JP2012046185A - Small vessel - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a small vessel capable of eliminating accelerator lever operation in turning, adjusting the output of each of the outboard motors in accordance with a travelling state such as speed and easily and efficiently turning only by handle operation in a multi-machine equipped outboard motor small vessel.SOLUTION: The small vessel includes a handle 7, a steering angle sensor 9 to detect the steering angle of the handle 7, a plurality of vessel propulsion machines 3a, 3b mounted on a stern, an electric steering system 15 connected to each of the vessel propulsion machines and a control device 12 to control the output of each of the vessel propulsion machines 3a, 3b. The control device 12 controls the thrust of the vessel propulsion machines 3a, 3b, and controls the thrust of the whole of vessel propulsion machines and its direction according to the steering angle and the traveling state of the vessel. Magnitude of the thrust of each of the vessel propulsion machines 3a, 3b is controlled according to the steering angle by the rotational operation of a steering wheel, and the differential of the thrust is set thereby.

Description

  The present invention relates to a multi-machine outboard motor-type small vessel equipped with a plurality of outboard motors and ship propulsion devices such as stern drives (hereinafter simply referred to as outboard motors).

  The outboard motor attached to the stern of a small vessel has a rudder function by itself, rotates around the swivel shaft by the steering angle corresponding to the steering angle of the steering wheel, and gives thrust to the hull from the stern. Thus, the vehicle turns in a direction corresponding to the turning angle. Patent Document 1 discloses an electric steering device for performing such a steering operation of an outboard motor. By using the electric rudder device, the outboard motor can be steered by driving the motor by the steered angle corresponding to the steering angle. As a result, the steering operation can be easily and reliably performed. In this case, the outboard motor output acts on the hull from the stern side as thrust. The outboard motor output is adjusted by operating an accelerator lever provided with a handle in the cockpit. The accelerator lever has a neutral range of a predetermined angle at the center. When the accelerator lever is tilted forward, the accelerator lever shifts to the forward shift position, and the throttle opens to increase the forward output in accordance with the lever tilt angle toward the front. On the contrary, when it is moved backward, it shifts to the reverse shift position.

  In a two-board outboard motor with two outboard motors mounted in parallel at the stern, an accelerator lever is provided for each outboard motor, and the output can be adjusted for each outboard motor.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view of a turning operation by a multi-machine outboard motor (two in this example). (A) shows a case where the turning angle is large, and (B) shows a case where the turning angle is small.
In the case of (A), the rotational moments M1 and M2 act on the turning center by the thrust F corresponding to the outputs of the two outboard motors 3a and 3b attached to the stern plate 2 of the hull 1. The rotational moments M1 and M2 act to turn the hull 1 in the same direction with respect to the center of rotation.

  On the other hand, in the case of (B), the rotational moments M3 and M4 due to the thrusts F of the outboard motors 3a and 3b act in opposite directions with respect to the center of rotation. In this example, the rotational moment M3 by the outboard motor 3a acts to rotate in the direction opposite to the intended turning direction. Therefore, in such a case, the turning operation can be efficiently performed by causing the output of the outboard motor 3a to act in the reverse direction (reverse drive side). However, when the output is applied in the reverse direction, the forward thrust as a whole is reduced and there is almost no problem at low speeds. However, when the speed is increased, energy loss and excessive speed reduction are caused and driving feeling is lowered. In particular, during high-speed driving near the full throttle, it is impossible to shift one side to the reverse side, and if one of the outputs is reduced and the vehicle turns due to the difference in output, the overall thrust drops and the speed drops significantly. The decrease in sensation becomes significant.

Therefore, in the case of a two-board outboard motor, the steering angle is controlled by the steering wheel and the accelerator lever of each outboard motor is set separately according to the steering angle and the traveling state such as the speed, acceleration or shift position at that time. It is necessary to operate and is very troublesome.
On the other hand, Patent Document 2 discloses a marine maneuvering device in which the direction and strength of the propulsion force of each propulsion unit can be arbitrarily set in a two-propulsion propulsion unit. The steering device of Patent Document 2 includes an omnidirectional indicator such as a joystick in addition to the handle, and changes the steering angle of the two propulsion devices and changes the thrust according to the direction indicated by the joystick. To turn.
However, the control device of Patent Document 2 requires a joystick in addition to the handle, and the structure is complicated. In addition, since the steering direction of each propulsion unit, that is, the direction of thrust of the propulsion unit in the horizontal plane, is changed, depending on the turning radius and speed, the thrust of each propulsion unit is canceled and a large energy loss occurs. There is.

