KR102421797B1 - Electronic water meter preventing water-stealing - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention discloses an electronic water meter capable of preventing water stealing. The electronic water meter includes: a housing unit which has an inlet formed on one side and an outlet formed on the other side; a casing unit which is installed inside the housing and has a plurality of through holes formed on the outer circumferential surface such that water flows therethrough; a flow measuring unit which has an impeller installed inside the casing unit to be able to rotate by a flow of the water passing through, and a rotary shaft, which is axially coupled to the center of the impeller and has a magnet attached to the top thereof; a plate member which covers the housing unit and has a protective cap protruding upwardly from the center to accommodate the magnet; a digital control unit which is coupled to cover the plate member and counts and displays a flow rate by receiving a signal from a sensor unit; and the sensor unit which is detachably connected to the central bottom of the digital control unit. The electronic water meter has a lower portion of an open container shape, a communication hole formed in the upper surface, and a shielding cap made of a magnetic material covering the outer surface of the protective cap to shield external magnetic fields transmitted from the side, such that the magnet is protected from the external magnetic fields. The digital control unit has a sensor mounting groove which protrudes downwardly from the bottom surface of the digital control unit to accommodate the sensor unit, and the sensor mounting groove is introduced through the communication hole and arranged to get in contact with the upper surface of the protective cap, such that the sensor unit is located to be lower than the upper surface of the shielding cap, thereby being protected from the external magnetic fields transmitted from the top.

Description

Electronic water meter preventing water-stealing

The present invention relates to an electronic water meter, and more particularly, to an electronic water meter capable of shielding a magnetic field applied from the outside.

In the past, water meters used a mechanical type that measured the flow of water mechanically and converted it into a meter scale. In such a mechanical meter, it is difficult to check the amount of meter reading in real time, as well as increase the cost for meter reading, since individual meter reading must be performed by the meter reading person.

In order to supplement this mechanical type, an electronic water meter has appeared and is widely used.

However, in the case of an electronic water meter, since it is the principle of detecting the rotation amount of the magnet and reading it, it is sensitive to the magnetic force generated from the outside and an error may occur in the measurement. In particular, it is also a problem to induce inaccurate weighing by using a strong magnet from the outside for the purpose of measuring.

To solve these problems, the following techniques have been proposed.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional electronic water meter.

This technology is a structure that can protect the sensor unit from external magnetic force using the shielding ring 500, the shielding ring extends below the rim of the upper surface portion 510 formed with the entry hole 515, the lower end is fitted It is composed of a peripheral portion 520 fitted into the groove 412 and has an approximately inverted cup shape.

However, in this case, the shielding ring shields the external magnetic field applied from the upper side of the digital measuring device 400 to protect the sensor 425, but the external magnetic field applied from the side of the meter body 100 cannot be shielded by the magnet. (220) has a problem inevitably being affected by an external magnetic field.

In addition, the sensor has a structure with a plurality of pins and is mounted by being inserted into a socket provided on the lower surface of the PCB board 430 . However, since the length of this socket is usually about 9 mm, the volume of the digital measurement unit increases as shown because the actual substrate and the sensor are spaced apart, and the sensor 425 is difficult to come close to the magnet 220, so it is difficult to detect the magnetic force. Accordingly, there is a problem in that the size of the shielding ring increases.

In addition, since it has a structure in which a support member 415 for support is formed on the lower surface of the digital measuring instrument, the structure of the digital measuring instrument is complicated and manufacturing cost is increased.

On the other hand, most water meters are made of brass material without magnetism. If used for a long time, rust occurs, shortening the lifespan, and harmful substances may be generated for hygiene.

So, recently, the water meter is manufactured from stainless steel, which is hygienic and semi-permanent because it does not rust. Because stainless steel has no magnetism and is excellent in strength, durability, pressure resistance, lifespan and recycling, all existing water meters are being replaced with stainless steel meters.

However, stainless steel has a problem in that magnetism is generated during processing. Although heat treatment is performed to eliminate this, fine magnetism may remain, which may cause an error during actual measurement. In addition, the removed magnetism may reappear when used for a long time.

