JP2023127644A - Screw-less terminal block - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a screw-less terminal block capable of performing a wire connection of electric wiring to a terminal base without using a tool such as a driver.SOLUTION: A screw-less terminal block 10 includes a screw-less connection part 12 that can be connected to an electric wiring without using a screw. In the screw-less connection part 12, a fourth contact point terminal 104b formed on one end part of a plate spring member 104 can hold electric wiring from a third contact terminal 103c. The screw-less terminal block 10 comprises a button member 105 that can separate the fourth contact point terminal 104b from the third contact terminal 103c in reception of an external operation. In the third contact terminals 103c, a button holding part 103d holding the button member 105 is formed by being engaged with the button member 105 in a state of being pressed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

The present disclosure relates to a screwless terminal block for connecting electrical wiring without using screws.

Conventionally, screwless terminal blocks have been used to connect electrical wiring to circuit boards. Screwless terminal blocks are terminal blocks that do not require screws, and can be connected and disconnected directly by stripping the wire coating with one touch. Furthermore, there are screwless terminal blocks for circuit board applications, and there are two types: a type that is directly fixed to the circuit board and a type that can be separated using a connector. The latter screwless terminal block including socket contacts is disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example.

JP2020-35528A

The conventional screwless terminal block disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a terminal block at one end and a socket contact at the other end. The terminal block holds the inserted electrical wiring, and the socket contact holds the pin contact between two contact terminals. When connecting electrical wiring to the terminal block, it was necessary to insert a tool such as a screwdriver to open the spring that forms the contact terminal. In other words, with conventional screwless terminal blocks, electrical wiring cannot be connected to the terminal block without tools.

The present disclosure has been made in view of the above problems, and aims to provide a screwless terminal block that allows electrical wiring to be connected to the terminal block without using tools such as a screwdriver.

In order to solve the above problems, the screwless terminal block of the present disclosure has a socket contact that can be connected to a pin contact at one end, and a screwless connection part that can connect electrical wiring at the other end. In the screwless terminal block, one contact terminal in the screwless connection part is formed at one end of a leaf spring member that holds electrical wiring between the contact terminal and the other contact terminal in the screwless terminal block. The screwless terminal block is attached to the screwless terminal block so as to be slidable by an operation from outside the housing, and when the one contact terminal is pushed into the housing, the one contact terminal is separated from the other contact terminal. the other contact terminal is formed with a button holding portion that engages with the button member pushed into the housing and holds the button member. It is said that

According to the above configuration, by pressing the button member and separating one contact terminal from the other contact terminal, the electrical wiring to be connected to the screwless connection part can be connected between one contact terminal and the other contact terminal. It can be placed between. Then, when the button member is pulled out with the electrical wiring arranged between these terminals, the electrical wiring can be sandwiched between these terminals, and the electrical wiring can be connected to the screwless connection part.

In addition, by engaging and holding the button member with the button holding part while the button member is pushed in, it is easier to arrange the electrical wiring between one contact terminal and the other contact terminal. Become.

Further, in the screwless terminal block, the button member includes an operating portion exposed outside the housing and receiving operations from a user, and the one contact terminal and the other contact inside the housing. The button member may include an action portion that contacts the terminal, and the action portion may have a space that is open in the sliding direction of the button member.

According to the above configuration, when the electrical wiring is disposed between one contact terminal and the other contact terminal, the distal end of the electrical wiring can be disposed so as to pass through the space of the action section.

Further, in the screwless terminal block, the action portion may be made of a metal material.

According to the above configuration, by making the action part made of metal with high strength, it is possible to take up a large space for the action part, and it is also possible to make the electrical wiring that is inserted through this space thicker, so that it is possible to connect the wires. The range of electrical wiring can be expanded.

Further, in the screwless terminal block, the button member is arranged to be inserted into a button insertion hole provided in the housing, and the action part is larger than the button insertion hole. It can be done.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to prevent the button member from falling off from the housing.

Further, in the screwless terminal block, the button member is different from surrounding parts in a surface that is exposed to the outside when the button member is pulled out and is not exposed to the outside when the button member is pushed in. It can be configured to have a visible part whose visibility is enhanced by surface characteristics.

