JP2009270382A - Electric blind - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric blind having power supply constituted of a solar cell and an electricity storage means. <P>SOLUTION: This electric blind includes a detecting means for detecting the direction of incidence of sun's rays, a controlling means for changing an angle for opening or closing slat by controlling a driving means in accordance with the direction of incidence detected by the detecting means, the solar cell for generating electric power by receiving sunbeams, the electricity storage means for storing the electric power generated by the solar cell in an electric double-layer capacitor, and a feed controlling means for feeding the electric power stored in the storage means into the driving means, the detecting means, and the controlling means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a blind installed on a window, and in particular, automatically opens and closes the blind by changing the opening angle of the slat according to the incident angle of sunlight or the incident angle of sunlight and the outside temperature. The present invention relates to an electric blind that automatically adjusts.

Blinds installed in the windows not only block direct sunlight and suppress glare, but are also effective for improving the air conditioning efficiency in the building. For example, interception of direct sunlight in summer suppresses an increase in room temperature, and incident sunlight in winter is effective in increasing the room temperature.
In recent years, electric blinds that adjust the opening and closing angles of slats based on the forward / reverse operation of a motor by a switch operation to adjust the amount of light into a room are increasing. However, when installing in an existing building, since new power wiring is required, the cost increases and the installation location is limited.
In the present specification, the opening / closing angle of the slat is an inclination angle of the slat, and opening the slat or adjusting in the opening direction means raising the outdoor side of the slat, closing the slat, or Adjusting in the closing direction means lowering the outdoor side of the slat.

Therefore, the present invention stores power generated by a solar cell in a power storage element, thereby ensuring a power source regardless of installation location without using new power wiring, and incident angle of sunlight, outside temperature, etc. We propose an electric blind that automatically adjusts the opening and closing angle of the slat according to the situation.
A secondary battery or the like may be considered as the storage element, but it is more effective to use an electric double-layer capacitor (hereinafter referred to as EDLC). EDLC has a wider operating temperature range than secondary batteries, has a long cycle life of hundreds of thousands to 1,000,000 times, requires less maintenance, and does not contain heavy metals, so the environmental impact during disposal is extremely small. There is an advantage.

The EDLC in the narrow sense means a symmetric EDLC that uses electric double layer capacity for both the positive electrode and the negative electrode of the electrode. In the broad EDLC, in addition to the symmetric type, one electrode is a battery and one electrode is a single electrode. Also included are an asymmetric type that is an electric double layer capacitor, a pseudo-capacitance that uses a capacitance that occurs with an oxidation-reduction reaction, and the like. Since the present invention is applicable to EDLC in a broad sense, the EDLC in a broad sense is hereinafter referred to as an electric double layer capacitor or EDLC.

An electric blind that arranges a horizontal blind in a double glass sash, adjusts the opening and closing angle of the slat by rotating the motor forward and backward with a remote control etc. using EDLC charged based on the electromotive force of the solar cell as a power source, This is proposed in Patent Document 1.
However, in the present invention, EDLC is used to reduce the maintenance cost, but power transmission is likely to be uncertain for driving the slats, and a ladder cord having a short service life is used. The adjustment of the opening / closing angle of the slat is based on a command from a remote controller or the like, and the opening / closing angle of the slat is not automatically adjusted according to the incident angle of sunlight. Furthermore, it does not touch on techniques for maximizing the power generated by solar cells.

Patent Document 2 proposes a motor drive system that uses a EDLC charged based on an electromotive force of a solar cell as a power source and executes a predetermined drive unit by a motor in accordance with a drive command. The system includes drive determination means for determining whether or not the amount of electricity stored in the EDLC has power necessary to execute a predetermined drive unit.
However, in the electric blind that automatically adjusts the opening angle of the slats according to the incident angle of sunlight or the incident angle of sunlight and the outside air temperature every predetermined time as proposed in the present invention, the required maximum power for one day Since the system is constructed so that the amount of electricity stored in the EDLC is greater than or equal to the maximum required amount of electricity for one day, the amount of electricity stored in the EDLC is necessary to execute a predetermined drive unit. There is no need for drive determination means for determining whether or not there is electric power.

  In addition, the document discloses an embodiment related to the opening and closing of a gate door, but only describes that it can be applied to an electric blind, and there is no specific description regarding the electric blind, and it is naturally proposed in the present invention. There is no description regarding the electric blind that automatically adjusts the opening / closing angle of the slat according to the incident angle of sunlight or the incident angle of sunlight and the outside temperature.

JP2003-221989 JP2005-224005

In the present invention, by using a solar cell and EDLC in the power supply unit, the electric power generated by the solar power generation is stored in the EDLC, and depending on the incident angle of sunlight or the incident angle of sunlight and the outside temperature at regular intervals. We propose an electric blind that covers the driving power of the motor and the power of the control unit to automatically adjust the opening and closing angle of the slats.
In general, in solar power generation devices using solar cells, tracking the change in the horizontal direction of sunlight improves power generation efficiency by about 1.4 times compared to fixed solar power generation devices, and tracking the angle of elevation. It is said to improve more than 1.7 times. Depending on the weather and temperature, the power generation efficiency may be higher.
Therefore, in a large-scale photovoltaic power generation device, a tracking device that tracks the solar cell in a normal line with respect to sunlight is used in order to sufficiently extract the performance of the solar cell and obtain as much power as possible.

Even in an electric blind, it is necessary to track sunlight in order to maximize the function of blocking direct sunlight. However, since the electric blind is fixedly installed on a window or the like, tracking is limited. For example, in the case of a horizontal blind in which a large number of slats are arranged in the horizontal direction, tracking in the elevation angle direction of sunlight is possible, but tracking in the horizontal direction is impossible.
In the case of an electric blind, since the direction of the installed window and the installation location are uncertain, a sunlight tracking method that can obtain the most direct sunlight blocking efficiency under the installed condition is required.

 Furthermore, when solar power is used to provide power for driving and controlling electric blinds, there are two types: fixed solar cells and movable solar cells. It cannot be tracked. On the other hand, in the case of a movable solar cell, it is possible to track sunlight. However, complicated control for solar tracking increases the power consumption as well as the cost, and is used for driving and controlling blinds. The problem arises that the power that can be reduced.

