JP2009291457A - Endoscope - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To protect various insertion members inserted into an insertion part so that at least a light guide is not broken inside a bending part. <P>SOLUTION: The insertion part 2 of the endoscope has an aggregated insertion member 27 composed of a treatment instrument insertion channel 24, light guides 20 and 20 as weak insertion members, and a cable 21 which are integrated by using a slick and thin flexible sleeve 26 with low friction resistance. The aggregated insertion member is fixedly retained approximately at the center at least inside the bending part 2b. A pivot pin 31 projects inside the bending part 2b, and a water feed tube 22, an air feed tube 23 and a spray liquid feed tube 25 are inserted into the bending part 2b. These members are disposed between adjacent pivot pins 31 and 31 projecting inward on the outer side of the flexible sleeve 26. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an endoscope used for medical purposes and the like.

  The endoscope is configured such that an insertion portion is connected to a main body operation portion, and a universal cord is drawn out from the main body operation portion. The insertion portion is usually a soft portion that bends in an arbitrary direction along the insertion path for most of the length from the connection side to the main body operation portion, and the bending portion is connected to the flexible portion. A hard tip portion is connected to the tip. The distal hard part is provided with an illumination window, an observation window, a treatment instrument outlet, an observation window cleaning nozzle, and the like, and the curved part is remotely operated so that the hard distal part is directed in a desired direction. . The bending portion can be bent in four directions, up and down and left and right.

  An illumination window and an observation window are provided at the distal end of the insertion portion, thereby constituting an endoscope observation means. The exit end of the light guide in which thin optical fibers are bundled faces the illumination window, and an objective lens is mounted on the observation window, and a solid-state image sensor is provided at the imaging position of the objective lens. A predetermined number of wires are connected to the solid-state imaging device, and the wires are bundled to form a cable. The light guide and the cable are routed from the insertion portion to the universal cord through the main body operation portion.

  In addition to these, the endoscope is provided with an air supply conduit and a water supply conduit for cleaning the observation window, and is further provided with a treatment instrument insertion channel for inserting a treatment instrument. In addition, some of them are provided with an injection liquid supply tube for jet injection, and when a zoom lens is used as an objective lens, a predetermined lens is moved in the optical axis direction for zooming. The lens is moved from the main body operation unit side using a flexible shaft. Further, as described above, when the bending portion is provided, the four operation wires are arranged in a positional relationship of 90 degrees in order to bend the bending portion up and down and left and right. In order to position the wire in the circumferential direction, a wire insertion member is provided.

  Here, the flexible portion in the insertion portion is configured to bend in an arbitrary direction, and the bending portion is bent up and down and left and right. In particular, the bending angle of the bending portion is about 180 degrees. is there. Many insertion members as described above are inserted into the insertion portion, and the outer diameters of these insertion members are different from each other, and the bending strength is also different. For this reason, when the insertion portion is bent, each insertion member provided in the inside moves in an arbitrary direction, and particularly when the bending portion is greatly bent by a bending operation, the insertion members are displaced or entangled with each other. There is a possibility. As a result, inconveniences such as disconnection of a fragile optical fiber occur.

From the above, it is necessary to protect the various insertion members inserted into the insertion portion, in particular, the light guide from being disconnected. For this reason, a configuration in which the light guide is configured to be held so as not to move in the inside of the bending portion has been conventionally known. For example, in Patent Document 1, the light guide is configured to be connected to a water supply tube as an insertion member located in a position close to the curved portion. Further, Patent Document 2 has a configuration in which an interval restoration member is provided inside the flexible portion to keep various insertion members in a predetermined positional relationship. Furthermore, Patent Document 3 describes that when a thin tube is sheathed at the contact portion between the light guide and the treatment instrument insertion channel, and the relative deviation occurs when the bending portion is bent, both thin tubes are deformed. The thin tube is also restored when the curved part is returned to the original straight state, so that the relative positional deviation between the light guide and the treatment instrument insertion channel is not accumulated. Yes.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-295531 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-170930 JP-A-9-94217

  By the way, in the configuration of Patent Document 1, the light guide is displaced in an arbitrary direction in a state of being bundled with the insertion member connected to the inside of the bending portion. If it is a soft member, such as a water supply tube, and is offset from the center position to the outer peripheral side in the inside of the bending portion, it may not always exhibit an effective protective function depending on the bending direction of the bending portion. There are things that do not.