According to the above configuration, the user can recognize that if the visible part of the button member is visible, it is in a state where electrical wiring cannot be inserted, and if the visible part is not visible, the user can recognize that it is in a state where electrical wiring can be inserted. Recognizable. At this time, since the visible part has surface characteristics different from the surrounding area (different color, letters or markings, etc.), it is possible to easily recognize whether or not the visible part is visible (visual).

Further, in the screwless terminal block, the casing is different from surrounding parts in a surface that is exposed to the outside when the button member is pushed in and is not exposed to the outside when the button member is pulled out. It can be configured to have a visible part whose visibility is enhanced by surface characteristics.

According to the above configuration, the user can recognize that the electrical wiring can be inserted if the visual recognition part is visible in the housing, and that the electrical wiring cannot be inserted if the visual recognition part cannot be seen. Recognizable.

Further, the screwless terminal block has a configuration in which, when the button member is pushed in and held by the button holding portion, the button member cannot be pushed in any further due to abutment between the button member and the casing. can do.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to prevent the button member from being pushed in more than necessary and excessive deformation of the leaf spring member, and it is possible to prevent failure of the connector due to plastic deformation of the leaf spring member.

Further, in the screwless terminal block, the button holding portion may have a configuration in which an inclination angle on the insertion side of the electrical wiring is set smaller than an inclination angle on the extraction side.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to reduce the resistance force exerted by the button holding part when pressing the button member, and at the same time, it becomes easier to hold the button member by the button holding part.

Further, in the screwless terminal block, the action portion of the button member has a protrusion that protrudes in the pushing direction of the button member, and the protrusion is configured to connect to the one contact terminal of the leaf spring member. and the acting portion has a second contact point that contacts the one contact terminal at a location farther from the first contact point with respect to the tip of the one contact terminal. It is possible to have a configuration having the following.

According to the above configuration, when pressing the button member, the first contact point is brought into contact with one of the contact terminals first, thereby reducing the pressing force, and it is possible to perform the pressing operation of the button member with a smaller force. Further, in the second half of the pushing operation, by bringing the second contact point into contact with one of the contact terminals, one of the contact terminals is moved significantly, making it easier to connect the electrical wiring.

Further, in the screwless terminal block, the button member and the casing are provided with step portions that engage with each other when viewed from the sliding direction of the button member, and the button member Accordingly, the movement can be guided only in the sliding direction.

According to the above configuration, by guiding the button member by both the step portions, it is possible to stabilize the pushing operation of the button member.

The screwless terminal block of the present disclosure has the effect that electrical wiring can be connected to the terminal block by pressing the button member without using a tool such as a screwdriver.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a screwless terminal block according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. It is a top view of a screwless terminal block. It is a sectional view of a screwless terminal block. It is a perspective view showing a contact member. It is a perspective view showing a plate spring member. It is a perspective view showing a button member. It is a sectional view of the screwless terminal block, showing a state in which the button member is pushed inside the socket housing. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration in which it is possible to recognize whether or not a button member is in a pushed-in state in a screwless terminal block. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration in which it is possible to recognize whether or not a button member is in a pushed-in state in a screwless terminal block. It is an enlarged sectional view showing the relationship between a button member and a leaf spring member in a screwless terminal block. 8 is a diagram showing the relationship between the operation part of the button member and the button insertion hole of the socket housing in the screwless terminal block, and is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 7. FIG.

Embodiments according to one aspect of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a screwless terminal block 10 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the screwless terminal block 10. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view (AA cross-sectional view in FIG. 2) of the screwless terminal block 10. In this embodiment, the screwless terminal block 10 has a socket contact that can be connected to a pin contact at one end, and a screwless connection section that can connect electrical wiring at the other end. A connector type screwless terminal block is illustrated. Although FIG. 1 illustrates a case where the connector using the screwless terminal block 10 is a four-pole multi-pole connector, the number of poles of the connector is not particularly limited. Additionally, the connector may be a single pole connector.

