JP3918857B1 - Wiring system - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a wiring system capable of detecting in advance whether or not there is an abnormality in an internal circuit of a functional module before supplying power to the functional module.
A basic module 1 and a plurality of functional modules 2 are connected via a power line Lp and an information line Li. The basic module 1 includes a diagnosis unit 14. The diagnosis unit 14 selects each function module 2 individually, and supplies power for testing to the internal circuit 20 before supplying the normal mode power to the selected function module 2. . At this time, when the current value detected by the current monitoring unit 27 that detects the current flowing into the internal circuit 20 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, the diagnosis unit 14 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the internal circuit 20, and The supply of power to the functional module 2 is stopped.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention enables power supply from the basic module to the functional module through both the power line and the information line between the basic module and the plurality of functional modules connected via the power line and the information line wired in advance. And a wiring system for performing communication between a basic module and a functional module through an information line.

Conventionally, a central monitoring device and a plurality of terminals are connected via a signal line, and a transmission signal composed of a multipolar baseband signal is transmitted from the central monitoring device to the terminal using the signal line as a transmission line. Remote monitoring and control by associating terminals connected to switches and sensors with terminals connected to loads by transmitting using time division multiplex transmission method, and operating loads in response to switch and sensor operations A system is provided (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this remote monitoring control system, each terminal device is configured to communicate with the central monitoring device using a transmission signal, and to use the power of the transmission signal as a power source for the internal circuit of the terminal device. .
Japanese Patent No. 3136006

  By the way, in the remote monitoring control system described above, if an abnormality occurs in the internal circuit of the terminal, there is a case where a response from the terminal cannot be obtained even if a transmission signal is transmitted from the central monitoring device to the terminal. In addition, there may be a case where the signal lines are short-circuited due to an abnormality in the internal circuit of the terminal, and the transmission signal cannot be transmitted. Therefore, there is a demand for a technique for inspecting in advance whether there is an abnormality in the internal circuit before supplying power to the terminal.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned reasons, and an object of the present invention is to provide a wiring system capable of detecting in advance whether or not there is an abnormality in an internal circuit of a functional module before supplying power to the functional module. There is to do.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the power line and the information line wired in advance are connected to the basic module, and the plurality of functional modules are connected to the power line and the information line, respectively. A wiring system that can supply power to each functional module through both and communicates between the basic module and each functional module through an information line, and the basic module individually checks whether there is an abnormality in each functional module. And a functional module includes a power supply control circuit that controls power supply to the internal circuit in accordance with a signal transmitted from the basic module through the information line, and a current monitoring unit that monitors the current flowing into the internal circuit The diagnostic unit selects each functional module individually before the power supply control circuit starts supplying power to the internal circuit, and selects the selected function module. When the power supply control circuit of the function module is instructed to supply power for inspection to the internal circuit, the current value detected by the current monitoring unit is acquired, and when the acquired current value is equal to or greater than the prescribed threshold value, the function It is determined that there is an abnormality in the internal circuit of the module.

  According to this configuration, before supplying power to the internal circuit, power for inspection is supplied to each functional module, and the presence or absence of abnormality in the internal circuit is individually determined for each functional module. Before actually operating the internal circuit, it is possible to inspect whether there is an abnormality in the internal circuit.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, when the diagnosis unit determines that there is no abnormality in the internal circuit of the selected functional module, the power supply is configured to cause the internal circuit to supply power for operation. The control circuit is instructed.

  According to this configuration, whether or not there is an abnormality in the internal circuit is determined based on the current value flowing into the internal circuit when power for inspection is supplied to the internal circuit, and when no abnormality has occurred, the internal circuit of the functional module Since the power supply for the operation is started, it is possible to select and operate only the functional module in which the internal circuit operates normally. In other words, when an abnormality has occurred in some of the functional modules connected to the information line, it is possible to operate a normal functional module while avoiding the stop of the entire system.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, when the diagnosis unit determines that the internal circuit of the selected functional module is abnormal, the supply of power to the internal circuit is cut off. The power supply control circuit is instructed as described above.