  In Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3, since the insertion member is prevented from accumulating a state in which the insertion member is displaced in the axial direction in the bending portion, the degree of compression on the fragile insertion member is as follows. However, depending on the position of the insertion member such as a fragile light guide in the bending portion and other insertion members adjacent to the insertion portion, the bending portion can move in any direction. However, disconnection due to pressure is not reliably prevented.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to be able to effectively protect at least the light guide from being disconnected inside the bending portion. .

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention comprises a main body operation part and an insertion part connected to the main body operation part and comprising a flexible part, a bending part, and a hard tip part from the connection side to the main body operation part. In the endoscope, various insertion members are inserted into the insertion portion, and a treatment instrument insertion channel and a light guide made of at least an optical fiber bundle are integrated by a single unit. It is configured as a collective insertion member of a book, and the collective insertion member is configured to be disposed at a position including the central portion in the bending portion.

  In short, the light guide, which is a fragile member, is integrated with the treatment instrument insertion channel, which is the thickest and most rigid member that is inserted into the curved portion, and is approximately centered inside the curved portion. Deploy. As a result, even when the bending portion is bent at the maximum angle, the relative movement between the insertion members can be reduced, and the light guide, which is a fragile member, is integrated with the treatment instrument insertion channel having high strength. Therefore, the protection is achieved. Also, if the cable that bundles a plurality of wires connected to the solid-state image sensor provided at the hard end of the tip is also configured to form a collective insertion member together with the treatment instrument insertion channel and the light guide, the disconnection of the wiring is similar to the light guide. Prevention is also achieved.

  By disposing other insertion members and the like around the collective insertion member, centering within the curved portion of the collective insertion member can be made more reliable. As other insertion members, there are four operation wires for bending the bending portion by remote operation, insertion members for these operation wires, an air supply tube, a water supply tube constituting the water supply tube, and a water supply tube. There is an injection liquid supply tube for jet injection as required. Furthermore, when a focus lens or zoom lens for adjusting the focus or zooming of the objective lens provided in the observation window is provided, a flexible shaft or balloon air supply tube for driving these lenses in the optical axis direction Some are provided with a path, and these members are distributed around the collective insertion member.

  As the collective insertion member, a tube whose outer peripheral surface is a sliding surface with a small friction coefficient, for example, a silicon tube or an elastic rubber tube can be used, and a PTFE (Poly Tetra Fluoro Ethylene) tube or PEEK (Poly Poly) Ether Ether Ketone) tubes and heat shrinkable tubes can also be used. When the heat-shrinkable tube is inserted, the aggregate insertion member is reduced in diameter, and the close contact / fixation to the treatment instrument insertion channel is improved. A tube having a plurality of passages, such as a multi-lumen tube, can also be used. Furthermore, a plurality of insertion members can be integrated by winding an adhesive tape. And although it is set as a collective insertion member in the bending portion, it must be separated into each member at least in the main body operation portion. Separation may be performed at a position immediately after the transition from the bending portion to the soft portion, or may be performed when the transition from the soft portion to the main body operation portion is performed.

  Even if the bending portion of the insertion portion is repeatedly bent frequently or greatly bent such as 180 degrees or more, as a fragile insertion member, it is ensured that at least the light guide is pressed by another insertion member and disconnected. Can be prevented.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of the endoscope. In the figure, 1 is a main body operation unit, 2 is an insertion unit, and 3 is a universal cord. The insertion portion 2 is a soft portion 2a having a soft structure so that a predetermined length from the connecting portion to the main body operation portion 1 bends in an arbitrary direction along the insertion path. The bending portion 2b is connected to the distal end of the bending portion 2b. The bending portion 2b is bent vertically and horizontally by operating the bending operation member 4 provided in the main body operation portion 1. Since the bending portion 2b is bent in a narrow body cavity, the total length thereof is relatively short, and there is also a case where the bending angle has an angle of 180 degrees or more.

