JP7303973B2 - bathroom heater dryer - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a bathroom heater/dryer that performs a clothes drying operation for drying wet clothes hung in a bathroom.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, bathroom heater/dryers such as those disclosed in Patent Document 1, which are installed on the ceiling or wall of a bathroom and perform ventilation operation, heating operation, clothes drying operation, etc. of the bathroom, have been used. In the ventilation operation of this bathroom heater/dryer, the ventilation fan is driven to exhaust the air in the bathroom to the outside. In the heating operation, the air in the bathroom introduced by driving the circulation fan is heated by heat exchange with warm water in the heat exchanger and sent into the bathroom. In the clothes drying operation, both the ventilation fan and the circulation fan are driven to perform ventilation operation and heating operation at the same time.

On the other hand, in recent years, interest in environmental problems has increased, and there is a demand for improving the energy efficiency (energy saving) of various devices. As equipment related to bathrooms, for example, energy-saving technologies for water heaters are being actively developed, and there is a similar demand for energy-saving bathroom heater/dryers. For example, Patent Literature 2 describes a technique for saving energy by reducing the standby power consumption of a bathroom heater/dryer that is on standby.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-202010 JP-A-2002-61907

A bathroom heater/dryer such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1 raises the temperature in the bathroom to a predetermined temperature by heating operation in clothes drying operation, and at the same time, exhausts high-humidity air by ventilation operation and supplies low-humidity air. ing. At this time, the ventilation operation is performed at the maximum ventilation capacity to lower the humidity, and the heating operation is performed so that the temperature does not drop due to the ventilation operation. This promotes the evaporation of moisture from the clothes hung in the bathroom, maximizing the drying capacity.

However, after the clothes drying operation is started, the humidity in the bathroom does not increase until the temperature of the bathroom rises to some extent because the amount of moisture evaporated from the clothes hung in the bathroom is small. Since the air in the bathroom is ventilated to the outside while the temperature is rising, part of the heat supplied to the bathroom is wasted without being used for drying, resulting in wasted energy consumption. On the other hand, Patent Document 2 aims to save energy during operation standby, so it cannot be applied to clothes drying operation in which heating operation and ventilation operation are performed simultaneously.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a bathroom heater/dryer capable of saving energy in clothes drying operation.

A bathroom heater/dryer of the invention of claim 1 comprises a case body installed in a bathroom, a circulation fan for circulating air in the bathroom, and air in the bathroom introduced into the case body by the circulation fan. a ventilation fan for discharging the air in the bathroom to the outside; and a temperature detector for detecting the temperature of the air before it is introduced into the case body and heated by the heat exchanger. means and a control means for controlling them, wherein the control means drives the circulation fan to turn on the heat at the start of the clothes drying operation for drying the clothes hung in the bathroom. The air heated by the exchanger is blown into the bathroom, and when the temperature detected by the temperature detection means reaches or exceeds a preset reference value, the ventilation fan is started to be driven and introduced into the case main body. humidity detection means for detecting the humidity of the air that is supplied to the ventilation fan, and the control means adjusts the ventilation capacity of the ventilation fan based on the humidity detected by the humidity detection means when starting to drive the ventilation fan. After the ventilation fan is driven, the ventilation capacity of the ventilation fan is adjusted based on the humidity detected by the humidity detection means and the change rate of the detected humidity.

According to the above configuration, when the clothes drying operation is started, the control means drives the circulation fan to send the air heated by the heat exchanger into the bathroom to increase the temperature in the bathroom. Then, when the temperature detected by the temperature detection means reaches or exceeds a preset reference value, the ventilation fan is started to be driven. Therefore, at the start of the clothes drying operation, the heated air in the bathroom is not discharged to the outside of the bathroom until a temperature higher than the reference value is detected. Since the energy for heating is not wasted, the clothes drying operation can be energy-saving.

Then, when the detected temperature becomes equal to or higher than the reference value and the ventilation fan starts to be driven, the control means performs ventilation by the ventilation fan based on the humidity detected by the humidity sensor that detects the humidity of the air introduced into the case main body. adjust ability. Therefore, the ventilation capacity is adjusted based on the detected humidity when the temperature inside the bathroom exceeds the reference value, the discharge of the heated air inside the bathroom is adjusted, and the energy consumption for heating the air with the heat exchanger and the Since the energy consumption of the ventilation fan is suppressed, the clothes drying operation can be energy-saving.

