KR102123232B1 - Apparatus for detecting depth of water using samll SONAR - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus for measuring the depth of water using a small sonar. In particular, a small sonar for detection of underwater sound waves is mounted on a water vehicle which can be remotely controlled, such as a small boat, and is capable of measuring the depth of water or the topography of the water bottom in rivers, streams, lakes, and reservoirs.

Description

Apparatus for detecting depth of water using samll SONAR

The present invention relates to a depth measuring device using a small sonar, and more specifically, a small sonar (sonar) for underwater acoustic wave detection is mounted on a water vehicle that can be remotely controlled, such as a small boat, for rivers, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. It relates to a depth measuring apparatus using a small sonar that can measure the depth of the water or the bottom surface of the back.

Sonar (sonar, sound navigation and ranging), which is used for the detection and expression of aquatic or underwater objects in the military and civilian fields, is also used for underwater surface detection.

These sonars detect underwater targets by radiating sound waves into the water and interpreting the reflected waves reflected from the underwater objects and returning them. They are also used for depth measurement and detection of bottom surface topography.

For detection, the sonar includes an underwater acoustic sensor, a beam forming device, an acoustic signal processing device, and a target detection device, and acquires a seabed image using various sonars such as a side scan sonar, a sector scan sonar, and a synthetic aperture sonar. It is also done.

However, the conventional underwater sonar technology is mostly for exploring a deep seabed as described above, and the seabed is irradiated by projecting multiple sonar beams on the same seafloor while the hull of the exploration vessel moves in a straight line.

Accordingly, there is no small sonar device capable of measuring the depth of water or detecting the topography of the bottom surface in areas with relatively low water depth, such as rivers, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, so there is a need for a sonar device capable of simple and precise depth measurement.

Republic of Korea Registered Patent No. 10-1757915 Republic of Korea Registered Patent No. 10-1633644

The present invention is to solve the problems as described above, by mounting a small sonar (sonar) for underwater acoustic wave detection on a water vehicle that can be remotely controlled, such as a small boat, water, depth or water in rivers, rivers, lakes and reservoirs, etc. It is to provide a depth measuring device using a small sonar that can measure the topography of the bottom.

To this end, a depth measuring apparatus using a small sonar according to the present invention includes: a water moving object moving on the water surface by remote control; An active transducer fixedly installed on one side of the bottom of the water moving body and emitting an acoustic signal for detection toward an underwater floor; An echo receiver installed separately from the active transducer on the other side of the water moving body, and receiving an echo signal returned after the acoustic signal for detection is reflected from the underwater floor; An angle adjuster for adjusting the reception angle of the echo receiver by assembling the echo receiver so as to be rotatable at the bottom of the moving object; A speed measuring device for measuring the moving speed of the water moving object; A correction module for calculating an angle adjustment value of the echo receiver according to a positional change according to the movement of the water moving object and a Doppler effect of the echo signal calculated through the movement speed; A posture adjustment module that controls the reception angle of the echo receiver by driving the angle adjuster according to the angle adjustment value calculated by the correction module; And a depth calculation module configured to calculate a depth of water by analyzing the echo signal of the echo receiver in which the posture is corrected.

At this time, the water moving object is preferably a small boat whose travel speed and direction are controlled by a remote controller.

In addition, the active transducer is installed so as to face the direct direction from the bottom of the water moving body, the echo receiver is preferably installed inclined downward in the opposite direction to the traveling direction of the water moving body.

In addition, the speed meter is a speed sensor installed on the moving object to measure the moving speed of the moving object, and the correction module receives the measurement value transmitted from the speed sensor and calculates an angle adjustment value by the Doppler effect It is desirable to do.

In addition, the depth calculation module includes a timer for measuring the depth measurement time; A discontinuity detection unit detecting an event in which the reception angle of the echo receiver is adjusted; A measurement record storage unit for recording the depth measurement results of the first time point at which the event occurred, the second time point before the unit time set than the event occurrence time, and the third time point after the unit time set than the event occurrence time; And a depth calculation unit calculating an average value of the depth measurement values at the first to third time points recorded in the measurement record storage unit and replacing the average value with the measured depth value at the first time point. It is preferred.

