Patent Description:
With the development of digital technologies, electronic device in various types such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), smart phones, tablet personal computers (PCs), artificial intelligent (AI) speakers, wearable devices, digital cameras, and/or Internet of things (IoT) devices are widely used. In order to support and increase functions of the electronic devices, hardware parts and/or software parts of the electronic devices are continuously developed.

For example, an electronic device may include a sensor for detecting (or measuring) various pieces of information (or data), and may provide various pieces of relevant information (or functions) on the basis of the sensing data acquired from the sensor. For example, the electronic device may measure a biometric signal through the sensor and provide various pieces of information (for example, health information) related to a user's health on the basis of the measured biometric signal. Recently, the electronic device may monitor heating of the electronic device through a sensor (for example, a thermistor or a temperature sensor) capable of measuring temperature inside the electronic device and provide information (for example, heating information) related to the use of the electronic device on the basis of the monitoring result.

According to an embodiment, the sensor (for example, the thermistor) may be mounted in the electronic device through a semiconductor or a mechanical object (for example, a circuit substrate) for designing the semiconductor and measure temperature of a corresponding electronic component. According to an embodiment, in the electronic device, the thermistor may be a semiconductor designed as a chip to measure (or detect) temperature on the basis of the principle of resistance varying depending on temperature. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may apply a voltage to the thermistor and convert a value according to voltage distribution into an electrical signal, and a processor may determine temperature on the basis of the electrical signal. To this end, the thermistor should be electrically connected to the processor and needs an additional circuit element for voltage application. So-called virtual temperature sensors are also known in the prior art, e.g. from <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, and <CIT>, for thermal management of electronic devices.

Accordingly, an electronic component of an electronic device which cannot be electrically connected to a thermistor or the thermistor cannot be used in an internal area of the electronic device, and thus temperature of a corresponding area cannot be measured. For example, the electronic device includes various electronic components generating heat (or heating sources or heating source components) (for example, a camera module, a speaker, a communication module, a light drive IC (LDI), and/or a flash), but it is difficult to electrically connect the various electronic components to the thermistor and it may be difficult to measure accurate temperature of electronic components or areas corresponding thereto. Since the thermistor cannot be electrically mounted in even an area including no heating source unless there is a design of an additional circuit, it may be difficult to accurately measure temperature of the area including no heating source.

Various embodiments disclose a method and an apparatus for implementing a virtual sensor (for example, a virtual thermistor) capable of collecting information provided by the electronic device and measuring temperature without mounting of a hardware (or physical) sensor (for example, a thermistor) in the electronic device.

Various embodiments disclose a method and an apparatus for efficiently distributing resources by effectively managing temperature of the electronic device through a virtual sensor without design of a separate device (for example, a thermistor or a temperature sensor) for measuring temperature in the electronic device.

Various embodiments disclose a method and an apparatus for configuring a virtual thermistor in a heating source in which mounting of the thermistor is difficult and/or a predetermined area and predicting local heating of the electronic device through the virtual thermistor.

Various embodiments disclose a method and an apparatus for classifying an area to be predicted by the electronic device according to characteristics (for example, whether a heating source is included, whether the current can be measured, and whether collectable data is continuous) and implementing a virtual thermistor for each of the areas classified according to the characteristics.

The above mentioned technical problem is solved by an electronic device according to claim <NUM> and a method of operating an electronic device according to claim <NUM>.

According to an electronic device and a method of operating the same according to an embodiment of the disclosure, it is possible to collect information provided by the electronic device without mounting of a hardware thermistor to the electronic device, configure a virtual thermistor on the basis of the collected information, and predict heating (for example, local heating and/or overall heating) of the electronic device through the virtual thermistor. According to an embodiment, temperature even for an area in which a hardware thermistor cannot be mounted to the electronic device can be collected through the virtual thermistor.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, temperature for main local heating sources (for example, a speaker, a camera, a communication module, and/or an LDI) to which the hardware thermistor cannot be mounted can be collected. According to an embodiment, it is possible to provide an index for detecting real-time temperature distribution to the electronic device by collecting temperature of areas of which temperature cannot be predicted. According to an embodiment, an overall temperature state of the electronic device can be detected in real time through a configuration of the virtual thermistor. For example, resources of the electronic device can be efficiently distributed in accordance with the current and/or heating by predicting surface heating through the virtual thermistor or effectively managing overall heating of the electronic device.

Further, various effects directly or indirectly detected through the disclosure can be provided.

In connection with the description of drawings, the same or similar reference numerals can be used for the same or similar elements.

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating an example electronic device <NUM> in a network environment <NUM> according to various embodiments.

Referring to <FIG>, the electronic device <NUM> in the network environment <NUM> may communicate with an electronic device <NUM> via a first network <NUM> (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network), or at least one of an electronic device <NUM> or a server <NUM> via a second network <NUM> (e.g., a long-range wireless communication network). According to an embodiment, the electronic device <NUM> may include a processor <NUM>, memory <NUM>, an input module <NUM>, a sound output module <NUM>, a display module <NUM>, an audio module <NUM>, a sensor module <NUM>, an interface <NUM>, a connecting terminal <NUM>, a haptic module <NUM>, a camera module <NUM>, a power management module <NUM>, a battery <NUM>, a communication module <NUM>, a subscriber identification module (SIM) <NUM>, or an antenna module <NUM>. In various embodiments, at least one of the components (e.g., the connecting terminal <NUM>) may be omitted from the electronic device <NUM>, or one or more other components may be added in the electronic device <NUM>. In various embodiments, some of the components (e.g., the sensor module <NUM>, the camera module <NUM>, or the antenna module <NUM>) may be implemented as a single component (e.g., the display module <NUM>).

According to an embodiment, the antenna module <NUM> may include an antenna including a radiating element including a conductive material or a conductive pattern formed in or on a substrate (e.g., a printed circuit board (PCB)).

In an embodiment, the external electronic device <NUM> may include an internet-of-things (IoT) device.

The electronic devices may include, for example, a portable communication device (e.g., a smartphone), a computer device, a portable multimedia device, a portable medical device, a camera, a wearable device, a home appliance, or the like.

It is to be understood that if an element (e.g., a first element) is referred to, with or without the term "operatively" or "communicatively", as "coupled with," "coupled to," "connected with," or "connected to" another element (e.g., a second element), the element may be coupled with the other element directly (e.g., wiredly), wirelessly, or via a third element.

As used in connection with various embodiments of the disclosure, the term "module" may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, or any combination thereof, and may interchangeably be used with other terms, for example, "logic," "logic block," "part," or "circuitry".

