JP2004361246A - Operation controller for car equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an operation controller for car equipment which enables easy operations by a driver who is physically handicapped. <P>SOLUTION: This operation controller for car equipment is provided with operating devices for a car such as a steering wheel, a shift lever, a brake pedal, a parking brake, etc., or driving operation means which are designed so as to make operations by a physically handicapped driver possible and function similarly, driving operation detection means for detecting car driving operations, a conversion means which is connected to a nonrunning peripheral apparatus such as a navigation apparatus or the like not being related to car running operations for performing driving operations of the car, and converts a detected driving operation for the car into specified operation directions, and an apparatus operation control means for performing operation control of the nonrunning peripheral apparatus corresponding to the specified directions. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vehicle device operation control device that is mounted on a vehicle and controls the operation of non-traveling peripheral devices that are not related to the traveling operation of the vehicle.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Devices that are not directly related to driving operations, such as navigation devices and audio-visual (AV) devices, are installed in vehicles and contribute to driving efficiency, and devices that create a comfortable interior space are widely spread and function. Are also advanced.
[0003]
Among them, the navigation device detects a current position by a GPS (Global Positioning System: Global Positioning System) or the like as the vehicle travels, displays the current position on a display device along with a road map, and displays the target position from the current position. By setting an appropriate route to the ground and guiding the user with a display device or a sound output device, the vehicle contributes to efficient and safe driving of the driver. In addition, the AV device also has effects such as giving an appropriate stimulus to long-distance driving, which tends to be monotonous, and preventing a passenger from getting bored. These devices are operated by a mechanical or touch panel switch or a remote controller, and further by voice input using voice recognition technology.
[0004]
2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, development of a dedicated vehicle for a physically handicapped person that can be driven by a physically handicapped person has been progressing. However, since such a dedicated vehicle has a small mass production effect, it is more expensive than a normal mass production vehicle. Therefore, the development of a vehicle for the physically handicapped, in which the existing mass-produced vehicle is modified so that the physically handicapped person can drive (see Patent Documents 1 and 2). In these vehicles for the physically handicapped, measures are taken in accordance with the location and degree of limb injury, such as operating the accelerator or brake with an operation lever instead of a pedal.
[0005]
For visually impaired persons, a system for providing guidance in a station or on a road using a navigation function has been proposed (see Patent Document 3).
[0006]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2002-46500 A [Patent Document 2]
JP 2002-120590 A [Patent Document 3]
JP-A-11-276516
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Taking a vehicle navigation device as an example,
(1) In the case of a mechanical or touch switch, the device must be placed at a position where the screen can be easily operated by the driver.
(2) Since the recognition rate of voice recognition depends on the voice of the speaker, it may be difficult for the speaker to recognize the voice.
(3) It is necessary to prepare a place for the remote controller, and the buttons of the remote controller itself are small and difficult to operate.
This is not easy to operate, especially for drivers with limb disorders.
[0008]
The navigation device and the AV equipment are generally installed on a center console between a driver's seat and a passenger seat. For this reason, it is not possible to operate the navigation device or the AV device in the same attitude as when driving. During operation, the line of sight deviates from the front of the vehicle, causing a period of insufficient attention to the front of the vehicle.
[0009]
There is also a method of installing an operation switch group of the navigation device and the AV device at the center of the steering wheel so that the operation switch can be operated while maintaining the same posture as when driving, but this hinders the attachment of the airbag. Even with a method in which an operation switch group is installed on the grip portion of the steering wheel, it is possible that the operation switch is accidentally pressed during operation of the steering wheel.
[0010]
In the vehicles for the physically handicapped in Patent Literatures 1 and 2, devices related to driving operation are being improved, but devices that are not directly related to driving, such as navigation devices and AV devices, are not suitable for the physically handicapped. At present, there is no response taking into account that the user operates. Further, although the navigation device and the AV device have an operation guidance function by voice, such a function is not necessarily provided for the convenience of a physically handicapped person as in Patent Document 3.
[0011]
In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle device operation control device that can be easily operated by a driver with a physical disability, or that can be operated by a healthy person without changing the posture during driving. It is in.