In addition, it is preferable to reduce the shaking of the water moving body as a weight (weight) that extends toward the water and has a greater specific gravity than water is installed in each of the front, rear, left and right directions of the water moving body.

In addition, the weight is preferably made of a streamlined.

In addition, the weights in the front, rear, left, and right directions are provided to surround the outside of the echo receiver, and it is preferable that an auxiliary receiver for receiving the echo signal is installed in each weight.

In addition, the depth calculation module is a first measurement value calculated by analyzing the echo signal received from the echo receiver; And analyzing the echo signal received from the auxiliary receivers to calculate a second measurement value, which is an average of the depth measurement values, respectively, which is calculated, but it is preferable to determine the depth as the average value of the first measurement value and the second measurement value. Do.

In addition, it is preferable that a GPS transmission/reception module is installed on the above-mentioned moving object.

In addition, the location information recording module for receiving and recording in real time the absolute coordinates of the position of the moving object from the GPS transceiver module; It is preferable to further include a measurement path tracking module that receives an absolute position coordinate value from a time at which the depth measurement starts to a time at which the depth is measured and tracks the movement path of the moving object while measuring the water depth.

In addition, further comprising an automatic controller for automatically controlling the operation of the water moving object, the automatic controller refers to the movement path of the water moving object provided by the measurement path tracking module, the water moving object automatically along the moving path It is desirable to measure the depth of the same area multiple times by controlling the operation to be performed again.

The present invention as described above is equipped with a small sonar (sonar) for underwater sound wave detection on a water vehicle that can be remotely controlled, such as a small boat to measure the depth of the water surface or the bottom surface of rivers, rivers, lakes and reservoirs. Therefore, it is possible to perform simple and precise depth measurement in a narrow area with a low depth of water compared to the ocean.

1 is an embodiment showing a use state diagram of a depth measuring apparatus using a small sonar according to the present invention.
2 is a block diagram showing a depth measuring apparatus using a small sonar according to the present invention.
3 is a view showing the state of the echo receiver angle adjustment of the present invention.
4 is a configuration diagram showing the depth calculation module of the present invention.
Figure 5 is a bottom view of the water moving body showing the weight of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a depth measuring apparatus using a small sonar according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the depth measurement apparatus 100 using a small sonar according to the present invention is used to measure the depth of water (water of depth) in a region that is relatively low in depth and narrow compared to the ocean, such as rivers, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. .

Since the present invention is applied to a small sonar that guarantees mobility compared to a large sonar mounted on a ship to detect water depths or underwater floats in the ocean, it is applicable to offshore waters. In addition to the depth measurement, the topography of the bottom surface is also detected.

In particular, a small boat (such as 1100) is equipped with a small sonar for underwater sound detection on a water vehicle that can be remotely controlled, so it can measure the depth of the water or the surface of the water surface, enabling simple and precise depth measurement. do.

To this end, as shown in Figure 2, the water depth measuring device using a small sonar according to the present invention is a water moving object 110, an active transducer (120-T), an echo receiver (120-R), an angle adjuster 130, a speed meter 140, a correction module 150, a posture adjustment module 160 and a depth calculation module 170.

In addition, as another preferred embodiment of the present invention, weight (180, weight), auxiliary receiver 181, GPS transmission and reception module 190, location information recording module 191, measurement path tracking module 192 and automatic controller (193) ), and may further include a central processing unit (CPU) for generally processing these processes.

According to this configuration, by installing the active transducer (110-T) and the echo receiver (120-R) on a small water moving object 110, such as a small boat, the water moving object 110 transmits/receives sound waves and calculates the depth The depth and the like are measured by the echo signal received from the module 170.

In addition, the angle of the echo receiver 120-R is adjusted by the angle adjuster 130 during the movement of the water moving object 110, and the correction module 150 is configured to adjust the echo receiver according to the movement speed measured by the speed meter 140. The reception angle of (120-R) is automatically adjusted.

In addition, a weight 180 having a greater specific gravity than water is installed on the water moving body 110 to suppress the shaking of the water moving body 110 during measurement, and an auxiliary receiver 181 is installed on each weight 180 to install the eco receiver. Enable multiple reception with (120-R).

