JP5786074B1 - DELAY LINE UNIT AND DETECTOR USING DELAY LINE UNIT - Google Patents

Abstract

A delay line unit capable of heating a plurality of delay lines to a target temperature with a short warm-up time and capable of maintaining the temperatures of the plurality of heated delay lines at a constant temperature for a long period of time is provided. Provide a detector. A delay line unit 1 includes first delay lines 21 and 22 arranged in a plane curve shape, and a second delay line arranged in a plane curve shape overlapping the first delay line. 23. The delay line unit overlaps the first delay line and the second delay line, and warms the first delay line and the second delay line, and the first delay line and the second delay line. A heat transfer member 33 that overlaps and thermally contacts the first delay line and the second delay line is provided. [Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a delay line unit and a detector using the delay line unit.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, a detector that is mounted on an aircraft, an automobile, etc., uses a delay line for receiving radio waves such as radar waves and measuring the frequency thereof is known.

JP 2007-218780 A

  A delay line used in a generally used detector varies in length, dielectric constant, cross-sectional dimension, and the like depending on temperature. This variation causes a change in the delay time of the received radio wave. For this reason, since the detector makes the delay time of the received radio wave constant, detection cannot be started until the temperature of the delay line reaches a predetermined temperature. Further, in a detector having a plurality of delay lines, if there is a difference in temperature between the delay lines, the reliability of detection may be reduced.

  Therefore, a delay line unit that can heat a plurality of delay lines to the same target temperature with a short warm-up time and can maintain the temperature of the plurality of heated delay lines at a constant temperature for a long time is used. The development of a detector was desired.

  The delay line unit according to the embodiment includes a first delay line arranged in a plane curve shape, and a second delay line arranged in a plane curve shape overlapping with the first delay line. The delay line unit according to the embodiment overlaps with the first delay line and the second delay line, warms the first delay line and the second delay line, the first delay line, and the second delay line. A heat transfer member that overlaps with the delay line and thermally contacts the first delay line and the second delay line is provided.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the delay line unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view in which only the three delay lines in FIG. 1 are extracted. FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of the delay line unit of FIG. 1 with the lower heat insulation case removed. FIG. 4 is a plan view in which the upper cover of the heat insulating case of the detector having the delay line unit according to the first embodiment is removed. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a detector having a delay line unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a part of the delay line of the delay line unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a graph showing changes in the temperature rise of each delay line during heating of the delay line unit according to the first embodiment and the conventional delay line unit. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a control system for controlling the temperature of the delay line unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a detector incorporating the delay line unit according to the second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional delay line unit.

  Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the delay line unit 1 has a heat insulation case 40 (see FIG. 3) including an upper heat insulation case 41 and a lower heat insulation case 42. Three lines of delay lines 21, 22, and 23 are accommodated and arranged in the space surrounded by the upper heat insulating case 41 and the lower heat insulating case 42. The delay line 21 and the delay line 22 are arranged on the same plane. The delay line 23 is disposed at a position overlapping the delay lines 21 and 22. Further, the heat of the delay lines 21, 22, the heater 31 for heating the delay lines 21, 22, the heat diffusion plate 32 incorporating the heater 31, and the delay lines 21, 22, 23 are uniformly conducted in the internal space of the heat insulating case 40. Therefore, a heat diffusion plate 33 disposed so as to be sandwiched between the delay lines 21 and 22 and the delay line 23, a heater 31 (see FIG. 3) for heating the delay line 23 from the lower heat insulating case 42 side, and this heater A heat diffusion plate 34 in which 31 is incorporated is stored in an overlapping manner.

  Each delay line 21, 22, 23 has a structure in which a coaxial cable having a length that is an integral multiple of the wavelength to be detected is wound in a plane curve shape. For example, in the first embodiment, the three delay lines 21, 22, and 23 are arranged. However, the number of delay lines can be arbitrarily changed and is appropriately selected according to the frequency band to be detected. .

