KR102026715B1 - Cable alignment device, x-ray imaging apparatus comprising the cable alignment device and imaging method using the x-ray imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cable aligning device, an X-ray imaging apparatus, and an X-ray imaging method for preventing a plurality of cables twisting and entangled with each other, which transmits an electrical signal to inspection apparatuses of a subject.
Cable alignment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, the cable 310 for transmitting an electrical signal to the X-ray imaging of the subject 500, the cable 310 to inspect the subject 500 The fixing part 300 and the lower part of the fixing part 300 is formed to be connected to the shooting member for the movement path of the cable 310 is rotatably installed with respect to the fixing part 300 and the fixing part ( And a rotation drive unit 400 for guiding the cable 310 passed through 300 to the photographing member, wherein the cable 310 is formed around the rotation axis of the rotation drive unit 400. Receiving grooves 410 which are seating spaces of the cable 310 are formed to be arranged in an aligned state.

Description

CABLE ALIGNMENT DEVICE, X-RAY IMAGING APPARATUS COMPRISING THE CABLE ALIGNMENT DEVICE AND IMAGING METHOD USING THE X-RAY IMAGING APPARATUS }

The present invention relates to a cable aligning device, an X-ray imaging apparatus and an X-ray imaging method for preventing a plurality of cables twisting and entanglement of a plurality of cables for transmitting an electrical signal to the inspection apparatus of the subject, more specifically the cable The cable alignment device, the X-ray imaging apparatus, and the X-ray, which are connected to the inspection apparatuses in a state of being aligned through a separate seating space, can perform stable unwinding and winding of the cable even when the inspection apparatuses rotate around the subject. The present invention relates to a method of photographing.

In the medical field, an X-ray imaging apparatus refers to a device that transmits a certain amount of X-rays to a body part to be photographed, and provides an image by using an electrical signal generated by the X-ray sensor receiving the transmitted X-rays. X-rays transmitted through the body part generate different electrical signals according to the X-ray absorption rate at each point of the body region. In addition, the electrical signal may be analyzed and processed through a control unit provided in the X-ray imaging apparatus, thereby realizing an image that can be confirmed by a medical staff.

In dental practice, X-ray CBCT (Cone-Beam Computed Tomography) equipment reconstructs X-ray images taken from different angles while rotating around the teeth, jaw joints, or the entire head of the patient's main interest area A device for providing tomographic images. CBCT is a device that is relatively small in size compared to general CT for use in the dental field. Unlike conventional CT, it has a small amount of radiation coating and a short shooting time. It is a device that is used a lot.

An example of the dental care X-ray CBCT imaging apparatus as described above is disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 2010-0023785 (Patent Document 1). As disclosed in Patent Literature 1, a conventional dental care X-ray CBCT imaging apparatus includes a gantry rotating around the subject about the subject. The gantry is configured to have two arms arranged to face each other, one of the two arms is provided with an X-ray emission source for generating X-rays, the other arm is an X-ray generated from the X-ray emission source An X-ray sensor for receiving the light is installed.

The X-ray emission source and the X-ray sensor are operated by a rotation driver which is positioned above the gantry to provide rotational force to the gantry. The rotation drive unit rotates the gantry by an angle desired by a user. In general, the gantry acquires an X-ray image while rotating an angle of about 180 degrees or more according to an image reconstruction method, and it is a commonly used method to move an X-ray sensor and an X-ray emission source to an initial position after photographing is completed.

The photographing components of the gantry 200, such as the X-ray emission source and the X-ray sensor, are respectively built in the X-ray imaging apparatus and exchange electrical signals with a control unit that controls the overall operation of the apparatus. The transmission and reception of these electrical signals can be by cable.

However, in the related art, cables connected to photographing components such as the X-ray emission source and the X-ray sensor have a problem of being twisted or entangled with each other by the rotation of the gantry. For example, the cable is connected to the X-ray emission source or the X-ray sensor through the rotation drive unit from the control unit. In this case, when the rotation drive unit rotates, the cable connected to the X-ray emission source from the control unit and the cable connected to the X-ray sensor from the control unit are twisted and entangled with each other, resulting in a problem that the cable is disconnected.