The screwless terminal block 10 has a socket contact 11 at one end and a screwless connection section 12 at the other end. The screwless terminal block 10 constitutes a connector together with a plug member (not shown) having pin contacts, and the socket contacts 11 are connected to the pin contacts of the plug member. Electric wiring is connected to the screwless connection part 12.

Next, the internal configuration of the screwless terminal block 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 3. Note that the structure shown in FIG. 3 includes the same number of poles as the connector in the screwless terminal block 10.

The screwless terminal block 10 includes a cover housing 101, a socket housing 102, a contact member 103, a leaf spring member 104, and a button member 105. The button member 105 is a component provided one for each of the four-pole connectors, but in FIGS. 1 and 2, only one button member 105 is shown for the sake of simplification of the drawings, and the other three are not shown. is omitted.

The screwless terminal block 10 accommodates a contact member 103 and a leaf spring member 104 in a case consisting of a cover housing 101 and a socket housing 102. The button member 105 is attached to the screwless terminal block 10 so that it can be operated from outside the housing.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the contact member 103. The contact member 103 is made of a conductive material such as metal, and has a first contact terminal 103a and a second contact terminal 103b in the socket contact 11 at one end, and a contact terminal in the screwless connection part 12 at the other end. It has a third contact terminal (the other contact terminal) 103c. For the contact member 103, it is preferable to use a spring copper material (for example, phosphor bronze) that has spring properties and high electrical conductivity.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the leaf spring member 104. The plate spring member 104 is made of a material with strong spring properties (for example, SUS), and has a spring portion 104a. The tip of the spring portion 104a is a fourth contact terminal (one contact terminal) 104b.

In the socket contact 11, the first contact terminal 103a and the second contact terminal 103b of the contact member 103 are arranged to face each other. When connecting the connector (that is, when connecting the plug member to the screwless terminal block 10, which is a socket member), the pin contact of the plug member is held between the first contact terminal 103a and the second contact terminal 103b. is applied to create sufficient contact pressure between the pin contact and the contact member 103 to obtain a proper electrical connection between the pin contact and the contact member 103.

In the screwless connection portion 12, the third contact terminal 103c of the contact member 103 and the fourth contact terminal 104b of the leaf spring member 104 are arranged to face each other. Further, the fourth contact terminal 104b is biased by the elastic force of the spring portion 104a so as to come into pressure contact with the third contact terminal 103c. Further, the cover housing 101 is provided with a wiring insertion hole 101a (see FIG. 3). The wiring insertion hole 101a is a hole into which the electrical wiring (uncoated electric wire or bar terminal) to be connected to the screwless connection part 12 is inserted, and the electrical wiring inserted from the wiring insertion hole 101a is inserted into the third contact terminal 103c. and the fourth contact terminal 104b.

Here, for connection to the screwless connection part 12, the fourth contact terminal 104b is once separated from the third contact terminal 103c, the electrical wiring is inserted into this gap, and then the fourth contact terminal 104b is connected again to the third contact terminal 103c. This is done by press contacting the terminal 103c. In conventional screwless terminal blocks for this purpose, an auxiliary hole is provided in the housing of the terminal block, and a tool such as a screwdriver is inserted through the auxiliary hole to separate the fourth contact terminal 104b from the third contact terminal 103c. However, with this configuration, there is a problem that the wire connection work to the terminal block is complicated and the wire connection work cannot be performed without tools.

The screwless terminal block 10 of the present disclosure is characterized in that the connection work to the screwless connection part 12 can be easily performed without tools by operating the button member 105. This characteristic point will be explained below.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the button member 105. The button member 105 includes an operating section 105a and an action section 105b. The button member 105 is arranged to be inserted into a button insertion hole 101b (see FIG. 3) provided in the cover housing 101, and is slidable along the button insertion hole 101b. Note that the sliding direction of the button member 105 (direction of arrow Y in FIG. 3) coincides with the penetrating direction of the wire insertion hole 101a (that is, the direction of wire insertion into the wire insertion hole 101a).

