 6A, in some embodiments, the processor may determine an internal temperature of the mobile device in block 602. In some embodiments, the processor may determine an internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software. Means for performing functions of the operations in block 602 may include the processor (e.g., 210, 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 428) and the temperature sensor (s) 230.

In determination block 604, the processor may determine whether the internal temperature of the mobile device exceeds a temperature threshold. Means for performing functions of the operations in block 604 may include the processor (e.g., 210, 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 428) .

In response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device exceeds the temperature threshold (i.e., determination block 604 = “Yes” ) , the processor may set an upper limit on FPS output by the graphics processor in block 606. Means for performing functions of the operations in block 606 may include the processor (e.g., 210, 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 428) .

In response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device does not exceed the temperature threshold (i.e., determination block 604 = “No” ) , the processor may remove any upper limit on the FPS output by the graphics processor in block 608. Means for performing functions of the operations in block 608 may include the processor (e.g., 210, 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 428) .

Following the operations of block 606 or block 608, the processor may again perform the operations of block 602 as described.

Referring to FIG. 6B, in some embodiments, the processor may determine the internal temperature of the mobile device in block 602 as described.

In determination block 622, the processor may determine whether the internal temperature of the mobile device exceeds a first temperature threshold (e.g., TH1, FIG. 5C) . In some embodiments, the internal temperature the mobile device may be related to the execution of graphics-intensive software. Means for performing functions of the operations in determination block 622 may include the processor (e.g., 210, 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 428) .

In response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device exceeds the first temperature threshold (i.e., determination block 622 = “Yes” ) , the processor may impose a first FPS limit on the graphics processor (e.g., FPS Limit 1, FIG. 5C) in block 624. Means for performing functions of the operations in block 624 may include the processor (e.g., 210, 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 428) .

In response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device does not exceed the first temperature threshold (i.e., determination block 622 = “No” ) , the processor may determine whether the internal temperature of the mobile device exceeds a second temperature threshold (e.g., TH2, FIG. 5C) in determination block 626. Means for performing functions of the operations in determination block 626 may include the processor (e.g., 210, 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 428) .

In response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device exceeds the second temperature threshold (i.e., determination block 626 = “Yes” ) , the processor may impose a second FPS limit on the graphics processor (e.g., FPS Limit 2, FIG. 5C) in block 628. Means for performing functions of the operations in block 628 may include the processor (e.g., 210, 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 428) .

In response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device does not exceed the second temperature threshold (i.e., determination block 626= “No” ) , the processor may determine whether the internal temperature of the mobile device exceeds a third temperature threshold (e.g., TH3, FIG. 5C) in determination block 630. Means for performing functions of the operations in determination block 630 may include the processor (e.g., 210, 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 428) .

In response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device exceeds the third temperature threshold (i.e., determination block 630 = “Yes” ) , the processor may impose a third FPS limit on the graphics processor (e.g., FPS Limit 3, FIG. 5C) in block 632. Means for performing functions of the operations in block 628 may include the processor (e.g., 210, 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 428) .

In response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device does not exceed the third temperature threshold (i.e., determination block 630= “No” ) , the processor may operate with no FPS limit on the graphics processor in block 634. Means for performing functions of the operations in block 634 may include the processor (e.g., 210, 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 428) .

Following the performance of the operations of block 624, block 628, block 632, or block 634, the processor may again perform the operations of block 602 as described.

Referring to FIG. 6C, in block 640, the processor may determine a capability of the graphics processor. Means for performing functions of the operations in block 640 may include the processor (e.g., 210, 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 428) .

In block 642, the processor may determine a temperature threshold based on the determined capability of the graphics processor. Means for performing functions of the operations in block 642 may include the processor (e.g., 210, 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 428) .

In block 644, the processor may determine an upper limit on the FPS output by the graphics processor based on the determined capability of the graphics processor. Means for performing functions of the operations in block 644 may include the processor (e.g., 210, 212, 214, 216, 218, 252, 260, 428) .

The processor may then proceed to perform the operations of block 502 (FIG. 5A) as described.