  The distal end hard portion 2c can be directed in an arbitrary direction by curving the bending portion 2b, and the distal end surface thereof has an illumination window 10 and an observation window 11 as shown in FIG. Endoscopic observation means is provided. Two illumination windows 10 are provided at positions sandwiching the observation window 11. In addition to the endoscope observation means, there is provided an injection nozzle 12 for injecting a cleaning fluid toward the surface of the observation window 11 when the observation window 11 is soiled, and a treatment for deriving forceps and other treatment tools. The tool outlet 13 is open. Furthermore, the jet injection port 14 is opened.

  FIG. 3 shows a cross section of the curved portion 2b. In the figure, 20 is a light guide, and the light guide 20 is a bundle of ultrafine optical fibers, and the tip of the light guide 20 faces an illumination lens (not shown) attached to the illumination window 10. Since two illumination windows 10 are provided, the light guides 20 are bundled in two, and these are inserted into the universal cord 3 from the insertion portion 2 through the main body operation portion 1. Although not shown, the observation window 11 is provided with an objective lens, and a solid-state imaging device is provided at the imaging position of the objective lens. A predetermined number of wires are connected to the substrate of the solid-state imaging device, and these wires are bundled to form a cable 21, which extends from the insertion portion 2 into the universal cord 3 through the main body operation portion 1. Be present.

  The injection nozzle 12 is configured to inject cleaning liquid and pressurized air toward the observation window 11. For this purpose, a water supply line and an air supply line are provided, and these water supply line and air supply line are provided. Are joined in the hard tip portion 2c, and the rear side from the hard tip portion 2c becomes the water supply tube 22 and the air supply tube 23, respectively. The water supply tube 22 and the air supply tube 23 are provided in the main body operation unit 1. It is connected to the water supply valve 5. A water supply tube and an air supply tube are drawn out from the air / water supply valve 5, and these extend into the universal cord 3. A treatment instrument insertion channel 24 extends from the treatment instrument outlet 13, and the treatment instrument insertion channel 24 is connected to the treatment instrument introduction section 6 provided in the main body operation section 1. Further, a jet liquid supply tube 25 is connected to the jet injection port 14, and this jet liquid supply tube 25 is connected to an injection port portion 7 provided at the rear end portion of the main body operation unit 1.

  FIG. 4 shows the configuration of the bending portion 2b in the insertion portion 2 and the front and rear portions thereof. The bending portion 2b is formed as a bending portion structure by connecting the bending ring 30 in the vertical and horizontal directions using pivot pins 31 so as to be capable of relative rotation, and the bending portion structure is covered with the outer layer portion 32. Yes. The outer layer portion 32 is generally composed of a net tube provided on the inner side and an outer skin layer made of an elastic member located on the outer side. In order to bend the bending portion 2b vertically and horizontally by remote operation, the four operation wires 33 are arranged so as to have a positional relationship of 90 degrees in the circumferential direction. Each pivot pin 31 is provided with a wire insertion hole 34 that constitutes a wire insertion member so that each of these operation wires 33 can be pushed and pulled and the movement in a direction other than pushing and pulling is restricted. The operation wire 33 is inserted into the wire insertion holes 34.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, as the insertion member provided in the insertion portion 2, the two light guides 20, 20, the cable 21, the water supply tube 22, the air supply tube 23, the treatment instrument insertion channel 24, and the spray liquid The supply tube 25 is provided, and the four operation wires 33 are also insertion members. The pivot pin 31 through which the wire insertion hole 34 is inserted is not an insertion member, but protrudes inward in the bending portion 2b. Among the above-described insertion members, the treatment instrument insertion channel 24 is flexible in the bending direction but has the highest rigidity, and the most fragile insertion member is the light guide 20. Further, since the wiring in the cable 21 may be broken when an excessive force is applied, it is a fragile member, and when even one of the predetermined number of wirings is broken, a video signal from the solid-state imaging device is taken out. I can't do that.