The operating portion 105a is exposed outside the cover housing 101, and the user can operate the operating portion 105a by pushing (or pulling out) the operating portion 105a toward the cover housing 101. The action portion 105b is provided at the tip of the button member 105, and contacts the contact member 103 and the leaf spring member 104 inside the screwless connection portion 12. The action portion 105b has a U-shaped cross section formed by three wall surfaces. Thereby, the action portion 105b has a space S inside the three wall surfaces (that is, inside the U-shape). Further, the space S is open in the sliding movement direction of the button member 105.

FIG. 3 shows the button member 105 pulled out to the outside of the cover housing 101. In this state, the fourth contact terminal 104b of the leaf spring member 104 is in contact with the third contact terminal 103c of the contact member 103 due to the elastic force of the spring portion 104a of the leaf spring member 104. Although not shown in FIG. 3, if there is electrical wiring connected to the screwless connection part 12, this electrical wiring is sandwiched between the third contact terminal 103c and the fourth contact terminal 104b. .

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the screwless terminal block 10, but shows a state in which the button member 105 is pushed into the inside of the cover housing 101. In this state, the action portion 105b of the button member 105 enters between the third contact terminal 103c and the fourth contact terminal 104b and pushes the space between these terminals apart. More specifically, the acting portion 105b separates the fourth contact terminal 104b from the third contact terminal 103c against the elastic force of the spring portion 104a.

When the button member 105 is pushed in (the state shown in FIG. 7), the electrical wiring to be connected to the screwless connection part 12 is inserted through the wiring insertion hole 101a, and the electrical wiring is connected to the third contact terminal 103c and the fourth contact terminal. 104b. At this time, the tip of the electrical wiring passes through the space S of the action portion 105b and is placed between the third contact terminal 103c and the fourth contact terminal 104b. Then, when the button member 105 is pulled out with the electrical wiring placed between the third contact terminal 103c and the fourth contact terminal 104b, the fourth contact terminal 104b comes into contact with the third contact terminal 103c again, and these Sandwich the electrical wiring between the terminals. Thereby, the screwless terminal block 10 according to the present embodiment allows electrical wiring to be connected to the screwless connection portion 12 without using a tool such as a screwdriver.

Further, in the contact member 103, a button holding portion 103d (see FIG. 6) is provided in a part of the third contact terminal 103c. The button holding portion 103d is formed by bending a part of a metal plate that becomes the third contact terminal 103c so as to have a triangular convex shape toward the fourth contact terminal 104b. When the button member 105 is pushed in (the state shown in FIG. 7), this state can be maintained by the action portion 105b of the button member 105 engaging with the button holding portion 103d. That is, after the user performs an operation of pushing the button member 105, the state can be maintained even if the user releases the button member 105. This makes it easier to insert the electrical wiring through the wiring insertion hole 101a and arrange the electrical wiring between the third contact terminal 103c and the fourth contact terminal 104b.

Next, some preferred examples of the screwless terminal block 10 will be described.

First, in the button member 105, the operating portion 105a that receives operations from the user is formed of an insulating material such as resin to prevent electric shock. On the other hand, the action part 105b can be made of resin and formed integrally with the operation part 105a, but it is preferable to form it of a metal material because the range of electrical wiring to be connected can be expanded. As described above, the action portion 105b has a U-shaped cross section formed by three wall surfaces, and has a space S for passing the electric wiring inside the three wall surfaces. By making the working part 105b made of metal with higher strength (than resin), each wall surface forming the working part 105b can be made thinner, and as a result, the space S can be made larger relative to the outer shape of the working part 105b. It becomes possible to take If the space S becomes larger, it becomes possible to make the electrical wiring that is inserted through it thicker, and the range of the electrical wiring that can be connected can be expanded.

Further, in the button member 105, it is preferable that (the outer shape of) the action portion 105b be larger than (the inner shape of) the button insertion hole 101b provided in the cover housing 101. Thereby, the button member 105 can be prevented from falling off from the cover housing 101.

Further, the screwless terminal block 10 is in a state in which electrical wiring can be inserted for connection to the screwless connection part 12 (the state shown in FIG. 7 with the button member 105 pushed in), or in a state in which electrical wiring can be inserted for connection to the screwless terminal block 12. The button member 105 may be configured so that the user can easily recognize whether the button member 105 is not in the closed state (the state shown in FIG. 3 in which the button member 105 is pulled out).

