JP2008056201A - Actuator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a novel actuator capable of setting an address without using a dedicated connector. <P>SOLUTION: In the actuator for a vehicle air-conditioning device, a switch condition of a multi-contact switch 73 is set by protruding portions (61a, 61b, and 61c) of a setting portion 60 of an upper case portion 40a, thereby setting the switch condition of the multi-contact switch 73 and the address by selecting the upper case portion 40a. Therefore, an address-setting switch does not need to be incorporated in a connector outside the actuator, and the dedicated connector does not need to be used. The address is set by using the protruding portions of the setting portion 60 of the upper case potion 40a, thereby common parts can be used for a configuration other than the upper case portion 40a in the actuators 20a, 20b, and 20c. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an actuator that drives a movable part.

  Conventionally, some vehicle air conditioners include an electronic control device 1, actuators 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d, a communication line 3, and communication control circuits 4a, 4b, 4c, and 4d, as shown in FIG. .

  The electronic control device 1 communicates with each of the communication control circuits 4a, 4b, 4c, and 4d via the communication line 3. The actuators 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d are actuators that drive a door such as an air mix door. Connectors 5a, 5b, 5c, and 5d for connecting to the actuators 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d are connected to the communication line 3, and the communication control circuits 4a, 4b, 4c, and 4d are connected to the connectors 5a, 5b, Built in 5c and 5d.

  The communication control circuits 4a, 4b, 4c, and 4d drive the actuators 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d based on commands received from the electronic control device 1 through communication with the electronic control device 1, respectively. As a result, the electronic control unit 1 controls the actuators 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d through communication with the communication control circuits 4a, 4b, 4c, and 4d.

  Here, when the electronic control unit 1 communicates with the communication control circuits 4a, 4b, 4c, and 4d, an address for identifying the actuators 2a to 2d (that is, the communication control circuits 4a to 4d) is required. . For this reason, the connectors 5a... 5d have a built-in switch for setting an address for each actuator.

  In the vehicle air conditioner described above, a switch is built in each of the plurality of connectors in order to set an address for each actuator. That is, in order to set an address, it is necessary to prepare dedicated connectors 5a.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a novel actuator that can set an address without using a dedicated connector.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, switches (80 to 82) housed in a case and switched by pressing, and a setting unit provided in the case and set to a pressed state or a non-pressed state of the switch. (60) and determining means (S90 to S160) for determining an address based on the output signal of the switch, and the communication driving means uses the address determined by the determining means to communicate with the electronic control unit. It is the first feature that communication is performed using

  Thereby, the address can be arbitrarily set by setting of the setting unit for the switch. Therefore, it is possible to provide a novel actuator capable of setting an address without using a dedicated connector.

  In addition, when setting different addresses for each actuator, it is possible to arbitrarily set the address by replacing at least the setting unit, so that components other than the setting unit can be shared.

  In the present invention, a plurality of switches are provided, and the setting unit sets the plurality of switches to a pressed state or a non-pressed state, and the determining means corresponds to each state of the plurality of switches. The second feature is to determine the address.

  Therefore, if a plurality of patterns of setting portions (see FIG. 6) are prepared corresponding to a plurality of switch states (that is, a pressed state or a non-pressed state), a plurality of types of addresses can be set.

  In the present invention, the case is configured by combining the first and second case portions, and the setting portion is provided on one case portion side of the first and second case portions, and the switch is provided on the other case portion side. It is a third feature that is provided.

  For example, in the case of a part in which one case part and the setting part are integrally formed, the address can be arbitrarily set by replacing one case part and the setting part, so parts other than the setting part are shared. can do.

  According to the present invention, one case portion of the first and second case portions is provided with a hole portion, and the setting portion is fitted to the hole portion of the one case portion. The fourth feature.

  Here, if a plurality of patterns (see FIG. 6) corresponding to the state of the switch (ie, the pressed state or the non-pressed state) are prepared as the setting unit, the address can be obtained by replacing the setting unit. Since it can set arbitrarily, one case part can also be shared.

  The fifth feature of the present invention is that one of the case portions or the setting portion is configured such that an address can be visually identified from the outside of the case.