  As shown in FIG. 2, the planar curved shape is a form in which coaxial cables are arranged in a curved manner so that coaxial cables are densely arranged along a certain plane. The layout of coaxial cables in a nine-fold shape. In the first embodiment, each delay line 21, 22, 23 has a structure in which a coaxial cable is folded in half at the center and then densely wound in a spiral shape around the folded portion.

  In the delay line unit 1 of the first embodiment, the delay line 21 and the delay line 22 (first delay line) are arranged on the same plane (FIG. 2), and the delay line 23 (second delay line) is It arrange | positions facing the delay line 21 and the delay line 22 on both sides of the thermal diffusion plate 33 (FIG. 1). Although it is possible to arrange all the delay lines 21, 22, 23 on the same plane, there is a space limitation of the detector 10 on which the delay line unit 1 is mounted. Were placed one on top of the other.

  The heat diffusion plates 32 and 33 are arranged at positions facing each other with the delay line 21 and the delay line 22 in between. Further, the heat diffusion plates 33 and 34 are arranged at positions facing each other with the delay line 23 interposed therebetween. That is, in the case 40, the heat diffusing plate 32, the delay line 21 and the delay line 22, the heat diffusing plate 33, the delay line 23, and the heat diffusing plate 34 are arranged so as to alternately overlap in this order.

  More specifically, a recess 35 is provided on the surface of the heat diffusing plate 32 opposite to the surface in contact with the delay line 21 and the delay line 22. A plate-like heater 31 is provided in the recess 35. A recess 35 is also provided on the surface of the heat diffusing plate 34 opposite to the surface in contact with the delay line 23. Another heater 31 is disposed in the recess 35 as described above (see FIG. 3). These two heaters 31 heat the delay lines 21, 22 and 23 from both sides in the overlapping direction.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the heat diffusion plates 32, 33, and 34 have a plurality of notches 37 at the peripheral edge thereof in order to reduce the contact area with the heat insulating case 40 as much as possible.

  In the first embodiment, in the delay line unit 1, the delay lines 21, 22, 23, the heat diffusion plates 32, 33, 34 and the two heaters 31 are arranged in a space inside the heat insulating case 40.

  And the distributor 51 is arrange | positioned in the approximate center part of the upper surface 44 of the upper heat insulation case 41 of the heat insulation case 40 (refer FIG. 4). As shown in FIG. 4, the distributor 51 has a rectangular block-shaped housing. The distributor 51 includes one input / output terminal 53 on one side surface along the longitudinal direction of the housing. Input terminals 52 a, 52 c, 52 e and output terminals 52 b, 52 d, 52 f connected to the delay lines 21, 22, 23 are provided on the side surface of the casing opposite to the side surface including the input / output terminal 53.

  Specifically, the input terminal 21 a of the delay line 21 shown in FIG. 2 is connected to the input terminal 52 a of the distributor 51. The output terminal 21 b of the delay line 21 is connected to the output terminal 52 b of the distributor 51. The input terminal 22 a of the delay line 22 is connected to the input terminal 52 c of the distributor 51. The output terminal 22 b of the delay line 22 is connected to the output terminal 52 d of the distributor 51. Similarly, the input terminal 23 a of the delay line 23 is connected to the input terminal 52 e of the distributor 51. The output terminal 23 b of the delay line 23 is connected to the output terminal 52 f of the distributor 51.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the delay line unit 1 is accommodated in the housing 11 of the detector 10. In addition to this, a circuit board, an amplifier, a signal processor, and the like (not shown) are accommodated in the housing 11. These circuit board, amplifier, signal processor and the like are connected to the delay line unit 1. The detector 10 is such that the delay line unit 1 and the like are accommodated in the housing as described above.

  In the first embodiment, an aluminum alloy that can shield radio waves satisfactorily is used as the material of the housing 11, but the material of the housing 11 is not particularly limited to the aluminum alloy and is formed of other metal materials. You can also.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the delay line 23 is fixed so as to be sandwiched between the heat diffusion plate 33 and the heat diffusion plate 34. The thermal diffusion plate 34 in which the delay line 23 is disposed is provided with a recess 38 (see FIG. 1). That is, the heat diffusing plate 34 has a recess 35 for disposing the heater 31 on the lower heat insulating case 42 side, and a recess 38 for disposing the delay line 23 on the opposite side. Note that, similarly to the heat diffusing plate 34, the heat diffusing plate 32 also has a structure including a recess 35 and a recess 38 on both sides.