For example, a part of the surface of the button member 105, specifically, a part of the surface of the button member 105 is exposed to the outside when the button member 105 is pulled out, and is not exposed to the outside when the button member 105 is pushed in (hidden by the cover housing 101). It is conceivable to make at least a part of the surface a visible part 105c (see FIG. 8) of a different color from the surrounding parts. In this case, if the visual recognition part 105c is visible, the user can recognize that the electrical wiring cannot be inserted, and if the visual recognition part 105c is not visible, the user can recognize that the electrical wiring can be inserted. Note that the visible portion 105c in the above example has a different color from the surrounding area, so that it has surface characteristics different from the surrounding area, and visibility is enhanced. However, the visual recognition part 105c is not limited to an example in which the surface characteristics are made different from the surroundings by color, and the surface characteristics may be made different from the surroundings by other methods (for example, adding letters or marks to the visual recognition part 105c). .

Alternatively, a part of the surface of the cover housing 101, specifically, the button member 105 is exposed to the outside when pushed in, and is not exposed to the outside when the button member 105 is pulled out (hidden by the button member 105). It is conceivable to make at least a part of the surface the visible part 101c of a different color from the surrounding parts. In this case, if the visual recognition part 101c is visible, the user can recognize that the electrical wiring can be inserted, and if the visual recognition part 101c is not visible, the user can recognize that the electrical wiring cannot be inserted. Note that the visual recognition section 101c may have surface characteristics different from the surroundings by other methods (other than color), similarly to the visual recognition section 105c.

In addition, in the screwless terminal block 10, both the visible part 105c and the visible part 101c may be made in a different color from the surrounding parts, and the visible part 105c and the visible part 101c may be made in different colors. In this case, if the user can see the color of the visible part 105c (for example, blue), the user can recognize that the electrical wiring cannot be inserted, and if the user can see the color of the visible part 101c (for example, red), the user cannot insert the electrical wiring. I can recognize that I can do it.

Further, when the button member 105 is pushed in and held by the button holding portion 103d, the button member 105 may not be pushed in any further due to contact between the operating portion 105a of the button member 105 and the cover housing 101. preferable. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the button member 105 from being pushed in more than necessary and causing excessive deformation of the leaf spring member 104. That is, failure of the connector due to plastic deformation of the leaf spring member 104 can be prevented.

In addition, in the button holding portion 103d, the inclination angle on the insertion side of the electrical wiring (the angle at which the insertion side inclined surface is inclined with respect to the sliding direction of the button member 105: see FIG. 7) θA is the inclination angle on the extraction side. Preferably, it is set smaller than θB. Thereby, the resistance force exerted by the button holder 103d can be reduced when the button member 105 is pushed in, and at the same time, the button member 105 can be easily held by the button holder 103d.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the action portion 105b of the button member 105 has a protrusion 105d that protrudes in the pushing direction of the button member 105, and the tip corner of the protrusion 105d is connected to the leaf spring member 104. This is the first contact point P1 for the fourth contact terminal 104b. Furthermore, the action portion 105b has a second contact point P2 at a location different from the first contact point P1. The first contact point P1 contacts the fourth contact terminal 104b at a location farther away from the root portion (that is, the spring fulcrum P3) of the fourth contact terminal 104b than the second contact point P2. Conversely, the second contact point P2 contacts the fourth contact terminal 104b at a location farther away from the first contact point P1 with respect to the tip (free end side) of the fourth contact terminal 104b.

When pressing the button member 105, the action portion 105b of the button member 105 first contacts the fourth contact terminal 104b at the first contact point P1. Since the first contact point P1 contacts the fourth contact terminal 104b at a location farther from the spring fulcrum P3 than the second contact point P2, the pushing force of the button member 105 can be reduced at the initial stage of pushing the button member 105. . That is, the user can press the button member 105 with less force.

When the button member 105 is further pushed in, the action portion 105b of the button member 105 contacts the fourth contact terminal 104b at the second contact point P2. Since the second contact point P2 contacts the fourth contact terminal 104b at a location farther from the tip of the fourth contact terminal 104b than the first contact point P1, the fourth contact terminal 104b can be moved significantly. That is, the space between the fourth contact terminal 104b and the third contact terminal 103c can be widened, making it easier to connect the electrical wiring.