In addition, the absolute coordinates received from the GPS transmission/reception module 190 are recorded in the location information recording module 191, and the measurement path tracking module 192 tracks the moving path of the waterborne object 110 during depth measurement. Therefore, the automatic controller 193 enables re-measurement of the water depth at least twice along the same path to improve measurement accuracy.

More specifically, the floating object 110 is a floating object floating in rivers, rivers, lakes, and the like, and a small boat (RC boat) in which traveling of speed, direction, etc. is controlled by a remote controller (RC) possessed by an observer. ) Can be used.

The water moving body 110 includes a driving motor for driving the water moving body 110 to a hull capable of floating, a propeller rotating by the driving motor, a direction key for switching the direction of the water moving body 110, a transmitting and receiving antenna, and the like. It can contain.

Therefore, when the depth observer operates the remote controller to wirelessly transmit a control signal, the waterborne moving object 110 travels at a speed and direction according to the control signal. At this time, the depth measurement during stop or move is made by the configurations of the present invention described later.

The active transducer 120-T is fixedly installed on one side of the bottom of the water moving body 110 and emits (radiates) an acoustic signal toward the underwater floor. It radiates toward the bottom surface.

In the general case, the transducer is provided with one receiving unit for transmitting a sound wave signal for depth measurement and receiving an echo signal reflected back from the floor, but in the present invention, the echo receiver 120-R is separately separated for an optimal reception environment. To be equipped.

These transducers convert sound waves into electrical signals to measure the intensity, speed, etc. of the sound waves, and the transducers of the present invention emit sound wave signals for measurement, including signal generators, filters, amplifiers, beamforming devices and antennas. do.

In addition, the active transducer 120-T of the present invention can be applied to a variety of sonar devices such as side scan sonar, sector scan sonar, and composite aperture sonar, and the beam forming apparatus has multiple array antenna structures as well as a single antenna. Can also be applied.

The echo receiver 120-R receives the echo signal returned from the bottom of the water after being radiated (released) from the active transducer 120-T, and then returned to the depth calculation module 170 to be described later. It can be calculated.

The eco-receiver 120-R and the active transducer 120-T enable image capturing as well as measurement data (numerical data) according to the type of the sonar device, and continuous transmission/reception is possible to continuously measure the water depth. .

In particular, the echo receiver (120-R) of the present invention is independently installed to be separated from the active transducer (120-T) on the other side of the bottom of the water moving body 110, the acoustic signal for detection is reflected back from the underwater floor Receive an echo signal.

Specifically, the echo receiver (120-R) is installed so that the angle is adjusted separately from the active transducer (120-T) that is the transmitting side to optimally adjust the receiving angle during depth measurement by the angle adjuster 130 below , Antenna, filter and signal processor.

As shown in FIG. 3, the angle adjuster 130 adjusts the reception angle of the eco-receiver 120-R by assembling the above-described eco-receiver 120-R so as to be rotatable at the bottom of the water-moving body 110. , For example, one side is fixed to the water moving body 110, the other side is installed so that the echo receiver (120-R) can be rotated.

The reason why the echo receiver 120-R is installed to be rotatable is to improve the reception characteristics of the echo signal by allowing the tilt to be made by an angle calculated in the opposite direction with respect to the traveling direction of the small boat which is the water moving object 110. It is to let.

In particular, when the water moving object 110 is a small boat and the sonar installed therein is also small, when the receiving position changes as the water moving object 110 travels, it is difficult to receive the echo signal because the moving distance is larger than the reception range. Or, the distortion may be severe.

For this purpose, the angle adjuster 130 is preferably a mechanical adjustment device. The mechanical angle adjuster 130 includes an X/Y/Z axis driver, a gear assembly and an installation rod, and an echo receiver mounted on the installation rod ( 120-R) is rotated by the driver and gear assembly to adjust the receiving posture.

Therefore, while the active transducer 120-T is installed to face the direct direction from the bottom of the water moving body 110, the eco-receiver 120-R is installed to be inclined downward in the opposite direction to the traveling direction of the water moving body 110 In this state, the angle is also adjusted.

