EP2111493B1 - Device for activating pivotable closure elements - Google Patents

Abstract

Device for operating a closure part comprises an operating part formed as a bellows which expands using a pressure medium and lies flat between a region (30) of the closure part on the hinge side and a flat piece (28) of an edge (18) of an opening (16). An independent claim is also included for a smoke removal device with the above operating part for opening a fire protection cap (10). Preferred Features: The bellows has several chambers and is formed by a film with layers folded in a harmonica manner. The bellows is connected via a line to a pressure source.

Description

The invention relates to a device for actuating a closure member, which is connected via a hinge pivotally connected to an edge of an opening to be closed, with an acting between the edge and the closure member expandable actuator, in the form of an expandable by a pressure medium bellows, the closed Closure member lies flat between a hinge-side region of this closure member and a surface portion of the edge of the opening.

Devices of this kind are made GB-A-1 339 021 and US-A-3,202,061 known.

In buildings such as factory buildings and the like must be provided in the roof fire protection adapters, which in the case of flat roofs usually have the shape of skylights and open automatically in case of fire, so that the evolving smoke can be deducted. It should be noted that the fire damper must still open reliably even if the opening process is made difficult by a possible snow load. The device for automatically opening the fire damper must therefore be able to generate a force with which a snow load of, for example, 50 kg / m ² can be overcome.

One possibility is to install on the closing side of the fire damper, ie on the side opposite to the hinge, a pneumatic, hydraulic or electromechanical actuator with which the fire damper can be opened by taking advantage of favorable leverage ratios For large fire dampers, their dimensions, for example 1.5 x 2.8 m may be, but then for a sufficiently wide opening of the fire damper a correspondingly long adjustment required, with the result that a large space requirement for the actuator is created.

Another known possibility for opening a fire damper is to blow open the fire damper in case of fire using a propellant. Also in this case, the blasting mechanism is disposed on the opposite side of the hinge. The object of the invention is to provide a device for actuating a closure member, in particular a fire damper, which is characterized by high reliability and a small footprint.

This object is achieved erfingdungsgemäß that is connected to a device of the type mentioned in the bellows via a line to a pressure source, and that a pneumatic locking member for the closure member is connected to this line, that by pressure from the pressure source both the lock lifted as well as the bellows is expanded,

This solution allows, for example, in the case of a fire damper to accommodate the actuator space saving in the fold on the hinge side of the fire damper. Although in this case the actuator engages a relatively short lever arm on the fire damper, can be with this device produce surprisingly large opening torques, so that even large snow loads can be overcome. This is primarily due to the fact that the bellows on the hinge-side edge of the fire protection flap can extend over almost the entire length of the fire damper, so that the pressure generated by the pressure medium acts on a correspondingly large area and thus despite the space-saving design overall high Operating force can be generated.

In addition, the device according to the invention is relatively inexpensive, and it also has the advantage that large opening angle of the fire damper, in particular opening angle of more than 90 ° can be achieved without a bulky linkage is required on the closing side of the fire damper. In addition, the expanded by the pressure medium bellows is able to hold the fire damper reliably in the open position and cushion any rebound of the flap when it reaches the open position. At the same time the bellows can replace the otherwise necessary on the relevant side of the fire damper seal.

The device is particularly suitable for opening fire dampers, but can also be used generally for opening roof windows or for opening and / or closing doors, including fire doors, or other pivotable closure members.

Normally, the fire damper (the closure member) will be locked in the closed position, so first the lock must be released before the bellows can be expanded by the pressure medium. This can be achieved in a particularly convenient manner by a pneumatic locking member, which is acted upon by the same pressure medium, which also serves to expand the bellows in the sense of unlocking.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention are specified in the subclaims.

The bellows is preferably made of a thin, tear-resistant film, which can be folded to save space. For example, polymer films are known which have only a thickness of the order of about 30 microns, but still withstand a pressure of about 600 kPa.

The bellows can consist of a single chamber or several interconnected chambers and can be configured so that also opening angle can be achieved from 90 to 180 °, and thus the fire damper after opening due to their own weight in this open position remains at smaller opening angles Bellows made of a fire-resistant film, so that the fire damper is kept open even in direct fire.

