JP3893079B2 - Automatic switchgear for vehicles - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an automatic opening and closing device for a vehicle that automatically opens and closes an opening and closing member that is mounted on a vehicle through a hinge so as to be freely opened and closed.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, vehicles such as automobiles have been provided with opening and closing members such as doors and back doors that can be freely opened and closed. In particular, many wagon cars, one-box cars, and the like are provided with a back door at the rear end of the vehicle so that loading and unloading of luggage from the rear of the vehicle can be easily performed. Usually, such a back door is mounted via a hinge provided at the rear end of the vehicle roof, and is in a fully closed state that is substantially perpendicular to the vehicle and a fully open state that is substantially horizontal to the vehicle. It opens and closes vertically. In this case, the back door is lifted upwards of the vehicle, so it is also called a lift gate or a rear hatch.
[0003]
However, since such a back door is often large and heavy, it may be difficult for a woman or a child to easily open and close the back door. In addition, when the back door is fully opened, the back door is greatly lifted upward, making it more difficult to open and close.
[0004]
Under the circumstances where family use such as one-box vehicles is increasing, vehicles equipped with an automatic opening / closing device for a back door have been introduced and tend to increase so that women and children can easily open and close them. In addition, if an automatic opening / closing device is installed, the back door can be remotely operated without reaching the driver's seat, so that there are many requests for installation of the automatic opening / closing device for this convenience.
[0005]
As such an automatic opening / closing device for a back door, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-71852, an actuator is provided between a roof portion of a vehicle, that is, a roof panel on the vehicle outer side and a ceiling panel on the vehicle interior side. It is known that a unit is disposed and the back door is opened and closed by driving a connecting rod connected to the back door by the actuator unit. Such an actuator has an electric motor as a drive source, and an output of the electric motor is transmitted to an output gear through an input gear provided in the actuator case. On the other hand, the connecting rod has a structure having a rod portion and ball joints fixed to both ends thereof, one ball joint is connected to the back door, and the other ball joint has a slit formed in the actuator case. To the end face of the output gear. Therefore, when the electric motor rotates forward or backward, the rotational motion is transmitted to the output gear via the input gear, causing the output gear to swing. The swinging motion of the output gear is converted into the opening / closing operation of the back door via the connecting rod, so that the back door is automatically opened / closed.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in such an actuator unit, since the connecting rod is connected to the end face of the output gear, a load from the back door is applied to the output gear via the connecting rod. Therefore, this load causes the output gear to bend in the axial direction, reducing the meshing efficiency between the output gear and the input gear, reducing the durability of these gears, and the meshing between the output gear and the input gear. As efficiency decreases, noise is generated from the meshing portions of these teeth.
[0007]
On the other hand, support shoes that face each other to sandwich the output gear are provided in the actuator case, and the output gear is supported between these support shoes to support the axial deflection of the output gear. Things are known. However, even in this case, in order for the output gear to slide with respect to the support shoe, a slight gap is required between the output gear and the support shoe, which sufficiently prevents the output gear from being bent. Requires high dimensional accuracy. In addition, it is necessary to apply a lubricant between the support shoe and the output gear, and this lubricant leaks from the slit formed in the actuator case to the outside, that is, the vehicle interior, because the connecting rod slides. There was also a possibility.
[0008]
An object of the present invention is to improve the durability of an automatic opening / closing device for a vehicle by preventing the output gear from bending.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
An automatic opening and closing device for a vehicle according to the present invention is an automatic opening and closing device for a vehicle that automatically opens and closes an opening and closing member that is attached to the vehicle via a hinge, and is driven by an electric motor provided in the vehicle. An input shaft provided with an input gear, an output shaft provided rotatably in the vehicle and to which an output gear to which rotation of the input gear is transmitted is fixed, and fixed to the output shaft and interlocked with the output gear And a connecting rod having one end connected to the opening / closing member and the other end connected to the arm member.
