KR102292561B1 - Calibration Device and Calibration System including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The calibration apparatus of the present invention may include a touch panel, a tilt measuring sensor, and a cable. The touch panel is provided to have a specified size and width, the inclination measuring sensor is disposed at the rear center of the touch panel, the cable is electrically connected to the touch panel and the inclination measuring sensor, and then another electronic device such as a terminal It is provided to be connected to the device. In particular, at least one of the touch panel and the inclination measuring sensor may be placed on a moving means adjacent to which a robot device is disposed, and may be used to measure the inclination of the moving means.

Description

Calibration Device and Calibration System including the same

The present invention relates to calibration, and more particularly, to a calibration apparatus that supports to correct, measure, and correct the inclination of a conveyor belt, and a calibration system including the same.

In general, in the case of a robot that detects a current position of itself (robot) using a camera and drives and performs a task using the position information, obtaining position information is very important. In this regard, as a method for obtaining position information of a robot, an artificial marking method having a position recognition mark installed in a place that can be imaged with a camera and a natural marking method using a certain shape of the ceiling as a mark are used, and the like are used. have.

These, conventional methods are used as a method of setting parameters according to the height of the ceiling. However, due to the relationship between the height of the ceiling and the camera lens, it can only be used at a limited height. In addition, if the height is set high, the image resolution for the height of the ceiling is lowered, and information that can be used effectively does not come out, which causes an error in the position data of the robot, which in turn causes malfunction of the robot.

Moreover, in the case of robot operation in a device such as a conveyor belt, measurement of the inclination of the conveyor belt acts as a very important part in robot operation. Calibration function was not provided. In other words, there is no conventional commercially available device for calibration between a vision camera and a robot, so a method in which an operator directly measures the distance and position of two objects (camera and robot) with a tape measure and calculates the relationship is used. There was a big problem with falling, time consuming.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2014-0011672 (2014.01.29.)

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to utilize a touch panel and a tilt measuring sensor (eg, 9-axis Gyro Sensor) as one of the methods of calibration between a vision camera and a robot in order for the robot to pick up and place an object in an industrial process environment. This enables the inspection through the measurement of the inclination of the ground (conveyor belt) of the object to be picked up and moved by the robot and the inclination measurement value is visualized and collected as data. An object of the present invention is to provide a calibration device capable of providing a function and a calibration system including the same.

The calibration apparatus according to the present invention may include a touch panel, a tilt measuring sensor, and a cable. The touch panel is provided to have a specified size and width, the inclination measuring sensor is disposed at the rear center of the touch panel, the cable is electrically connected to the touch panel and the inclination measuring sensor, and then another electronic device such as a terminal It is provided to be connected to the device. In particular, at least one of the touch panel and the inclination measuring sensor may be placed on a moving means adjacent to which a robot device is disposed, and may be used to measure the inclination of the moving means.

The calibration device may further include at least one of a case surrounding an edge of the touch panel and protecting the touch panel, and a cable cover arranged to surround at least a portion of a cable connected to the touch panel to protect the cable. have.

The calibration device may further include at least one protection member disposed on a rear surface of the touch panel to protect the touch panel, and at least a portion of the protection member may include an elastic member.

The tilt measuring sensor may include a 9-axis gyro sensor.

The calibration system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a moving unit for transferring a product, a robot device for holding a product placed on the moving unit or a robot device for moving the product, a calibration device for measuring the inclination of the moving unit, a terminal device connected to the calibration device, and a robot control server for controlling the robot device, wherein the calibration device includes a touch panel having a specified size and width, a tilt measuring sensor disposed at the rear center of the touch panel, and the a touch panel and a cable electrically connected to the inclination measuring sensor, wherein at least one of the touch panel and the inclination measuring sensor is placed on a moving means to which the robot device is applied, sensing in relation to measuring the inclination of the moving means It can be used to collect information.

At least a portion of the moving means may include a conveyor belt.

