Patent ID: 8924752

Claim:
An integrated circuit comprising: a graphics processing unit (GPU); a power monitor coupled to the GPU and configured to generate a power measurement representing power consumed in the GPU; at least one temperature sensor configured to measure a temperature of the integrated circuit; and a controller configured to determine a target power measurement representing a target power consumption for the GPU, wherein the controller is configured to generate the target power measurement responsive to the temperature, and wherein the controller is configured to compare the target power measurement to the power measurement from the power monitor, and wherein the controller is configured to determine a duty cycle for the GPU responsive to an error between the target power measurement and the power measurement from the power monitor, and wherein the duty cycle is a limit to an amount of time that the GPU is powered on compared to a frame time, and wherein the frame time is a period of time elapsing for a display of one frame on a display device, and wherein the GPU is powered off for a remaining amount of time of the frame time, and wherein the controller is configured to control the duty cycle at a current operating point to reduce the error between the target power measurement and the power measurement, and wherein the current operating point includes a current supply voltage magnitude and a current operating frequency for the GPU, and wherein the controller is configured to limit the amount of time that the GPU is powered on at the current operating point within a given frame time to no more than the limit represented by the duty cycle, and wherein the controller is programmable with a minimum duty cycle, and wherein the controller is configured to prevent the duty cycle at the current operating point from decreasing below the minimum duty cycle even if the error indicates a duty cycle that is less than the minimum duty cycle.