In particular, when the diaphragm or supporting member inside the meter is made of stainless steel, a protrusion in the center accommodates the magnet, and when the sensor detects the rotation of the magnet, the protrusion made of stainless steel may affect it. If the flow rate is small, a small magnetic force may affect the permanent magnet or sensor, so if the meter is made of stainless steel, this problem must be solved.

Since the above-described shielding structure is a structure for shielding magnetic force generated from the outside, a new structure is required so that the magnetic force generated by the stainless steel meter itself does not affect the sensor.

Republic of Korea Patent Registration 10-1167960 (July 17, 2012) "Magnetic shielding water meter to prevent manipulation" Republic of Korea Patent Registration 10-2078346 (2020.2.11.) "Electronic water meter" Republic of Korea Patent No. 10-2242456 (April 14, 2022) "Electric water meter for freeze protection"

Accordingly, the present invention has been developed to solve the above-described problems in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to prevent the use of an electronic water supply equipped with a shielding cap that can shield the sensor and the magnet from the external magnetic field transmitted from the side and top of the meter. to provide a meter.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a water-prevention electronic water meter having a structure capable of supporting a digital control unit while a shielding cap shields a magnetic field without a separate support part while a sensor and a magnet are close to each other.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an electronic water meter capable of preventing the water from accurately measuring the flow rate by having a structure that can minimize the effect of the fine magnetic force generated by the water meter made of stainless steel on the magnet and the sensor.

An electronic water meter capable of preventing water use according to the present invention for achieving the above object includes a housing part having an inlet on one side and an outlet on the other side, and is seated inside the housing part and the running water passes through the outer circumferential surface. A flow rate consisting of a casing part having a plurality of through holes, an impeller rotatably installed inside the casing part and rotating by the flow of flowing water passing through, and a rotation shaft axially coupled to the center of the impeller and attached to the upper end of the magnet. A measuring part, a diaphragm member covering the housing part and having a cap-shaped protective cap protruding upward to accommodate the magnet in the center, coupled to cover the diaphragm member and receiving a signal from the sensor part to count and display the flow rate In the electronic water meter comprising a digital control unit and a sensor unit detachably connected to the lower center of the digital control unit, the lower part is in an open container shape, a communication hole is formed in the upper surface, and a magnetic shielding cap is formed of the protective cap. The magnet is protected from the external magnetic field by covering the outside and shielding the external magnetic field transmitted from the side, and a sensor mounting groove protruding downward to accommodate the sensor unit is formed on the bottom surface of the digital control unit, and the sensor mounting groove is connected to the communication It is introduced through the hole and is disposed to contact the upper surface of the protective cap, so that the sensor unit is positioned lower than the upper surface of the shielding cap, so that it can be protected from an external magnetic field transmitted from the upper side.

At this time, the bottom of the digital control unit may be formed with a cap insertion groove that protrudes upwardly around the sensor mounting groove and into which a part of the upper end of the shielding cap can be inserted.

And the lower end of the shielding cap is seated on the bottom of the diaphragm member.

Meanwhile, the diaphragm member may be made of a resin material.

Alternatively, the housing part and the diaphragm member are all made of a stainless steel material, and a resin cap made of a resin material having a circular cup shape is inserted into the inside of the protective cap in the reverse direction, and a cap hole is formed in the upper part of the protective cap. By exposing the resin cap, the magnetic field generated by the magnet can be transmitted to the sensor unit.

Here, an inclined stepped step is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the resin cap, and an inclined locking step is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the protective cap to correspond to the step.

According to the present invention described above, there are the following effects.

First, the outer peripheral surface of the shielding cap shields the external magnetic field transmitted from the lateral direction, and the upper end shields the external magnetic field transmitted from the upper direction, so the shielding effect is excellent. In particular, since the sensor mounting groove and the cap insertion groove are formed so that the position of the sensor unit is completely inserted into the shielding cap, the magnet and the sensor unit can be completely shielded from the external magnetic field.

Second, the shielding cap can also function as a support member that can support the digital control unit.