Therefore, in the present invention, a fixed solar cell is used as a power source for an electric blind that adjusts the opening / closing angle of the slat by forward / reverse rotation of the motor, and a solar cell is attached to the slat or the slat itself is configured by a solar cell. We propose an electric blind using a movable solar cell that tracks sunlight in the elevation direction.
Although an example of a horizontal blind in which a large number of slats are arranged in the horizontal direction will be described below, the present invention can be easily applied to a vertical blind in which slats are arranged in the vertical direction.

In claim 1 of the electric blind according to the present invention,
In the electric blind equipped with the driving means for changing the opening and closing angle of the slats,
Detection means for detecting the incident direction of sunlight,
Control means for controlling the drive means to change the opening / closing angle of the slats according to the incident direction detected by the detection means;
A solar cell that generates electric power when exposed to sunlight,
Power storage means for storing power generated in the solar cell;
Supply control means for supplying the power stored in the power storage means to at least one of the drive means, the detection means, and the control means.
In claim 2,
The detection means is configured to detect the incident direction of the sunlight at every set fixed time.
In claim 3,
The detection means comprises three illuminance sensors that output the maximum output voltage when the incident direction of sunlight is perpendicular to the photosensitive surface,
One of the three illuminance sensors is used as a reference sensor, and the other two illuminance sensors are used as a first comparison sensor and a second comparison sensor, respectively.
The photosensitive surface of the first comparison sensor has a slight elevation angle with the photosensitive surface of the reference sensor,
The photosensitive surface of the second comparison sensor is arranged with a small depression angle with the photosensitive surface of the reference sensor, and the control means is configured such that the output voltage of the reference sensor is the output voltage of the first comparison sensor and the second comparison sensor. The driving means is controlled to change the opening / closing angle of the slat so as to be larger than the output voltage of the sensor.
In claim 4,
The solar cell is formed on the slat surface.
In claim 5,
The solar cell formed on the slat surface also serves as a detecting means for detecting the incident direction of the sun rays,
The control means is configured to change the open / close angle of the slats by controlling the drive means so that the output voltage of the solar cell is maximized.
In claim 6,
As the power storage means, an electric double layer capacitor was used.
In claim 7,
The control means has two operation modes, a light shielding mode for changing the opening / closing angle of the slats to an angle at which the sunlight does not enter the indoor side and a daylighting mode for changing the angle at which the sunlight enters the indoor side. Control is performed in any one of the operation modes.
In claim 8,
A temperature sensor for detecting the outside air temperature;
The control means
When the outside air temperature exceeds the set light-blocking mode transition temperature, the operation mode is controlled by switching to the light-blocking mode,
When the outside air temperature falls below the set daylighting mode transition temperature, the operation mode is switched to the daylighting mode and controlled.
In claim 9,
The supply control unit is configured to supply the electric power stored in the power storage unit to all of the drive unit, the detection unit, and the control unit.
In claim 10,
The storage means is
The storage unit is configured to be able to store a preset storage amount that is greater than or equal to the daily power amount required by the drive unit, the detection unit, and the control unit.
In claim 11,
The slat is disposed in a double glass sash.

The electric blind according to the present invention has the above-described configuration in order to realize the following functions.
The main functions required for blinds are (1) a function to block direct sunlight while taking light, that is, an anti-glare function, and (2) a room temperature control function. The present invention proposes an electric blind that automatically realizes these functions. In addition, the function of (1) is a function which prevents glare while ensuring a certain amount of lighting. This function is a function for preventing glare while reducing the energy required for room lighting. In addition to the above, the blind also has a shielding function that intentionally hides the room from the outside, but this function is handled by manual control in the present invention.
First, the structure of the electric blind for realizing the functions (1) and (2) will be described.

In a conventional general blind, a slat is opened and closed or a slat is wound up by a ladder cord (string). However, the electric blind according to the present invention is intended to automatically block direct sunlight for glare prevention, or to contribute to room temperature control while securing daylighting. Only open and close the slats.
Further, when a ladder cord is used for opening and closing the slats, failure is likely to occur, and transmission of power to the slats is likely to be uncertain. In addition, the service life is shortened due to the deterioration of the ladder cord.
However, taking into account the inclusion of the electric blind in the double glass sash for the purpose of improving the air conditioning efficiency, it is preferable that the failure rate is low, the service life is long, and the need for maintenance is small.

According to claim 1 of the electric brine according to the present invention,
According to the incident direction detected by the detection means, the slat opening / closing angle is changed,
Power storage means for storing power generated by the solar cell,
Since the electric power stored in the electric storage means is supplied to at least one of the drive means, the detection means, and the control means, solar energy is used as at least a part of electric power required for the operation of the electric blind. It is possible to obtain an energy saving effect and an effect of suppressing global warming by clean energy.
According to claim 2,
Since the detection means is configured to detect the incident direction of the sunlight at every set fixed time, the electric blind can be appropriately controlled.
According to claim 3,
The detection means comprises three illuminance sensors that output the maximum output voltage when the incident direction of sunlight is perpendicular to the photosensitive surface,
One of the three illuminance sensors is used as a reference sensor, and the other two illuminance sensors are used as a first comparison sensor and a second comparison sensor, respectively.
The photosensitive surface of the first comparison sensor has a slight elevation angle with the photosensitive surface of the reference sensor,
The photosensitive surface of the second comparison sensor is arranged with a small depression angle with the photosensitive surface of the reference sensor, and the control means is configured such that the output voltage of the reference sensor is the output voltage of the first comparison sensor and the second comparison sensor. Since it is configured to change the opening and closing angle of the slats by controlling the driving means to be larger than the output voltage of the sensor,
Tracking operation can be automatically performed in the incident direction of sunlight.
According to claim 4,
Since the solar cell is formed on the slat surface, an electromotive force can be obtained while shielding light with the slat.
According to claim 5,
The solar cell formed on the slat surface also serves as a detecting means for detecting the incident direction of the sun rays,
Since the control means is configured to change the opening and closing angle of the slats by controlling the driving means so that the output voltage of the solar cell is maximized,
There is no need to install a solar cell separately, and the installation condition of the electric blind is eased.
In claim 6, since the electric double layer capacitor stores electricity, the operating temperature range is wider than that of the secondary battery, the cycle life is as long as several hundred thousand times to one million times, less maintenance is required, and heavy metals, etc. Since it does not contain, the effect that the environmental load at the time of disposal is also very small is acquired.
In claim 7,
Since there are two operation modes, ie, a light shielding mode and a daylighting mode, it is possible to operate in an appropriate operation mode according to use conditions.
In claim 8,
A temperature sensor for detecting the outside air temperature;
The control means
When the outside air temperature exceeds the set light-blocking mode transition temperature, the operation mode is controlled by switching to the light-blocking mode,
When the outside air temperature falls below the set lighting mode transition temperature, the operation mode is switched to the lighting mode and controlled.
Air conditioning efficiency in winter and summer is improved.
In Claim 9, since the electric power stored in the electric storage means is supplied to all of the drive means, the detection means, and the control means, no external power supply wiring is required, and the sealed double glass It is easy to adopt for sashes and existing windows.
In claim 10,
The storage means is
Since it is configured to be able to store a preset power storage amount that is greater than or equal to the daily power amount required by the drive means, detection means, and control means, the power required for the operation of the electric blind is insufficient. You can avoid that.
In Claim 11, since it arrange | positioned in the double glass sash, while improving the efficiency of an air conditioning, a maintenance becomes unnecessary.