Wherein, the "non-transitory" storage medium is a tangible device, and may not include a signal (e.g., an electromagnetic wave), but this term does not differentiate between where data is semi-permanently stored in the storage medium and where the data is temporarily stored in the storage medium.

<FIG> schematically illustrates an example of a block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

In the disclosure, the electronic device <NUM> according to an embodiment may include a smart phone, a tablet PC, and/or a laptop computer. According to an embodiment, the electronic device <NUM> may be a device in various forms such as a bar type, a foldable type, a slidable type, or a rollable type depending on the device form.

Referring to <FIG>, the electronic device <NUM> according to an embodiment may include the sensor module <NUM>, the camera module <NUM>, a communication module <NUM>, the display module <NUM>, a speaker <NUM>, a LED drive IC (LDI) <NUM>, the memory <NUM>, and/or the processor <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, the sensor module <NUM> may include an element corresponding to the sensor module <NUM> as described with reference to <FIG>. According to an embodiment, although not illustrated, the sensor module <NUM> may include various sensors such as an acceleration sensor, an atmospheric pressure sensor, a gyro sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, an illumination sensor, and/or a biometric sensor (or a bio sensor). According to an embodiment, the electronic device <NUM> may detect temperature (or heating) of the electronic device <NUM> on the basis of sensing data using the temperature sensor of the sensor module <NUM>.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the sensor module <NUM> may include a physical sensor (for example, the sensor module <NUM> of <FIG>) and a software sensor (for example, a virtual sensor). According to an embodiment, the physical sensor may be configured as a device causing a change in an electrical value by a change in data (for example, temperature, humidity, pressure, sound, and/or biometric signal) measured by the electronic device <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, the software sensor (for example, the virtual sensor) may indicate a virtual sensor making a new value by combining values made by the physical sensor. For example, in the disclosure, a software virtual sensor such as a virtual thermistor may be configured using a value of the physical sensor such as a temperature measurement sensor (for example, a thermistor and/or a temperature sensor). According to an embodiment, the virtual sensor (for example, the virtual thermistor) may be configured as middleware and virtualized, and prediction (or estimation) of local temperature and/or overall average temperature of the electronic device <NUM> and provision thereof to the user may be supported using the virtualized sensor (for example, the virtual thermistor).

According to an embodiment, the camera module <NUM> may capture a still image and a moving image. In an embodiment, the flash may emit light used for enhancing light emitted or reflected from a subject. According to an embodiment, the flash may include one or more light emitting diodes (for example, red-green-blue (RGB)) LED, white LED, infrared LED, or ultraviolet LED), or a xenon lamp.

According to an embodiment, the communication module <NUM> may include an element corresponding to the wireless communication module <NUM> as described with reference to <FIG>. According to an embodiment, the communication module <NUM> may support communication with an external device through a first network (for example, a short-range communication network such as Bluetooth, BLE, WiFi direct, IrDA, and/or ultra-wide band (UWB)) or a second network (for example, a legacy network (for example, a <NUM> network and/or a <NUM> network) or a long-range communication network such as a <NUM> network, a next-generation communication (for example, new radio (NR)) network, Internet, or a computer network (for example, LAN or WAN). According to an embodiment, the electronic device <NUM> may communicate with an external device (for example, the server <NUM> and/or another electronic device <NUM> or <NUM> of <FIG>) through the network using the communication module <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the communication module <NUM> may transmit data generated by the electronic device <NUM> to an external device or receive data transmitted from an external device.

According to an embodiment, the communication module <NUM> may include a first communication module <NUM> for first communication and a second communication module <NUM> for second communication. In an embodiment, the first communication module <NUM> may support establishment of a first wireless communication channel and performance of first communication through the established wireless communication channel. For example, the first communication module <NUM> may perform first predetermined communication (for example, communication through the first network) with an external device. In an embodiment, the second communication module <NUM> may support establishment of a second wireless communication channel and performance of second communication through the established wireless communication channel. For example, the second communication module <NUM> may perform second predetermined communication (for example, communication through the second network) with an external device. Various embodiments are not limited thereto, and it may be understood that the first communication module <NUM> and the second communication module <NUM> indicate different types of communication modules for performing different types of communication.

According to an embodiment, the display module <NUM> may include an element corresponding to the display module <NUM> as described with reference to <FIG>. According to an embodiment, the display module <NUM> may visually provide various pieces of information to the outside (for example, the user) of the electronic device <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the display module <NUM> may include a touch sensing circuit (or a touch sensor) (not shown), a pressure sensor for measuring an intensity of a touch, and/or a touch panel for detecting a stylus pen in a magnetic field type (for example, a digitizer).

According to an embodiment, the display module <NUM> may detect a touch input and/or a hovering input (or a proximity input) b measuring a change in a signal (for example, voltage, quantity of light, resistance, electromagnetic signal, and/or quantity of electric charge) for a specific location of the display module <NUM> on the basis of the touch sensing circuit, the pressure sensor, and/or the touch panel. According to an embodiment, the display module <NUM> may include a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light emitted diode (OLED), and an active matrix organic light emitted diode (AMOLED). According to some embodiments, the display module <NUM> may include a flexible display.

According to an embodiment, the display module <NUM> may visually provide temperature (or heating) information related to at least one predetermined area, overall average temperature information of the electronic device <NUM>, real-time temperature distribution information, and/or surface heating information under the control of the processor <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, the speaker <NUM> may output an electrical signal in the form of a sound (for example, a voice).

According to an embodiment, the LDI <NUM> is a circuit for driving the display module <NUM> and may provide a drive signal and data.

According to an embodiment, the memory <NUM> may include an element corresponding to the memory <NUM> as described with reference to <FIG>. According to an embodiment, the memory <NUM> may store various pieces of data used by the electronic device <NUM>. The data may include, for example, an application (for example, the program <NUM> of <FIG>) and input data or output data for commands related thereto.

According to an embodiment, the memory <NUM> may include an application which can be executed by the processor <NUM>, the application being related to the operation of the virtual sensor (for example, the virtual thermistor). For example, the application may include an application for classifying a prediction area to be predicted by the electronic device <NUM> on the basis of a predetermined characteristic, configuring a virtual thermistor for each prediction area classified according to the characteristic, and predicting local heating on the basis of the virtual thermistor. According to an embodiment, the application may be stored in the memory <NUM> as software (for example, the program <NUM> of <FIG>) and may be executed by the processor <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, the memory <NUM> may store data related to performance of functions of the electronic device <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the data may include state information <NUM> and virtual thermistor information <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the state information <NUM> may include information related to locations (or areas) at which various electronic devices mounted on the electronic device <NUM> are disposed (or mounted), information related to usage temperature (or operation temperature) for each element, and information related to usage current (or operation current) for each element. According to some embodiments, the memory <NUM> may include at least one piece of first temperature information divided for each prediction area and second temperature information related to the entire area.

