A method of removing cured conductive polymer adhesives, disclosed here as thermal interface materials, from electronic components for reclamation or recovery of usable parts of module assemblies, particularly high cost semiconductor devices, heat sinks and other module components.

This invention relates to conductive adhesives for the thermal interface between a silicon device and a heat sink/heat spreader in microelectronic assemblies. More particularly, this invention is directed to conductive adhesives with improved functional performance and a method to rework the cured adhesives to allow recovery, recycle, or reuse of the heat sink assembly components without causing any detriment to the device chip or the chip carrier.
The rapid technology advancements in high performance electronics packaging has focused on reduced size and higher operating speed. This has resulted in excessive heat generation during device operation. There is an accompanying need for effective heat dissipation methods to maintain the reliable functional performance of electronic assembly products. The commonly used methods of cooling include helium filled modules, solder thermal interfaces, thermal greases, elastomeric silicone gels, thermoplastic polymers with thermally conductive fillers such as AIN, BN, ZnO, and more recently, phase change materials (PCM), and conductive adhesives. These provide the thermal interface between the silicon device chip and a high thermal conductivity metal heat spreader or heat sink to allow a path for heat dissipation from the high power density circuit devices during operation.
Thermal grease is spread as a thin layer between the back of the die and the heat sink. Thermal grease has low thermal resistance and can be easily reworked. However, it is subject to pump-down and drying which causes voids at the interface. This degrades the device performance with time due to an increase in interfacial resistance. The phase change materials (PCM) are low melting waxes. Examples include paraffin wax, having graphite particles dispersed in the wax polymer matrix, and silicone based waxes, such as alkyl methyl silicones, which can be used as preformed tapes or melt dispensed across interfaces. They provide low thermal impedance and high thermal conductivity, typically in the range 5 W/m K in thin bond line thickness. However the pre-cut films of these materials are fragile and also have the problem of performance degradation and variability, delamination, bleed-out, out-gasing, and generally require fasteners, clips or screws to hold the PCM in place.
Another category of thermal interface materials are conductive adhesives which can be used as a thin adhesive interlayer between the heat sink or the heat spreader and the back side of a silicon die in a flip-chip module assembly. The commercially available conductive adhesives are typically Ag-filled and ceramic-filled epoxy based materials including flexible epoxies. They are medium to high modulus adhesives (>100,000 psi at room temperature). It is generally known that cured coatings of such materials have high intrinsic stress which can cause disruption of interface integrity due to delamination. This results in increased contact resistance with a corresponding decrease in the heat dissipation effectiveness at the interface. The commercially available Ag-filled adhesives also have no simple and practical rework method available. Therefore they cannot be readily removed or reworked from contacting surfaces. The non-reworkability of these adhesives present a serious drawback in that it does not allow for defect repair or component recovery, recycle or reuse of high cost semiconductor devices, heat sinks and substrates.
The most desired improvements in the thermal interface material properties include: ability to form thin bond line with uniform thickness across interfaces, low thermal impedance, low stress and compliant systems for interface integrity during device operation, stable interfacial contact resistance in T/H (temperature-humidity) and T/C (thermal cycling), TCR stability (temperature coefficient of resistance), and reworkability for defect repair and reclamation of high cost module components. The preferred materials should also be amenable to removal from contacting surfaces to allow rework without causing any detriment to the module materials for defect repair, chip replacement, and recovery of high cost components, particularly special type heat spreaders having high thermal conductivity and chip joined modules for reclamation and reuse.
The ability to rework and recover components has become more important to recover production yield loss, reduce waste, and provide cost reduction in the fabrication of advanced technology high performance electronic products. Commonly used high thermal conductivity heat spreader materials include AlSiC, SiC (k=270), SiSiC (k=210), AIN, Al, Cu and other special types having low thermal expansion and high thermal conductivity, for example, CuW, diamond-SiC, surface metallized diamond such as with Ni, Cr, CrNiAu, diamond-like carbon etc., to confer other desirable properties as corrosion resistance and adhesion improvement. With the use of high cost diamond based heat spreaders which have the highest thermal conductivity of all other common type of heat sinks employed, having a rework option for the cured conductive films offers a major benefit of recovery/reclamation and reuse, thus providing a cost effective way to obtain significant increase in heat dissipation capability with the use of high thermal conductivity cooling element in conjunction with a thermal interface adhesive.
In view of the limitations in the use of conventional interface materials, there is a need for improved thermal interface materials (TIMs) with efficient heat dissipation from high power density devices. There is also a need for a practical method to rework the cured deposits/residue of these materials from various component surfaces/interfaces the materials are adhered to.

International Business Machines Corporation


The present invention concerns a device for the calibration and standardization of the rotation and movement of a patient's hip. More particularly the present invention relates to a device for the calibration and standardization of the rotation and movement of the hip for use in connection with improving the reproducibility and accuracy of a diagnostic procedure such as, for example, bone density measurement using dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA).

Osteoporosis is a silent disease process that takes an enormous medical and economic tool on an aging population. This disease is characterized by low bone mass and microarchitectural deterioration of bone tissue, leading to bond fragility and an increase in the risk of fracture. Currently, osteoporosis affects an enormous number of people, and its prevalence will increase as the population ages. It is estimated that between 13% and 18% of postmenopausal Caucasian women in the United States, approximately 4 to 6 million, have osteoporosis, and an additional 30% to 50% (13 to 17 million) have low bone density at the hip. Based on data from the National health and Nutrition Examination Survey III (NHANES), the National Osteoporosis foundation has estimated that more than 10 million people in the United States have osteoporosis of the hip, and nearly 19 million more have low hip bone mass, placing them at increased risk for osteoporosis and fractures.
In addition to becoming a national health concern, osteoporotic fractures have created a heavy economic burden. In 1995, they were the presumed cause of 432,000 hospital admissions, almost 2.5 million physician visits and approximately 180,000 nursing home admissions in the United States that year. Direct medical expenditures alone for osteoporotic fractures in that year were estimated at $13.8 billion. These costs are anticipated to rise along with the growing elderly population. Hip fractures incur the greatest osteoporosis-related health care expenditures. by one estimate, the number of hip fractures and their associated costs could more than triple by the year 2040.
Fortunately, osteoporosis is preventable and treatable. Unfortunately, because there are no warning signs until fracture occurs, few people are currently being diagnosed in time to receive effective therapy during the disease's early phase. A Gallup survey commissioned by the NOF in 1991 found that three-fourths of all women aged 45 to 75, the group at highest risk, had never even discussed osteoporosis with their physician. There are many risk factors associated with the pathogenesis of osteoporotic fractures, including, but certainly not limited to, age, menopausal status, medications, and nutrition. In general, if one or more risk factors are present, a bone mineral density (BMD) test is appropriate.
Since its commercial inception in 1987, dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) has become the most widespread method for assessing a person's bone mineral status. M. Jergas et al., Spinal and Femoral DXA for the Assessment of Spinal Osteoporisis, Calcified Tissue International; Springer Verlag, New York, 1997, 61:351–357. Bone densitometry focuses on the bone mineral area density (BMD in g/cm2) of the proximal femur and spine in anterior-posterior projections. H. Franck et al., Bone Mineral Density of Opposing Hips Using Dual Energy X-ray Absorptionmetry in Single-Beam and Fan-Beam Design, Calcified Tissue International; Springer Verlag, New York, 1997, 61:445–447. However, because the hip has a relatively complex architecture, hip measurements are more demanding for the technician examining this site. Positioning of the hip is error-prone and the evaluation of serial scans may be affected by relatively small changes in rotation and abduction of the hip. Thus, the reproducibility of the hip BMD is generally poorer than that of the spinal BMD. M. Jergas et al., ibid. This poor reproducibility is both clinically and financially important, prevention of osteoporotic fractures, with the attendant reduction in health care costs, depends on early identification of individuals at risk for fracture. To detect these individuals earlier it is absolutely imperative that the accuracy of the BMD increases. In general, a practical clinical guideline is that a measured change in bone density should be equal to or greater than 2.8 times the precision error (coefficient of variation) of the measured technique in an individual patient to be considered "real" as compared to "artificial". Even with strict compliance to calibration and quality control procedures, the precision error of DXA measurements of the femoral neck is 2% to 3%, indicating that a change of at least 5.6% to 8.4% is needed to be considered real. L. F. Verheij et al., Optimization of Follow-up Measurements of Bone Mass. Journal of Nuclear Medicine; 1992, 33:1406–1410; C. Christiansen, Postmenopausal Bone Loss and the Risk of Osteoporosis, Osteoporosis International; 1994, 9(SI):S47–S51. However, strict compliance to calibration and quality control procedures is paramount to competent testing and therefore, one would expect much higher values clinically in less controlled environments.
Despite the obvious necessity for accuracy, few measures are currently taken to ensure reproducitility. Hologic, Inc., the United States leader in developing and manufacturing DXA systems, recognizes the importance and difficulty in achieving effective repositioning of the hip when performing serial scans. According to the company's QDR 4500 Operator's Manual, DXA machines are equipped with a "Hip Scan Positioning Fixture." In essence, this apparatus is simply a device to secure the foot following the manual rotation of the leg by the technician. According to the operator's manual, "the patient's foot should be placed in the hip scan positioning fixture. The fixture should then be aligned with the patient's leg, patient's leg rotated by turning the leg and foot, and the foot then placed against the positioning fixture. The strap is adjusted to snugly hold the foot, on the side to be examined, in the correct position." While this method provides adequate separation between the ischium and the femoral neck for the analysis of the scan, it should be obvious that it does little to enhance the reproducibility of serial scans. Unfortunately, this method does not provide any means of standardizing hip positioning and does not remove the operator-introduced error associated with repositioning.
In a variation of the aforementioned technology, Lunar Corporation published results for a dual-femur leg positioner and associated software. R. G. Mazess et al., Bilateral Measurement of Femoral Bone Mineral Density, J. Clin Den 2000; 3(2): 133–140. The research reported that the use of a dual-femur leg positioner and software allowed the simultaneous bilateral measurement of femoral bone mineral density and thus helped eliminate the error associated with the repositioning needed during single femur scans. However, the device has not eliminated the inherent flaws associated with the similar Hologic "Hip Scan Positioning Fixture", especially as it pertains to scans taken over several years, which are often most critical to the diagnosis and prevention of low bone mass diseases.
In another application to enhance reproducibility of hip positioning, U.S. Pat. No. 5,522,792, discloses an apparatus for maintaining an immobilized position for DXA scans. This invention immobilizes a patient's legs in a fully-extended, abducted position, while holding the patient's feet in adducted position. The present invention allows a patient to be immobilized by providing a frame on which a patient is placed, a centering member, a pair of knee restraints to secure the knees in a fully-extended and abducted position, and a pair of foot restraints to secure the patient's feet in an adducted position. While it is acknowledged that this device may help reduce the variation in hip positioning, there are several issues, which may limit the use of the device clinically. First, the hip positioning system, or HPS, provides only one single rotation angle because of the rigid nature of the design. Although this was able to optimize the projected length of the femoral neck, due to anatomical variation, no single rotation angle will result in optimal projection for all patients. Second, it has been found that subjects of short stature cannot be properly evaluated using the HPS. D. Hans et al., Effects of a New Positioner on the Precision of Hip Bone Mineral Density Measurements, J. Bone Miner Res 1997; 12(8): 1289–1294.
A report in Calcified Tissue International, 1995, describes a custom-designed positioning jig intended to minimize rotation of the hips during a BMD scan. An ankle foot orthosis (AFO) attached to the jig encased the foot and ankle while straps around the mid-thigh were intended to minimize any movement. The feet were placed 30 cm apart and the legs were internally rotated at 15° angles. This apparatus also presents several possible problems. First, according to Hologic and Lunar, the primary manufacturers of DXA equipment, proper femoral orientation is achieved with a rotation of 25°, 10° more than the angle recommended for optimal reproducibility when using the ankle foot orthosis and attached jig. And second, the jig initiates rotation at the foot or ankle; however, there is no means to assure that any rotation at the angle will correspond directly to a proportional change in angle at the hip. Many medical and physiological instances are foreseeable in which rotation of the ankle would product either little, or exaggerated movements, of the hip, dependent upon the condition.
One contrivance, which has attempted to address this issue, is the Norland "Advanced Hip Positioning Aid." Unlike many of the existing technologies, the Norland device attempts to rotate the femur by rotating the mid-thigh, rather than by rotating the feet. In vivo results indicate a significant improvement in precision using the new hip positional aid. However, the device still lacks features and considerations, which would promote its use in the clinical environment.
None of the foregoing prior art references provide a device which is simple to use, which would promote accurate, reproducible results regardless of the DXA machine used, and which could be used to measure either femur regardless of the characteristics of the patient to be evaluated.
Because the hip has a relatively complex architecture, hip measurements are more demanding for the technician examining this site. Positioning of the hip is error-prone, and the evaluation of serial scans may be affected by relatively small changes in rotation and abduction of the hip. Thus, the reproducibility of the hip BMD is generally poorer than that of the spinal BMD. Currently, few measures are taken to ensure reproducibility. One method is to strap the foot into a foot brace, the leg being rotated inwards and abducted from the midline. This provides adequate separation between the ischium and the femoral neck for the analysis of the scan but does not quantitate the degree of movement at the hip site. The second quality assurance measure involves having serial BMD's performed by the same technician on the same machine, however this has its obvious limitations and does not remove the human error.

