KR20210085039A - System and method for saving event images - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention discloses a system and method for storing event images. According to the present invention, a plurality of shock sensors are installed at different positions, and the time point at which the shock value is input from each shock sensor and the size of the shock value are used to determine whether an actual shock is applied to a vehicle, or a non-impact situation such as passing through a vehicle sill or driving on an unpaved road has occurred, and then an event image is stored. Therefore, since the present invention can distinguish an actual shock situation with a relatively simple configuration, it is possible to perform optimal memory space management by preventing unnecessary event image storage, and to minimize battery power consumption due to frequent event image storage.

Description

System and method for saving event images

The present invention relates to an image recording system installed in a vehicle, and more particularly, to an event image storage system and method capable of storing a situation when an impact is applied to a vehicle as an event image.

Vehicles in which an image recording device (black box) is installed in a vehicle to secure an image in case of an accident of the vehicle is becoming common. In particular, recently, image recording devices with various functions have been released on the market, among which the main function includes a shock sensor inside, and when a shock is detected by the shock sensor, an image when the shock is detected is displayed separately. It is an event video storage function that saves the event video so that the user can easily check the accident video.

However, the image recording apparatus according to the prior art recognizes the impact as an impact based on the output value of the impact sensor (road vibration, bumps, irregularities, etc.), even though it is not a case where an impact is actually applied to the vehicle, such as in a vehicle accident. There is a problem in frequently performing event video recording.

When unnecessary event image storage increases, there is a problem in that actual important event images are overwritten and erased, and the lifespan of the memory is shortened due to frequent write operations of the memory. In addition, when frequent event image storage is executed in a parked vehicle, the vehicle battery power is continuously consumed, which causes the vehicle to be discharged.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to distinguish between an actual shock related to a vehicle accident and a case in which a signal corresponding to the shock is output from the shock sensor, such as when the vehicle passes a bump or driving on an unpaved road, but is not actually determined to be a significant impact To provide an event image storage system and method capable of storing the event image.

An event image storage system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention for solving the above-described problems, a camera unit including a front camera for photographing the front of the vehicle; a memory unit for storing image data input from the camera unit; a plurality of impact sensors installed at different locations, detecting an impact applied to the vehicle and outputting an impact value; an impact determination unit that determines whether a situation in which an impact value is input is an actual impact event by using the impact values respectively input from the plurality of impact sensors, and outputs an event image storage command when it is determined as an actual impact event; and an image controller for controlling the memory unit to store the image input from the camera unit as event image data at the time the impact value is input when the event image storage command is input.

In addition, the plurality of impact sensors may include an impact sensor 1 installed in the front and an impact sensor 2 installed in the rear.

In addition, the impact determination unit checks whether the impact sensor 1 and the impact sensor 2 simultaneously sense the impact, and if the impact sensor 1 and the impact sensor 2 sense the impact at the same time, the rate of change of the impact value of the impact sensor 1 , when the rate of change of the shock value of the shock sensor 2 or the rate of change of the sum of the shock values of the shock sensor 1 and the shock sensor 2 is greater than or equal to a threshold value, the event image storage command may be generated.

In addition, the impact determination unit may accumulate and sum the impact values in a predefined time unit, and compare a change rate between them with a threshold value.

In addition, the impact determination unit, the impact sensor 1 and the impact sensor 2 check whether the impact is sensed at the same time, if the impact sensor 1 and the impact sensor 2 does not sense the impact at the same time, the impact value from the impact sensor 1 After this input, an impact value is input from the impact sensor 2, and it is investigated whether the impact value from the impact sensor 1 and the impact value input from the impact sensor 2 are the same within a predefined error range, and the condition is not satisfied, the event image storage command may be generated.

In addition, when the time difference between the time when the shock value is input from the shock sensor 1 and the time when the shock value is input from the shock sensor 2, the shock determination unit is within a predefined time, the shock sensor 1 and the shock It can be determined that the sensor 2 simultaneously sensed the impact.

In addition, the camera unit further includes a rear view camera for photographing the rear of the vehicle and a surround view camera for photographing the surroundings of the vehicle, and the impact determination unit is the impact value indicated by the impact value input from the impact sensor 1 and the impact sensor 2 . According to a direction and a size, the event image storage command including whether to store an image input from a camera included in the camera unit as an event image may be output to the image controller.

