JP2020124861A - Recording device and control method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a recording device that can prevent powdery foreign matters from accumulating in a recording area of a recording part.SOLUTION: A suction operation by suction means that performs suctioning in a space on a recording area and a space on a conveyance area is controlled. In the control, the suction operation by the suction means is controlled so that a wind speed in the recording area is larger when recording is not performed than when recording is performed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to a recording apparatus and a control method for recording an image by ejecting ink droplets from a recording head.

An inkjet recording apparatus that forms an image by ejecting ink droplets from a recording head onto a sheet that is a recording medium is widely used for various purposes. Among them, in an ink jet recording apparatus of a type that uses a recording head corresponding to the width of a recording area, since paper is continuously conveyed, higher speed printing is possible and it is often used for industrial purposes. A roller, a transport belt, or the like is used when transporting the paper. In such a configuration, paper dust is generated due to friction between the roller and the paper. The generated paper dust may rise in the apparatus due to the conveyance airflow generated by the conveyance of the paper and adhere to the ejection nozzles of the recording head. If paper dust adheres to the ejection nozzle, it will block the nozzle that ejects ink droplets. As a result, the ejection of ink droplets is hindered, and white spots occur in the printed image. In order to prevent such discharge failure, it is necessary to remove as much paper dust as possible during transportation. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-242242 describes a technique of suppressing paper dust adhesion to ejection nozzles of a recording head by removing paper dust around a roller where paper dust is most generated.

JP, 2016-168781, A

According to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-242242, suction is performed in a section from the position of the airflow generation device to the upstream of the recording head when the sheet is conveyed. However, paper dust also exists in the ejection area of the recording head and in the area on the downstream side of the recording head. Therefore, if the recording apparatus is continuously used without suctioning the area, paper dust will be accumulated in the recording head area. As a result, it becomes easy for the paper dust to rise (fly up) in the apparatus due to the air flow generated by the conveyance of the paper, and the possibility of adhering it to the ejection nozzles of the recording head increases.

In view of such conventional problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus and a control method that prevent accumulation of powdery foreign matter in a recording area of a recording unit.

In order to solve the above problems, a recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a recording unit that records an image in a recording area on a recording medium that is conveyed in a conveying direction, and the recording unit that is upstream of the recording area in the conveying direction. A transporting means for transporting the medium, a suction means for sucking in the space on the recording area, and a space on the transport area of the transporting means, and when the recording by the recording means is not performed, by the recording means It is characterized in that it has a control means for controlling the suction operation of the suction means so that the wind speed in the recording area becomes higher than that in the case of recording.

According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the accumulation of powdery foreign matter in the recording area of the recording unit.

It is a figure which shows the structure of a recording device. It is a figure which shows the structure of the suction part vicinity of a recording device. It is a figure which shows the suction target area at the time of printing. It is a figure which shows the suction target area at the time of non-printing. It is a diagram showing a block configuration of a control system of the recording apparatus. It is a flow chart which shows processing which controls switching timing of suction operation. It is a figure which shows the structure of the suction part vicinity of a recording device. It is a diagram showing a block configuration of a control system of the recording apparatus. It is a flow chart which shows processing which controls switching timing of suction operation. It is a figure which shows the table which matched the kind of recording medium and the operation|movement / non-operation of a fan.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments do not limit the present invention according to the claims, and all combinations of the features described in the present embodiments are not necessarily essential to the solving means of the present invention. .. In addition, the same reference numerals are given to the same components, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In this specification, "recording" (also referred to as image formation) is not limited to the formation of significant information such as characters and figures. When forming an image, pattern, pattern, etc. on a recording medium or processing the recording medium irrespective of whether it is significant or insignificant so that it can be visually perceived by humans. When it is performed, it also means "record".

The term "recording medium" (also referred to as a sheet) includes not only the paper used in this embodiment but also a wide range of plastic films, metal plates, glass, ceramics, and the like that can receive ink. Further, the “ink” is to be broadly interpreted like the definition of “printing”, and is applied to a recording medium to form an image, a pattern, a pattern or the like or to process the recording medium. A liquid that can be treated or a liquid that can be subjected to treatment of the ink (for example, solidification or insolubilization of a coloring material in the ink applied to the recording medium).