The terminal device may include a power supply unit, and the power supply unit may supply power necessary for driving the touch panel and the tilt measuring sensor.

The terminal device may include a display, and the display may display a measurement value of the inclination of the moving means based on the sensing information obtained by the calibration device.

The robot control server may receive the measurement value of the inclination of the moving means from the terminal device, and may control to correct the posture or position of the robot device according to the measurement value of the inclination.

The calibration system may further include a vision device for photographing the product and the calibration device, and providing the captured image to the robot control server.

According to the calibration apparatus and the calibration system including the same according to the present invention, the present invention can minimize the work time for a person (operator) to perform calibration, and it is not necessary to purchase / use expensive equipment for calibration, and the conveyor belt It can support the initial inspection of the tilt condition and make it available continuously for later maintenance.

In addition, the present invention can provide a background for robot Z-axis calibration research that can be applied to various environments by acquiring more accurate inclination measurement data, and can adjust the process conditions while watching a PC screen through a calibration program (Calibration set & visualization). By monitoring the inclination state of the conveyor belt, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of defective processes and to support optimal process conditions.

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a calibration system to which a calibration apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.
2 is a view showing an example of the appearance of a calibration apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a view for explaining an example of measuring the inclination of the calibration apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 shows an example of a reduced industrial process environment to which a calibration apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention can be applied.
6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a calibration screen interface of a control, logging, and monitor program for calibration according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen related to edge detection among a calibration screen interface according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen related to selection of a calibration item among a calibration screen interface according to an embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen related to execution of a calibration function among a calibration screen interface according to an embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen related to a data transmission function among a calibration screen interface according to an embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a view showing examples of various environments to which a calibration apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

It should be noted that, in the following description, only parts necessary for understanding the embodiments of the present invention are described, and descriptions of other parts will be omitted so as not to obscure the gist of the present invention.

The terms or words used in the present specification and claims described below should not be construed as being limited to their ordinary or dictionary meanings, and the inventors have appropriate concepts of terms in order to best describe their inventions. It should be interpreted as meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea of the present invention based on the principle that it can be defined in Accordingly, the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and do not represent all of the technical spirit of the present invention, so various equivalents that can be substituted for them at the time of the present application It should be understood that there may be variations and variations.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The present invention, described below, is a method of calibration between an initial camera and a robot for tasks such as when a robot picks up an object in an industrial process environment, for example, food and beverage production, assembly, logistics, etc., assembling, packaging, etc. , based on information such as the first vision area camera, robot arrangement, conveyor belt arrangement, and the size of the work object, find a correlation between the vision camera's image coordinate system and the robot drive coordinate system and map each other's coordinate system to provide a more accurate location determination method can do.

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a calibration system to which a calibration apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

Referring to FIG. 1 , a calibration system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a moving means 11 , a calibration device 100 , a terminal device 200 , a vision device 310 , a robot device 400 , and a robot. It may include a control server 320 (or robot controller). In the above-described configuration of the calibration system 10 , the vision device 310 may be omitted.

The moving means 11 may be, for example, a conveyor belt. The moving means 11 may include a belt having a predetermined width and length, and a driving unit for rotating the belt. When a product is placed on the moving means 11 , the moving means 11 may move the product to a designated place. In the embodiment of the present invention, the moving means 11 is illustrated and described as a conveyor belt, but the moving means 11 of the calibration system 10 of the present invention is not limited to the conveyor belt. The moving means 11 may be, for example, one type of various means used to move a plurality of products from the first point to the second point. The calibration system 10 of the present invention measures the inclination of the moving means 11 to support the classification processing of the robot device 400 for the product more accurately.

After being placed on the moving means 11 , the calibration device 100 may collect sensing information related to the slope calculation by the power provided by the terminal device 200 . The calibration apparatus 100 may transmit the acquired sensing information to the terminal apparatus 200 . The calibration apparatus 100 may have a size that can be moved by an administrator, and may have a length of one side similar to the length of the width of the moving means 11 . On the other hand, the size of the calibration apparatus 100 may have a length of one side longer than the length of the width of the moving means (11). The calibration apparatus 100 may be provided in various shapes such as a rectangle, a square, a circle, or an oval.