Third, a resin cap made of a non-magnetic material is inserted inside the protective cap to prevent the influence of a magnetic field that may remain in the stainless steel, so it is possible to minimize the flow measurement error.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional electronic water meter
2 is a cross-sectional view showing an electronic water meter capable of preventing water use according to an embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a cross-sectional view showing an electronic water meter capable of preventing water use according to another embodiment of the present invention;
Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional perspective view of the main part of the present invention shown in Figure 3;
5 is an exploded perspective view showing the diaphragm member and the resin cap of the present invention shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, an embodiment according to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

For reference, the description with reference to the drawings is for easier understanding of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. And in describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known technology may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted.

2 is a cross-sectional view showing an electronic water meter capable of preventing water use according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention largely includes a housing unit 100, a casing unit 200, a flow rate measurement unit 300, a diaphragm member 400, a sensor unit 500, a digital control unit 600, and a shielding cap 800. can be configured.

First, in the housing part 100, an inlet 110 for inflow of water supply is formed on one side, and an outlet 120 for outflow of water supply is formed on the other side.

And an accommodating space is formed therein to accommodate the casing part 200 and the flow rate measuring part 300 .

In addition, the opening 130 is formed on the upper side of the housing part 100 , and a screw thread is formed along the edge of the opening 130 , so that it can be assembled by fastening it with the digital controller 600 .

In this case, the housing part 100 may be made of a metal material such as brass or stainless steel.

Next, the casing part 200 is provided inside the housing part 100 .

The casing part 200 is formed in a circular container and is seated on the bottom of the housing part 100 .

A plurality of through-holes 210 are formed in the outer circumferential surface of the casing part 200 , and the flowing water flowing into the inlet 110 of the housing part 100 flows into the inside of the casing part 200 through the through-holes 210 . It flows in and is discharged through the other through hole 210 while rotating the impeller 310 installed therein, and then flows out through the outlet 120 .

Here, the casing 200 may also be made of a non-magnetic metal material such as brass, copper, or aluminum, or may be made of a stainless steel material.

Next, the flow rate measurement unit 300 will be described.

The flow rate measurement unit 300 is installed inside the casing unit 200 to measure the flow rate of running water passing through the casing unit 200 .

The flow rate measuring unit 300 may include an impeller 310 , a rotating shaft 320 , and a magnet 330 .

The impeller 310 is rotatably provided at the center of the bottom of the casing part 200 to have a rotational speed in proportion to the flow rate introduced into the casing part 200 .

The impeller 310 may be rotated by hydraulic pressure because a plurality of blades are formed to rotate smoothly according to the flow rate.

Since the detailed structure of the impeller 310 is known, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

And the rotation shaft 320 is formed to protrude upward at the center of the impeller 310 .

In addition, the magnet 330 is coupled to the upper end of the rotation shaft 320 . The magnet may be a permanent magnet, and a plurality of magnets may be attached in a radially arranged state.

Therefore, since the magnet 330 rotates together with the rotation of the impeller 310, the rotation speed of the impeller 310 and the rotation speed of the magnet are the same.

Therefore, when the rotation speed of the magnet 330 is measured, it is the same as measuring the rotation speed of the impeller 310 , so that a flow rate proportional to the rotation speed can be measured.

Next, the diaphragm member 400 will be described.

The diaphragm member 400 covers the opening 130 of the housing part 100 to protect the flow rate measuring unit 300 while connecting the sensor unit 500 and the digital control unit 600 to the flow rate measuring unit 300 . It acts as a barrier separating the

To this end, the diaphragm member 400 may have a shape corresponding to the opening of the housing part 100, and may generally have a circular disk shape.

In addition, a step may be formed along the circumference of the diaphragm member 400 to be seated on the opening 130 or on the upper end of the casing unit 200 .

In addition, a central hole 410 is formed in the center of the diaphragm member 400 , and a cap-shaped protective cap 420 is formed to protrude upward in the central hole 410 .

Specifically, the protective cap 420 may have a substantially circular cup shape and may have a structure in which the upper end is blocked and the lower end is openly coupled upside down to protrude upward from the central hole 410 . In addition, the rotation shaft 320 is introduced into the protective cap 420 , and the magnet 330 is positioned adjacent to the upper end of the protective cap 420 .

