JP2013149374A - Electric wire connector fixing structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To effectively prevent the damage of an electric wire even if a connector housing is broken, in an electric wire connector fixing structure in which the connector housing united to the periphery of an end portion of the electric wire and an installing member are fixed by a lock mechanism.SOLUTION: An electric wire connector fixing structure 10 includes: a connector housing 16 united to the periphery of an end portion of a cable 14 which is an electric wire; a connector steel plate shell 18 which is an installing member fixed to the connector housing 16 by a lock mechanism 34; and a resin cover 20 covering at least a part of the connector housing 16. The resin cover 20 is fixed to the connector steel plate shell 18 so as to displace to the cable 14.

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric wire connector fixing structure including a connector housing coupled around the end of an electric wire and an attachment member.

  An electric vehicle such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle is equipped with a multiphase electric motor. When a plurality of phase windings are arranged on the stator as in a multi-phase electric motor, the terminals of the windings of each phase, for example, the terminals of the U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase windings are driven. It is necessary to electrically connect a plurality of terminals from an inverter that is a motor driving unit, for example, terminals corresponding to the U phase, the V phase, and the W phase. For this reason, the motor-side terminal block fixed to the motor case or the like and connected to the terminals of the stator coils of each phase of the internal electric motor and the PCU case which is a vehicle-mounted electric circuit housing case including a power control unit (PCU) It is conceivable to connect the inverter-side terminal block that is fixed and connected to the terminal of each phase of the internal inverter via a cable that is a high-voltage electric wire that is a multi-phase power line.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle connector protection structure that includes a protection member that protects a connector that connects two wires, and the protection member is an insulating cover that covers the entire connector and can be extended. The structure is described. The connector is formed by fitting both male and female connectors, and one end of the insulating cover is fixed to a wiring connected to the female connector. According to this structure, when the male and female connectors are disengaged even when the connector breaks due to a vehicle collision or the like, the whole female connector that is the end of the electric wire is covered with the insulating cover to ensure insulation. Has been.

JP2011-146195A

  As described above, when the connector is provided on the terminal block fixed to the vehicle-mounted electrical circuit housing case, the vehicle-mounted electrical circuit housing case moves to the rear of the vehicle in the event of a vehicle collision, and is fixed by the connector and connected to a rotating electrical machine such as a motor. There is a possibility that the cable that has been hit will collide with other members behind the reserve tank or the like and be pushed back forward. In this case, for example, even if the mounting member fixed to the in-vehicle electric circuit housing case and the connector housing to which the cable is connected are fixed by the locking mechanism, the locking mechanism is damaged at the time of a collision and the like. It cannot be said that there is no possibility that the cable is pulled out and the cable is sandwiched between the attachment member and another member (such as a reserve tank) and the insulation coating of the cable is damaged.

  That is, when the connector collides with another member such as a reserve tank, the connector housing is destroyed, and the cable is pulled out and bent so that it bends. There is a possibility that the insulation film of the cable is damaged by being sandwiched between the case and the case. For this reason, there is room for improvement in terms of effectively preventing cable damage when the connector housing is broken. On the other hand, the connector protection structure described in Patent Document 1 protects the connector with an insulating cover, and there is room for improvement in terms of protecting the cable.

  It is an object of the present invention to provide a structure in which a connector housing and an attachment member coupled around the end of an electric wire are fixed by a lock mechanism in the electric wire connector fixing structure, and even when the connector housing is damaged, the electric wire is not in contact with other members. It is to effectively prevent damage caused by being pinched between the two.

  An electric wire connector fixing structure according to the present invention includes a connector housing coupled around an end of an electric wire, an attachment member fixed to the connector housing by a lock mechanism, and a resin cover that covers at least a part of the connector housing. And a resin cover fixed to the mounting member in a state enabling displacement with respect to the electric wire. Note that “fixed to the mounting member in a state that enables displacement relative to the electric wire” means that it is fixed to the mounting member but not directly fixed to the electric wire (the entire specification). And the same in the claims).

  Preferably, the resin cover has a circumferential surface coupling portion coupled to the outer circumferential surface of the mounting member.