[0012]
Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention
The present invention provides a vehicle device operation control device for solving the above-mentioned problems, and includes a driving operation unit for performing a driving operation of a vehicle, a driving operation detecting unit for detecting a driving operation of the vehicle, and a driving operation of the vehicle. Conversion means connected to the non-traveling peripheral device unrelated to and converting the detected driving operation of the vehicle into a predetermined operation instruction of the non-traveling peripheral device, and operation control of the non-traveling peripheral device corresponding to the predetermined operation instruction And a device operation control unit for performing the above operation.
[0013]
The vehicle further includes running state detecting means for detecting a running state of the vehicle. If the running state detecting means determines that the vehicle is in a stopped state and the driving operation detecting means detects a driving operation of the vehicle, the conversion is performed. The means converts the detected driving operation of the vehicle into a predetermined operation instruction of the non-traveling peripheral device, and the non-traveling peripheral device responds to the driving operation by operation control of the device operation control means based on the predetermined operation instruction. It is also possible to adopt a configuration of a vehicle device operation control device that performs an operation.
[0014]
More specifically, a driving operation means for performing a driving operation of a vehicle, a driving operation detecting means for detecting the driving operation, and a driving operation means for the vehicle navigation device connected to the vehicle navigation device. A vehicle equipment operation control device comprising: conversion means for converting the operation instruction into a predetermined operation instruction; and equipment operation control means for performing operation control of the vehicle navigation device corresponding to the predetermined operation instruction. Can be.
[0015]
In this case, the vehicle includes running state detecting means for detecting a running state of the vehicle, and when the running state detecting means determines that the vehicle is in a stopped state, and the driving operation detecting means detects a driving operation of the vehicle, The conversion means converts the detected driving operation of the vehicle into a predetermined operation instruction of the vehicle navigation device, and the operation control of the device operation control means based on the predetermined operation instruction causes the vehicle navigation device to respond to the driving operation. It is also possible to adopt a configuration of a vehicle device operation control device that performs an operation.
[0016]
Further, the driving operation detecting means includes a steering sensor that detects an operation amount of a steering of the vehicle, a brake sensor that detects an operation of a brake of the vehicle, a parking brake sensor that detects an operation of a parking brake of the vehicle, and a transmission of the vehicle. And a shift position sensor for detecting a shift position position of the shift position.
[0017]
The present invention can be used for operation control of a vehicle audio device in addition to operation control of a vehicle navigation device. In addition to these, any device that is not related to the driving operation of the vehicle and that can be additionally attached to the vehicle can be subjected to operation control.
[0018]
According to the present invention, since a device required for driving is used as an input device of the navigation device, a special input device is not used, so that a physically handicapped person can easily operate the navigation device and the like. In addition, even a healthy person can operate the navigation device without using a switch or a remote controller while maintaining a posture during driving.
[0019]
Further, the present invention uses a device necessary for driving in place of a switch or a remote control of an existing non-traveling peripheral device, and includes a driving operation detecting means and a signal for transmitting a signal from the non-traveling peripheral device. This can be realized by adding a cable. Therefore, there is no need to add a dedicated device, and a great effect can be obtained with a small manufacturing cost.
[0020]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to examples shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a vehicle equipment operation control device 50 as one embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle equipment operation control device 50 transmits signals from the parking brake switch 51, the shift position sensor 52, the steering angle sensor 53, and the brake switch 54 to the navigation device 100 via the communication device 56 via the in-vehicle communication network. It has become.
[0021]
The parking brake switch 51 is turned on when a parking brake (not shown) is operated, and is turned off when the parking brake is released, and this state is transmitted by a signal. Since the instrument panel at the driver's seat has an indicator light indicating the state of the parking brake, the indicator light may be used as a signal to turn on when the light is on and to be turned off when the light is off.
[0022]
The shift position sensor 52 detects the position of a shift lever (not shown) or a gear (not shown) of the transmission. For vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission, the current shift position is lit and displayed near the instrument panel or shift lever in the driver's seat of the vehicle, so the lit position is detected and determined as the current shift position. May be used.