Japanese Patent No. 2959044 JP-A-1-285486

  The present invention takes the above-mentioned prior art into consideration, and in a multi-engine outboard motor-type small vessel, the accelerator lever operation can be omitted at the time of turning, and the output of each outboard motor according to the traveling state such as speed. The purpose is to provide a small boat that can be easily and efficiently turned by simply operating the steering wheel.

  The invention according to claim 1 is a steering wheel, a steering angle sensor for detecting a steering angle of the steering wheel, a plurality of ship propulsion devices attached to the stern, and an electric steering gear connected to each ship propulsion device. And a control device that controls the output of each ship propulsion device, wherein the control device adjusts the thrust of each ship propulsion device according to the steering angle and the traveling state of the ship, The thrust of the entire propulsion unit and its direction are controlled, and the magnitude of the thrust of each ship propulsion unit is adjusted according to the steering angle by the rotation operation of the steering wheel, and the thrust difference is set. A small vessel is provided.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the magnitude of the thrust of each ship propulsion device adjusts at least one of the output, trim angle, or propeller height of each ship propulsion device. It is characterized by being adjusted by.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the output of each ship propulsion device is adjusted using at least one of throttle opening, ignition timing, fuel injection, and shift. It is characterized by.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to third aspects of the present invention, the magnitude of the thrust of each ship propulsion device is the same as that of the ship propulsion device on the inner side in the turning direction. It is characterized by being smaller than the thrust of the machine.

  The invention of claim 5 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the magnitude of the thrust of each ship propulsion device is such that the thrust of the ship propulsion device inside the turning direction acts in the reverse direction, The thrust of the marine vessel propulsion device outside the turning direction is applied in the forward direction.

  The invention of claim 6 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a thrust mode on / off switch is provided, and the thrust of each ship propulsion unit is turned on when the thrust mode on / off switch is on. It is characterized by adjusting the difference.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the control device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects of the present invention, in addition to the steering angle and the traveling state of the ship, controls the position of the accelerator lever or the opening of the throttle valve. Accordingly, the thrust of each ship propulsion device is adjusted.

  The invention of claim 8 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the control device does not set a thrust difference between the ship propulsion devices when the steering angle is a predetermined value or less. Features.

  The invention of claim 9 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein when the steering angle is equal to or larger than a predetermined value, the control device makes the thrust difference between the ship propulsion devices constant. It is characterized by.

  The invention according to claim 10 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the traveling state is a speed of the small vessel.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the boat operator operates the steering wheel at the time of turning, the steering angle changes and the steering angle corresponding to the turning direction and the radius is detected. Thereby, the intention of the boat operator to turn is detected. The output of each ship propulsion unit is adjusted by the control device in advance so that the direction of the plurality of ship propulsion units is changed by an optimum output difference according to the steering angle and the traveling state of the ship, or the thrust acting direction is adjusted by adjusting the trim angle. The ship operator operates the accelerator lever of each ship propulsion device by adjusting the thrust action point by adjusting the direction or propeller height, and controlling the thrust and the direction of the ship propulsion device as a whole. Without any steering operation, the output of each ship propulsion device is adjusted accurately and the direction of travel can be controlled easily or efficiently depending on the running condition of the ship due to the thrust difference, such as turning straight or running against external force. Can do. In particular, small turning at low speed can be easily performed by simple steering operation.

  According to the invention of claim 3, each ship propulsion device appropriately controls output using any one of throttle opening, ignition timing, fuel injection (duty control of injector injection timing and injection amount, etc.) or shift. Is done.