[0010]
The automatic opening / closing device for a vehicle according to the present invention is characterized in that an arm length of the arm member is formed larger than a radius of the output gear, and the connecting rod is connected to the arm member outside the outer peripheral surface of the output gear. And
[0011]
The automatic opening / closing apparatus for a vehicle according to the present invention is such that a connecting portion with the connecting rod provided on the arm member is positioned on the output gear side with respect to a fixed portion with the output shaft provided on the arm member. Further, the arm member is formed by bending.
[0012]
The automatic opening and closing device for a vehicle according to the present invention is characterized in that the opening and closing member is provided at the rear end of the vehicle so as to be opened and closed in the vertical direction.
[0013]
The automatic opening / closing device for a vehicle according to the present invention is characterized in that the input shaft, the output shaft, and the arm member are arranged on a roof portion of the vehicle.
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0015]
FIG. 1 is a side view showing a part of a vehicle provided with a power back door mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention, and the back door is in a fully closed state, and FIG. 2 is a vehicle shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a side view showing a part of the back door when the back door is fully open. 3 is a sectional view showing details of the power back door mechanism shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing details of the actuator unit shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing details of the crank arm and the connecting rod.
[0016]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a back door 2 as an opening / closing member is provided at the rear end of the vehicle 1. The back door 2 is attached to the vehicle 1 through a hinge 4 attached to the rear end portion of the roof portion 3 of the vehicle so that the opening / closing central axis 4a is substantially horizontal. The vehicle 1 can be opened and closed as shown in FIG. Between the fully closed state that is substantially perpendicular to the vehicle and the fully open state that is substantially horizontal to the vehicle as shown in FIG. It opens and closes. In the present embodiment, the hinge 4 is attached to the rear end portion of the roof portion 3 of the vehicle. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the hinge 4 is attached to the side portion of the vehicle 1 with its opening / closing central axis 4a being substantially vertical. Thus, the back door 2 may be opened and closed laterally with respect to the vehicle 1, and the opening / closing range is not limited to about 90 degrees, and may be set to an arbitrary angle.
[0017]
The vehicle 1 is provided with a power back door mechanism 10 as an automatic opening / closing device for a vehicle in order to automatically open and close the back door 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the power back door mechanism 10 includes an actuator unit. 11 and a connecting rod 12. The actuator unit 11 is fixed between the roof portion 3 at the rear end portion of the vehicle 1, that is, the roof panel 13 on the vehicle outer side and the ceiling panel 14 on the vehicle interior side via mounting brackets 15 and 16. The connecting rod 12 has a structure in which sockets 12b and 12c of ball joints are fixed to both ends of a rod portion 12a made of steel, and one end of the connecting rod 12 is curved at a position away from the opening / closing central axis 4a of the back door 2. Are connected to a stud 17a of a ball joint provided at the tip of an arm 17 extending integrally therewith. An opening 14 a is formed in the ceiling panel 14, and the connecting rod 12 is inserted into the roof portion 3 from the opening 14 a and the other end is a crank arm 18 as an arm member provided in the actuator unit 11. It is connected to. About this opening part 14a, you may make it attach the dust cover etc. which were formed with elastic members, such as rubber | gum. The other end of the connecting rod 12 is driven by the crank arm 18 so that the back door 2 is opened and closed.
[0018]
As shown in FIG. 4, the actuator unit 11 has an electric motor 20 and a reduction gear mechanism 21, and the electric motor 20 is fixed to a gear case 22 of the reduction gear mechanism 21 by a fastening member (not shown). The gear case 22 has a clutch housing portion 23 and a gear housing portion 24 that is thinner in the vehicle vertical direction than the clutch housing portion 23, so that the gear housing portion 24 is on the vehicle rear side with respect to the clutch housing portion 23. Is arranged. An armature shaft 25 as an input shaft of the electric motor 20 protrudes into the clutch housing portion 23, and a worm 26 as an input gear is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the portion of the armature shaft 25 projecting into the clutch housing portion 23. Is formed.
