JP3671478B2 - Vehicle solar radiation detection device and vehicle air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vehicle solar radiation detection device that detects the intensity of solar radiation entering the vehicle interior and the direction of the solar radiation, and a vehicle for controlling the temperature, the air discharge amount, the air discharge direction, and the like of conditioned air based on the detection result. The present invention relates to an air conditioner.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, as a vehicle air conditioner mounted in an automobile or the like, the intensity and direction of solar radiation entering the vehicle interior is detected, and based on the detection result, from a plurality of air outlets provided in the vehicle interior. There has been known an apparatus that optimally controls the temperature of each part of the passenger compartment by controlling the temperature, amount, direction, and the like of the conditioned air that is blown out.
[0003]
And since the solar radiation detection apparatus used for this kind of apparatus needs to detect not only solar radiation intensity but the penetration | invasion direction (solar radiation direction) of the solar radiation into a vehicle interior, for example, the following (A)-(C Various structures are proposed as shown in FIG.
(A) A solar radiation sensor in which three light receiving sensors that directly receive sunlight are arranged in different directions, as disclosed in JP-A-63-141816.
[0004]
(B) As disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 56-64611, two sun sensors each composed of a light shielding plate having a single slit formed thereon and a gray code pattern disposed opposite to the light shielding plate are provided for each slit. Solar angle measurement device arranged so as to be orthogonal.
[0005]
(C) A solar angle measuring device comprising a light shielding plate in which a pinhole is formed and a two-dimensional light receiving sensor disposed opposite to the light shielding plate, as disclosed in JP-A-56-64611.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in each of the above devices (A) to (C), the light receiving part for detecting solar radiation becomes large, and it is difficult to downsize the device.
That is, in the solar radiation sensor of the above (A), since it is necessary to arrange the three light receiving sensors in different directions, the light receiving portions must be formed three-dimensionally, and the apparatus can be miniaturized. I could not. In addition, since this solar radiation sensor requires three light receiving sensors, there is a problem that the cost increases.
[0007]
Next, in the solar angle measuring device of (B) above, a gray code pattern consisting of a large number of light receiving elements is used to detect the position of the light transmitted through the slit. There is no need to form the light receiving portion three-dimensionally as in the apparatus.
However, since the gray code pattern is obtained by arranging a large number of photoelectric conversion elements along the gray code, the light receiving portion has a two-dimensional spread and the light receiving area is increased. Further, in this solar angle measuring device, since two sun sensors having a light receiving portion having a two-dimensional extension are arranged side by side so that the respective slits are orthogonal to each other, two gray codes are used in the entire device. A light receiving area that is at least twice the light receiving area of the pattern is required. Therefore, also in this solar angle measuring device, the size of the device could not be reduced. In addition, in order to accurately detect the position of the light transmitted through the slit by the gray code pattern, the relative position between the gray code pattern and the slit has to be adjusted accurately, resulting in poor productivity. .
[0008]
On the other hand, since the solar angle measuring device of (C) is composed of a light shielding plate in which a pinhole is formed and a two-dimensional light receiving sensor disposed opposite to the light shielding plate, the (A) The size of the apparatus can be reduced as compared with the apparatus of (B).
However, since this apparatus also uses a two-dimensional light receiving sensor, the light receiving portion has a two-dimensional spread as in the apparatus (B), and the light receiving area increases. Further, in this apparatus, a signal processing circuit for taking out light reception signals from the photoelectric conversion elements (pixels) constituting the light reception sensor is necessary. However, in the light reception sensor, a large number of pixels are two-dimensionally arranged. The signal processing circuit must be provided with vertical and horizontal scanning circuits for two-dimensionally scanning the light receiving sensor, and there is a problem that the circuit configuration becomes complicated and the signal processing circuit becomes large. . When this signal processing circuit is incorporated in the apparatus, if the signal processing circuit is formed on the same substrate as the light receiving sensor, the substrate needs to have a size obtained by adding the light receiving area of the light receiving sensor and the circuit area of the signal processing circuit. And the device becomes larger.