In addition, when a control signal of the control unit is wrong due to an error of the operator, the cable is inevitably disconnected due to random rotation of the gantry, which requires a lot of repair cost.

In particular, in recent years, in order to reconstruct an X-ray tomography image or an X-ray three-dimensional image, a dental X-ray imaging apparatus requires a large number of X-ray transmission images by photographing a subject from more various angles. Therefore, the above problems are more highlighted in that the rotational amount of the rotation driving unit increases, and the rotational speed of the rotational driving unit increases gradually in order to achieve rapid photographing.

Patent Document 1: Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 2010-0023785

An object of the present invention, even if the gantry rotates around the subject, the cable alignment device that can prevent the phenomenon of twisting and entangled with each other a plurality of cables for transmitting and receiving electrical signals to the apparatus for inspecting the subject, X-ray imaging An apparatus and an X-ray imaging method.

The present invention provides the following technical means as a means for solving the above problems.

Cable alignment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, the cable 310 for transmitting an electrical signal to the X-ray imaging of the subject 500, the cable 310 to inspect the subject 500 The fixing part 300 and the lower part of the fixing part 300 is formed to be connected to the shooting member for the movement path of the cable 310 is rotatably installed with respect to the fixing part 300 and the fixing part ( And a rotation drive unit 400 for guiding the cable 310 passed through 300 to the photographing member, wherein the cable 310 is formed around the rotation axis of the rotation drive unit 400. Receiving grooves 410 which are seating spaces of the cable 310 are formed to be arranged in an aligned state.

In addition, the receiving groove 410 is formed to have a concentric shape on the upper surface of the rotary drive unit 400, the number of columns corresponding to the number of the cable 310 is formed.

In addition, between the receiving grooves 410 formed with a plurality of columns from the upper surface of the rotary drive unit 400 so that the cables 310 seated in each of the plurality of receiving grooves 410 do not leave the receiving groove 410. A partition member 420 is formed to protrude upward.

In addition, the partition member 420 is the outer side of the receiving groove disposed on the outermost side with respect to the rotation axis of the rotation drive unit 400 and the inner side of the receiving groove disposed on the innermost side with respect to the rotation axis of the rotation drive unit 400. Each is installed in addition.

In addition, a protruding pillar 305 extending downward is formed at the center of a lower surface of the fixing part 300, and a recessed area 405 into which the protruding pillar 305 may be inserted at the center of the upper surface of the rotation driving unit 400. ) Is formed.

In addition, a bearing is installed in the recessed area 405 such that rotation of the rotation drive part 400 with respect to the fixing part 300 may occur.

In addition, the receiving groove 410 is provided with a sensing member to determine whether the cable 310 is normally seated in the receiving groove (410).

In addition, the sensing member is installed in each of the plurality of receiving grooves 410 to determine whether the cables 310 corresponding to the plurality of receiving grooves 410 are seated.

X-ray imaging apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is the cable alignment device 10, the X-ray emission source 211 for generating an X-ray to irradiate the subject 500, and the subject 500 An X-ray sensor 221 disposed on the opposite side of the X-ray emission source 211 and receiving an X-ray radiated from the X-ray emission source 211, and one side thereof is combined with the X-ray emission source 211 and the other side thereof. The gantry 200 is coupled to the X-ray sensor 221 and rotates about the object 500.

In addition, the accommodating groove 410 may include a first groove 411 for seating a cable connected to the X-ray emission source 211 and a second groove for seating a cable connected to the X-ray sensor 221 ( 412 and a third groove 413 on which a cable connected to a sensor driver that controls movement of the X-ray sensor 221 relative to the subject 500 is seated.

In an image capturing method using an X-ray imaging apparatus 100 according to an exemplary embodiment, the gantry 200 rotates about the subject 500 according to a photographing start signal of the subject 500. The rotation operation of the rotation drive unit 400 for providing a rotational force to the gantry 200 is made, the receiving groove 410 formed on the upper surface of the rotation drive unit 400 in accordance with the rotation of the rotation drive unit 400 When the cable 310 which is seated is separated from the receiving groove 410, when the photographing end signal of the subject 500 is received, the gantry 200 is re-rotated to move to the original position. In this step, the step of re-seat the cable 310 in the receiving groove 410 in accordance with the re-rotation of the rotary drive unit 400 and whether the cable 310 is normally seated in the receiving groove 410 Include steps to identify.