[0019]
An output shaft 30 as an output shaft that is rotatably supported by the gear case 22 by ball bearings 27 and 28 with an axial direction perpendicular to the vehicle 1 is provided inside the gear housing portion 24. An output gear 32 is fixed to the output shaft 30, and the output gear 32 rotates integrally with the output shaft 30. One end of the output shaft 30 protrudes from the gear case 22 to one side of the output gear 32, that is, the lower side of the vehicle 1, and the crank arm 18 is fixed to a portion protruding to the outside of the output shaft 30 by a fixing portion 18a. The crank arm 18 rotates together with the output shaft 30. The ball joint socket 12c of the connecting rod 12 is connected to a stud 18c as a connecting portion provided at the tip 18b of the crank arm 18. Therefore, when the output gear 32 oscillates within a predetermined range, this oscillating motion causes the crank arm 18 to oscillate via the output shaft 30, that is, the crank arm 18 is interlocked with the output gear 32. The swing motion of the crank arm 18 causes the socket 12c of the ball joint, that is, one end of the connecting rod 12 to swing. Further, in this swing range, one swing end is located on the front side of the vehicle 1, and the other swing end is located on the rear side of the vehicle 1. As a result, the swinging motion of the output gear 32 is converted into the opening / closing motion of the back door 2 via the connecting rod 12, and the back door 2 is opened / closed.
[0020]
Here, since the crank arm 18 is fixed to the output shaft 30, the load transmitted from the back door 2 side via the connecting rod 12 is transmitted to the output shaft 30 via the crank arm 18. The load transmitted to the output shaft 30 is supported by the ball bearings 27 and 28 and is not applied to the output gear 32.
[0021]
Thus, in the power back door mechanism 10 of the present invention, the connecting rod 12 is connected to the crank arm 18 fixed to the output shaft 30, so that the actuator unit 11 side from the back door 2 through the connecting rod 12. Since the load applied to is supported by the output shaft 30 via the crank arm 18, the output gear 32 is not subjected to a load or the like that bends the output gear 32 in the axial direction. Therefore, the output gear 32 maintains efficient meshing with the reduction gear mechanism 21, and the durability of the power back door mechanism 10 can be improved. Further, since the output gear 32 efficiently meshes with the reduction gear mechanism 21, noise from the meshing portion between the output gear 32 and the reduction gear mechanism 21 is reduced.
[0022]
Further, since the connecting rod 12 is connected to the crank arm 18 fixed to the output shaft 30 to which the rotation of the output gear 32 is transmitted, it is not necessary to provide a slit in the gear case 22. Therefore, the lubricant applied in the gear case 22 does not leak into the passenger compartment.
[0023]
The crank arm 18 is formed such that its arm length, that is, the distance from the center axis of the output shaft 30 to which the fixing portion 18 a is fixed to the tip thereof is larger than the radius of the output gear 32. The stud 18 c is provided outside the outer peripheral surface of the output gear 32, that is, the connecting rod 12 is connected to the crank arm 18 outside the outer peripheral surface of the output gear 32. Therefore, the rocking radius of one end of the connecting rod 12 driven by the rocking movement of the output gear 32, that is, the ball joint socket 12 c is larger than the rocking radius of the outer peripheral surface of the output gear 32.
[0024]
Thus, in the power back door mechanism 10 of the present invention, the arm length of the crank arm fixed to the output shaft 30 is formed to be larger than the radius of the output gear 32, so that the connecting rod 12 can be formed without increasing the size of the output gear 32. The swing stroke can be enlarged.
[0025]
Further, the crank arm 18 is arranged such that the tip end 18b provided with the stud 18c is positioned on the output gear 32 side with respect to the fixed portion 18a fixed to the output shaft 30, that is, the tip end 18b with respect to the fixed portion 18a. And bent so as to be on the upper side of the vehicle. The stud 18c is arranged so as to protrude from the tip end portion 18b toward the vehicle lower side, that is, the socket 12c of the ball joint of the connecting rod 12 is positioned on the vehicle lower side of the tip end portion 18b.
[0026]
Thus, in the power back door mechanism 10 of the present invention, the crank arm 18 is bent so that the stud 18c is on the output gear 32 side with respect to the fixed portion 18a. A connection part can be set to the vehicle upper side, the ceiling panel 14 of the vehicle 1 can be set to a higher position, and the comfortability of this vehicle 1 can be improved.
