JP2012008828A - Automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic vending machine equipped with a cooling/heating system and capable of further reducing power consumption.SOLUTION: An automatic vending machine comprises: a dedicated cooling system 81 consisting of a first compressor 57, a condenser 58, a four-way valve 59 switching refrigerant passages, a first evaporator 63, a second evaporator 64, and a third evaporator 65 and capable of cooling all commodity storages; and a cooling/heating system 82 consisting of a second compressor 66, an external heat exchanger 67, and a four-way valve 74, and capillary tubes 71, 72 and performing cooling and heating of a first cooling/heating compartment 54 by switching the refrigerant passages through the four-way valve 74. Therefore, if it is determined that the cooling capacity of the cooling/heating system 82 is insufficient, the dedicated cooling system 81 can compensate for an insufficient portion of the cooling capacity and the capacity of the cooling/heating system 82 can be optimized in accordance with a stable operation period, thus reducing power consumption.

Description

  The present invention relates to a cooling and heating system that performs cooling and heating using latent heat generated when refrigerant compressed by a compressor condenses in a vending machine that sells canned beverages by cooling and heating the same It relates to a vending machine using the.

  In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for power consumption reduction for vending machines, and as a means for reducing power consumption, a system using a system for heating with a heat pump has been proposed. (See Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 4 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of the vending machine shown in Patent Document 1.

  In FIG. 4, the conventional vending machine includes a storage room including a hot / cold switching room 1, a cold dedicated room 2, and a second cold dedicated room 3, and is installed in the compressor 20 and the hot / cold switching room 1. The indoor heat exchanger 4, the outdoor heat exchanger 21 installed outside the storage chamber 1, a four-way switching valve 22 for switching the refrigerant flow path during cooling and heating, a cooling capillary tube 23 as an expansion mechanism, An evaporator installed in the compressor 8 and the cold chamber 2 is provided with a cooling and heating system 26 that is composed of a temperature capillary tube 24 and a dryer 25 and performs dedicated cooling and heating of the hot / cold switching chamber 1. 5, comprising a second evaporator 6, an expansion valve 10, a second expansion valve 11, and an outdoor heat exchanger 21 installed in the second cold dedicated chamber 3. The cold dedicated chamber 2 and the second cold dedicated Room The has a cooling system 27 for cooling the exclusive.

  Here, the indoor heat exchanger 4 and the outdoor heat exchanger 21 are connected by two parallel pipes, one of which is a cooling capillary tube 23, a cooling check valve 33, and a dryer 25 connected in series. On the other hand, a heating capillary tube 24 and a heating check valve 34 are connected in series.

  Here, the cooling check valve 33 is installed so that the direction in which the refrigerant flows from the dryer 25 to the cooling capillary tube 23 is the forward direction and does not flow in the reverse direction from the cooling capillary tube 23 to the dryer 25. The heating check valve 34 has a forward direction in which the refrigerant flows from the heating capillary tube 24 to the outdoor heat exchanger 21, and a reverse direction from the outdoor heat exchanger 21 toward the heating capillary tube 24. Installed so as not to flow.

  The compressor 20 is installed in a heat insulating cover (not shown) and includes a compressor fan (not shown). The compressor 20 is independent of the indoor heat exchanger 4, the evaporator 5, the second evaporator 6, and the outdoor heat exchanger 21. Blower fans 35, 36, and 37 and a blower fan 38 that blows air to the outdoor heat exchanger 21 are provided. Further, a heater 39 is provided in the hot / cold switching chamber 1.

  The operation and action of the cooling and heating system configured as described above and the vending machine using the system will be described below.

  First, when the hot / cold switching chamber 1 is cooled, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 20 is supplied to the outdoor heat exchanger 21 by switching the flow path by the four-way switching valve 22 as shown by the dotted arrow in FIG. To condense. The liquid refrigerant discharged from the outdoor heat exchanger 21 is supplied to the dryer 25. The temperature of the liquid refrigerant is about 30 to 40 ° C. which is substantially the same as that of the outdoor heat exchanger. At this time, the liquid refrigerant stays inside the dryer 25 and moisture in the liquid refrigerant is removed.