Below, the electric blind concerning this invention is demonstrated in detail based on drawing which showed the embodiment.
In the best mode of the electric blind according to the present invention, the ladder cord 11 is not used, and the outdoor side ladder arm 11, which is vertically suspended in parallel to the outdoor side of the window, like the electric blind 1 shown in FIG. 13 and the indoor ladder arms 12 and 14 suspended vertically in parallel to the indoor side so as to be rotatable by a drive arm 22 to form a link mechanism, and the outdoor ladder arm 11 and 13 is configured to be movable up and down relatively with respect to the indoor ladder arms 12 and 14.
The slats 3 are opened by raising the outdoor ladder arms 11 and 13 relative to the indoor ladder arms 12 and 14, and the outdoor ladder arms 11 and 13 are connected to the indoor ladder arms 12. , 14 can be operated to close the slats 3 by lowering them relative to each other.
Hereinafter, the structure of the electric blind 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIGS. 1A and 1B are side views of a configuration in which the drive shaft P of the ladder arm is disposed on the indoor ladder arms 12 and 14, and FIGS. It is a side view of the form which arranged the drive axis Q of the ladder arm in the middle of outdoor ladder arms 11 and 13 and indoor ladder arms 12 and. 1A and 1C show a state in which the slat 3 is opened almost horizontally, and FIGS. 1B and 1D show a state in which the slat 3 is tilted and adjusted in the closing direction. Yes. Note that the slat 3 can be further opened (the outdoor side is raised) than the states shown in FIGS. 1A and 1C, and is further closed than the states shown in FIGS. 1B and 1D. It is also possible to lower the outside).

1 (a) and 1 (b), the ladder arms 11 and 13 on the outdoor side and the ladder arms 12 and 14 on the indoor side are suspended in parallel, and each slat as shown in FIG. 2 (a). Four slat support pins 31, 31, 31, 31 are provided at both ends in the longitudinal direction of 3, and these slat support pins 31, 31, 31, 31 are provided with four ladder arms 11, 12, 13, 14, each slat 3 is supported by four ladder arms 11, 12, 13, and 14 constituting a link mechanism, as shown in FIG. ing.
That is, as shown in FIG. 2 (b), each ladder arm 11, 12, 13, 14 has a number of holes 16 having a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the slat support pins 31. By inserting the slat support pin 31 of each slat 3, the inclination of the slat 3 is changed, and the opening / closing angle of the slat 3 is held in a changeable state.

In the case of FIG. 1A, among the four ladder arms 11, 12, 13, 14, the two indoor ladder arms 12, 14 are fixed to a window frame or a blind frame (sash, etc.) 91. The two outdoor ladder arms 11 and 13 are movable up and down. (The two ladder arms on the outdoor side may be fixed, and the two ladder arms on the indoor side may be moved up and down.)
Then, when the drive arm 22 in FIG. 1A rotates about the drive shaft P, the two outdoor ladder arms 11 and 13 move up and down as shown in FIG. The angle is adjusted, and the degree of opening and closing as a blind is adjusted. In the case of FIG. 1C, the four ladder arms 11, 12, 13, and 14 are all movable, and when the drive arm 22 rotates about the drive axis Q, As shown in d), the two indoor ladder arms 12 and 14 and the two outdoor ladder arms 11 and 13 move up and down in opposite directions to adjust the opening and closing angles of the slats 3 and open and close as blinds. The degree of is adjusted.

FIG. 3 is a side view and a front view of a structural example of the electric blind 1 when the link mechanism shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B is used and enclosed in a double glass sash 9. 3A is a cross-sectional view taken along line YY of FIG. 3B, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX of FIG.
As will be described later, the power transmission unit 21 includes a rotation shaft 221, a drive arm 22, and outdoor ladder arms 11 and 13 in addition to gears and the like. The rotating shaft 221 shown in FIG. 3B corresponds to the drive shaft P in the case of the link mechanism shown in FIGS. (In the case of the link mechanism shown in FIGS. 1C and 1D, the rotary shaft 221 shown in FIG. 3B corresponds to the drive shaft Q.)
A forward / reverse rotation operation of a motor 23 in the drive unit 2 to be described later is transmitted to the rotary shaft 221 via a gear or the like of the power transmission unit 21, and the rotary shaft 221 rotates forward / reversely. The ladder arms 11 and 13 of the movable one (in the case of FIGS. 1A and 1B) are moved up and down to adjust the opening / closing angle of the slat 3 by rotating forward and backward about P or the drive shaft Q.