  According to this configuration, for the functional module in which an abnormality has occurred in the internal circuit, power supply to the internal circuit is cut off, so that power is not consumed in the functional module that is not operated, and the entire system is wasted. Can be prevented from occurring.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first to third aspects of the present invention, the power for inspection is set to a minimum value at which all functions of the internal circuit are operable.

  According to this configuration, since the magnitude of the inspection power is set so that all the functions of the internal circuit can operate, it is possible to determine whether there is an abnormality in all the functions of the internal circuit. Therefore, the abnormality determination of the internal circuit can be performed accurately.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, before supplying power to the internal circuit, power for inspection is supplied from the main power supply circuit for each functional module, and the presence or absence of abnormality in the internal circuit is individually determined for each functional module. Therefore, there is an advantage that the presence or absence of abnormality of the internal circuit can be inspected before the internal circuit of each functional module is actually operated.

  In the wiring system of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a wiring device called a gate device 4 is accommodated in a switch box 3 that is embedded in a proper place in a building. The gate device 4 is connected to the power line Lp and the information line Li, which are wired in advance in the wall. One switch box 3 and one gate device 4 may be provided. However, since the present invention is effective when there are a plurality of switch boxes 3 and a plurality of gate devices 4, a case where a plurality of switch boxes 3 and gate devices 4 are provided will be described below. In the illustrated example, a basic module 1 having a gateway function including a router and a hub, and a wiring board 5 including a main breaker MB and a branch breaker BB are used.

  A plurality of systems (three systems in the illustrated example) of information lines Li are connected to the basic module 1, and each information line Li is connected to an external Internet network NT as a gateway. The basic module 1 not only branches the information line Li into a plurality of systems and connects the information line Li to the Internet network NT, but also has a function of monitoring the operation state of each functional module 2 described later through the information line Li. . The main breaker MB is connected to the commercial power supply AC, and the power line Lp is connected to the branch breaker BB. In the illustrated example, the branch breaker BB is representatively shown as one system, but usually a plurality of branch breakers BB are provided.

  In the example shown in FIG. 3, the function module 2 is a module that has load control as a main function, such as an outlet or a switch, and a module that has information transfer as a main function, such as a speaker or a display. Yes. In the configuration of this embodiment, even when load control is the main function, the amount of power used by the load connected to the outlet, the number of times the switch is operated, and the like are monitored as information via the information line Li. Is possible.

  The gate devices 4 of each system are connected by a feed line of a power line Lp and an information line Li. One of the gate devices 4 of each system is connected to the wiring board 5 via the power line Lp and the information line Li. That is, the gate devices 4 of each system are connected in parallel to the power line Lp and connected in parallel to the information line Li.

  The gate device 4 includes a connection port 6 (see FIG. 4) formed of a connector connected to the power line Lp and the information line Li. Therefore, a power path for supplying power to the functional module 2 and an information path for communicating with the functional module 2 can be obtained simply by connecting a connector of the functional module 2 described later to the connection port 6 of the gate device 4. It can be secured at the same time. Moreover, since the gate device 4 is only connected in parallel to the power line Lp and the information line Li, the functional module 2 can be connected to any gate device 4. That is, since the functional module 2 can be freely arranged within the range where the gate device 4 is arranged, it is possible to provide a wiring system having a high degree of freedom in layout and excellent workability.

  As the switch box 3, for example, a switch box 3 to which a mounting frame 10 (see FIG. 4) defined in JIS standard (C 8375) can be attached is used. The mounting frame 10 shown in the figure is called a series type, and three embedded wiring devices standardized as one module of a large-angle continuous switch in the JIS standard (C 8304) can be attached.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the mounting frame 10 includes a rectangular window hole 10 a for attaching an instrument penetrating through the front and back at the center. In order to attach the wiring device to be attached to the mounting frame 10, the front part of the wiring device is inserted from the rear of the window hole 10a, and the wiring device is attached to the device locking portions provided on the left and right frame pieces 10b. The to-be-latched part provided in the both right and left sides is combined. In the illustrated example, a claw is provided as a locked portion in the wiring device, and a gap is provided as a device locking portion in the frame piece 10b of the mounting frame 10. However, there is a configuration in which a hole is provided in the wiring device as a locked portion and a claw is provided in the frame piece 10b of the mounting frame 10 as a device locking portion. An insertion hole 10 d is provided through the upper and lower frame pieces 10 c of the mounting frame 10. In order to attach the mounting frame 10 to the switch box 3, a screw receiver (not shown) provided in the switch box 3 by inserting a mounting screw (not shown) from the front into the insertion hole 10 d in a state where a wiring device is mounted on the mounting frame 10. ).