[0009]
In order to reduce the size of the apparatus, it is conceivable to form the signal processing circuit and the light receiving sensor separately, but in this case, a large number of pixels constituting the light receiving sensor and the signal processing circuit are provided. Since it is necessary to connect each signal line, there is a problem that the number of signal lines connecting these parts becomes enormous, the assembly work becomes complicated, and the productivity is lowered.
[0010]
Accordingly, in any of the above-described devices (A) to (C), there is a problem that the device becomes larger and more complicated and the cost is increased as compared with a general solar radiation sensor that merely detects only the solar radiation intensity.
The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and a solar radiation detection device capable of detecting solar radiation intensity and solar radiation direction without using an expensive solar radiation sensor capable of detecting the solar radiation direction, and a vehicle air conditioner using the same. The purpose is to provide.
[0011]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve this object, in the solar radiation detection device for a vehicle according to claim 1, the solar radiation intensity is detected using a solar radiation sensor, and the solar radiation direction is detected using a navigation device mounted on the vehicle. Inclination angle detection for detecting based on the traveling direction of the vehicle detected by this device, the solar position information stored in the solar radiation information storage means, and the inclination angle of the vehicle detected by the inclination angle detection means And calculating means based on the means.
[0012]
Therefore, according to the present invention, in detecting the solar radiation intensity and the solar radiation direction, it is not necessary to use a solar radiation sensor that can detect the solar radiation direction in addition to the solar radiation intensity as in the prior art. It is possible to use a general solar radiation sensor capable of detecting For this reason, according to this invention, the apparatus structure of a solar radiation detection apparatus can be simplified and it can implement | achieve cheaply.
[0013]
The calculation means reads the solar position information (azimuth data (X) and elevation angle data (Y)) corresponding to the current date and time and the current position of the vehicle detected by the navigation device from the solar radiation information storage means. Based on the read solar position information and the traveling direction (X ′) of the vehicle detected by the navigation device , the left and right incident angle (φ) that is the intrusion direction of solar radiation at the current position is calculated. The navigation device detects the current position and the traveling direction of the vehicle and performs vehicle travel guidance. The current position and the traveling direction of the vehicle are determined by using a signal from an artificial satellite or the like. Therefore, the calculation means can detect the solar radiation direction with high accuracy.
Further, the intrusion direction of solar radiation to the vehicle not only changes depending on the sun position, but also changes depending on the inclination of the vehicle.In the present invention, the inclination angle detection means uses the information on the current position of the vehicle and the traveling direction of the vehicle. Based on the road information, the inclination angle of the vehicle is detected, and the calculation means obtains the elevation angle (θ) from the elevation angle data (Y) read from the solar radiation information storage means and the inclination angle detected by the inclination angle detection means. Has been. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to accurately detect the solar radiation direction without being affected by the inclination of the vehicle, and it is possible to further improve the detection accuracy of the solar radiation direction.
[0014]
By the way, the solar radiation direction can be obtained as described above, the solar position (azimuth, elevation angle, etc.) can be known from the date and time, and if the solar position and the traveling direction of the vehicle are known, This is because the intrusion direction of solar radiation (that is, the solar radiation direction) can be obtained, but the solar position varies depending on the current position of the vehicle even at the same time. For example, in Japan, Hokkaido and Okinawa differ greatly. .
[0015]
Therefore, to be able to detect the insolation direction more accurately, as described in claim 2, the solar radiation information storage means, the sun location information for each region obtained by dividing the vehicle all areas runnable multiple may be stored to, when calculating the solar radiation direction by calculating means, as the sun location information used for the calculation, in the solar radiation information selection means, from the sun location information stored in the solar radiation information storage means It is desirable to select solar position information corresponding to an area including the current position of the vehicle detected by the navigation device.
[0016]
In other words, for example, in the case of a car sold in Japan, the entire country of Japan is divided into a plurality of regions such as Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, Chubu, etc., and the solar position information corresponding to the date and time for each region. Is stored in the solar radiation information storage means, and when calculating the solar radiation direction, the solar position information set for the area including the current position of the vehicle is used for calculating the solar radiation direction. If it is selected as position information , and solar position information corresponding to the current date and time is read from the selected sun position information and the solar radiation direction is calculated, it will be affected by changes in the vehicle position. Therefore, the solar radiation direction can be obtained accurately, and the solar radiation direction can be detected with higher accuracy.