In an embodiment, the temperature information may include various pieces of predicted temperature data (for example, calculated temperature values) which can be measured in predetermined area of the electronic device <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the virtual thermistor information <NUM> may include information related to a virtual sensor (for example, a virtual thermistor) configured in accordance with each prediction area in the electronic device <NUM> classified on the basis of the predetermined characteristic. In an embodiment, the virtual thermistor information <NUM> may include temperature data predicted on the basis of a predetermined characteristic.

According to an embodiment, the memory <NUM> may store at least one module for operating the virtual sensor (for example, the virtual thermistor) which can be executed by the processor <NUM>. For example, the memory <NUM> may include at least some of an area classification module <NUM>, a temperature calculation module <NUM>, and/or a management module <NUM> in the form of software (or instructions).

According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may configure the virtual sensor (for example, the virtual thermistor) and control functions (or operations) to provide temperature information related to the electronic device <NUM> using the same. According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may classify a prediction area to be predicted by the electronic device <NUM> on the basis of a predetermined characteristic, configure a virtual thermistor for each prediction area classified according to the characteristic, and predict temperature (or heating) (for example, local heating and/or overall heating) related to at least some areas of the electronic device <NUM> on the basis of the virtual thermistor.

According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may classify the prediction area on the basis of the predetermined characteristic, configure the virtual thermistor corresponding to the prediction area on the basis of the characteristic of classification of the prediction area, collect information on at least one prediction area on the basis of the virtual thermistor, and provide management (or control) related to temperature of each prediction area or temperature of the entire area and/or information on the basis of the collected information.

According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may include at least one module for operating the virtual sensor (for example, the virtual thermistor) and processing functions using the same. For example, the processor <NUM> may include the area classification module <NUM>, the temperature calculation module <NUM>, and/or the management module <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, the area classification module <NUM> may classify an area (for example, a prediction area) related to prediction of temperature of the electronic device <NUM> on the basis of a predetermined characteristic. According to an embodiment, the area classification module <NUM> may classify the prediction area on the basis of at least partially whether the corresponding area includes a heating source, whether current can be measured, and/or whether data which can be collected is continuous. The classification of the prediction area on the basis of the predetermined characteristic according to an embodiment is described with reference to drawings described below.

According to an embodiment, the temperature calculation module <NUM> may collect at least one piece of corresponding data on the basis of the classification result of the prediction area (or predetermined characteristic) and calculate temperature of the corresponding prediction area on the basis of the collected data. According to an embodiment, the temperature calculation module <NUM> may calculate saturation temperature on the basis of the collected data and convert the calculated saturation temperature into virtual temperature aspect data. According to an embodiment, the temperature calculation module <NUM> may configure the virtual thermistor for the corresponding prediction area on the basis of the virtual temperature aspect data. The configuration of the virtual thermistor according to an embodiment is described with reference to drawings described below.

According to an embodiment, the management module <NUM> may support prediction (or estimation) of local temperature and/or overall average temperature of the electronic device <NUM> and provision thereof to the user through the virtual thermistor. According to an embodiment, the management module <NUM> may check heating of the electronic device <NUM> through the virtual thermistor, output a notification corresponding thereto, or control the operation of a corresponding element. According to an embodiment, the management module <NUM> may locally collect and predict (or estimate) temperature of the corresponding prediction area through the virtual thermistor and provide temperature (or heating) information related to at least one prediction area, overall average temperature information of the electronic device <NUM>, real-time temperature distribution information, and/or surface heating information.

According to an embodiment, at least some of the area classification module <NUM>, the temperature calculation module <NUM>, and/or the management module <NUM> may be included in the processor <NUM> as hardware modules (for example, circuits) or may be implemented as software including one or more instructions which can be executed by the processor <NUM>. For example, operations performed by the processor <NUM> may be stored in the memory <NUM> and may be performed by instructions executed by the processor <NUM> when performed.

According to various embodiments, the processor <NUM> may control various operations related to the general function of the electronic device <NUM> as well as the above function. For example, when a predetermined application is executed, the processor <NUM> may control the operation and screen display thereof. In another example, the processor <NUM> may perform control to transmit and receive data through communication with an external device and display the transmitted and received data through the display module <NUM>. In another example, the processor <NUM> may receive input signals corresponding to various touch event or proximity event inputs supported by a touch-based or proximity-based input interface and control the operation of functions according thereto.

According to various embodiments, the elements of the electronic device <NUM> are not limited to the elements illustrated in <FIG>, and at least one element may be omitted or may be added. According to an embodiment, the electronic device <NUM> may include a voice recognition module (not shown). For example, the voice recognition module (not shown) may indicate an eASR module and/or an eNLU.

The various embodiments of the disclosure may be implemented in a recording medium, which can be read through a computer or a device similar thereto, by using software, hardware, or a combination thereof. In various embodiments, the recording medium may include a computer-readable recording medium recording a program to perform an operation of classifying a prediction area to be predicted on the basis of a characteristic designated to a corresponding area, an operation of configuring a virtual thermistor for each prediction area classified according to the characteristic, and an operation of predicting temperature (or heating) (for example, local heating and/or overall heating) related to at least some areas of the electronic device <NUM> on the basis of the virtual thermistor.

<FIG> illustrates area classification for configuring a virtual thermistor in an electronic device according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

According to an embodiment, <FIG> illustrates an example of an area including a heating source and an area including no heating source in the electronic device <NUM>. According to an embodiment, in <FIG>, an example <<NUM>> may indicate a state viewing a front side of the electronic device <NUM>, and an example <<NUM>> may indicate a state viewing a rear side of the electronic device <NUM>.

As illustrated in <FIG>, according to an embodiment, the electronic device <NUM> may be divided into areas <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> (for example, areas including heating sources) in which the heating sources (for example, a front camera, an LDI, a rear camera, a communication module, a sensor module, and/or a speaker) are disposed and areas <NUM> and <NUM> (for example, areas including no heating source) in which no heating source is disposed.

Referring to the example <<NUM>>, according to an embodiment, the areas <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> including the heating sources may indicate, for example, the area <NUM> in which the front camera is disposed, the area <NUM> in which another electronic elements (for example, the sensor module, various semiconductors, and/or various integrated circuits) are disposed, and the area <NUM> in which the LDI is disposed. According to an embodiment, the area <NUM> including no heating source may indicate the empty area <NUM> (for example, space) including no the heating source in the electronic device <NUM>.