Device for the calibration and standardization of hip rotation


An apparatus and method to determine the relative humidity of a fuel cell system. A controller is cooperative with a first device and a second device to receive a valve signal and a high frequency resistance value. The controller controls the relative humidity of a fuel cell stack based on the estimation of the relative humidity of the fuel cell stack based on one or more algorithms. The controller modifies the relative humidity of the fuel cell stack through changes in the position of a valve based on at least one of the valve signal and the high frequency resistance value. In one form, the relative humidity of the fuel cell system is determined without the need of a humidity sensor.

The present invention relates generally to providing an estimation of a fuel cell stack inlet and outlet humidity levels, and more particularly to devices and methods for determining relative humidity during fuel cell operational transients without requiring relative humidity feedback from a sensor.
In a typical fuel cell system, hydrogen or a hydrogen-rich gas is supplied through a flowpath to the anode side of a fuel cell while oxygen (such as in the form of atmospheric oxygen) is supplied through a separate flowpath to the cathode side of the fuel cell. Catalysts, typically in the form of a noble metal such as platinum, are placed at the anode and cathode to facilitate the electrochemical conversion of hydrogen and oxygen into electrons and positively charged ions (for the hydrogen) and negatively charge ions (for the oxygen). The electrons flow through an external electrically-conductive circuit (such as a load) to perform useful work, and then on to the cathode. An electrolyte layer separates the anode from the cathode to allow the selective passage of ions to pass from the anode to the cathode. The combination of the positively and negatively charged ions at the cathode results in the production of non-polluting water as a by product of the reaction. In one form of fuel cell, called the proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell, the electrolyte layer is in the form of a proton-transmissive membrane; the layered structure formed by this PEM sandwiched between the anode and cathode is commonly referred to as a PEM electrode assembly (MEA). Each MEA forms a single fuel cell, and many such single cells can be combined to form a fuel cell stack, increasing the power output thereof. Multiple stacks can be coupled together to further increase power output. The PEM fuel cell has shown particular promise for vehicular and related mobile applications.
Balanced moisture or humidity levels are required in the PEM fuel cell to ensure proper operation and durability. For example, it is important to avoid having too much water in the fuel cell, which can result in the blockage of reactants to the porous anode and cathode. Contrarily, too little hydration limits electrical conductivity of the membrane, and in extreme cases can lead to it wearing out prematurely. As such, it is beneficial to have knowledge of the hydration level within a fuel cell, especially PEM fuel cells that frequently operate at elevated temperatures that can impact a cell's hydration level.
High frequency resistance (HFR) is a known diagnostic technique for indirectly measuring MEA hydration. In a typical HFR configuration, sensors use a high-frequency ripple current to measure fuel cell resistance. Although such an approach is particularly sensitive to changes in relative humidity (RH), its sensitivity to other fuel cell conditions can cause erroneous measurements. In other words, the measured fuel cell resistance, or HFR value, is measuring the resistance of the build-up of water in the PEM of the fuel cell and not the wetness of the air. The air has to dry or dampen the PEM for a change to occur in the HFR value. One particular weakness of HFR-based estimation is the inherent lag in HFR, especially at low flow conditions which exhibits a hysteresis response in the HFR value. This hysteresis response means that in situations where rapid inlet humidity changes are present, such changes will not match an average stack HFR value that often lags. This lag may cause a controller to over-dry the stack; such over-drying is particularly prevalent at the cathode inlet, where chemical degradation and consequent PEM thinning may ensue. As such, it remains challenging and difficult to provide accurate estimations of relative humidity levels in a fuel cell system. This is particularly acute in vehicular-based fuel cell systems where reliability, weight and cost further compound the challenges. In conventional configurations, to accomplish monitoring the RH of the stack, a separate humidity sensor is used to measure the RH of the air flowing through the stack. The humidity sensor allows a control system to determine the humidity of the PEM without succumbing to the lag or hysteresis response of the HFR sensors in response to operational transients. Unfortunately, such humidity sensors add cost and complexity to the system.
A cathode humidification unit (CHU) model algorithm is used to interpret and modify the RH of the stack. Variations in the effectiveness of the CHU model may be due to part-to-part variation, degradation, or even leaks. Degradation may depend on usage profile and may be different from vehicle-to-vehicle. Furthermore, the CHU model uses an outlet RH value of the stack for the calculations of the RH of the stack. If the outlet RH value has an error, (e.g. due to error in stoichiometry estimation, temperature feedback or even variation in anode water crossover) this would impact the CHU model's ability to calculate the RH of the stack and cause a circular reference.
A reference signal would benefit the CHU model to calculate the RH of the stack without the need for the humidity sensor.

Transient inlet relative humidity estimation via adaptive cathode humidification unit model and high frequency resistance


A seal failure prediction system consisting of a seal component and a member conveniently placed; such member, which may be in the form of a strip, a set of wires, or a single wire, generating a characteristic electrical or audible signal when the seal component wears a certain amount.

The failure or malfunction of a seal, manifested in excessive leakage, may have dramatic consequences depending on the nature or functionality of the device or system where sealing is provided. Predicting such failure or malfunction allows the appropriate corrective actions, such as replacement or reinforcement of the seal, to be taken on time, thus avoiding any negative effect on the device or system when trying to repair during an emergency.
Most seal failures in rotary or reciprocating applications occur due to seal lip failure. The ability to detect major seal wear as a warning before failure occurs can be very valuable, especially in critical applications where seal failure would result in major damages, delay in operation, disrupt operation, or cause expensive repair.

Seal failure detection systems and related methods


An apparatus for driving a laser diode array of the present invention has a reference drive circuit for driving one of laser diodes, a photodiode for detecting an output light of the laser diode, and a control circuit. The reference drive circuit is supplied with input clock signals continuously. The control circuit controls all drive circuits in accordance with an output signal of the photodiode.