  Then, the liquid refrigerant coming out of the dryer 25 is decompressed by the cooling capillary tube 23 through the cooling check valve 33 and supplied to the indoor heat exchanger 4 to evaporate, and the gas refrigerant passes through the four-way switching valve 22 again. Reflux to the compressor 20. The evaporation temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 4 varies greatly depending on the set temperature of the storage chamber. Generally, when canned beverages or the like are cooled, the set temperature is 5 to 10 ° C., and the evaporation temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 4 is −15 ° C. to −5 ° C.

  When the hot / cold switching chamber 1 is heated, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 20 is switched to the indoor heat exchanger 4 by switching the flow path by the four-way switching valve 22 as shown by solid arrows in FIG. Supplied to condense. The temperature of the liquid refrigerant varies greatly depending on the set temperature of the storage chamber. In general, when a can beverage or the like is heated, the set temperature is 50 to 60 ° C, and the condensation temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 4 is 60 to 80 ° C.

  The liquid refrigerant discharged from the indoor heat exchanger 4 is immediately depressurized by the heating capillary tube 24 and then supplied to the outdoor heat exchanger 21 via the heating check valve 34 to evaporate and gas. The refrigerant again returns to the compressor 20 through the four-way switching valve 22. Generally, it is necessary to lower the evaporation temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger 21 when the outside air temperature becomes low. In particular, when the outside air temperature becomes 5 ° C. or less, the evaporation temperature has to be a minus temperature, and the outdoor heat exchanger 21 is attached to the outdoor heat exchanger 21. Frost is generated. Further, when the outside air temperature becomes hot and humid, and the tube surface temperature or fin temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger 21 falls below the dew point temperature, condensation occurs.

  However, in the outdoor heat exchanger 21, when the cooling system 27 is operated, the path connected to the cooling system 27 acts as a condenser, and the fin temperature around the path becomes high. Therefore, when the cooling and heating system 26 and the cooling system 27 are operated simultaneously, cascade heat exchange can be performed via the fins, and the atmosphere warmed by the condenser can be sucked into the evaporator. It becomes possible to operate the cooling and heating system 26 at a high evaporation temperature of −10 ° C. Thereby, the compression ratio can be reduced even under severe heating conditions of a condensation temperature of 60 to 80 ° C., and the efficiency of the compressor 20 can be improved. Further, in the cooling system 27, the efficiency of the compressor 8 can be improved by lowering the condensation temperature.

  Furthermore, frosting of the outdoor heat exchanger 21 can be prevented by setting the evaporation temperature of the cooling and heating system 26 to 0 ° C. or higher. Further, even when the outside air temperature becomes hot and humid, the fin temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger 21 is less likely to fall below the dew point temperature, and the occurrence of condensation can be effectively suppressed.

  As described above, there is a dedicated cooling and heating system for cooling and heating the hot / cold switching chamber separately from the cooling means for the cold dedicated chamber and the second cold dedicated chamber. The cooling system for the cold room is equipped with an outdoor heat exchanger composed of a cascade heat exchanger integrated with a condenser, an indoor heat exchanger, and a condenser of the cooling system, a four-way switching valve, and a capillary tube. Can operate the cooling and heating system independently, so it is possible to set the evaporation temperature at the time of heating to a high level and also use the waste heat of the cooling system to heat the cooling and heating system. It is possible to reduce the compression ratio by maintaining the evaporation temperature at the time of 0 to 10 ° C, improve the efficiency of the compressor, and improve the heating efficiency of the cooling and heating system It is possible to easily achieve twice the heating efficiency compared to heating means such as an electric heater that has a heating efficiency of about 1, so that the power consumption of the vending machine can be greatly reduced. it can.