FIG. 7 is a component block diagram of a base station computing device suitable for use with various embodiments. Such base station computing devices (e.g., base station 110a-110d, 350, 402) may include at least the components illustrated in FIG. 7. With reference to FIGS. 1–7, the base station computing device 700 may typically include a processor 701 coupled to volatile memory 702 and a large capacity nonvolatile memory, such as a disk drive 708. The base station computing device 700 also may include a peripheral memory access device 706 such as a floppy disc drive, compact disc (CD) or digital video disc (DVD) drive coupled to the processor 701. The base station computing device 700 also may include network access ports 704 (or interfaces) coupled to the processor 701 for establishing data connections with a network, such as the Internet or a local area network coupled to other system computers and servers. The base station computing device 700 may include one or more antennas 707 for sending and receiving electromagnetic radiation that may be connected to a wireless communication link. The base station computing device 700 may include additional access ports, such as USB, Firewire, Thunderbolt, and the like for coupling to peripherals, external memory, or other devices.

FIG. 8 is a component block diagram of a mobile device 800 suitable for use with various embodiments. With reference to FIGS. 1–8, various embodiments may be implemented on a variety of mobile devices 800 (for example, the mobile device 120a-120e, 200, 320, 404) , an example of which is illustrated in FIG. 8 in the form of a smartphone. The mobile device 800 may include a first SOC 202 (for example, aSOC-CPU) coupled to a second SOC 204 (for example, a5G capable SOC) . The first and

second SOCs

202, 204 may be coupled to internal memory 816, a display 812, and to a speaker 814. Additionally, the mobile device 800 may include an antenna 804 for sending and receiving electromagnetic radiation that may be connected to a wireless data link or cellular telephone transceiver 266 coupled to one or more processors in the first and/or

second SOCs

202, 204. Mobile device 800 also may include menu selection buttons or rocker switches 820 for receiving user inputs.

The mobile device 800 mobile device 800 may include a sound encoding/decoding (CODEC) circuit 810, which digitizes sound received from a microphone into data packets suitable for wireless transmission and decodes received sound data packets to generate analog signals that are provided to the speaker to generate sound. One or more of the processors in the first and

second SOCs

202, 204, wireless transceiver 266 and CODEC 810 may include a digital signal processor (DSP) circuit (not shown separately) .

The processors of the base station computing device 700 and the mobile device 800 may be any programmable microprocessor, microcomputer or multiple processor chip or chips that can be configured by software instructions (applications) to perform a variety of functions, including the functions of some implementations described below. In some mobile devices, multiple processors may be provided, such as one processor within an SOC 204 dedicated to wireless communication functions and one processor within an SOC 202 dedicated to running other applications. Software applications may be stored in the

memory

702, 816 before they are accessed and loaded into the processor. The processors may include internal memory sufficient to store the application software instructions.

As used in this application, the terms “component, ” “module, ” “system, ” and the like are intended to include a computer-related entity, such as, but not limited to, hardware, firmware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution, which are configured to perform particular operations or functions. For example, a component may be, but is not limited to, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, a program, or a computer. By way of illustration, both an application running on a mobile device and the mobile device may be referred to as a component. One or more components may reside within a process or thread of execution and a component may be localized on one processor or core or distributed between two or more processors or cores. In addition, these components may execute from various non-transitory computer readable media having various instructions or data structures stored thereon. Components may communicate by way of local or remote processes, function or procedure calls, electronic signals, data packets, memory read/writes, and other known network, computer, processor, or process related communication methodologies.