A conventional apparatus for driving a laser diode array comprises laser diodes mounted on a common board (non-monolithic type), drive circuits for driving the laser diodes, and a control circuit for controlling the drive circuits by detecting light output of the laser diodes. In one type of the conventional laser diode driving apparatus, scramblers each consisting of an encoder and decoder are provided for each channel to scramble light signals.
In operation, the light outputs are detected to control the drive circuits by the control circuit. In the operation, the scrambler provides a mark ratio of 50% for light signals, so that light output power and threshold values of the laser diodes are compensated.
Such compensation is carried out to cope with the phenomenon in which the light emission of the laser diodes becomes instable due to the non-linearity of the laser diodes, when the laser diodes are turned on after the turning-off state of more than a predetermined time, and vise versa.
In the conventional apparatus for driving a laser diode array, however, there is a disadvantage in that the light outputs of the laser diodes must be detected in the whole channel, because the laser diodes do not have the same property in regard to light output power and threshold value. As a result, the size and the cost of the apparatus are increased.

Apparatus for driving a laser diode array


A cover conceals a portion of a gap formed between an adjacent pair of seat backs of a motor vehicle seat assembly. The cover includes a substantially rigid portion and a substantially flexible portion. The flexible portion of the cover has first and second flanges that extend outwardly from opposite sides of the substantially rigid portion for concealing a portion of the gap between the seat backs of the seat assembly.

Automotive vehicles typically include rigid plastic covers for covering exposed metal, gaps or other unsightly surfaces in the vehicle interior. Seat assemblies, for example, typically a plurality of plastic injection molded side covers for covering various areas of the seat assembly, such as along a side of a cushion, ends of a track or adjustment knobs, and over or around openings. The shape of such areas to be covered, particularly on a seat assembly, can be complex and/or require multiple covers. It remains desirable to provide improved cover designs that maintain desired outer appearances while covering exposed metal, gaps or other unsightly surfaces in the vehicle interior and, at the same time, address such issues as pinching and/or discomfort felt by the occupant while sitting on the seat assembly. It also remains desirable to reduce the number of covers used in a seat assembly to reduce assembly time and overall production costs.

Side shield for motor vehicle seat assembly

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.


A hydraulic control system for an automatic transmission includes a lubrication passage for feeding lubricating oil to a wet clutch and lubrication points of the transmission, first and second passages with a large-diameter orifice and a small-diameter orifice, respectively, arranged upstream of the lubrication passage, a switching valve for switching fluid communication between the lubrication passage and the first and second passages, a solenoid for controlling the switching valve, and an ECU for controlling the solenoid.

The present invention relates generally to hydraulic control for an automatic transmission, and more particularly, to lubrication control of a start clutch of a V-belt type continuously variable transmission (CVT).
As described in Service Manual for Fit, Book Structure, 4–18 Honda Multimatic Transmission, published by Honda Motor Co., Ltd. on June, 2001, a wet start clutch typically adopts a shaft-center lubrication method wherein an output shaft with a hollow portion serves as a lubrication passage to ensure lubrication of the clutch. Hydraulic oil discharged from a pump is used as lubricating oil to be supplied to the clutch.
With the above lubrication method, however, the output shaft is not rotated when the vehicle is at a standstill, producing no centrifugal hydraulic pressure. Then, supplied lubricating oil is not discharged smoothly, resulting in greater drag torque due to occurrence of agitation of lubricating oil at the clutch. When carrying out neutral-drive (N-D) select at a very low temperature, particularly, drag torque is further greater due to greater viscosity of lubricating oil, reducing the engine speed, leading to possible occurrence of engine stop.

Hydraulic control for automatic transmission


A hybrid vehicle is provided with means for setting a four-wheel drive condition which is a condition for switching from two-wheel drive to four-wheel drive, and an EV switch which, when turned on by an occupant of the vehicle, places the vehicle in an EV driving mode in which only an electric motor is used as the power source. The four-wheel drive condition setting means changes the four-wheel drive condition to reduce a region in which the vehicle operates in four-wheel drive when the EV switch is on as compared to when the EV switch is off. As a result, the vehicle operates in two-wheel drive more frequently, thus reducing power consumption.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a hybrid vehicle provided with an internal combustion engine and an electric motor as power sources, in which front wheels and rear wheels are driven independently from each other by the electric motor, and a control method of that hybrid vehicle. More particularly, the invention relates to a switching control apparatus which switches between two-wheel drive in which either the front wheels or the rear wheels are driven, and four-wheel drive in which both the front wheels and the rear wheels are driven, as well as a control method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some hybrid vehicles provided with an internal combustion engine and an electric motor that can also generate electricity (hereinafter referred as "electric motor") as power sources are structured such that the front wheels and the rear wheels are driven independently from each other using the electric motor. For example, one known hybrid vehicle is structured such that the front wheels are driven by the internal combustion engine and the electric motor and the rear wheels are driven by another electric motor other than one that drives the front wheels. In such a hybrid vehicle, two driving methods can easily be realized simply by switching between operating and not operating one of the electric motors from among the electric motor provided for the front wheels and the electric motor provided for the rear wheels. These driving methods are two-wheel drive in which either only the front wheels or only the rear wheels are driven, and four-wheel drive in which both the front wheels and the rear wheels are driven.
Which of these two driving methods is to be used depends on control variables relating to vehicle running, such as vehicle speed, the gradient of the road on which the vehicle is running, the driving force required by the vehicle, vehicle steering angle, and the difference in rotation speed between the front and rear wheels. Four-wheel drive is used when a large driving force is required such as when taking off from a standstill, accelerating, or climbing a hill, or when running on a road with a low coefficient of friction such as an icy road. By distributing the driving force required by the vehicle between all four wheels, driving force is able to be reliably transmitted between each wheel and the road surface. On the other hand, two-wheel drive is generally used when not much driving force is required by the vehicle and the vehicle is driven on roads with a sufficiently high coefficient of friction. Running in two-wheel drive consumes less fuel and power than running in four-wheel drive as long as the wheels do not slip. With a hybrid vehicle such as that described above, two-wheel drive only requires that electric power be supplied to the electric motor for only one set of wheels, i.e., only either the electric motor for the front wheels or the electric motor for the rear wheels. Therefore, the electrical loss between the secondary battery and the electric motor is low, thereby enabling power consumption to be reduced when driving the vehicle.
Also, hybrid vehicles realize various driving modes by using the internal combustion engine and the electric motor selectively or in combination. Some examples of these driving modes include an "HV driving mode" which uses the internal combustion engine and the electric motor together as the driving source, an "engine driving mode" which uses only the internal combustion engine as the driving source, and an "EV driving mode" which uses only the electric motor as the driving source. These driving modes can be automatically switched successively depending on the state-of-charge (hereinafter simply referred to as "SOC") of the secondary battery that supplies electric power to the electric motor, and the required driving force and the like.
Some hybrid vehicles having these kinds of driving modes are provided with an "EV switch" in the vehicle cabin to enable an occupant to intentionally select the "EV driving mode". When the EV switch is turned on, the vehicle is placed in the EV driving mode. For example, international publication No. 00/05094 pamphlet proposes providing a lever in the vehicle which enables an occupant to switch from driving using the internal combustion engine as the driving source (i.e., engine driving mode and HV driving mode) to the EV driving mode. The occupant forcibly places the vehicle in the EV driving mode by operating this EV switch or lever. As a result, vehicle is able to run quietly because it is running in the EV driving mode, i.e., without using the internal combustion engine. Accordingly, this EV switch is useful at times such as when driving through residential districts at night.
When the hybrid vehicle is running in the EV driving mode, i.e., running using only the electric motor as the power source, the electric power supplied from the secondary battery to the electric motor becomes the power that drives the vehicle. Therefore, the cruising distance of the vehicle when driving in the EV driving mode is determined by the SOC of the secondary battery. When the SOC of the secondary battery decreases from continuously driving in the EV driving mode, the internal combustion engine must be operated to charge the secondary battery. At this time, the EV driving mode is automatically cancelled by a control apparatus of the vehicle. That is, the EV switch is turned off and the internal combustion engine is started.
In this way, even if the occupant selects the EV driving mode with the EV switch, the EV driving mode may soon be cancelled due to a low SOC of the secondary battery, which is problematic in terms of merchantability. To counteract this, it is possible to increase the cruising distance in the EV driving mode by increasing the size of the secondary battery but this would increase the weight of the secondary battery and the space required to mount the secondary battery. Therefore, when the driver operates the EV switch and switches the driving mode to the EV driving mode, it is desirable to reduce the power consumption of the electric motor as much as possible in order to increase the cruising distance in the EV driving mode.
In a hybrid vehicle which is able to run while switching successively between four-wheel drive and two-wheel drive such as that described above as well, the condition for switching between two and four wheel drive, i.e., the region in which the vehicle operates in four-wheel drive, is set appropriately beforehand by testing corresponding to control variables relating to vehicle running. The region in which the vehicle operates in four-wheel drive is normally set to emphasize power performance and does not consider reducing power consumption when driving in the EV driving mode that was selected by the occupant operating the EV switch. Therefore, there is a demand for technology that enables power consumption to be reduced in the EV driving mode that was selected with the EV switch while satisfying the power performance during normal driving.

Hybrid vehicle and control method thereof


The present invention discloses a method, apparatus, and article of manufacture for notification in an object-oriented system. The system includes observed objects in an object hierarchy, a notification manager, and observer objects. The notification manager determines when a change is made to one of the observed objects in the object hierarchy and then notifies an associated observer object of the change.