In the pressure medium with which the bellows is expanded, it may be, for example, compressed air from a compressed air network or even a gas that is generated in the case of release by means of a chemical or pyrotechnic propellant. Likewise, a liquid pressure medium (eg tap water) can also be used.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the pneumatic locking member is a piston / cylinder unit, which is resiliently biased into the locking position and connected in a leading to the bellows pressure line, that when pressure is applied, the piston is first pressed into the unlocking position and only on reaching the Locking position an opening in the wall of the cylinder releases, then passes through the pressure medium in the bellows.

In the case of a fire damper or fire door, the device may be designed for one-time use so that when it is fired in the event of a fire, it is subsequently new Alternatively, however, the bellows can also be designed, for example by using elastic return elements, so that it automatically folds up when the pressure is relieved and is then ready for a new release. Optionally, two alternately working bellows may be provided on opposite sides of the closure member, so that the closure member can be opened and closed automatically by reversing the compressed air supply. Another possibility is to automatically open and close the closure member, for example a fire damper in that the bellows alternately pressurized air and subjected to a negative pressure. The negative pressure can be generated by using a venturi with the aid of compressed air from the compressed air network, so that no special vacuum source is needed.

In the following, embodiments of the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the drawing.

Fig. 1

einen schematischen Schnitt durch eine Brandschutzklappe mit einer erfin- dungsgemäßen Öffnungsvorrichtung im geöffneten Zustand,

Fig. 2

die Brandschutzklappe nach Fig. 1 in geschlossener Stellung;

Fig. 3

eine teilweise aufgeschnittene perspektivische Ansicht eines Balges der Öff- nungsvorrichtung;

Fig. 4

einen axialen Schnitt durch ein Verriegelungsorgan für die Brandschutz- klappe;

Fig. 5

einen Querschnitt eines Balges gemäß einer anderen Ausführungsform,

Fig. 6

einen schematischen Querschnitt einer Öffnungsvorrichtung gemäß einer weiteren Ausführungsform;

Fig. 7

eine Detaildarstellung zu Fig. 6

Fig. 8

einen schematischen Querschnitt einer Öffnungsvorrichtung gemäß einer weiteren Ausführungsform in geschlossener Stellung; und

Fig. 9

die Vorrichtung nach Fig. 8 in geöffneter Stellung.

Show it:

Fig. 1

FIG. 2 a schematic section through a fire damper with an opening device according to the invention in the opened state, FIG.

Fig. 2

the fire damper after Fig. 1 in closed position;

Fig. 3

a partially cutaway perspective view of a bellows of the opening device;

Fig. 4

an axial section through a locking device for the fire damper;

Fig. 5

a cross section of a bellows according to another embodiment,

Fig. 6

a schematic cross section of an opening device according to another embodiment;

Fig. 7

a detailed view too Fig. 6

Fig. 8

a schematic cross section of an opening device according to another embodiment in the closed position; and

Fig. 9

the device after Fig. 8 in open position.

Fig. 1 shows a fire damper 10 in the form of a dome light, which is held by a hinge 12 pivotally mounted on a curb 14, which is mounted on a roof, not shown, of a building. The curb 14 limits an opening 16, which serves as a smoke outlet opening in case of fire. A peripheral edge 18 of the opening 16 is formed by the upper surface of a flange 20 projecting horizontally outwardly from the top of the curb 14.

The curb 14, for example, has the shape of a rectangular frame with a width B of, for example, 1.5 m and a length L (perpendicular to the plane in Fig. 1 ) of, for example, 2.8 m.

On the hinge 12 opposite side of the top ring 14, a locking member 22 is disposed below the flange 20, with which the in Fig. 1 in the open position shown fire damper 10 can lock in the closed position.

The device for opening the fire damper 10 comprises a pressure source 24, for example a propellant or a compressed air network, and an actuator in the form of a bellows 26, which is expandable by the pressure medium generated by the pressure source 24. The bellows 26 extends on the hinge side of the top ring 14 at right angles to the plane in Fig. 1 approximately over the entire length of the respective leg of the cradle and is fixed with a part of its surface on a surface portion 28 of the flange 20 formed by the edge 18 of the opening 16, for example, glued. Another surface area of the bellows 26, which in Fig. 1 is shown in the expanded state, is in the vicinity of the hinge 12 at a near-wheel region 30 of the inner surface of the fire damper 10 and may optionally be glued to the fire damper. In this way, the fire damper 10 by the Pressure of the pressure medium contained in the bellows 26 held in the open position.