[0019]
In addition, the solar radiation detection device according to claim 1 or claim 2 , as described in claim 3 , is based on the solar radiation intensity and the intrusion direction (solar radiation direction) of solar radiation with respect to the vehicle. Used to detect solar radiation intensity and solar radiation direction in a vehicle air conditioner equipped with control means for controlling the temperature, blowout amount, blowout direction, etc. of air-conditioned air blown out from the exit into the passenger compartment. Can do.
[0020]
And the solar radiation detection apparatus of this invention can detect solar radiation intensity and solar radiation direction, without using the solar radiation sensor which can detect a solar radiation direction as mentioned above, Therefore The structure of air conditioning apparatus itself is simplified. can do. Moreover, according to the solar radiation detection apparatus of this invention, since the solar radiation direction can be detected with high precision, the control precision of conditioned air can also be improved.
[0021]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an air conditioner (hereinafter referred to as A / C) system 3 as a vehicle air conditioner to which the present invention is applied, and a navigation system 1 mounted on an automobile together with the A / C system 3. It is.
[0022]
As shown in FIG. 1, the navigation system 1 receives a GPS antenna 10a that receives radio waves transmitted from an artificial satellite for GPS (Global Positioning System), and based on a received signal from the GPS antenna 10a, determines the current position of the vehicle, the traveling direction, and the like. GPS receiver 10 for calculating, vehicle speed sensor 12 for detecting the traveling speed of the vehicle, gyro 14 for detecting a change in the traveling direction of the vehicle, operation unit 16 for the vehicle occupant to input various commands, road information representing a road map A CD-ROM player 18 for reading road information from the stored CD-ROM, a display device 22 comprising a CRT, a liquid crystal display, etc. for displaying a road map, the current position of the vehicle, the traveling direction, etc. The signal is taken in, and the current position and target position of the vehicle are mainly displayed on the display device 22 together with the road map. And a navigation control unit 20 or the like for vehicle travel guidance against.
[0023]
In the navigation system 1, the GPS receiver 10 is used for so-called GPS navigation for measuring the current position and traveling direction of a vehicle based on radio waves from an artificial satellite. The vehicle speed sensor 12 and the gyro 14 are for performing so-called autonomous navigation in which the relative position of the vehicle is detected and the current position and the traveling direction are sequentially updated and the current position and the traveling direction are measured. It is used to supplement the current position and traveling direction when the measurement result by the GPS receiver 10 is not normal, such as when the vehicle is traveling in a tunnel that cannot receive radio waves from an artificial satellite.
[0024]
The A / C system 3 also includes a solar radiation sensor 30 that detects the intensity of solar radiation entering the vehicle interior, an internal air temperature sensor 32 that detects the temperature inside the vehicle interior, an external air temperature sensor 34 that detects the temperature outside the vehicle, and a vehicle occupant operating. The operation unit 36 for instructing the mode, the set temperature, etc., and the signals from these units, and the temperature, amount and direction of the conditioned air that is blown out from a plurality of outlets provided in the passenger compartment are provided. A / C control unit 40 for driving and controlling various actuators (air mix damper opening / closing actuator, blower motor, etc.) for controlling each air outlet is provided.
[0025]
Here, the navigation control unit 20 and the A / C control unit 40 are each constituted by a known microcomputer centered on a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. Each of these control units 20 and 40 has a communication function so that information can be transmitted and received via a communication line.
[0026]
Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the solar radiation sensor 30 constituting the A / C system 3 has a substrate 42 on which a photodiode 50 as a photoelectric conversion element is assembled, and a cylindrical shape in which the light receiving surface side of the photodiode 50 is opened. And a filter 48 for protecting the photodiode 50 and cutting unnecessary light other than sunlight is provided on the opening side of the holder 46. And this solar radiation sensor 30 is attached to the front position in a vehicle interior, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, receives the sunlight which permeate | transmits a windshield, and the light quantity (in other words solar radiation intensity | strength) I. A detection signal corresponding to the signal is generated.