  Preferably, the lock mechanism is provided on the electric wire side portion of the connector housing, has a L-shaped cross section, and has a deformable arm portion having a locking protrusion projecting toward the outer peripheral surface at the tip portion, and the mounting member And a cylindrical portion that can be fitted around the electric wire side portion of the connector housing and is locked to the locking protrusion.

  Preferably, an adhesive member that joins the resin cover and the attachment member is provided.

  Preferably, the resin cover is made of a fiber reinforced resin.

  According to the electric wire connector fixing structure according to the present invention, in the configuration in which the connector housing and the mounting member coupled around the end of the electric wire are fixed by the lock mechanism, the lock mechanism is damaged when the connector housing is damaged, and the connector housing Since the electric wire is drawn out, a resin cover that is easily deformed is easily interposed between the drawn electric wire and the connector housing or the mounting member. For this reason, even when the connector housing is broken, such as when a vehicle equipped with a device having an electric wire connector fixing structure is damaged, it is possible to effectively prevent damage caused by the electric wire being pinched with other members.

1 is a schematic perspective view showing a part of a wire connector fixing structure of an embodiment of the present invention with a partial see-through. It is AA sectional drawing of FIG. It is the schematic which shows a mode that a connector collides with components of back at the time of the vehicle carrying the PCU case which has the electric wire connector fixing structure of a comparative example. A cross-sectional view (a) showing a state in which the wire connector fixing structure of the comparative example is fixed to the PCU case, a cross-sectional view (b) showing a state in which the cable is pushed by a rear part at the time of a collision, and a wire protection protector FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view (c) illustrating a state where the cable is pulled out from the connector housing. It is sectional drawing which shows a mode that a cable is further pulled out from FIG.4 (c), and a cable is pinched | interposed between back components, a connector housing, and a connector iron plate shell. Sectional drawing (a) which shows a mode that the electric wire connector fixing structure of embodiment of this invention is being fixed to PCU case, and a cable through a resin cover between a rear part, a connector housing, and a connector iron plate shell at the time of a collision It is a schematic sectional drawing (b) which shows a mode that it pinches | interposes.

  Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below. FIGS. 1-2 has shown the electric wire connector fixing structure of this embodiment. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a part of the wire connector fixing structure of the present embodiment as seen through. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. The wire connector fixing structure 10 of the present embodiment is a vehicle-mounted electric circuit housing case mounted on an electric vehicle such as an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or a fuel cell vehicle, for example, and a PCU case 12 that is an inverter case (see FIG. 3 and the like). Fixed to. The PCU case 12 includes a boost converter, an inverter, and a control circuit which are not shown. The boost converter and the inverter are connected between the battery and the rotating electrical machine, boost the voltage of the battery with the boost converter, and convert between direct current and alternating current with the inverter. The rotating electrical machine is a three-phase electric motor used as a traveling motor, for example. The rotating electrical machine may be a generator or a motor generator having both functions of an electric motor and a generator.

  Further, three cables 14, which are high-voltage electric wires connected to the rotating electrical machine, are connected to an inverter (not shown) inside the PCU case 12 via a wire connector fixing structure 10 fixed to the PCU case 12. It is connected to the inverter side power line. The three cables 14 connected to the rotating electrical machine are three-phase power lines connected to U-phase, V-phase, and W-phase stator coils (not shown) of the rotating electrical machine. In the following description, parts having similar or corresponding configurations may be described with the same reference numerals.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the wire connector fixing structure 10 includes a connector housing 16 joined together around one end of three cables 14 of U phase, V phase, and W phase, and a connector iron plate shell as a mounting member. 18, a resin cover 20, and a fixing tape 22 that is a sticking member. In FIG. 1, the hatched portion indicates the resin cover 20, the sandy portion indicates the fixing tape 22, and the inside of the resin cover 20 and the fixing tape 22 is seen through.