  Therefore, even when a plurality of actuators having different addresses are assembled in one device, the actuator can be identified for each address, so that a necessary actuator can be easily selected and assembled.

  Specifically, in the present invention, one case part or setting part may be configured so that an address can be identified from the outside of the case by coloring.

  According to the present invention, the setting portion is configured to have a protrusion for pressing the switch for each switch, and one case portion is formed so as to penetrate inside and outside and be able to fit the protrusion. A sixth feature is that a hole is provided for each switch, and the switch is set to a pressed state or a non-pressed state depending on whether or not the protrusion is fitted to the hole. And

  According to the present invention, since the hole portion of the case portion penetrates into and out of the hole portion, the presence or absence of the fitting of the projection portion can be identified from the outside of the case for each hole portion. Here, since the presence / absence of the fitting of the protrusion for each hole represents the address, the address can be identified from the outside of the case without using coloring or the like.

  In addition, the code | symbol in the bracket | parenthesis of each means described in a claim and this column shows the correspondence with the specific means as described in embodiment mentioned later.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of a vehicle air conditioner to which the actuator according to the first embodiment of the present invention is applied.

  The vehicle air conditioner includes an air conditioning casing 1, and an inside / outside air switching door 2 a is rotatably supported in the air conditioning casing 1. The inside / outside air switching door 2a is driven by the actuator 20a to open one of the outside air introduction port 1a and the inside air introduction port 1b.

  The electric blower 3 blows the outside air from the outside air introduction port 1a or the inside air from the inside air introduction port 1b as an air flow to the evaporator 4, and the evaporator 4 sends the air flow blown from the electric blower 9 to a known refrigeration cycle. It is cooled by the refrigerant circulating by operation.

  A heater core unit 5 is disposed on the air downstream side of the evaporator 4, and the heater core unit 5 heats the cold air from the evaporator 4 with engine cooling water.

  A bypass passage 6 that bypasses the heater core unit 5 and flows cool air from the evaporator 4 is provided on the side of the heater core unit 5. The air mix door 2b is rotatably supported, and the air mix door 2b adjusts the air flow rate that flows into the vehicle interior by adjusting the air flow rate that flows into the heater core unit 4 and the air flow rate that flows through the bypass passage 6. To do. The air mix door 2b is driven by the actuator 20b to adjust the rotation angle.

  Here, the warm air from the heater core unit 4 and the cool air from the bypass passage 6 are mixed and blown out toward the outlets 1c, 1d, and 1e. The air outlet 1c blows air mainly toward the inner surface of the front windshield, the air outlet 1d blows air toward the upper occupant, and the air outlet 1d blows air toward the lower occupant.

  The mode doors 2c, 2d, and 2e are rotatably supported, and open and close the air outlets 1c, 1d, and 1e, respectively. The mode doors 2c, 2d, and 2e are driven by the actuator 20c through a common link mechanism, and their rotation angles are adjusted independently.

  The electronic control device 30 is a well-known electronic control device including a memory and a microcomputer. As is well known, the electronic control unit 30 includes a vehicle interior temperature detected by the internal air temperature sensor, a vehicle exterior temperature detected by the external air temperature sensor, a set temperature output from a temperature setter set by the occupant, and the like. Based on the above, the required blowing temperature TAO is calculated, and the target angles of the actuators 20a, 20b, and 20c are calculated based on the required blowing temperature TAO.

  The target angle of the actuator 20a corresponds to the target angle of the inside / outside air switching door 2a, the target angle of the actuator 20b corresponds to the target angle of the air mix door 2b, and the target angle of the actuator 20c includes the mode doors 2c, 2d, It corresponds to each target angle of 2e.

  The electronic control unit 30 communicates with each of the actuators 20a, 20b, and 20c via the communication bus 31 in a time-sharing manner, and makes the angle close to the target angle for each actuator (20a to 20c) through this communication. Command. The communication bus 31 includes a communication line, a ground line, and a power line.

  The actuators 20a, 20b, and 20c have substantially the same structure, and the structure of the actuator 20b will be described below with reference to FIG. 2 as a representative example.