Referring to the example, <<NUM>>, according to an embodiment, the areas <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> including the heating sources may indicate, for example, the area <NUM> in which the rear camera is disposed, the area <NUM> in which the communication module <NUM> is disposed, and the area <NUM> in which the speaker <NUM> is disposed. According to an embodiment, the area <NUM> including no heating source may indicate the empty area <NUM> (for example, space) including no heating source in the electronic device <NUM>.

According to an embodiment, in the case of an electronic element corresponding to a heating source, it is difficult to mount a thermistor and to make an electrical connection to the processor <NUM>. Accordingly, it may be difficult to check local temperature (for example, heating) of the areas <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> including the heating sources through the thermistor disposed at a conventional specific location and configured to check heating of the corresponding semiconductor or the temperature sensor alone for checking temperature of the electronic device. The areas <NUM> and <NUM> which including no heating source are spaces in which the thermistor cannot be mounted through an electrical connection, and thus it is not possible to directly measure temperature of the areas <NUM> and <NUM> including no heating source.

According to various embodiments, it is possible to estimate (or predict) local heating in the electronic device <NUM> by configuring a virtual thermistor capable of measuring local temperature of a corresponding area among the areas <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> including the heating sources and the areas <NUM> and <NUM> including no heating source described above without any additional temperature measurement device (for example, the thermistor and/or the temperature sensor). In an embodiment, the virtual thermistor (for example, the virtual sensor) may indicate a virtual software sensor capable of predicting a new value (for example, temperature) on the basis of information collected from the electronic device <NUM> and/or an external device. In various embodiments, the virtual thermistor may replace the physical sensor (for example, the thermistor and/or the temperature sensor).

According to various embodiments, as illustrated in <FIG>, it is possible to estimate local heating of the electronic device <NUM> by classifying the areas (for example, the areas <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> including the heating sources and the areas <NUM> and <NUM> including no heating source) in which the physical sensor (for example, the thermistor and/or the temperature sensor) cannot be mounted into respective prediction areas on the basis of a predetermined characteristic and configuring a corresponding virtual thermistor in each of the classified prediction areas.

According to various embodiments, the area (for example, prediction area) in which temperature is predicted may be classified according to the predetermined characteristic and the corresponding virtual thermistor may be configured in each of the areas classified according to the predetermined characteristic. According to an embodiment, the predetermined characteristic may include, for example, whether a heating source is included, whether current can be measured, and whether data which can be collected is continuous.

<FIG> illustrates an example of classifying a prediction area of the electronic device according to a predetermined characteristic according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

According to an embodiment, referring to <FIG> illustrates an example of classifying a prediction area in which temperature is predicted (or estimated) in the electronic device <NUM> on the basis of whether heating is included.

As illustrated in an example <<NUM>> of <FIG>, various electronic components <NUM> may be mounted (or disposed) within the electronic device <NUM>, and one or more of the electronic components <NUM> may include heating sources (for example, a camera <NUM>). According to an embodiment, when it is assumed that a predetermined area <NUM> is a prediction area in which temperature is predicted (or calculated) in the example <<NUM>> of <FIG>, the electronic device <NUM> may configure a corresponding virtual thermistor on the basis of whether the prediction area <NUM> includes a heating source. For example, when the prediction area <NUM> includes the heating source (for example, the camera <NUM>), a temperature characteristic of the virtual thermistor of the prediction area <NUM> may vary depending on whether the heating source is heated and an amount of heat.

Accordingly, the electronic device <NUM> may differently configure the virtual thermistor according to whether the heating source is included. For example, in the example of <FIG>, the prediction area <NUM> may correspond to the location of the camera <NUM>, and the electronic device <NUM> may determine that the prediction area <NUM> includes the heating source.

<FIG> illustrates an example of classifying a predicted area of the electronic device according to a predetermined characteristic according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

According to an embodiment, referring to <FIG> illustrates an example of classifying a prediction area for predicting (or estimating) temperature in the electronic device <NUM> on the basis of whether current of the heating source can be measured.

In the example of <FIG>, when it is assumed that a predetermined area <NUM> is a prediction area in which temperature is predicted and the prediction area <NUM> includes a heating source (for example, the camera <NUM> of <FIG>), the electronic device <NUM> may configure a corresponding virtual thermistor on the basis of whether the current of the heating source included in the prediction area <NUM> can be measured. For example, when the prediction area <NUM> includes the heating source (for example, the camera <NUM> of <FIG>) and the current of the heating source can be measured, a temperature characteristic of the virtual thermistor of the prediction area <NUM> may be configured by directly processing current data. Accordingly, the electronic device <NUM> may differently configure the virtual thermistor according to whether the current of the heating source can be measured.

<FIG> illustrates an example of classifying a prediction area in the electronic device according to a predetermined characteristic according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

According to an embodiment, referring to <FIG> illustrates an example of classifying a prediction area in which temperature is predicted (or estimated) in the electronic device <NUM> on the basis of whether data which can be collected from heating sources is continuous. According to an embodiment, as illustrated in <FIG>, when it is assumed that the predetermined area <NUM> is the prediction area in which temperature is predicted, the prediction area <NUM> includes the heating source (for example, the camera <NUM> of <FIG>), and the current of the heating source cannot be measured, the electronic device <NUM> may configure a corresponding virtual thermistor on the basis of whether data which can be collected from the heating source included in the prediction area <NUM> is continuous.

According to an embodiment, when the current of the heating source cannot be measured, the electronic device <NUM> may classify the collectable data related to temperature of the prediction area according to continuity as illustrated in <FIG>. According to an embodiment, the collectable data may be divided into continuous data having continuous output as illustrated in the example <<NUM>> of <FIG> and discontinuous data having discontinuous output as illustrated in the example <<NUM>> of <FIG>.

According to an embodiment, in the case of the continuous data, the electronic device <NUM> may directly process the continuous data and configure a virtual thermistor temperature characteristic. For example, the continuous data may include data (for example, coil temperature) continuously collected from a speaker of the electronic device <NUM> (for example, the speaker <NUM> of <FIG>) and data (for example, CPU junction temperature) continuously collected from a communication module (for example, the communication module <NUM> of <FIG>).

According to another embodiment, in the case of the discontinuous data, the electronic device <NUM> may assume that the discontinuous data has a linear relation with temperature of the prediction area and configure a temperature characteristic. For example, the discontinuous data may include data discontinuously collected according to on or off of a camera (for example, the camera module <NUM> of <FIG>) of the electronic device <NUM>. In another example, when the electronic device <NUM> is a slidable or rollable type, data collected according to a change in the state of the electronic device <NUM> such as an open state or a closed state may be included.