  From the above, as is apparent from FIG. 3, the treatment instrument insertion channel 24, the light guides 20 and 20, which are weak insertion members, and the cable 21 are thinly flexible with the treatment instrument insertion channel 24 as the center. It is unified by covering the outer periphery with a conductive sleeve 26. Here, the flexible sleeve 26 can be made of a rubber tube having low friction and good sliding like a silicon tube, or can be made of a rubber tube having elasticity. In this case, the flexible sleeve 26 can slide on the surface of the rubber tube. It is desirable to apply a coating made of a good material. Furthermore, the flexible sleeve 26 can also be formed of a heat-shrinkable tube, and the light guide 20 and the cable 21 are inserted through the treatment tool having high rigidity by covering each of the insertion members with heat and then shrinking the heat. It can be brought into close contact with the channel 24. Therefore, the light guide 20 and the cable 21 that are fragile insertion members are integrated into the treatment instrument insertion channel 24 having the highest rigidity to form a collective insertion member 27. The treatment instrument insertion channel 24 and the light guide 20 and There is no relative movement with the cable 21.

  Moreover, as is apparent from FIG. 2, the treatment instrument outlet 13 is disposed at a position slightly offset downward from the center of the distal end hard portion 2c, and the treatment instrument insertion channel 24 is connected to the distal end hard portion 2c. Since it extends toward the rear, the treatment instrument insertion channel 24 having high rigidity is held substantially fixed at least in the bending portion 2b. The light guide 20 and the cable 21 integrated by the flexible sleeve 26 are extended from the illumination window 10 and the observation window 11 located above the treatment instrument outlet 13 and flexible in the bending direction. Therefore, the integrated insertion member passes through a substantially central position in the bending portion 2b.

  The three tubes including the water supply tube 22, the air supply tube 23, and the jetting liquid supply tube 25, which are insertion members other than the collective insertion member 27 that are unified using the flexible sleeve 26, are flexible. On the outside of the sleeve 26, the sleeve 26 is disposed at a position between the adjacent pivot pins 31, 31 projecting inwardly. As a result, these tubes 22, 23, 25 function as spacers for centering the collective insertion member 27, and make effective use of the space between the pivot pins 31, 31. Is planned.

  Further, the light guide 20, the cable 21, and the treatment instrument outlet 13 integrated by the flexible sleeve 26 are extended to the inside of the flexible portion 2a while being inserted into the flexible sleeve 26. As is clear from FIG. 5, the operation wire 33 is inserted into the close contact coil 35 inside the soft portion 2a, and the close contact coil 35 is held in an unfixed state, but the relative positional relationship between the respective portions is curved. It is almost the same as in the portion 2b.

  By configuring as described above, it is possible to effectively protect the light guide 20 and the cable 21, which are fragile and may be disconnected, and the operability of the insertion portion 2 is improved.

  3, the arrow U is upward (up direction), the arrow D is downward (down direction), the arrow L is left (left direction), and the arrow R is right (right direction). ). When the bending operation member 4 is operated, the collective insertion member 27, which is a highly rigid member, provides resistance to the bending operation. However, since the collective insertion member 27 is located at substantially the center of the bending portion 2b, even if it is bent in the vertical and horizontal directions, the resistance load is almost the same, and the bending insertion member 27 is bent in either direction. In such a case, an extremely large resistance load is not generated.

  Moreover, the movement during the bending operation is suppressed to a minimum. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the light guide 20 and the cable 21 from being pressed against the other insertion members, the pivot pins 31 and the inner surface of the bending ring 30 as much as possible. Here, the pivot pins 31 provided at four locations in the circumferential direction protrude inward and are rigid bodies. Therefore, it is necessary to suppress the light guide 20 and the cable 21 which are fragile insertion members from being pressed against the pivot pin 31 as much as possible.

  Here, when the bending portion 2b is bent in the up direction, the operation angle becomes the largest, and as shown by the phantom line in FIG. 1, the bending operation is performed at a large angle of 180 degrees or more, and the operation frequency is also high. high. However, since the collective insertion member 27 is displaced downward when bent in the up direction, the light guide 20 and the cable 21 are relatively moved in a direction away from the pivot pin 31. Therefore, a compression force does not act on the light guide 20 and the cable 21.