JP 2006-48635 A

  However, in the above-described conventional configuration, it is necessary to cool and warm the hot / cold switching chamber only by the cooling and heating system, and it is necessary to design the capacity corresponding to the maximum load in order to prevent the lack of capacity. is there. Since it is possible to compensate for the shortage with an auxiliary heater during heating, it is necessary to design a capacity corresponding to at least the maximum load during cooling. Therefore, the capacity of the cooling and heating system becomes excessive in a state where the product temperature that occupies most of the operation is stable and the load is low. In order to compensate for this, it is necessary to increase the number of interruptions. As a result, there is a problem that the system efficiency is lowered and the power consumption is increased.

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, the vending machine according to the present invention includes a product storage for storing a plurality of products, an evaporator disposed in the product storage, and a lower part in the product storage. A compressor, condenser, and expansion mechanism connected to the machine room in an annular shape, a cooling dedicated system for cooling the inside of the product storage, a heat exchanger in the storage disposed in the product storage, and the product By connecting the compressor in the machine room, the heat exchanger outside the storage, and the flow path switching valve for switching the refrigerant flow path and the expansion mechanism in an annular shape, and switching the flow path switching valve. In a vending machine equipped with a cooling and heating system that cools or heats the product storage, the evaporator of the cooling dedicated system is disposed in all the product storage, and the cooling and heating system Products that can be switched between cooling and heating the internal heat exchanger One in which was placed on paid warehouse.

  As a result, when the cooling capacity of the cooling / heating system is insufficient, the shortage can be compensated by the dedicated cooling system, so the capacity of the cooling / heating system can be designed for stable operating conditions with a low load. System efficiency can be improved because optimization with stable operation occupying the majority is possible.

  In the vending machine of the present invention, the evaporator of the cooling only system is arranged in all the product storages, and the internal heat exchanger of the cooling heating system is arranged in the product storage capable of switching between cooling and heating. Yes, when the cooling capacity of the cooling and heating system is insufficient, the cooling system can make up for the shortage, so the capacity of the cooling and heating system can be designed for stable operating conditions with low load, and most of the year Therefore, the system efficiency can be increased and the power consumption of the cooling and heating system can be reduced.

Refrigerant circuit diagram of vending machine in Embodiment 1 of the present invention System operation | movement figure at the time of the cooling operation of the vending machine in Embodiment 1 of this invention System operation | movement figure at the time of the cooling operation of the vending machine in Embodiment 1 of this invention Refrigerant circuit diagram for conventional vending machines

  The invention according to claim 1 includes a product storage for storing a plurality of products, an evaporator disposed in the product storage, a compressor in a machine room disposed in the product storage, a condensation A cooling exclusive system for cooling the inside of the product storage, a heat exchanger in the storage disposed in the product storage, and the machine disposed below in the product storage A compressor, a heat exchanger outside the chamber, and a flow path switching valve for switching the flow path of the refrigerant and an expansion mechanism are connected in an annular shape, and cooling or heating in the product storage box is performed by switching the flow path switching valve. In a vending machine equipped with a cooling and heating system that performs cooling, an evaporator for the cooling system is disposed in all product storages, and the product for cooling and heating the internal heat exchanger of the cooling and heating system It is placed in the storage, and the capacity of the cooling and heating system is It is possible to design so as to correspond to the time of low stable operation load of the majority of rolling, it is possible to reduce the power consumption by preventing loss due to intermittent times increase.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the cooling operation of the predetermined product storage in the cooling and heating system and the cooling operation of the predetermined product storage in the cooling dedicated system are simultaneously operated. It is possible to reduce the unnecessary operation of the dedicated cooling system and prevent an increase in power consumption by supplementing with the dedicated cooling system only when the cooling capacity of the cooling and heating system is insufficient. Can do.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the cooling and heating in the invention according to claim 2, when the cooling in the dedicated cooling system for the product storage except for the product storage where the cooling and heating system cools is completed. When the cooling of the product storage that the system cools is not completed, the cooling dedicated heating system starts cooling the product storage that is cooled by the cooling and heating system. The dedicated system can be operated efficiently and the power consumption can be reduced.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the evaporator of the cooling dedicated system and the heat exchanger in the refrigerator of the cooling and heating system arranged in the same product storage Are integrated heat exchangers sharing fins, and workability during assembly can be improved.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a plurality of evaporators of the cooling dedicated system are connected in series, and the operating rate of the cooling dedicated system is reduced. It is possible to reduce power consumption.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the integrated type according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the condenser of the cooling-dedicated system and the external heat exchanger of the cooling and heating system share the fins. It is a heat exchanger, and it can reduce the power consumption by recovering the waste heat of the cooling dedicated system when performing the heating operation with the cooling heating system, and in the external heat exchanger Condensation can also be prevented.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
1 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of a vending machine according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a system operation diagram during cooling operation of the vending machine according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is an embodiment of the present invention. The system operation | movement figure at the time of the cooling operation of the vending machine in the form 1 is shown.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the vending machine according to the present embodiment has a product storage 51 and a machine room (not shown) disposed in the lower part of the product storage 51. The product storage 51 is partitioned into three chambers by partition walls 52 and 53 filled with a heat insulating material, and is positioned on the left side of the partition wall 52 to cool or heat a product to be stored. A temperature chamber 54, located between the partition walls 52 and 53, a second cooling / heating chamber 55 that cools or warms the goods to be stored, and a cooler that is positioned on the right side of the partition wall 53 and cools the goods to be stored 56. In addition, a product storage shelf (not shown) is suspended in the upper portion of the product storage 51 in each store, and the product is stored inside. In addition, an electric heater 79 and a second cooling / heating chamber 55 are provided below the first cooling / heating chamber 54 as an auxiliary to the first evaporator 63, the internal heat exchanger 73, and the internal heat exchanger 73. A lower evaporator is provided with a second evaporator 64 and an electric heater 80 energized during heating, and a lower evaporator 56 is provided with a third evaporator 65. The first cooling / heating chamber 54, the second cooling / warming chamber 55, and the cooling chamber 56 are each provided with in-compartment fans 76, 77, and 78, forcibly blowing air to circulate the in-compartment air.