1 is an overall plan view of a small boat to which the present invention is applied. The principal part block diagram of the steering control system which concerns on this invention. The block diagram of the steering apparatus which concerns on this invention. Explanatory drawing of turning operation | movement of the small ship which concerns on this invention. 3 is a flowchart showing an output control operation of the outboard motor according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for setting a thrust difference of an outboard motor. The flowchart for demonstrating operation | movement of failure mode. Explanatory drawing of turning operation of a multi-machine outboard motor type small vessel. Explanatory drawing of trim angle adjustment. Explanatory drawing of propeller height adjustment. Explanatory drawing of the water contact surface of a ship bottom.

FIG. 1 is an overall plan view of a two-board outboard motor type small vessel according to the present invention.
Two outboard motors 3 a and 3 b are attached to the stern plate 2 of the hull 1 via clamp brackets 4, respectively. Each outboard motor 3a, 3b can rotate around a swivel shaft (vertical shaft) 6. A steering bracket 5 is fixed to the upper end portion of the swivel shaft 6. An electric motor-type steering device 15 (see FIG. 3) is connected to the front end portion of the steering bracket 5. When the electric motor of the steering device 15 slides as indicated by the arrow A, the outboard motors 3a and 3b rotate around the swivel shaft 6 according to the turning angle through the steering bracket 5. The outboard motors 3a, 3b and the steering device 15 are respectively connected to a control device (ECU) 12 via a controller 11, and the control device 12 controls the engine output of the outboard motor and the steering angle of the steering device 15. Control is performed.
The outboard motors 3a and 3b can be rotated around a tilt axis by a tilt cylinder (not shown), respectively, and are rotated up to a substantially horizontal position at the time of landing or the like. The outboard motors 3a and 3b can be rotated around the tilt axis by a trim cylinder (not shown), respectively, and the trim angle of the outboard motor is adjusted during navigation to move the propeller thrust direction up and down in the vertical plane. (See FIG. 9 described later).
The outboard motors 3a and 3b are each attached to a stern transom (not shown) via a clamp bracket 4, and can be adjusted in the vertical direction during navigation (see FIG. 10 described later).

  A steering wheel 7 is provided in the cockpit. The steering angle by the rotation operation of the handle 7 is detected by the steering angle sensor 9 via the handle shaft 8. The detected steering angle is sent to the control device 12 via the cable 10. A reaction force motor 14 is connected to the handle shaft 8, and a reaction torque corresponding to a steering angle and an external force state is calculated by the control device 12, and this reaction torque is applied to the handle 7 by the reaction force motor 14. As a result, a reaction force according to the steering wheel operation is given to the ship operator in accordance with the traveling state of the ship, and a driving feeling such as a heavy feeling or a light feeling when the steering wheel is operated is obtained.

  A traveling state detection means 16 is connected to the control device 12. The traveling state detection means 16 includes a speed sensor, an attitude sensor, a yaw rate sensor, a lateral acceleration sensor, an engine state sensor, a shift position sensor, an accelerator sensor, and the like. The speed detection by the speed sensor may be performed by directly detecting the speed with respect to the water with an impeller provided on the bottom of the ship, calculating the speed by measuring the position with respect to the ground with GPS, The speed may be predicted from the throttle opening. The attitude sensor detects the attitude of the ship by detecting the roll angle and pitch angle of the hull using a gyro or the like. The yaw rate sensor detects the turning state of the ship. The lateral acceleration sensor detects a centrifugal force when turning. The engine state sensor detects the throttle opening and the engine speed. The shift position sensor detects a forward / reverse shift position. The accelerator sensor detects the throttle opening state from the accelerator lever. Further, the acceleration state may be calculated from the speed data as the running state. Further, a load sensor may be provided in the steering device of each outboard motor to detect an external force that acts on the hull during turning. The external force may be detected from a torque sensor provided on the motor of the steering device. Furthermore, a torque sensor may be provided on the engine output shaft or propeller shaft of each outboard motor, and the thrust of each outboard motor may be detected as the running state data. The traveling state detection means 16 detects the traveling state of the ship, and the data is sent to the control device 12.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a main part of a steering control system for a small boat according to the present invention.
The rotational operation angle of the handle 7 is detected by a steering angle sensor 9, and steering angle data is input to the control device 12. The above-described running state detection data is input to the control device 12. The control device 12 calculates the target torque of the reaction force to the handle according to the steering angle and the running state data, and drives the reaction force motor 14 to apply the reaction force to the handle 7.