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a device side view of a recording device 100 that performs recording by ejecting ink droplets onto a sheet that is a recording medium. In FIG. 1, the transport direction is from right to left. The recording apparatus 100 includes a sheet feeding unit 101 that stacks sheets, and a recording unit 103 that performs recording on the sheet conveyed from the sheet feeding unit 101. The sheet feeding unit 101 picks up the sheets stacked on the tray 109 one by one from the upper side and conveys them to the recording unit 103, and the air inside the apparatus is discharged to the outside of the machine to convey the sheets and the conveying rollers 105. A partial suction fan 106 for removing powdery foreign matter (hereinafter referred to as paper dust) such as paper dust generated by friction, and a general suction fan 107 are provided. The partial suction fan 106 and the whole suction fan 107 are arranged in parallel toward the inner side of the recording apparatus 100. The recording unit 103 also includes a recording head 104 that ejects ink droplets onto the paper, and a paper conveyance unit 102 that conveys the paper directly below the recording head 104.

The recording head 104 is composed of recording heads corresponding to four colors, and ejects ink droplets of black (K), cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y), respectively. Although only the above four colors are shown in FIG. 1, recording heads corresponding to other ink colors and special colors may be further provided. In this embodiment, the recording heads of four colors are collectively referred to as the recording head 104 unless otherwise specified. The recording head 104 is provided with a plurality of nozzles in a highly precise row. Further, by forming a plurality of nozzle rows, it is possible to form a high quality image. The recording head 104 is a line recording head, and is provided with a nozzle array for ejecting ink droplets in a direction orthogonal to the conveyor belt 110 of FIG. 1 (direction orthogonal to the drawing). The print head 104 is provided with nozzle rows over a region that is slightly larger than the width of the maximum size sheet that can be conveyed by the printing apparatus 100.

The sheet conveying unit 102 is provided with an endless conveying belt 110 for placing and conveying a sheet. The conveying belt 110 is laid between a drive shaft 112 and a driven shaft 111, and a drive motor 113 drives the drive shaft. As the belt 112 rotates, the conveyor belt 110 also makes a circular motion in the sheet conveying direction. The paper dust removing brush 108 will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of the recording apparatus 100 of FIG. 1 as viewed from above. As shown in FIG. 2, the sheet feeding unit 101 includes a transport roller 105, a suction airflow generation device 106 (hereinafter, a partial suction fan 106) for sucking paper dust in a space on the transport region around the transport roller 105. A suction airflow generation device 107 (hereinafter, the whole suction fan 107) for sucking paper dust in a space throughout the device, a suction duct 201, and a paper dust removing member 108 (hereinafter, paper dust removing brush 108), Equipped with. The suction duct 201 is omitted in FIG. The paper dust removing brush 108 is disposed between the paper feeding unit 101 and the recording unit 103, and sweeps the surface of the conveyed paper to remove the paper dust on the paper. The length of the paper dust removing brush 108 is configured to be substantially the same as the width of the maximum size sheet that can be conveyed by the recording apparatus 100.

The partial suction fan 106 is configured to suck air in the space around the transport roller 105 upstream of the recording unit 103, and discharges the air sucked through the suction duct 10 to the outside of the machine. The suction duct 201 forms an air path between the transport roller 105 and the partial suction fan 106, and actively sucks air in the space around the transport roller 105. The general suction fan 107 is configured to suck the air in the space over the entire apparatus, and not only the air in the space of the paper feeding unit 101 but also the gap existing between the paper dust removing brush 11 and the exterior (wall surface). The air in the space above the recording area of the recording unit 103 is sucked from and discharged to the outside of the machine. Therefore, the general suction fan 107 is configured to generate a stronger suction force (negative pressure) than the partial suction fan 106, for example, the wind speed generated by the general suction fan 107 is higher. In the present embodiment, the recording device 100 includes the two airflow generation devices having different purposes as described above.