On the other hand, the method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention for solving the above-described problem is an event image storage method performed in an event image storage system having a camera unit including a front camera, (a) using the camera unit capturing and storing an image; (b) comparing the shock values output from the shock sensor 1 installed in the front of the vehicle and the shock sensor 2 installed in the rear of the vehicle with a predefined threshold to determine whether an impact is detected; (c) when the impact is detected in step (b), checking whether the impact sensor 1 and the impact sensor 2 simultaneously sense the impact; (d) if it is determined in step (c) that the shock sensor 1 and the shock sensor 2 simultaneously sense the shock, the rate of change of the shock value of the shock sensor 1, the rate of change of the shock value of the shock sensor 2, or the shock sensor checking whether a change rate of the sum of the shock values of 1 and the shock sensor 2 is equal to or greater than a threshold value; and (e) if it is determined in step (d) that the rate of change is greater than or equal to the threshold, storing the image captured when the impact is detected in step (b) as event image data.

Also, in the step (d), the shock values may be accumulated and summed in a predefined time unit, and a change rate between them may be compared with a threshold value.

In addition, in the event image storage method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, (f) if it is determined that the shock sensor 1 and the shock sensor 2 do not simultaneously sense the shock in the step (c), the shock sensor 1 After the shock value is input from the shock value, the shock value is input from the shock sensor 2, and the shock value input from the shock sensor 1 and the shock value input from the shock sensor 2 are the same within a predefined error range. irradiating; and (g) if the condition is satisfied in step (f), storing the image captured when the impact is detected in step (b) as event image data.

In addition, in the step (c), when the time difference between the time when the shock value is input from the shock sensor 1 and the time when the shock value is input from the shock sensor 2 is within a predefined time, the shock sensor 1 and the impact sensor 2 may determine that the impact is sensed at the same time.

In addition, the camera unit further includes a rear camera for photographing the rear of the vehicle and a surround view camera for photographing the surroundings of the vehicle, wherein the step (a) is performed using the front camera, the rear camera and the sound view camera. The image is captured and stored, and in step (e), the front camera, the rear camera, and the sound view camera according to the direction and magnitude of the impact indicated by the impact value input from the impact sensor 1 and the impact sensor 2 An image captured by a camera selected from among may be stored as event image data.

The present invention installs a plurality of shock sensors at different positions, and uses the time point at which the shock value is input from each shock sensor and the size of the shock value, whether an actual shock is applied to the vehicle, or passes through the vehicle sill or It is determined whether a non-impact situation such as driving on an unpaved road has occurred and the event image is stored.

Therefore, since the present invention can distinguish an actual shock situation with a relatively simple configuration, it is possible to perform optimal memory space management by preventing unnecessary event image storage, and to minimize battery power consumption due to frequent event image storage. .

1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating the configuration of an event video storage system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a flowchart illustrating an event image storage method performed in the event image storage system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a view showing a change trend and rate of change of an impact value with time measured according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a view for explaining an event processing process when a vehicle passes an obstacle such as a speed bump according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a view for explaining a selective image storage method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

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

1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating the configuration of an event video storage system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

1A and 1B , the event image storage system 100 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes shock sensors G1 and G2 respectively installed at a plurality of locations, an impact determination unit 110 , and an image control unit. 120 , a memory unit 130 , a front camera 141 and a rear camera 142 , and according to an embodiment includes a camera unit 140 that may further include a surround view camera 143 . . Also, the memory unit 130 may include a temporary storage unit 131 and an event image storage unit 133 therein.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the impact sensors G1 and G2 are composed of an impact sensor 1 (G1) installed in the front of the vehicle and an impact sensor 2 (G2) installed in the rear of the vehicle, and the impact sensor 1 ( G1) and impact sensor 2 (G2) are spaced apart from each other by a distance GD. In addition, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the impact sensor 1 ( G1 ) and the impact sensor 2 ( G2 ) are implemented as gyro sensors, but are not limited thereto.