  When the mounting frame 10 is attached to the wall panel, a mounting hole is provided in the wall panel, and a tightening screw inserted into the insertion hole 10d is screwed into a member called a metal fitting (not shown). The tightening screw may be tightened so that the peripheral portion of the mounting hole penetrating the panel is sandwiched between the mounting frame 10 and the sandwiching bracket. Alternatively, the attachment frame 10 can be attached to the wall by screwing a wood screw into the wall material through the attachment frame 10.

  In the present embodiment, the power line Lp and the information line Li connected to the distribution box 1 or another switch box 3 are introduced from the upper part of each switch box 3, and the switch box 3 located at the end of each system is excluded. From the lower part of each switch box 3, a power line Lp and an information line Li, which are feed wirings to other switch boxes 3, are derived. Further, by attaching the attachment frame 10 to which the gate device 4 is attached to each switch box 3, the gate device 4 is housed in each switch box 3 as described above. Here, since the power line Lp and the information line Li are connected to the gate device 4, in order to prevent the power line Lp and the information line Li from being mixed with each other, the power line Lp and the information line Li are connected to the switch box 3. It is desirable to provide the inlet and the outlet separately.

  The gate device 4 incorporates a terminal having a so-called quick-connection terminal structure that connects wires using the spring force of a leaf spring, and inserts the wire into a wire insertion opening that opens at the back of the device. Thus, a configuration is adopted in which the electric wire is mechanically held and electrically connected. Two pairs of wire insertion openings are provided for the power line Lp and the information line Li. Each pair is used to connect feed wires. Electrically connected to the power path connection port 6a provided with a contact portion electrically connected to the terminal to which the power line Lp is connected and the terminal to which the information line Li is connected on the front surface of the body of the gate device 4 An information path connection port 6b provided with a connected contact portion is arranged.

  The power path connection port 6 a and the information path connection port 6 b are modularized as one connection port 6. In each gate device 4 in the wiring system, each power path connection port 6a and each information path connection port 6b have the same specifications (such as the arrangement of contact portions and the size of the connection port). The positional relationship of the information path connection port 6b is unified. A connection body 7 provided on the back surface of the functional module 2 is detachably coupled to the connection port 6. That is, the connection body 7 of the functional module 2 includes a power path connection body 7a that is detachably coupled to the power path connection port 6a and an information path connection body 7b that is detachably coupled to the information path connection port 6b. A modular connection body 7 is provided. In a state where the connection body 7 of the functional module 2 is connected to the connection port 6 of the gate device 4, the functional module 2 covers the front surface of the gate device 4. Here, the connection port 6 and the connection body 7 constitute a connector.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the functional module 2 can be used alone by connecting only one unit to the gate device 4, and in a plane along the wall surface with respect to the basic functional module 2 a. There is an extended function module 2b that is arranged and used in combination with the basic function module 2a to expand the function of the basic function module 2a. Not only can one extended function module 2a be connected to the basic function module 2a, but also a plurality of extended function modules 2a can be connected. However, in the present invention, the extended function module 2a is not a gist and will not be described in detail.