  Conversely, when the bending portion 2b is bent in the down direction, the collective insertion member 27 moves upward, but the bending operation of the bending portion 2b in the down direction does not increase the angle as in the up direction. Moreover, since there is little frequency, there is no possibility of being pressed against the pivot pin 31. Further, similarly, when bending in the left direction and the right direction, the light guide 20 and the cable 21 are not bent so as to be pressed. Further, the water supply tube 22, the air supply tube 23, and the jet liquid supply tube 25, which are other insertion members, are located on the opposite side of the light guide 20 and the cable 21 with the treatment instrument insertion channel 24 interposed therebetween. There is no pressure. Moreover, the light guide 20 and the cable 21 are integrated into the treatment instrument insertion channel 24 having the highest rigidity by the flexible sleeve 26 and move together. For this reason, there is no relative movement between the treatment instrument insertion channel 24 that is a rigid body, the light guide 20 that is a fragile member, and the cable 21.

  Inside the soft part 2a, a rigid member such as the pivot pin 31 is not provided so as to protrude, and the collective insertion member 27 is not compressed by the pivot pin 31 as in the curved part 2b. Although not provided, the four operation wires 33 are inserted into the contact coils 35, respectively. However, the outer surface of the collective insertion member 27 is a flexible sleeve 26 that is a slippery member, and the light guide 20 and the cable 21 that are fragile inside are integrated with the treatment instrument insertion channel 24. There is no fear of being entangled with or inserted into the insertion member, and these are effectively protected.

  Unification by the flexible sleeve 26 is indispensable in the curved portion 2b, but in the soft portion 2a, there is little movement of each insertion member, and the light guide 20 and the cable 21 have a large pressing force and Since no compression force or the like acts on the flexible portion 2a, the flexible portion 26a is not necessarily integrated. However, in order to prevent entanglement and pinching with other members, the flexible sleeve 26 is provided. It is desirable to extend in the soft part 2a. However, in the inside of the main body operation unit 1, the treatment instrument insertion channel 24 is connected to the treatment instrument introduction unit 6, whereas the light guide 20 and the cable 21 extend in the universal cord 3, so that at least The flexible sleeve 26 is not provided inside the main body operation unit 1.

  In the configuration shown in FIG. 3, the light guide 20 and the cable 21 are used as the insertion member integrated with the treatment instrument insertion channel 24. However, particularly in the bending portion 2b having a large bending angle, as shown in FIG. In addition to the light guide 20 and the cable 21, the water supply tube 22 and the air supply tube 23 can be inserted into the flexible sleeve 26 </ b> A to form a collective insertion member 27 </ b> A. In the configuration shown in FIG. 6, the jet liquid supply tube 25 constituting the jet jet passage is not provided. However, when the jet liquid supply tube 25 is provided, this is also inserted into the flexible sleeve 26A. Alternatively, the spray liquid supply tube 25 may not be unified. The flexible sleeve 26A may extend into the soft part 2a, or may be configured to be limited within the curved part 2b.

  In addition to the above, the insertion member inserted into the insertion portion 1 of the endoscope includes a flexible shaft 36, a balloon air supply conduit 37, and the like as shown in FIGS. In the case where a zoom lens is provided as an objective lens, for example, the flexible shaft 36 requires a mechanism for moving the zoom lens in the optical axis direction by remote control. As a driving means for the zoom lens, for example, there is a configuration in which a cam is provided at the distal end hard portion 2c and a flexible shaft 36 is provided to rotationally drive the cam by remote control. Further, when a balloon is attached to the distal end hard portion 2c of the insertion portion 2, a balloon air supply line 37 for inflating the balloon is inserted. When the light guide 20 and the cable 21 are inserted into the flexible sleeve 26B together with the treatment instrument insertion channel 24 to form the collective insertion member 27B, the water supply tube 22, the air supply tube 23, and the jet liquid supply tube 25, the flexible shaft 36 and the balloon air supply line 37 are distributed around the flexible sleeve 26B. Thereby, the internal space of the insertion part 2 can be utilized effectively. Moreover, these can exhibit the spacer function for centering the collective insertion member 27 </ b> B in the insertion portion 2 together with the water supply tube 22 and the air supply tube 23.