After the ventilation fan starts to be driven, the control means adjusts the ventilation capacity based on the detected humidity and the change rate of the detected humidity. Therefore, it is possible to adjust the ventilation capacity according to the drying condition of the clothes as determined from the detected humidity and its rate of change, thereby saving energy in the clothes drying operation while maintaining the drying capacity.

According to the bathroom heater/dryer of the present invention, it is possible to save energy in the clothes drying operation.

1 is a schematic diagram of the vicinity of a bathroom having a bathroom heater/dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the bathroom heater-dryer which concerns on an Example. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing essential parts in the bathroom heater/dryer according to the embodiment; ³ is a graph showing the relationship between temperature and the amount of saturated water vapor per 1 m 3 of air. 4 is an execution control flow chart of the clothes drying operation of the bathroom heater/dryer according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the behavior of the bathroom heater/dryer according to the embodiment during the clothes drying operation; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the behavior of the conventional bathroom heater/dryer during the clothes drying operation.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the form for implementing this invention is demonstrated based on an Example.

FIG. 1 shows a bathroom B and its surroundings in a house. On the ceiling Ba of the bathroom B, for example, a ceiling cassette type bathroom heater/dryer 1 is installed. In addition, a laundry pipe 2 for hanging and drying wet clothes L after washing, for example, is arranged at a position close to the ceiling Ba in the bathroom B below the bathroom heater/dryer 1 . Outdoors, for example, a combustion-type heat source device 5 is installed in order to supply hot water to the shower 3 and the bathtub 4 of the bathroom B, the bathroom heater/dryer 1, and the like.

A dressing room C is provided adjacent to the bathroom B. From this dressing room C, it is possible to go in and out of the bathroom B through a door (not shown), and the door is provided with an air passage through which air can pass even when the door is closed. The dressing room C is provided with a natural vent 6 for taking in outside air.

The bathroom heater/dryer 1 includes a circulation fan 11, a heat exchanger 12, a ventilation fan 13, and a controller 14 (control means) for controlling these in a case body 10 installed in a bathroom B. . The circulation fan 11 introduces the air in the bathroom B into the case body 10 and blows it into the bathroom B, thereby generating a circulating air flow in the bathroom B as indicated by an arrow A0.

The heat exchanger 12 is configured to circulate hot water between the heat source device 5 and the hot water supplied from the heat source device 5 and the air in the bathroom B introduced into the case body 10 by the circulation fan 11. The air is heated by heat exchange between The air heated by the heat exchanger 12 is blown into the bathroom B. The hot water used for heating the air in the heat exchanger 12 returns to the heat source equipment 5 and is reheated.

The ventilation fan 13 discharges the air in the bathroom B to the outside of the bathroom B (outdoor) through the exhaust duct 7 . Air from the changing room C is supplied from the air passage to the bathroom B, where the air is discharged and becomes negative pressure, as indicated by the arrows A1 to A3, even if the door (not shown) is closed. Outside air is supplied from the natural vent 6 or the like. The control unit 14 is communicably connected to a remote controller 16 for operating the bathroom heater/dryer 1 and is also connected to a wiring for communication with the heat source device 5 . The operation remote control 16 is fixed to the wall of the dressing room C. As shown in FIG.

FIG. 2 shows the appearance of the bathroom heater/dryer 1. As shown in FIG. FIG. 3 shows the essential parts inside the bathroom heater/dryer 1, and the flow of air is represented by a plurality of white arrows. Inside the case main body 10, a circulation fan 11 and the like are accommodated and an air passage is formed. The circulation fan 11 is, for example, a cross-flow fan capable of blowing air over a wide range (width) by adjusting the amount of air blown by controlling the rotation speed.