[0027]
The reduction gear mechanism 21 is accommodated across the clutch accommodation portion 23 and the gear accommodation portion 24, and the rotation of the armature shaft 25 is reduced and transmitted to the output gear 32. The reduction gear mechanism 21 includes a pinion shaft 42 as an intermediate shaft rotatably supported by the gear case 22 by ball bearings 40 and 41 inside the clutch housing portion 23, and ball bearings 43 and 44 inside the gear housing portion 24. A sub shaft 45 as an intermediate shaft rotatably supported by the gear case 22 is provided. The shafts 42 and 45 are arranged so that the axial direction thereof is parallel to the output shaft 30, that is, perpendicular to the vehicle 1. ing. The shafts 42 and 45 are positioned between the armature shaft 25 and the output shaft 30, and the sub shaft 45 is disposed on the vehicle rear side with respect to the pinion shaft 42.
[0028]
The pinion shaft 42 is rotatably provided with a worm wheel 46 that meshes with the worm 26 formed on the armature shaft 25 so that the worm wheel 46 is rotated via the worm 26 when the electric motor 20 is operated. It has become. At this time, since the worm wheel 46 is rotatably provided to the pinion shaft 42, the pinion shaft 42 does not rotate even if the worm wheel 46 rotates. The pinion shaft 42 is provided with a pinion gear 47 adjacent to the worm wheel 46 on the vehicle lower side. The pinion gear 47 is formed to have a smaller diameter than the worm wheel 46 and has a smaller number of teeth than the worm wheel 46. The pinion gear 47 is fixed to the pinion shaft 42 and rotates together with the pinion shaft 42.
[0029]
The reduction gear mechanism 21 has an electromagnetic clutch 50 housed in the clutch housing portion 23. This electromagnetic clutch 50 is a so-called friction type electromagnetic clutch for switching between the worm wheel 46 and the pinion gear 47 between a power transmission state and a power cutoff state, and is disposed with the friction surfaces 51a and 52a facing each other. A drive disk 51, a driven disk 52, and a coil portion 53 are provided.
[0030]
The drive disk 51 is made of steel, and is spline-coupled to the worm wheel 46 to rotate integrally with the worm wheel 46 and to be movable in the axial direction of the worm wheel 46, that is, in the axial direction of the pinion shaft 42. . On the other hand, the driven disk 52 is fixed to the pinion shaft 42 and rotates together with the pinion shaft 42. The coil portion 53 is positioned on the back portion of the driven disk 52, that is, on the vehicle upper side, and is fixed to the gear case 22. The coil portion 53 can generate an electromagnetic force by electric power supplied from a power supply unit (not shown). When the coil portion 53 generates electromagnetic force, the drive disk 51 is moved in the axial direction so as to approach the driven disk 52, and the respective disks 51, 52 are pressure-bonded to each other at the friction surfaces 51a, 52a. Become. As a result, the worm wheel 46 is in a power transmission state fixed to the pinion shaft 42 via the respective disks 51 and 52, and the rotation of the worm wheel 46 is transmitted to the pinion gear 47. Further, when the supply of power to the coil portion 53 is stopped, the frictional force between the respective disks 51 and 52 is reduced, and the worm wheel 46 and the pinion gear 47 are in a power cut-off state.
[0031]
The sub-shaft 45 is provided with a large-diameter spur gear 60 and a small-diameter spur gear 61. These spur gears 60 and 61 are both fixed to the sub-shaft 45 and rotate together with the sub-shaft 45, respectively. .
[0032]
The large-diameter spur gear 60 is formed to have a larger diameter than the pinion gear 47 and meshes with the pinion gear 47 to form a gear pair together with the pinion gear 47. Thereby, the rotation of the pinion gear 47 is decelerated and transmitted to the large diameter spur gear 60. The small-diameter spar gear 61 is smaller in diameter than the large-diameter spar gear 60 and smaller in diameter than the output gear 32 and meshes with the output gear 32 to form a gear pair together with the output gear 32. Thereby, the rotation of the small diameter spur gear 61 is decelerated and transmitted to the output gear 32. Accordingly, the rotation of the pinion gear 47 is decelerated in two stages via these two spur gears 60 and 61 and transmitted to the output gear 32.