Hereinafter, the suction method during printing will be described with reference to FIG.

At the time of printing, only the partial suction fan 106 is driven to suck the air in the space around the transport roller 105. As a result, at the time of printing, the paper dust generated by the friction between the transport roller 105 and the paper is sucked and discharged to the outside of the machine. In this embodiment, the whole suction fan 107 is not driven during printing. Further, due to the presence of the paper dust removing brush 108, generation of suction airflow by the partial suction fan 106 is suppressed in the ink ejection region of the recording head 104 during printing. With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the conveyance airflow from being disturbed in the recording unit 103 by the suction airflow during printing, and as a result, the paper dust to rise and adhere to the recording head 104.

Hereinafter, the suction method during non-printing will be described with reference to FIG.

At the time of non-printing, the suction amount is increased by driving the partial suction fan 106 and the whole suction fan 107 to suck air in the space throughout the apparatus. As a result, at the time of non-printing, the paper dust accumulated in the apparatus can be sucked and discharged to the outside of the machine. In the present embodiment, during non-printing, a negative pressure is generated by a suction force higher than that during printing, and suction airflow is generated to the downstream of the recording head 104. With such a configuration, it is possible to suck the paper dust of the recording unit 103 that was not sucked during printing. Note that, if it is possible to realize the respective suction amounts during printing and during non-printing, the partial suction fan 106 and the general suction fan 107 may be provided at a position other than the illustrated position, for example, on the upper side wall in the transport direction. Alternatively, the suction duct 201 may be used to guide the air flow.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a block configuration of the control unit of the recording apparatus 100. The control unit 5 is a controller board including a CPU 500, is mounted in the paper feeding unit 101, and controls the recording apparatus 100 as a whole. The CPU 500 is a processor that controls each block, and realizes the operation of the present embodiment by, for example, reading the control program stored in the program ROM 502 into the work RAM 504 and executing it. The image memory 503 stores, for example, image data received by wire communication or wireless communication from an external host computer via the interface 501 in a predetermined unit (for example, page). The operation panel 505 includes, for example, a touch panel and hardware keys, receives instructions and setting operations from the user, and displays various interface screens to the user.

The CPU 500 controls the motor drive unit 512 via the output port 511. The motor drive unit 512 drives various motors under the control of the CPU 500. The head up/down motor 513 is a motor for moving up and down the recording head 104. The head up/down motor 513 is, for example, a motor for moving up and down the recording head 104 to a position for performing recovery processing. The carry motor 514 is a motor for rotating the carry roller 105. The capping motor 515 is a motor for causing a recovery device (not shown) to perform a capping operation on the ejection nozzles of the recording head 104. The pump motor 516 is a motor for driving a pump for supplying ink to the recording head 104 from an ink tank (not shown). The media elevating motor 517 is a motor for moving the sheets stacked in the tray 109 to a position where they can be picked up. The general suction fan motor 518 is a motor for driving the general suction fan 107. The partial suction fan motor 519 is a motor for driving the partial suction fan 106. The motor shown in FIG. 5 is an example, and motors other than those shown may be driven by the motor driving unit 512.

The CPU 500 controls the print heads 507, 508, 509, 510 via the print head control circuit 506. The recording heads 507, 508, 509 and 510 correspond to the recording head 104. The printhead control circuit 506 controls the ejection timing of the ink droplets from the ejection nozzle by controlling the nozzle drive current under the control of the CPU 500.

The recording device 100 may include a configuration other than the blocks shown in FIG. For example, when the recording apparatus 100 is configured as an MFP (MultiFunctionalPrinter), a scanner unit that optically reads a document placed on a document table may be included.

Hereinafter, a process of controlling the suction operation switching timing will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a process for controlling the switching timing of the suction operation in this embodiment. Each process in FIG. 6 is realized by, for example, the CPU 500 reading a program stored in the program ROM 502 into the work RAM 504 and executing the program.