Next, the sensor unit 500 and the digital control unit 600 will be described.

In the digital control unit 600 , a case 640 and a PCB 610 , a battery 620 , and a display 630 are sequentially arranged and embedded from the bottom of the control case 640 , and are electrically connected to each other.

Specifically, the control case 640 may have a cylindrical shape, and is coupled while covering the diaphragm member 400 .

In addition, the control case 640 may have a structure in which a sensor mounting groove 641 concave on the bottom surface is formed by protruding downward from the lower surface. The sensor unit 500 may be accommodated and installed in the sensor mounting groove 641 .

Preferably, the sensor mounting groove 641 is located close to the upper surface of the protective cap 420 to almost contact.

In addition, the cap insertion groove 642 may be formed on the lower surface of the control case 640 upwardly protruding from the bottom surface. An upper portion of the shielding cap 800 to be described later may be inserted into the cap insertion groove 642 .

At this time, the cap insertion groove 642 may be formed to surround the sensor mounting groove 641 in a circular shape to have a shape corresponding to the shielding cap 800 .

The PCB 610 is horizontally fixed and installed above the sensor mounting groove 641 and the cap insertion groove 642 .

Here, the PCB 610 may be fixed by bolting to the top of one or more fasteners 643 protruding from the outside of the cap insertion groove 642 . At this time, a socket 611 is provided in the center of the lower surface of the PCB 610 to detach the sensor unit 500 .

The display 630 is horizontally installed on the upper side of the PCB 610 at a predetermined interval.

A plurality of pins 631 having a predetermined length are formed at both ends of the display 630 , and the pins 631 are electrically connected to the PCB 610 .

At this time, a space is formed between the display 630 and the PCB 610, and the battery 620 is installed in the space.

Meanwhile, the sensor unit 500 may include a sensor substrate 510 and an MR sensor 520 electrically coupled to the sensor substrate 510 .

A plurality of pins are formed on the sensor substrate 510 to be electrically connected to the socket 611 by inserting it.

Importantly, as described above, since the socket 611 has a certain length, it protrudes downward from the PCB 610 , and since the sensor unit 500 is drawn into and accommodated in the sensor mounting groove 641 , the PCB The position of 610 may be lowered, and the sensor unit 500 may be closer to the magnet 330 .

Therefore, since the volume of the control case 640 can be made smaller than that of the related art, it is advantageous for miniaturization. In addition, since the sensor unit 500 has a structure closer to the magnet 330 , the rotation of the magnet 330 can be better detected.

And when the sensor unit 500 detects the number of rotations of the magnet 330 and is input to the PCB 610, the program calculates the number of rotations as a flow rate, and converts the flow rate to a digital value by AD conversion to the display 630 displayed in

Next, the shielding cap 800, which is a key technical matter of the present invention, will be described.

The shielding cap 800 is formed in the shape of a circular cylinder or a circular container with an open top and an open bottom, and is made of a magnetic material.

As the magnetic material, it is preferable to use a high permeability metal such as iron or an alloy consisting of two or more metals selected from iron, manganese, cobalt, and nickel.

High permeability metal is a functional material that prevents magnetic force from penetrating or releasing by absorbing or changing its path. do.

The shielding cap 800 is covered on the outside of the protective cap 420 to form a structure in which the protective cap 420 is accommodated. The magnet 330 accommodated is protected.

That is, the external magnetic field transmitted in the lateral direction does not pass through the shielding cap 800, but is formed only inside the magnetic material or is guided to another path along the surface, so that the internal magnetic field of the shielding cap 800 is weakened to obtain a shielding effect .

At this time, a communication hole 810 is formed through the center of the upper surface of the shielding cap 800 .

And since the sensor mounting groove 641 is penetrated and inserted into the communication hole 810 , the sensor unit 500 may be drawn into and accommodated in the shielding cap 800 to be close to the magnet 330 . .

In addition, the upper end of the shielding cap 800 , that is, the peripheral portion of the communication hole 810 is inserted into the cap insertion groove 642 and arranged as if it was drawn into the digital control unit 600 . Therefore, it is positioned higher than the sensor unit 500 .