  In addition, the vending machine of the present embodiment provides a refrigerant flow path to the first compressor 57, the condenser 58, the first evaporator 63, the second evaporator 64, and the third evaporator 65. A cooling-only system 81 for cooling the first cooling / heating chamber 54, the second cooling / heating chamber 55, and the cooling chamber 56, each of which includes a four-way valve 59 to be switched and capillary tubes 60, 61, 62 serving as a pressure reducing mechanism; 2 compressor 66, external heat exchanger 67, internal heat exchanger 73, four-way valve 74 for switching the refrigerant flow path, dryer 68, check valves 69, 70, and capillary tubes 71, 72 as decompression mechanisms. And a cooling / heating system 82 for cooling and heating the first cooling / heating chamber 54.

  Here, in the cooling and heating system 82, the four-way valve 74 is connected to the discharge pipe, the suction pipe of the second compressor 66, and the pipe communicating from the external heat exchanger 67 and the internal heat exchanger 73. The cooling operation and the heating operation are switched by switching the heat exchanger in and out of the chamber that communicates with the discharge pipe and the suction pipe of the second compressor 66.

  Also, a dryer 68, a check valve 69, and a capillary tube 71 are connected to a piping path through which the refrigerant passes when the first cooling / heating chamber 54 is cooled, and the first cooling / heating chamber 54 is heated. A check valve 70 and a capillary tube 72 are connected to the piping path through which the refrigerant passes, and the check valve 69 flows from the external heat exchanger 67 side to the internal heat exchanger 73 side. In the direction, the check valve 70 is connected in the direction in which the refrigerant flows from the internal heat exchanger 73 to the external heat exchanger 67.

  Further, an external fan 75 for promoting heat exchange is provided in the vicinity of the condenser 58 and the external heat exchanger 67.

  Moreover, the 1st evaporator 63 and the internal heat exchanger 73 are made into the integrated heat exchanger which shared the fin.

  Further, the condenser 58 and the external heat exchanger 67 are also integrated heat exchangers that share fins.

  The operation and action of the vending machine configured as described above will be described below.

