JP6886701B2 - Dehumidifying blower - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a dehumidifying blower that dehumidifies indoor air and blows it at an appropriate temperature.

The conventional dehumidifier performs a cool operation in which only cold air is blown out from the air outlet and a dry operation in which a mixed air of cold air and hot air is blown out from the air outlet. However, there is a problem that it takes a long time to dry and that it is not possible to dry clothes or the like using only warm air.
To improve this, for example, in Patent Document 1, in a dehumidifier having at least an evaporator and a condenser, a first blower for guiding cold air passing through the evaporator to a first air passage and a condenser are described. A second blower that guides the passing warm air to the second air passage and a cold air that is guided to the first air passage can be selected from the front upper air outlet or the rear air outlet. It is possible to select whether the hot air guided to the second air passage is blown out from the front upper air outlet or the back air outlet, and either one or both of the cold air and the hot air can be blown out from the front upper air outlet. A dehumidifier equipped with a damper mechanism that selectively blows air from the air is described.
Further, in a conventional air conditioner or dehumidifier, when the temperature of the evaporator is below the freezing point when blowing cold air or dehumidifying, the moisture in the air becomes frost and adheres to the surface of the fins of the evaporator. (Frost formation, freezing) causes the air passage to be blocked, causing pressure loss in the air passage, and also causes heat resistance when the refrigerant and air exchange heat, which reduces heat transfer performance. there were. Therefore, a defrosting operation is performed to melt and remove the frost adhering to the evaporator.
For example, in Patent Document 2, when freezing (frost formation) occurs in the evaporator, the compressor that circulates the refrigerant in the evaporator and the condenser is temporarily stopped, and the dehumidifying heater is energized to dehumidify the evaporator. A dehumidifier that is designed to perform the above is described.
Further, Patent Document 3 includes a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the evaporator, and when the temperature sensor detects the frosted temperature, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor and turned into hot gas is passed through a bypass pipe. A dehumidifier that guides the evaporator to a defrosting operation that melts and removes the frost adhering to the evaporator is described.

Japanese Patent No. 524,935 Patent No. 3573822 Patent No. 4298337

However, Patent Document 1 requires first and second air passages and first and second blowers, and the damper mechanism selectively selects either or both of cold air and hot air from the front upper air outlet. Since the structure is such that the air is blown out, there are many moving parts, and there is a problem that malfunctions and failures are likely to occur. Further, in Patent Document 1, measures against frost formation in the evaporator are not considered.
On the other hand, in Patent Document 2, when freezing (frost formation) occurs in the evaporator, the surface of the evaporator is heated by a defrosting heater to defrost. However, during the dehumidification operation, it is necessary to suspend the compressor, and during that time, dehumidification is not performed and cold air or hot air cannot be selectively blown, resulting in a shortened effective operation time. There is a problem that capacity decline occurs. Further, electric power for driving the defrosting heater is also required, which causes a problem of lacking energy saving.
Further, in the dehumidification operation of Patent Document 3, dehumidification is performed by flowing the refrigerant compressed by the compressor into a hot gas through the evaporator. Therefore, as in Patent Document 2, a separate dehumidification heater or the like is used. Although it is not necessary to provide the heating means of the above, dehumidification and ventilation cannot be performed during the defrosting operation. Therefore, as in Patent Document 2, there is a problem that a decrease in dehumidifying ability at low temperature is unavoidable. Further, in Patent Document 3, the time from the start of the previous defrosting to the switching to the defrosting operation for removing the frost adhering to the evaporator after the temperature sensor detects the frost formation temperature during the dehumidifying operation is set to the temperature. The sensor controls to change the temperature according to the time required to detect the defrosting end temperature, but since the frost formation state constantly changes, it is not possible to accurately determine the start and end timing of the defrosting operation. Have difficulty. Therefore, in order to prevent unnecessary defrosting operation and prevent malfunctions and performance deterioration, it is necessary to devise more complicated controls and sensors, and there is also a problem that the number of parts increases and the cost increases. It was.
The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and prevents frost formation on the evaporator without performing a special dehumidifying operation even in a low temperature environment, etc., and stably and continuously dehumidifies the indoor air. It is an object of the present invention to provide a dehumidifying blower that can blow air at an appropriate temperature, does not require complicated control, and has excellent operational stability.