1. Field of the Invention.
This invention relates generally to object-oriented systems, and in particular to a notification system for object-oriented systems.
2. Description of Related Art.
In object-oriented systems, there is often a need to modify classes, objects, attributes, etc., and to notify one or more observer objects, such as views or windows in a user interface, of the modification. However, there is a problem in notifying the observer objects to update them to reflect the changes in observed objects. For example, observer objects may receive notifications of changes before all processing has completed, causing the observer objects to issue new requests from premature notifications and causing a potentially dangerous re-entrant situation. Further, the observed objects may have to be aware of and explicitly update the observer objects. Thus, there is a need in the art for a notification system that issues notifications after all processing in the object-oriented systems has been completed, bypassing the re-entrant problem.

Object-oriented tool for registering objects for observation and causing notifications to be made in the event changes are made to an object which is being observed

International Business Machines Corporation


A drum tuning key comprises a handle portion, a barrel portion defining an axis connected to the handle portion, the barrel portion having internal walls defining a cavity extending inwardly along the axis from an end of the barrel portion, the cavity being square in cross section and adapted to turn a drum tension rod. The tuning key further comprises an indicator member removably disposed on at least one of the handle portion and the barrel portion. The indicator member may comprises a single plug member removably disposed on said handle portion, or a pair of plug members disposed on opposite lateral ends of said handle portion. The plug members may be different colors, different materials, and/or different hardness to enhance the assembly and tuning operation as well as pitch adjustment.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to tuning key for musical instruments and particularly to a drum tuning key that enhances the tuning assembly procedure for percussion instruments.
2. Description of Related Art
Percussion instruments are traditional instruments that have taken many forms over the years. The most familiar of the percussion instruments are drums and cymbals. Percussion instruments are used in symphony orchestras to play classical music, as well as in small musical groups and bands to play popular music.
The typical arrangement of percussion instruments for musical groups or bands is a compact arrangement of several drums and cymbals. The cymbals are often arranged on stands where they can be manipulated by drum sticks or brushes, or by foot pedals.
Most drums in a percussion unit are tuned by varying the drum head tension to have an effect on the sound produced. The drum head is attached to a ring that is connected in several places to tightening screws or tension rods that in turn are threadedly connected to mountings on the drum body. Turning these tension rods varies the tension of the drum head and turning the tension rods at different locations on the ring has different effects on the sound produced on the drum. Occasionally each tension rod has a turning handle of its own. But more often, because of the number of tuning screws on a drum, perhaps a dozen or more, the tuning screws end in a square-shaped head with which a tuning key is used. The drum tuning key has a square-shaped hole to match the square-shaped cross section of the tuning screw head. The drum tuning key is slid on the turning tension rod head, the screw is turned, and the key is removed.
The drum tuning key is small and portable; it can easily be lost. Keeping the drum tuning key available can be a serious problem. The key can of course be attached in some way to the instrument, but then it has to be released in order to use it. It can also detract from the appearance of the instrument to which it is attached, or at least require elaborate efforts to make its attachment to the drum simple and attractive.
Likewise, the traditional tuning key does not indicate the degree of tuning; i.e., the number of turns, for a particular instrument.
The need therefore exists for a tuning key that need not be attached to a drum but is readily available for use. The need also exists for a tuning key with indicating means for assessing the number of turns for a particular tuning screw in a manner that is attractive, inexpensive to make, and easy to use and maintain.


A circuit includes a pulse generator to generate an output pulse in response to a signal representing rotation of a fan. A timing relationship between output pulses represents speed of the fan. A filter circuit converts the output pulse to a direct current (DC) voltage signal proportional to the speed of the fan. A monitor circuit monitors the DC voltage signal with respect to a predetermined threshold and generates a control signal that disables a printer dryer if the DC signal does not satisfy the predetermined threshold.

In some printing applications, dryers are employed to speed up the overall printing process. This can be implemented by supplying heat to rapidly dry dispensed ink on a given substrate, such as paper or other media. For example, some printing applications may utilize higher power dryers to dry the ink after it is dispensed. Since the dryers can operate at higher power, safety systems can be provided to help ensure that the dryer is operating within expected operating parameters.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


Over the past decade, it has become clear that tumorigenesis is driven by alterations in genes that control cell growth or cell death. Theoretically, the proteins encoded by these genes provide excellent tools for achieving tumor cell-specific expression. An approach to achieving specific expression of a desired protein in tumor cells is based on the selective expression of such oncoproteins. In outline, an endogenous cellular oncoprotein binds to exogenously introduced gene products, resulting in transcriptional activation of a desired gene. This approach is generally applicable to other diseases in which a particular protein is selectively expressed in disease-affected cells as compared to non-affected cells.

The success of a diagnostic or therapeutic strategy is critically dependent on its specificity. Therapies for infectious diseases achieve high specificity because they target metabolic pathways that differ between the pathogen and the host. The applicability of this concept to cancer, however, has been limited by the difficulty in defining metabolic features that are specific to tumor cells. As a result, current cancer therapeutic agents have largely been found through empiric screening programs rather than through rational design.
Knowledge of the genetic alterations that drive neoplasia has revolutionized cancer research over the past two decades (Stillman, 1994). Theoretically, this knowledge provides a large number of potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets in the form of mutant oncoproteins in the resultant tumors. In general, however, it has not been clear how to use such knowledge to design new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies (Karp, 1995). Thus, there is a need in the art for new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for combatting cancers.

Selective expression of desired genes in cells expressing oncoproteins


An electrocardiogram analysis apparatus includes: an electrocardiogram signal inputting section to which electrocardiogram signals of measurement electrodes attached to a subject are input; a mistaken attachment determining section which, by using the input electrocardiogram signals, determines whether the measurement electrodes are mistakenly attached or not; an outputting section which, if it is determined that the measurement electrodes are mistakenly attached, notifies of mistaken attachment of the measurement electrodes; and an electrocardiogram data storing section which, in a case where there is an input indicative of confirmation of the notification, stores information indicating that the measurement electrodes have been checked, together with the input electrocardiogram signals, and, in a case where there is not an input indicative of confirmation of the notification, stores information indicating that the measurement electrodes have not been checked, together with the input electrocardiogram signals.

When an electrocardiogram is to be measured, predetermined measurement electrodes must be attached to respective predetermined locations of the subject. However, there may arise a situation where a predetermined measurement electrode is not attached to a predetermined location of the subject, and is mistakenly attached to a location to which another measurement electrode is to be attached.
As disclosed in JP-T-2018-510013, therefore, a technique has been employed in which a possibility that measurement electrodes are mistakenly attached is automatically detected, and the detection result is displayed on a screen or recorded.
In the case where measurement electrodes are mistakenly attached, when an electrocardiogram technician sees a display or record indicating that the measurement electrodes are mistakenly attached, the technician can correct the mistaken attachment of the measurement electrodes, and again measure an electrocardiogram. However, an interpreter who interprets the electrocardiogram, such as a doctor cannot know whether the electrocardiogram technician has measured the electrocardiogram while correctly attaching the measurement electrodes or has measured the electrocardiogram after correcting the mistaken attachments of the measurement electrodes.
In the case where an interpreter performs the interpretation by using an available electrocardiogram, even when the electrocardiogram has been measured while correctly attaching measurement electrodes, there may be a situation where it is suspected that the electrocardiogram has been measured in a state where mistakenly attached measurement electrodes are not corrected. In such a situation, an interpreter cannot know whether such an electrocardiogram waveform is obtained as a result of a non-correction of mistaken attachment of the measurement electrodes, or the measurement electrodes have not been mistakenly attached and the electrocardiogram waveform is original one.
Therefore, it is an object of the presently disclosed subject matter to provide an electrocardiogram analysis apparatus and electrocardiogram system in which it is possible to see a result of checking whether measurement electrodes have been mistakenly attached or not.

Electrocardiogram analysis apparatus and electrocardiogram system


A method for scheduling tasks to processor cores of a parallel computing system may include the steps of processing a source code which comprises at least one parallel lambda function having a function body called by a task and having a capture list specifying the data structures accessed in the function body of said parallel lambda function and used to derive data location information; executing the task calling said function body on the processor core which is associated to a memory unit of the parallel computing system where the data of the data structures specified by said capture list is stored, wherein the memory unit is selected or localized based on the derived data location information.

Scheduling is the act of time-sharing resources between multiple resource requesters. In a computer system, tasks are scheduled to utilize processing time on available computing resources. Scheduling can be driven by various decision-making constraints. For example, tasks have to be scheduled to meet certain deadlines or have to use processing resources efficiently to increase the throughput. The emergence of parallel computing systems introduces additional challenges in scheduling. In a uniprocessor system, scheduling comprises the sequencing of tasks to utilize a single processor whereas in a multiprocessor system, tasks have to be distributed to multiple processors to speed up the execution of the program. However, in a parallel computer system, the processors can have non-uniform memory access times. As a consequence, the execution time of a task can depend on the utilized processor and its memory access time to the data used by the task. For instance, the memory access times can be higher, if the execution of a task is mapped to a processor which is located remote to the used data, as if mapped to a processor that is nearby to the used data. By means of a scheduler, the tasks are distributed to different processor cores of processors at runtime. To achieve a high performance, tasks may be executed on processor cores which have already the necessary corresponding data used by the task in their respective cache memory. Otherwise, the used data has first to be loaded which takes additional time. This is particularly relevant in a multiprocessor system with distributed memory, e.g. a non-uniform memory access system (NUMA). In such a system, the data has to be loaded under certain circumstances via a communication network from a remote memory which can lead to a significant reduction of performance of the respective system. A conventional way to avoid such performance losses is to use heuristics in the scheduler, which for instance make sure that child tasks are executed on the same processor cores as the respective parent tasks, as described for instance in Robert D. Blumofe, Christopher F. Joerg, Bradley C. Kuszmaul, Charles E. Leiserson, Keith H. Randall, and Yuli Zhou "An Efficient Multithreaded Runtime System", Symposium on Principles and Practice of Parallel Programming (PPOPP), ACM, 1995. However, these kinds of heuristics fail for instance, when the same data is accessed several times by sequential loops. The reason for that is that these heuristics do not have any information about the location of the data in the cache memories or in the main memory of the computer system. To overcome this problem, some libraries offer mechanisms which consider the data location for simple loops and use this information for scheduling. An example for such a concept is "affinity partitioners" used in Threading Building Blocks, which is a library of Intel for parallel programming in C++, as described under http://threadingbuildingblocks.org. However, these kinds of mechanisms can for instance not be used for recursive calculations or algorithms.
Another conventional approach is to use in the source code of the application explicitly data location information that influences the scheduling. For this, the software developer has to indicate where specific data is read or changed. Obviously, a significant disadvantage of this conventional approach is that the developer has to encode the necessary operations within the source code. This increases the complexity of the source code and makes it more difficult to maintain the developed software code.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method and apparatus for scheduling of tasks of a parallel computing system with several processor cores to increase the performance or throughput of the computing system without increasing the complexity of the source code.