Here, first, among the main functions required for the blinds described above, a fixed solar cell is used, and the electric function that realizes the function of blocking direct sunlight while mainly aiming at daylighting (1), that is, the anti-glare function. Describe blinds. FIG. 4 shows a configuration example (Embodiment 1) of the electric blind in this case.
In FIG. 4, the fixed solar cell 6 is installed on a wall surface or the like in the vicinity of the electric blind of the building where the electric blind 1 is installed. Further, the EDLC power storage unit 7 may be installed near the fixed solar cell 6, or may be installed in the blind frame 91 or in the room.
In order to efficiently block direct sunlight under limited installation conditions, the slat 3 is made so that the elevation angle component of sunlight (the “elevation angle” shown in the figure) is constantly orthogonal to the slat surface as shown in FIG. What is necessary is just to adjust the opening-and-closing angle of automatically. The operation control that automatically follows the opening / closing angle of the slat 3 in response to the change in the incident direction of the sunlight is called sunlight tracking operation.
That is, the opening / closing angle of the slat 3 may be adjusted so that the normal of the slat surface is parallel to the elevation angle component (the “elevation angle” shown) of the incident angle of sunlight with respect to the slat surface. Here, the description will be made on the assumption that the slat 3 is planar.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, an illuminance sensor 41 is installed on the surface on the outdoor side of at least one slat 3 so that the maximum output is obtained at an incident angle from the normal direction of the slat 3, and FIG. As shown in FIG. 6B, the elevation angle component of the incident angle of sunlight is larger than the elevation angle component of the normal line of the slat 3 where the illuminance sensor is installed (the solar altitude is high). As described above, when the elevation angle component of the incident angle of sunlight is smaller (the solar altitude is lower) than the elevation angle component of the normal line of the slat 3 where the illuminance sensor is installed, the opening / closing angle of the slat 3 is increased. The opening / closing angle at which the output of the illuminance sensor 41 is maximized can be found by changing or reducing the value. In such a state, since the elevation angle component of sunlight and the slat surface are orthogonal, incident sunlight can be blocked efficiently. FIG. 7 shows a block configuration of the electric blind 1 that realizes this function.

 In FIG. 7, the electric power generated by the solar cell 6 constituting the power supply unit 60 is accumulated in the EDLC power storage unit 7. The EDLC power storage unit 7 is generally used by connecting a plurality of EDLCs 71 in series, parallel connection, or series-parallel connection. The inventor has already proposed the configuration and the storage control method in Patent Document 3. A power storage control method may be used, or a method proposed in Patent Literature 4 to Patent Literature 14 may be used.

WO2007046138 (PCT / JP2005 / 019208) Publication JP-A-5-292684 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 6-261442 (Patent No. 3764175) JP-A-7-222357 (Patent No. 3309259) JP 11-122811 (Patent No. 3345318) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-168231 (Patent No. 4066261) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-84627 (Patent No. 3099181) JP 2006-109620 A JP-A-8-214454 (Patent No. 3238841) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-10510 (Japanese Patent No. 3764633) Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-80469 (Patent No. 3854592) JP 2001-136660 A

 However, regardless of which power storage control method is used, the output voltage of the EDLC 71 that constitutes the EDLC power storage unit 7 varies depending on the amount of accumulated charge, so that the output voltage of the EDLC power storage unit 7 is driven DC as shown in FIG. A constant voltage is maintained by the DC converter 8 and electric power is supplied to the drive control unit 5 and the drive unit 2.

  As will be described later, the electric blind 1 is mainly operated in the automatic mode, and the opening / closing angle of the slat 3 is adjusted at regular time intervals, so that it is possible to assume the required maximum electric energy for one day. Therefore, it is only necessary to construct the EDLC power storage unit 7 so that the power storage amount is equal to or greater than the required maximum power amount for one day, and the power storage amount of the EDLC 71 required by the invention of Patent Document 2 is a predetermined drive unit. There is no need for drive determination means for determining whether or not the electric power necessary for execution is present.

The required maximum power amount for one day can be obtained as follows, for example. When the motor 23 with the rated voltage Vm = 3.0 [V] and the rated current Im = 0.085 [A] is used for driving the slat 3, the power consumption Pm is Pm = Vm × Im = 3.0 × 0.085 = 0.255 [W].
It becomes.
Further, in the automatic mode, the opening / closing angle of the slat 3 is adjusted once every 30 minutes, and the driving time of the motor per time is set to 10 [seconds]. In addition, if the opening / closing angle of the slat 3 is not adjusted at night, and the sunshine time of the summer solstice with the longest sunshine time is 15 hours, the opening / closing angle of the slat 3 is adjusted 30 times a day at maximum. .
Therefore, the driving time tm of the motor per day is
tm = 10 × 30 = 300 [seconds]
Therefore, the electric energy Um required for driving the motor is Um = Pm × tm
= 0.255 × 300
= 76.5 [J]
It becomes.

When the voltage Vc required for the drive control unit 5 is 5.0 [V] and the current Ic is 0.002 [A], the power consumed by the drive control unit 5 is
Pc = Vc × Ic = 5.0 × 0.002 = 0.01 [W]
It becomes. Furthermore, if the operation time tc of the drive control unit 5 is 24 hours per day,
tc = 3600 × 24 = 86400 [seconds]
Therefore, the amount of power Uc for one day required by the drive control unit 5 is Uc = Pc × tc
= 0.01 × 86400
= 864 [J]
It becomes. Thus electric energy U _M for one day required moving of the electric blind 1 U _M = Um + Uc
= 940.5 [J]
It becomes.

On the other hand, using the EDLC 71 with the rated voltage V _E = 2.7 [V] and the capacitance C [F] for the EDLC power storage unit 7, the voltage V that is 1/4 of the rated voltage from the fully charged state, that is, the rated voltage 2.7 [V]. Assuming that it is used until _L (= 0.675 [V]), the available power amount Uu is Uu = C × (V _E ² −V _L ² ) / 2.
= C x (2.7 ² -0.675 ² ) / 2
≒ C × (7.29−0.46) / 2
≒ 3.42C [J]
It becomes. Further, assuming that the conversion efficiency η1 of the driving DC-DC converter 8 is 0.85 (85 [%]), the actually usable power amount Ua is Ua = Uu × η1 = 3.42C × 0.85 [J].
But
Ua ≧ U _M
Therefore, the capacitance C of the EDLC power storage unit 7 is
C ≧ 940.5 / (3.42 × 0.85) = 323.5 [F] (1)
It becomes.
However, in consideration of the fact that the opening / closing angle of the slat 3 is adjusted in the manual mode as described later, the electrostatic capacity of the EDLC power storage unit 7 may be set to (1) It is set to 1600 [F], which is about five times the equation.