The dehumidifying blower according to the present invention according to the above object has a housing provided with a suction port and an air outlet, air is sucked into the housing from the suction port provided in the housing, and the housing is provided from the air outlet. It has a blowing means for blowing out of the body, a compressor that compresses and discharges the refrigerant, and a refrigerant circulation path that circulates the refrigerant discharged from the compressor and returns it to the compressor, and is in the middle of the refrigerant circulation path. A condenser that is built in the housing and condenses the refrigerant discharged from the compressor, a squeezing means that depressurizes the refrigerant condensed by the condenser, and a condensing means that is built in the housing and passes through the housing. An evaporator that is arranged on the upstream side of the condenser with respect to the flow of air to gasify the refrigerant decompressed by the throttle means, and is connected to the refrigerant circulation path between the evaporator and the compressor. A branch circulation path is provided which circulates the refrigerant flowing out of the evaporator and returns it to the refrigerant circulation path. A cooler is connected in the middle of the branch circulation path, and the cooler is attached to the housing. It is built-in and is arranged on the downstream side of the condenser with respect to the flow of air passing through the housing, and the opening and closing of the branch circulation path is switched at the connection position between the refrigerant circulation path and the branch circulation path. A circulation path switching means is provided.

In the dehumidifying blower according to the present invention, it is preferable that the branch circulation path is provided with a flow rate adjusting means for adjusting the flow rate of the refrigerant circulating in the branch circulation path.

In the dehumidifying blower according to the present invention, it is preferable that the frost adhering to the evaporator is melted by heat radiation from the condenser and dropped as drain water.

In the dehumidifying blower according to the present invention, below the evaporator, a drain water recovery section for collecting the drain water dripping from the evaporator and a drain water recovery section connected to the drain water recovery section and collected in the drain water recovery section. It is preferable that a drain water discharge portion for discharging the drain water to the outside of the housing is provided.

In the dehumidifying blower according to the present invention, in addition to the refrigerant circulation path that circulates the refrigerant in the order of the compressor, the condenser, the squeezing means, and the evaporator, the refrigerant that branches from the refrigerant circulation path and passes through the evaporator is further passed through the cooler. It has a branch circulation path for circulation, and a circulation path switching means for switching the opening and closing of the branch circulation path is provided at the connection position between the refrigerant circulation path and the branch circulation path. You can switch between the two circulation paths. Therefore, when the branch circulation path is closed and the refrigerant is circulated only in the refrigerant circulation path, the air passing through the housing is once cooled when passing through the evaporator, and a part of the water vapor contained in the air. Dehumidified air can be blown by condensing and then heating as it passes through the condenser. On the other hand, when the branch circulation path is opened and the refrigerant flowing out of the evaporator is further passed through the cooler to be circulated, the air heated by the condenser is first cooled by the cooler and then blown. Can be done.
When the branch circulation path is provided with a flow rate adjusting means for adjusting the flow rate of the refrigerant circulating in the branch circulation path, the temperature of the air after passing through the cooler according to the flow rate of the refrigerant circulating in the branch circulation path. Can be adjusted.
When the frost adhering to the evaporator is melted by heat dissipation from the condenser and dropped as drain water, it is possible to dehumidify while constantly performing dehumidification operation without stopping the compressor, and complicated control is possible. It is unnecessary and has excellent operational stability. In addition, it is not necessary to separately provide a heating means for defrosting, which is excellent in energy saving. Further, by effectively utilizing the heat radiation (exhaust heat) from the condenser to perform defrosting, it is possible to prevent the temperature inside the housing or the room from rising due to the exhaust heat of the condenser.
Below the evaporator, there is a drain water recovery unit that collects the drain water dripping from the evaporator, and a drain water discharge unit that is connected to the drain water recovery unit and discharges the drain water collected in the drain water recovery unit to the outside of the housing. If is provided, the drain water can be automatically discharged to the outside or the like. In addition, heat dissipation to the outside can be suppressed to a small extent.