The bellows 26 is connected via a line 32 to the locking member 22, which in turn is connected via a line 34 to the pressure source 24. The pressure source 24 receives a signal from a smoke detector 36, which may be installed in the immediate vicinity of the opening 16 or optionally also at a central location in the building.

In Fig. 2 the fire damper 10 is shown in closed and locked to the locking member 22 position. The bellows 26 is folded in this state to a flat package and is located between the flange of the cap rim 14 and the corresponding edge region of the fire damper 10. In a modified embodiment, the surface portion 28 of the flange 20 may also be somewhat recessed, so that a shallow chamber is formed for receiving the folded bellows. This has the advantage that the film of the bellows 26 is better protected against the action of heat until the fire damper is opened.

When the smoke detector 36 reports smoke, it communicates to the pressure source 24 a signal to initiate the supply of pressure to the pneumatic locking member 22, which then retracts a piston rod 38 and thus releases the latch of the fire damper. At the same time, the locking member 22 acts as a valve which connects the lines 34 and 32 after unlocking, so that the pressure medium is introduced into the bellows 26 and inflates it. By doing this on the area 30 ( Fig. 1 ) the fire damper acting force is generated sufficient torque to open the fire damper.

The width b of the package 26 folded bellows 26 and thus the width of the corresponding contact surfaces with the top ring 14 and the fire damper 10 is for example 5 cm. Assuming that a snow load S of 50 kg / m ^{2 is} to be overcome for opening the fire damper 10 (the self-weight of the fire damper can be neglected), the required pressure P of the pressure medium can be calculated as follows:

The torque M ₁ required to open the fire damper against the snow load S is: $${\mathrm{M}}_1=\underset{0}{\overset{\mathrm{B}}{\int }}\mathrm{LS\; x\; dx}={\mathrm{LSB}}^2/2$$

The torque M ₂ generated by the bellows 26 is: $${\mathrm{M}}_2=\underset{0}{\overset{\mathrm{b}}{\int }}\mathrm{LP\; x\; dx}={\mathrm{LP\; b}}^2/2$$

By equating M ₁ and M ₂ one obtains: $$\mathrm{P}\mathrm{=}\mathrm{S}{\left(\mathrm{B}\mathrm{/}\mathrm{b}\right)}^{\mathrm{2}}\mathrm{=}\mathrm{450}\mathrm{kPa}\mathrm{,}$$

This pressure (4.5 bar) is therefore not greater than the pressure in a well-inflated bicycle tire. In this calculation, it has been simplified assuming that the hinge 12 is located directly on the edge of the bellows 26. If the hinge is moved a little farther away, as shown in the drawing, even smaller values are obtained for the required pressure. In addition, since the torque required for opening M ₂ depends quadratically on the width b, the torque can be considerably increased by increasing b. For example, at b = 10 cm, only 112.5 kPa pressure is obtained.

In Fig. 3 a possible design of the bellows 26 is shown. This bellows is formed by a thin, tear-resistant polymer film, which is folded into four layers 40, 42, 44, 46. Each of these layers has the width b and extends over the entire length L of the relevant leg of the top ring 14. The layers 40 and 42 are glued together at the ends by adhesive seams 48. Accordingly, the layers 44 and 46 are glued together by adhesive seams 50. At the in Fig. 3 left edge of the bellows, the layers 40 and 46 are glued together at the free ends of the folded film by adhesive seams 52, 54, and the adhesive seams 54 at the end of the bladder connect to the adhesive seams 48 and 50, so that a closed on all sides bellows with two Chambers is formed, which are formed between the layers 40 and 42 and 44 and 46 and communicate with each other. Upon entry of the pressure medium via the line 32, thus, the bellows 26 can unfold like an accordion, wherein in the central region on most of the length of the bellows, the fold formed between the inner layers 42 and 44 can turn outward until the bellows finally the in Fig. 1 shown configuration.