  Silicone 71 is filled between the outer surface of the delay line 23 and the inner surface of the heat diffusion plate 33 and between the outer surface of the delay line 23 and the recess 38 of the heat diffusion plate 34. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, silicone 71 is inserted into a gap between the outer surface of the delay line 23 having a circular cross-sectional shape and the inner surfaces (planes) of the heat diffusion plates 33 and 34 to fix the delay line 23. The

  Similarly, the delay lines 21 and 22 are fixed so as to be sandwiched between the heat diffusion plate 32 and the heat diffusion plate 33.

  A gap between the outer surface of the delay line 21, 22 having a circular cross-sectional shape and the inner surface of the heat diffusion plate 33, and a gap between the outer surface of the delay line 21, 22 having a circular cross-sectional shape and the recess of the heat diffusion plate 32. Is filled with silicone 71. Thereby, the silicone 71 enters the gap between the outer surface of the delay lines 21 and 22 having a circular cross-sectional shape and the inner surfaces (planes) of the heat diffusion plates 32 and 33, and the delay lines 21 and 22 are fixed.

  As a filling method of the silicone 71, for example, after the delay line 23 is disposed in the recess 38 of the heat diffusion plate 34, the liquid silicone 71 is filled in the recess 38 and the heat diffusion plate 33 is covered. Moreover, this process can also be processed in a vacuum atmosphere. In a vacuum atmosphere, the entire delay line unit 1 is decompressed, so that bubbles mixed with the silicone 71 can be removed. Furthermore, the adhesion between the thermal diffusion plates 33 and 34 and the delay line 23 can be enhanced.

  Next, the temperature change of the delay line unit 1 of the first embodiment and its temperature control means will be described.

Here, in order to shorten the time required for warming up the delay line unit 1 as much as possible, the heat transfer system including the heater and the heat insulation of the case were examined. When there is no limit to the power that can be used for the heater, it is possible to improve the responsiveness to the temperature of the delay line unit 1 by increasing the output (heat amount) of the heater. However, in the first embodiment, a detector including a delay line unit mounted on an aircraft or an automobile is assumed. For this reason, the amount of power that can be supplied to the heater 31 is limited, and it is difficult to increase the amount of power that can be used for the heater 31.
The delay line unit 1 of the present embodiment has the above-described structure, so that, for example, the output of the heater 31 is increased even in a situation where the external environment changes in a temperature range of −40 degrees to +55 degrees. The delay line can be controlled to a desired temperature in a relatively short time (the temperature of the delay line can be raised to a predetermined temperature within 10 minutes from the start of warm-up).

  The first characteristic of the delay line unit 1 is a structure in which the delay lines 21, 22, and 23 are sandwiched between two heaters 31. Thereby, since heat is transmitted well from the vertical direction of the delay line, the delay lines 21, 22, and 23 are likely to be warmed.

  The second feature is that a thermal diffusion plate 33 is disposed between the delay lines 21 and 22 and the delay line 23 (see FIG. 1). As a result, the heat transferred from the heater 31 on the upper heat insulating case 41 side to the delay lines 21 and 22 and the heat transferred from the heater 31 on the lower heat insulating case 42 side to the delay line 23 are favorably transmitted via the heat diffusion plate 33. It becomes exchangeable.

  For this reason, even when a temperature difference occurs between the individual delay lines 21, 22, and 23, heat can be easily transferred through the intermediate layer heat diffusion plate 33. Therefore, the temperature differences among the delay lines 21, the delay lines 22, and the delay lines 23 of all three systems are reduced.

  Further, the third feature is that the concave portion 38 of the heat diffusion plate 32 in which the delay lines 21 and 22 are disposed is filled with silicone 71 and is blocked by one surface of the heat diffusion plate 33. In addition, the recesses 38 of the heat diffusing plate 34 in which the delay line 23 is disposed are also filled with silicone 71 and blocked by the other surface of the heat diffusing plate 33. Thereby, the delay lines 21 and 22 and the delay line 23 are fixed by the silicone 71.