It is a side view which shows the structure of the dehumidifying blower which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the 1st operation of the dehumidifying blower. It is explanatory drawing which shows the 2nd operation of the dehumidifying blower. It is explanatory drawing which shows the operation of the modification of the dehumidifying blower.

Subsequently, an embodiment embodying the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings, and the present invention will be understood.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the dehumidifying blower 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention dehumidifies the air in the room by installing it indoors, and blows and circulates the air at an appropriate temperature.
The details of the dehumidifying blower 10 will be described below.
First, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the room where the dehumidifying blower 10 is installed and the inside of the housing 11 are located in the central portion in the height direction on the front side of the housing 11 of the dehumidifying blower 10 and above the front side. An air suction port 12 and an air outlet 13 for communicating with each other are provided. A fan 14 is installed above the housing 11 as a means of blowing air, and by driving the fan 14, air in the room is sucked into the housing 11 from the suction port 12 and passes through the housing 11. It can be circulated by blowing out from the air outlet 13 into the room. The range surrounded by the alternate long and short dash line in FIGS. 2 and 3 indicates a region through which air passes in the housing 11.
Further, a compressor 15 for compressing and discharging the refrigerant is provided in the lower part of the housing 11, and the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 15 circulates in the refrigerant circulation path 16 provided in the housing 11. To do. A condenser 17 for condensing (liquefying) the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 15 is provided downstream of the compressor 15 in the refrigerant circulation path 16, and the refrigerant that has passed through the condenser 17 is temporarily discharged downstream of the condenser 17. A receiver tank 18 for storing the target is provided. In the receiver tank 18, the liquid refrigerant liquefied by the condenser 17 and the gas refrigerant that could not be liquefied are separated, and only an appropriate amount of the liquid refrigerant is supplied to the downstream side according to the indoor environment and operating conditions. An expansion valve 19 is provided downstream of the receiver tank 18 as a throttle means for reducing the pressure of the refrigerant. An evaporator 20 that gasifies (evaporates) the decompressed refrigerant that has passed through the expansion valve 19 is connected to the downstream of the expansion valve 19. The evaporator 20 is arranged on the upstream side (suction port 12 side) of the condenser 17 with respect to the flow of air passing through the housing 11. An accumulator 21 for temporarily storing the refrigerant that has passed through the evaporator 20 is provided downstream of the evaporator 20 in the refrigerant circulation path 16. In the accumulator 21, the gas refrigerant evaporated by the evaporator 20 and the liquid refrigerant that cannot be completely evaporated are separated, and only the compressible gas refrigerant is returned to the compressor 15 on the downstream side.

Further, in the housing 11, in addition to the refrigerant circulation path 16, the downstream side of the evaporator 20 (and the upstream side of the accumulator 21 and the compressor 15) is connected to the refrigerant circulation path 16 and flows out from the evaporator 20. A branch circulation path 22 is provided which circulates the refrigerant to be used and returns it to the refrigerant circulation path 16. A cooler 23 is connected in the middle of the branch circulation path 22. The cooler 23 is arranged on the downstream side of the condenser 17 with respect to the flow of air passing through the housing 11. At the connection position between the refrigerant circulation path 16 and the branch circulation path 22, three-way valves 24 and 25 are provided as circulation path switching means for switching the opening and closing of the branch circulation path 22. By switching the three-way valves 24 and 25, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 15 is circulated only in the refrigerant circulation path 16 and returned to the compressor 15, or is circulated in the refrigerant circulation path 16 and flows out from the evaporator 20. It is possible to select whether to further circulate the refrigerant in the branch circulation path 22, pass it through the cooler 23, and then return it to the compressor 15. When the refrigerant is circulated only in the refrigerant circulation path 16 by providing the three-way valves 24 and 25 at the positions connecting the inlet side and the outlet side of the branch circulation path 22 and the refrigerant circulation path 16 as in the present embodiment, respectively. In addition, the inlet and outlet of the branch circulation passage 22 can be completely closed to prevent the inside of the branch circulation passage 22 and the cooler 23 from becoming negative pressure, but the three-way valve 25 on the outlet side can be omitted. Is.