  The connector iron plate shell 18 is fixed to the PCU case 12 (see FIGS. 3 and 6, etc.) by a fastening member such as a bolt (not shown), and the main body plate portion 24 and the coupling plate integrally formed so as to be orthogonal to each other. And a fitting cylinder portion 28 having a substantially oval cross section provided so as to protrude from the periphery of the long hole-shaped through hole provided in the main body plate portion 24 to one side (left side in FIG. 1). As shown in FIG. 2, the fitting tube portion 28 includes a folded portion 30 formed by folding the tip portion inward 180 degrees. The coupling plate portion 26 and the main body plate portion 24 are plate-shaped along the mounting surface of the mounting member when the mounting member (not shown) is fixed to the PCU case 12 or the PCU case 12, respectively. Through holes 32 through which bolts are inserted are formed at a plurality of locations. The connector iron plate shell 18 can also have an electromagnetic wave shielding function. In the illustrated example, in the connector iron plate shell 18, the portion extending from the axially intermediate portion of the fitting tube portion 28 to the connecting portion with the main body plate portion 24 is resin-molded, but the connector iron plate shell 18 is simply a metal plate. It can also be formed only of a metal material such as.

  The connector housing 16 is coupled and fixed to the connector iron plate shell 18 by a lock mechanism 34 in a state where a part thereof is inserted into the fitting cylinder portion 28 of the connector iron plate shell 18. As shown in FIG. 2, the connector housing 16 is provided with three terminals 36 corresponding to the three cables 14 at one end (the right end in FIG. 2) disposed inside the PCU case 12. In addition, three recesses 38 (only one recess is shown in FIG. 2 and the other recesses are not shown) into which the three cables 14 can be inserted on the other side of the connector housing 16 (left side in FIG. 2). ) Is formed. The cable 14 is connected to the terminal 36 of the corresponding phase via a conductive connecting portion in a state where one end of the cable 14 of each phase is inserted into the corresponding recess 38. The cable 14 of each phase and the connector housing 16 are coupled and fixed by a lock mechanism (not shown). The connector housing 16 is formed by integrating the metal part 40 such as iron and the resin part 42, but the connector housing 16 can also be formed only by a metal part such as iron.

  Further, the wire connector fixing structure 10 includes the lock mechanism 34 described above. The lock mechanism 34 is provided on the deformable arm portion 44 provided at the upper two places and the lower two places of the cable 14 coupling side portion (the left portion in FIG. 2) of the connector housing 16 and the connector iron plate shell 18. The fitting cylinder portion 28 is formed. Each of the deformable arm portions 44 has a substantially L-shaped cross section and has a locking protrusion 46 that protrudes toward the outer peripheral surface at the tip. Each of the deformable arm portions 44 is made of a metal such as iron and can be elastically deformed in the direction indicated by the arrow α in FIG. Further, in order to allow the deformable arm portions 44 to be deformed, a deformation allowable space P is formed between the resin portion 42 of the connector housing 16 and the deformable arm portions 44.

  A fitting tube portion 28 of the connector iron plate shell 18 is fitted to the cable housing 14 side of the connector housing 16. That is, in the state where the connector iron plate shell 18 is arranged on the left side with respect to the connector housing 16 in FIG. 2, the deformable arm portion 44 is elastically deformed inward (in the direction of arrow α in FIG. 2). 2 is pushed around in the direction of arrow F in FIG. 2, and the locking projection 46 is elastically restored in the state shown in FIG. The portion 46 is locked to the distal end portion of the deformable arm portion 44. In this state, the inner peripheral portion on one side surface of the main body plate portion 24 is abutted against the stopper portion 48 of the connector housing 16, and further displacement in the direction of arrow F in FIG. That is, the fitting tube portion 28 can be fitted around the cable 14 coupling side portion of the connector housing 16 and is locked by the locking protrusions 46.