Next, the output current Is of the solar cell 6 required to fully charge the EDLC 71 having the above rated voltage and capacitance in one day is obtained. If the average daily sunshine duration is 3 hours, the power generation time ts of the solar cell 6 is ts = 3 × 3600 = 10800 [seconds]
Therefore, Is = C × V _E / ts
= 1600 × 2.7 / 10800
= 0.4 [A]
It becomes. Therefore, for example, when using a solar cell with a rated voltage of 3.0 [V] and a rated current of 0.16 [A], it is sufficient to connect three in parallel so that a current of 0.48 [A] can be generated.

The electric blind 1 has an automatic mode and a manual mode, but basically operates in the automatic mode. Further, the automatic mode can be switched to either one of the light-shielding mode and the daylighting mode for automatic operation. The shading mode is mainly a summer operation mode, and the daylighting mode is mainly a winter operation mode.
The input unit 40 shown in FIG. 7 includes an illuminance sensor 41, a manual switch 42, and an over-rotation prevention sensor 43, and normally operates in an automatic mode using the illuminance sensor 41 as described later.
Although not shown in FIG. 7, the manual switch 42 includes a switch for switching to the manual mode, an open switch for giving an instruction to open the slat 3, and a close switch for giving an instruction to close the slat 3. In order to operate in the manual mode, the manual mode is selected by the switch to the manual mode, the opening or closing switch is instructed by the opening switch or the closing switch, and the opening / closing angle of the slat 3 is controlled. Then, the open / close state as a blind is controlled.

The illuminance sensor 41 is a sensor for an automatic mode, and is a sensor for detecting the elevation angle (incident angle) of sunlight. As the illuminance sensor 41, for example, a photodiode or a photo IC diode that amplifies and outputs a photocurrent generated by the photodiode can be used.
In the state switched to the light blocking mode in the automatic mode, the opening / closing angle of the slat 3 is set so that the output voltage or the output current of the illuminance sensor 41 becomes the highest so that the direct sunlight can be cut off most by the slat 3 while taking light. Is automatically adjusted by the drive control unit 5. At this time, one illuminance sensor may be used to control the opening / closing angle of the slat 3 so that the output voltage or output current is maximized. As described below (see FIG. 8), a plurality of illuminance sensors can be used. The opening / closing angle of the slat 3 may be controlled using an illuminance sensor.
In any case, the illuminance sensor may be installed on the surface on the outdoor side of at least one slat 3 among a large number of slats as shown in FIG.
In FIG.
The drive unit 2 and the power transmission unit 21 correspond to the drive unit described in the claims, and the illuminance sensor 41 and the drive control unit 5 are the detection units described in the claims. Correspondingly, the drive control unit 5 corresponds to the control means described in the claims, the EDLC power storage unit 7 corresponds to the power storage means described in the claims, and the EDLC 71 Corresponding to the electric double layer capacitor recited in the claims, the driving DC-DC converter 8 corresponds to the supply control means recited in the claims.

FIG. 8 shows an example in which three illuminance sensors are used. As shown in FIG. 3A, three illuminance sensors 412, 411, and 413 are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the slat 3 on the outdoor side when the slat 3 is horizontal. (Hereinafter, an example in which a voltage output type illuminance sensor is used will be described.)
At that time, as shown in FIG. 5B, the photosensitive surface of the reference illuminance sensor (hereinafter referred to as the reference sensor 411) is set in parallel with the slat surface on the longitudinal center line of the slat 3, and further the reference sensor 411. And an illuminance sensor (hereinafter referred to as a first comparison sensor 412) having a certain small elevation angle α and an illuminance sensor (hereinafter referred to as a second comparison sensor 413) having a small depression angle α. In addition, each figure of the same figure (b) represents sectional drawing orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the slat 3 in each sensor position. The slat surface on the center line in the longitudinal direction of the slat 3 corresponds to a plane when the slat 3 is assumed to be planar.

 The output voltage of the three illuminance sensors 411, 412, and 413 attached to the slat surface is compared by the drive controller 5 at regular intervals, and the slat 3 is opened and closed so that the output voltage of the reference sensor 411 becomes the highest. Control the corners. For example, when the output voltage of the first comparison sensor 412 is higher than the output voltage of the reference sensor 411, the output voltage of the reference sensor 411 is higher than the output voltage of the first comparison sensor 412 (that is, the direction in which the slat 3 is opened). ) Adjust the opening / closing angle of the slat 3. When the output voltage of the second comparison sensor 413 is higher than the output voltage of the reference sensor 411, the output voltage of the reference sensor 411 is higher than the output voltage of the second comparison sensor 413 (that is, the slat 3 is closed). Adjust the opening / closing angle of the slat 3 in the direction). By doing so, the slat 3 can block the direct sunlight to the maximum while daylighting.

Further, the opening / closing angle of the slat 3 can be adjusted in the manual mode by the manual switch 42 in FIG. When the manual switch 42 instructs to change the opening / closing angle of the slat 3, the instruction signal is transmitted to the driving control unit 5, and the driving control unit 5 changes the opening / closing angle of the slat 3 through the driving unit 2. I do. The manual switch 42 may be a remote control switch.
However, the range of the opening / closing angle of the slat 3 is limited. When the slat 3 rotates to a preset angle and the movable ladder arm moves up and down to a preset upper limit or lower limit position, FIG. The over-rotation prevention sensor 43 in (a) is activated and the signal is transmitted to the drive control unit 5, and the drive control unit 5 stops the operation of the slat 3 via the drive unit 2.

In FIG. 7, the drive control unit 5 determines the signal from the input unit 40 and controls the rotation angle of the motor 23 via the motor driver 24 of the drive unit 2. That is, in the automatic mode, the drive control unit 5 drives the motor 23 according to the output signal of the illuminance sensor 41 of the input unit 40 at regular intervals as described above, and the slat 3 generates the most direct sunlight. The opening / closing angle of the slat 3 is controlled so that it can be shut off. However, when the output voltage of the illuminance sensor 41 is less than a preset value, such as at night or in the rain, the drive control unit 5 supplies unnecessary power to the motor 23 in order to reduce power consumption. The operation of the slat 3 may be stopped after stopping.
In the manual mode, when opening or closing the slat 3 is instructed by the manual switch 42, the instruction signal is transmitted to the drive control unit 5, and the opening / closing angle of the slat 3 is changed.
However, when the slat 3 rotates to a preset angle and the movable side ladder arm moves up and down to a preset upper limit or lower limit position, the over-rotation prevention sensor 43 in FIG. A signal from the sensor 43 is transmitted to the drive control unit 5, and the drive control unit 5 stops the operation of the slat 3.