  When cooling is performed by the cooling dedicated system 81, the refrigerant discharged from the first compressor 57 is condensed and liquefied by the condenser 58, and then the refrigerant flow path is switched by the four-way valve 59, and the capillary tube 60. , 61, 62, and the first evaporator 63, the second evaporator 64, and the third evaporator 65 go to the third evaporator 65 to evaporate and evaporate the heat from the inside air. Absorb and cool. The vaporized refrigerant returns to the compressor 57.

  Next, the operation of the cooling and heating system 82 will be described. When the first cooling / heating chamber 54 is heated, the discharge pipe of the second compressor 66 and the internal heat exchanger 73 communicate with each other, and the external heat exchanger 67 and the second compressor 66 are inhaled. The four-way valve 74 is operated so as to communicate with the piping. By doing so, the refrigerant discharged from the second compressor 66 passes through the four-way valve 74 toward the internal heat exchanger 73 and is condensed and liquefied. The condensed liquid refrigerant is decompressed by the capillary tube 72, passes through the check valve 70, is supplied to the external heat exchanger 67, evaporates, passes through the four-way valve 74, and passes through the second compressor 66. To reflux.

  Next, when the first cooling / heating chamber 54 is cooled, the discharge pipe of the second compressor 66 and the external heat exchanger 67 communicate with each other, and the internal heat exchanger 73 and the second compressor 66 are connected. The four-way valve 74 is operated so as to communicate with the suction pipe. By doing so, the refrigerant discharged from the second compressor 66 passes through the four-way valve 74 and goes to the external heat exchanger 67 to be condensed and liquefied. The condensed liquid refrigerant passes through the dryer 68 and the check valve 69 and is then depressurized by the capillary tube 71 and supplied to the internal heat exchanger 73 to evaporate and pass through the four-way valve 74 and the second refrigerant. Reflux to compressor 66.

  At that time, as shown in FIG. 2, the second compressor 66 is activated, and the first cooling and heating is performed even after a predetermined time has elapsed after the cooling operation of the cooling and heating chamber 54 by the cooling and heating system 82 is started. When the internal temperature of the storage 54 does not reach the cooling stop temperature, it is determined that the cooling capacity of the cooling heating system 82 is insufficient, and the four-way valve 59 is operated to transfer the refrigerant of the cooling dedicated system to the first evaporator 63. And the first compressor 57 is activated to start cooling the first cooling / heating chamber 54. Thus, when the cooling of the cooling / heating chamber 54 is promoted and reaches the cooling stop temperature, the second compressor 66 and the first compressor 57 are stopped, and the cooling is finished.

  When it is determined that the cooling capacity of the cooling and heating system 82 is insufficient, the cooling dedicated system 81 can be compensated for by starting up the cooling dedicated system 81 and performing cooling. As a result, even if the capacity of the cooling and heating system 82 is not optimized in accordance with the maximum load during the cooling operation, the capacity does not fall short. It can be optimized for stable operation. When capacity design is performed according to the maximum load, the loss associated with starting and stopping increases due to the increase in the number of intermittent compressors during stable operation with a lower load, but capacity design is performed according to stable operation. This makes it possible to reduce the number of interruptions. In particular, since the first cooling / heating chamber 54 is often set to warming in a period of more than half of the year, the most power consumption is achieved by optimizing it for stable operation with a low heating operation load. Can be reduced.

  Further, only when it is determined that the cooling and heating system 82 is insufficient in capacity, the cooling dedicated system 81 performs an operation to compensate for the shortage, so that the cooling and heating system 54 always performs the cooling operation of the cooling and heating chamber 54. In comparison, it is not necessary to design the capacity of the dedicated cooling system 81 excessively, and it becomes possible to prevent an increase in the number of intermittent operations and an increase in power consumption due to the excessive design of the capacity.