  Further, the electric wire connector fixing structure 10 includes a resin cover 20, a fixing tape 22, a shield wire 72 that is a braided wire shown only in FIG. 2 and a caulking ring 74, respectively. The resin cover 20 is made of a high-strength fiber reinforced resin, and includes a cover-side tube portion 50 whose tip is fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the fitting tube portion 28 of the connector iron plate shell 18, and a cover-side tube portion 50. And a cover 52 formed integrally with the cover-side cylinder 50 so as to close one end of the cover. The resin cover 20 covers the periphery of the cable 14 coupling side portion (left side portion in FIG. 2), which is a part of the connector housing 16, and is pressed into the outer peripheral surface of the fitting cylinder portion 28 of the connector iron plate shell 18. A circumferential surface coupling portion 54 to be coupled and fixed is included. Further, the lid portion 52 of the resin cover 20 is pressed against the cable 14 coupling side end surface (left end surface in FIG. 2) of the connector housing 16. The peripheral surface coupling portion 54 is provided at the open end of the cover-side cylinder portion 50. Insertion holes into which the three cables 14 can be inserted are formed at three positions of the lid portion 52. Such a resin cover 20 is fixed to the connector housing 16 in a state that enables displacement with respect to the cable 14. That is, the resin cover 20 is directly fixed to the connector housing 16 but is not directly fixed to the cable 14. The outer side of the cable 14 is covered with a shield wire 72, and the end portion of the shield wire 72 is further covered with the resin cover 20 and the fixing tape 22, and further, the outer side of the fitting tube portion 28 of the connector iron plate shell 18. Thus, a caulking ring 74 made of metal is fitted on the outside of the resin cover 20 and the fixing tape 22 and fixed by caulking. Thereby, the resin cover 20 is provided inside the shield wire 72, and the resin cover 20 and the shield wire 72 are sandwiched and fixed together between the caulking ring 74 and the connector iron plate shell 18.

  Moreover, the rigidity of the resin cover 20 is lower than the rigidity of the cable coupling side end 58 and the connector iron plate shell 18 constituting the resin portion 42 of the connector housing 16, that is, the resin cover 20 is easily deformed. A space G is formed in at least a part between the resin cover 20 and the connector housing 16.

  Further, the fixing tape 22 is a belt-like shape, and extends substantially one round so as to span between the outer peripheral surface of the front end portion of the cover side tube portion 50 of the resin cover 20 and the main body plate portion 24 side of the fitting tube portion 28 of the connector iron plate shell 18. The resin cover 20 and the connector iron plate shell 18 are coupled to each other by the sticking surface of the fixing tape 22.

  According to the wire connector fixing structure 10 as described above, in the configuration in which the connector housing 16 and the connector iron plate shell 18 are fixed by the lock mechanism 34, the cable 14 is sandwiched between other members even when the connector housing 16 is damaged. Can be effectively prevented from being damaged. About this, the problem which it is going to solve by this embodiment is first demonstrated using the electric wire connector fixing structure of a comparative example, and the effect | action of this embodiment is demonstrated after that.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a state in which the electric wire connector fixing structure 10 collides with a rear part at the time of a collision in front of the vehicle in a vehicle on which the PCU case 12 having the electric wire connector fixing structure 10 of the comparative example is mounted. 4A and 4B are a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the wire connector fixing structure 10 of the comparative example is fixed to the PCU case 12, and a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the cable 14 is pushed by the rear part at the time of a collision. ) And a cross-sectional view (c) showing a state in which the cable 14 is further pulled out from the wire protection protector 60 and the connector housing 16. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the cable 14 is further drawn from FIG. 4C and the cable 14 is sandwiched between the rear part, the connector housing 16 and the connector iron plate shell 18. In FIG. 4C, the shape of the connector housing 16 is simplified.

  The wire connector fixing structure 10 of the comparative example shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 omits the resin cover 20 and the fixing tape 22 in the wire connector fixing structure 10 of the present embodiment shown in FIGS. Yes. Further, as shown in FIG. 4A, in the comparative example, the periphery of the coupling side end of the cable 14 to the connector housing 16 is covered with a cylindrical wire protection protector 60 made of an insulating material such as resin, One end of the wire protection protector 60 is abutted against the end surface of the connector housing 16. Further, a protector fixing tape 62 is attached to the other end portion of the wire protection protector 60 and a portion of the cable 14 led out from the wire protection protector 60 to position the wire protection protector 60 with respect to the cable 14.

  3, the rear end portion of the PCU case 12 mounted on the vehicle (“rear” refers to the rear side in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and is the right side of FIG. 3. 3 is the left side of 3. The same applies hereinafter.) The wire connector fixing structure 10 is fixed. In this case, the connector iron plate shell 18 (FIG. 4) is coupled to the PCU case 12 by fastening means such as bolts. In FIG. 3, the position of each normal element in a normal state before the collision of the vehicle is indicated by a broken line, and the position of each element after the vehicle has collided forward is indicated by a solid line.