 7 includes a motor driver 24 and a motor 23. The power transmission unit 21 includes a gear, etc., a rotating shaft 221, a drive arm 22, a ladder arm (in the case of FIG. 1A, the ladder arm 11, 13). The motor driver 24 of the drive unit 2 is controlled by the control signal from the drive control unit 5, and the motor 23 rotates forward and backward. The rotational force of the motor 23 is transmitted to the gears of the power transmission unit 21, the rotation shaft 221, the drive arm 22, and the ladder arm (the ladder arms 11 and 13 in the case of FIG. 1A), and the opening / closing angle of the slat 3. Changes.

FIG. 9 shows an example of a flowchart of the drive control unit 5 when three illuminance sensors 411, 412, and 413 are used, and the general operation thereof will be described below.
First, in step S1, it is determined whether or not the operation mode is an automatic mode. In the case of the automatic mode, the process proceeds to step S2 to measure the output voltage of the illuminance sensors 411, 412, and 413. Then, it progresses to step S3 and it is determined whether the output voltage of the illumination intensity sensors 411, 412, 413 is more than a setting voltage. If it is equal to or higher than the set voltage, the process proceeds to step S4, and the output voltages of the three illuminance sensors 411, 412, 413 are compared. When the output voltage of the second comparison sensor 413 is the maximum, it is determined that the slat 3 is too open and the process proceeds to step S5, where the slat 3 is rotated in the direction of closing (lowering the outdoor side of the slat 3), When the output voltage of the first comparison sensor 412 is the maximum, it is determined that the slat 3 is too closed, and the process proceeds to step S6 to rotate the slat 3 in the direction of opening (raising the outdoor side of the slat 3). Then, the process returns to step S2.
When the output voltage of the illuminance sensors 411, 412, and 413 is less than the set voltage in step S3, and when the output voltage of the reference sensor 411 is the maximum in step S4, the process proceeds to step S7, where the motor 23 is stopped and the process proceeds to step S8. Advancing and waiting until a certain time elapses, and after elapses, the process returns to step S1.
Next, if it is not the automatic mode in step S1, that is, if it is the manual mode, the process proceeds to step S9 to determine whether or not there is an input from the over-rotation prevention sensor 43. If there is no input, the process proceeds to step S10. The presence / absence of input is determined. If there is an input, the process proceeds to step S11 to rotate the slat 3 in the direction of opening the slat 3 (raising the outdoor side of the slat 3), and the process returns to step S1.
In step S10, if there is no input of the open switch, the process proceeds to step S12 to determine whether or not the close switch is input. If there is an input, the process proceeds to step S13 to close the slat 3 (lowering the outdoor side of the slat 3). And return to step S1. If there is no closed switch input in step S12, the process directly returns to step S1.
In step S9, if there is an input from the overspeed prevention sensor 43, the process proceeds to step S14, the motor 23 is stopped, and the process returns to step S1.

FIG. 10 shows a configuration of an example (Example 2) of the electric blind 1 </ b> A that further improves the power storage efficiency of the EDLC power storage unit 7.
Solar cell 6 has an optimum operating point at which output power is maximized. Generally, the voltage-current characteristics of a solar cell are as shown in FIG. In the figure, for example, if the operating point voltage is set as low as V1, a large current can be taken out. If the operating point voltage is set high as V2, the current decreases. The power P [W] that can be extracted from the solar cell is
Electric power P [W] = current I [A] × voltage V [V]
Therefore, in the same figure, the point Pm where the area of the quadrangle surrounded by the broken line is the maximum is the optimum operating point, and the product of the voltage and current at this time is the maximum power that can be extracted from the solar cell. This operating point is called the maximum power point.

Since this optimum operating point is determined by the load impedance, it is necessary to set so that the output power of the solar cell is constantly kept at this maximum power point in order to efficiently obtain the output power of the solar cell. The control that realizes is called Maximum Power Point Tracking (hereinafter referred to as MPPT).
In this MPPT method, the output voltage of the solar cell is acquired and the operating point of the solar cell is held at the maximum power point, the output voltage and output current of the solar cell are acquired, and the operating point of the solar cell is set to the maximum power. There are various methods such as a method of holding a point.
In any case, in order to improve the storage efficiency of the EDLC, the charging control unit 61 in FIG. 10 acquires the output voltage of the solar cell 6 or the output voltage and the output current, and those The charging DC-DC converter 62 is controlled by PWM control or the like so that the operating point of the solar cell 6 is maintained at the maximum power point based on the value. The drive control unit 5 in FIG. 10 performs the same operation as the drive control unit 5 in FIG.

 Further, as described in Reference Document 1, since charging efficiency is higher when EDLC is charged from a constant current source, it is preferable to use a constant current output type for charging DC-DC converter 62. Furthermore, in the case where the EDLC power storage unit 7 uses the power storage control system described in Patent Document 3, charging may be performed with a constant current using a constant current output type charging DC-DC converter. When using the power storage control method described in Patent Documents 4 to 14, etc., the charging DC-DC converter 62 is used as a constant current source until the EDLC 71 constituting the EDLC power storage unit 7 reaches a predetermined voltage. It may be a type that functions and is switched to function as a constant voltage source when the EDLC 71 exceeds a predetermined voltage.

(Reference 1) Electric double layer capacitor and power storage system Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun (issued March 31, 1999)

Since the fixed solar cell 6 was used in Example 1 and Example 2, by installing an illuminance sensor on the slat 3 and controlling the opening / closing angle of the slat 3 so that the output voltage of the illuminance sensor becomes maximum, It was a method that was able to block direct sunlight most while daylighting.
However, the illuminance sensor is not installed on the slat 3, and a solar cell is attached to a part or all of the surface of the slat, or a part or all of the slat is configured by the solar cell so that the sunlight can be cut off most. While adjusting the opening / closing angle of the slat 3, the amount of power generation can be increased, and the power supplied to the drive unit and the control unit that change the opening / closing angle of the slat 3 can be increased.
If this method is used, the area of the solar cell can be increased, so that a low-efficiency dye-sensitized solar cell or an organic thin-film solar cell can be used as the solar cell.