  Since the silicone 71 used for fixing the delay lines 21, 22, and 23 is an elastic body, it absorbs vibration generated when mounted on an aircraft or an automobile, and the delay line is damaged due to metal fatigue or the delay line is heated. Prevent from coming off the diffuser.

  When the silicone 71 is not provided, air is filled between the outer surfaces of the delay lines 21, 22, and 23 having a circular arc cross section and the flat surfaces of the heat diffusion plates 32, 33, and 34. And heat is transmitted through this air layer. Since air has a relatively low thermal conductivity, heat transfer in the surface direction between the delay lines 21, 22, 23 and the heat diffusion plates 32, 33, 34 is poor, and heat from the heater 31a is transferred to the delay line 21. , 22 and 23 are difficult to conduct well (see FIG. 10).

  Therefore, by filling the air layer with silicone 71, the silicone 71 connects the heat diffusion plates 32, 33, and 34 and the delay lines 21, 22, and 23 in the surface direction. The heat from the heater 31 can be efficiently and satisfactorily transmitted to the entire delay lines 21, 22, and 23.

  Silicone is a material that does not easily burn and can be used without deterioration from a high temperature range to a low temperature range. Therefore, the silicone 71 can maintain the material characteristics over a long period of time in an environment in which the temperature rise due to the heating of the heater 31 and the temperature drop due to the external environment when not in use are repeated.

  Further, the fourth feature is that the delay line unit 1 according to the first embodiment is insulated by covering the heater 31, the heat diffusion plates 32, 33, and 34 and the delay lines 21, 22, and 23 with a heat insulation case 40. That is. The heat insulating case 40 is provided to prevent heat from the heater 31 from escaping to the outside of the delay line unit 1. Therefore, the contact area between the heat diffusion plates 32, 33, and 34 and the heat insulating case 40 is made as small as possible.

  Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the heat diffusion plates 32, 33, and 34 have a structure in which corners are cut and a plurality of notches 37 are provided on the side surfaces. The heat diffusion plates 32 and 34 are provided with recesses 35. Thereby, the contact area between the heat diffusing plates 32, 33, and 34 and the heat insulating case 40 is reduced as much as possible, and the heat is difficult to escape to the outside of the delay line unit 1.

  In this way, the delay line unit 1 prevents the heat inside the delay line unit 1 from escaping to the outside of the delay line unit 1 and also adds the heater 31 to the delay lines 21, 22, and 23 inside the heat insulating case 40. Can be conducted well.

  In addition, as a material of the heat insulation case 40 of the delay line unit 1 of 1st Embodiment, the glass epoxy resin was used as a material with low heat conductivity.

  Further, the delay line unit 1 is disposed on the pedestal 61 in the housing 11 of the detector 10 (see FIG. 5). Four pedestals 61 are arranged on the bottom of the casing 11 in accordance with the four corners of the heat insulating case 40 of the delay line unit 1. By arranging the pedestals 61 only at the corners of the delay line unit 1, heat inside the delay line unit 1 is prevented from escaping to the outside of the delay line unit 1. As the base 61, an aluminum alloy was used. The shape and material of the pedestal 61 are not limited to this embodiment as long as they are resistant to changes in the external environment and prevent heat from escaping to the outside.