Two outboard motors 3a and 3b are attached to the stern plate 2 (FIG. 1) of the hull. The steering device 15 of each outboard motor 3a, 3b is connected to the control device 12, receives a command value of the turning angle from the control device 12, and drives an electric motor (not shown) to perform a turning operation. The control device 12 is further connected to the engine (not shown) of each outboard motor 3a, 3b, and controls the throttle opening, fuel injection, and ignition timing of the engine to control the output for each outboard motor.
Each outboard motor 3a, 3b is attached to the stern plate 2 via a transom 27, and the height position of each outboard motor can be adjusted as described later (FIG. 10). The height position can be changed.
Each outboard motor 3a, 3b is provided with a trim cylinder 28 and can be trimmed. By the trimming operation, the vertical inclination of the propeller shaft 25 can be changed as will be described later (FIG. 9).
In the present invention, the traveling direction of the ship can be controlled without performing the turning operation by the rudder 15 by adjusting the output of each outboard motor, adjusting the trim angle, or adjusting the height position of the propeller.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of the steering device.
The electric motor 20 constituting the steering device 15 is a DD (Direct Drive) type motor, is attached to the screw rod 19, and slides along the screw rod 19. Both ends of the screw rod 19 are fixed to the stern plate (not shown) by the support member 22. Reference numeral 23 denotes a clamp portion of the clamp bracket, and reference numeral 24 denotes a tilt shaft. A steering bracket 5 is fixed to the swivel shaft 6 of the outboard motors 3a and 3b (FIG. 1), and the electric motor 20 is connected to the front end portion 5a of the steering bracket 5 via a connecting bracket 21.

  In such a configuration, the outboard motor can be turned around the swivel shaft 6 by turning the electric motor 20 along the screw rod 19 according to the steering amount of the steering wheel.

4 (A) to 4 (C) are explanatory views of the turning operation of the two-board outboard type small vessel according to the present invention.
(A) is a case where the turning angle is large as in FIG. 8 (A) described above, and the thrust Fa corresponding to the output of the outboard motor 3a inside the turning direction is reduced compared to FIG. 8 (A), The thrust Fb of the outer outboard motor 3b is increased. As a result, the total thrust can be maintained without lowering, and the turning moment around the turning center can be increased to make a small turning operation.

  (B) is a case where a turning angle is small like the above-mentioned FIG. 8 (B). In FIG. 4B, the thrust Fa is applied in the reverse direction with the output direction of the outboard motor 3a inside the turning direction reversed. As a result, at the time of extremely low speed turning, the rotational moments of both outboard motors 3a and 3b can be made the same direction to increase the total rotational moment, thereby enabling efficient turning.

  (C) shows an example of turning by the difference in output between the two outboard motors 3a and 3b when the turning angle is 0 °. By making the thrust Fb of the outboard motor 3b larger than the thrust Fa of the outboard motor 3a (Fa <Fb), the ship turns as indicated by a dotted arrow.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of turning operation control of a small boat according to the present invention.
Step S1:
It is determined whether or not the turning operation control by the control device 12 (FIGS. 1 and 2) is performed in the thrust mode. The thrust mode is a control method in which a thrust difference is provided by adjusting outputs to a plurality of outboard motors according to a preset program, and turning is performed based on the thrust difference. Whether the thrust mode is selected is determined by the state of the thrust mode on / off switch. The thrust mode on / off switch is provided, for example, near the accelerator lever of the cockpit. Instead of the determination by the thrust mode on / off switch, the speed may be detected and the thrust mode may be automatically set at a low speed.

Step S2:
When not in the thrust mode, each outboard motor is controlled in a turning control mode in which a turning operation is performed by a normal steering wheel operation and an accelerator lever operation.