The heat exchanger 12 is configured by connecting a plurality of fins 12b to a plurality of bent heat transfer tubes 12a through which hot water flows, and heats air passing therebetween. The ventilation fan 13 is a centrifugal fan whose ventilation capacity can be adjusted by controlling the number of revolutions. An exhaust duct 7 communicating with the outdoors is connected to the exhaust port 13a.

When the circulation fan 11 is driven, the air in the bathroom B is introduced into the case body 10 from the intake port 10a fitted with a filter (not shown), passes through the heat exchanger 12 and the circulation fan 11, and is provided with a movable louver 10b. The air is blown into the bathroom B from the blower port 10c. The movable louver 10b is driven by a drive mechanism (not shown) so as to adjust the blowing direction.

Between the intake port 10a and the heat exchanger 12, a temperature sensor 17 (temperature detecting means) for detecting the temperature of the air introduced into the case body 10 and before being heated by the heat exchanger 12, and the air A humidity sensor 18 (humidity detection means) is provided for detecting the humidity of the air. The temperature detected by the temperature sensor 17 and the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 18 are sent to the controller 14 . This humidity sensor 18 detects absolute humidity (amount of water vapor [g/m ³ ] contained in 1 m ³ of air).

When the ventilation fan 13 is driven, the air in the bathroom B is introduced into the case main body 10 through the intake port 10a. This air flows into the ventilation fan 13 through a passage (not shown) that does not pass through the heat exchanger 12 (for example, a passage formed behind the heat exchanger 12 and the circulation fan 11 in FIG. is discharged to the outside through an exhaust duct 7 connected to the

The control unit 14 controls the heating operation, the ventilation operation, the clothes drying operation, etc., based on the operation of the operation remote controller 16 or, if it has a timer function, for example. In the heating operation, a hot water request signal is sent to the heat source device 5 to supply hot water at a predetermined temperature (eg, 60° C.), the circulation fan 11 is driven, and the heat exchanger 12 heats the air in the bathroom B. Then, based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 17, the drive rotation speed of the circulation fan 11 is controlled, and the airflow direction is adjusted by the movable louver 10b. The heat source device 5 heats the hot water by adjusting its heating capacity based on the temperature of the hot water returned from the heat exchanger 12 .

In the ventilation operation, the controller 14 controls driving of the ventilation fan 13 . In the clothes drying operation, the control unit 14 transmits a hot water request signal to the heat source device 5 to supply hot water at a predetermined temperature. Based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 17 and the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 18, the rotational speeds of the circulation fan 11 and the ventilation fan 13 are respectively controlled, and the direction of blowing air is adjusted by the movable louver 10b. That is, in the clothes drying operation, the control unit 14 simultaneously executes and controls the heating operation and the ventilation operation based on the detected temperature and the detected humidity.

FIG. 4 shows the relationship between temperature and the amount of saturated water vapor per 1 m ³ of air. The higher the temperature, the greater the amount of saturated water vapor, and the greater the amount of water vapor that can be retained in the air. Therefore, even when the humidity of the outside air is high, the amount of saturated water vapor is increased by heating the air in the bathroom B to increase the temperature, and the moisture is evaporated from the clothes L hung on the laundry pipe 2 in the bathroom B. can be made When the air flows to the clothes L, the evaporated moisture is quickly moved away from the clothes L, and the humidity around the clothes L can be kept low. is promoted and is particularly effective when the amount of water evaporation is large.

In the clothes drying operation of the bathroom heater/dryer 1, as shown in FIG. 1, wet clothes L hung on the laundry pipe 2 in the bathroom B, for example, after washing, are dried. In this clothes drying operation, as described above, the temperature in the bathroom B is raised to a preset drying set temperature (for example, 45° C.) and an air flow is generated to promote the evaporation of moisture from the clothes L. I am letting Then, the air outside the bathroom B is introduced into the bathroom B while the high-temperature and high-humidity air containing the evaporated moisture is discharged to the outside, thereby reducing the amount of water vapor contained in the air in the bathroom B and removing the moisture from the clothes L. promotes the evaporation of The control of the clothes drying operation by the controller 14 of the bathroom heater/dryer 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Si (i=1, 2, . . . ) in the figure represents steps.