The terminal device 200 may be electrically connected to the calibration device 100 . The terminal device 200 may supply power required to operate the calibration device 100 . The terminal device 200 may receive sensing information from the calibration device 100 and measure a slope of the calibration device 100 based on the received sensing information. The terminal device 200 may output the measured information through a display. Alternatively, the terminal device 200 may transmit the measured information to the robot control server 320 through a communication interface.

The vision device 310 may photograph an image of the calibration device 100 placed on the moving means 11 , and transmit the captured image to the robot control server 320 . In this regard, the vision device 310 may include at least one camera 311 . As another embodiment, the vision device 310 captures an image of the calibration device 100 placed on the moving means 11 at various locations, and based on the captured various images, the location and other information of the calibration device 100 . Posture information can be detected.

The robot device 400 may pick up a product placed on the moving means 11 and move it to a designated place, or may pick up a product at a designated place and place it on the moving means 11 . This robot device 400 may be provided to be movable in at least the Z-axis (upper side of the moving means 11). Alternatively, the robot device 400 may include a plurality of joints, and may be provided to rotate or move at various angles and axes. When the robot device 400 grips or moves the product placed on the moving means 11 by the robot control server 320 , the position or posture may be corrected. For example, the robot apparatus 400 may correct an angle of entry or a gripping angle in the product gripping process according to the inclination value calculated by the calibration apparatus 100 .

The robot control server 320 may establish a communication channel with the terminal device 200 , the vision device 310 , and the robot device 400 . The robot control server 320 may receive tilt information of the calibration device 100 from the terminal device 200 . The robot control server 320 may process the posture or position correction of the robot device 400 based on the tilt information of the calibration device 100 . The robot control server 320 receives the position information of the calibration device 100 from the vision device 310 and, based on the position information, can more precisely calibrate the posture and position of the robot device 400 . can

2 is a view showing an example of the appearance of a calibration apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. For example, FIG. 2 is a view showing an example of a front exterior and a side exterior of a calibration device.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the calibration apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a touch panel 110 , a case 120 , a tilt measuring sensor 150 , a cable 130 , a cable cover 140 , and a protection member. (160).

The touch panel 110 may collect location information according to a contact of an external object or a manager's finger or an electronic pen, and transmit touch sensing information corresponding to the collected location information to the terminal device 200 . The touch panel 110 has a predetermined size and may collect touch sensing information corresponding to a touch input generated from the front side. The touch panel 110 may be provided in a rectangular or square shape, for example. As another example, the touch panel 110 may be formed in a polygonal shape or an oval shape. A rear surface of the touch panel 110 does not support a touch function, and a tilt measuring sensor 150 and at least one protection member 160 may be disposed on the rear surface of the touch panel 110 . The size of the touch panel 110 may be variously changed according to the size and shape of the moving means 11, which is a tilt measurement target. For example, the touch panel 110 may have a size of 10 inches or 15 inches. Alternatively, the touch panel 110 may be provided in a size smaller than 10 inches or may have a size greater than 10 inches.

The case 120 may be provided to surround at least an edge of the touch panel 110 . The case 120 may prevent damage to the edge of the touch panel 110 . The case 120 may be, for example, at least partially made of a metal material.

The inclination measuring sensor 150 may be disposed on the rear surface of the center of the touch panel 110 . The tilt measuring sensor 150 may sense the tilt angle of the touch panel 110 and transmit tilt sensing information to the terminal device 200 . The tilt measuring sensor 150 may include, for example, a 9-axis gyro sensor.