[0033]
As described above, the rotation of the armature shaft 25 of the electric motor 20 is decelerated in multiple stages via the worm 26, the worm wheel 46, the pinion gear 47, and the two spur gears 60 and 61 by the reduction gear mechanism 21 provided in the gear case 22. And transmitted to the output gear 32.
[0034]
Here, the large-diameter spar gear 60 is disposed so that its vertical position relative to the vehicle 1 is substantially the same as that of the pinion gear 47 and is located on the vehicle lower surface side of the output gear 32. The small-diameter spar gear 61 has a vertical position with respect to the vehicle 1 on the vehicle upper surface side of the large-diameter spar gear 60 and is disposed substantially the same as the worm wheel 46. That is, the worm wheel 46 and the small-diameter spur gear 61 which are provided on the adjacent pinion shaft 42 and the sub shaft 45 and are not meshed with each other are respectively connected to the pinion gear 47 which is provided on the shafts 42 and 45 and meshes with each other. It is arranged on the same surface side of the gear pair including the radial spur gear 60, that is, on the vehicle upper surface side. Further, the worm 46 formed on the armature shaft 25 and the output gear 32 provided on the support pin 30 are substantially the same as the worm wheel 46 and the small-diameter spar gear 61 in the vehicle vertical direction. As a result, the gear train formed by the respective gears in the gear case 22 includes a train on the upper side of the vehicle including the worm 26, the worm wheel 46, the small-diameter spur gear 61, and the output gear 32, the pinion gear 47, and the large-diameter spur gear 60. It is formed by a two-stage row with a row on the vehicle lower side. Therefore, the thickness dimension in the vehicle vertical direction required for the gear train formed by these gears is within the thickness dimension of the two vertical rows of these gears, and the dimension is kept small. And by such arrangement | positioning, even when it is a case where the number of gears is increased in order to increase the number of reduction stages of the reduction gear mechanism 21, the thickness dimension can be made thin. Therefore, it becomes possible to set the ceiling panel 14 in the vehicle interior to be higher, and the comfort of the vehicle 1 can be improved.
[0035]
Next, the operation of the power back door mechanism 10 having such a structure will be described.
[0036]
First, as shown in FIG. 1, when a back door opening / closing switch (not shown) is turned on when the back door 2 is in a fully closed state, a current is supplied to the electric motor 20 from a battery (not shown) mounted on the vehicle 1. The amateur shaft 25 starts to rotate in a predetermined direction. The rotation of the armature shaft 25 is transmitted to the output gear 32 via the reduction gear mechanism 21. Further, this rotation is transmitted to the crank arm 18 via the output shaft 30, and the crank arm 18 is driven in a predetermined direction. Then, the connecting rod 12 is actuated by the crank arm 18, and the back door 2 is opened toward the fully opened state shown in FIG. And if the back door 2 will be in the fully open state shown in FIG. 2, the electric motor 20 will be stopped. On the contrary, when the back door opening / closing switch (not shown) is turned off when the back door 2 is fully opened, the electric motor 20 is reversely rotated, and accordingly, the crank arm 18 is also reversely rotated and the back door 2 is closed.
[0037]
6 is a cross-sectional view showing a modification of the crank arm shown in FIG. In FIG. 6, members corresponding to those described above are given the same reference numerals.
[0038]
As shown in FIG. 6, the arm member may be a crank arm 70 having a shape that is fixed to the output gear 32 on both sides of the output shaft 30 in the vehicle vertical direction. In this case, the crank arm 70 has fixing portions 70a and 70b that are fixed to the output shaft 30 on the upper side or the lower side of the vehicle, respectively, thereby improving the support rigidity of the crank arm 70, and The load from the back door 2 input to the crank arm 70 from the rod 12 can be reliably supported. In addition, since the surface to which the stud 70c to which the socket 12c of the connecting rod 12 is connected can be fixed also vertically to the vehicle, the degree of freedom in arranging the connecting rod 12 can be improved.