A number of different cellular and mobile communication services and standards are available or contemplated in the future, all of which may implement and benefit from the various embodiments. Such services and standards include, e.g., third generation partnership project (3GPP) , long term evolution (LTE) systems, third generation wireless mobile communication technology (3G) , fourth generation wireless mobile communication technology (4G) , fifth generation wireless mobile communication technology (5G) as well as later generation 3GPP technology, global system for mobile communications (GSM) , universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) , 3GSM, general packet radio service (GPRS) , code division multiple access (CDMA) systems (e.g., cdmaOne, CDMA1020TM) , enhanced data rates for GSM evolution (EDGE) , advanced mobile phone system (AMPS) , digital AMPS (IS-136/TDMA) , evolution-data optimized (EV-DO) , digital enhanced cordless telecommunications (DECT) , Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) , wireless local area network (WLAN) , Wi-Fi Protected Access I&II (WPA, WPA2) , and integrated digital enhanced network (iDEN) . Each of these technologies involves, for example, the transmission and reception of voice, data, signaling, and/or content messages. It should be understood that any references to terminology and/or technical details related to an individual telecommunication standard or technology are for illustrative purposes only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims to a particular communication system or technology unless specifically recited in the claim language.

Various embodiments illustrated and described are provided merely as examples to illustrate various features of the claims. However, features shown and described with respect to any given embodiment are not necessarily limited to the associated embodiment and may be used or combined with other embodiments that are shown and described. Further, the claims are not intended to be limited by any one example embodiment. For example, one or more of the methods and

operations

500a, 500b, 500c, 600a, 600b, and 600c may be substituted for or combined with one or more operations of the methods and

operations

500a, 500b, 500c, 600a, 600b, and 600c.

Implementation examples are described in the following paragraphs. While some of the following implementation examples are described in terms of example methods, further example implementations may include: the example methods discussed in the following paragraphs implemented by a mobile device including a processor configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations of the methods of the following implementation examples; the example methods discussed in the following paragraphs implemented by a mobile device including means for performing functions of the methods of the following implementation examples; and the example methods discussed in the following paragraphs may be implemented as a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium having stored thereon processor-executable instructions configured to cause a processor of a mobile device to perform the operations of the methods of the following implementation examples.

Example 1. A method performed by a processor of a mobile device for thermal management, including: determining whether an internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a temperature threshold; and reducing frames-per-second (FPS) output by a graphics processor of the mobile device in response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the temperature threshold.

Example 2. The method of example 1, wherein reducing the FPS output by the graphics processor of the mobile device includes setting an upper limit on the FPS output by the graphics processor.

Example 3. The method of example 2, further including: determining whether the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software no longer exceeds the temperature threshold; and removing the upper limit on the FPS output by the graphics processor in response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software no longer exceeds the temperature threshold.

Example 4. The method of any of examples 1-3, wherein: determining whether an internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a temperature threshold includes determining whether the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a first temperature threshold; and reducing FPS output by the graphics processor of the mobile device in response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the temperature threshold includes imposing a first FPS limit on the FPS output by the graphics processor of the mobile device in response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the first temperature threshold.

Example 5. The method of example 4, wherein: determining whether an internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a temperature threshold includes determining whether the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a second temperature threshold; and reducing FPS output by the graphics processor of the mobile device in response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the temperature threshold includes imposing a second FPS limit on the FPS output by the graphics processor of the mobile device in response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the second temperature threshold.

Example 6. The method of example 5, wherein: determining whether an internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a temperature threshold includes determining whether the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a third temperature threshold; and reducing FPS output by the graphics processor of the mobile device in response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the temperature threshold includes imposing a third FPS limit on the FPS output by the graphics processor of the mobile device in response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the third temperature threshold.

Example 7. The method of example 6, wherein: the first temperature threshold is a lower temperature than the second temperature threshold; the second temperature threshold is a lower temperature than the third temperature threshold; the third FPS limit is greater than the second FPS limit; and the second FPS limit is greater than the first FPS limit.

Example 8. The method of any of examples 1-7, further including: determining a capability of the graphics processor of the mobile device; and determining the temperature threshold based on the determined capability of the graphics processor.

Example 9. The method of any of examples 1-8, further including determining an upper limit on the FPS output by the graphics processor based on the determined capability of the graphics processor.

