diff --git a/drivers/thermal/thermal_core.c b/drivers/thermal/thermal_core.c
index 82e2f0d8a26d..ac928c199829 100644
--- a/drivers/thermal/thermal_core.c
+++ b/drivers/thermal/thermal_core.c
@@ -1005,7 +1005,8 @@ thermal_cooling_device_alloc(const char *type, const struct thermal_cooling_devi
 	return ERR_PTR(ret);
 }
 
-int thermal_cooling_device_add(struct thermal_cooling_device *cdev, void *devdata)
+int thermal_cooling_device_add(struct thermal_cooling_device *cdev,
+			       struct device *parent, void *devdata)
 {
 	unsigned long current_state;
 	int ret;
@@ -1013,6 +1014,7 @@ int thermal_cooling_device_add(struct thermal_cooling_device *cdev, void *devdat
 	mutex_init(&cdev->lock);
 	INIT_LIST_HEAD(&cdev->thermal_instances);
 	cdev->updated = false;
+	cdev->device.parent = parent;
 	cdev->device.class = &thermal_class;
 	cdev->device.release = thermal_cdev_release;
 	device_initialize(&cdev->device);
@@ -1062,21 +1064,23 @@ int thermal_cooling_device_add(struct thermal_cooling_device *cdev, void *devdat
 }
 
 /**
- * thermal_cooling_device_register() - register a new thermal cooling device
+ * thermal_cooling_device_create() - register a new thermal cooling device
+ * @parent:	parent device (optional).
  * @type:	the thermal cooling device type.
  * @devdata:	device private data.
  * @ops:	standard thermal cooling devices callbacks.
  *
- * This interface function adds a new thermal cooling device (fan/processor/...)
- * to /sys/class/thermal/ folder as cooling_device[0-*]. It tries to bind itself
- * to all the thermal zone devices registered at the same time.
+ * Allocate and register a new thermal cooling device under the given parent (if
+ * not NULL) and with the given type, device data, and operations.  During the
+ * registration, it will be matched against all of the registered thermal zones
+ * and it will be bound to the matching ones.
  *
- * Return: a pointer to the created struct thermal_cooling_device or an
- * ERR_PTR. Caller must check return value with IS_ERR*() helpers.
+ * Return: A pointer to the created struct thermal_cooling_device or an ERR_PTR.
+ * Callers must use IS_ERR*() helpers to check the return value.
  */
-struct thermal_cooling_device *
-thermal_cooling_device_register(const char *type, void *devdata,
-				const struct thermal_cooling_device_ops *ops)
+struct thermal_cooling_device *thermal_cooling_device_create(
+			struct device *parent, const char *type, void *devdata,
+			const struct thermal_cooling_device_ops *ops)
 {
 	struct thermal_cooling_device *cdev;
 	int ret;
@@ -1085,13 +1089,13 @@ thermal_cooling_device_register(const char *type, void *devdata,
 	if (IS_ERR(cdev))
 		return cdev;
 
-	ret = thermal_cooling_device_add(cdev, devdata);
+	ret = thermal_cooling_device_add(cdev, parent, devdata);
 	if (ret)
 		return ERR_PTR(ret);
 
 	return cdev;
 }
-EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(thermal_cooling_device_register);
+EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(thermal_cooling_device_create);
 
 static void thermal_cooling_device_release(void *data)
 {
diff --git a/drivers/thermal/thermal_core.h b/drivers/thermal/thermal_core.h
index e98b0aa5aacc..7ef7c6cab437 100644
--- a/drivers/thermal/thermal_core.h
+++ b/drivers/thermal/thermal_core.h
@@ -270,7 +270,8 @@ void thermal_governor_update_tz(struct thermal_zone_device *tz,
 struct thermal_cooling_device *
 thermal_cooling_device_alloc(const char *type, const struct thermal_cooling_device_ops *ops);
 
-int thermal_cooling_device_add(struct thermal_cooling_device *cdev, void *devdata);
+int thermal_cooling_device_add(struct thermal_cooling_device *cdev,
+			       struct device *parent, void *devdata);
 
 /* Helpers */
 #define for_each_trip_desc(__tz, __td)	\
diff --git a/drivers/thermal/thermal_of.c b/drivers/thermal/thermal_of.c
index 0217a49b08ae..14dfac9359b8 100644
--- a/drivers/thermal/thermal_of.c
+++ b/drivers/thermal/thermal_of.c
@@ -561,7 +561,7 @@ thermal_of_cooling_device_register(struct device_node *np, u32 cdev_id,
 	cdev->np = np;
 	cdev->cdev_id = cdev_id;
 
-	ret = thermal_cooling_device_add(cdev, devdata);
+	ret = thermal_cooling_device_add(cdev, NULL, devdata);
 	if (ret)
 		return ERR_PTR(ret);
 
diff --git a/include/linux/thermal.h b/include/linux/thermal.h
index 083b4f533933..306ad17aed89 100644
--- a/include/linux/thermal.h
+++ b/include/linux/thermal.h
@@ -293,8 +293,9 @@ struct device *thermal_zone_device(struct thermal_zone_device *tzd);
 void thermal_zone_device_update(struct thermal_zone_device *,
 				enum thermal_notify_event);
 
-struct thermal_cooling_device *thermal_cooling_device_register(const char *,
-		void *, const struct thermal_cooling_device_ops *);
+struct thermal_cooling_device *thermal_cooling_device_create(
+			struct device *parent, const char *type, void *devdata,
+			const struct thermal_cooling_device_ops *ops);
 
 struct thermal_cooling_device *
 devm_thermal_cooling_device_register(struct device *dev, const char *type, void *devdata,
@@ -340,9 +341,9 @@ static inline void thermal_zone_device_update(struct thermal_zone_device *tz,
 					      enum thermal_notify_event event)
 { }
 
-static inline struct thermal_cooling_device *
-thermal_cooling_device_register(const char *type, void *devdata,
-	const struct thermal_cooling_device_ops *ops)
+static inline struct thermal_cooling_device *thermal_cooling_device_create(
+			struct device *parent, const char *type, void *devdata,
+			const struct thermal_cooling_device_ops *ops)
 { return ERR_PTR(-ENODEV); }
 
 static inline struct thermal_cooling_device *
@@ -391,4 +392,12 @@ static inline void thermal_pm_prepare(void) {}
 static inline void thermal_pm_complete(void) {}
 #endif /* CONFIG_THERMAL */
 
+static inline struct thermal_cooling_device *thermal_cooling_device_register(
+				const char *type, void *devdata,
+				const struct thermal_cooling_device_ops *ops)
+{
+	return thermal_cooling_device_create(NULL, type, devdata, ops);
+}
+
+
 #endif /* __THERMAL_H__ */