In addition, when an abnormality occurs while the cable 310 is seated in the receiving groove 410, the controller is configured to transmit the abnormal signal to the user through an acoustic notification signal or a visual display signal.

According to the present invention, since the cables are connected to the photographing configurations of the gantry in a state in which the cables are aligned through separate seating spaces, the cable can be prevented from being twisted or entangled even if the gantry rotates around the subject. There is this.

Accordingly, in the rotation operation of the gantry, there is an advantage that the stable unwinding and winding operation can be performed in the state that the cables are placed in each seating space.

In addition, the sensing space is additionally installed in the seating space to continuously check whether the cable is seated, thereby checking whether the cables are properly seated in the corresponding seating space and checking whether there is no twist or entanglement between the cables. Therefore, the use reliability of the X-ray imaging apparatus is greatly improved.

The accompanying drawings are for explaining the contents of the present invention to those skilled in the art in more detail, and the technical spirit of the present invention is not limited thereto.
1 is a view showing the overall structure of an X-ray imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of portion A of FIG. 1, and is a perspective view showing a cable alignment device as viewed from the top to the bottom of the X-ray imaging apparatus.
Figure 3 is a front view showing a view of the cable alignment device from the front.
4 is a perspective view showing a state of the cable aligning device viewed from the lower side to the upper side.
5 is a flowchart illustrating an X-ray imaging method using the X-ray imaging apparatus.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Prior to this, the terms or words used in this specification and claims should not be interpreted in a conventional or dictionary sense, and the inventors will appropriately define the concept of terms in order to best describe their invention. Based on the principle that it can, it should be interpreted as meaning and concept corresponding to the technical idea of the present invention.

Therefore, the embodiments described in the specification and the drawings shown in the drawings are only the most preferred embodiment of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical idea of the present invention, at the time of the present application, various It should be understood that there may be equivalents and variations.

1 is a view showing the overall structure of an X-ray imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, an X-ray imaging apparatus 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may face an X-ray emission source 211 that faces an X-ray emission source 211 with an X-ray emission source 211 and an object 500 interposed therebetween. 221 and a gantry 200 that rotates about the subject 500.

The gantry 200 may include a first arm 210 in which the X-ray emission source 211 is installed, and a second arm in which the X-ray sensor 221 is installed and opposed to the first arm 210. 220 and a support 230 for connecting the first arm 210 and the second arm 220 in the horizontal direction. Specifically, the gantry 200 includes two arms 210 and 220 extending in the vertical direction and a support 230 extending in the horizontal direction to connect the tips of the two arms 210 and 220.

The gantry 200 having such a structure is disposed to surround the object 500, and a central portion of the object 500 of the support 230 is the axis of rotation of the gantry 200. The X-ray emission source 211 is installed on the side of the rotation axis, and the X-ray sensor 221 is installed on the side facing the rotation axis. When the gantry 200 rotates about the rotation axis, the X-ray emission source 211 and the X-ray sensor 221 rotate around the object 500 to photograph a plurality of X-ray images.

The X-rays generated by the X-ray emission source 211 penetrate the subject 500, so that tissue structures such as soft tissues and bone tissues of the subject 500 and bone structures within the tissues may be inspected. The X-ray emission source 211 is configured to generate X-rays by colliding electrons having kinetic energy with a metal target. Preferably, the X-ray emission source 211 includes a collimator for controlling the irradiation area and the irradiation direction of the X-rays. Since the collimator is included in the X-ray emission source 211, X-rays collimated to correspond to the shape and position of the X-ray sensor 221 may be irradiated to the X-ray sensor 221.

The X-ray sensor 221 may be a sensor corresponding to a cone beam type X-ray emission source 211. As the X-ray sensor 221, various types of sensors may be used, from sensors for acquiring X-ray image information of a single slice to sensors having various aspect ratios for acquiring X-ray image information of multi-slices, such as MDCT. If necessary, the X-ray sensor 211 may be configured in an arc shape facing the object 500. According to this shape, the X-rays emitted from the X-ray emission source 211 may be more easily received.

