1. A method for communicating vehicle data between an electronic control unit of a vehicle and a service center microprocessor, comprising:
identifying, by the electronic control unit, a first set of communication links available at a location of the vehicle and attributes of each communication link of the first set of communication links; determining if a notice of vehicle information is to be sent to an operator of the vehicle having access to at least one communication device having at least one communication link with the electronic control unit; and responsive to determining that a notice of vehicle information is to be sent to the operator of the vehicle, i) selecting a first method to contact the operator of the vehicle based on at least one attribute of each available communication link of the first set of communication links; and ii) sending a first signal having the notice of vehicle information from the electronic control unit to a first communication device of the at least one communication device of the vehicle operator via the selected first method; determining if the notice of vehicle information is to also be sent to a service center microprocessor; responsive to determining that the notice of vehicle information is to also be sent to the service center microprocessor, identifying, by a second communication device of the at least one communication device of the vehicle operator, a second set of communication links available between the second communication device and a communication device of the service center and attributes of each communication link of the second set of communication links; selecting a second method to contact the service center based on at least one attribute of each available second communication link of the second set of communication links; sending a second signal having the notice of vehicle information from the second communication device of the vehicle operator to the service center communication device via the selected second method; responsive to the service center microprocessor determining that a software upgrade of the vehicle is necessary, identifying a third communication link available between the service center microprocessor and the electronic control unit and attributes of the third communication link and downloading the software upgrade from the service center microprocessor to the electronic control unit via the third communication link.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
establishing a first communication link of the second set of communication links from the second communication device of the vehicle operator to the service center communication device at the service center based on at least one attribute; and
establishing a second communication link of the second set of communication links from the second communication device of the vehicle operator with the first communication device of the vehicle operator which has received the vehicle information from the electronic control unit, wherein the second communication link has a second communication instance of time that is simultaneous with a first connection instance of time of the first communication link.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the first and second communication devices are a same device having a combined digital terminal and cellular telephone wherein voice communications to the service center communication device are routed over a 802.11 link of the same device.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein data is sent from the service center microprocessor to the electronic control unit with instructions to subsequently transfer the data to a vehicle operator microprocessor.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein the data is sent with instructions if the service center microprocessor identifies a better communication link from the service center microprocessor to the electronic control unit than a different communication link directly from the service center microprocessor to the vehicle operator microprocessor based on attributes of the communication links.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein attributes of each communication link of the first set of communication links includes a battery use attribute.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the notice of vehicle information is a notice of failure.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An external cover for a hard disk drive, comprising: a transfer interface thermal-coupling an internal thermal zone of said hard disk drive to a thermoelectric device.
2. The external cover of claim 1, wherein a disk cover serves as said external cover for said hard disk drive.
3. The external cover of claim 1, wherein a disk base serves as said external cover to said hard disk drive.
4. The external cover of claim 1, wherein said transfer interface provides a nearly planar surface to said thermoelectric device.
5. The external cover of claim 4, wherein said planar surface has a surface area of at least one square inch.
6. The external cover of claim 4, wherein said planar surface has said surface area of at most four square inches.
7. The external cover of claim 1, further comprising: said thermoelectric device providing an exterior heat transfer interface external thermal-coupling to said exterior of said hard disk drive.
8. The external cover of claim 7, wherein said exterior heat transfer interface external thermal-coupling to air in said exterior of said hard disk drive.
9. The external cover of claim 7, wherein said thermoelectric device, comprising:
an electrical contact pair, providing enabling power for a first heat transfer from said transfer interface to said exterior heat transfer interface, and a second heat transfer from said exterior heat transfer interface to said transfer interface.
10. The external cover of claim 9, wherein a first potential difference applied between said electrical contact pair enables said first heat transfer; and
wherein a second potential difference applied between said electrical contact pair enables said second heat transfer.
11. The external cover of claim 10, wherein the sign of said first potential difference is opposite the sign of said second potential difference.
12. The external cover of claim 11, further comprising a thermal controller receiving a temperature measure of said internal thermal zone and providing a driving signal to said first electrical contact pair.
13. The external cover of claim 12, wherein said thermal controller providing a driving signal to said first electrical contact pair, further comprises:
said thermal controller forces said driving signal toward said first potential difference, when said temperature measure is greater than a top operating temperature; and
said thermal controller forces said driving signal toward said second potential difference applied, when said temperature measure is less than a lower operating temperature.
14. The external cover of claim 11, further comprises: a second electrical contact pair driving a fan motor powering a fan to move said air across a thermal transfer element exterior to said hard disk drive.
15. The external cover of claim 14, wherein said thermal controller further provides a fan driving signal between said second electrical contact pair to operate said fan motor.