  Since the technical idea of the present invention is applied regardless of whether the basic function module 2a is used alone or the extended function module 2b is used in combination with the basic function module 2a, in the following description, the basic function module 2a is used. Regardless of whether 2a is used alone or the extended function module 2b is used in combination with the basic function module 2a, both cases will be described as the function module 2.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the functional module 2 includes a flat housing 8a made of synthetic resin. That is, a thin projection that has a small projecting dimension from the wall surface when attached to the gate device 4 and can be allocated to a functional unit having various functions such as display, notification, and operation exposed on the front surface side of the housing 8a. Is formed. A connection body 7 is provided on the rear surface of the housing 8a. When the connection body 7 is coupled to the connection port 6 of the gate device 4, the functional module 2 is electrically connected to the power line Lp and the information line Li. Mounting holes 8c are opened in the upper and lower portions of the housing 8a, and mounting screws (not shown) are inserted into the mounting holes 8c from the front side of the housing 8a with the housing 8a coupled to the gate device 4. Then, by screwing a mounting screw into the mounting screw hole 10e of the mounting frame 10, the functional module 2 is mechanically fixed to the mounting frame 10, and as a result, the coupling strength of the functional module 2 to the gate device 4 is increased. Can be increased. A decorative cover 8b is detachably attached to the front surface of the housing 8a, and the head of the mounting screw is hidden when the decorative cover 8b is mounted on the housing 8a.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the basic module 1 is provided with a main power supply circuit 11 that generates a DC voltage from a commercial power supply AC, and an output voltage of the main power supply circuit 11 is applied between the information lines Li. In addition, the basic module 1 is provided with a communication circuit 12 for exchanging information with the functional module 2 through the information line Li. A main filter circuit 13 is inserted between the main power supply circuit 11 and the communication circuit 12 and the information line Li.

  The main filter circuit 13 includes a direct current passing part 13a inserted between the output terminal of the main power supply circuit 11 and the information line Li, and a signal passing part 13b inserted between the communication circuit 12 and the information line Li. Prepare. The direct current passing unit 13a is configured by using, for example, two diodes or inductors inserted between the output terminal of the main power supply circuit 11 and each line of the information line Li, and the signal passing unit 13b is configured by, for example, the communication circuit 12 And two lines of information lines Li, respectively. Here, the signal transmitted through the information line Li is assumed to be a high-frequency rectangular wave signal. That is, the main filter circuit 13 superimposes the output signal of the communication circuit 12 on the output voltage of the main power supply circuit 11 and sends it to the information line Li, and separates the signal passing through the information line Li from the direct current to the communication circuit 12. Will give. By using the main filter circuit 13, the signal from the communication circuit 12 can be transmitted by superimposing the signal from the communication circuit 12 on the DC voltage applied to the information line Li by the main power supply circuit 11, and the signal transmitted from the functional module 2 can be transmitted. The communication circuit 12 can receive the separated DC voltage.

  The basic module 1 is provided with a diagnostic unit 14 that monitors the operating state of each functional module 2 via the communication circuit 12, and the diagnostic unit 14 obtains a monitoring result from a current module 26 described later from the functional module 2. Then, an instruction is given regarding the operation of the power supply circuit 25 provided for each functional module 2. The operation of the diagnosis unit 14 will be described later.

  On the other hand, the functional module 2 includes a large-capacitance capacitor 21 that is charged by a direct current from the main power supply circuit 11 and a communication circuit 22 for exchanging information with the communication circuit 12. A main filter circuit 23 is inserted between the capacitor 21 and the communication circuit 22 and the information line Li. Note that a secondary battery having no memory effect can be used instead of the capacitor 21.

  The main filter circuit 23 includes a direct current passing part 23a inserted between the capacitor 21 and the information line Li, and a signal passing part 23b inserted between the communication circuit 22 and the information line Li. The direct current passing part 23a is configured using, for example, two inductors inserted between both ends of the capacitor 21 and each line of the information line Li, and the signal passing part 23b is formed of, for example, the communication circuit 22 and the information line Li. Two capacitors inserted between each line are used. Accordingly, the direct current passes through the direct current passing part 23a in both directions, and the signal passes through the signal passing part 23b in both directions. By using the main filter circuit 23, the signal transmitted from the communication circuit 12 can be separated from the DC voltage and received by the communication circuit 22, and the capacitor 21 can communicate with the DC voltage applied to the information line Li. The signal from the circuit 22 can be superimposed and transmitted. The power of the communication circuit 22 is obtained from both ends of the capacitor 21. If the information line Li is normal, the communication circuit 22 can be operated regardless of the operation of the internal circuit 20.