In Fig. 4 the locking member 22 is shown in an axial section. This locking member forms a cylinder 56 in which a connected to the piston rod 38 piston 58 is guided. A spring 60 biases the piston into the locking position. When the piston 58 is pressurized via the line 34, it moves counter to the force of the spring 60 to the left and pulls the piston rod 38 back to the unlocked position. Only when reaching the unlocked position, the piston releases the line 32, so that the supplied via the line 34 pressure medium via the line 32 to the. Bellows 26 can be forwarded. The opening cross-section in the conduit 32 is slightly smaller than that of the conduit 34, so that a certain overpressure is maintained in the cylinder 56, which holds the piston 58 in the unlocked position, as long as pressure medium is supplied via the line 34. Even if the spring 60 would push back the piston in the direction of the Verriegelungsstelldung, this would lead to a partial closing of the line 32 and thus to an increase in the pressure in the cylinder, and the piston would be pushed back to the unlocked position, until finally a Equilibrium sets. Thus, the locking member 22 can optionally also use to regulate the flow rate of the pressure medium to the bellows 26. When the pressure supply is switched off, the piston 58 returns to the locking position. In the example shown, the piston rod has a ramp, so that the fire damper 10, when it is closed again, can automatically engage and thus the lock is restored. A connected to the piston rod 38 and led out of the cylinder 56 tension member 38 'also allows manual unlocking regardless of a triggering case.

Optionally, for longer fire dampers also several locking members may be provided which are pneumatically connected in series.

Fig. 5 shows a bellows 26 'according to a modified embodiment. Here, in each case a plate-shaped reinforcement 64 or 62 is attached to the outer layers 46 and 40 of the film, for example glued, which extends over the entire length of the bellows. Optionally, the reinforcements can also be connected by a hinge and, in any case, are pivotable relative to one another during the expansion of the bellows.

The reinforcements make the bellows a substantially rigid assembly which can be handled as a unit and thus more easily mounted on the cradle. The connection for the line 32 can then be stably integrated into the lower reinforcement 64.

The hinge 12 may also be omitted in a modified embodiment. Its function is then taken over directly by the bellows 26 or the hinge connecting the reinforcements 62, 64.

The FIGS. 6 and 7 show an example of an opening device, which in addition to the emergency opening function offers the possibility to open the closure member controlled in two stages.

In this embodiment, the bellows on two separate chambers 26a, 26b, which are each connected via a line 32a and 32b to the locking member 22. The conduit 32b includes a check valve 66 which opens toward the chamber 26b. If in case of fire the pressure source 24 ( FIG. 2 ) is activated, consequently both chambers 26a and 26b are acted upon by the locking member 22 and the check valve 66 with pressure medium, so that the closure member opens wide, optionally beyond an opening angle of 90 °, so that the closure member due to its own weight in the permanent open position overturns.

The chambers 26 a and 26 b can also be connected via the lines 32 a, 32 b, additional control lines 68 a, 68 b and a valve 70 optionally with a compressed air line 72 or a vent line 74.

The valve 70 has five positions a, b, c, d and e in the example shown. In the position a both control lines are locked, so that the closure member remains in the closed position, as long as the emergency opening mechanism not operated. In position b, only the control line 68a is supplied with compressed air, while the control line 68b remains locked. The compressed air is prevented by the check valve 66 from flowing into the chamber 26a, so that only the chamber 26b is filled with compressed air. In this way, the closure member can be opened by a limited opening angle.

Optionally, a stop, not shown, may be provided which limits the opening angle to less than 90 °. The stop can work similarly to the locking member 22, so that it is automatically withdrawn in an emergency in case of fire and then allows the overturning of the fire damper in the fully open position.

In the example shown here, the two chambers 26a and 26b are also used to adjust the closure member in a controlled manner in two different open positions, both corresponding to an opening angle of less than 90 °. This can be achieved, for example, by the fact that the pressure in the compressed air line 72 is less than the outlet pressure of the emergency release serving pressure source 24 so that the pressure in the compressed air line 72, even if both chambers 26a and 26b are acted upon, is insufficient Closing member to open more than 90 °.

If the closure member is to be set to the larger opening angle, the valve 70 is brought into the position c, in which both control lines 68a and 68b are supplied with compressed air. The check valve 66 is then bypassed so that both chambers of the bladder are expanded.