In this example (Example 3), in any type of solar cell, the output current increases in proportion to the irradiance (intensity of solar radiation) on the light receiving surface. How to control.
FIG. 12 shows the configuration of an electric blind 1B according to the third embodiment for realizing this method. Note that, similarly to the power supply unit 60 of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 10, the power supply unit 60 in FIG. 12 may have the MPPT function. The configuration of the electric blind 1C in that case is shown in FIG.

12 and 13, the solar cell 6 itself provided in the slat 5 instead of the illuminance sensor in FIGS. 4, 7, and 8 also serves as the illuminance sensor. That is, the solar cell 6 serves as a power generation element and also serves as an illuminance sensor, and the solar cell 6, the manual switch 42, and the over-rotation prevention sensor 43 constitute the input unit 40.
As described above, since the output current of a solar cell increases in proportion to the intensity of irradiance (irradiation intensity) on the light receiving surface, the intensity of irradiance on the light receiving surface can be obtained from the output current value. it can. Therefore, if the opening / closing angle of the slat 3 is controlled so that the output current value of the solar cell is maximized, direct sunlight can be cut off most efficiently while taking light, and the output power of the solar cell can be maximized. it can.
Although not shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, a current-voltage converter is prepared in the drive controller 5, and the output current of the solar cell 6 is converted into a voltage by the current-voltage converter, The opening / closing angle of the slat 3 may be controlled based on the output voltage.

In the first to third embodiments, the electric blind that realizes a function (anti-glare mode) for blocking direct sunlight while aiming at daylighting has been described. However, the blinds are used not only to block direct sunlight and suppress glare, but also to improve the air conditioning efficiency in the building.
For example, by operating in the operation mode (light-shielding mode) that suppresses the rise in room temperature by blocking direct sunlight in the summer, and in the operation mode (lighting mode) that actively takes in direct sunlight in the winter The air conditioning efficiency in the building can be increased.
Therefore, in offices, etc., in summer, switch to light-blocking mode from the early morning before the start of work to block sunlight and suppress the rise in room temperature, and in winter, switch to daylighting mode from the early morning before the start of work. The air conditioning efficiency can be improved by actively taking in and promoting the rise in room temperature.
Therefore, here, an embodiment (Embodiment 4) of the electric blind that realizes the function of room temperature control by the light shielding mode and the daylighting mode in addition to the antiglare function will be described.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a fourth embodiment of the electric blind device 1D in which a function of room temperature control is added to the configuration of the first embodiment. In the figure, a temperature sensor 44 is added in addition to the illuminance sensor 41, the manual switch 42, and the over-rotation prevention sensor 43 in FIG. Note that the power supply unit 60 of FIG. 14 may be replaced with the power supply unit 60 (FIG. 10) of the second embodiment having the MPPT function.
FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a fifth embodiment of the electric blind device 1E in which a room temperature control function is added to the third embodiment. In the figure, a temperature sensor 44 is added in addition to the manual switch 42, the over-rotation prevention sensor 43, and the solar cell 6 also serving as an illuminance sensor in FIG. Note that the power supply unit 60 of FIG. 15 may be replaced with the power supply unit 60 (FIG. 10) of the second embodiment having the MPPT function. The configuration of the electric blind device 1F in that case is shown in FIG.

The temperature sensor 44 in FIGS. 14 to 16 is a sensor for measuring the outside air temperature, and is installed outdoors.
The drive control unit 5 has a clock function, measures the outside air temperature by the temperature sensor 44, and in an office or the like, the outside air temperature T is equal to or higher than a preset light-shielding mode transition temperature TH, such as in the early morning before the start of summer work. In this case, the drive control unit 5 switches the operation mode to the light shielding mode, closes the slat 3 and blocks the incident sunlight as much as possible, thereby suppressing an increase in room temperature. When the outside temperature T is lower than the preset lighting mode transition temperature TL, such as early in the morning before the start of work in winter, the drive control unit 5 switches the operation mode to the lighting mode and opens the slat 3. , Incident light can be actively taken in and room temperature drop can be prevented.
In addition, the drive control unit 5 has a clock function, and during the time of work, the drive control unit 5 switches the operation mode to the light shielding mode or the dazzling mode, and ensures direct sunlight while ensuring lighting. Anti-glare can be achieved by blocking.

Table 1 shows the relationship between the outside air temperature T, the illuminance I, and the business for realizing such a function. In Table 1, night illuminance IL is illuminance determined to be night, and glare illuminance IH is illuminance that feels dazzling. In the table, “close” means that the slat 3 is completely closed, and “open” means that the slat surface is opened until it becomes horizontal. Further, the solar light tracking indicates that the driving control unit 5 automatically performs the solar light tracking operation in which the elevation angle component of the direct sunlight is orthogonalized by the drive control unit 5 as in the above-described embodiment.
When the outside air temperature T is equal to or higher than the daylighting mode transition temperature TL and lower than the light shielding mode transition temperature TH as in spring or autumn, the drive control unit 5 performs the following operation control with the illuminance I. . First, when the illuminance I is lower than the night illuminance IL, such as at night, the slat 3 is completely closed, and when the illuminance I is greater than or equal to the night illuminance IL, it is determined by the clock function that the time is before the start of work. The solar light tracking operation is performed both in the case of being operated and in the case of being determined to be in business.
Next, when the outside air temperature T is equal to or higher than the light shielding mode transition temperature TH as in summer, the drive control unit 5 performs the following operation control with the illuminance I. First, when the illuminance I is lower than the night illuminance IL, such as at night, the slat 3 is completely closed, and when the illuminance I is greater than or equal to the night illuminance IL, it is determined by the clock function that the time is before the start of work. When it is done, the slat 3 is completely closed to suppress the rise in the room temperature, and when it is judged that it is in business, the solar light tracking operation is performed.
Next, when the outside air temperature T is lower than the daylighting mode transition temperature TL as in winter, the drive control unit 5 performs the following operation control with the illuminance I. First, when the illuminance I is less than the night illuminance IL, such as at night, the slats 3 are completely closed to suppress the decrease in the room temperature. When it is determined that it is a time zone, the slat 3 is opened and sunlight is positively received. When it is determined that it is in business, the solar tracking operation is performed.
By performing such control, solar tracking operation is performed during work to ensure daylighting, reduce power consumption for lighting in the building, improve air conditioning efficiency, and reduce loss of unnecessary air conditioning energy be able to.