16. The external cover of claim 15, wherein said thermal controller provides said fan driving signal with at least one fan potential difference distinct from zero volts, when said temperature measure is one of the group consisting of:
said temperature measure is greater than said top operating temperature, and
said temperature measure is less than said bottom operating temperature.
17. The external cover of claim 15, wherein said fan driving signal is at least temporarily a Direct Current (DC) signal.
18. The external cover of claim 15, wherein said fan driving signal is at least temporarily an Alternating Current (AC) signal.
19. The external cover of claim 12, wherein said thermal controller, further comprises at least one of:
a finite state machine generating a digital version of said driving signal based upon said temperature measure;
a computer accessibly coupled to a memory containing a program system including at least one program step generating a second digital version of said driving signal based upon said temperature measure; and
a neural network responding to said temperature measure to generate a third digital version of said driving signal.
20. The external cover of claim 19, wherein said thermal controller, further comprises exactly one of: said finite state machine; said computer; and said neural network.
21. The external cover of claim 19, wherein said program system, comprises the program step:
implementing said neural network responding to said temperature measure to generate said third digital version of said driving signal.
22. The external cover of claim 19, wherein said thermal controller, further comprises: an analog circuit generating said driving signal based upon at least one of:
said temperature measure,
said digital version of said driving signal,
said second digital version of said driving signal, and
said third digital version of said driving signal.
23. The external cover of claim 22, wherein said analog circuit generating said driving signal based upon exactly one of: said temperature measure, said digital version of said driving signal, said second digital version of said driving signal, and said third digital version of said driving signal.
24. The external cover of claim 1, wherein said thermoelectric device includes at least one semiconductor device acting as a heat pump using said transfer interface to thermally-affect said internal thermal zone.
25. A method of manufacturing said external cover of claim 1, comprising at least one of the steps of:
die-stamping a sheet of metal to at least partly create said external cover including said transfer interface; and
molding molten metal to at least partly create said external cover including said transfer interface.
26. The method of claim 25, wherein said sheet of said metal includes a form of sheet stainless steel; and wherein said molten metal includes a form of molten aluminum.
27. The external cover as a product of the process of claim 25.
28. A method of operating said external cover of claim 1, comprising the steps:
said thermoelectric device enabling a first heat transfer from said internal thermal zone via said transfer interface to an exterior of said hard disk drive; and
said thermoelectric device enabling a second heat transfer from said exterior of said hard disk drive via said transfer interface to said internal thermal zone.
29. The method of claim 28, further comprising the step:
providing a driving signal to an electrical contact pair coupling to said thermoelectric device to enable one of the group consisting of: said first heat transfer, said second heat transfer, and essentially no-heat transfer.
30. The method of claim 29, wherein the step providing said driving signal, further comprises the steps:
forcing said driving signal toward a first potential difference to enable said first heat transfer; and
forcing said driving signal toward a second potential difference to enable said second heat transfer.
31. The method of claim 30, further comprising the steps:
determining a temperature measure of said internal thermal zone;
forcing said driving signal toward said first potential difference, when said temperature measure is above a top operating temperature; and
forcing said driving signal toward said second potential difference, when said temperature measure is below a bottom operating temperature.
32. The method of claim 31, wherein the step forcing said driving signal toward said first potential difference, further comprises the step:
pulse-wave-modulating said driving signal between said first potential difference and zero volts based upon said temperature measure; and
wherein the step forcing said driving signal toward said second potential difference, further comprises the step:
pulse-wave-modulating said driving signal between said second potential difference and zero volts based upon said temperature measure.
33. The hard disk drive of claim 1, comprising: said external cover providing said transfer interface thermal-coupling to said internal thermal zone.
34. The hard disk drive of claim 33, further comprising: said thermoelectric device thermal-coupling to said transfer interface and to an exterior heat transfer interface for heat transfers with an exterior of said hard disk drive.
35. A system, comprising: said hard disk drive of claim 34.
36. The system of claim 35, further comprising: a thermal conduit for said heat transfers with said exterior of said hard disk drive.
37. The system of claim 35, wherein said system implements a Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks (RAID).
38. The system of claim 35, wherein said system implements a server.
39. The system of claim 35, wherein said system implements a desktop computer.
40. The system of claim 35, wherein said system implements a notebook computer.
41. A method of making said system of claim 35, comprising the step:
providing said thermal conduit to said exterior of said hard disk drive.
42. The method of claim 41, wherein said system includes at least two of said hard disk drives;
wherein said method, further comprises the step:
providing at least one of said thermal conduits to said exterior of said hard disk drive, for each of said hard disk drives.
43. The system as a product of the process of claim 41.
44. The method of making said hard disk drive of claim 33, comprising at least one of the steps:
using a disk cover as said external cover to create said hard disk drive; and
using a disk base as said external cover to create said hard disk drive.
45. The method of claim 44, further comprising: both of said steps of claim 44.
46. The hard disk drive, as a product of the process of claim 44.