The X-ray emission source 211, the X-ray sensor 221, and the gantry 200 configured as described above are rotated in a state of being coupled to the cable alignment device 10 coupled up and down with the support 230 of the gantry. Will be done. Specifically, the cable aligning device 10 is to provide a moving passage of the cable 310 for transmitting an electrical signal to the X-ray emission source 211, the X-ray sensor 221 and the sensor driver and to fix the position At the same time as the device, it is configured to serve as the rotation center of the gantry (200).

Hereinafter, the cable alignment device 10 will be described in more detail.

2 to 4 are enlarged views of portion A of FIG. 1, illustrating details of a cable alignment device of the X-ray imaging apparatus.

Referring to the drawings, the cable aligning device 10 is a cable 310 for transmitting an electrical signal to the X-ray imaging of the subject 500, the cable 310 to inspect the subject 500 The fixing part 300 and the lower part of the fixing part 300 and the fixing part 300 where the movement path of the cable 310 is formed so as to be connected to the imaging members (X-ray emission source, X-ray sensor, sensor driver, etc.) for the Rotation drive unit 400 is rotatably installed and guides the cable 310 passing through the fixing unit 300 to the photographing member.

The fixing part 300 is a non-rotating configuration in which a predetermined hole for passing the cable 310 is formed on one side. In addition, a hole may be formed in the rotation driver 400 to communicate with the hole of the fixing part 300 to allow the cable 310 to be connected to the photographing members.

In addition, a protruding pillar 305 extending downward is formed at the center of a lower surface of the fixing part 300, and a recessed area 405 into which the protruding pillar 305 may be inserted at the center of the upper surface of the rotation driving unit 400. ) Is formed. That is, the protruding pillar 305 of the fixing part 300 is inserted into the recessed area 405 of the rotation driving part 400, so that the fixing part 300 and the rotation driving part 400 may be coupled to each other.

In this case, a bearing may be installed in the recessed area 405 of the rotation driver 400 to be rotatable with respect to the fixing part 300. For example, the rotation drive unit 400 may include a bearing of any one of a ball bearing, a roller bearing, a radial bearing, and a thrust bearing. However, the type of the bearing is not limited thereto, and various other types may be used. That is, the rotation drive unit 400 is a structure that can support the load in the axial direction transmitted from the fixing portion 300 while being freely rotated by the bearing.

An accommodation groove 410 is formed on an upper surface of the rotation driver 400 so that the cable 310 may be arranged in a state aligned with the rotation axis of the rotation driver 400. do. That is, a plurality of concentric accommodating grooves 410 are formed on the upper surface of the rotation driver 400.

The number of receiving grooves 410 may be formed to have a number of columns corresponding to the number of cables 310. For example, assuming that there are three cables connected from the control unit built in the X-ray imaging apparatus 100 to the imaging apparatus of the gantry 200, the rotation driving unit 400 is formed on an upper surface of the rotation driving unit 400. Three concentric shaped receiving grooves 410 having different diameters from the rotation axis of the may be formed.

In detail, the accommodation groove 410 includes a first groove 411 on which a cable connected to the X-ray emission source 211 is seated, a cable connected to the X-ray sensor 221 is seated, and the first groove 411. A cable connected to the second groove 412 and the X-ray sensor 221 that transmits a movement signal to the second groove 412 and the X-ray sensor 221 that are formed longer than the rotation axis of the rotary drive unit 400 is seated and Compared to 412, the third groove 413 may be formed to have a relatively long distance from the rotation axis. However, the number and shape of the accommodation grooves 410 is not limited thereto, and various embodiments may be possible.

As such, the cables 310 may be seated in portions corresponding to each other in each of the receiving grooves 410, thereby more stably aligning the cables 310.

In addition, between the receiving grooves 410 formed with a plurality of columns from the upper surface of the rotary drive unit 400 so that the cables 310 seated in each of the plurality of receiving grooves 410 do not leave the receiving groove 410. A partition member 420 may be installed to protrude upward. The partition member 420 is a member that performs a barrier function to prevent the cable 310 seated in the receiving groove 410 from being entangled or entangled between the cables 310 by leaving the path. For example, a first partition member 421 is installed between the first groove 411 and the second groove 412, and a second gap is formed between the second groove 412 and the third groove 413. The partition member 422 may be installed.