The drive control unit 5 in FIG. 7 shown in the first embodiment, the drive control unit 5 in FIG. 10 shown in the second embodiment, or the drive control unit 5 in FIG. 12 shown in the third embodiment, Alternatively, each of the drive control unit 5 in FIG. 13, the drive control unit 5 in FIG. 14, FIG. 15, and the drive control unit 5 in FIG. The opening / closing angle of the slat 3 may be controlled according to the outside air temperature, time, and day of the week.
Moreover, as shown in FIG. 3, in order to improve the air conditioning efficiency, the electric blind 1 according to the present invention may be included in a double glass sash 9 or the like.

The configuration of the electric blind according to the present invention can be easily applied to a vertical blind in which slats are arranged in the vertical direction. Moreover, it can also employ | adopt as the form which opens and closes a slat using a ladder code, without using a ladder arm. In these cases, it is necessary to appropriately change the configuration of the drive unit and the power transmission unit.

The electric blind according to the present invention is not limited to an electric blind for business use, but can also be used for an electric blind for home use. Further, the present invention is not limited to the electric blind provided in the window of the building, but can also be adopted in the electric blind provided in the window of a general house.

It is the block diagram which showed the structure of the principal part of embodiment of the electric blind concerning this invention. It is a perspective view of the disassembled state of the slat and ladder arm used for this invention. It is the side view and front view of the electric blind of (a) and (b) of FIG. It is a perspective view of the electric blind of Example 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the elevation angle component of the slat surface and sunlight in this invention. It is explanatory drawing of the adjustment operation | movement of the opening / closing angle of a slat based on the relationship between the illumination intensity sensor and sunlight in this invention. It is a block diagram of Example 1 of the present invention. It is explanatory drawing at the time of using three illumination intensity sensors. It is a flowchart of the drive control part at the time of using three illumination intensity sensors. It is a block diagram of Example 2 of the present invention. It is a voltage-current characteristic view of a general solar cell. It is a block diagram of Example 3 of the present invention. It is a block diagram of the modification of Example 3 of this invention. It is a block diagram of Example 4 of the present invention. It is a block diagram of Example 5 of the present invention. It is a block diagram of the modification of Example 5 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 Electric blind
1B Electric blind
1C Electric blind
1D Electric blind
1E Electric blind
1F Electric blinds 11-14 Ladder arms 11, 13 Outdoor side ladder arms 12, 14 Indoor side ladder arms
16 holes
2 Drive means
2 Drive unit P, Q Drive shaft
21 Power transmission part
22 Drive arm
221 Rotating shaft
24 Motor driver
23 Motor
3 slats
31 Slat support pin
4 Detection means
40 Input section
41 Illuminance sensor
411 Reference sensor
412 First comparison sensor
413 Second comparison sensor
42 Manual switch
43 Over-rotation prevention sensor
44 Temperature sensor
5 Control means
5 Drive controller
6 Solar cell
6 Fixed solar cell
60 Power supply
61 Control unit for charging
62 DC-DC converter for charging
7 Power storage means
71 Electric double layer capacitor, EDLC
71 EDLC power storage unit
8 Supply control means
8 DC-DC converter for driving
9 Double glass sash
91 Window frames or blind frames (sashes, etc.)

Claims (11)

In the electric blind equipped with the driving means for changing the opening and closing angle of the slats,
Detection means for detecting the incident direction of sunlight,
Control means for controlling the drive means to change the opening / closing angle of the slats according to the incident direction detected by the detection means;
A solar cell that generates electric power when exposed to sunlight,
Power storage means for storing power generated in the solar cell;
An electric blind comprising: supply control means for supplying electric power stored in the power storage means to at least one of the drive means, the detection means, and the control means. The electric blind according to claim 1, wherein the detection means is configured to detect the incident direction of the sunlight at every set fixed time. The detection means comprises three illuminance sensors that output the maximum output voltage when the incident direction of sunlight is perpendicular to the photosensitive surface,
One of the three illuminance sensors is used as a reference sensor, and the other two illuminance sensors are used as a first comparison sensor and a second comparison sensor, respectively.
The photosensitive surface of the first comparison sensor has a slight elevation angle with the photosensitive surface of the reference sensor,
The photosensitive surface of the second comparison sensor is arranged with a small depression angle with the photosensitive surface of the reference sensor, and the control means is configured such that the output voltage of the reference sensor is the output voltage of the first comparison sensor and the second comparison sensor. 3. The electric blind according to claim 1, wherein the driving means is controlled to change an opening / closing angle of the slat so as to be larger than an output voltage of the sensor. The electric blind according to claim 1, wherein the solar cell is formed on a slat surface. The solar cell formed on the slat surface also serves as a detecting means for detecting the incident direction of the sun rays,
5. The electric blind according to claim 4, wherein the control unit is configured to control the driving unit so as to change an opening / closing angle of the slat so that an output voltage of the solar cell is maximized. The electric blind according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the electric storage means uses an electric double layer capacitor. The control means has two operation modes, a light shielding mode for changing the opening / closing angle of the slats to an angle at which the sunlight does not enter the indoor side, and a daylighting mode for changing the angle at which the sunlight enters the indoor side. The electric blind according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the electric blind is controlled in any one of the operation modes. A temperature sensor for detecting the outside air temperature;
The control means
When the outside air temperature exceeds the set light-blocking mode transition temperature, the operation mode is controlled by switching to the light-blocking mode,
The electric blind according to claim 7, wherein when the outside air temperature is equal to or lower than the set daylighting mode transition temperature, the operation mode is switched to the daylighting mode. The electric supply according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the supply control means supplies the electric power stored in the power storage means to all of the drive means, the detection means, and the control means. blind. The storage means
10. The power storage device according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit is configured to store a preset power storage amount that is greater than or equal to a daily power amount required by the drive unit, the detection unit, and the control unit. The electric blind according to item 1. The electric blind according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the slat is disposed in a double glass sash.

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