When the clothes drying operation is started by operating the operation remote control 16 or the like, the clothes drying operation start operation is executed in S1, and the process proceeds to S2. Specifically, a hot water request signal is sent to the heat source device 5 to start supplying hot water to the heat exchanger 12, the circulation fan 11 is driven at the maximum rotation speed, and the temperature sensor 17 and the humidity sensor 18 detect the temperature of the case body 10. Start sensing the temperature and humidity of the air introduced inside. Temperature and humidity are detected every predetermined time (for example, every minute).

Next, in S2, it is determined whether or not the detected temperature has reached or exceeded a preset reference value (for example, 30°C). If the determination is Yes, the process proceeds to S3, and if the determination is No, the determination of S2 is repeated until the reference value or more is reached. This judgment is to judge that the temperature has risen enough to promote the evaporation of moisture even though it has not reached the set temperature for drying. It may be determined whether or not a value (for example, 15° C.) is exceeded.

Next, in S3, the ventilation fan 13 is driven so as to achieve the ventilation capacity set based on the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 18, and the process proceeds to S4. For example, a reference humidity (for example, 20 [g/m ³ ]) is set in advance, and when the detected humidity is equal to or higher than the reference humidity, the ventilation fan 13 is driven at the maximum rotation speed so that the maximum ventilation capacity (High) is achieved. On the other hand, when the detected humidity is less than the reference humidity, the rotation speed of the ventilation fan 13 is controlled and driven so that the ventilation capacity (Mid) is half the maximum ventilation capacity.

In this step S3, the ventilation capacity is set based on the detected humidity so that the amount of moisture that evaporates from the clothes L while the temperature of the bathroom B is raised differs depending on the amount of the clothes L and the like. As a result, the rotation speed of the ventilation fan 13 is controlled based on the detected humidity, and the energy consumption of the ventilation fan 13 is suppressed. When the ventilation capacity is set low, less heated air is discharged outside the bathroom B by the ventilation fan 13, so the hot water supplied to the heat exchanger 12 is heated to heat the air in the bathroom B. The energy consumption of the heat source machine 5 to do is suppressed. It should be noted that three or more levels of ventilation capacity may be set based on the detected humidity in correspondence with the fact that the less clothes L to be dried, the smaller the increase in the detected humidity, and the ventilation capacity is adjusted in proportion to the detected humidity. May be set.

Next, in S4, the ventilation capacity is adjusted based on the absolute value of the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 18 and the change rate of the detected humidity, and the process proceeds to S5. For example, when the humidity is detected every t minutes, the rate of change (speed of change) of the detected humidity is obtained by using the current detected humidity and the previous detected humidity (detected humidity t minutes ago) as follows:
(Currently detected humidity - Previously detected humidity)/t [g/m ³ min]
is calculated as Other rates of change in sensed humidity can be defined. Hereinafter, the change rate of the detected humidity refers to its absolute value.

For example, when the ventilation fan 13 is driven at the maximum ventilation capacity (High), if the detected humidity is equal to or higher than the reference humidity, it is considered that a large amount of moisture remains in the clothes L regardless of the change rate of the detected humidity. As the drying of the clothes L progresses, the evaporation amount of moisture decreases and the detected humidity decreases. remains on the clothing L. In such a case, the ventilation fan 13 continues to be driven at the maximum ventilation capacity (High).

On the other hand, when the detected humidity becomes less than the reference humidity and the change rate of the detected humidity becomes smaller than the reference change rate, for example, the ventilation capacity (Mid) is half the maximum ventilation capacity (High). The rotation speed of the ventilation fan 13 is adjusted and driven. The reference rate of change is set in advance, for example, to 0.3 [g/m ³ ·min] based on clothes drying experiments and the like.

In this case, the drying of the clothes L progresses, the amount of moisture evaporation is small even if the humidity is low, and the evaporation promotion effect by ventilation is small, so the amount of air discharged outside the bathroom B by the ventilation fan 13 is reduced. Since the rotational speed of the ventilation fan 13 is lowered based on the detected humidity, the energy consumption of the ventilation fan 13 can be suppressed. In addition, since the amount of air discharged outside the bathroom B by the ventilation fan 13 is reduced, the energy consumption of the heat source device 5 for heating hot water supplied to the heat exchanger 12 to heat the air in the bathroom B is suppressed.