According to various embodiments, in a method of configuring a virtual thermistor in the electronic device <NUM>, the area to be predicted may be classified according to a predetermined characteristic (for example, whether a heating source is included, whether the current can be measured, and/or whether data which can be collected is continuous) and the virtual thermistor corresponding to each of the classified areas according to the characteristic may be configured as illustrated in <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>.

According to an embodiment, the electronic device <NUM> may configure a virtual thermistor for each corresponding area on the basis of (a) the case in which a heating source in included in an area to be predicted and the current of the heating source can be measured, (b) the case in which the heating source is included in the area to be predicted and the current of the heating source cannot be measured but continuous data related to temperature can be collected, (c) the case in which the heating source is included in the area to be predicted and the current of the heating source can be measured but discontinuous data related to temperature can be collected, and (d) the case in which the heating source is not included in the area to be predicted.

According to an embodiment, the existing electronic device may need an additional device and/or element to predict temperature like a separate physical device (for example, the thermistor and/or the temperature sensor) for measuring temperature and cannot predict temperature in an area in which the physical device cannot be mounted. However, according to various embodiments, it is possible to provide temperature data on a predetermined area without any separate device for measuring temperature. For example, in various embodiments, by configuring the virtual thermistor, a separate device and/or element is not needed and temperature of the corresponding area can be predicted on the basis of information provided by the electronic device <NUM>. Accordingly, in various embodiments, it is possible to indirectly predict temperature of an area of which the temperature cannot be directly measured.

The electronic device <NUM> according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include a plurality of electronic components (for example, the camera module <NUM>, the communication module <NUM>, the speaker <NUM>, and the LDI <NUM> of <FIG>) mounted into the electronic device <NUM>, and the processor <NUM> operatively connected to the electronic components, and the processor <NUM> may be configured to classify a prediction area according to predetermined characteristics, configure a virtual thermistor corresponding to the prediction area on the basis of the classification characteristic of the prediction area, collect information on at least one prediction area on the basis the virtual thermistor, and manage heating of the electronic device on the basis of the collected information.

According to various embodiments, the processor <NUM> may be configured to classify an area of the electronic device <NUM> on the basis of the predetermined characteristics corresponding to the prediction areas, and the predetermined characteristics include characteristics according to whether a heating source is included in the prediction area, whether a current can be measured, and/or collectable data is continuous.

According to various embodiments, the processor <NUM> may be configured to configure a virtual thermistor corresponding to the corresponding prediction area on the basis of at least one piece of data corresponding to each prediction area.

According to various embodiments, at least one piece of the data may include temperature data, current data, continuous data, and/or discontinuous data related to the electronic components.

According to various embodiments, the processor <NUM> may be configured to configure the same virtual thermistors for areas in equal classification and different thermistors for areas in different classifications.

According to various embodiments, when the virtual thermistor is configured, the processor <NUM> may be configured to execute a heating source corresponding to the corresponding prediction area or a neighboring heating source, collect temperature data while the heating source is executed, and collect additional data corresponding to the predetermined characteristic of the corresponding prediction area in addition to the temperature data to configure each virtual thermistor.

According to various embodiments, the processor <NUM> may be configured to collect temperature data and current data related to the heating source on the basis of characteristics indicating that the heating source is included in the prediction area and the current of the heating source can be measured, and configure the virtual thermistor on the basis of the temperature data and the current data.

According to various embodiments, the processor <NUM> may be configured to collect temperature data and current data related to the heating source while the heating source is executed, configure saturation temperature related to the prediction area on the basis of the temperature data and the current data, and perform exponential fitting (for example, exponential graph fitting) on the saturation temperature to convert the saturation temperature into virtual temperature aspect data.

According to various embodiments, the processor <NUM> may be configured to collect temperature data and continuous data related to the heating source on the basis of characteristics indicating that the heating source is included in the prediction area, the current of the heating source cannot be measured, and continuous data related to temperature can be collected, and configure the virtual thermistor on the basis of the temperature data and the continuous data.

According to various embodiments, the processor <NUM> may be configured to collect temperature data and continuous data related to the heating source while the heating source is executed, configure saturation temperature related to the prediction area on the basis of the temperature data and the continuous data, and perform exponential fitting on the saturation temperature to convert the saturation temperature into virtual temperature aspect data.

According to various embodiments, the processor <NUM> may be configured to collect temperature data and discontinuous data related to the heating source on the basis of characteristics indicating that the heating source is included in the prediction area, the current of the heating source cannot be measured, and discontinuous data related to temperature can be collected, and configure the virtual thermistor on the basis of the temperature data and the discontinuous data.

According to various embodiments, the processor <NUM> may be configured to collect temperature data and discontinuous data related to the heating source while the heating source is executed, configure saturation temperature related to the prediction area on the basis of the temperature data and the discontinuous data, and perform exponential fitting on the saturation temperature to convert the saturation temperature into virtual temperature aspect data.

According to various embodiments, when the heating source is not included in the prediction area, the processor <NUM> may be configured to collect temperature data related to a neighboring heating source and configure the virtual thermistor on the basis of the collected temperature data.

According to various embodiments, the processor <NUM> may be configured to execute the neighboring heating source around the prediction area, collect temperature data related to temperature generated by the neighboring heating source while the neighboring heating source is executed, configure saturation temperature related to the prediction area on the basis of the temperature data, and perform exponential fitting on the saturation temperature to convert the saturation temperature into virtual temperature aspect data.

According to various embodiments, the processor <NUM> may be configured to manage local heating and/or overall average heating of the electronic device on the basis of the collected information.

Hereinafter, a method of operating the electronic device <NUM> according to various embodiments is described. Operations performed in the electronic device <NUM> described below may be performed by the processor <NUM> including at least one processing circuit (processing circuitry) of the electronic device <NUM>. According to an embodiment, operations performed in the electronic device <NUM> may be performed by instructions stored in the memory <NUM> and causing the processor <NUM> to operate when executed.

<FIG> is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating an electronic device according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, in operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> may classify an area (for example, a prediction area) associated with prediction of temperature of the electronic device <NUM> on the basis of a predetermined characteristic. According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may classify the area associated with temperature prediction at least on the basis of whether the corresponding area includes a heating source, whether the current can be measured, and/or data which can be collected is continuous as described with reference to <FIG>. <FIG>, and/or <NUM>.

In operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may configure a virtual thermistor on the basis of a characteristic for each of the classified areas. According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may configure a virtual thermistor corresponding to the corresponding area on the basis of at least one piece of data corresponding to each of the classified areas (for example, temperature data, current data, continuous data, and discontinuous data).