The cable 130 may be electrically connected to the inclination measuring sensor 150 and the touch panel 110 . The cable 130 may supply power related to the operation of the inclination measuring sensor 150 and power related to the operation of the touch panel 110 . In this regard, the cable 130 may be connected to the terminal device 200 , and may transmit power supplied from the terminal device 200 to the inclination measuring sensor 150 and the touch panel 110 . In addition, the cable 130 receives a turn-on or turn-off control signal of the inclination measuring sensor 150 and a turn-on or turn-off control signal of the touch panel 110 from the terminal device 200 . Thus, it can be transmitted to the tilt measuring sensor 150 and the touch panel 110 . The cable 130 may transmit the tilt sensing information of the tilt measuring sensor 150 to the terminal device 200 , and may transmit touch sensing information of the touch panel 110 to the terminal device 200 .

The cable cover 140 may be disposed to cover a portion where the cable 130 and the touch panel 110 are connected. The cable cover 140 may protect a connection portion between the cable 130 and the touch panel 110 .

At least one protective member 160 may be disposed on the rear surface of the touch panel 110 . Alternatively, the protection member 160 is disposed on the rear side of the touch panel 110 , and may be disposed symmetrically on the edge of the touch panel 110 . For example, the protection member 160 may be disposed on each corner portion of the touch panel 110 , a center portion of the touch panel 110 , or a portion recognized by the inclination sensor 150 . The protection member 160 may prevent damage that may occur as a portion of the touch panel 110 is bent or pressed as an externally applied pressure touches the touch panel 110 . In this regard, at least a portion of the protection member 160 may include an elastic member capable of exerting an elastic force. Alternatively, the protection member 160 may be made of various materials such as Styrofoam, soft plastic, or leather.

3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the terminal device 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an input unit 210 , a communication interface 220 , a memory 230 , a display 240 , a power supply unit 260 , and a processor 250 . may include

The input unit 210 may be configured to process a user input of the terminal device 200 . For example, the input unit 210 may include at least one of a keypad or keyboard, a mouse, a touch screen, and a voice input device. The input unit 210 generates various control signals related to control of the calibration apparatus 100 according to a user input, and transmits the generated control signals to the communication interface 220 in order to transmit the generated control signals to the calibration apparatus 100 . have. For example, the input unit 210 generates a control signal for turning on or off the touch panel 110 and the inclination measuring sensor 150 of the calibration apparatus 100 according to a user input, This may be transmitted to the communication interface 220 . Also, the input unit 210 may receive various user inputs related to a calibration screen interface control, which will be described later, and transmit the corresponding input signals to the processor 250 .

The communication interface 220 may support a communication function of the terminal device 200 . The communication interface 220 includes a first communication module 221 for forming a communication channel with the calibration device 100 , and a second communication module 222 for forming a communication channel with the robot control server 320 . can do. The first communication module 221 may include, for example, a USB communication circuit or a UART communication circuit capable of communicating with the calibration device 100 . The second communication module 222 may include a wireless or wired communication interface.

The memory 230 may store at least one program or an operating system related to the operation of the terminal device 200 . For example, the memory 230 may store calibration information related to the operation of the calibration apparatus 100 . The calibration information may include, for example, a touch panel operation program or a tilt measurement sensor operation program. In addition, the calibration information may include touch sensing information and inclination sensing information obtained according to the operation of the touch panel 110 and the inclination measuring sensor 150 .

The display 240 may output a screen corresponding to various data stored in the memory 230 . For example, when the calibration apparatus 100 is connected, the display 240 may output a screen instructing connection to the calibration apparatus 100 . Also, the display 240 may output a calibration screen interface for controlling the calibration apparatus 100 . The display 240 may output a screen corresponding to the inclination value of the calibration apparatus 100 .

The power supply unit 260 may supply power required to operate the terminal device 200 . The power supply unit 260 may include, for example, at least one of a semi-permanent power supply and a battery. The power supply unit 260 may supply power related to the operation of the calibration apparatus 100 to the calibration apparatus 100 when the calibration apparatus 100 is connected. For example, the power supply unit 260 may supply power for operating the touch panel 110 or power for operating the tilt measuring sensor 150 to the calibration device 100 through the cable 130 . .