  Since the illumination window 10 is provided on both sides of the observation window 11, two light guides 20 are provided, but the light guide 20 may be configured as one. Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the light guide 20 is divided into two, and the cable 21 is divided into two divided cables 21 a and 21 a, one light guide 20 on the upper side of the treatment instrument insertion channel 24. And the split cable 21a, the other light guide 20 and the split cable 21a are in close contact with each other, between the pivot pin 31 at the upper position and the left pivot pin 31, and between the pivot pin 31 and the right pivot pin 31. It is also possible to arrange it at a position between. As the flexible sleeve 26C, a heat-shrinkable tube can be used to form the collective insertion member 27C so as to be in close contact with the outer surface of the treatment instrument insertion channel 24. If comprised in this way, the weak light guide 20 and the division | segmentation cable 21a will not be pressed against any pivot pin 31, and those protection will become more reliable.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 10, the multi-lumen tube 40 can also be used as the assembly insertion member when the treatment instrument insertion channel 24, the light guide 20, and the cable 21 are integrated. That is, the multi-lumen tube 40 has a passage 41a through which the treatment instrument insertion channel 24 is inserted, passages 41b and 41b through which the light guides 20 and 20 are inserted, and a passage 41c through which the cable 21 is inserted. The multi-lumen tube 40 is limited to the inside of the bending portion 2b, and the above-mentioned members are inserted independently in the flexible portion 2a, so that the bending property of the flexible portion 2a in the insertion portion 2 is kept good. Desirable to do.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of an endoscope showing an embodiment of the present invention. It is composition explanatory drawing of the front end surface of an insertion part. It is XX sectional drawing of FIG. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a curved part. It is YY sectional drawing of FIG. It is sectional drawing similar to FIG. 3 which shows the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing similar to FIG. 3 which shows the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing similar to FIG. 5 which shows the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing similar to FIG. 3 which shows the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing similar to FIG. 3 which shows the 5th Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body operation part 2 Insertion part 2a Soft part 2b Curved part 2c Hard tip hard part 10 Illumination window 11 Observation window 12 Injection nozzle 13 Treatment tool outlet 20 Light guide 21 Cable 22 Water supply tube 23 Air supply tube 24 Treatment tool insertion channel 26, 26A, 26B, 26C Flexible sleeve 27, 27A, 27B, 27C Collective insertion member 31 Pivot pin 33 Operation wire 34 Wire insertion hole 35 Adhesive coil 40 Multi-lumen tube

Claims (7)

It is composed of a main body operation part and an insertion part that is connected to the main body operation part and comprises a flexible part, a bending part, and a hard tip part from the connection side to the main body operation part, and various insertion members are inserted into the insertion part. In the endoscope
Among the insertion members, a treatment instrument insertion channel and a light guide made of at least an optical fiber bundle are configured as a single assembly insertion member by a single unit,
The endoscope characterized in that the collective insertion member is arranged in a position including the central portion in the bending portion. In the collective insertion member, a cable in which a plurality of wires connected to a solid-state image sensor provided at the distal end hard portion is bundled together with the treatment instrument insertion channel and the light guide to form a collective insertion member. The endoscope according to claim 1. In the bending portion, in addition to the treatment instrument insertion channel, the light guide, and the cable bundle, at least four operation wires for bending the remote bending portion, an air supply line, and a water supply line are provided. The endoscope according to claim 1, wherein the other insertion members are configured to be distributed around the collective insertion member inside the bending portion. The endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the collective insertion member is made of a tube material having at least an outer peripheral surface as a sliding surface having a small friction coefficient. The endoscope according to claim 4, wherein the tube material is formed of any one of a silicon tube, a thin rubber tube, a PTFE tube, a PEEK tube, and a heat shrinkable tube. The endoscope according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the tube member has a plurality of passages inserted through the respective insertion members. The assembly insertion member is configured to extend from the inside of the bending portion to an intermediate position of the soft portion, and is configured to be independent at least within the main body operation portion. The endoscope according to any one of 6.

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