According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may configure the same virtual thermistor for areas in the same classification and configure different thermistors for areas in different classifications. According to an embodiment, when configuring the virtual thermistor, the processor <NUM> may execute the heating source corresponding to the corresponding area or a neighboring heating source, collect temperature data while the heating source is executed, and configure each virtual thermistor on the basis of additional data (for example, current data, continuous data, or discontinuous data) corresponding a predetermined characteristic of the corresponding area in addition to the temperature data.

According to an embodiment, when the area to be predicted includes a heating source and the current of the heating source can be measured, the processor <NUM> may configure a first virtual thermistor corresponding to the area. According to an embodiment, when the area to be predicted includes the heating source and the current of the heating source can be measured but continuous data related to temperature cannot be collected, the processor <NUM> may configure a second thermistor in the corresponding area.

According to an embodiment, when the area to be predicted includes the heating source, the current of the heating source cannot be measured, and discontinuous data related to temperature can be collected, the processor <NUM> may configure a third virtual thermistor in the corresponding area. According to an embodiment, when the area to be predicted does not include the heating source, the processor <NUM> may configure a fourth virtual thermistor. According to an embodiment, the operation of configuring the virtual thermistors according to characteristics of respective classified areas is described with reference to the drawings below.

In operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may collect information for each area. According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may collect data (for example, temperature data) corresponding to each of at least one prediction area.

In operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may predict temperature. According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may manage heating of the electronic device <NUM> on the basis of collected data. According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may predict temperature (or heating) for each predetermined area (for example, predict local temperature) on the basis of the collected information or predict overall temperature (or heating) of the electronic device <NUM> on the basis of the collected information.

According to an embodiment, <FIG> illustrates an example in which the electronic device <NUM> classifies an area of which temperature is predicted according to a characteristic (for example, whether a heating source is included, the current can be measured, and whether data which can be collected is continuous).

Referring to <FIG>, in operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> may identify a predetermined area. According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may identify a prediction area (for example, an area designated by a user input or an area recognized on the basis of automatic recognition) of which temperature is predicted by the electronic device <NUM>.

In operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may determine whether a heating source is included in the prediction area. According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may determine whether a heating source is included in a location corresponding prediction area on the basis of information (for example, location information and device information) on the heating source for each area preregistered in the memory <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM>.

When the prediction area includes the heating source (for example, "Yes" of operation <NUM>), for example, the prediction area is an area including a heating source in operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may determine whether the current of the heating source can be measured in operation <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may determine whether the current of the corresponding heating source can be measured on the basis of heating source information.

When the current of the heating source can be measured (for example, "Yes" of operation <NUM>) in operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may classify the prediction area as a first area in operation <NUM>. According to an embodiment, when the prediction area includes the heating source and the current of the heating source can be measured, the processor <NUM> may classify the prediction area as the first area. According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may configure a first virtual thermistor corresponding to the first area in the prediction area on the basis of classification of the prediction area as the first area.

When the current of the heating source cannot be measured (for example, "No" of operation <NUM>) in operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may determine whether continuous data related to temperature can be collected from the heating source in operation <NUM>.

When continuous data can be collected (for example, "Yes" of operation <NUM>) in operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may classify the prediction area as a second area in operation <NUM>. According to an embodiment, when the heating source is included in the prediction area, the current of the heating source cannot be measured, and continuous data related to temperature can be collected, the processor <NUM> may classify the prediction area as the second area. According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may configure a second virtual thermistor corresponding to the second area in the prediction area on the basis of classification of the prediction area as the second area.

When continuous data cannot be collected (for example, "No" of operation <NUM>), for example, discontinuous data related to temperature can be collected from the heating source in operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may classify the prediction area as a third area in operation <NUM>. According to an embodiment, when the heating source is included in the prediction area, the current of the heating source cannot be measured, and discontinuous data related to temperature can be collected, the processor <NUM> may classify the prediction area as the third area. According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may configure a third virtual thermistor corresponding to the third area in the prediction area on the basis of classification of the prediction area as the third area.

When the heating source is not included in the prediction area ("No" of operation <NUM>), for example, the prediction area is an area having no heating area in operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may classify the prediction area as a fourth area in operation <NUM>. According to an embodiment, when the heating source is not included in the prediction area, the processor <NUM> may classify the prediction area as the fourth area. According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may configure a fourth virtual thermistor corresponding to the fourth area in the prediction area on the basis of classification of the prediction area as the fourth area.

According to an embodiment, <FIG> illustrates an example of configuring virtual thermistors corresponding to areas classified according to predetermined characteristics as illustrated in <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, in operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> may classify the area on the basis of a predetermined characteristic of the prediction area. According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may classify the prediction area into a first area, a second area, a third area, and a fourth area according to whether the prediction area includes a heating source, whether the current can be measured, and/or whether collectable data is continuous as described with reference to <FIG>.

In operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may perform an operation of configuring a virtual thermistor corresponding to the prediction area on the basis of area classification. According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may configure a predetermined virtual thermistor corresponding to classification of the first area, the second area, the third area, or the fourth area for the prediction area.

For example, the processor <NUM> may configure a first virtual thermistor for the prediction area on the basis of classification of the prediction area as the first area (for example, operation <NUM> to operation <NUM>).

In another example, the processor <NUM> may configure a second virtual thermistor for the prediction area on the basis of classification of the prediction area as the second area (for example, operation <NUM> to operation <NUM>).

In another example, the processor <NUM> may configure a third virtual thermistor for the prediction area on the basis of classification of the prediction area as the third area (for example, operation <NUM> to operation <NUM>).

In another example, the processor <NUM> may configure a fourth virtual thermistor for the prediction area on the basis of classification of the prediction area as the fourth area (for example, operation <NUM> to operation <NUM>).

According to an embodiment, operation <NUM> to operation <NUM> may indicate an example of configuring the virtual thermistor for the prediction area when the heating source is included in the prediction area and the current of the heating source can be measured, for example, when the prediction area is classified as the first area.

In operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may collect temperature data and current data of the prediction area classified as the first area. According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may collect temperature data and current data related to the prediction area by the electronic device <NUM> itself. For example, the processor <NUM> may collect temperature data and current data on the basis of a value made by a physical sensor included in the electronic device <NUM> (for example, a measured temperature value and a measured current value) or a predetermined table of usage temperature and usage current for each electronic component.

According to another embodiment, with respect to measurement of the temperature and the current for the prediction area, the temperature and the current may be simultaneously measured for the prediction area by separate external devices (for example, measurement devices (for example, a heat measurement device (or a thermal imaging camera) and a current measurement device)) outside the electronic device <NUM>, and the processor <NUM> may acquire (for example, receive) and collect temperature data and current data from the external devices through wired communication or wireless communication.