  As shown by a solid line in FIG. 3, at the time of a vehicle collision, the PCU case 12 is pushed rearward by a front member (not shown), and the wire connector fixing structure 10 collides with an inverter reserve tank 64 located rearward. The inverter reserve tank 64 is a reserve tank for storing coolant that cools an inverter (not shown). In this case, the brake reserve tank 66 is opposed to the rear upper part of the inverter reserve tank 64 and collides with the brake reserve tank 66. The brake reserve tank 66 is a reserve tank that stores brake fluid. And the inverter reserve tank 64 pushes back the electric wire connector fixing structure 10 in the state inclined toward the front diagonally downward. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 4B, the inverter reserve tank 64 bends the cable 14 coupled to the connector housing 16 downward to expose the cable 14 from the end of the wire protection protector 60. Further, when the connector housing 16 is further pushed forward and the locking mechanism of the connector housing 16 is broken, the connector housing 16 is pushed into the PCU case 12 as shown in FIG. Also, the cable 14 is exposed, and the exposed cable 14 is bent. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the bent cable 14 is sandwiched between the inverter reserve tank 64, the connector housing 16, and the connector iron plate shell 18 from the connector housing 16 and the like. In this case, the cable 14 may be pressed against the corner of the connector housing 16 at the end of the cable 14 coupling side or the rear end of the connector iron plate shell 18. For this reason, there is a possibility that the insulation coating of the cable 14 is damaged.

  The present embodiment has been invented to eliminate such inconvenience. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view (a) showing a state in which the wire connector fixing structure 10 of the present embodiment is fixed to the PCU case 12, and the rear part, the connector housing 16 and the connector iron plate shell 18 of the cable 14 at the time of collision. It is a schematic sectional drawing (b) which shows a mode that it pinches | interposes through the resin cover 20 between these. In FIG. 6B, the shape of the connector housing 16 is simplified. In FIG. 6, illustration of the shield wire 72 and the caulking ring 74 is omitted. As shown in FIG. 6A, a connector iron plate is provided on the outer surface of the top plate portion 68 and the side wall portion 70 of the rear end portion (the right end portion of FIGS. 6A and 6B) of the PCU case 12 mounted on the vehicle. The PCU case 12 is fastened by a fastening member such as a bolt (not shown) inserted into a through hole 32 (FIG. 1) formed in the coupling plate portion 26 against the shell 18 and a nut (not shown) inserted into the bolt. The electric wire connector fixing structure 10 is fixed to. The wire connector fixing structure 10 is not limited to the case of fixing to the PCU case 12 in such a state, and can be fixed to the PCU case 12 in various states. For example, the coupling plate portion 26 can be coupled and fixed to a member fixed to the PCU case 12 such as a mounting plate portion provided laterally inside the side wall portion 70 of the PCU case 12 by a fastening member.

  From this state, as shown in FIG. 6 (b), the PCU case 12 is pushed rearward (right side of FIG. 6 (b)) in the same manner as in the above-described comparative example when the vehicle collides. When the member, for example, the inverter reserve tank 64 pushes the connector housing 16 back forward, the locking mechanism is broken and the connector housing 16 moves forward, the bent portion of the cable 14 becomes the connector housing 16 and the connector iron plate shell 18. And a rear member such as the inverter reserve tank 64 or the like. Even in this state, according to the present embodiment, the insulation coating of the cable 14 can be effectively prevented from being damaged. That is, in the configuration in which the connector housing 16 coupled to the periphery of the end of the cable 14 and the connector iron plate shell 18 are fixed by the lock mechanism 34 (FIG. 2) as in the present embodiment, the lock mechanism when the connector housing 16 is damaged. Even when the cable 34 is pulled out from the connector housing 16 due to breakage of the cable 34, the resin cover 20 that is easily deformed is easily interposed between the pulled-out cable 14 and the connector housing 16 or the connector iron plate shell 18. For this reason, even when the connector housing 16 is damaged, such as when a vehicle equipped with the PCU case 12 which is a device having the electric wire connector fixing structure 10 is damaged, the impact applied to the cable 14 is reduced by the deformation of the resin cover 20. Thus, it is possible to effectively prevent damage due to the cable 14 being pinched between the wire connector fixing structure 10 and another member (for example, the inverter reserve tank 64). Therefore, the cable 14 can be effectively protected, and leakage due to damage to the insulating coating of the cable 14 can be effectively prevented.