In S1, the CPU 500 receives print data to be printed via the interface 501. In S2, under the control of the CPU 500, the motor drive unit 512 drives the partial suction fan 106 by transmitting a drive signal to the partial suction fan motor 519. As a result, the air in the space around the transport roller 105 is sucked. At that time, the whole suction fan 107 is controlled by the CPU 500 so as not to be driven.

In S3, after driving the partial suction fan 106, under the control of the CPU 500, the motor drive unit 512 sends a drive signal to the carry motor 514 to carry the paper from the paper feed unit 101 to the recording unit 103. In S4, under the control of the CPU 500, the recording head control circuit 506 causes the recording head 104 to eject ink droplets onto the sheet conveyed to the recording unit 103, and starts printing.

In S5, the CPU 500 determines the end of printing. The CPU 500 determines the end of printing, for example, based on the number of printed sheets and the number of pages to be printed in the print data. If printing is completed, the process proceeds to S6, and the motor drive unit 512 transmits a drive signal to the head up/down motor 513 under the control of the CPU 500 to move the recording head 104 from the print position to the non-print position (standby position). ) And proceed to S7. If printing has not been completed, the processing from S3 is repeated. By moving the recording head 104 to the non-printing position, it is possible to improve the effect of the suction operation with respect to the space above the suction target area in the entire apparatus.

In S7, the CPU 500 calculates the suction time of the suction operation performed after printing according to the number of prints of the print data received in S1. For example, the CPU 500 calculates the suction time according to the equation (1).

Suction time n (seconds) = number of printed sheets (sheets) x 0.024 (suction coefficient) (1)
The suction coefficient here is a coefficient for obtaining the minimum time required to suck the paper dust generated when the paper is conveyed. Further, the CPU 500 may calculate the suction time of the suction operation performed after printing according to the number of sheets actually printed in S4. Further, the CPU 50 may perform the calculation according to the number of continuously printed sheets that are continuously printed without being interrupted by a jam or the like.

In S8, under the control of the CPU 500, the motor drive unit 512 drives the overall suction fan 107 by transmitting a drive signal to the overall suction fan motor 518. At that time, the partial suction fan 106 continues the suction operation under the control of the CPU 500 even during non-printing.

In S9, the CPU 500 determines the end of the suction operation after printing. For example, when 2500 sheets are continuously printed, the suction time is calculated as 60 seconds in S7. In that case, the CPU 500 proceeds to S10 after 60 seconds have elapsed from the start of the whole suction in S8. In S10, under the control of the CPU 500, the motor drive unit 512 stops the partial suction fan 106 and the general suction fan 107 by transmitting a stop signal to the general suction fan motor 518 and the partial suction fan motor 519. Then, in S1, the motor driving unit 512 moves the recording head 104 from the non-printing position to the printing position by transmitting a driving signal to the head up/down motor 513 under the control of the CPU 500. After S11, the process of FIG. 6 ends.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the paper dust in the space of the entire device can be appropriately sucked by switching the suction operation according to the printing execution state.

[Second Embodiment]
Hereinafter, differences between the second embodiment and the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram of the recording apparatus 100 of FIG. 1 as viewed from above. Hereinafter, the configuration of the suction unit of the sheet feeding unit 102 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7.

As shown in FIG. 7, the paper feeding unit 102 includes a transport roller 105, a paper dust removing brush 108, a suction fan 705 for sucking paper dust in the space inside the apparatus, and a suction duct 704. .. The suction duct 704 includes a suction port 701 for sucking air in the space around the transport roller 105, a suction port 702 for sucking air in the space throughout the apparatus, and a member 703 (hereinafter, referred to as a switchable suction air passage). A switching member 703) is provided. The switching member 703 is configured to selectively transmit the suction force generated by the suction fan 705 to the suction ports 701 and 702 or only the suction port 701, for example. In this embodiment, since the fan is one of the suction fans 705, the suction ports 701 and 702 are configured such that the suction force generated at the suction port 702 is larger than the suction force generated at the suction port 701. ..

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a block configuration of a control unit of the recording device 100. FIG. 8 is different from FIG. 5 in that a suction fan motor 801 and an air passage switching motor 802 are configured instead of the whole suction fan motor 518 and the partial suction fan motor 519.