  FIG. 7 is a graph showing changes in temperature during warm-up of the delay lines 21, 22, 23 used in the delay line unit 1 of the first embodiment and the delay lines 24, 25, 26 of the conventional delay line unit. It is.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the conventional delay line unit 1b includes two heat diffusion plates 32a and 34b, two heaters 31a and 31a, a delay line 24, a delay line 25, and a delay line 26. Specifically, delay lines 24 and 25 and a distributor 51 are provided in contact with the heat diffusion plate 32a. A heater 31a is incorporated in the heat diffusion plate 32a. A delay line 26 is provided in contact with the thermal diffusion plate 34a. A heater 31a is incorporated in the heat diffusion plate 34a. The heat diffusion plates 32a and 34a are overlapped with a space therebetween. Then, the delay lines 24, 25, and 26 and the heat diffusion plates 32a and 34a overlapped as described above are covered with a heat insulating case 40. The space between the heat diffusion plates 32a and 34a and the space between the heat insulating case 40 and the heat diffusion plates 32a and 34a are filled with air.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when the temperature change with time of each delay line 24, 25, 26 in the case of the conventional delay line unit 1b is observed, for example, at about 8 minutes after the start of heating, the delay line 24 Is about 39 degrees, the delay line 25 is about 16 degrees, and the delay line 26 is about 18 degrees. That is, at this time, the temperature difference between the delay line 24 and the other delay lines 25 and 26 reaches about 20 degrees, and the conventional delay line unit 1b has a diameter of each delay line 24, 25, 26 during warm-up. It can be seen that the temporal temperature change is non-uniform.

  That is, the conventional delay line unit 1b has an air layer between the delay line 24 and the delay line 25 and the delay line 26, as shown in FIG. In addition, there is a lot of air between the heat insulating case 40 and the delay lines 24 and 25. This layer of air then prevents heat transfer between each delay line 24, 25, 26. As a result, the conventional delay line unit 1b is likely to have a difference in temperature between the delay lines 24, 25, and 26.

  For this reason, in order to equalize the temperature of all the delay lines 24, 25, and 26 using the conventional delay line unit 1b, two temperature control devices corresponding to the upper and lower heaters 31a are provided, These two temperature controllers need to be controlled so that each delay line 24, 25, 26 is maintained at the desired temperature.

  However, even when a plurality of temperature control devices are used, heat is not transmitted between the delay lines 24, 25, and 26, so it is difficult to shorten the warm-up time.

  On the other hand, the temperature change over time of the delay lines 21, 22 and 23 of the delay line unit 1 of the first embodiment is almost linear with the same slope (see FIG. 7). This indicates that the temperature rise rates of the delay lines 21, 22 and 23 are substantially the same.

  For this reason, in the delay line unit 1 according to the first embodiment, heat can be transmitted well between the delay lines 21, 22, and 23. Therefore, the temperature of the delay lines 21, 22, and 23 is controlled by one control circuit. 101 can be controlled (see FIG. 8).

  As shown in FIG. 8, there is one control system for controlling the temperature of the delay line unit 1 according to the first embodiment. The temperature control circuit 101 controls the amount of power supplied to the heater 31 based on the input temperature instruction value. At this time, the temperature control circuit 101 measures the temperature of the delay lines 21, 22, and 23 via the temperature sensor 102, and controls the power supply amount so that the measured value becomes the temperature instruction value. That is, the temperature control circuit 101 continues to supply power if the temperature of the delay lines 21, 22, 23 is lower than the target temperature, and when the temperature of the delay lines 21, 22, 23 exceeds the target temperature, Stop power supply.

  In the conventional apparatus shown in FIG. 10, two temperature control circuits for controlling the upper and lower heaters 31a, 31a are provided. However, in the delay line unit 1 of this embodiment, the heater 31 is controlled by one control unit. I can control it. For this reason, the control mechanism can be simplified and the apparatus cost can be reduced.

  Further, since the gaps between the heat diffusion plates 32, 33, 34 and the delay lines 21, 22, 23 are filled with silicone 71, the thermal conductivity in the delay line unit 1 is improved, and the conventional delay line unit 1b is improved. As compared with the above, the speed of the temperature rise of the delay lines 21, 22, 23 can be increased. As a result, the warm-up time of the delay line unit 1 can be shortened.

  Next, a second embodiment will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the delay line unit 1 a according to the second embodiment is greatly different in that the distributor 51 is disposed inside the heat insulating case 40. In the following, components that function in the same manner as in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

  As a specific difference, the heat diffusion plate 36 is disposed on the upper surface of the heater 31 in the heat insulating case 40, and the distributor 51 is provided thereon. Further, a silicone sponge 72 is disposed in the space generated around the distributor 51 by disposing the distributor 51 in the heat insulating case 40.