Step S3:
In the thrust mode, the steering wheel rotation angle by the steering wheel operation is detected by the steering angle sensor (FIG. 2). As a result, the intention of the boat operator to turn is detected.

Step S4:
Detect the current accelerator state. This can be detected by detecting the position of the accelerator lever or the opening of the throttle valve.

Step S5:
A traveling state such as speed is detected by the traveling state detecting means 16 (FIG. 2).

Step S6:
The thrust of each outboard motor is set according to the steering angle, accelerator state, and traveling state detected in steps S3 to S5. Thus, the output of each outboard motor is adjusted so that the vehicle can turn efficiently according to the traveling state, and the thrust difference is set. In this case, it is preferable to set the thrust difference by adjusting the output in consideration of the accelerator angle together with the steering angle of the steering wheel. Further, it is preferable to set an appropriate yaw rate range corresponding to the steering angle in accordance with the steering angle, adjust the output so as to be within this yaw rate range, and set the thrust difference. In addition, it is preferable to set the thrust difference in consideration of the speed so that the vehicle can turn stably and efficiently according to the speed (see FIG. 6). The output of each outboard motor when setting the thrust difference is adjusted not only in magnitude, but also in the forward / reverse shift direction.
Further, this thrust difference can be changed by adjusting the trim angle and / or the propeller height of each outboard motor. By adjusting the trim angle, the direction of the thrust of each outboard motor on the hull is adjusted by changing in the vertical direction within the vertical plane (see FIG. 9).
By adjusting the height of the propeller, the vertical position of the action point of each outboard motor thrust on the hull is adjusted (see FIG. 10).

Step S7:
Adjust the output of each outboard motor to achieve the set thrust difference. The output is controlled using any one or more of throttle opening, ignition timing, fuel injection (injection timing of the injector, injection amount, etc.) and shift of each outboard motor.
Further, as described above, the thrust difference is controlled by adjusting the trim angle and / or the propeller height of each outboard motor (see FIG. 11).

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of thrust difference setting according to speed.
As illustrated, the thrust difference is set according to the steering angle α. While the steering angle α is extremely small from 0 to α1, no thrust difference is given. When the steering angle α is between α1 and α2, a thrust difference is provided in proportion to the steering angle. When the steering angle becomes α2 or more, the thrust difference is set constant.
Further, the thrust difference is increased as the speed is reduced. This is because the smaller the speed, the smaller the turning radius and the more stable turning operation is possible even when turning sharply.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the operation including the failure mode of the small boat according to the present invention.
This flow is obtained by adding a failure mode determination step T1 after Yes in the thrust mode determination step S1 in the flow of FIG. 5 described above. In step T1, it is determined whether or not the steering device is out of order. The failure is determined when the detection value by the position sensor of the electric motor provided in the steering gear and the detection value by the rotational position sensor of the motor are greatly deviated, or when an abnormal detection value is indicated, or A failure is determined when the provided load sensor shows an abnormal value. If there is no failure, the process proceeds to step S4. In the case of failure, the process proceeds to step T2.