[0023]
The steering angle sensor 53 detects the rotation angle of the steering handle 55, and includes a well-known rotary encoder or a tachogenerator. In a vehicle equipped with a power steering device, a rotation torque generated by rotating the steering wheel 55 is detected by a rotation torque detecting mechanism (torque sensor) coaxially mounted on the steering wheel shaft, and operation control of the power steering device is performed. Therefore, a method of converting a change amount of the torque sensor into a rotation angle may be adopted.
[0024]
The brake switch 54 is turned on when a brake pedal (not shown) is depressed, and is turned off when the brake pedal is not depressed, and transmits this state as a signal. A method may be adopted in which the brake lamp is determined to be in an on state when lit, and is determined to be in an off state when lit.
[0025]
The above-described parking brake, shift lever, steering handle 55 and brake pedal correspond to the driving operation means in the present invention. Further, the parking brake switch 51, the shift position sensor 52, the steering angle sensor 53, and the brake switch 54 correspond to a driving operation detecting unit in the present invention. In addition, the driving operation means may be a device having an equivalent function designed to be provided to a driver with a disability in addition to the above. Similarly, the driving operation detecting means may use a device that detects the state of a device designed to be provided to a driver with a disability.
[0026]
In addition to the above switches and sensors, a direction indicator switch, a light control switch, or a wiper switch may be used as the driving operation means and the driving operation detecting means.
[0027]
The communication device 56 sends signals from the parking brake switch 51, the shift position sensor 52, the steering angle sensor 53, and the brake switch 54 to the in-vehicle communication network. In addition to this configuration, a method may be adopted in which signals from the parking brake switch 51, the shift position sensor 52, the steering angle sensor 53, and the brake switch 54 are directly sent to the navigation device 100 without using the communication device 56. The method of transmitting the signal of the sensor or the switch to the navigation device 100 varies depending on the configuration of the device mainly using the sensor or the switch.
[0028]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the navigation device as one embodiment of the present invention. The navigation device includes a position detector 1, a map data input device 6, an operation switch group 7, a remote control (hereinafter referred to as a remote control) sensor 11, a speaker 15 for voice guidance, an external memory 9, a display device 10, A control circuit 8 and a remote control terminal 12 are provided.
[0029]
The position detector 1 includes a well-known geomagnetic sensor 2, a rotation detection sensor 3 such as a gyroscope, a distance sensor 4, and a GPS receiver 5 for GPS that detects the position of the vehicle based on radio waves from satellites. ing. Each of these sensors 2, 3, 4, and 5 has an error having a different property, and is configured to be used while complementing each with a plurality of sensors. Depending on the accuracy, a part of the sensors described above may be used, and a rotation sensor of the steering wheel, a wheel sensor of each rolling wheel, or the like may be used.
[0030]
The map data input device 6 is a device for inputting, from a storage medium, various data including so-called map matching data for improving the accuracy of position detection, and road data representing road connections. As a storage medium, a CD-ROM or a DVD is generally used because of its data amount, but another medium such as a memory card may be used.
[0031]
As the operation switch group 7, for example, a touch switch or a mechanical switch integrated with the display device 10 is used. The touch switch is composed of an infrared sensor that is finely arranged vertically and horizontally on the screen of the display device 10. For example, when the infrared ray is interrupted by a finger or a touch pen, the interrupted position becomes a two-dimensional coordinate value (X, Y). Various instructions can be input by the operation switch group 7 and the remote control terminal 12.
[0032]
The display device 10 corresponds to the display means of the present invention, and is constituted by a color liquid crystal display. On the screen of the display device 10, the vehicle current position mark input from the position detector 1, the map data input from the map data input device 6, and additional data such as a guidance route to be displayed on a map are superimposed. In addition to the display, buttons for setting route guidance, performing guidance during route guidance, and switching screens are displayed on this screen.