[0027]
The holder 46 is configured so as to be divided into right and left along the axial direction thereof, and the substrate 42 is fixed by fitting a portion divided into the left and right. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a hole for inserting the signal line 44 drawn from the back surface of the substrate 42 is formed on the side opposite to the opening of the holder 46, and detection from the photodiode 50 is performed. A signal is input to the A / C control unit 40 via a signal line 44 inserted through the hole.
[0028]
Next, in the ROM (not shown) constituting the A / C control unit 40 in the A / C system 3, in addition to the control program for air conditioning control, a program for calculating the solar radiation direction and necessary for calculating the solar radiation direction are required. Solar radiation information representing the sun position is stored. This solar radiation information is a map for searching solar radiation information (sunlight information) in which the solar position (positional information) is set for each day and hour with the date and time as variables since the solar position changes according to the date and time. Map) is stored in the ROM. In this embodiment, as position information indicating the sun position, position information including azimuth data X indicating how many times the sun is rotating in the right direction with respect to true east E and elevation angle data Y indicating the elevation angle. Is set (see FIG. 3). In FIG. 3, E, W, S, and N represent east, west, south, and north directions centered on the vehicle, respectively.
[0029]
Next, in the A / C control unit 40, a basic process as a premise of the present invention in a series of control processes when detecting the solar radiation intensity and the solar radiation direction and controlling various actuators is shown in the flowchart shown in FIG. It explains along.
As shown in FIG. 4, when this control process is started, first, in S110 (S: represents a step), the detection signal from the solar radiation sensor 30 is A / D converted, and the A / D conversion value is converted into solar radiation. Read as intensity I. In the subsequent S120, data communication is performed with the navigation system 1, and the traveling direction X 'of the vehicle and the current date and time (day / hour) are read from the navigation system 1. The traveling direction X ′ of the vehicle represents the direction (azimuth) of the current vehicle body in the straight traveling direction. In the present embodiment, the traveling direction is on the right side of the true east E as in the case of the azimuth data X. It represents how many times it is rotating in the direction.
[0030]
In the subsequent S130, the solar radiation information map in the ROM is searched based on the read date / time to read the position information (X, Y) representing the solar position corresponding to the current date / time, and in S140, Based on the read position information (X, Y) and the traveling direction X ′ of the vehicle read from the navigation system 1 in S 120, the intrusion direction (sunlight direction) of solar radiation into the vehicle is calculated.
[0031]
The solar radiation direction is composed of an incident angle (horizontal incident angle) φ of solar radiation with respect to the left and right direction of the vehicle body and an incident angle (elevation angle) θ of solar radiation with respect to the vertical direction of the vehicle body. = X−X ′ ”, and the elevation angle data Y read from the navigation system 1 is set as it is for the elevation angle θ.
[0032]
Then, when the solar radiation direction (φ, θ) is calculated in this way, the process proceeds to S150, and each blowing is performed based on the solar radiation intensity I and the solar radiation direction (φ, θ) read from the solar radiation sensor 30 in S110. The control amount for controlling the temperature, the blow amount, and the blow direction of the conditioned air blown from the outlet is calculated. In S160, the various actuators are driven according to the calculated control amount, and the process is temporarily terminated. To do.
[0033]
As described above, in the control process shown in FIG. 4, the solar radiation intensity I for air conditioning control is detected using the solar radiation sensor 30 made of a photodiode, and the solar radiation direction (φ, θ) is navigated. Calculation is made using the traveling direction X ′ of the vehicle detected by the system 1 and the solar radiation information stored in advance in the ROM. For this reason, in order to detect the solar radiation intensity I and the solar radiation direction (φ, θ), it is not necessary to use a solar radiation sensor capable of measuring the solar radiation direction as the solar radiation detection apparatus as in the conventional apparatus. As a result, the configuration of the A / C system 3 can be simplified and realized at low cost.