  In addition, for example, in a system configuration in which the four-way valve 74 is eliminated in the cooling and heating system 82 to make a dedicated heating system and the entire cooling system is cooled only by the cooling dedicated system 81, the cooling dedicated system supports overload during cooling of all the rooms. The capacity design of the system is required, and the amount of refrigerant increases accordingly. However, the cooling operation by two systems is performed, and the dedicated cooling system only performs the supplementary operation for the shortage, so that the refrigerant amount of each system Therefore, when a flammable refrigerant is used, the danger at the time of leakage can be reduced.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, when the cooling of the second cooling / heating chamber 55 and the cooling chamber 56 by the cooling-only system 81 is completed, the cooling of the first cooling / heating chamber 54 by the cooling / heating system 82 is completed. If not, the four-way valve 59 of the cooling-only system 81 may be operated to supply the refrigerant to the first evaporator 63 and cool it, thereby reducing the operating rate of the cooling and heating system 82. This can lead to a reduction in power consumption.

  In FIG. 2, the cooling and heating system 82 is insufficiently cooled when the cooling has not ended even after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of operation. The cooling rate may be calculated by detecting the temperature change of the storage 54, and it may be judged based on the calculated rate. By doing so, the cooling capacity shortage of the cooling heating system 82 can be detected earlier, and the cooling dedicated system There is also an advantage that the in-compartment product temperature can be stabilized more quickly by starting the operation by 81 early.

  In addition, the first evaporator 63 and the internal heat exchanger 73 are formed as an integrated heat exchanger sharing fins, so that the two heat exchangers are handled as one compared to the case where they are separately arranged. Therefore, the workability during assembly can be improved, and the number of internal fans 76 can be reduced.

  Furthermore, by forming the condenser 58 of the cooling-only system 81 and the external heat exchanger 67 of the cooling and heating system 82 as an integrated heat exchanger sharing fins, two heat exchangers are exchanged as one heat exchanger. Since it can be handled as a container, the unit can be reduced in size and can be developed into a smaller vending machine. Further, when the heating operation is performed by the cooling and heating system 82, the external heat exchanger 67 acts as an evaporator, so that the heat from the condenser of the dedicated cooling system 81 can be used, and the cooling and heating system is used. The efficiency can be improved by raising the evaporation temperature of 82 and the efficiency by lowering the condensation temperature of the cooling system 81.

  As described above, since the vending machine according to the present invention can increase the efficiency when using the heat pump, it can be applied to uses such as a cold storage cabinet using the heat pump.

51 Commodity storage 54 First cooling / heating chamber 55 Second cooling / heating chamber 56 Cooling chamber 57 First compressor 58 Condenser 59 Four-way valve 63 First evaporator 64 Second evaporator 65 First 3 evaporator 66 second compressor 67 external heat exchanger 73 internal heat exchanger 74 four-way valve 81 cooling only system 82 cooling heating system

Claims (6)

  Equipped with a product storage for storing a plurality of products, an evaporator disposed in the product storage, a compressor in a machine room disposed below the product storage, a condenser and an expansion mechanism are connected in an annular shape A dedicated cooling system that cools the inside of the product storage, a heat exchanger in the storage disposed in the product storage, a compressor in the machine room disposed below the product storage, and heat outside the storage A cooling and heating system for connecting a flow path switching valve for switching the flow path of the exchanger and the refrigerant and an expansion mechanism in an annular manner, and cooling or heating the product storage by switching the flow path switching valve; In the vending machine provided, the evaporator of the dedicated cooling system is disposed in all the commodity storages, and the internal heat exchanger of the cooling and heating system is disposed in the commodity storage that can be switched between cooling and heating. Vending machine characterized by that.   The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the cooling operation of the predetermined product storage in the cooling and heating system and the cooling operation of the predetermined product storage in the cooling dedicated system can be performed simultaneously.   When the cooling in the dedicated system for cooling the product storage except for the product storage that the cooling and heating system cools is finished, when the cooling of the product storage that the cooling and heating system cools is not finished, The vending machine according to claim 2, wherein cooling of the commodity storage that is cooled by the cooling and heating system is started in the cooling dedicated system.   4. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the evaporator of the cooling exclusive system and the heat exchanger in the refrigerator of the cooling and heating system arranged in the same product storage are integrated heat exchangers sharing fins. A vending machine according to claim 1.   The vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a plurality of evaporators of the cooling only system are connected in series.   The vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the condenser of the cooling only system and the external heat exchanger of the cooling and heating system are integrated heat exchangers sharing fins. Machine.

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