  The actuator 20b includes a casing 40, a DC motor 41, a speed reduction mechanism 42, a connector portion 43, and an electronic circuit board 44. The casing 40 is configured by combining an upper case portion 40a and a lower case portion 40b. . The upper case section 40a is provided with a setting section 60 for setting an address (that is, address information) described later.

  The speed reduction mechanism 42 includes a worm 50 that is press-fitted into the output shaft of the DC motor 41, a worm wheel 51 that meshes with the worm 50, and spur gears 53 and 54 that transmit the rotation of the worm wheel to the output shaft 52. The output shaft 52 drives the air mix door 2b via a link mechanism. The connector part 43 is a connector for connecting the electronic circuit board 44 and the communication bus 31.

  The electronic circuit board 44 is provided with a contact brush 56, and the tip of the contact brush 56 is in contact with the back surface of the spur gear 54, and conductive portions and non-conductive portions are alternately arranged in the rotation direction. A pulse pattern plate (not shown) is provided.

  The contact brush 56 and the pulse pattern plate constitute a pulse generator that generates a two-phase pulse signal that switches the signal level in the order of high level → low level → high level each time the spur gear 54 rotates by a certain angle. Since this pulse generator is a known sliding potentiometer (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-17683) that detects a rotation angle and a rotation direction thereof, a specific configuration thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a motor drive circuit 70, a rotational position detection circuit 71, a communication control circuit 72, and a multi-contact switch 73 are mounted on the electronic circuit board 44. The motor drive circuit 70 includes a communication control circuit. The DC motor 41 is driven under the control of 72. As will be described later, the communication control circuit 72 sets an address based on the switch state of the multi-contact switch 73 and communicates with the electronic control unit 30 using the set address.

  The rotational position detection circuit 71 shapes the waveform of the two-phase pulse signal output from the contact brush 56 of the pulse generator described above and outputs the waveform signal to the communication control circuit 72. The two-phase pulse signal is transmitted from the communication control circuit 72 to the electronic control device 30, and is used to calculate the rotation angle and the rotation direction when the electronic control device 30 controls the rotation angle of the DC motor 41.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the multi-contact switch 73 has three normally open type switches 80, 81, 82. The normally open type switch 80 has fixed contacts as shown in FIG. 80a, movable contact 80b, and knob 80c. The normally open switch 81 includes a fixed contact 81a, a movable contact 81b, and a knob 81c. The normally open switch 82 includes a fixed contact 82a, a movable contact 82b, and a knob 82c.

  The knobs 80c, 81c, 82c are disposed on the upper case portion 40a side with respect to the movable contacts 80b, 81b, 82b, and the movable contacts 80b, 81b, 82b are disposed on the upper case portion with respect to the fixed contacts 80a, 81a, 82a. It is arranged on the 40a side.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the knobs 80c, 81c, and 82c are arranged toward the upper case portion 40a. The knobs 80c, 81c, and 82c and the movable contacts 80b, 81b, and 82b are respectively arranged on the upper case portion 40a. It is configured to be slidable by pressing from the side toward the lower case portion 40b. FIG. 5 is a view of the electronic circuit board 44 as viewed from the upper case portion 40a side.

  Here, in a state before the upper case portion 40a and the lower case portion 40b are assembled, the normally open type switches 80, 81, 82 are respectively fixed contacts (80a, 81a, 82a) and movable contacts (80b, 81b, 82b). ) Is in a non-contact state and is in an off state (see FIG. 4A).

  On the other hand, in the state after assembling the upper case portion 40a and the lower case portion 40b, the movable contact of any of the normally open switches 80, 81, 82 is caused by the protrusion of the setting portion 60 of the upper case portion 40a. It is pressed through the knob to come into contact with the fixed contact and turn on.

  The setting unit 60 is for selectively pressing the normally open switches 80, 81, 82 of the multi-contact switch 73 to set the contact state (ie, the on state). Depending on the combination of presence / absence, as shown in FIGS. 6A to 6H, eight patterns of setting units 60 are set.