As in S3 above, three or more levels of ventilation capacity may be set based on the detected humidity, or the ventilation capacity may be set in proportion to the detected humidity. In addition, after the ventilation capacity is reduced, it is basically not increased, but it is possible to increase the ventilation capacity based on the detected humidity, etc. when clothes to be dried are added on the way. is.

Next, in S5, it is determined whether or not the change rate of the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 18 has become equal to or less than the dry determination standard. The dryness determination standard is set in advance to be smaller than the standard rate of change, such as 0.1 [g/m ³ ·min]. As the amount of moisture evaporated from the clothes L decreases, the rate of change in the detected humidity decreases, and when the rate of change falls below the dry determination criterion, it is determined that the clothes L are dry. If the determination is Yes, the process proceeds to S6, and if the determination is No, the process returns to S4.

Next, in S6, a clothes drying operation stop operation is executed to end the clothes drying operation. Specifically, a hot water supply stop signal is sent to the heat source device 5 to stop the hot water supply, the driving of the circulation fan 11 and the ventilation fan 13 is stopped, and the temperature and humidity are detected by the temperature sensor 17 and the humidity sensor 18. to stop. After it is determined that the clothes L are dry, the ventilation operation may be performed for a certain period of time.

The operation and effect of the bathroom heater/dryer 1 in the above embodiment will be described.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the behavior of the bathroom heater/dryer 1 during the clothes drying operation, and FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the conventional behavior during the clothes drying operation as a comparative example. It is assumed that the drying capacities of the clothes drying operations in FIGS. 6 and 7 are equivalent. In FIG. 6, when the clothes drying operation of the bathroom heater/dryer 1 is started at time t0, the circulation fan 11 is driven, and the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 17 rises with time. Also, since moisture evaporates from the clothes L, the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 18 also increases. When the detected temperature reaches or exceeds the reference value at time t1, the ventilation fan 13 is driven.

Since the ventilation fan 13 is not driven when the clothes drying operation is started, the heated air is not discharged outside the bathroom B by ventilation during the initial drying period from time t0 to t1. As a result, the detection temperature, that is, the temperature in the bathroom B is raised earlier than the example of FIG. Therefore, the energy consumed by the heat source device 5 supplying hot water for heating the air in the heat exchanger 12 can be used for the clothes drying operation without wasting it, and the clothes drying operation can be energy-saving. Moreover, since the energy consumption of the heat source device 5 decreases in inverse proportion to the temperature rise in the bathroom B, the energy consumption of the clothes drying operation decreases faster than in the example of FIG.

When the ventilation fan 13 is driven at time t1, the ventilation capacity is set based on the detected humidity, and the ventilation fan 13 is driven so as to achieve the set ventilation capacity. For example, when the detected humidity is equal to or higher than a preset reference humidity, the maximum ventilation capacity (High) is set. On the other hand, if the humidity is less than the reference humidity, although not shown, a ventilation capacity (Mid) that is half the maximum ventilation capacity is set, and the ventilation fan 13 is driven so as to achieve the set ventilation capacity.

In this way, the air is heated by the heat exchanger 12 by setting the ventilation capacity based on the detected humidity when the inside of the bathroom B becomes warmer than the reference value and by adjusting the discharge of the heated air inside the bathroom B. Therefore, the energy consumption of the heat source device 5 for supplying hot water and the energy consumption of the ventilation fan 13 can be reduced. Therefore, in the mid-drying period after time t1, when the ventilation capacity is set to be small according to the amount of clothes L, etc., it is possible to save energy in the clothes drying operation.

In FIG. 6, the detected temperature rises moderately due to the ventilation with the maximum ventilation capacity (High) set at time t1, and thereafter the detected temperature stabilizes near the drying set temperature. In addition, when ventilation is started at time t1 and the amount of water vapor evaporating from the clothing L and the amount of water vapor discharged outside the bathroom B are substantially balanced (when the detected humidity is substantially constant), maximum ventilation is performed to promote evaporation. Maintain ability (High).