The foregoing method descriptions and the process flow diagrams are provided merely as illustrative examples and are not intended to require or imply that the operations of various embodiments must be performed in the order presented. As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art the order of operations in the foregoing embodiments may be performed in any order. Words such as “thereafter, ” “then, ” “next, ” etc. are not intended to limit the order of the operations; these words are used to guide the reader through the description of the methods. Further, any reference to claim elements in the singular, for example, using the articles “a, ” “an, ” or “the” is not to be construed as limiting the element to the singular.

Various illustrative logical blocks, modules, components, circuits, and algorithm operations described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and operations have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such embodiment decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the claims.

The hardware used to implement various illustrative logics, logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP) , an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) , a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but, in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of receiver smart objects, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. Alternatively, some operations or methods may be performed by circuitry that is specific to a given function.

In one or more embodiments, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or code on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or non-transitory processor-readable storage medium. The operations of a method or algorithm disclosed herein may be embodied in a processor-executable software module or processor-executable instructions, which may reside on a non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readable storage medium. Non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readable storage media may be any storage media that may be accessed by a computer or a processor. By way of example but not limitation, such non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readable storage media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, FLASH memory, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage smart objects, or any other medium that may be used to store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that may be accessed by a computer. Disk and disc, as used herein, includes compact disc (CD) , laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD) , floppy disk, and Blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of non-transitory computer-readable and processor-readable media. Additionally, the operations of a method or algorithm may reside as one or any combination or set of codes and/or instructions on a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium and/or computer-readable storage medium, which may be incorporated into a computer program product.

The preceding description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the claims. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the scope of the claims. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the following claims and the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

A method performed by a processor of a mobile device for thermal management, comprising:

determining whether an internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a temperature threshold; and

reducing frames-per-second (FPS) output by a graphics processor of the mobile device in response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the temperature threshold.
The method of claim 1, wherein reducing the FPS output by the graphics processor of the mobile device comprises setting an upper limit on the FPS output by the graphics processor.
The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining whether the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software no longer exceeds the temperature threshold; and

removing the upper limit on the FPS output by the graphics processor in response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software no longer exceeds the temperature threshold.
The method of claim 1, wherein:

determining whether an internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a temperature threshold comprises determining whether the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a first temperature threshold; and

reducing FPS output by the graphics processor of the mobile device in response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the temperature threshold comprises imposing a first FPS limit on the FPS output by the graphics processor of the mobile device in response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the first temperature threshold.
The method of claim 4, wherein:

determining whether an internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a temperature threshold comprises determining whether the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a second temperature threshold; and

reducing FPS output by the graphics processor of the mobile device in response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the temperature threshold comprises imposing a second FPS limit on the FPS output by the graphics processor of the mobile device in response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the second temperature threshold.
The method of claim 5, wherein:

determining whether an internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a temperature threshold comprises determining whether the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a third temperature threshold; and

reducing FPS output by the graphics processor of the mobile device in response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the temperature threshold comprises imposing a third FPS limit on the FPS output by the graphics processor of the mobile device in response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the third temperature threshold.
The method of claim 6, wherein:

the first temperature threshold is a lower temperature than the second temperature threshold;

the second temperature threshold is a lower temperature than the third temperature threshold;

the third FPS limit is greater than the second FPS limit; and

the second FPS limit is greater than the first FPS limit.
The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a capability of the graphics processor of the mobile device; and

determining the temperature threshold based on the determined capability of the graphics processor.
The method of claim 8, further comprising determining an upper limit on the FPS output by the graphics processor based on the determined capability of the graphics processor.
A mobile device, comprising:

graphics processor; and

processor couple to the graphics processor and configured to:

determine whether an internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a temperature threshold; and

reduce frames-per-second (FPS) output by the graphics processor in response to determine that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the temperature threshold.
The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to reduce the FPS output by the graphics processor comprises setting an upper limit on the FPS output by the graphics processor.
The mobile device of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine whether the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software no longer exceeds the temperature threshold; and

remove the upper limit on the FPS output by the graphics processor in response to determine that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software no longer exceeds the temperature threshold.
The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine whether an internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a temperature threshold by determining whether the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a first temperature threshold; and