In step T2, the turning angle of the rudder device is fixed and the turning operation is performed only by the output difference between the two outboard motors. In this case, the motor is stopped when a failure is detected, the turning angle is fixed at that position, the output difference between the two outboard motors is calculated according to the steering angle of the steering wheel, and the turning operation is performed based on this output difference. If the motor is in a movable state at the time of failure detection, the motor is driven to return the steering angle to the zero position (the steering device is straight in the center position), and the output difference between the two outboard motors at this center position. To calculate the turning motion. By setting the output difference after returning the outboard motor to the center position, it is possible to perform a turning operation in a balanced manner in the left-right direction.
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of trim angle adjustment.
(A) shows a state in which the reference axis (for example, crankshaft core) C of the outboard motor 3 is in the vertical direction and the trim angle is zero. In this state, the propeller shaft 25 of the propeller 26 is horizontal, and the direction of the thrust F by the propeller 26 with respect to the hull 1 is the front in the horizontal direction.
(B) shows a trim angle θ obtained by trimming up the state (A) and tilting the reference axis C forward by θ from the vertical direction. In this state, the propeller shaft 25 is inclined downward by the trim angle θ in the vertical plane including the reference axis C. Therefore, the direction of the thrust F by the propeller 26 with respect to the hull 1 is inclined downward by θ. As a result, a moment of raising the bow is applied to the hull 1 (arrow B).
FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the height adjustment of the propeller.
The outboard motor 3 is attached to the transom 27 via the clamp bracket 4. The transom 27 is movable up and down with respect to the hull 1 together with the outboard motor 3. (A) and (B) show the raised position and lowered position of the transom 27, respectively. Thereby, the vertical position of the propeller shaft 25 can be adjusted, and the vertical position of the point of application of the thrust F of the propeller 26 with respect to the hull 1 is changed. By lowering the position of the propeller 26, as shown in (B), a moment is applied to lift the bow upward (arrow B).
FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of the water contact surface of the ship bottom.
(A) shows a state in which both outboard motors 3a and 3b have the same trim angle and the same propeller height. In this case, the water contact surface indicated by diagonal lines is equal to the left and right.
(B) shows a state in which one outboard motor 3b is trimmed up (FIG. 9B) or a state in which the height of the propeller is lowered (FIG. 10B). In this state, the water contact area on the outboard motor 3b side is reduced, the water contact resistance is reduced by that amount, and a turning moment as shown by an arrow D acts on the hull 1.
Thus, by adjusting the trim angle or the propeller height, the outboard motor can be turned without turning.

  The present invention can be applied to a small vessel in which a plurality of vessel propulsion devices such as outboard motors and stern drives are attached to the stern.

  1: hull, 2: stern plate, 3a, 3b: outboard motor, 4: clamp bracket, 5: steering bracket, 5a: front end, 6: swivel shaft, 7: handle, 8: handle shaft, 9: steering angle Sensor: 10: Signal cable, 11: Controller, 12: Control device, 14: Reaction force motor, 15: Steering device, 16: Traveling state detection means, 19: Screw rod, 20: Electric motor, 21: Connection bracket, 22: support member, 23: clamp part, 24: tilt shaft, 25: propeller shaft, 26: propeller, 27: transom, 28: trim cylinder.

Claims (10)

A steering wheel; a steering angle sensor for detecting a steering angle of the steering wheel; a plurality of ship propulsion devices attached to the stern; an electric steering gear connected to each ship propulsion device; and In a small vessel equipped with a control device for controlling the output,
The control device adjusts the thrust of each ship propulsion device according to the steering angle and the traveling state of the ship, and controls the thrust and the direction of the ship propulsion device as a whole. A small vessel characterized in that a thrust difference of each ship propulsion device is adjusted according to a steering angle by an operation to set a thrust difference.   The magnitude of thrust of each ship propulsion device is adjusted by adjusting at least one of the output, trim angle, and propeller height of each ship propulsion device. Small boat described.   The small ship according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the output of each ship propulsion device is adjusted using at least one of throttle opening, ignition timing, fuel injection, and shift.   The magnitude of the thrust of each ship propulsion device is such that the thrust of the ship propulsion device inside the turning direction is made smaller than the thrust of the ship propulsion device outside the turning direction. A small vessel according to 1.   The magnitude of the thrust of each ship propulsion device is such that the thrust of the ship propulsion device on the inner side in the turning direction acts in the backward direction, and the thrust of the ship propulsion device on the outer side in the turning direction acts in the forward direction. The small ship as described in any one of Claim 1 thru | or 3.   6. The thrust mode on / off switch is provided, and the thrust difference between the marine vessel propulsion devices is adjusted when the thrust mode on / off switch is on. 6. Small ship.   The said control apparatus adjusts the thrust of each ship propulsion apparatus according to the position of an accelerator lever or the opening degree of a throttle valve in addition to the said steering angle and the traveling state of a ship. 6. A small vessel according to any one of 6 above.   The small vessel according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein when the steering angle is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the control device does not set a thrust difference between the vessel propulsion devices.   The small vessel according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein when the steering angle is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the control device makes a thrust difference between the vessel propulsion devices constant.   The small boat according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the traveling state is a speed of the small boat.

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