Further, a drain water recovery unit 26 for collecting drain water dripping from the evaporator 20 is provided below the evaporator 20 in the housing 11, and a drain water recovery unit 26 is provided at the bottom of the drain water recovery unit 26. A pipe-shaped drain water discharge unit 27 for discharging the accumulated drain water to the outside of the housing 11 is connected.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, an electromagnetic valve 28 for opening and closing the refrigerant circulation path 16 is provided in the middle of the refrigerant circulation path 16 (downstream of the compressor 15). Further, it is preferable that the evaporator 20 and the condenser 17 and the condenser 17 and the cooler 23 are connected by duct-shaped air guide channels 30 and 31, respectively. As a result, the air that has passed through the air passages of the evaporator 20 is guided to the condenser 17 and the cooler 23 without leakage, and can surely pass through the respective air passages. However, the air guide channels 30 and 31 do not necessarily have to be provided and may be omitted.
Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the dehumidifying blower 10 has a control unit 32 that controls driving of the fan 14, switching of the three-way valves 24 and 25, opening / closing of the solenoid valve 28, and the like. An operation unit 33 is connected to the control unit 32. By setting the target humidity, the amount of air blown, etc. in the operation unit 33, the control unit 32 sets the fan 14, the three-way valves 24, 25, and the solenoid according to the settings. An operation command is sent to each part of the valve 28 and the like.

As the refrigerant, for example, R404A widely used in refrigerators and the like is suitable, but other refrigerants such as R407C and R410A can also be used.
Further, as the condenser 17, the evaporator 20, and the cooler 23, a plate fin tube type heat exchanger is preferably used. The dimensions of the condenser 17, the evaporator 20, and the cooler 23 can be appropriately selected depending on the usage environment of the dehumidifying blower 10, the area of the room in which the dehumidifying blower 10 is installed, the required capacity, and the like. When the dimensions of the condenser 17 are, for example, 1860 mm in width, 660 mm in height, and 174 mm in width (thickness), the dimensions of the evaporator 20 and the cooler 23 are, for example, 1860 mm in width, 960 mm in height, and (thickness) in width. It is 212 mm. At this time, the distance between adjacent fins (fin pitch) is preferably set to, for example, 2 to 10 mm in consideration of increasing the heat transfer area and the pressure loss of the air passage. It is not limited.

The first operation of the dehumidifying blower 10 configured as described above will be described.
First, the movement of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circulation path 16 will be described.
In FIG. 2, when the operation of the dehumidifying blower 10 is started, the solenoid valve 28 is opened, and the high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant compressed by the compressor 15 (for example, about 80 ° C.) is discharged to the refrigerant circulation path 16 and the condenser 17 is discharged. Flow into. The high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant that has flowed into the condenser 17 passes through the condenser 17 to dissipate heat to the surrounding air inside the housing 11 and is cooled while being liquefied. The refrigerant flowing out of the condenser 17 flows into the receiver tank 18, the gas refrigerant that could not be liquefied is separated, and only the liquid refrigerant at room temperature and high pressure (for example, about 30 ° C.) flows into the expansion valve 19. The room temperature and high pressure liquid refrigerant is depressurized by the expansion valve 19, becomes a low temperature and low pressure liquid refrigerant (for example, about −5 to 10 ° C.) while controlling the flow rate, and is sent to the evaporator 20. The refrigerant sent to the evaporator 20 absorbs heat from the surrounding air inside the housing 11 and vaporizes it while passing through the evaporator 20 to cool the surrounding air. The refrigerant flowing out of the evaporator 20 flows into the accumulator 21, the liquid refrigerant that cannot be completely vaporized is separated, and only the low-temperature low-pressure gas refrigerant (for example, about 5 ° C.) is returned to the compressor 15. The gas refrigerant returned to the compressor 15 is compressed and circulates repeatedly.