[0033]
In addition, the present navigation device communicates with an ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) vehicle-mounted device 16 so that the navigation device 100 captures toll information and the like received from the ETC road device by the ETC vehicle-mounted device 16. be able to. Further, it is also possible to connect to an external network by the on-board ETC device 16.
[0034]
The control circuit 8 is configured as a normal computer, and includes a well-known CPU 81, a ROM 82, a RAM 83, an I / O 84, and a bus line 85 connecting these components. This control circuit 8 corresponds to the conversion means and the operating device control means in the present invention. CPU 81 performs control according to programs and data stored in ROM 82 and RAM 83. The ROM 81 has a program storage area 82a and a data storage area 82b. The program storage area 82a stores a navigation program (hereinafter, referred to as a navigation program) 82p. Data necessary for the operation of the navigation program 82p is stored in the data storage area 82b. The navigation program 82p operates on the RAM 83 with the work memory 83w for the navigation program as a work area.
[0035]
Further, the external memory 9 stores data necessary for the operation of the navigation device. The stored contents of the external memory 9 are retained even when the accessory switch (ACC) of the vehicle is turned off.
[0036]
The communication unit 19 is connected to the in-vehicle communication network, and receives data necessary for operation of the navigation device 100 and transmits data necessary for controlling other devices. In this embodiment, the communication unit 19 receives signals from the parking brake switch 51, the shift position sensor 52, the steering angle sensor 53, and the brake switch 54 from the in-vehicle communication network.
[0037]
With this configuration, when the accessory switch is turned on and the navigation program 82p is started by the CPU 81 of the control circuit 8, the navigation device 100 allows the driver to operate the operation switch group 7 or the remote control terminal 12. Then, when the route guidance process for displaying the destination route on the display device 10 is selected from the menu displayed on the display device 10, the following process is performed. That is, when the driver inputs the destination based on the map on the display device 10, the current position of the vehicle is obtained based on the satellite data obtained from the GPS receiver 5, and the current position from the current position to the destination is determined by the well-known Dijkstra method or the like. Is performed to determine the optimal route of Then, the guidance route is superimposed and displayed on the road map on the display device 10 to guide the driver to an appropriate route.
[0038]
Hereinafter, referring to the flowchart of FIG. 3, a case where signals from the parking brake switch 51, the shift position sensor 52, the steering angle sensor 53, and the brake switch 54, which are executed at regular intervals by the navigation program 82p of the CPU 81, are received. Control processing of the navigation device 100 will be described.
[0039]
First, from the data received by the communication unit 19, information from the parking brake switch 51, the shift position sensor 52, the steering angle sensor 53, and the brake switch 54 is fetched (S1).
[0040]
Next, the state of the parking brake is checked from the acquired information. The information of the previously acquired parking brake switch 51 stored in a predetermined area of the RAM 83 is compared with the currently acquired information. If the previous information on the state of the parking brake switch 51 is the same as the current information, the parking state is determined. It is determined that the brake state has not changed, and if the previous information and the current information are different, it is determined that the parking brake state has changed (S2). When the comparison process is completed, the information about the state of the parking brake switch 51 taken in this time is stored in the storage area of the previous information.
[0041]
When it is determined that the state of the parking brake has changed (S2: YES), and the parking brake is operated, that is, when the parking brake switch 51 changes from the OFF state to the ON state (S8: YES), the normal mode is changed. The mode is shifted to the operation mode, and the process is temporarily exited (S9). Note that the display device 10 or the speaker 15 may notify the user of the transition to the operation mode.
[0042]
When it is determined that the state of the parking brake has changed (S2: YES), and when the parking brake has been released (changed from the ON state to the OFF state) (S8: NO), the operation mode is released and the process is terminated (S8: NO). S10). When the operation mode is shifted to the normal mode, the display device 10 or the speaker 15 may notify that effect. Also, the screen display of the display device 10 is to display the state before shifting to the operation mode.
[0043]
It is determined that there is no change in the state of the parking brake (S2: NO), and if it is not the current operation mode (S3: NO), the process ends.
[0044]
It is determined that the state of the parking brake has not changed (S2: NO), and if the current operation mode is set (S3: YES), the states of the steering angle sensor 53 and the shift position sensor 52 are checked (S4, S5).