The suction fan 705 is controlled by the suction fan motor 801. When the switching member 703 is switched by the air passage switching motor 802 so as to seal the suction duct 704, the suction fan 705 can suction only from the suction port 701. On the other hand, when the switching member 703 is switched by the air passage switching motor 802 so as to open the suction duct 704, suction from both the suction port 701 and the suction port 702 is possible.

Switching of the suction operation in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In S2 of FIG. 6, under the control of the CPU 50, the motor driving unit 519 switches the switching member 703 so as to seal the suction duct 704 by transmitting a driving signal to the air passage switching motor 802. As a result, only air in the space around the transport roller 105 can be sucked at the time of printing.

In S8 of FIG. 6, under the control of the CPU 50, the motor drive unit 519 switches the switching member 703 to open the suction duct 704 by transmitting a drive signal to the air passage switching motor 802. As a result, during non-printing, both suction of air in the space around the transport roller 105 and suction of air in the space over the entire apparatus can be performed.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the switching member 703 is sealed at the time of printing, and the switching member 703 is opened at the end of printing to perform suction. With such a configuration, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained. Further, in the present embodiment, since it is not necessary to arrange a plurality of airflow generation devices, the device can be simplified and the cost can be reduced as compared with the first embodiment.

[Third Embodiment]
Hereinafter, the points of the third embodiment different from the first and second embodiments will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a process for controlling the switching timing of the suction operation in this embodiment. Each process in FIG. 9 is realized by, for example, the CPU 500 reading a program stored in the program ROM 502 into the work RAM 504 and executing the program. The structure of the suction unit in this embodiment may be the structure shown in FIG. 2 or the structure shown in FIG. 7.

In S20, the CPU 500 receives print data to be printed via the interface 501. In S21, the CPU 500 determines whether to operate the fan based on the print data received in S20. Here, the print data is data including setting information regarding printing, and may be, for example, a print job. For example, in S21, the CPU 500 determines whether or not to operate the fan based on the information on the recording medium to be printed included in the print job and the information on the recording medium shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 10, the recording medium is roughly classified into a recommended recording medium type (recommended medium) and a non-recommended recording medium type (non-recommended medium). Paper and plastic cards are specified. Further, as the non-recommended medium, in addition to the recording medium other than the recommended medium, “other” recording media such as metal or glass that does not generate paper dust are also specified as the non-recommended medium. For example, when the "other" recording medium is conveyed, paper dust is not generated by the conveyance, so that it is determined in S21 that the fan is not operated. In this case, the CPU 500 carries the recording medium in S33, starts printing in S34, and ends printing in S35, and then ends the processing in FIG.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S21 that the fan is to be operated, the processing in S22 and thereafter is performed. Since S22 to S26 are the same as the description in S2 to S6 of FIG. 6, the description thereof will be omitted.

In S27, the CPU 500 determines, based on the information of the recording medium shown in FIG. 10, whether or not to operate the fan as the suction operation after printing. For example, when a plastic card is conveyed as a recording medium, the amount of paper dust generated is significantly smaller than that of other types of recording media. Therefore, in S27, it is determined that the fan does not operate. That is, the suction operation is performed only during printing. Then, in S32, under the control of the CPU 500, the motor driving unit 512 moves the recording head 104 from the non-printing position to the printing position by transmitting a driving signal to the head up/down motor 513. After S32, the process of FIG. 9 ends.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S27 that the fan is to be operated, the processing from S28 is performed. Since S28 to S32 are the same as the description in S7 to S11 of FIG. 6, their description will be omitted.

As described above, in the present embodiment, whether or not the fan can be operated is controlled according to the type of recording medium. With such a configuration, power consumption can be further reduced.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the determination of whether or not the fan can be operated in S21 and S27 may be configured as follows. For example, the CPU 500 determines from the setting of the print job received in S20 that the generation of paper dust is remarkably small if the ratio of the "other" recording medium is equal to or more than a predetermined number of the number of print sheets to be printed, and the fan is determined May be determined not to operate.