Next, the air flow between the room and the inside of the housing 11 will be described.
In FIG. 2, when the operation of the dehumidifying blower 10 is started, the fan 14 rotates at a predetermined rotation speed. As a result, in parallel with the circulation of the refrigerant by the compressor 15, the air in the room is sucked into the housing 11 from the suction port 12, passes through the housing 11, and is blown out into the room from the outlet 13. Air circulates between the room and the inside of the housing 11.
The air sucked into the housing 11 from the suction port 12 is first cooled by passing through the air passage of the evaporator 20 arranged on the most upstream side with respect to the air flow in the housing 11. At this time, the moisture contained in the air condenses and becomes frost, which adheres to the surface of the evaporator 20. After that, the air that has passed through the evaporator 20 is heated by passing through the air passage of the condenser 17 arranged on the downstream side. In this way, the air passing through the housing 11 is dehumidified and blown into the room from the air outlet 13. The heat radiation from the condenser 17 can not only heat the air passing through the housing 11, but also melt the frost adhering to the surface of the evaporator 20. Therefore, the evaporator 20 can be defrosted while constantly performing the dehumidifying operation without stopping the compressor 15. The frost melted by the heat radiation from the condenser 17 is dropped from the surface of the evaporator 20 onto the drain water recovery unit 26, and is discharged from the drain water discharge unit 27 as drain water to the outside (outdoors, etc.) of the housing 11. ..
Since the evaporator 20 can be dehumidified at the same time as the dehumidification and the surface (fins) of the evaporator 20 is not frosted, the evaporation temperature of the refrigerant in the expansion valve 19 is set to an extremely low temperature of 0 ° C. or less. This makes it possible to blow air at a comfortable temperature below room temperature.

Next, the second operation of the dehumidifying blower 10 will be described.
When performing the second operation, as shown in FIG. 3, the three-way valves 24 and 25 are switched to open the inlet and outlet of the branch circulation path 22 and communicate with the refrigerant circulation path 16. In the second operation, the operation of the dehumidifying blower 10 is started, and the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 15 passes through the condenser 17, the receiver tank 18, the expansion valve 19, and the evaporator 20 along the refrigerant circulation path 16. Up to, it is the same as the first operation. After that, the low-temperature low-pressure (for example, about 5 ° C.) refrigerant (including a part of the liquid refrigerant that could not be vaporized in addition to the gas refrigerant) flowing out of the evaporator 20 passes through the three-way valve 24 and enters the branch circulation path 22. It flows in and passes through the cooler 23. At this time, the liquid refrigerant that could not be completely gasified by the evaporator 20 absorbs heat from the surrounding air inside the housing 11 and gasifies it to cool the surrounding air. The refrigerant flowing out of the cooler 23 returns from the branch circulation path 22 to the refrigerant circulation path 16 through the three-way valve 25, and flows into the accumulator 21. At this time, if the liquid refrigerant that cannot be completely gasified remains, it is separated by the accumulator 21 and only the low-temperature low-pressure gas refrigerant is returned to the compressor 15. The gas refrigerant returned to the compressor 15 is compressed and circulates repeatedly.

Next, looking at the air flow in the second operation, the first is until the air sucked into the housing 11 from the suction port 12 is cooled and dehumidified by the evaporator 20 and heated by the condenser 17. It is the same as the operation of. After that, the air heated through the condenser 17 passes through the air passage of the cooler 23. At this time, the temperature of the low-temperature low-pressure refrigerant flowing inside the cooler 23 (for example, about 5 ° C.) is lower than the temperature of the air passing through the air passage of the cooler 23 (air heated by the condenser 17). Further, since the liquid refrigerant that could not be completely gasified by the evaporator 20 is also gasified inside the cooler 23, the air that has passed through the air passage of the cooler 23 is cooled and blown out into the room from the outlet 13.

As described above, the temperature of the air blown into the room from the outlet 13 can be changed by the first operation and the second operation. Therefore, for example, a temperature / humidity sensor is attached to the dehumidifying blower 10 to heat the room. Dehumidified air (for example, about 5 to 30%) is brought to an appropriate temperature (for example, about 10 to 30 ° C.) by appropriately switching between the first operation and the second operation according to the humidity, the set humidity, and the like. You can keep the room in a comfortable environment by blowing air.