When the closure member is to be closed again, the valve 70 is brought into the position d, in which the control line 68 a is locked, while the control line 68 b is connected to the vent line 74. Consequently, in this position, only the chamber 2a6 is evacuated while the pressure in the chamber 26d is maintained.

When the closure member is to be completely closed again, the valve 70 is brought into the position e, in which both chambers are evacuated via the control lines 68a and 68d.

While the valve 70 can be locked permanently in the positions a, b and c, the positions d and e are formed as temporary positions in which the valve can be held only by hand and from which it automatically returns to the position a. This ensures that the emergency release mechanism is always ready to work.

How clearer in FIG. 7 it can be seen forms in this embodiment, the bellows at the same time a film hinge 76, which connects the two reinforcements 62, 64 together (or more generally: two hinge parts connects, which can also be formed directly through the fire damper 10 and the curb 14).

The two chambers 26a and 26b of the bellows are formed by a single film web 78 whose longitudinal edges are turned inwards. The folded and struck back to the middle part of the film web parts form flaps 80 and are clamped at their edge in each case by a longitudinally extending of the hinge clamping plate 82 against the central part of the film web 78. The clamping plates 82 are secured to the respective reinforcement 62 and 64, respectively, with screws 84 distributed along the length. In this way, the bellows is securely fixed to the two reinforcements 62, 64, and at the same time the two chambers 26a. 26b sealed at their longitudinal edges. The termination of the chambers 26a, 26b at the two ends of the bladder may be accomplished in any conventional manner, for example by welding or preferably by flipping the ends of the film web (including the flaps) and then welding or gluing.

The film hinge 76 is formed in the example shown by a single-layer strip of film web 78, which connects the two chambers 26a, 26b together. The width of this strip is dimensioned so that it corresponds exactly to the distance between the corresponding film layers of the chambers 26a, 26b caused by the clamping plates 82. In this way can the reinforcements 62, 64 in the closed position parallel to each other without the film hinge 76 is overstretched.

In a modified, not shown embodiment, the two chambers 26a, 26b of the bellows can also be formed by a closed film tube. In this case, the ends of the two flaps 80 would be integrally connected by a strip of material, so that the film hinge 76 would be double-layered and would have a correspondingly higher stability.

8 and 9 show, as a further example, a device with which the fire damper 10 can be opened by introducing positive pressure into a bellows 26 "and closed again by introducing a negative pressure of the pressure supply system is shown here only one line 86, which serves to supply the negative pressure and connects the bellows 26 "with a venturi 88. With a valve control analogous to the in Fig. 6 shown can achieve that compressed air in the in Fig. 8 indicated by an arrow direction from the venturi, so that in the bellows 26 ", a negative pressure is generated.

The bellows forms in this example only a single chamber and consists of a tube closed to a film layer, similar to Fig. 7 by clamping plates 82 on the two hinge parts, here the curb 18 and the fire damper 10, is attached. The two clamping plates 82 lie on both sides of the film hinge 76 formed by the film web.

The two walls of the bellows 26 "are here each fixed in a position remote from the film hinge 76 position by means of an additional clamping plate 90 to the cradle 18 and the frame of the fire damper 10. This makes it possible by generating a negative pressure in the interior of the bellows 26 "exert a tensile force on the fire damper 10 to move it in the closing direction.

Fig. 9 shows the fire damper 10 in a pivoted up by 90 ° position in which it is held by the pressurized bellows 26 "If now the fire damper is to be closed, then the compressed air supply interrupted and instead introduced via the venturi 28, a negative pressure in the bellows 26 ", whereupon the bellows collapses, and tensile forces are exerted on the clamping plates 50, which generate a force acting in the closing direction on the fire damper 10.

Once the closing movement of the fire damper 10 has been used once and the dead center is overcome, the fire damper falls due to their own weight further in the closed position. By suitable dimensioning of the cross section of the conduit 86 can be achieved that the bellows is compressed faster by the weight of falling into the closed position fire damper as the air can escape via the line 86, so that temporarily builds up a slight overpressure in the bellows again. This has, on the one hand, the beneficial effect of cushioning the closing movement of the fire damper 10 and, on the other hand, causes the bellows 26 "to not fold in the fully collapsed condition, but to assume a stretched configuration and flatten with its walls against the corresponding walls of the damper Attachment ring and the frame of the fire damper, as in Fig. 8 is shown.