  There are no particular restrictions on the protocol used for communication between the communication circuit 12 of the basic module 1 and the communication circuit 22 of the functional module 2, but the communication circuit 12 can communicate with each communication circuit 22 individually. Must. The communication circuit 22 is set with an identifier for identifying each functional module 2 so that the basic module 1 can communicate with each functional module 2 individually.

  As described above, since the functional module 2 includes the main filter circuit 23 and the capacitor 21, even if a signal is superimposed on the DC voltage applied between the information lines Li, the voltage across the capacitor 21 is increased. Becomes a stable voltage. The capacitor 21 is connected to the internal circuit 20 via a switch element 24 and a backflow prevention diode D1. Further, the anode of the diode D1 is connected in common to the anode of the diode D1, and a power supply circuit 25 for generating power supplied from the AC power supply (commercial power supply) supplied from the power line Lp to the internal circuit 20 is internally connected via the diode D2. Connected to circuit 20. The switch element 24 can be a mechanical relay or a semiconductor relay.

  The switching of the switch element 24 and the operation and stop of the power supply circuit 25 are controlled by the power supply control circuit 26, and the power supply control circuit 26 operates in accordance with an instruction received from the basic module 1 through the communication circuit 22. In other words, the power supply control circuit 26 controls the supply of power to the internal circuit 20 in accordance with a signal transmitted from the basic module 1 through the information line Li. Here, a DC-DC converter using a rectifier circuit such as a diode bridge and a switching element is used for the power supply circuit 25 provided in the functional module 2. The power supply circuit 25 is provided with a power supply control circuit 26. When the power supply control circuit 26 receives an instruction from the basic module 1 through the communication circuit 22, the power supply circuit 25 controls the operation of the switching element of the DC-DC converter. 25 operation and stop are controlled.

  As described above, the power supply control circuit 26 controls the opening / closing of the switch element 24 and the operation and stop of the power supply circuit 25 in accordance with the contents instructed by the basic module 1 through the information line Li. The timing of the operation of the switch element 24 and the power supply circuit 25 will be described later. The internal circuit 20 is provided with a current monitoring unit 27 that monitors the current flowing into the internal circuit 20. The monitoring result by the current monitoring unit 27 is transferred to the diagnosis unit 14 of the basic module 1 through the communication circuit 22.

  When the function module 2 includes not only the basic function module 2a but also the extended function module 2b, the power supply circuit 25 supplies power to the extended function module 2b. The power supply from the basic function module 2a to the extended function module 2b uses alternating current. Further, in the basic function module 2a and the extended function module 2b, AC-DC conversion is performed to supply DC power to the internal circuit. Therefore, the basic function module 2a and the extended function module 2b are each provided with a power supply circuit 25. However, since the power supply circuit 25 provided in the extended function module 2b is not the gist of the present invention, the description thereof is omitted.

  The operation of the main part of this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. First, it is assumed that the number of functional modules 2 connected to the information line Li in the basic module 1 is known. In order to grasp the number of the functional modules 2 in the basic module 1, it is desirable to notify the basic module 1 when each functional module 2 is connected to the gate device 3, but the functional module 2 connected to the information line Li. It is also possible to directly set the number of units in the basic module 1.

  The diagnosis unit 14 operates prior to causing the functional module 2 to perform a normal operation. That is, the operation of the functional module 2 includes a normal mode for performing a normal operation and a diagnostic mode for determining whether there is an abnormality in the functional module 2. An instruction is given from the diagnostic unit 14 to the functional module 2 through the information line Li. Thus, the functional module 2 operates in the diagnostic mode. That is, the operation described below means an operation in the diagnosis mode.

  The diagnosis unit 14 first designates and selects each functional module 2 (S1). Next, an instruction is given to the power supply control circuit 26 to operate the power supply circuit 25 (S2). At this time, the output power of the power supply circuit 25 is an inspection power and is limited to be smaller than that in the normal mode. That is, a current limiting circuit is provided in the power supply circuit 25 to limit the maximum power supplied from the power supply circuit 25 to the internal circuit 20. It is desirable to set the inspection power to a minimum value at which all functions of the internal circuit 20 can operate. With this setting, it is possible to determine whether there is an abnormality in all functions of the internal circuit. Here, it is desirable to keep the switch element 24 off in step S2.