  In addition, since the wire connector fixing structure 10 includes the fixing tape 22 that couples the resin cover 20 and the connector iron plate shell 18, the cover-side cylindrical portion 50 of the resin cover 20 is deformed when the resin cover 20 is deformed at the time of a vehicle collision or the like. It is possible to prevent the end portion from being peeled off from the connector iron plate shell 18 and to prevent damage to the cable 14 more effectively. 6A and 6B show the case where the cable 14 is not provided with the wire protection protector or the protector fixing tape. However, as in the comparative example shown in FIGS. The wire protection protector 60 and the protector fixing tape 62 can also be fixed. In the present embodiment, the configuration in which the shield wire 72 and the caulking ring 74 are provided has been described. However, the shield wire 72 and the caulking ring 74 may be omitted. Even in this case, the resin cover 20 may be fixed to an attachment member such as the connector iron plate shell 18. Further, if the resin cover 20 is fixed to the mounting member without providing the fixing tape 22 or by another method, the fixing tape 22 can be omitted.

  In addition, the shape of the resin cover 20 is not limited to the shape shown in FIG.1, FIG.2, FIG.6 (a), A various shape is employable in the range of this invention. Moreover, although the case where the electric wire connector fixing structure 10 was fixed to the PCU case 12 was demonstrated above, the member which fixes the electric wire connector fixing structure 10 is not limited to the PCU case 12, Various electric machines, such as a rotary electric machine, are demonstrated. Can be fixed to the case that houses the equipment. In addition, the attachment member fixed to the connector housing 16 by the lock mechanism is not limited to the connector iron plate shell 18, and for example, attachment members having various structures for attaching to the electrical device housing case such as the PCU case 12 are employed. You can also.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Wire connector fixing structure, 12 PCU case, 14 Cable, 16 Connector housing, 18 Connector iron plate shell, 20 Resin cover, 22 Fixing tape, 24 Body plate part, 26 Coupling plate part, 28 Fitting cylinder part, 30 Folding part , 32 Through-hole, 34 Lock mechanism, 36 Terminal, 38 Recess, 40 Metal part, 42 Resin part, 44 Deformable arm part, 46 Locking projection part, 48 Stopper part, 50 Cover side cylinder part, 52 Cover part, 54 Peripheral surface coupling part, 56 insertion hole, 58 Cable coupling side end part, 60 Electric wire protection protector, 62 Protector fixing tape, 64 Inverter reserve tank, 66 Brake reserve tank, 68 Top plate part, 70 Side wall part, 72 Shield wire, 74 Caulking ring.

Claims (5)

A connector housing coupled around the end of the wire;
An attachment member fixed to the connector housing by a lock mechanism;
An electric wire connector fixing structure comprising: a resin cover that covers at least a part of the connector housing, the resin cover being fixed to the attachment member in a state that enables displacement with respect to the electric wire. In the electric wire connector fixing structure according to claim 1,
The electric wire connector fixing structure, wherein the resin cover includes a peripheral surface coupling portion coupled to an outer peripheral surface of the mounting member. In the electric wire connector fixing structure according to claim 2,
The locking mechanism is
A deformable arm portion provided on the electric wire side portion of the connector housing, having a L-shaped cross section and having a locking protrusion projecting toward the outer peripheral surface at the tip portion;
An electric wire connector fixing structure comprising: a tubular portion provided on the attachment member, fitable around the electric wire side portion of the connector housing, and locked to the locking protrusion. In the electric wire connector fixing structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
An electric wire connector fixing structure comprising an adhesive member that joins the resin cover and the mounting member. In the electric wire connector fixing structure according to claim 1,
The wire connector fixing structure, wherein the resin cover is made of a fiber reinforced resin.

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