In particular, the angle adjuster 130 may apply an array antenna as an antenna of the eco-receiver 120-R, and may also apply an electronic method of adjusting the directivity through beam forming, but considering the angle adjustment limit of beam forming and the process processing time Therefore, preferably, the mechanical angle adjuster 130 is applied.

The speed meter 140 measures the moving speed of the water moving object 110, and the small boat (for example, the RC boat), which is the water moving object 110, measures the speed of the vehicle while driving according to the control signal of the remote controller RC of the measuring device. Measure. The measured driving speed information is provided to the correction module 150 below.

As a method of measuring the speed of the waterborne object 110 applicable to the present invention, a control signal for controlling the speed of the waterborne object 110 in a remote controller, that is, a method of analyzing a remote controller (RC) signal and a method using a GPS satellite signal And so on.

However, the speed meter 140 is preferably installed on the water moving body 110 itself is a speed sensor that directly measures the moving speed of the water moving body 110. This enables accurate speed measurement in real time without being affected by the communication environment.

That is, the speed information is acquired through direct sensor measurement even in a bad communication environment, such as a shaded area of communication. In particular, it enables accurate speed measurement even outside the city center such as rivers, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs.

The correction module 150 is for calculating the angle adjustment value of the echo receiver 120-R, and basically tilts the echo receiver 120-R that is installed inclined downward to face the active transducer 120-T. Adjust the angle.

To this end, the correction module 150 calculates the angle adjustment value of the echo receiver 120-R according to the Doppler effect of the echo signal calculated through the position change and the movement speed according to the movement of the water moving object 110. In addition, the angle adjuster 130 is controlled according to the calculated angle adjustment value.

The positional change of the water moving body 110 considered when adjusting the angle takes into account the moving distance of the water moving body 110 generated after emitting sound waves for detection as the water moving body 110 travels. On the other hand, the Doppler effect takes into account the frequency change according to the moving speed of the moving object 110.

Therefore, when the moving distance of the water moving body 110 is longer, the reception angle toward the opposite direction of the driving direction is increased based on the vertical direct direction. This is the same when considering the Doppler effect, and the Doppler effect may also be considered when calculating the depth.

However, when the traveling speed of the water moving body 110 is fast, the moving distance of the water moving body 110 increases and the Doppler effect also appears larger, so that the effects caused by these are applied simultaneously to increase the adjustment angle, and if necessary, overlap is applied. Can be excluded.

In addition, as described above, when the speed meter 140 is a speed sensor installed on the moving object 110, the correction module 150 receives the measurement value transmitted from the speed sensor and calculates the angle adjustment value by the Doppler effect. do.

In order to calculate the Doppler effect of the echo signal, the correction module 150 stores the velocity value of a known sound wave, and calculates the Doppler effect therefrom by measuring the movement speed of the waterborne moving object 110 as an observer.

The posture adjustment module 160 controls the reception angle of the echo receiver 120-R by driving the angle adjuster 130 according to the angle adjustment value calculated by the correction module 150.

To this end, the posture adjustment module 160 receives and reads the adjustment value from the above-described correction module 150 and converts it into a signal that can be processed by the mechanical angle adjuster 130. For example, it is converted into a current control signal of AC driving the driver.

The depth calculation module 170 analyzes the echo signal received from the echo receiver 120-R whose posture is corrected by the correction module 150 and the angle adjuster 130 as described above to determine the depth of water in the measurement area. Calculate

Algorithms or calculation methods that are applied when calculating the depth in the depth calculation module 170 may be applied to various known methods. In addition to numerical data values, it is also possible to convert a chart image to a chart image or an image of the underwater terrain.

In a preferred embodiment, the depth calculation module 170 includes a timer 171, a timer, a discontinuity detection unit 172, a measurement record storage unit 173, and a depth calculation unit 174, the echo receiver 120-R It is possible to correct the measured water depth while the receiving angle of is adjusted.

To this end, the above-described timer 171 measures the depth measurement time. Depth is measured every set unit time. As an example, the water depth is measured every 10 ms to 50 ms, and the timer 171 checks this unit time.

The discontinuity detection unit 172 detects an event in which the reception angle of the echo receiver 120-R is adjusted. That is, the correction module 150 detects that the reception angle is changed when the angle adjuster 130 is operated in response to a change in the moving speed or driving direction of the water moving body 110.