[0034]
In the navigation system 1, the current position and the traveling direction of the vehicle are detected using the GPS receiver 10, the vehicle speed sensor 12, and the gyro 14, and thus the detection accuracy is extremely high. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the solar radiation direction (φ, θ) can be obtained with high accuracy, and the control accuracy of the air conditioning control can be improved.
[0035]
In the above control process, the current date / time used for searching the solar radiation information map in the ROM is read from the navigation system 1. In the navigation system 1, this is read by the GPS receiver 10. When the current position is measured, the navigation system 1 side rather than providing time keeping means for measuring the date and time in the A / C system 3 by reading extremely accurate time information included in the radio wave transmitted from the artificial satellite. This is because reading the date and time from can obtain more accurate information. Therefore, when the date / time information cannot be read from the navigation system 1, the A / C system 3 may be provided with a time measuring means to detect the current date / time.
[0036]
By the way, in the navigation system 1, if the road information includes gradient information or the like that indicates the inclination of the road, the vehicle inclination angle is detected based on the current position and traveling direction of the vehicle and the road gradient information. Can do.
Therefore, in the present embodiment, the navigation system 1 is used which has a function as an inclination angle detecting means for calculating the inclination angle of the vehicle body from the current position of the vehicle and the road information. In the above control processing, the navigation system 1 is used. Further, information indicating the tilt angle of the vehicle body is read, and the solar radiation direction (φ, θ), particularly the elevation angle θ, is corrected according to the read tilt angle.
[0037]
For example, in the case where the solar radiation is incident from substantially the same direction as the traveling direction of the vehicle (which is substantially in front of the vehicle, and in FIG. 3, X and X ′ are approximately the same and φ≈0), FIG. As shown in a), when there is no road inclination and the vehicle inclination angle is zero, and when the vehicle is inclined on a mountain road or the like as shown in FIG. The direction, mainly the elevation angle θ, is different.
Therefore, when the road is tilted and the vehicle is tilted in the front-rear direction as shown in FIG. 6B, the tilt angle in the front-rear direction of the vehicle at that time is Y ′, and this tilt angle Y ′ and the sun position Using an equation “θ = Y + Y ′” (where Y ′ is a positive value when the road is positive), the solar radiation actually incident on the vehicle. Is obtained.
Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the solar radiation direction can be accurately obtained even when the vehicle travels on a mountain road or the like and the vehicle is inclined due to the slope of the road surface.
[0038]
In this case, since the left and right incident angle φ of solar radiation is hardly affected by the gradient of the road, the left and right incident angle φ need not be particularly corrected by the inclination angle Y ′. Further, when solar radiation is incident from the side with respect to the vehicle traveling direction (in FIG. 3, for example, when the vehicle direction is true east and solar radiation is true south), the left and right incidents are made even if the vehicle is tilted back and forth. Since both the angle φ and the elevation angle θ are not significantly affected, the elevation angle θ does not need to be particularly corrected by the vehicle inclination angle Y ′ under such conditions.
[0039]
Therefore, for example, when the left and right incident angle φ with respect to the vehicle traveling direction is within ± 45 degrees, the elevation angle θ is obtained from the elevation angle data Y representing the sun position and the vehicle inclination angle Y ′, and the left and right incident angle φ is ± 45 degrees. In the case where it is larger, the elevation angle data Y representing the sun position may be set as it is as the elevation angle θ representing the invasion direction of solar radiation into the vehicle. Further, since the method of calculating the elevation angle θ with respect to the left and right incident angle φ is influenced by the structure of the vehicle (vehicle type, size of the windshield, side glass, etc.), it may be set according to the vehicle.
[0040]
Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can take various forms.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the solar radiation information storage means for storing the solar radiation information map for simply searching the solar position from the current date / time has been described. A solar radiation information map is set for each area divided into (for example, Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, Chubu, Kansai, China, Shikoku, Kyushu, Okinawa), and each solar radiation information map is stored in the ROM, and the above S120 The solar radiation direction detection process as the calculation means realized in ˜140 may be executed as shown in FIG.