The processor 250 may process at least one command related to the operation of the terminal device 200 and control program operation related to the operation of the calibration device 100 . For example, when the calibration device 100 is connected through the communication interface 220 , the processor 250 supplies power to the calibration device 100 and performs initialization of the calibration device 100 . can The processor 250 transmits a turn-on and initialization request signal of the calibration device 100 to the SYIC calibration device 100 in response to a user input, and after the initialization of the calibration device 100 is completed, the calibration device ( 100) may receive sensing information. For example, the processor 250 may receive touch sensing information from the touch panel 110 . The processor 250 may determine a range of a gradient to be measured or a gradient to be applied based on the touch sensing information. Alternatively, the processor 250 may determine the size of the touch panel 110 based on the touch sensing information. The processor 250 may calculate the inclination of the calibration apparatus 100 based on the information received from the inclination measuring sensor 150 . The processor 250 may transmit the size value and the inclination value of the touch panel 110 to the robot control server 320 .

4 is a view for explaining an example of measuring the inclination of the calibration apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In FIG. 4 , the purpose of the experiment is to determine how much error the inclination value of the calibration apparatus 100 has when compared with the actual protractor (reliability). And this is to check whether there is any problem in the calibration device program in data collection and modeling screen provision. As a result, as shown, AVG (=Mean) value was obtained by obtaining MAX and MIN of the slope logging data, and it was confirmed that it is the same as the angle measured with an actual protractor. As shown in the drawing, as a result of measuring both the x-axis inclination and the x-axis and y-axis inclination, it can be seen that the results are the same as the results measured with an actual protractor.

5 shows an example of a reduced industrial process environment to which a calibration apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention can be applied.

Referring to FIG. 5 , a picture of a calibration between the initial vision device 310 and the robot is shown in a PickUp&Place industrial process reduction environment. The size of the calibration device 100 is determined by placing the calibration device 100 on the moving means 11 and photographing each corner portion of the calibration device 100 using the vision device 310, and the calibration device ( 100) may provide the measured inclination value to the robot control server 320 . In this case, the vision device 310 may transmit the acquired image information to the robot control server 320 . Alternatively, the vision device 310 may provide the acquired image information to the terminal device 200 . The vision device 310 may also obtain distance information with respect to the upper surface of the calibration device 100 when capturing an image of the calibration device 100 , and provide it to the robot control server 320 .

The calibration apparatus 100 has the structure described in FIG. 2 and the like, and may be arranged on the moving means 11 . The calibration apparatus 100 is placed on the moving unit 11 , and the manager touches at least one point of the touch panel 110 to calculate the size corresponding to the moving unit 11 , touch sensing information may be provided to the terminal device 200 . When the measurement of the inclination of the moving unit 11 is completed, the calibration apparatus 100 may be removed from the moving unit 11 .

6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a calibration screen interface of a control, logging, and monitor program for calibration according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6 , the calibration screen interface may include an edge detection item 610 , a calibration item 620 , a data transmission item 630 , and a confirmation item 640 . The edge detection item 610 is an item for executing an object detection function, and may be used to retrieve a photographed image of a vision camera and detect an object to obtain location information. The calibration item 620 may provide functions such as a slope measurement value through the calibration apparatus 100 , data output of the calibration apparatus, visualization, and calculation. The data transmission item 630 may be used to instruct to transmit the calibration final result value to the robot control server 320 after a calibration operation and calculation are completed. The confirmation item 640 may be used to confirm selection of the edge detection item 610 , the calibration item 620 , and the data transmission item 630 .

7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen related to edge detection among a calibration screen interface according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7 , according to the selection of the edge detection item 610 in FIG. 6 , the terminal device 200 acquires the calibration device 100 acquired by the camera 311 of the vision device 310 and an image of a target to be detected. , and after edge detection, the result can be output to the screen. In this regard, the user may store the detected result image and text log data in a desired location by manipulating the terminal device 200 .