Further, for example, the CPU 500 may determine whether or not the fan can be operated in S21 and S27 from the setting of the print job received in S20 when the number of print sheets to be printed is a predetermined number or more. In the first place, when the number of printed sheets is less than the predetermined number and is small, the partial suction fan 106 and the whole suction fan 107 may not be operated.

100 Recording Device: 101 Paper Feeding Section: 103 Recording Section: 104 Recording Head: 106 Partial Suction Fan: 107 Total Suction Fan: 500 CPU

Claims (14)

Recording means for recording an image in a recording area on a recording medium conveyed in the conveying direction,
Conveying means for conveying the recording medium upstream of the recording area in the conveying direction,
Suction means for performing suction in the space on the recording area and the space on the transfer area of the transfer means,
When the recording by the recording unit is not performed, a control unit which controls the suction operation of the suction unit so that the wind speed in the recording region is higher than when the recording by the recording unit is performed,
A recording device having: The control means further increases the suction amount by enlarging the suction target area of the suction means when recording is not performed by the recording means, compared to when recording is performed by the recording means. Item 2. The recording device according to item 1. The transport unit includes a transport roller that transports the recording medium,
The recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the suction target region of the suction unit when recording is performed by the recording unit is a region around the transport roller. The recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the suction target area of the suction means when recording is not performed by the recording means is an area including a recording area by the recording means. The suction means includes a first fan and a second fan,
The control means drives the first fan when recording is performed by the recording means, and drives the first fan and the second fan when recording is not performed by the recording means.
The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the suction force of the second fan is larger than the suction force of the first fan. The suction means transfers the suction force from the fan, the first suction port, the second suction port, and the fan to the first suction port and the second suction port, or the first suction port. And a switching means for transmitting to only the suction port,
When the recording means performs recording, the control means controls the switching means so that the suction force from the fan is transmitted only to the first suction port, and when the recording means does not perform recording, Controlling the switching means to transmit the suction force from the fan to the first suction port and the second suction port,
The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: When recording is not performed by the recording unit, a second control unit that moves the recording unit to a standby position where the recording is not performed is further provided before the control unit controls the suction operation of the suction unit. The recording device according to claim 1, wherein the recording device is a recording device. 9. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the suction operation of the suction unit according to the type of the recording medium. A storage unit that stores information in which the type of the recording medium and whether or not the suction operation of the suction unit can be performed are stored;
The control means controls the suction operation of the suction means based on the information stored in the storage means,
The recording apparatus according to claim 9, wherein: The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording unit records an image on the recording medium by ejecting ink droplets. Recording means for recording an image on a recording medium,
Conveying means for conveying the sheet upstream of the recording area of the recording means,
A suction means for sucking and removing powdery foreign matter in the space on the recording area and the space on the carrying area of the carrying means;
Control means for controlling the suction operation of the suction means,
The control means controls the suction operation of the suction means so that the wind speed in the recording region by the recording means becomes higher when the recording means does not perform the recording than when the recording means performs the recording.
A recording device characterized by the above. Recording means for recording an image in a recording area on a recording medium conveyed in the conveying direction,
Conveying means for conveying the recording medium upstream of the recording area in the conveying direction,
A control method executed in a recording apparatus, comprising: a suction unit that performs suction in a space on the recording area and a space on the transfer area of the transfer unit,
A control step of controlling the suction operation of the suction means,
In the control step, when the recording by the recording unit is not performed, the suction operation of the suction unit is controlled so that the wind speed in the recording region is higher than when the recording by the recording unit is performed.
A control method characterized by the above. Recording means for recording an image on a recording medium,
Conveying means for conveying the sheet upstream of the recording area of the recording means,
A control method executed in a recording device, comprising: a space on the recording area and a suction means for sucking and removing powdery foreign matter in the space on the transport area of the transport means,
A control step of controlling the suction operation of the suction means,
In the control step, when the recording is not performed by the recording unit, the suction operation of the suction unit is controlled so that the wind speed in the recording area by the recording unit is higher than that when the recording is performed by the recording unit.
A control method characterized by the above.

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