Accordingly, since the sensor unit 500 is completely accommodated by the shielding cap 800 , it can be shielded from the external magnetic field transmitted from the side or upper side.

On the other hand, the shielding cap 800 also functions to support the digital control unit (600).

That is, in the prior art, a separate protruding support member was required on the lower surface of the control case of the digital control unit 600, but in the present invention, the shielding cap 800 supports the digital control unit 600 while shielding is performed. There are advantages to doing.

For reference, the width of the cap insertion groove 642 is formed to be substantially the same as the width of the upper end except for the communication hole 810 of the shielding cap 800, so that the upper end of the shielding cap 800 is the cap insertion groove ( 642), it is preferable to prevent the shielding cap 800 from swinging from side to side.

In addition, the lower end of the shielding cap 800 is preferably seated so as to be completely in close contact with the bottom of the diaphragm member 400 so as not to swing up and down.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5 . 3 is a cross-sectional view showing an electronic water meter capable of preventing water use according to another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional perspective view of the main part of the present invention shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is the present invention shown in FIG. It is an exploded perspective view showing the diaphragm member and the resin cap.

Another embodiment of the present invention, as shown, the housing unit 100, the casing unit 200, the flow rate measurement unit 300, the diaphragm member 400, the sensor unit 500, the digital control unit 600 and It may be configured to include a shielding cap (800).

The housing unit 100, the casing unit 200, the flow rate measurement unit 300, the sensor unit 500, the digital control unit 600, and the shielding cap 800 are substantially the same as in the above-described embodiment, so detailed descriptions are omitted. and only the diaphragm member 400 will be described.

The diaphragm member 400 may have a circular disk shape as described above, and has a structure in which the protective cap 420 protrudes upward in the center.

Here, a resin cap 430 made of a resin material may be further inserted into the protective cap 420 .

In the resin cap 430, in particular, when the diaphragm member 400 is made of a stainless steel material, the magnetic force remaining in the stainless steel affects the magnet 330 and the sensor unit 500, thereby causing an error in flow rate measurement. to prevent doing

In particular, when the flow rate is small, if the magnetic force remaining in the protective cap 420 affects the magnetic force transmitted from the magnet 330 to the sensor unit 500 , it is difficult to accurately measure the flow rate.

To prevent this, the resin cap 430 is inserted into the protective cap 420 and a cap hole 421 is formed in the upper surface of the protective cap 420 so that the resin cap 430 is inserted into the cap hole ( The cap hole 421 is blocked while being exposed through the 421 .

Accordingly, the magnetic force generated from the magnet 330 can be sensed by the sensor unit 500 by passing directly through it without being affected by the resin cap 430 made of a non-magnetic resin material blocking the cap hole 421 . .

Specifically, the resin cap 430 has a shape corresponding to the protective cap 420 and is made of a non-magnetic material such as resin. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and non-magnetic metals such as aluminum, copper, and brass are also possible.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, a stepped step 433 is continuously formed on the outer circumferential surface of the resin cap 430 in the circumferential direction. And on the inner circumferential surface of the protective cap 420, the step 433 and the corresponding locking protrusion 424 are continuously formed in the circumferential direction.

To this end, the upper portion of the resin cap 430 is formed of an outer diameter portion 431 having a relatively small outer diameter, and the lower portion is formed of an outer diameter portion 432 having a larger outer diameter than the outer diameter portion 431, and the outer diameter portion 431 is formed. ) and the outer diameter portion 432 is formed at the point where the step 433 is formed.

Similarly, the upper portion of the protective cap 420 is formed of a small inner diameter portion 422 having a relatively small inner diameter, and the lower portion is formed of a large inner diameter portion 423 having a larger inner diameter than the small inner diameter portion 422 , and the small inner diameter portion 422 . ) and the large inner diameter portion 423 is formed at a point where the locking jaw 424 is formed.

At this time, the step 433 and the locking step 424 may be formed to be in close contact with each other.

Accordingly, even if the water pressure is strong, the step 433 is caught on the locking step 424 and the resin cap 430 inserted into the protective cap 420 does not come off.