[0045]
The movement of the steering wheel, that is, the change of the steering angle sensor 53 is converted into the horizontal movement of the cursor displayed on the screen of the display device 10 (S4). When the steering angle sensor 53 detects rotation in the left direction beyond a predetermined angle, and then detects rotation in the right direction, the cursor is moved from the current position by a certain distance horizontally and leftward. When the steering angle sensor 53 detects that the leftward rotation of the predetermined angle or more has been continued for a predetermined time or more, the cursor is moved to the current position until the steering angle sensor 53 detects the rightward rotation. From left to right. The same applies to the movement of the cursor in the horizontal right direction.
[0046]
The movement of the shift lever, that is, the change of the shift position sensor 52 is converted into the vertical movement of the cursor displayed on the screen of the display device 10 (S5). For example, if the N (neutral) position of the shift lever is set to the neutral point, and the shift lever is moved from the N position to the R (reverse) position and immediately returned, the cursor is moved vertically upward by a certain distance from the current position. . If the state at the R position has continued for a certain period of time or more, the cursor continues to move vertically upward from the current position until the shift lever returns to the N position. Similarly, when it is desired to move the cursor vertically downward, the shift lever is moved to the D (drive) position.
[0047]
When the cursor is moved to a desired position (button) by the steering wheel and the shift lever, the brake pedal is depressed. At this time, since the state of the brake switch 54 changes from the OFF state to the ON state, this state is detected (S6), it is determined that the button at the position is pressed (S6: YES), and the processing corresponding to the button is performed. Execute (S7).
[0048]
The change in the brake pedal is detected by detecting the change in the state of the brake switch 54 from the off state to the on state (depressing the brake pedal), and in addition to the change in the state of the brake switch 54 from the on state to the off state. A method of detecting (release the foot from the depressed brake pedal) may be used.
[0049]
The transition of the screen display of the display device 10 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the normal mode, a map is displayed on the display device 10 as shown in FIG. When the parking brake is operated, the mode transits to the operation mode and a menu button is displayed as shown in FIG. It is assumed that the current cursor position is on the “display” button. In this case, the display color of the button on which the cursor is located is changed within a visible range from the other buttons.
[0050]
When the steering wheel is moved rightward to return to the original position, the position of the cursor moves from the "display" button to the "memo" button. When the above operation of the steering wheel is performed once again, as shown in FIG. 4C, the position of the cursor moves from the "memo" button to the "path" button.
[0051]
When the brake pedal is depressed in this state, the screen shifts to a route setting screen as shown in FIG. 5, and the position of the cursor is on the “50 sounds” button. Here, if the brake pedal is depressed, it is possible to set the destination by searching for the Japanese syllabary.
[0052]
FIG. 6A shows an initial screen display when the Japanese syllabary search for the destination is performed. It is assumed that the current cursor position is on the “A” button. Here, by operating the steering wheel, the shift lever, and the brake pedal, "chi", "yo", "ta", and "順 に" are input in the order shown in FIG. Move and press the brake pedal. Then, as shown in FIG. 6C, a list of Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo is displayed as a candidate place, and the destination is set from the list of the candidate places. For example, the following operation is performed to move the cursor from the position of “a” to the position of “chi”. First, the steering wheel 55 is rotated to the left by a certain angle or more to move the cursor to the left, and when the cursor moves to the position of "ta", the steering handle 55 is rotated to the right to return to the original position. Next, the shift lever is moved as N → D → N. In this case, the cursor moves from the position of “A” to the position of “Chi”.
[0053]
It is also possible to select a specific point or a building on the map as a destination. When the "map of the previous time" button is selected on the menu screen of FIG. 5, a line cursor where a vertical line and a horizontal line intersect at a right angle is displayed on the screen of the display device 10 as shown in FIG. Operate the steering wheel and the shift lever to move to the point where the intersection of the line cursor is the destination. Thereafter, when the brake pedal is depressed, a guidance route starting from the current position of the vehicle and indicating the destination as the destination is displayed.