  In the first pattern, as shown in FIGS. 4B and 6A, the setting unit 60 is provided with projections 61a, 61b, and 61c that press the normally open switches 80, 81, and 82, respectively. The normally open switches 80, 81, 82 are all pressed and set in a contact state (ie, an on state).

  In the second pattern, as shown in FIG. 6B and FIG. 7B, the setting unit 60 is provided with only the projections 61a and 61c that press the normally open switches 80 and 82, respectively. The normally open switches 80 and 82 are pressed and set in a contact state (ie, an on state), while the normally open switch 81 is set in a non-pressed state (ie, an off state).

  The remaining third to sixth patterns are as shown in FIGS. 6C to 6H. For example, in the third pattern, the normally open switch 80 is in contact, the normally open switch 81 is in contact, and the normally open switch 82 is not in contact. In the fourth pattern, the normally open switch 80 is in contact. In the non-contact state, the normally open switch 81 is in the contact state, and the normally open switch 82 is in the contact state. In the fifth pattern, the normally open switch 80 is in the contact state, and the normally open switch 81 is in the noncontact state. The open switch 82 is brought into a non-contact state. In the sixth pattern, the normally open switch 80 is in a non-contact state, the normally open switch 81 is in a contact state, and the normally open switch 82 is in a non-contact state. In the seventh pattern, the normally open switch 80 is in a non-contact state. Is in a non-contact state, normally open switch 81 is in a non-contact state, and normally open switch 82 is in a contact state. In the eighth pattern, normally open switch 80 is in a non-contact state, and normally open switch 81 is in a non-contact state. In this state, the normally open switch 82 is in a non-contact state.

  As described above, the switch state of the multi-contact switch 73 (that is, the on / off state for each normally open switch) is set to eight patterns by the eight pattern setting unit 60.

  In this embodiment, since the setting part 60 is integrally formed of a resin material together with the upper case part 40a, the multi-contact switch 73 is set as a necessary switch state as the upper case part 40a. There are 8 types available.

  Next, the operation of the actuator 20b of this embodiment will be described.

  First, when the ignition switch IG in FIG. 1 is turned on, a power supply voltage is applied from the battery Ba to the actuator 20 b through the electronic control device 30 and the power supply line of the communication bus 31. Then, the communication control circuit 72 of the actuator 20b starts executing the address setting process according to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, in step S90, the output signal of the normally open switch 80 is detected. Based on this detection signal, whether the normally open switch 80 is turned on in step S100 (that is, the fixed contact 80a and the movable contact are in the 80b contact state). Whether or not) is determined. When the normally open switch 80 is on, it is determined as YES and the internal parameter a is set to “1” (step S110). When the normally open switch 80 is off, it is determined as NO and the internal parameter a is set to “1”. 0 ”(step S111).

  Next, the output signal of the normally open switch 81 is detected in step S115, and it is determined based on this detection signal whether or not the normally open switch 81 is turned on in step S120. When the normally open switch 81 is on, it is determined as YES and the internal parameter b is set to “1” (step S130). When the normally open switch 80 is off, it is determined as NO and the internal parameter b is set to “1”. 0 ”(step S131).

  Next, in step S135, the output signal of the normally open switch 82 is detected, and based on this detection signal, it is determined whether or not the normally open switch 82 is turned on in step S140. When the normally open switch 82 is on, it is determined as YES and the internal parameter c is set to “1” (step S150). When the normally open switch 82 is off, it is determined as NO and the internal parameter c is set to “1”. 0 ”(step S151).

  As described above, the internal parameters a, b, c are set corresponding to the respective states (on / off) of the normally open switches 80, 81, 82, and in step S160, these internal parameters a, b are set. , C is substituted into the formula (X = a × 4 + b × 2 + c) to determine the address X. As the address X, data specifying each of the actuators 20a, 20b, and 20c is used.

  Thereafter, communication is performed with the electronic control unit 30 using the address X. That is, the DC motor 41 is driven via the motor drive circuit 70 based on the command signal transmitted from the electronic control unit 30 together with the address X. On the other hand, the two-phase pulse signal from the rotation position detection circuit 71 (that is, information indicating the current position and the rotation direction of the DC motor 41) is added to the address X and transmitted to the electronic control unit 30.