In addition, the partition member is the outer side of the receiving groove 413 disposed on the outermost with respect to the rotation axis of the rotation drive unit 400 and the rotation axis of the rotation drive unit 400 so that the stable mounting of the cable 310 is achieved. Each of the receiving grooves 411 disposed on the innermost side with respect to the center may be further installed. That is, the partition member is installed on the inner side and the outer side of each of the receiving grooves 410, thereby preventing the cable 310 from being separated from the receiving groove 410.

In addition, the accommodating groove 410 is provided with a sensing member to determine whether the cable 310 is normally seated in the accommodating groove 410. The sensing member is a member for determining whether the cable 310 is normally seated. The sensing member is installed in each of the plurality of receiving grooves 410 to determine whether the cables 310 corresponding to the plurality of receiving grooves 410 are normally seated. If the cable connected to the X-ray sensor 221 is seated in the first groove 411 to which the cable connected to the X-ray emission source 211 is to be seated, the sensing member transmits an abnormal signal to the controller. That is, each of the receiving grooves 410 is previously stored information about the type of the corresponding cable through the memory unit, and based on this information, the sensing member determines whether the cable corresponding to each of the receiving grooves is correctly seated. Figure out. Accordingly, the controller may determine whether the cable corresponding to the accommodation groove 410 is normally seated based on the information stored in the memory unit.

5 is a flowchart illustrating an X-ray imaging method using the X-ray imaging apparatus.

Referring to FIG. 5, in the X-ray imaging method using the X-ray imaging apparatus according to the present invention, first, the gantry 200 is rotated around the subject 500 according to a recording start signal of the subject 500. A process of performing a rotation operation of the rotation driver 400 providing a rotational force to the gantry 200 is performed (S100). That is, the gantry 200 is rotated according to the operation signal of the rotation driver 400 so that the X-ray emission source 211 and the X-ray sensor 221 rotate around the object 500 to take a picture. You lose.

In response to the rotation of the rotation driver 400, the cable 310 seated in the accommodation groove 410 formed on the upper surface of the rotation driver 400 exits from the accommodation groove 410 (S200). Specifically, each of the cables 310 for transmitting and receiving electrical signals to the X-ray emission source 211, the X-ray sensor 221, the sensor driver, and the like are seated in a concentric shape in the plurality of receiving grooves 410. In this state, when the rotation driver 400 is rotated, an unwinding phenomenon in which the cables 310 exit from the receiving groove 410 occurs.

Then, the rotation driver 400 is re-rotated so that the gantry 200 moves to the original position when the photographing end signal of the subject 500 is moved (S300). According to the re-rotation of the rotation drive unit 400 is the cable 310 is seated in the receiving groove 410 (S400). That is, a winding phenomenon occurs in which the cables 310, which are pulled out of the accommodation grooves 410, are seated to be aligned in the accommodation grooves 410 again.

When the above process is finished, the control unit determines whether the cable 310 is normally seated in the receiving groove 410 (S500). Such normal seating may be detected by a sensing member disposed in the receiving grooves 410, and the sensing information may be transmitted to the control unit so that the user may determine whether the cable 310 is normally seated.

If an abnormality occurs while the cable 310 is seated in the receiving groove 410, the controller transmits an abnormal signal to the user through an acoustic notification signal or a visual display signal (S600). However, the type of the abnormal signal is not limited thereto, and it is apparent that more various embodiments are possible.

As such, the control unit transmits the abnormal signal to the user, so that the user can continuously check whether there are no twists or entanglements between the cables, and thus the use reliability of the X-ray imaging apparatus can be greatly improved.

The above description of the present application is intended for illustration, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be easily modified in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the present application. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are exemplary in all respects and not restrictive. For example, each component described as a single type may be implemented in a distributed manner, and similarly, components described as distributed may be implemented in a combined form.

The scope of the present application is indicated by the following claims rather than the above description, and it should be construed that all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents are included in the scope of the present application.

