CN102999150B - Electronic system and performance control method - Google Patents

Abstract

An electronic system and a performance control method, the electronic system comprising: a plurality of electronic devices coupled in daisy chain fashion and stacked in a direction, wherein the electronic devices communicate with a host using a thunderbolt compatible transport protocol; and a control module for obtaining a plurality of thermal design power values corresponding to the electronic device according to a plurality of parameters of the electronic device and controlling the performance of the electronic device according to the thermal design power values. The invention can improve the efficiency and stability of the electronic system.

Description

Electronic system and performance control method

technical field

The present disclosure relates to an electronic system and a performance control method, and in particular to an electronic system with a Thunderbolt interface.

Background technique

In recent years, with the vigorous development of the computer and information industries, various new peripheral devices can be easily connected to personal computers and notebook computers, etc., including the Internet and external storage devices. However, the management of the temperature and performance of these peripheral devices is not ideal. Therefore, an electronic system and performance control method are urgently needed to increase the stability of the host and peripheral devices and reduce the power consumption of the peripheral devices.

Contents of the invention

In view of this, the present disclosure provides an electronic system, including: a plurality of electronic devices having a ThunderBen interface for daisy-chain coupling and stacked on top of each other in one direction, wherein the electronic devices are compatible with the ThunderBen interface The transmission protocol communicates with a host; and a control module is used for obtaining multiple thermal design power values corresponding to the electronic device according to multiple parameters of the electronic device, and controlling the performance of the electronic device according to the thermal design power values.

The present disclosure also provides a performance control method applicable to multiple electronic devices coupled in a daisy chain, the performance control method includes: obtaining a thermal design power value corresponding to the electronic device according to multiple parameters of the electronic device, wherein the electronic device The device communicates with a host through a transmission protocol compatible with Rabbi; and controls the performance of the electronic device according to the thermal design power value, so as to prevent the power consumed by the electronic device from being greater than the thermal design power value.

The invention can improve the efficiency and stability of the electronic system.

In order to make the above-mentioned and other purposes, features, and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, a preferred embodiment is specifically cited below, together with the accompanying drawings, and is described in detail as follows:

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is an embodiment of the electronic system of the present disclosure, which is used to implement the performance control method;

Figure 2 is an embodiment of the electronic system of the present disclosure;

3 is a schematic diagram of the electronic system of the present disclosure, used to illustrate the daisy chain (DaisyChain) coupling between electronic devices;

Fig. 4 is a flowchart of the performance control method of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5A is a graph of time versus power of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 5B is a time versus power graph of the present disclosure.

Wherein, the reference signs are explained as follows:

100: electronic system;

EP: input and output expander;

120: host;

M1～M5: electronic device;

CM: control module;

SW1～SW5: switching unit.

detailed description

FIG. 1 is an embodiment of an electronic system of the present disclosure for implementing a performance control method. As shown in FIG. 1 , the electronic system 100 has electronic devices M1 - M5 , a control module CM, and an input/output expander (I/OExpander) EP. The electronic devices M1 - M5 are coupled in a daisy chain and stacked on top of each other in one direction. In addition, the electronic devices M1-M5 have a high-speed transmission interface, such as a Thunderbolt interface, so that the electronic devices M1-M5 communicate with a host 120 using a transmission protocol compatible with Thunderbolt. The input/output expander EP is coupled between the host 120 and the electronic devices M1 - M5 for providing power to the electronic devices M1 - M5 . In the disclosed embodiment, the host 120 is set outside the electronic system 100 . In some embodiments, the electronic system 100 includes a host 120 . In this disclosed embodiment, the Thunderbolt interface is used as an example, but it is not limited thereto. Any electronic device with a high-speed transmission interface (for example, above 5Gbps) can be the input-output expander EP and the electronic devices M1-M5 of the present invention.

In detail, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the electronic devices M1 - M5 may be any kind of peripheral devices. For example, the electronic device M1 may be a TV box (TVbox), the electronic device M2 may be an optical disk drive (optical disk drive), the electronic device M3 may be a hard disk (Harddiskdriver, HDD), and the electronic device M4 may be a graphics processing unit (Graphics Processing Unit, GPU ) device, the electronic device M5 may be a microphone (speaker). It should be noted that the number of electronic devices and types of electronic devices are for illustration purposes only, and are not limited thereto. Any electronic device with a Rabbi interface is also within the scope of this disclosure.

The control module CM is used to obtain a plurality of thermal design power values (Thermal Design Power, TDP) corresponding to the electronic devices M1-M5 according to a plurality of parameters of the electronic devices M1-M5, and control the electronic devices M1-M5 according to the thermal design power values. The performance of the M5 is used to improve the stability of the electronic system 100 .