reduce FPS output by the graphics processor in response to determine that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the temperature threshold by imposing a first FPS limit on the FPS output by the graphics processor of the mobile device in response to determine that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the first temperature threshold.
The mobile device of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine whether an internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a temperature threshold by determining whether the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a second temperature threshold; and

reduce FPS output by the graphics processor in response to determine that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the temperature threshold by imposing a second FPS limit on the FPS output by the graphics processor of the mobile device in response to determine that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the second temperature threshold.
The mobile device of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine whether an internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a temperature threshold by determining whether the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a third temperature threshold; and

reduce FPS output by the graphics processor in response to determine that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the temperature threshold by imposing a third FPS limit on the FPS output by the graphics processor in response to determine that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the third temperature threshold.
The mobile device of claim 15, wherein:

the first temperature threshold is a lower temperature than the second temperature threshold;

the second temperature threshold is a lower temperature than the third temperature threshold;

the third FPS limit is greater than the second FPS limit, and

the second FPS limit is greater than the first FPS limit.
The mobile device of claim 10, further comprising:

determine a capability of the graphics processor; and

determine the temperature threshold based on the determined capability of the graphics processor.
The mobile device of claim 17, further comprising determine an upper limit on the FPS output by the graphics processor based on the determined capability of the graphics processor.
A mobile device, comprising:

a graphic process;

means for determining whether an internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a temperature threshold; and

means for reducing frames-per-second (FPS) output by the graphics processor in response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the temperature threshold.
The mobile device of claim 19, wherein means for reducing the FPS output by the graphics processor comprises means for setting an upper limit on the FPS output by the graphics processor.
The mobile device of claim 20, further comprising:

means for determining whether the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software no longer exceeds the temperature threshold; and

means for removing the upper limit on the FPS output by the graphics processor in response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software no longer exceeds the temperature threshold.
The mobile device of claim 19, wherein:

means for determining whether an internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a temperature threshold comprises means for determining whether the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a first temperature threshold; and

means for reducing FPS output by the graphics processor in response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the temperature threshold comprises means for imposing a first FPS limit on the FPS output by the graphics processor in response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the first temperature threshold.
The mobile device of claim 22, wherein:

means for determining whether an internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a temperature threshold comprises means for determining whether the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a second temperature threshold; and

means for reducing FPS output by the graphics processor in response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the temperature threshold comprises means for imposing a second FPS limit on the FPS output by the graphics processor in response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the second temperature threshold.
The mobile device of claim 23, wherein:

means for determining whether an internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a temperature threshold comprises means for determining whether the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a third temperature threshold; and

means for reducing FPS output by the graphics processor in response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the temperature threshold comprises means for imposing a third FPS limit on the FPS output by the graphics processor in response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the third temperature threshold.
The mobile device of claim 24, wherein:

the first temperature threshold is a lower temperature than the second temperature threshold;

the second temperature threshold is a lower temperature than the third temperature threshold;

the third FPS limit is greater than the second FPS limit; and

the second FPS limit is greater than the first FPS limit.
The mobile device of claim 19, further comprising:

means for determining a capability of the graphics processor; and

means for determining the temperature threshold based on the determined capability of the graphics processor.
The mobile device of claim 26, further comprising means for determining an upper limit on the FPS output by the graphics processor based on the determined capability of the graphics processor.
A non-transitory processor-readable medium having stored thereon processor-executable instructions configured to cause a processor of a mobile device to perform operations comprising:

determining whether an internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds a temperature threshold; and

reducing frames-per-second (FPS) output by a graphics processor of the mobile device in response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software exceeds the temperature threshold.
The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 28, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions configured to cause a processor of a mobile device to perform operations such that reducing the FPS output by the graphics processor of the mobile device comprises setting an upper limit on the FPS output by the graphics processor.
The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions configured to cause a processor of a mobile device to perform operations further comprising:

determining whether the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software no longer exceeds the temperature threshold; and

removing the upper limit on the FPS output by the graphics processor in response to determining that the internal temperature of the mobile device related to execution of graphics-intensive software no longer exceeds the temperature threshold.