Method and apparatus for exploiting data locality in dynamic task scheduling


A light-guide fixing equipment is described, suitable for assembling a light source and a hank of optical fibers of an optical fiber illuminant device. The light-guide fixing equipment comprises an assembling device and a fixing device. The assembling device is constituted by inserting a first casing into a second casing, in which the assembling device includes two openings respectively located in a portion of two end surfaces of the assembling device, and a plurality of locked parts are set and protrude on inner walls of the first casing and the second casing according to the shape of the light source and the hank of the optical fibers. With the other portion of the end surfaces of the assembling device and the locked parts, the source and the hank of the optical fibers can be assembled and fixed within the assembling device. The fixing device is a hollow housing located on an outer wall of the assembling device, in which the fixing device can engage with the assembling device, so as to fix the assembling device.

Presently, optical fiber can be mainly divided into two sorts: glass optical fiber and plastic optical fiber. Compared to glass optical fiber, plastic optical fiber has advantages including being flexible but tough, easily mass-produced, inexpensive, convenient to use and light-guiding even when flexed significantly. Optical fiber is primarily used to communicate signals; however, the communicating loss rate of the plastic optical fiber is greater and side light leaking is more serious than for glass optical fiber, so plastic optical fiber has been given to other uses. For example, the light-guiding property of plastic optical fiber can be applied in a visual or monitor lighting device; or the lighting effect of the side light leaking of the plastic optical fiber can be applied in lighting and adorning of objects or staircases, or in optical fiber textiles, in which a portion of the optical fiber cover layer is removed to form a plurality of pits that reach the core of the fiber, and with these pits, the incident light in the fiber leaks from the side wall resulting in a lighting effect.
Typically, the textile or the adornment, in which the light is guided by the optical fiber, has a small illuminant device to provide light. The small illuminant device is mainly composed of optical fibers and a light source. In the assembling, the ends of the optical fibers must be gathered into a hank, and at least one light source and a power supply are set in the rear side of the ends of the optical fibers, in which the light source can be a light-emitting diode (LED), and the power supply can be a cell set or other direct current supply. The light beam emitted from the light source enters the end of the optical fiber hank, and the light is transmitted through the optical fibers. The optical fiber textile or adornment can shine by means of the side light leaking of the optical fiber.
Conventionally, in order to fix the locations of the optical fiber hank and the light source, a heat shrinkable tubing is used to wrap the light source and the optical fiber hank. However, some disadvantages and issues are raised in using the heat shrinkable tubing to fix the optical fiber hank and the light source. The most serious disadvantage is that when the heat shrinkable tubing is excessively shrunk due to improper temperature control during the shrinking process, the projecting angle of the light source is affected and a portion of the light emitted from the light source is blocked from projecting into the illuminant device, such as the optical fiber hank, thereby deteriorating the luminescence of the illuminant device. Furthermore, because the heat shrinkable tubing is made of a soft and plastic material, when an external force is applied to pull the optical fiber hank or the electric wire of the light source, the optical fiber hank or the light source detaches from the heat shrinkable tubing, thereby resulting in a poor fixing effect. In addition, because the heat shrinkable tubing closely adheres to the optical fiber hank and the light source along the shapes thereof, and the shape of the heat shrinkable tubing is indefinite, the shape of the heat shrinkable tubing cannot be designed and modeled according to the actual requirements, causing difficulty in overall application design.

Baycom Opto-Electronics Technology Co., Ltd.


A design feature in a design file including a pattern to be formed on a substrate may be selected as a metrology target, alignment target or inspection proxy. Metrology or inspection may be performed on the substrate using a printed feature on the substrate that corresponds to the design feature as a metrology target or inspection proxy.

Fabricating semiconductor devices such as logic and memory devices typically includes processing a specimen such as a semiconductor wafer using a number of semiconductor fabrication processes to form various features and multiple levels of the semiconductor devices. For example, lithography is a semiconductor fabrication process that typically involves transferring a pattern to a resist arranged on a semiconductor wafer. Additional examples of semiconductor fabrication processes include, but are not limited to, chemical-mechanical polishing, etch, deposition, and ion implantation. Multiple semiconductor devices may be fabricated in an arrangement on a semiconductor wafer and then separated into individual semiconductor devices.
During each semiconductor fabrication process, defects such as particulate contamination and pattern defects may be introduced into semiconductor devices. Such defects may be found either randomly on a specimen surface or may be repeated within each device formed on a specimen. For example, random defects may be caused by events such as an unexpected increase in particulate contamination in a manufacturing environment and an unexpected increase in contamination in process chemicals that may be used in fabrication of a semiconductor device. A number of tools have been developed to inspect wafers for such defects.
In addition, as integrated circuit device geometries continue to shrink, it has become more important to perform metrology following each fabrication step, e.g., to verify that design features are properly printed or that features in successive layers are properly aligned with respect to each other. Manufacturers often use optical techniques to perform non-destructive inspection and analysis of semiconductor wafers. Such techniques often require a feature to be purpose-built on the wafer for use as a standard for calibration of tools performing inspection or metrology.
Prior inspection and metrology methods place targets for metrology or proxies for inspection in the scribe lines between adjacent die or at predetermined test sites in the die. Targets or proxies placed in scribe lines may be less accurate in predicting actual chip performance and yield than targets in the die. Methods have been proposed to automatically generate recipes for CD-SEM metrology where a set of specific metrology locations are input into the recipe in advance. However, placing metrology targets or inspection proxies in the die is a technically difficult procedure due to process compatibility and space restrictions.
It is within this context that embodiments of the present invention arise.

Rule checking for metrology and inspection


A pressure relief cap for a water supply comprises an outer portion defining a front face for generally covering an outlet of the supply. The outer portion includes a seal for being urged against and sealingly engaging a periphery of the outlet. An inner portion includes a connector for coupling and decoupling to an outlet. The inner portion is rotatably coupled to the outer portion such that upon at least partial rotation of the outer portion in a first direction relative to the inner portion the seal is moved axially inwardly relative to the inner portion from a disengaged position to an engaged position to sealingly engage a periphery of an outlet, and upon at least partial rotation of the outer portion in an opposite direction the seal is moved axially outwardly from the engaged position to the disengaged position to thereby permit back pressure within an outlet to vent.

Couplings of the Storz type are employed for quick connect and disconnect operations and which are widely used in fire fighting as for example in connecting fire hoses to fire hydrants, pumps and other hoses. Examples of Storz type couplings are found in my U.S. Pat. No. 6,102,444, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. Storz type caps are similar to Storz type couplings, but are used for sealing a fire hydrant connection when the fire hydrant is not in use.
A drawback with prior caps is that any back pressure in the water supply system could potentially cause the cap to blow off an outlet of the water supply while being removed therefrom and thereby injure someone such as, for example, a firefighter when removing a cap from a fire hydrant.
It is therefore a general object of the present invention to provide an improved cap for a water supply which overcomes the drawbacks and disadvantages of prior caps.


An arched metal-ceramic substrate with one ceramic layer and with a metal coating provided on the top and bottom of the ceramic layer which is curved around at least one axis parallel to the plane of the substrate such that it forms a convexly curved surface on the bottom. The thickness of the metal coatings on the top and bottom of the arched ceramic layer is the same.

The invention relates to an arched metal-ceramic substrate having one curred ceramic layer with a metal coating provided on both sides of the curved layer. The curved substrate having a convex shape in relation to a parallel planar axis.
Production of a metal coating required to produce printed conductors, terminals, etc. on a ceramic, for example an aluminum oxide ceramic using the so-called "DCB process" (direct copper bond technology) using metal or copper foils or metal or copper sheets which form the metal coating, and which have on their surface sides a layer or coating (fused layer) of a chemical compound of the metal and a reactive gas, preferably oxygen, is known. In this process, described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 3,744,120 or in DE-PS 2,319,854, this layer or this coating (fused layer) forms a eutectic with a melting point below the melting point of the metal (for example, copper) so that by placing the foil on the ceramic and by heating all the layers they can be joined to one another, by fusing the metal or copper essentially only in the area of the fused layer or oxide layer.
This DCB process, for example, has the following process steps:
oxidation of a copper foil such that a uniform copper oxide layer results; PA1 application of the copper foil to the ceramic layer; PA1 heating of the combination to a process temperature between roughly 1070 and 1075.degree. C., for example to roughly 1071.degree. C.; PA1 cooling to room temperature.
An arched substrate is known (EP 0 279 601) in which the metal layer on the top of the ceramic layer has a much greater thickness than the metal layer on the bottom of this substrate. This formation is also necessary, in the known case, since arching of the completed substrate after cooling is to be achieved using the DCB process, with which the two metal coatings are attached on the ceramic layer. Since the metal coating on the top has a greater thickness, thermally induced stresses on the top are greater than on the bottom, so that the substrate arches concavely on the top and convexly on the bottom during cooling. This "bimetal" effect is reversible, i.e., during heating. A bending back occurs so that when the known substrate is used for power components the contact pressure between the bottom of the substrate and the cooling body is reduced as heating increases, i.e., when a high contact pressure is necessary to achieve especially low heat transfer between the substrate and the cooling body.
The object of the invention is to devise a metal-ceramic substrate which is suitable for electrical or electronic power circuits or modules and which allows improved heat dissipation independent of temperature with simple and problem-free mounting in a housing.