The measurement record storage unit 173 records the depth measurement results of the first time point at which the above event occurred, the second time point before the unit time set than the event occurrence time, and the third time point after the unit time set than the event occurrence time. .

The depth calculation unit 174 calculates an average value of the depth measurement values at the first to third time points recorded in the measurement record storage unit 173, and the average value is the measured depth value at the first time point. Replace.

Therefore, even when the depth measurement is continued by receiving the echo signal while the reception angle of the echo receiver 120-R is adjusted, the error in depth measurement between the time before and after the angle adjustment is corrected and an optimum value is provided. do.

On the other hand, the present invention further includes a weight (180, weight) to increase the load of the water moving body 110 in addition to the above technical configuration, each weight 180 has a greater specific gravity than water and the water moving body 110 Each of the front, rear, left and right directions is extended toward the water. Therefore, the water moving body 110 is suppressed from shaking on the water surface.

Four such weights 180 are installed in the front, rear, left, and right directions at the bottom of the water moving body 110, so that the water moving body 110 does not sink. In addition, it is desirable to prevent only the shaking without limiting excessive driving.

In this sense, the weight 180 is preferably made of a streamlined shape so as to reduce resistance by water while driving the water moving body 110. This prevents shaking while minimizing driving disturbance.

In addition, the weight 180 in the front-rear, left-right direction is installed to surround the outside of the echo receiver 120-R, and each weight 180 is provided with an auxiliary receiver 181 for receiving the echo signal. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the echo receiver 120 -R is received at the inner center surrounded by the weight 180 and includes five echo signal receivers.

Accordingly, the depth calculation module 170 analyzes the echo signal received from the echo receiver 120-R, and the depth calculated by analyzing the echo signal received from the auxiliary receivers 181. The second measurement value, which is the average of the measurement values, is calculated.

This enables precise depth measurement with the auxiliary receivers 181 even when the small sonar echo receiver 120-R cannot be received or the reception state is unstable or inaccurate.

Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable that a GPS transmission/reception module 190 is installed on the floating mobile body 110. The GPS (Global Positioning System) receives signals from satellites and provides absolute coordinates of the current position of the waterborne vehicle 110, that is, the depth measurement position.

At this time, the present invention further includes a location information recording module 191, a measurement path tracking module 192, and an automatic controller 193, wherein the location information recording module is provided from the GPS transmission/reception module 190 to the waterborne moving object 110. Record the absolute position coordinate values in real time.

In order to record the absolute position coordinate values of the water moving object 110, the location information recording module 191 may be implemented as a memory mounted on the water moving object 110 itself, or may be implemented in a mobile database (DB) installed by a measuring person on the ground. Can.

The measurement path tracking module 192 receives the absolute position coordinate values from the time at which the depth measurement starts to the time at which it ends, and tracks the movement path of the moving object 110 while measuring the water depth. The path represents a movement path by lines or points.

The automatic controller 193 is to automatically control the operation of the water moving object 110. For example, the small RC boat, the water moving object 110 includes a driving motor, a propeller, a direction key, and a transmitting/receiving antenna. The moving body 110 is controlled.

In particular, the automatic controller 193 refers to the movement path of the water moving object 110 provided by the measurement path tracking module 192 described above, and controls the water moving object 110 to automatically re-operate along the movement path. Therefore, the measurement precision and reliability are improved by repeatedly measuring the depth of the same zone under the same conditions.

In the above, specific examples of the present invention have been described above. However, the spirit and scope of the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. If you grow up, you will understand.

Therefore, the above-described embodiments are provided to fully inform the person of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains, the scope of the invention, and should be understood as illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The invention is only defined by the scope of the claims.