From time t2, evaporation of moisture from the clothes L begins to subside, and the detected humidity decreases. While the detected humidity is equal to or higher than the reference humidity, the maximum ventilation capacity (High) is maintained to promote evaporation. Even if the detected humidity is less than the reference humidity, if the change rate of the detected humidity is greater than a preset reference change rate, the maximum ventilation capacity (High) is maintained to promote evaporation. At time t3, when the detected humidity is less than the reference humidity and the change rate of the detected humidity is less than the reference change rate, the ventilation capacity (Mid) is set. In the mid-drying period from time t1 to t3, the energy consumption of the clothes drying operation with the maximum ventilation capacity (High) is substantially the same as the energy consumption of the clothes drying operation in which the detected temperature is stable near the drying set temperature in FIG.

At time t3, when the detected humidity is less than the reference humidity and the rate of change in the detected humidity is less than the reference rate of change, the amount of moisture evaporated from the clothes L is small and the evaporation promotion effect of ventilation is small. ) to lower the rotation speed of the ventilation fan 13. As a result, in the latter stage of drying after time t3, the energy consumption of the ventilation fan 13 is suppressed, and the discharge of heated air to the outside of the bathroom B due to ventilation is reduced. Along with this, the energy consumption of the heat source device 5 for heating the air with the heat exchanger 12 to maintain the set drying temperature of the bathroom B can be suppressed.

Even if the energy consumption of the ventilation fan 13 and the heat source device 5 is suppressed, the high temperature and low humidity in the bathroom B can be maintained, so the evaporation of the moisture from the clothes L is accelerated, and the drying ability in the clothes drying operation is maintained. . Therefore, after the start of driving of the ventilation fan 13, the clothes drying operation is performed while maintaining the drying capacity in the latter stage of drying after the time t3 when the ventilation capacity is adjusted according to the drying condition of the clothes L, which can be understood from the detected humidity and its rate of change. Energy can be saved.

At time tf, when the change rate of the detected humidity becomes less than the dry determination standard and it is determined that the clothes L are dry, the clothes drying operation ending operation is executed to end the clothes drying operation.

The bathroom heater/dryer 1 may be configured to heat air by heating means such as an electric heater instead of the heat exchanger 12, and is a wall-mounted bathroom heater/dryer having a ventilation function. good too. Also, the relative humidity may be calculated from the detected temperature and the detected humidity, and the clothes drying operation may be controlled based on this relative humidity.

The above various temperatures, humidity, times, reference values for determination, etc. are examples and are not limited to these, and are appropriately set according to the specifications of the bathroom heater/dryer. In addition, those skilled in the art can implement various modifications to the above embodiment without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and the present invention includes such modifications.

1: Bathroom heater/dryer 2: Laundry pipe 5: Heat source device 6: Natural vent 7: Exhaust duct 10: Case main body 10a: Intake port 10c: Air outlet 11: Circulation fan 12: Heat exchanger 13: Ventilation fan 13a: Exhaust port 14 : Control unit 17 : Temperature sensor 18 : Humidity sensor B : Bathroom C : Dressing room L : Clothes

Claims (1)

a case body installed in a bathroom; a circulation fan for circulating air in the bathroom; a heat exchanger for heating the air in the bathroom introduced into the case body by the circulation fan; A ventilation fan for discharging air to the outside, temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of the air introduced into the case body before being heated by the heat exchanger, and control means for controlling these. In the bathroom heater/dryer,
The control means drives the circulation fan to send the air heated by the heat exchanger into the bathroom at the start of the clothes drying operation for drying the clothes hung in the bathroom, and detects the temperature. starting to drive the ventilation fan when the detected temperature of the means reaches or exceeds a preset reference value;
Further comprising humidity detection means for detecting the humidity of the air introduced into the case main body,
The control means adjusts the ventilation capacity of the ventilation fan based on the humidity detected by the humidity detection means when starting to drive the ventilation fan, and adjusts the ventilation capacity of the ventilation fan after starting to drive the ventilation fan. and adjusting the ventilation capacity of the ventilation fan based on the detected humidity and the change rate of the detected humidity .

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