An airbag barrier positioned in the front seat of a vehicle for shielding a child passenger from impact from an inflating airbag. The first embodiment is directed to protection of a child secured in the front seat by a seat belt and comprises two barrier members having a top portion, a middle portion, and a downwardly extending lower portion. The top portion and the bottom portion engage the seat. The second embodiment is directed to a child seated in a front facing child car seat and comprises barrier members having a top portion connected to the top of the child car seat, a vertical middle portion and a lower portion connected to the bottom of the child car seat. The third embodiment is directed to a child seated in a rearwardly facing car seat and comprises barrier members attached on either side of the child car seat and extending outwardly to be supported against the seat of the vehicle.

Seat belts on both the driver and passenger sides have been installed in vehicles for many years in an attempt to reduce deaths and serious injuries resulting from collisions. More recently, airbag restraints have been installed in vehicles to provide an additional measure of safety. The typical airbag restraint is positioned in the steering wheel well to protect the driver and in a recess in the vehicle dashboard to protect the passenger. More recently, side airbags have been employed in driver and passenger doors to guard the occupants from side collisions.
The inflatable airbag restraint houses an inflator and an inflatable occupant restraint cushion which is normally stored in a folded condition. The steering wheel well or the vehicle dashboard includes an opening which is aligned with the stored airbag restraint cushion. Upon the vehicle experiencing a predetermined rate of deceleration, an inflator is actuated to force high pressure gas into the cushion for deployment through the opening in front of the driver or the passenger.
In order to safeguard adult passengers and to provide sufficient inflation upon rapid vehicular deceleration, high pressure gas propels the airbag out of the steering wheel well or the dashboard at speeds of up to approximately 200 miles per hour. Although high speed inflation is necessary to guard against driver or passenger impact with the steering wheel, dashboard, windshield or door, the force of the nearly instantly pressurized airbag, upon deployment, can result in a fatal blow to a vehicle occupant if the airbag impacts the occupant with undue force or at an undesirable angle.
Of particular concern with respect to impact from inflating airbags are small children riding in the front seat of cars. In order to safeguard a standard size adult passenger, the airbag restraint system is designed to propel the cushion from its stored position at a relatively low angle so that the cushion is properly positioned under the passenger in order to absorb the bodily impact. Due to the relatively low position of a child's head while seated, a small child facing forward in the front seat, either secured by a seat belt or by a child car seat, may suffer severe head and neck injuries caused by impact from the highly pressurized inflating airbag as it expands outwardly at this relatively low angle of trajectory. Additionally, a small child placed in a rearwardly facing child car seat may be forced head first into the backrest of the front seat of an automobile by any force, including an impact by the inflating airbag, acting against the rear of the child car seat.
Thus, while such airbag restraints fully meet the industry standards to protect most adult users, a simple and inexpensive device is needed to protect a child in the front seat of a vehicle in the event of rapid deceleration, by minimizing the potential direct or indirect facial impact of a highly pressurized inflating airbag.


The present invention relates a catalyst for the conversion of aromatic hydrocarbons, comprising by weight 20 to 90 parts of a crystalline aluminosilicate zeolite with a SiO2/Al2O3 molar ratio of 10 to 100, 0.05 to 10 parts of metal bismuth or oxides thereof supported on the zeolite, 0 to 5 parts of one or more types of metal(s) M or oxides thereof, M being selected from the group consisting of molybdenum, copper, zirconium, strontium, lanthanum, rhenium, iron, cobalt, nickel and silver, and 10 to 60 parts of alumina as an adhesive. The present invention also relates to a process for the conversion of aromatic hydrocarbons using the catalyst of the present invention and uses thereof in the production of aromatic hydrocarbons.