The above-described opening and closing mechanism is also functional when the fire damper 10 is opened in the open position by more than 90 °. However, then the closing torque generated by means of vacuum must be slightly larger.

For fixing the fire damper 10 in the 90 ° or slightly more open position, a manually or automatically, for example, pneumatically releasable locking mechanism may be provided, for example, a pneumatically operated mechanism that works similar to the locking member 22 according to Fig. 2 , In this case, the arrangement can also be chosen so that the lock limits the opening movement of the fire damper 10 in normal operation, so that the fire damper open by commands entered by the user by means of compressed air and close again by means of negative pressure, but that in case of fire, the locking mechanism is automatically released so that when the bellows 26 "expands, the fire damper 10 will turn over 180 ° to the fully open position and then remain in that position so that unimpeded flue is permanently ensured.

Claims (15)

1. Device for actuating a closure member (10) that is pivotally connected, by means of a hinge (12), to an edge (18) of an opening (16) to be closed, comprising an expandable actuating member operatively intervening between the edge (18) and the closure member (10) and being in the form of a bellow (26) that is expandable by a pressure medium and is interposed in a flat configuration between a hinge side (30) of the closure member and a surface area (28) of the edge (18) of the opening (16) when the closure member (10) is closed, characterized in that the bellow (26) is connected to a pressure source (24) via a line (32, 34), and in that a pneumatic latch member (22) for the closure member (10) is connected to the lines (32, 34) in such a manner that, when pressure is supplied from the pressure source, the latched condition is cancelled and the bellow (26) is expanded.
2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the bellow (26) has a plurality of chambers (26a, 26b).
3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the bellow (26) is formed by a foil that is folded in concertina configuration with at least four layers (40, 42, 44, 46).
4. Device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the latch member (22) is connected and configured such that it cancels the latched condition of the closure member (10) before the pressure medium is introduced into the bellow (26).
5. Device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bellow (26') has on at least one of its opposite outer surfaces, that are pivotable relative to one another upon expansion, a reinforcement (62, 64) that extents essentially over the entire length of the bellow.
6. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that at least one (26b) of the chambers (26a, 26b) is adapted to be pressurized with the pressure medium via a valve (70) separately of the other chamber (26a) or the other chambers.
7. Device according to claim 6, characterized in that the one chamber (26b) that can be pressurized via the valve (70) is connected to the other chamber (26a) by a check valve (66) that opens in the direction of said one chamber.
8. Device according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that said other chamber (26a) is connectable to the pressure source (24) via a line (32a) and an emergency trigger mechanism (22).
9. Device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bellow (26) forms a film hinge (26) between the closure member (10) and the edge (18) of the opening to be closed.
10. Device according to claims 2 and 9, characterized in that two chambers (26a, 26b) are formed by a one-piece web of foil (78) the longitudinal edges of which have been folded back onto the center of the web as flaps (80) and are each fixed at a rigid hinge member (62, 64) by means of a clamping rail (82), whereas a portion of the web connecting the two chambers forms the film hinge (76).
11. Device according to claim 10, characterized in that the width of the film hinge (76) corresponds to the spacing formed between the two outer layers of the foil web (78) when the two clamping plates (82) are flatly superposed one upon the other.
12. Device according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by a suction pressure source (88) for creating a suction pressure in the bellow (26') for the purpose of actuating the closure member (10) in closure direction.
13. Device according to claim 12, characterized in that the suction pressure source is a Venturi nozzle (88) connectable to a pressure source.
14. Smoke evacuating device comprising a frame (14), said frame delimiting an opening (16), and a fire flap (10) pivotally connected to one leg of the frame (14) via a hinge (12) and forming a closure member for the opening (16), characterized by a device according to any of the preceding claims for opening the fire flap (10).
15. Smoke evacuating device according to claim 14, characterized in that the frame (14) forms a flange (20), wherein the hinge (12) is arranged at the outer edge of the flange and a top surface of the flange is covered by a hinge-side part (30) of the fire flap when the fire flap (10) is closed, and in that the bellow (26) is arranged between said hinge-side part (30) and the flange (20).

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