110: floating vehicle (small RC boat)
120-T: Active transducer
120-R: Eco receiver
130: angle adjuster
140: speed meter
150: correction module
160: posture adjustment module
170: depth calculation module
180: weight
181: auxiliary receiver (181)
190: GPS transceiver module
191: Location information recording module
192: Measurement path tracking module
193 Automatic controller

Claims (12)

A water moving object 110 moving on the water surface by remote control;
An active transducer 120-T which is fixedly installed on one side of the bottom of the water moving body 110 and emits a sound signal for detection toward the underwater floor;
An echo receiver (120) that is installed separately from the active transducer (120-T) on the other side of the water moving body (110) and receives the echo signal returned after the acoustic signal for detection is reflected from the underwater floor (120) -R) and;
An angle adjuster (130) for adjusting the receiving angle of the echo receiver (120-R) by assembling the echo receiver (120-R) rotatably at the bottom of the water moving body (110);
A speed meter 140 for measuring the moving speed of the water moving body 110;
A correction module (150) for calculating an angle adjustment value of the echo receiver (120-R) according to the Doppler effect of the echo signal calculated through the position change and the movement speed of the water moving body (110);
A posture adjustment module 160 that drives the angle adjuster 130 to adjust the reception angle of the echo receiver 120-R according to the angle adjustment value calculated by the correction module 150; And
Depth calculation module for calculating the depth of the water by analyzing the echo signal of the posture corrected echo receiver 120-R (170); depth measuring apparatus using a small sonar, characterized in that it comprises a. According to claim 1,
The water moving object (110) is a small boat using a small sonar, characterized in that the small boat with the driving speed and direction controlled by a remote controller. According to claim 1,
The active transducer (120-T) is installed to face the direct direction from the bottom of the water moving body 110,
The echo receiver (120-R) is a water depth measuring device using a small sonar, characterized in that installed in an inclined downward in the opposite direction of the traveling direction of the water moving body (110). According to claim 1,
The speed meter 140 is a speed sensor installed on the water moving body 110 to measure the moving speed of the water moving body 110,
The correction module 150 receives a measurement value transmitted from the speed sensor and calculates an angle adjustment value by the Doppler effect. According to claim 1,
The depth calculation module 170,
A timer for measuring the depth measurement time (171, timer);
A discontinuity detection unit 172 which detects an event in which the reception angle of the echo receiver 120-R is adjusted;
Depth measurement results of the first time point at which the event occurred, the second time point before the unit time set than the first time point at which the event occurred, and the third time point after the unit time set than the first time point at which the event occurred are recorded respectively. Measurement record storage unit 173; And
A depth calculation unit (174) that calculates an average value of the depth measurement values at the first to third time points recorded in the measurement record storage unit 173, and replaces the average value with the measured depth value at the first time point. ); depth measuring apparatus using a small sonar, characterized in that it comprises a. According to claim 1,
A small sonar, which is characterized in that it reduces the shaking of the water moving body 110 as weights (180, weight) having a greater specific gravity than water are installed in each of the front, rear, left and right directions of the water moving body 110. Depth measuring device used. The method of claim 6,
The weight 180 is a depth measurement apparatus using a small sonar, characterized in that made of a streamline. The method of claim 6,
The weights 180 in each of the front, rear, left and right directions are installed to surround the outside of the echo receiver 120-R, and each weight 180 is provided with an auxiliary receiver 181 for receiving the echo signal. Depth measuring device using small sonar. The method of claim 8,
The depth calculation module 170,
A first measurement value calculated by analyzing an echo signal received from the echo receiver (120-R); And
Calculating the echo signal received from the auxiliary receiver 181, a second measurement value that is the average of the depth measurement values respectively calculated to calculate,
A depth measurement apparatus using a small sonar, characterized in that the depth is determined by the average value of the first measurement value and the second measurement value. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
Depth measuring device using a small sonar, characterized in that the GPS transmitting and receiving module 190 is installed on the water moving object (110). The method of claim 10,
A location information recording module 191 that receives and records in real time the absolute position coordinate values of the waterborne moving object 110 from the GPS transmission/reception module 190; And
Further comprising; a measurement path tracking module 192 that tracks the movement path of the waterborne moving object 110 while receiving the absolute position coordinate value from the time at which the depth measurement was started to the time at which the depth was measured is measured. Depth measuring device using a compact sonar. The method of claim 11,
Further comprising an automatic controller 193 for automatically controlling the operation of the water moving object 110,
The automatic controller 193 refers to the moving path of the water moving object 110 provided by the measurement path tracking module 192, and controls the water moving object 110 to automatically re-operate along the moving path. Depth measuring device using a small sonar, characterized in that the depth of the zone is measured multiple times.

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