[0054]
This operation mode is considered to be mainly operated by a driver with a physical disability. Considering the situation of operating while the vehicle is stopped, it is preferable that the number of operations per menu item is small. Therefore, the configuration is such that two types of modes can be set: a basic mode in which the basic functions of the navigation device can be used, and an application mode in which all the functions of the navigation device can be used. Which function or menu button can be used in the set mode and the basic mode is stored in the external memory 9 in advance. When the parking brake is activated and the operation mode is shifted to the main operation mode, the operation mode is the basic mode, and the menu displayed on the screen of the display device 10 is limited to those usable in the basic mode. By doing so, the number of operations per menu item is reduced, and the burden on operations can be reduced.
[0055]
In addition, even in the basic mode, all menus are displayed on the screen of the display device 10, and the brightness or the display color may be different between those that can be used in the basic mode and those that can be used only in the application mode. Good. In addition, although all menus are displayed, in the case of the basic mode, a method of moving the cursor while skipping the menu of the application mode when selecting a menu may be adopted.
[0056]
In this embodiment, the operation control of the vehicle navigation device has been described. However, the operation control of the vehicle audio device may be used. In addition, the present invention is suitable for an apparatus that selects a menu button from an operation menu on a display screen using a pointing device such as a cursor key or a mouse.
[0057]
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these, and may be understood by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the claims. Various modifications based on the above are possible.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a vehicle device operation control device as one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a navigation device.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining control processing of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a view for explaining an example of a screen display in the control processing of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a view for explaining an example of a screen display following FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a view for explaining an example of a screen display following FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a view for explaining another example of screen display in the control processing of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
Reference Signs List 8 control circuit 10 display device 19 communication unit 50 vehicle equipment operation control device 51 parking brake switch 52 shift position sensor 53 steering angle sensor 54 brake switch 55 steering handle 56 communication device 100 navigation device

Claims (5)

Driving operation means for performing driving operation of the vehicle; driving operation detecting means for detecting driving operation of the vehicle; and driving operation detection means for detecting the driving operation of the vehicle connected to non-traveling peripheral devices unrelated to the driving operation of the vehicle. Vehicle equipment operation, comprising: conversion means for converting the non-traveling peripheral device into a predetermined operation instruction; and device operation control means for performing operation control of the non-traveling peripheral device corresponding to the predetermined operation instruction. Control device. A driving state detecting means for detecting a driving state of the vehicle, wherein the driving state detecting means determines that the vehicle is in a stopped state, and the driving operation detecting means detects a driving operation of the vehicle; The conversion unit converts the detected driving operation of the vehicle into a predetermined operation instruction of the non-traveling peripheral device, and the non-traveling peripheral device is controlled by the device operation control unit based on the predetermined operation instruction. The vehicle device operation control device according to claim 1, wherein the operation device performs an operation according to a driving operation. Driving operation means for performing a driving operation of a vehicle, driving operation detecting means for detecting the driving operation, and a predetermined operation instruction of the vehicle navigation device which is connected to the vehicle navigation device and performs the detected driving operation of the vehicle. A vehicle device operation control device, comprising: a conversion device for converting the vehicle operation device into a vehicle navigation device; and a device operation control device for performing operation control of the vehicle navigation device in response to the predetermined operation instruction. A driving state detecting means for detecting a driving state of the vehicle, wherein the driving state detecting means determines that the vehicle is in a stopped state, and the driving operation detecting means detects a driving operation of the vehicle; The conversion means converts the detected driving operation of the vehicle into a predetermined operation instruction of the vehicle navigation device, and the operation control of the device operation control means based on the predetermined operation instruction causes the vehicle navigation device to The vehicle device operation control device according to claim 3, wherein the operation is performed in accordance with a driving operation. The driving operation detecting means includes: a steering sensor that detects an operation amount of a steering of the vehicle; a brake sensor that detects an operation of a brake of the vehicle; a parking brake sensor that detects an operation of a parking brake of the vehicle; The vehicle device operation control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: a shift position sensor that detects a shift position position of the transmission.

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