According to another embodiment, the temperature data and the current data may use a value directly input by the user. According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may collect temperature data and current data related to the measured temperature and current from the external devices while operating the heating source of the prediction area.

In operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may configure first saturation temperature (or critical temperature) related to the prediction area on the basis of the temperature data and the current data. In an embodiment, saturation temperature may indicate reference temperature (for example, temperature at which phase transition occurs) for determining a heating reference of the corresponding area in the electronic device <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may calculate thermal resistance (R) of the prediction area by using the temperature data and the current data. According to an embodiment, the thermal resistance (R) may be obtained as shown in [Equation <NUM>] below.

In [Equation <NUM>], 'R' denotes thermal resistor, 'Ts' denotes saturation temperature of a heating source in a prediction area, 'Ti' denotes initial temperature (for example, atmospheric temperature: room temperature) of the heating source, and 'Q' denotes power consumption of the heating source.

According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may configure first saturation temperature according to current consumption of the heating source by using the thermal resistance obtained as in [Equation <NUM>]. According to an embodiment, when the prediction area is an area in which the LDI <NUM> is disposed and a virtual thermistor is configured in the area in which the LDI <NUM> is disposed, if it is assumed that temperature of the LDI reaches about <NUM> degrees while about <NUM> mA of current consumption of the LDI <NUM> which is the heating source is maintained for about <NUM> minutes, the thermal resistance (R) may be '<NUM>'. Through [Equation <NUM>], saturation temperature (for example, Tsat = Ts) can be obtained.

In operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may convert the first saturation temperature into virtual temperature aspect data. According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may perform exponential fitting (for example, exponential graph fitting) on the first saturation temperature to finally convert the first saturation temperature into the virtual temperature aspect data (for example, heating source virtual thermistor temperature or predicted temperature). The above description may be defined as shown in [Equation <NUM>] below.

In [Equation <NUM>], 'Tskin (t)' denotes temperature of a virtual thermistor of a heating source (for example, predicted temperature), 'Δt' denotes a monitoring time of the virtual thermistor (for example, a monitoring time period designated to the electronic device <NUM> such as <NUM> second, <NUM> seconds, or <NUM> seconds), and 'Tsat' indicates saturation temperature. <MAT>, denotes a monitoring time compared to a saturation temperature time, 'e' denotes a change (for example, temperature change modeling), and 'τ' denotes a saturation temperature time constant.

In operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may configure a first virtual thermistor related to the prediction area. According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may configure virtual temperature aspect data as the first virtual thermistor for the prediction area.

According to an embodiment, operation <NUM> to operation <NUM> may indicate an example of configuring a second virtual thermistor for the prediction area when the heating source is included in the prediction area, the current of the heating source cannot be measured, and continuous data related to temperature can be collected, for example, when the prediction area is classified as the second area.

In operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may collect temperature data and continuous data for the prediction area classified as the second area. According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may collect temperature data related to the prediction area autonomously by the electronic device <NUM>. For example, the processor <NUM> may collect temperature data on the basis of a value (for example, a measured temperature value) made by a physical sensor included in the electronic device <NUM> or a predetermined table for usage temperature for each electronic component. According to another embodiment, with respect to measurement of the temperature of the prediction area, the temperature may be measured for the prediction area by a separate external device (for example, a temperature measurement device or a thermal imaging camera) outside the electronic device <NUM>, and the processor <NUM> may acquire (for example, receive) and collect temperature data from the external device through wired communication or wireless communication. According to another embodiment, the temperature data may use a value directly input by the user. According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may collect continuous data while collecting temperature data by operating the heating source in the prediction area.

In operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may configure second saturation temperature (or threshold temperature) related to the prediction area on the basis of the temperature data and the continuous data. According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may fit the continuous data to the temperature data of the prediction area on the basis of the assumption that the continuous data of the heating source in the prediction area and the temperature data of the prediction area have a linear relation therebetween.

According to an embodiment, when the prediction area is an area in which the speaker <NUM> is disposed and a virtual thermistor is configured in the area in which the speaker <NUM> is disposed, saturation temperature (for example, Tsat = a X Tcoil + b, where a and b are linear function variables and Tcoil is speaker coil saturation temperature) may be configured by linearly fitting continuous data (for example, coil temperature) of the speaker <NUM> which is the heating source to temperature data of the area in which the speaker <NUM> is disposed.

In operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may convert the second saturation temperature into virtual temperature aspect data. According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may perform exponential fitting on the second saturation temperature to finally convert the second saturation temperature into virtual temperature aspect data (for example, heating source virtual thermistor temperature or predicted temperature) as shown in [Equation <NUM>].

In operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may configure a second virtual thermistor related to the prediction area. According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may configure virtual temperature aspect data as the second virtual thermistor for the prediction area.

According to an embodiment, operation <NUM> to operation <NUM> may indicate an example of configuring a third virtual thermistor for the prediction area when the heating source is included in the prediction area, the current of the heating source cannot be measured, and discontinuous data related to temperature can be collected, for example, when the prediction area is classified as a third area.

In operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may collect temperature data and discontinuous data for the prediction area classified as the third area.

According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may collect temperature data related to the prediction area autonomously by the electronic device <NUM>. For example, the processor <NUM> may collect temperature data on the basis of a value (for example, a measured temperature value) made by a physical sensor included in the electronic device <NUM> or a predetermined table for usage temperature for each electronic component.

According to another embodiment, with respect to measurement of the temperature of the prediction area, the temperature may be measured for the prediction area by a separate external device (for example, a temperature measurement device or a thermal imaging camera) outside the electronic device <NUM>, and the processor <NUM> may acquire (for example, receive) and collect temperature data from the external device through wired communication or wireless communication. According to another embodiment, the temperature data may use a value directly input by the user.

According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may collect discontinuous data while collecting temperature data by operating the heating source in the prediction area.

In operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may configure third saturation temperature (or threshold temperature) related to the prediction area on the basis of the temperature data and the discontinuous data. According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may fit the temperature data of the prediction area to the saturation temperature of the prediction area one-to-one according to the discontinuous data of the heating source in the prediction area. According to an embodiment, when the prediction area is an area in which a front camera is disposed and a virtual thermistor is configured in the area in which the front camera is disposed, the discontinuous data may indicate '<NUM>' when the front camera which is the heating source operates, and the discontinuous data may indicate '<NUM>' when the front camera does not operate.

According to an embodiment, when the discontinuous data is '<NUM>', the processor <NUM> may configure predetermined temperature (for example, maximum temperature based on heating) reached through the operation of the front camera as saturation temperature. According to an embodiment, when the discontinuous data is '<NUM>', the processor <NUM> may configure temperature that is the most similar to the atmospheric temperature (or room temperature) (for example, about <NUM> degrees) as saturation temperature.