The present invention relates to catalysts and processes for the conversion of aromatic hydrocarbons and uses thereof in the production of aromatic hydrocarbons. In particular, the present invention relates to a novel catalyst comprising a zeolite with metal bismuth or oxides thereof supported thereon for the conversion of aromatic hydrocarbons, processes for the conversion of aromatic hydrocarbons using the catalyst, and uses thereof in the production of aromatic hydrocarbons.
A large quantity of aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene, xylene and C9 aromatic hydrocarbons (C9 A) may be obtained from the reforming and cracking processes of the petroleum distillates. The contents of toluene and C9A generally range from 40 to 50% of the total amount of the aromatic hydrocarbons dependent on different boiling ranges of the distillate feedstock and different processing methods. Normally C9A, C10 aromatic hydrocarbons (C10 A) and aromatic hydrocarbons of more than ten carbon atoms are referred to as heavy aromatic hydrocarbons in the past. Heavy aromatic hydrocarbons are mainly derived from the side products of the cracking process of light oil for producing ethylene, the aromatic hydrocarbons extraction process in the catalytic reforming in refinery, as well as toluene disproportionation and transalkylation process. For various sources of the feedstock oil and different processing methods, an aromatic hydrocarbon combination unit of 225 thousand ton xylene output per year may produce 10 to 30 thousand tons of heavy aromatic hydrocarbons each year. C10A and aromatic hydrocarbons of more than ten carbon atoms are of little use due to their complicated compositions and high boiling points. These aromatic hydrocarbons are not suitable for use as additive components in gasoline or diesel. Only some of them may be used as solvent oil or as the feedstock for separating durene, and most of the rest are used as burning fuel, causing waste of the resources.
With the development of plastic, synthetic fiber and synthetic rubber industries in the recent years, demand for benzene and xylene increases, market prices of which are higher than that of toluene and C9A. It is an important research subject in many countries to increase the production of aromatic hydrocarbons of high value from less valuable aromatic hydrocarbons through conversion processes of aromatic hydrocarbons including hydrodealkylation, toluene disproportionation and transalkylation reactions, thus making full use of the aromatic hydrocarbon resources. Toluene disproportionation is a process in which one mole of benzene and one mole of xylene are produced from two moles of toluene. Toluene may undergo transalkylation reaction with C9A to form xylene. Toluene may undergo transalkylation reaction with C10A to form C9A. Alkyl aromatic hydrocarbons such as C9A and C10A may undergo hydrodealkylation reaction to form aromatic hydrocarbons of fewer carbon atoms. A series of catalysts and processes for such reactions have already been developed.
In the processes for toluene disproportionation and transalkylation of the aromatic hydrocarbon feedstock substantially comprising toluene and C9A, mordenite is frequently used as the catalyst. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,795,629, 3,551,510, 3,729,521; 3,780,122 and 3,849,340 disclose catalysts, feedstock compositions and reaction conditions for toluene disproportionation and transalkylation process, in which catalysts used are not mentioned to comprise bismuth. Japanese patent 49-46295 discloses a catalyst for preparing alkyl benzene, which comprises a mordenite with, supported thereon, a zirconium cocatalyst anid optionally one or more components selected from silver, bismuth, copper and lead. The catalysts in the above patents have restricted performances, thus can not resist stringent reaction conditions. Therefore, in the toluene disproportionation and transalkylation processes where the above catalysts are used, C9A and heavy aromatic hydrocarbons of more than nine carbon atoms are not convertted adequately, hence yields of desired products relatively low, energy and material consumption on industrial scale units relatively high. So they are not economical.
Catalysts for converting C10A and heavy aromatic hydrocarbons of more than ten carbon atoms have been reported. For example, Japanese patent publication 51-29131 discloses a catalyst, MoO3xe2x80x94NiO/Al2O3 (13 wt % Mo, 5 wt % Ni) composition, and a process for treating C9A and C10A feedstock with this catalyst. U.S. Pat. No. 4,172,813 discloses a catalyst composition comprising 3 wt % WO3, 5 wt % MoO3 and a support consisting of 60 wt % mordenite and 40 wt % Al2O3; over this catalyst selective hydrodealkylation and transalkylation reactions of heavy reformate are effected, among which the main reaction is the transalkylation reaction between toluene and trimethylbenzene. U.S. Pat. No. 4,341,914 discloses a process for the conversion of C10A. In these references no catalyst containing bismuth is mentioned, contents of C10A in the feedstock entering the reactor is relatively low, no more than 20%, and the main disproportionation and transalkylation reaction is between toluene and C9A.
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a novel catalyst for the conversion of aromatic hydrocarbons. The catalyst can be used in (1) disproportionation and transalkylation of aromatic hydrocarbon reactants comprising substantially toluene and C9A and/or C10A as well as in (2) hydrodealkylation and transalkylation of heavy aromatic hydrocarbons containing C9A and/or aromatic hydrocarbons of more than nine carbon atoms. The catalyst has better catalytic capacity for various kinds of conversion reactions of aromatic hydrocarbons and can be employed under stringent reaction conditions. The catalyst increases the yields of desired products such as benzene and xylene. Thus, contents of heavy aromatic hydrocarbons in the aromatic reactants to be converted can be highly increased, allowing drying and pre-purifying procedures omitted or simplified. The catalyst can improve the conversion of heavy aromatic hydrocarbons, enhance the selectivity and yields of benzene and xylene, make full use of the C9A and heavy aromatic hydrocarbon resources, lower material and energy consumption, and decrease expense.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a process for the conversion of aromatic hydrocarbons. The process overcomes the disadvantages of conventional disproportionation, transalkylation and hydrodealkylation processes that heavy aromatic hydrocarbons are restricted under a low content in the aromatic hydrocarbon reactants and that they are not suitable under stringent reaction conditions.
Still another object of the present invention is to apply said catalyst and process to the production of aromatic hydrocarbons, mainly benzene, xylene and C9A.
The catalyst for the conversion of aromatic hydrocarbons according to the present invention comprises by weight 20 to 90 parts of a crystalline aluminosilicate zeolite with a SiO2/Al2O3 molar ratio of 10 to 100, 0.05 to 10 parts of metal bismuth or oxides thereof supported on the zeolite, 0 to 5 parts of one or more types of metal(s) M or oxides thereof, M being selected from the group consisting of molybdenum, copper, zirconium, strontium, lanthanum, rhenium, iron, cobalt, nickel and silver, and 10 to 60 parts of alumina as an adhesive.
The present invention also provides a process for the conversion of aromatic hydrocarbons, in which the aromatic hydrocarbon reactants contact the catalyst of the present invention to effect the conversion reaction.
The present invention further relates to the use of the catalyst and process of the present invention for the conversion of aromatic hydrocarbons in the production of aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene, xylene and C9A from toluene, C9A, C10A and aromatic hydrocarbons of more than ten carbon atoms.
1. Catalyst of the Present Invention for the Conversion of Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Its Preparation
The catalyst according to the present invention for the conversion of aromatic hydrocarbons comprises by weight 20 to 90 parts of a crystalline aluminosilicate zeolite with a SiO2/Al2O3 molar ratio of 10 to 100, 0.05 to 10 parts of metal bismuth or oxides thereof supported on the zeolite, 0 to 5 parts of one or more types of metal(s) M or oxides thereof, M being selected from the group consisting of molybdenum. copper, zirconium, strontium, lanthanum, rhenium, iron, cobalt, nickel and silver. and 10 to 60 parts of alumina as an adhesive.
The catalyst of the present invention may be prepared by weighing the starting materials in amounts corresponding to the predetermined composition of the final product, said starting materials including zeolite, metal bismuth or its compound, metal(s) M or oxides thereof, M being selected from the group consisting of molybdenum, copper, zirconium, strontium, lanthanum, rhenium, iron, cobalt, nickel and silver, and alumina, mixing the starting materials thoroughly, followed by extruding, drying, pelleting and calcining for activating.
The zeolite used may be natural or synthesized. Non-limiting examples of the. zeolite include mordenite, ZSM-5 zeolite and xcex2-zeolite or a mixture thereof, preferably mordenite, and more preferably hydrogen-form mordenite.
The SiO2-to-Al2O3 molar ratio of the zeolite is within the range from 10 to 100, for example 10 to 30.
In one preferred embodiment hydrogen-form mordenite with a sodium content less than 0.2 wt % is used, which mordenite may be a aluminum-lean mordenite prepared by extracting aluminum from low silica mordenite with an inorganic acid, or a hydrogen-form mordenite prepared by ion-exchanging the direct-crystallized high silica Na-mordenite with ammonium chloride or nitrate solution.
Non-limiting examples of bismuth compounds are bismuth oxide and bismuth nitrate, preferably bismuth nitrate.
Non-limiting examples of metal M compound(s) may be oxide(s) or salt(s) thereof, such as M nitrate. When M comprises molybdenum, the molybdenum compound in the starting material may take the form of ammonium molybdate.
Said mixing procedure may be carried out by kneading the starting materials or impregnating the solid materials with an aqueous solution. Said extruding, drying, pelleting and calcining procedures may be proceeded by traditional methods in the prior art.
2. Process for the Conversion of Aromatic Hydrocarbons According to the Present Invention
The present invention provides processes for the conversion of aromatic hydrocarbons, in which the aromatic hydrocarbon reactants contact the novel catalyst of the present invention to effect the conversion reactions.
The reaction conditions in said processes may be as follows:
In the presence of hydrogen, the aromatic hydrocarbon reactants flow through a gas-solid fixed bed reactor and contact the catalyst inside at a reaction temperature within the range from 300 to 600xc2x0 C., a reaction pressure within the range from 1.5 to 4.0 MPa, an aromatic hydrocarbon reactant weight hourly space velocity within the range from 0.5 to 3.0 hrxe2x88x921 and a hydrogen-to-hydrocarbon molar ratio within the range from 2 to 10.
The aromatic hydrocarbon reactants comprise one or more aromatic hydrocarbons selected from toluene, C9A, C10A and aromatic hydrocarbons of more than ten carbon atoms or mixtures thereof, may contain a certain amount of impurities, such as water, indane, trace naphthalene, methylnaphthalene, dimethylnaphthalene and non-aromatic compounds. The aromatic hydrocarbon reactants contact the novel catalyst of the present invention under the reaction conditions and there may mainly occur the following reactions:
(1) Toluene Disproportionation Reaction:
C6H5CH3+C6H5CH3xe2x86x92C6H6+C6H4(CH3)2
(2) Hydrodealkylation Reactions of Aromatic Hydrocarbons:
C6H(CH3)5+H2xe2x86x92C6H2(CH3)4+CH4
C6H2(CH3)4+H2xe2x86x92C6H3(CH3)3+CH4
C6H3(CH3)3+H2xe2x86x92C6H4(CH3)2+CH4
C6H4(CH3)2+H2xe2x86x92C6H5CH3+CH4
C6H5CH3+H2xe2x86x92C6H6+CH4
(3) Transalkylation Reactions of Aromatic Hydrocarbons:
C6H6+C6H3(CH3)3xe2x86x92C6H5CH3+C6H4(CH3)2
C6H5CH3+C6H3(CH3)3xe2x86x922C6H5(CH3)2
C6H6+C6H2(CH3)4xe2x86x92C6H5CH3+C6H3(CH3)3
C6H5CH3+C6H2(CH3)4xe2x86x92C6H4(CH3)2+C6H3(CH3)3
Conventional processes for toluene disproportionation and transalkylation from toluene and C9A reactants are carried out in a fixed bed reactor in the presence of hydrogen and a mordenite catalyst to produce C6xcx9cC10A, C1xcx9cC5 alkanes and a small amount of C11 aromatic hydrocarbons (C11A). Toluene and C9A in the reaction zone effluent are separated, recycled, and combined with fresh toluene and C9A outside to enter the reactor as feedstock. In toluene disproportionation and transalkylation processes or hydrodealkylation processes, heavy aromatic hydrocarbons, especially C10A and aromatic hydrocarbons of more than ten carbon atoms, may undergo accompanying side reactions such as (1) hydrocracking reactions to form saturated hydrocarbons and (2) aromatic condensation reactions to form polycyclic or fused ring compounds. The higher the reaction temperature is, the more serious the side reactions are, the more large molecule condensation products are formed, the more coke deposits on the catalyst and the quicker the activity of the catalyst decreases. C10A fraction contains trace polycyclic compounds such as naphthalene, methylnaphthalene and dimethylnaphthalene, which readily deactivate the catalyst. Therefore, as for the conversion reactions such as disproportionation and transalkylation of aromatic hydrocarbons, in order to slow the coke deposit rate on the catalyst and prolong catalyst life, it is required to run the reactions in the presence of hydrogen and to limit C10A contents in the aromatic hydrocarbon reactants to generally less than 4%, at the most no higher than 8%, and less than 2% in industrial practices. Indane is a poison to the catalyst for disproportionation and transalkylation reactions and usually controlled at less than 0.5%. The known catalysts for disproportionation and transalkylation reactions are of limited performances and can not be used for treating reactants containing high contents of C10A and aromatic hydrocarbons of more than ten carbon atoms. Since the boiling point of indane is very close to that of trimethylbenzene (TMB) in C9A, and the indane content in C9A from the top of the heavy aromatic hydrocarbon tower which provides fresh C9A for the disproportionation unit, generally must be less than 1.0% so as to meet the processing requirements, about 5xcx9c15% of C9A from the tower bottom of the heavy aromatic hydrocarbon tower is removed and can not be fully utilized.
It is surprising that the bismuth-containing zeolite catalyst of the present invention has much better catalytic properties than known catalysts. Not only does it loosen the limit for the indane content in the reaction feedstock so that the indane content may be up to 0xcx9c5 wt % of the reaction feedstock and thereby it is no longer compulsory to remove most of the indane from the starting feedstock through heavy aromatic hydrocarbon tower, thus loss of C9A during separating indane is avoided; but also does it have stronger catalytic capacity for hydrodealkylation and transalkylation reactions of C11 and C10A and can resist the poisonous impurities in heavy aromatic hydrocarbon feedstock, so that C10A can be passed into the reactor or recycled as feedstock instead of being removed from the heavy aromatic hydrocarbon tower bottom, so the utilization ratio of the heavy aromatic hydrocarbons increases, effecting good results.
Hence, in the process of the present invention for the conversion of aromatic hydrocarbons, the aromatic hydrocarbon reactants may comprise substantially a mixture of toluene and C9A in which the weight ratio of toluene to C9A is within the range from 90/10 to 10/90.
In the process of the present invention for the conversion of aromatic hydrocarbons, the aromatic hydrocarbon reactants may comprise substantially heavy aromatic hydrocarbons, such as C9A, C10A and aromatic hydrocarbons of more than ten carbon atoms or a mixture thereof.
In the process of the present invention for the conversion of aromatic hydrocarbons, the aromatic hydrocarbon reactants may comprise substantially a mixture of toluene, C10A and aromatic hydrocarbons of more than ten carbon atoms, in which the weight ratio of toluene to C10A is within the range from 90/10 to 10/90.
It is also surprising that, for the catalyst of the present invention, water content in the reactant mixture is not required to be very low. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,780,122, water content in the toluene feedstock has remarkable effect on the activity and stability of the catalyst for the toluene disproportionation reaction; even very low water content (15 ppm) can influence the toluene conversion. In this patent water content in toluene is required to be less than 25 ppm. U.S. Pat. No. 4,665,258 (1987) provides a novel improved toluene disproportionation process, in which aluminum-lean mordenite is used as a catalyst, can be carried out under stringent reaction conditions. The mordenite used in this catalyst is of a silica-to-alumina molar ratio more than 30, preferably within the range from 40 to 60. Feedstock of more than 25 ppm water content may be directly passed into the reaction zone; yet permitted water content may be within the range from 50 and 250 ppm. In the process of the present invention, the bismuth-containing zeolite catalyst used has substantially improved water resistance and can even maintain high activity and stability when the feedstock contains up to 500 ppm water. For an industrial scale unit the dehydrating procedure for the feedstock can therefore be omitted or simplified. In addition, the high activity of the present catalyst can achieve a hydrocarbon conversion ratio of, for example, up to 45% at a low reaction temperature, meanwhile preserving excellent stability, effecting very good results.
Therefore, in the process of the present invention for the conversion of aromatic hydrocarbons, water content in the aromatic hydrocarbon reactants may be up to 500 ppm.
3. Use of the Catalyst and Process of the Present Invention in the Production of Aromatic Hydrocarbons
By the process of the present invention for the conversion of aromatic hydrocarbons, benzene and toluene may be produced from feedstock substantially comprising toluene and C9A; and benzene, xylene and C9A may be produced from feedstock containing toluene, C10A and aromatic hydrocarbons of more than ten carbon atoms. A small amount of C1xcx9cC4 aliphatic hydrocarbons may be formed in each case above. Thereby, the process of the present invention may be applied to the production of benzene, xylene and C9A from feed materials of various complex compositions.
One embodiment of applying the process of the present invention to the production of benzene and xylene comprises the following steps of:
(a) separating an aromatic feedstock comprising indane, C8 aromatic hydrocarbons (C8A), C9A, C10A and C11 aromatic hydrocarbons (C11A) in a first separation zone comprising a first and a second separation tower, where a stream rich in C8A is separated from the top of the first separation tower and the bottoms product of the first tower is passed into the second separation tower, where a stream comprising indane, C9A and C10A, with an indane content of 0 to 5 wt % and a C10A content of 0 to 50 wt %, is separated from the top of the second separation tower and C11A are removed from the second tower bottom;
(b) passing the effluent stream from the top of the second separation tower along with toluene into a conversion reaction zone for the aromatic hydrocarbons, where said reaction zone is packed with the catalyst of the present invention, and the aromatic hydrocarbons are transformed, upon contacting the catalyst under conversion conditions, into a converted effluent rich in benzene and C8A; and
(c) passing said converted effluent into a second separation zone and separating them into benzene, toluene, C8A and heavy aromatic hydrocarbons containing C10A.
According to the above embodiment, toluene separated from the second separation zone can be fed into the reaction zone. A part of benzene separated from the second separation zone can be recycled into the reaction zone to increase C8A yield; however, it may be removed directly as a product instead of being recycled because recycling of benzene will lower the conversion ratio of feed toluene. The heavy aromatic hydrocarbons containing C10A separated from the second separation zone may be passed into the second separation tower of the first separation zone with or without o-xylene separated therefrom. In the feed stream entering into the conversion reaction zone, the weight ratio of toluene to C9A is within the range from 90/10 to 10/90.
By employing the novel catalyst of the present invention, limit to indane content in the aromatic feedstock is loosened, allowing it to range from 0 to 5 wt %. Therefore, it is not compulsory to separate and remove a major part of indane, which is of small amount, accompanied by the C9A feedstock through the heavy aromatic hydrocarbon tower, hence loss of C9A in indane separation process can be eliminated. Since the catalyst of the present invention enjoys strong capacity of converting C10A, C10A per se may be recycled and it is no longer necessary to remove them from the heavy aromatic hydrocarbon tower bottom, thus increasing C10A utilization ratio.