[0041]
That is, in the solar radiation direction detection process, first, in S210, the vehicle traveling direction X ', the current position P of the vehicle, and the current date / time are read from the navigation system 1, and in S220, the read current position of the vehicle is read. Based on P, a solar radiation information map of an area including the current position P is selected, and in S230, using the selected solar radiation information map, positional information (X, Y representing the solar position corresponding to the current date and time) ), And in S240, the solar radiation direction (φ, θ) with respect to the vehicle may be calculated based on the read position information (X, Y) and the traveling direction X ′ of the vehicle.
[0042]
And if it does in this way, even if it is an area where the sun position with respect to the present time greatly differs, for example, Hokkaido and Okinawa, it will become possible to detect the solar radiation direction accurately using the same A / C system 3. It becomes possible to execute the air conditioning control with higher accuracy.
[0043]
In the above embodiment, the solar radiation direction is calculated by the process of the A / C control unit 40 in the A / C system 3, but the process of the navigation control unit 20 in the navigation system 1 The solar radiation direction may be calculated, and the A / C system 3 side may read the calculation result and execute air conditioning control. In addition, as a solar radiation detection device, a dedicated solar radiation detection system comprising a solar radiation sensor 30 and an arithmetic circuit comprising a microcomputer or the like is constructed. In the arithmetic circuit, the traveling direction of the vehicle is read from the navigation system 1 and the solar radiation direction is determined. You may make it calculate.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating configurations of an A / C system and a navigation system according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a configuration of a solar radiation sensor according to an embodiment.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between position information (X, Y) representing the sun position and solar radiation direction (φ, θ).
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a control process executed by an A / C control unit.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing another example of the solar radiation direction detection process among the control processes executed by the A / C control unit.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the inclination angle of the vehicle and the solar radiation direction.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Navigation system 10 ... GPS receiver 12 ... Vehicle speed sensor 14 ... Gyro 20 ... Navigation control unit 3 ... A / C system 30 ... Solar radiation sensor 40 ... A / C control unit 50 ... Photodiode

Claims (3)

The vehicle is provided with a navigation device that detects a current position and a traveling direction of the vehicle, and provides a traveling guide for the vehicle based on the detected current position and traveling direction of the vehicle and road information stored in advance. A vehicle solar radiation detection device for detecting the intensity and direction of solar radiation entering the vehicle interior,
A solar radiation sensor which is provided at a predetermined position of a vehicle capable of receiving sunlight and generates a detection signal according to the solar radiation intensity;
Solar radiation information storage means storing azimuth data (X) and elevation angle data (Y), which are solar position information representing the solar position that changes according to the date and time at a plurality of positions of the vehicle ;
Inclination angle detection means for detecting the inclination angle of the vehicle based on the information on the current position of the vehicle and the traveling direction of the vehicle and the road information of the navigation device;
The sun position information corresponding to the current date and time and the current position of the vehicle detected by the navigation device is read from the solar radiation information storage means, and the read sun position information and the navigation device are detected. Based on the traveling direction (X ′) of the vehicle , a left and right incident angle (φ) that is the intrusion direction of solar radiation at the current position is calculated, and the elevation angle data (Y) and the tilt angle detecting means insolation detecting device for a vehicle, characterized in that from the said detected tilt angle and a calculation means for calculating the elevation angle (theta). The solar radiation information storage means stores the sun location information for each region obtained by dividing the vehicle total area available travel into a plurality of said calculation means, the stored solar radiation data storage means of the solar position information The vehicle solar radiation detection device according to claim 1, further comprising solar radiation information selection means for selecting solar position information corresponding to an area including the current vehicle position detected by the navigation device. The solar radiation detection apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 ,
Based on the solar radiation intensity detected by the solar radiation sensor of the solar radiation detection device, and the left and right incident angles (φ) and the elevation angle (θ) which are the intrusion directions of solar radiation into the vehicle calculated by the calculation means Control means for controlling the temperature, amount, direction and the like of the air-conditioned air blown out from the air outlet into the vehicle compartment for each air outlet ,
An air conditioner for a vehicle, comprising:

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