In detail, each electronic device M1-M5 has a plurality of parameters stored in a memory in each electronic device M1-M5. For example, each electronic device M1-M5 may have five parameters P1-p5 respectively. The parameter P1 is related to the appearance of the electronic devices M1 - M5 , for example, may be an aspect ratio of the electronic devices M1 - M5 or the lengths of the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis. Parameter P2 is about the temperature profile (TemperatureProfile) of the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis of the electronic devices M1-M5, that is, under specific operating conditions, the parameter P2 indicates the temperature profile of the electronic devices M1-M5 on the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis Temperature Distribution. The parameter P3 relates to the order of the electronic devices, that is, the positions of individual electronic devices when the electronic devices M1 - M5 are connected in series. The parameter P4 is related to the ambient temperature of the electronic device. The parameter P5 relates to an identifier (Identifier, ID) of the electronic device, which can be used for different purposes, such as a TV box, an optical disk drive, a hard disk, a graphics processing unit device, and the like.

For example, the control module CM can know whether the electronic device will be affected by the surrounding electronic devices through the parameters P1 , P2 , P3 and P5 . As shown in FIG. 1 , the electronic device M2 is taller than the electronic device M1 , so the control module CM can know from the parameters P1 of the electronic devices M1 and M2 that the electronic device M1 will not affect the heat dissipation of the electronic device M2 . In some cases, although the height of the electronic device M2 is greater than that of the electronic device M1, if the hottest part of the electronic device M2 is close to the place of the electronic device M1, the control module CM can use the parameter P2 of the electronic device M2 and the parameter P2 of the electronic device M1 The parameter P1 knows that the electronic device M1 will still affect the heat dissipation of the electronic device M2.

The ordering of the electronic devices also affects the heat dissipation of the electronic system 100 . For example, among the electronic devices M1-M5, the electronic device M4 is the electronic device that consumes the most power and generates the most heat. Therefore, if the electronic device M4 is placed first or last, the electronic device M4 can get a higher The thermal design power value of the electronic device M4 increases the operating range of the power of the electronic device M4 and also improves the efficiency of the electronic device M4.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the control module CM can know the temperature of the system environment according to the parameter P4. For example, if the electronic system 100 maintains a high-speed operation under a very high temperature outdoor, the electronic system 100 is likely to be unstable. Therefore, when the ambient temperature of the electronic system is high, the thermal design power value obtained by the control module CM according to the parameter P4 will be relatively low. Conversely, when the ambient temperature of the electronic system is low, the thermal design power value obtained by the control module CM according to the parameter P4 will be relatively high. Therefore, the control module CM controls the electronic system 100 according to the thermal design power value obtained by the parameter P4, so that the electronic system 100 operates efficiently and stably.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the host 120 may be various electronic system configurations, for example, hand-held devices (hand-held devices), portable devices (portable devices), personal digital assistant (personal digital assistant; PDA) multiprocessor system , microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics (microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics), network computers, mini-computers, mainframes, and similar devices, but not limited thereto. The control module CM can be set in one of the electronic devices M1 - M5 , the input-output expander EP or the host 120 .

FIG. 2 is an embodiment of the electronic system of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2, the control module CM obtains the best ranking (M1, M2, M3, M5, M4), so the user can adjust the sequence of the electronic devices according to the optimal sequence (M1, M2, M3, M5, M4), so that the electronic system can operate more efficiently and stably.

In a word, the control module CM can obtain the thermal design power value from the parameters P1 - P5 of each electronic device, so that the electronic system 100 can operate stably under the thermal design power value. In some embodiments, the control module CM provides the user with a better ranking according to the parameters P1-P5, so that the user can increase the above-mentioned thermal design power value by adjusting the ranking of the electronic devices M1-M5, so as to increase the number of electronic devices M1-M5. The operating range of the power of M5 improves the efficiency and stability of the electronic system 100 .

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the electronic system of the present disclosure, illustrating the daisy-chain coupling between electronic devices. As shown in FIG. 3 , the switching units SW1 - SW5 are respectively disposed in the electronic devices M1 - M5 . In detail, when the electronic device M1 is connected to the host computer 120 through the input-output expander EP, the switching unit SW1 is in an open circuit state, so that the control module CM only detects the electronic device M1, and therefore sets the electronic device M1 as the first A sorted electronic device. After the control module CM detects the electronic device M1, it causes the switching unit SW1 to be in a close circuit state, so that the control module CM determines that the electronic device M1 is the last electronic device when no other electronic device is detected.

When the electronic device M2 is connected to the electronic device M1, the control module CM causes both the switching units SW1 and SW2 to be in an open state (the switching unit SW1 is switched from a short circuit state to an open state), so that the control module CM only detects the electronic device M1, so the The electronic device M1 is set as the first ranked electronic device. After the control module CM detects the electronic device M1, it causes the switching unit SW1 to be in a short-circuit state, so that the control module CM detects the electronic device M2, and thus sets the electronic device M2 as the electronic device in the second order. After the control module CM detects the electronic device M2, it causes the switching unit SW2 to be in a short-circuit state, so that the control module CM determines that the electronic device M2 is the last electronic device when no other electronic device is detected.