Catalysts and processes for the conversion of aromatic hydrocarbons and uses thereof in the production of aromatic hydrocarbons

Shanghai Research Institute of Petrochemical Engineering


A surveillance module may be deployed from a vehicle. The vehicle to deploy the surveillance module includes a first portion configured to accommodate a user to operate the vehicle. A second portion includes a module configured to accommodate the user and comprising a roof and an entrance accessible through an interior of the vehicle from the first portion. The second portion also includes a lifting mechanism coupled to the module and operable to move the module vertically from a retracted position to an extended position. A third portion defines an opening to accommodate the module, wherein the roof of the module couples to a periphery of the opening in the retracted position.

Surveillance units are helpful for security operations to allow personnel to view surrounding areas. The deployment and relocation sequences of surveillance units are slow and cumbersome, which compromises the safety of the personnel manning the units. Additionally, the slow deployment and relocation sequences may inhibit the personnel's ability to perform certain tasks.

Vehicle for deploying a mobile surveillance module


There is provided a lighting device 100 comprising a light source, a driver arranged for powering the light source, which is separated in space from the light source. The lighting device has two separate heat sinks, a light source heat sink 112 to which the light source is thermally coupled, and a driver heat sink 115 to which the driver is thermally coupled. The light source heat sink and the driver heat sink are separated by an air gap 114 to provide thermal decoupling of the light source heat sink and the driver heat sink.

Light-emitting-diode (LED) lamps are known in the art. A LED lamp is a lamp that uses LEDs as the source of light. In such lamps, multiple diodes may be used for e.g. for increasing the output power of the lamp or for providing a white light when utilizing LEDs that emit light in a narrow band of wavelengths (as opposed to for instance using phosphor converted LEDs, which may emit light in the whole visible spectrum, thereby providing a more-or-less white light). LED lamps may be used for general lighting or even more specific lighting as the color and the output power may be tuned.
Generally, a lamp or a lighting device comprises a light source arranged to generate light, which light source is arranged at, or at least connected to, a driver circuitry arranged in a housing. Further, the light source is arranged within an encapsulating envelope usually having the shape of a bulb. In addition to providing maximum light output and/or a specific color of light, the design of a lighting device needs to take into account the evacuation of heat generated by the light source and the driver. Lifetime and reliability of e.g. LEDs and the driver components are important product characteristics, which are strongly connected to the operating temperatures of the involved components.
A prior art retrofit light bulb lamp is typically realized with a retrofit cap, e.g. of bayonet type or an Edison screw type, which is mechanically connected to a lamp housing in which a driver is arranged. The driver comprises the necessary electronics to drive a light source of the lamp. The light source is typically arranged within an envelope, being a glass bulb, so that light being generated by the light source may exit the lamp via the glass bulb. The lighting device comprises two main heat sources: the driver and the light source. When the light source comprises remote phosphor LEDs, also the remote phosphor generates some amount of heat. To carry off the heat generated in the driver and the light source, they are connected to a heat sink. Typically the lamp housing is used for cooling the lamp, e.g. it is designed to be a heat sink for the driver and the light source.
WO 2009/012806 A1 discloses a lamp comprising at least one light source, which is arranged on top of, and being thermally coupled to, a hollow cooling body, i.e. a heat sink, arranged within the lamp housing, which is connected to the cap. The cooling body is arranged such that heat can be dissipated from the light source. The cooling body is further arranged to, at a position separated from the top of the cooling body, fixate a supply board, i.e. a driver, such that the supply board is separated from the lighting unit. The cooling body is arranged such that heat can be dissipated also from the supply board. Although being separated from each other, the heat generated by the main heat sources of the lighting device is dissipated from the same cooling body, and the heat generated in e.g. the light source will thus influence the temperature of the driver.


Personalized reminder notifications are provided regarding communication-related events. The reminders correspond to missed communications or events that are unaddressed by a user, and may be determined based on sensor data provided by a user device. Further, an urgency level for the unaddressed event and a user availability model for responding to the event also may be determined. The model may include a set of scores corresponding to the user's capability for carrying out tasks associated with responding to the unaddressed event, such as composing email or initiating a call. Additionally, reminder notification content may be generated based on information about availability and the unaddressed event, and used to provide notification(s). The notification content may include a recommendation to present a notification to the user at a future time determined likely to be convenient for the user to respond to the event or where the user likely will have capacity to respond appropriately.

Sometimes it is inconvenient for a person to respond to communications or alerts, such as calls, emails, texts, notifications, or other reminders, at the time the person becomes aware of the event. For example, a user may receive a notification of a missed call when it is inconvenient for the user to return the call and in so doing dismiss the notification. Later when it is convenient, the user does not remember to respond because the notification was dismissed. Moreover, because some missed communication events are more urgent than others, a user may desire to be reminded about those missed events sooner, even when it is not as convenient to respond because of their importance. This is particularly so for missed events associated with certain contacts or other entities determined to be more important based on typical user response patterns to those entities.