For example, when it is assumed that temperature of the prediction area is about <NUM> degrees while the front camera operates, about <NUM> degrees may be configured as saturation temperature (for example, Tsat = <NUM>). In another example, when the front camera does not operate, temperature (for example, about <NUM> degrees) of another thermistor (for example, a battery thermistor) similar to the atmospheric temperature may be configured as saturation temperature (for example, Tsat = <NUM>). According to some embodiments, when the number of pieces of discontinuous data is plural and the number of temperatures corresponding thereto is plural, the processor <NUM> may configure a plurality of saturation temperatures in accordance therewith.

In operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may convert the third saturation temperature into virtual temperature aspect data. According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may perform exponential fitting on the second saturation temperature to finally convert the second saturation temperature into virtual temperature aspect data (for example, heating source virtual thermistor temperature or predicted temperature) as shown in [Equation <NUM>].

In operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may configure a third virtual thermistor related to the prediction area. According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may configure virtual temperature aspect data as the third virtual thermistor for the prediction area.

According to an embodiment, operation <NUM> to operation <NUM> may indicate an example of configuring a fourth virtual thermistor for the prediction area when the heating source is included in the prediction area, for example, when the prediction area is classified as a fourth area.

In operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may collect temperature data for the prediction area classified as the fourth area.

According to another embodiment, with respect to measurement of the temperature of the prediction area, the temperature may be measured for the prediction area by a separate external device (for example, a temperature measurement device or a thermal imaging camera) outside the electronic device <NUM>, and the processor <NUM> may acquire (for example, receive) and collect temperature data from the external device through wired communication or wireless communication.

According to another embodiment, the temperature data may use a value directly input by the user. According to an embodiment, when the prediction area is an area including no heating source, the processor <NUM> may operate another heating source around the prediction area and collect temperature data related to temperature generated by the neighboring heating source.

In operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may configure fourth saturation temperature (or threshold temperature) related to the prediction area on the basis of temperature data. According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may configure the collected temperature data as the fourth saturation temperature. According to some embodiments, the processor <NUM> may operate a heating source (for example, an application) executed frequently by the user and collect saturation temperature of the prediction area.

In operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may convert the fourth saturation temperature into virtual temperature aspect data. According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may perform exponential fitting on the second saturation temperature to finally convert the second saturation temperature into virtual temperature aspect data (for example, heating source virtual thermistor temperature or predicted temperature) as shown in [Equation <NUM>].

In operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may configure a fourth virtual thermistor related to the prediction area. According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may configure virtual temperature aspect data as the fourth virtual thermistor for the prediction area.

According to an embodiment, although not illustrated in <FIG>, the processor <NUM> may configure a virtual thermistor for overall average temperature in the electronic device <NUM>. According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may measure overall average temperature on the basis of the average of temperature data collected for respective prediction areas in operation <NUM> and configure the overall average temperature as all virtual thermistors. According to some embodiments, in the example of operation <NUM> to operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may execute the corresponding heating source on the basis of a heating scenario frequency used by the user, collect and average saturation temperature according to thereto, estimate overall average temperature, and configure the overall average temperature as all virtual thermistors.

In operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may collect data for each area. According to an embodiment, the processor <NUM> may collect data (for example, temperature data) for each prediction area performed in operation <NUM>.

In operation <NUM>, the processor <NUM> may estimate temperature according to the virtual thermistor for each prediction area by using the collected data.

According to various embodiments, for an area of the electronic device <NUM> in which a physical thermistor cannot be mounted (or an area of which temperature cannot be predicted), it is possible to locally collect and predict (or estimate) temperature of the corresponding area through a configuration of a virtual thermistor. Accordingly, in various embodiments, it is possible to provide an index for determining real-time temperature distribution to the electronic device <NUM> and monitor an overall temperature state of the electronic device <NUM> in real time. For example, surface heating of the electronic device <NUM> can be predicted through the configuration of the virtual thermistor and, as a result, overall heating of the electronic device <NUM> can be effectively managed.

A method of operations performed by the electronic device <NUM> according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include an operation of classifying a prediction area on the basis of predetermined characteristics, an operation of configuring a virtual thermistor corresponding to the prediction area on the basis of the classification characteristic of the prediction area, an operation of collecting information on at least one prediction area on the basis of the virtual thermistor, and an operation of managing heating of the electronic device <NUM> on the basis of the collected information.

According to various embodiments, the operation of classifying may include an operation of classifying the area of the electronic device <NUM> according to predetermined characteristics corresponding to the prediction area, and the predetermined characteristics may include characteristics according to whether a heating source is included in the prediction area, whether a current can be measured, and/or collectable data is continuous.

According to various embodiments, the operation of configuring the virtual thermistor may include an operation of configuring a virtual thermistor corresponding to the corresponding prediction area on the basis of at least one piece of data corresponding to each prediction area, and at least one piece of the data may include temperature data, current data, continuous data, and/or discontinuous data related to the electronic components.

According to various embodiments, when the virtual thermistor is configured, the operation of configuring the virtual thermistor may include an operation of execute a heating source corresponding to the corresponding prediction area or a neighboring heating source, an operation of collecting collect temperature data while the heating source is executed, and an operation of collecting additional data corresponding to the predetermined characteristic of the corresponding prediction area in addition to the temperature data to configure each virtual thermistor.

Claim 1:
An electronic device (<NUM>) comprising:
a plurality of electronic components (<NUM>, <NUM>) mounted into the electronic device (<NUM>);
a processor (<NUM>) operatively connected to the electronic components (<NUM>, <NUM>); and
a memory (<NUM>) storing instructions that, when executed by the processor (<NUM>), cause the electronic device (<NUM>) to:
classify a plurality of areas of the electronic device (<NUM>) into a plurality of prediction areas (<NUM>, <NUM>), wherein the plurality of prediction areas (<NUM>, <NUM>) is classified based on predetermined characteristics of whether an area of the electronic device (<NUM>) includes an electronic component (<NUM>, <NUM>) and whether a current of the electronic component (<NUM>, <NUM>) is measured;
configure a virtual thermistor corresponding to each of the plurality of prediction areas (<NUM>, <NUM>), based on the classification of the plurality of prediction areas (<NUM>, <NUM>), wherein the virtual thermistor is configured as a virtualized sensor for predicting temperature;
collect information on each of the plurality of prediction areas (<NUM>, <NUM>), based on the virtual thermistor; and
manage temperature for each of the plurality of prediction areas (<NUM>, <NUM>), based on the collected information.