By analogy, when the electronic device M3 is connected to the electronic device M2, the control module CM causes the switching units SW1, SW2 and SW3 to be in an open state (the switching units SW1 and SW2 are switched from a short circuit state to an open state), so that the control module CM only The electronic device M1 is detected, so the electronic device M1 is set as the first sorted electronic device. After the control module CM detects the electronic device M1, it causes the switching unit SW1 to be in a short-circuit state, so that the control module CM detects the electronic device M2, and thus sets the electronic device M2 as the electronic device in the second order. After the control module CM detects the electronic device M2, it causes the switching unit SW2 to be in a short-circuit state, so that the control module CM detects the electronic device M3, and thus sets the electronic device M3 as the electronic device in the third order. After the control module CM detects the electronic device M3, it causes the switching unit SW3 to be in a short-circuit state, so that the control module CM determines that the electronic device M3 is the last electronic device when no other electronic device is detected. The rest of the electronic devices M4 and M5 can be deduced in the same way, and will not be repeated here. Through this method, the control module CM can know the sequence of the electronic devices M1 - M5 .

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of the performance control method of the present disclosure, which is applicable to a plurality of electronic devices coupled in a daisy chain. The performance control method includes the following steps.

In step S41, the thermal design power values corresponding to the electronic devices M1-M5 are obtained according to a plurality of parameters P1, P2, P3, P4 and P5 of the electronic devices M1-M5, wherein the electronic devices use a transmission protocol compatible with Thunderbolt and Host 120 communicates. In step S42, the performance of the electronic device is controlled according to the thermal design power value, so as to prevent the power consumed by the electronic devices M1-M5 from being greater than the thermal design power value. In step S43 , the optimal ordering of the electronic devices M1 - M5 is provided to increase the thermal design power values of the electronic devices M1 - M5 so as to increase the operating range of the performance of the electronic devices M1 - M5 .

FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B are diagrams showing the relationship between time and power according to the present disclosure, where the horizontal axis represents time and the vertical axis represents power. FIG. 5A shows the low thermal design power value. Since the power consumed by the electronic devices M1 - M5 needs to be lower than the thermal design power value, the operating range of the performance of the electronic devices M1 - M5 is relatively small. FIG. 5B shows a high thermal design power value. Since the thermal design power value is increased, the operating range of the performance of the electronic devices M1 - M5 is larger.

The features of many embodiments are described above, so that those skilled in the art can clearly understand the form of this specification. Those skilled in the art can understand that they can use the disclosure of the present invention as a basis to design or modify other processes and structures to achieve the same objectives and/or achieve the same advantages as the above-mentioned embodiments. Those of ordinary skill in the art can also understand that equivalent structures without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention can make arbitrary changes, substitutions and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims (14)

1. An electronic system comprising: a plurality of electronic devices for daisy-chain serial connection, wherein the plurality of electronic devices communicate with a host using a protocol compatible with Raptor; and A control module, used to obtain a plurality of thermal design power values corresponding to the plurality of electronic devices according to a plurality of parameters of the plurality of electronic devices, and control the plurality of thermal design power values according to the plurality of thermal design power values The performance of the electronic devices, wherein the control module provides the optimal ordering of the plurality of electronic devices to increase the thermal design power values, so as to increase the operating range of the performance of the plurality of electronic devices. 2. The electronic system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of parameters include lengths of X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis of the plurality of electronic devices. 3. The electronic system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of parameters include temperature profiles of X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis of the plurality of electronic devices. 4. The electronic system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of parameters includes an ordering of the plurality of electronic devices. 5. The electronic system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of parameters include an ambient temperature outside the plurality of electronic devices. 6. The electronic system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of parameters include identifiers of the plurality of electronic devices. 7. The electronic system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control module is disposed in the plurality of electronic devices, an I/O expander or the host. 8. A performance control method applicable to a plurality of electronic devices serially connected in a daisy chain, the performance control method comprising: Obtaining a plurality of thermal design power values corresponding to the plurality of electronic devices according to a plurality of parameters of the plurality of electronic devices, wherein the plurality of electronic devices communicate with a host using a transmission protocol compatible with Thunderbolt ; controlling performance of the plurality of electronic devices according to the plurality of thermal design power values, so as to prevent the power consumed by the plurality of electronic devices from being greater than the plurality of thermal design power values; and The sequence of the plurality of electronic devices is adjusted to increase the plurality of thermal design power values, so as to increase the operating range of the power of the plurality of electronic devices. 9. The performance control method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the plurality of parameters include the lengths of X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis of the plurality of electronic devices. 10. The efficiency control method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the plurality of parameters comprise temperature curves of X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis of the plurality of electronic devices. 11. The performance control method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the plurality of parameters comprise rankings of the plurality of electronic devices. 12. The performance control method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the parameters include ambient temperatures outside the plurality of electronic devices. 13. The performance control method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the plurality of parameters comprise identifiers of the plurality of electronic devices. 14. The efficiency control method as claimed in claim 8, further comprising providing an optimal ordering of the plurality of electronic devices to increase the plurality of thermal design power values so as to increase the performance of the plurality of electronic devices operating range.