8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen related to selection of a calibration item among a calibration screen interface according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8 , according to the selection of the calibration item 620 described in FIG. 6 , the terminal device 200 may output the illustrated screen interface to the display 240 . If necessary, the user may select a separate menu for measuring the inclination of the moving means 11 (eg, a conveyor belt). The screen interface according to the selection of the calibration item 620 can output the repeat precision measurement and log data of the robot device 400, and support to store the detected result image and text log data at a desired location according to the user's need do.

9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen related to execution of a calibration function among a calibration screen interface according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 9 , when execution of the inclination measurement program related to the operation of the calibration apparatus 100 is requested, the terminal device 200 may execute the inclination measurement program and output an execution screen as shown. In the drawing, "a" is an area showing the state connected to the calibration device, "b" is an area showing X and Y-axis sensor measurement values and graphs, and "c" is real-time X, Y-axis values It is an area showing a 3D model view according to , and the "d" area is an area related to sensor data log output and storage.

10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen related to a data transmission function among a calibration screen interface according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 10 , when selecting the data transmission item 630 described in FIG. 6 , the terminal device 200 may output a screen related to data transmission as illustrated. In relation to data transmission, the terminal device 200 supports to read the calibration result data or blow it into a file and transmit it to the robot control server 320 . In addition, in order for the robot control server 320 to transmit a packet corresponding to the TCP communication and packet structure, the terminal device 200 may provide a specific button supporting packet conversion.

11 is a view showing examples of various environments to which a calibration apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

As shown in FIG. 11, when configuring the initial process environment, when setting a state in which the moving means 11 (eg, a conveyor belt) is inclined, or when the moving means 11 is leveled, the calibration device of the present invention (100) can be used to check and store the slope value measurement and data logging (collection) in real time. The calibration apparatus 100 of the present invention is a Precedent Reference for Z-axis calibration of the robot apparatus 400 under the condition that the inclination of the moving means 11 is fixed (set) in the environment as shown. It can be viewed as Research.

On the other hand, the embodiments disclosed in this drawing are only presented as specific examples to help understanding, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains that other modifications based on the technical spirit of the present invention can be implemented in addition to the embodiments disclosed herein.

10: Calibration system
11: means of transportation
100: calibration device
110: touch panel
120: case
130: cable
140: cable cover
150: tilt measurement sensor
160: protection member
200: terminal device
210: input unit
220: communication interface
230: memory
240: display
250: processor
260: power supply
310: vision device
320: robot control server
400: robot device

Claims (10)

delete delete delete delete moving means for transporting goods;
a robot device for holding a product placed on the moving means or for moving the product;
a calibration device for measuring the inclination of the moving means;
a terminal device connected to the calibration device; and
Including; a robot control server that controls the robot device.
The calibration device is
a touch panel having a specified size and width;
a tilt measuring sensor disposed in the center of the rear surface of the touch panel; and
and a cable electrically connected to the touch panel and the inclination sensor.
At least one of the touch panel and the inclination sensor
A calibration system, characterized in that it is placed on a moving means to which the robot device is applied, and is used to collect sensing information related to the inclination measurement of the moving means. 6. The method of claim 5,
At least a portion of the means of transport
A calibration system comprising a conveyor belt. 6. The method of claim 5,
the terminal device
including a power supply;
the power supply
Calibration system, characterized in that for supplying power required to drive the touch panel and the inclination sensor. 6. The method of claim 5,
the terminal device
including a display;
the display is
Calibration system, characterized in that displaying the measured value of the inclination of the moving means based on the sensing information obtained by the calibration device. 6. The method of claim 5,
The robot control server
A calibration system, characterized in that receiving the measured value of the inclination of the moving means from the terminal device, and controlling to correct the posture or position of the robot device according to the measured value of the inclination. 6. The method of claim 5,
The calibration system further comprising a; a vision device for photographing the product and the calibration device, and providing the captured image to the robot control server.

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