Preferably, an O-ring-shaped sealing member 440 is inserted between the resin cap 430 and the protective cap 420 . This is to prevent leakage between the protective cap 420 and the resin cap 430 .

In the present invention, in the case of FIG. 2 , a rotation pin 321 protruding upward is formed on the upper end of the rotation shaft 320 , and the rotation pin 321 is formed to protrude downward from the inner upper surface of the protective cap 420 . (426) can be inserted into the state. Of course, the inner diameter of the pin socket 426 may be determined so that the outer diameter of the rotation pin 321 is custom-inserted and rotatable.

In addition, in the case of FIG. 3 , a pin socket 434 is formed to protrude downwardly on the inner upper surface of the resin cap 430 , and the rotation pin 321 is inserted and rotated.

The structure that enables the rotation shaft 320 to rotate stably while maintaining the shaft center is not limited thereto and may be implemented in various ways.

Although a representative embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the drawings, those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains will be able to make various applications and modifications within the scope of the present invention based on the above content. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, but should be defined by the claims described below as well as the claims and equivalents.

100: housing 110: inlet
120: outlet 130: opening
200: casing part 210: through hole
300: flow measurement unit 310: impeller
320: rotation shaft 321: rotation pin
322: groove 330: magnet
400: diaphragm member 410: central hole
420: protection cap 421: cap hole
422: small inner diameter 423: large inner diameter
424: locking jaw 425: seating jaw
426: pin socket 430: resin cap
431: Foreign Ministry 432: Ministry of External Affairs
433: step 434: pin socket
500: sensor unit
510: sensor substrate 520: MR sensor
600: digital control unit 610: PCB
611: socket 620: battery
630: display 631: pin
640: control case 641: sensor mounting groove
642: cap insertion groove 643: fastener
800: shielding cap 810: communication hole

Claims (6)

A housing portion having an inlet on one side and an outlet on the other side, a casing portion seated inside the housing portion and having a plurality of through holes through which running water passes through an outer circumferential surface thereof, and rotatably installed inside the casing portion A flow measurement unit comprising an impeller rotating by the flow of flowing water passing through it and a rotation shaft shaft-coupled to the center of the impeller and having a magnet attached to the upper end, and a cap type that covers the housing unit and protrudes upward to accommodate the magnet at the center A diaphragm member having an upper protective cap formed thereon, a digital control unit coupled to cover the diaphragm member and receiving a signal from the sensor unit to count and display the flow rate, and a sensor unit detachably connected to the lower center of the digital control unit In the electronic water meter,
The lower part has an open container shape, a communication hole is formed on the upper surface, and a magnetic shielding cap is covered on the outside of the protective cap to shield the external magnetic field transmitted from the side, and the magnet is protected from an external magnetic field,
A sensor mounting groove protruding downward to accommodate the sensor unit is formed on the bottom surface of the digital control unit, and the sensor mounting groove is introduced through the communication hole and is disposed to contact the upper surface of the protection cap,
At the bottom of the digital control unit, a cap insertion groove is formed which protrudes upwardly around the sensor mounting groove and into which a part of the upper end of the shielding cap can be inserted, and the lower end of the shielding cap is seated on the bottom of the diaphragm member,
Water protection possible electronic water meter, characterized in that the sensor unit can be protected from an external magnetic field transmitted from the upper side by being lower than the upper surface of the shielding cap. delete delete The method of claim 1,
The diaphragm member is a water-preventable electronic water meter, characterized in that made of a resin material. The method of claim 1,
The housing part and the diaphragm member are all made of a stainless steel material,
A resin cap made of a resin material having a circular cup shape is inserted into the inside of the protective cap in the reverse direction, and a cap hole is formed in the upper portion of the protective cap to expose the resin cap, so that the magnetic field generated by the magnet is directed to the sensor unit. Water-preventable electronic water meter, characterized in that it is transmitted. 6. The method of claim 5,
An electronic water meter capable of water protection, characterized in that an inclined stepped step is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the resin cap, and a hooking step inclined in a shape corresponding to the step is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the protective cap.

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