  When a current flows from the power supply circuit 25 to the internal circuit 20 in step S2, the current monitoring unit 27 detects a current flowing into the internal circuit 20, and notifies the diagnosis unit 14 of the detected current value by communication. The diagnosis unit 14 defines a threshold value related to the current value when the internal circuit 20 is normal for each functional module 2. When the current value acquired from the current monitoring unit 27 is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the internal circuit 20 In step S3, it is determined that an abnormality such as a short circuit has occurred. When an abnormality has occurred in the internal circuit 20, if power in the normal mode is supplied from the power supply circuit 25 to the internal circuit 20, the function module 2 may generate heat or be damaged, so the power supply circuit 25 is stopped (S4). ), The operation of the functional module 2 is prohibited.

  Such an operation is performed on all the function modules 2 connected to the information line Li, and the function modules 2 in which an abnormality has occurred in the internal circuit 20 is selected (S5, S6). In the functional module 2 in which the internal circuit 20 has an abnormality, the power supply circuit 25 is kept in a stopped state, so that no heat is generated. Thereafter, if the mode is shifted to the normal mode (S7), only the functional module 2 having no abnormality can be operated. It is desirable to select the diagnostic mode as appropriate. For example, if the operation state of the functional module 2 is monitored and the functional module 2 is not used, the diagnostic mode is periodically changed from the normal mode to the diagnostic mode. Good.

  In the functional module 2 determined to be normal by the diagnosis mode, power for operation is supplied from the power supply circuit 25 to the internal circuit 20 (that is, the limit on the output current of the power supply circuit 25 is increased). In the normal function module 2, the switch element 24 is also turned on to supply power to the internal circuit 20 from the main power supply circuit 11 connected via the information line Li.

  In the above-described example, a current is passed from the power supply circuit 25 to the internal circuit 20 in the diagnosis mode. However, after the capacitor 21 is charged by the main power supply circuit 11 with the switch element 24 turned off, The capacitor 21 may be disconnected from the information line Li by a switch element (not shown), and a current may be passed through the internal circuit 20 using the electric charge of the capacitor 21. With such an operation, even if the internal circuit 21 is short-circuited, the information line Li is not short-circuited, and the internal circuit 20 can be diagnosed with the power supplied from the main power supply circuit 11.

It is a principal part circuit diagram which shows embodiment of this invention. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing same as the above. It is a block diagram which shows the whole structure same as the above. It is a front view of the state which attached the functional block used for the same to an attachment frame. It is a block diagram which shows the other structural example of a functional block same as the above. It is a perspective view which shows the gate apparatus and functional block which are used for the same as the above. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the functional block used for the same as the above.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Basic module 2 Function module 14 Diagnosis part 20 Internal circuit 25 Power supply control circuit 27 Current monitoring part Li Information line Lp Power line

Claims (4)

  The pre-wired power line and information line are connected to the basic module, and multiple function modules are connected to the power line and information line, respectively, and power is supplied from the basic module to each functional module through both the power line and information line. A wiring system that can be supplied and communicates between the basic module and each functional module through an information line. The basic module has a diagnostic unit that individually checks whether each functional module has an abnormality. The module includes a power supply control circuit that controls the supply of power to the internal circuit according to a signal transmitted from the basic module through the information line, and a current monitoring unit that monitors the current flowing into the internal circuit. Each function module is individually selected before the power supply control circuit starts supplying power to the internal circuit, and the power of the selected function module is selected. When an instruction is given to the control circuit to supply power for inspection to the internal circuit, the current value detected by the current monitoring unit is acquired, and when the acquired current value is equal to or greater than a prescribed threshold value, the internal circuit of the functional module A wiring system characterized by determining that there is an abnormality.   The diagnostic unit, when determining that the internal circuit of the selected functional module is normal, instructs the power supply control circuit to supply power for operation to the internal circuit. Wiring system.   The diagnosis unit, when determining that the internal circuit of the selected functional module is abnormal, instructs the power supply control circuit to cut off the supply of power to the internal circuit. The wiring system according to claim 2.   The wiring system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the power for inspection is set to a minimum value at which all functions of the internal circuit are operable.

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