100: X-ray imaging apparatus
200: gantry
210: first arm
211: X-ray emission source
220: second arm
221 X-ray sensor
230: support
300: fixed part
310: cable
400: rotation drive unit
500: Subject

Claims (12)

A cable 310 which transmits an electrical signal to perform X-ray imaging of the subject 500;
A fixing part 300 in which a movement path of the cable 310 is formed such that the cable 310 is connected to photographing members for inspecting the object 500; And
It includes a rotation drive unit 400 rotatably installed in the lower portion of the fixing portion 300 and guides the cable 310 passed through the fixing portion 300 to the photographing member. and,
The rotary drive unit 400 is formed with a receiving groove 410 which is a seating space of the cable 310 so that the cable 310 can be arranged in a state aligned with the rotation axis of the rotary drive unit 400,
The receiving groove 410 is formed to have a concentric shape on the upper surface of the rotation drive unit 400, is formed in the number of columns corresponding to the number of the cable 310,
Between the receiving grooves 410 formed with a plurality of columns, the cables 310 seated in each of the plurality of receiving grooves 410 do not escape the receiving grooves 410 from the upper surface of the rotation driving unit 400 upwardly. Cable sorting device, characterized in that the partition member 420 is formed to protrude.
delete delete The method of claim 1,
The partition member 420 is respectively disposed on the outer side of the receiving groove disposed on the outermost side with respect to the rotation axis of the rotation driving unit 400 and on the inner side of the receiving groove disposed on the innermost side with respect to the rotation axis of the rotation driving unit 400. Cable alignment device, characterized in that further installed.
The method of claim 1,
A protruding pillar 305 extending downward is formed at the center of the lower surface of the fixing part 300, and a recessed area 405 into which the protruding pillar 305 is inserted is formed at the center of the upper surface of the rotation driving unit 400. Cable alignment device characterized in that formed.
The method of claim 5,
Cable recessing device, characterized in that the bearing is installed in the recessed area (405) so that the rotation of the rotation drive unit 400 with respect to the fixing part (300).
The method of claim 1,
Cable receiving device, characterized in that the sensing member is installed in the receiving groove (410) to determine whether the cable 310 is normally seated in the receiving groove (410).
The method of claim 7, wherein
The sensing member is installed in each of the plurality of receiving grooves (410) cable alignment device, characterized in that to determine whether the cable 310 corresponding to the plurality of receiving grooves (410) is seated.
Cable alignment device (10) according to any one of claims 1 and 4 to 8;
An X-ray emission source 211 that generates X-rays and irradiates the object 500, and is disposed to face the X-ray emission source 211 with the test object 500 therebetween, and is disposed from the X-ray emission source 211. An X-ray sensor 221 for receiving the irradiated X-rays; And
X-ray imaging apparatus characterized in that it comprises a gantry 200, one side is coupled to the X-ray emission source 211, the other side is coupled to the X-ray sensor 221 and rotates around the subject 500 100.
The method of claim 9,
The receiving groove 410 is,
A first groove 411 for seating a cable connected to the X-ray emission source 211;
A second groove 412 on which a cable connected to the X-ray sensor 221 is seated; And
And a third groove (413) for seating a cable connected to a sensor driver for controlling movement of the X-ray sensor (221) with respect to the subject (500).
The rotation operation of the rotation drive unit 400 for providing a rotational force to the gantry 200 so that the gantry 200 rotates around the subject 500 according to the photographing start signal of the subject 500. ;
The cable 310 seated in the receiving groove (410) formed on the upper surface of the rotary driving unit 400 in accordance with the rotation of the rotary drive unit 400 is separated from the receiving groove (410);
Re-rotating the rotation driver 400 to move the gantry 200 to its original position when the photographing end signal of the subject 500 is detected;
Remounting the cable 310 in the receiving groove 410 according to the re-rotation of the rotation driving unit 400; And
And determining whether the cable (310) is properly seated in the receiving groove (410).
The method of claim 11,
When an abnormality occurs while the cable 310 is seated in the receiving groove 410, the controller is configured to transmit an abnormal signal to the user through an acoustic notification signal or a visual display signal. Imaging method using the X-ray imaging apparatus 100.

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