Further, a first step portion 105e (see FIG. 6) may be provided on the operating portion 105a of the button member 105, and a second step portion 101d may be provided on the button insertion hole 101b of the cover housing 101. The first stepped portion 105e and the second stepped portion 101d are formed in shapes and positions that engage with each other when viewed from the sliding movement direction of the button member 105, as shown in FIG. 11 (BB sectional view in FIG. 7). and guides the button member 105 to move only in the sliding direction. Thereby, the pressing operation of the button member 105 can be stabilized.

The embodiment disclosed this time is an illustrative example in all respects, and is not a basis for restrictive interpretation. Therefore, the technical scope of the present disclosure is not to be interpreted only by the above-described embodiments, but is defined based on the claims. Furthermore, all changes within the meaning and scope of the claims are included.

10 Screwless terminal block 11 Socket contact 12 Screwless connection part 101 Cover housing (casing)
101a Wiring insertion hole 101b Button insertion hole 101c Visual recognition part 101d Step part 102 Socket housing (casing)
103 Contact member 103a First contact terminal 103b Second contact terminal 103c Third contact terminal (other contact terminal)
103d Button holding part 104 Leaf spring member 104a Spring part 104b Fourth contact terminal (one contact terminal)
105 Button member 105a Operation part 105b Action part 105c Visual recognition part 105d Projection part 105e Step part

Claims (10)

A screwless terminal block having a screwless connection part that allows connection of electrical wiring,
One contact terminal in the screwless connection part is formed at one end of a leaf spring member that holds electrical wiring between it and the other contact terminal in the screwless terminal block,
A button member is attached to the screwless terminal block so as to be slidable by an operation from outside the casing, and is capable of separating the one contact terminal from the other contact terminal when the button member is pushed into the casing. We are equipped with
The screwless terminal block is characterized in that the other contact terminal is formed with a button holding portion that engages with and holds the button member pushed into the housing. The screwless terminal block according to claim 1,
The button member has an operation part that is exposed outside the casing and receives an operation from a user, and an action part that contacts the one contact terminal and the other contact terminal inside the casing. and
The screwless terminal block, wherein the action portion has a space open in the sliding direction of the button member. The screwless terminal block according to claim 2,
The screwless terminal block is characterized in that the action part is made of a metal material. The screwless terminal block according to claim 2 or 3,
The screwless terminal block is characterized in that the button member is arranged to be inserted into a button insertion hole provided in the housing, and the action part is larger than the button insertion hole. The screwless terminal block according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Visibility of the button member is increased due to surface characteristics different from surrounding areas on a surface that is exposed to the outside when the button member is pulled out and is not exposed to the outside when the button member is pushed in. A screwless terminal block characterized by having a visible part. The screwless terminal block according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The casing has a surface that is exposed to the outside when the button member is pushed in, and is not exposed to the outside when the button member is pulled out, and has improved visibility due to surface characteristics different from surrounding areas. A screwless terminal block characterized by having a visible part. The screwless terminal block according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The screwless terminal block is characterized in that when the button member is pushed in and held by the button holding portion, the button member is brought into contact with the casing, so that the button member cannot be pushed in any further. The screwless terminal block according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The screwless terminal block is characterized in that the button holding part has a tilt angle on the insertion side of the electrical wiring set smaller than an inclination angle on the extraction side. The screwless terminal block according to claim 2,
The action portion of the button member has a protrusion projecting in the pushing direction of the button member,
The protrusion has a first contact point with respect to the one contact terminal of the leaf spring member,
The screwless terminal is characterized in that the action part has a second contact point that contacts the one contact terminal at a location farther from the first contact point with respect to the tip of the one contact terminal. The stand. The screwless terminal block according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The button member and the housing are provided with stepped portions that engage with each other when viewed from the sliding direction of the button member,
The screwless terminal block is characterized in that the button member is guided in movement only in the sliding direction by both the stepped portions.

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