  As shown in FIG. 9, in the delay line unit 1 a according to the second embodiment, the distributor 51 is accommodated in the heat insulating case 40. For this reason, the delay line unit 1a can efficiently distribute the heat of the heater 31, and can easily control the temperature of the distributor 51 to the same temperature as the delay lines 21, 22, and 23. Thereby, the shift | offset | difference of the delay time which arises when the temperature of the divider | distributor 51 and delay line 21,22,23 differs can be reduced. That is, the delay time of the radio wave that varies depending on the temperature can be detected with a more accurate delay time by aligning the temperatures of the distributor 51 and the delay lines 21, 22, and 23.

  In addition, by arranging the distributor 51 in the heat insulating case 40, it is not necessary to arrange a special heater or temperature sensor for the distributor 51, so that the apparatus can be simplified and the cost can be reduced. In the space generated around the distributor 51 of the delay line unit 1a, the silicone sponge 72 is arranged to reduce the proportion of air in the delay line unit 1a and to ensure good heat conduction. be able to.

  Note that the delay line unit 1a according to the second embodiment has the effects described above in addition to all the effects of the delay line unit 1 shown in the first embodiment.

  Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various changes, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

  These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope of the invention as well as included in the scope and spirit of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Delay line unit, 1a ... Delay line unit, 1b ... Delay line unit, 10 ... Detector, 11 ... Case, 21 ... Delay line, 22 ... Delay line, 23 ... Delay line, 24 ... Delay line, 25 ... Delay line, 26 ... Delay line, 31 ... Heater, 31a ... Heater, 32 ... Thermal diffusion plate, 33 ... Thermal diffusion plate, 34 ... Thermal diffusion plate, 35 ... Recessed plate, 36 ... Thermal diffusion plate, 37 ... Notch, 40 Insulating case, 41 ... Upper insulating case, 42 ... Lower insulating case, 44 ... Upper surface, 51 ... Distributor, 52a ... Output terminal, 52b ... Input terminal, 53 ... I / O terminal, 61 ... Base, 71 ... Silicone, 72 ... Silicon sponge, 101 ... Temperature control circuit, 102 ... Temperature sensor.

Claims (12)

A first delay line arranged in a planar curve;
A second delay line arranged in a planar curve and arranged to overlap the first delay line;
A heater provided to overlap the first delay line and the second delay line, and warming the first and second delay lines;
A heat transfer member that is provided overlapping the first delay line and the second delay line, and that thermally contacts the first delay line and the second delay line;
A delay line unit comprising:   The delay line unit according to claim 1, further comprising a heat insulating case that covers the first delay line, the second delay line, the heater, and the heat transfer member.   The delay line unit according to claim 1, further comprising a distributor connected to the first delay line and the second delay line.   2. The delay line unit according to claim 1, further comprising an elastic body that at least partially fills a gap between the first delay line and the second delay line and the heat transfer member. An insulating case,
In the case, a first delay line and a second delay line which are wound in a spiral shape and arranged in an overlapping manner,
A heater overlaid with the first delay line and the second delay line and in thermal contact with the first delay line and the second delay line;
A plurality of heat transfer members that are stacked on the heater and transmit heat of the heater in contact with the first and second delay lines;
A distributor connected to the first delay line and the second delay line;
An elastic body that at least partially fills a gap between the first delay line and the second delay line and the heat transfer member;
A delay line unit comprising:   The delay line unit according to claim 5, wherein the distributor is disposed outside the case.   The delay line unit according to claim 5, wherein the distributor is disposed inside the case.   6. The delay line unit according to claim 5, wherein the elastic body is silicone.   6. The delay line unit according to claim 5, further comprising a control unit for controlling the temperature of the first delay line and the second delay line by the heater.   The delay line unit according to claim 5, further comprising a silicone sponge that at least partially fills a space inside the case. A housing,
A detector comprising: the delay line unit according to claim 1 disposed inside the housing.   The detector according to claim 11, further comprising a pedestal on which the delay line unit is placed inside the casing.

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