  According to the present embodiment described above, the switch state of the multi-contact switch 73 is set by the protrusions (61a, 61b, 61c) of the setting part 60 of the upper case part 40a. The switch state of the contact switch 73 and thus the address can be set. Therefore, unlike the prior art, it is not necessary to incorporate an address setting switch in the external connector of the actuator, and it is not necessary to use a dedicated connector.

  In this embodiment, since the address is set by using the protrusion of the setting portion 60 of the upper case portion 40a, common components are used for the components other than the upper case portion 40a in the actuators 20a, 20b, and 20c. Can do.

(Second Embodiment)
In the second embodiment, the setting unit 60 is colored according to the address (that is, the type of the setting unit 60) so that the type of the protruding portion can be recognized when the upper case portion 40a is viewed from the outside.

  Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the upper surface 60a of the setting unit 60 is configured to be exposed above the upper case portion 40a. Thereby, the coloring of the upper surface 60a of the setting unit 60 is replaced by the type (that is, address) of the setting unit 60.

  FIG. 9A illustrates a specific example of the setting unit 60 including the protrusions 61a, 61b, and 61c, and FIG. 9B illustrates a specific example of the setting unit 60 including the protrusions 61a and 61c. Different coloring is used in the setting unit 60 of FIG. 9A and the setting unit 60 of FIG. 9B.

  As described above, even if the external shapes of the actuators 20a, 20b, and 20c are common, by visually recognizing the coloring of the upper surface 60a of the setting unit 60, any of the actuators 20a, 20b, and 20c can be identified. Can be identified. Therefore, in the process of assembling the actuators 20a, 20b, and 20c to the air conditioning casing 1, the type of actuator (that is, which door the actuator is used for) is visually recognized by coloring the upper surface 60a of the setting unit 60. Can be identified.

  In the present embodiment, the upper case portion 40a and the setting portion 60 are integrally formed of a resin material using two-color molding.

  In the above-described second embodiment, the example in which the setting unit 60 is colored according to the address has been described, but instead, the upper case portion 40a may be colored according to the address.

  In the above-described second embodiment, the example in which the setting unit 60 is colored according to the address has been described, but instead of this, symbols, characters, and the like indicating the address are displayed on the upper surface 60a of the setting unit 60 or the upper case unit. You may make it apply to 40a.

(Third embodiment)
In the above-described first embodiment, the example in which the upper case portion 40a and the setting portion 60 are integrally formed has been described. Instead, in the third embodiment, the upper case portion 40a and the setting portion are used. As 60, separate parts are used.

  In this case, as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the upper case portion 40 a is provided with a hole portion 63 corresponding to the type of the setting portion 60, and the setting portion 60 is fitted into the hole portion 63. Will be combined.

  FIG. 10A illustrates a specific example of the setting unit 60 including the protrusions 61a, 61b, and 61c, and FIG. 10B illustrates a specific example of the setting unit 60 including the protrusions 61a and 61c.

(Fourth embodiment)
In the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the coloring of the setting unit 60 is changed according to the address, and the configuration of the setting unit 60 is the same as that of the third embodiment described above. Is used. That is, the upper case part 40a and the setting part 60 are different parts, and the coloring of the setting part 60 is changed according to the address.

  FIG. 11A illustrates a specific example of the setting unit 60 including the protrusions 61a, 61b, and 61c, and FIG. 11B illustrates a specific example of the setting unit 60 including the protrusions 61a and 61c.

(Fifth embodiment)
In the first embodiment described above, the example in which the three protrusions are integrated as the setting unit has been described. Instead, in the fifth embodiment, the three protrusions of the setting unit are used. An example will be described in which parts are used as separate parts.

  Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, the upper case portion 40a is provided with holes 63a, 63b, and 63c corresponding to the protruding portions 61a, 61b, and 61c, The holes 63a, 63b, and 63c are configured to penetrate the inside and outside of the upper case portion 40a, and the protrusions 61a, 61b, and 61c can be fitted from the outside of the case.