Next, the dehumidifying blower 35 of the modified example will be described.
As shown in FIG. 4, the dehumidifying blower 35 differs from the dehumidifying blower 10 in that the branch circulation path 22 is located on the downstream side of the three-way valve 24 as a flow rate adjusting means for adjusting the flow rate of the refrigerant circulating in the branch circulation path 22. A flow rate adjusting valve 36 is provided between the three-way valve 24 and the cooler 23). As a result, the three-way valves 24 and 25 are switched to communicate the refrigerant circulation path 16 and the branch circulation path 22, and when the second operation is performed, the amount of the refrigerant passing through the cooler 23 can be easily adjusted by the flow rate adjusting valve 36. Can be adjusted. As a result, it is possible to adjust the temperature of the air blown into the room from the outlet 13 (for example, about 0 to 40 ° C.) by changing the amount of cooling by the cooler 23.
In the dehumidifying blower 35, the three-way valves 24 and 25 and the flow rate adjusting valve 36 are combined to adjust the flow rate of the refrigerant circulating in the branch circulation path 22, but the flow rate adjusting means is not limited to this, and the branch circulation is not limited to this. Anything can be used as long as the flow rate of the refrigerant circulating in the road 22 can be adjusted.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the configuration described in the above-described embodiment, and can be considered within the scope of the matters described in the claims. Other embodiments and modifications are also included.
In the above embodiment, the compressor 15, the receiver tank 18, the expansion valve 19, and the accumulator 21 are built in the housing 11 installed in the room, but some or all of them are contained in another housing. It can also be installed outdoors (outdoors) by accommodating it in the body.
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the expansion valve 19 is used as the throttle means, but a capillary tube may be used instead.
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the two three-way valves 24 and 25 are used as the circulation path switching means, but the circulation path switching means is not limited to this, and the branch circulation path 22 is opened and closed (refrigerant circulation path 16). Anything that can switch between (presence / absence of communication with the branch circulation path 22) and

10: Dehumidifying blower, 11: Housing, 12: Suction port, 13: Air outlet, 14: Fan (air blowing means), 15: Compressor, 16: Refrigerant circulation path, 17: Condenser, 18: Receiver tank, 19 : Expansion valve (squeezing means), 20: Evaporator, 21: Accumulator, 22: Branch circulation path, 23: Cooler, 24, 25: Three-way valve (circulation path switching means), 26: Drain water recovery unit, 27 : Drain water discharge unit, 28: Electromagnetic valve, 30, 31: Air guide flow path, 32: Control unit, 33: Operation unit, 35: Dehumidifying blower, 36: Flow control valve

Claims (4)

A housing provided with a suction port and an air outlet, an air blowing means provided in the housing, air is sucked into the housing from the suction port, and blown out from the air outlet to the outside of the housing, and a refrigerant is compressed. It has a compressor that discharges the compressor and a refrigerant circulation path that circulates the refrigerant discharged from the compressor and returns it to the compressor. In the middle of the refrigerant circulation path, the compressor is built in the housing. A compressor that condenses the refrigerant discharged from the condenser, a squeezing means that depressurizes the refrigerant condensed by the condenser, and an upstream of the condenser with respect to the flow of air that is built in the housing and passes through the housing. An evaporator that is arranged on the side and gasifies the refrigerant decompressed by the throttle means, and the refrigerant that is connected to the refrigerant circulation path between the evaporator and the compressor and flows out from the evaporator is circulated. A branch circulation path for returning to the refrigerant circulation path is provided, and a cooler is connected in the middle of the branch circulation path, and the cooler is built in the housing and is used for the flow of air passing through the housing. On the other hand, it is arranged on the downstream side of the compressor, and is characterized in that a circulation path switching means for switching the opening and closing of the branch circulation path is provided at the connection position between the refrigerant circulation path and the branch circulation path. Dehumidifying blower. The dehumidifying blower according to claim 1, wherein the branch circulation path is provided with a flow rate adjusting means for adjusting the flow rate of the refrigerant circulating in the branch circulation path. The dehumidifying blower according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the frost adhering to the evaporator is melted by heat radiation from the condenser and dropped as drain water. In the dehumidifying blower according to claim 3, below the evaporator, there is a drain water recovery section that collects the drain water dripping from the evaporator, and a drain water recovery section that is connected to the drain water recovery section and collects in the drain water recovery section. A dehumidifying blower provided with a drain water discharge unit for discharging the drain water to the outside of the housing.

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