[0039]
It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the opening / closing member is the back door 2, but the opening / closing member is not limited thereto, and any other opening / closing member provided in the vehicle 1 may be used.
[0040]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, since the load applied from the opening / closing member via the connecting rod is supported by the output shaft via the arm member, this load is not applied to the output gear. Therefore, the output gear maintains efficient meshing, and the durability of the automatic opening / closing device for a vehicle can be improved. Further, since the output gear meshes efficiently, the noise from the meshed portion of the output gear is reduced.
[0041]
According to the present invention, since the connecting rod is connected to the arm member fixed to the output shaft, it is not necessary to provide a slit in the gear case that houses the output gear. Therefore, the lubricant applied in the gear case does not leak into the passenger compartment.
[0042]
Furthermore, according to the present invention, since the arm length of the arm member fixed to the output shaft is formed larger than the radius of the output gear, the swing stroke of the connecting rod can be expanded without increasing the size of the output gear.
[0043]
Furthermore, according to the present invention, since the arm member is bent so that the connecting portion is on the output gear side with respect to the fixed portion, the connecting portion between the arm member and the connecting rod can be set on the vehicle upper side. It is possible to improve the comfortability of the vehicle by setting the ceiling panel of the vehicle to a higher position.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a side view showing a part of a vehicle including a power back door mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention when the back door is in a fully closed state.
FIG. 2 is a side view showing a part of the vehicle shown in FIG. 1 when the back door is fully open.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing details of the power back door mechanism shown in FIG. 2;
4 is a cross-sectional view showing details of the actuator unit shown in FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing details of a crank arm and a connecting rod.
6 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the crank arm shown in FIG. 4. FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 vehicle
2 Back door
3 Roof part
4 Hinge
4a Open / close center axis
10 Power back door mechanism
11 Actuator unit
12 Connecting rod
12a Rod part
12b, 12c socket
13 Roof panel
14 Ceiling panel
14a opening
15,16 Mounting bracket
17 Arm
17a stud
18 Crank arm
18a fixed part
18b Tip
18c stud
20 Electric motor
21 Reduction gear mechanism
22 Gear case
23 Clutch housing
24 Gear housing
25 Amateur shaft
26 Warm
27, 28 Ball bearing
30 Output shaft
32 Output gear
40, 41 Ball bearing
42 Pinion shaft
43, 44 Ball bearing
45 Subshaft
46 Warm Wheel
47 Pinion gear
50 electromagnetic clutch
51 Drive disk
51a Friction surface
52 Followed disk
52a Friction surface
53 Coil part
60 Large diameter spur gear
61 Small diameter spur gear
70 Crank arm
70a, 70b fixed part
70c stud

Claims (5)

An automatic opening and closing device for a vehicle that automatically opens and closes an opening and closing member that is attached to the vehicle so as to be freely opened and closed via a hinge,
An input shaft driven by an electric motor provided in the vehicle and provided with an input gear;
An output shaft that is rotatably provided in the vehicle and to which an output gear to which rotation of the input gear is transmitted is fixed;
An arm member fixed to the output shaft and interlocking with the output gear;
An automatic opening / closing device for a vehicle, comprising: a connecting rod having one end connected to the opening / closing member and the other end connected to the arm member. 2. The automatic opening and closing device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein an arm length of the arm member is formed larger than a radius of the output gear, and the connecting rod is connected to the arm member outside an outer peripheral surface of the output gear. An automatic opening and closing device for a vehicle. 3. The automatic opening / closing device for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein a connecting portion with the connecting rod provided on the arm member is positioned on the output gear side with respect to a fixed portion with the output shaft provided on the arm member. An automatic opening / closing device for a vehicle, wherein the arm member is bent in a direction to be bent. The automatic opening and closing device for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the opening and closing member is provided at a rear end portion of the vehicle so as to be opened and closed in a vertical direction. 5. The automatic opening / closing device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the input shaft, the output shaft, and the arm member are arranged on a roof portion of the vehicle. apparatus.

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