  12A shows a specific example in which the protrusions 61a, 61b, and 61c are fitted to the upper case portion 40a, and FIG. 12B shows a specific example in which the protrusions 61a and 61c are fitted. ing.

  In the upper case portion 40a configured as described above, the switch state of the multi-contact switch 73 is set by the presence / absence of the fitting of the protrusions (61a, 61b, 61c) to the holes (63a, 63b, 63c). Will be set.

  In this case, if any one of the protrusions 61a, 61b, and 61c is not fitted, the non-fitted hole is opened. For this reason, since it can be visually recognized from the outside of the case which one of the holes 63a, 63b, and 63c is opened, the type of the setting unit 60 and the address can be changed without changing the coloring of the setting unit 60. Can be identified.

  In the present embodiment, as described above, since the address is set depending on whether or not the protrusions (61a, 61b, 61c) are fitted to the holes (63a, 63b, 63c), the upper case portion 40a is also used. Common components can be used regardless of the address.

(Other embodiments)
In each of the above-described embodiments, eight patterns of addresses can be set using three normally open switches. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and one or four or more normally open switches are employed. Also good.

  In each of the embodiments described above, the example in which three actuators are employed has been described. However, the number of actuators is not limited to three as long as the number is two or more.

It is a figure showing the schematic structure of the air-conditioner for vehicles of a 1st embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded view showing a schematic configuration of the actuator of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the actuator in FIG. 2. It is a figure for demonstrating the setting part and multi-contact switch of the actuator in FIG. It is a figure which shows the multi-contact switch of the actuator in FIG. It is a figure which shows the kind of setting part of the actuator in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the setting part and multi-contact switch of the actuator in FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the program for determining the address of the actuator in FIG. It is a figure which shows the setting part of the actuator of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the setting part of the actuator of 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the setting part of the actuator of 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the setting part of the actuator of 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the conventional actuator system.

Explanation of symbols

20a, 20b, 20c ... actuator, 40a ... upper case part,
40b ... lower case part, 60 ... setting part, 61a, 61b, 61c ... projection part,
73: Multi-contact switch.

Claims (9)

Case (40);
Housed in the case, and an electric motor (41);
An actuator that communicates with the electronic control unit (30) through a signal line, and communication driving means (72) that drives the electric motor based on a command received from the electronic control unit via the communication. There,
Switches (80 to 82) housed in the case and switched by pressing;
A setting unit (60) provided in the case and set to a pressed state or a non-pressed state of the switch;
Determining means (S90 to S160) for determining the address based on an output signal of the switch;
The actuator, wherein the communication driving unit communicates with the electronic control unit using the address determined by the determining unit. A plurality of the switches are provided;
The setting unit sets the plurality of switches to a pressed state or a non-pressed state,
The actuator according to claim 1, wherein the determining unit determines the address corresponding to each state of the plurality of switches. The case is configured by combining the first and second case portions,
3. The actuator according to claim 1, wherein the setting portion is provided on one case portion side of the first and second case portions, and the switch is provided on the other case portion side. 4. . One of the first and second case parts is provided with a hole,
The actuator according to claim 3, wherein the setting portion is fitted to a hole portion of the one case portion. 5. The actuator according to claim 3, wherein the one case part or the setting part is configured such that the address can be visually identified from the outside of the case. 6. The actuator according to claim 5, wherein the one case portion or the setting portion is configured such that the address can be identified from the outside of the case by coloring. The setting unit is configured to have a protrusion for pressing the switch for each switch,
The one case portion is provided with a hole portion that penetrates the inside and outside of the case portion and is formed so that the protrusion portion can be fitted to each switch.
The actuator according to claim 3, wherein the switch is set to a pressed state or a non-pressed state depending on whether or not the protrusion is fitted to the hole. A plurality of actuators according to any one of claims 1 to 7 are provided,
The electronic control device communicates with each of the plurality of actuators in a time division manner via the communication line. A vehicle air conditioner comprising the actuator system according to claim 8.

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