The impact sensor 1 ( G1 ) and the impact sensor 2 ( G2 ) measure the impact (vibration and movement, etc.) applied to the vehicle, and continuously output a measured voltage value corresponding thereto to the impact determination unit 110 . In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the shock sensor 1 (G1) and the shock sensor 2 (G2) are implemented as gyro sensors and output a measured voltage value to the shock determination unit 110 every 10 ms, and the measured voltage value output interval is the sensor's Subject to change according to specifications.

The impact determination unit 110 uses the measured voltage values input from the impact sensors G1 and G2 to determine whether an actual impact that requires event video recording has been applied to the vehicle, or whether the vehicle passes a speed bump or drives on an unpaved road Even though it is not an actual shock, it is determined whether the measured values corresponding to the shock are input from the shock sensors G1 and G2, and if it is determined that it is an actual shock, an event image storage command is sent to the image controller 120 as a result of the determination. print out The operation of the impact determination unit 110 will be described later.

The front camera 141 is installed at the front of the vehicle to take a front image and output it to the image controller 120 , and the rear camera 142 is installed at the rear of the vehicle to take a rear image and output it to the image controller 120 . The surround view camera 143 is installed on the side of the vehicle to capture an image around the vehicle and output it to the image controller 120 .

The image control unit 120 stores image information input from the camera unit 140 in the temporary storage unit 131 of the memory unit 130 , and when an event image storage command is input from the shock determination unit 110 , an impact is generated. An image captured at a time corresponding to the time point and stored in the temporary storage unit 131 is controlled to be stored in the event image storage unit 133 .

As described above, the memory unit 130 stores the image data input from the image control unit 120 in the temporary storage unit 131 , and according to a control signal input from the image control unit 120 , at a time point when an impact is applied to the vehicle. The image data stored in the temporary storage unit 131 is stored in the event image storage unit 133 .

2 is a flowchart illustrating an event image storage method performed in the event image storage system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the function of the event image storage system and the event image storage method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with further reference to FIG. 2 .

Referring further to FIG. 2 , first, when vehicle driving starts, the front camera 141 and the rear camera 142 take an image and output the front image data and the rear image data to the image controller 120, and the image controller ( 120 stores the image data in the temporary storage unit 131 of the memory unit 130 to perform temporary recording and image storage (S210).

In addition, during driving, the shock sensor 1 (G1) and the shock sensor 2 (G2) detect the shock (vibration) transmitted through the vehicle and use the measured voltage value (hereinafter referred to as the “shock value”) generated by the shock determination unit ( 110), and the impact determination unit 110 compares the impact values input from the impact sensor 1 (G1) and the impact sensor 2 (G2) with a predefined threshold to check whether the impact is detected (S220).

As a result of determination by the impact determination unit 110, if it is determined that an impact greater than or equal to the threshold is applied to the vehicle, the impact determination unit 110 performs steps S230 to S250 to be described below so that the impact applied to the vehicle is an accident. Check whether it is an actual shock caused by the accident or an unreal shock caused by driving on a speed bump or unpaved road.

First, the impact determination unit 110 confirms whether or not an impact value equal to or greater than a threshold value is simultaneously input from both the impact sensor 1 ( G1 ) and the impact sensor 2 ( G2 ) ( S230 ). As described above, shock sensors 1 (G1) and 2 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention each output an impact value in units of 10 ms, and the present invention provides shock sensor 1 (G1) and shock sensor 2 (G2) within 100 ms It is determined that the shock values are input at the same time when all of the shock values are input from the .

In the step S230, when it is determined that the shock value is simultaneously input from the shock sensor 1 (G1) and the shock sensor 2 (G2), and the shock sensor 1 (G1) and the shock sensor 2 (G2) sense the shock at the same time, the shock The determination unit 110 compares the rate of change of the shock value with a predefined threshold, and if the rate of change of the shock value is less than the threshold, proceeds to step S260, and if the rate of change in the shock value is greater than or equal to the threshold, proceeds to step S270 (S240) .

As described above, even when the vehicle receives an impact from an actual accident, the impact sensor 1 (G1) and the impact sensor 2 (G2) simultaneously detect the impact, but the vehicle travels on an unpaved road (eg, gravel, etc.) Even in this case, the shock sensor 1 (G1) and the shock sensor 2 (G2) can sense the shock at the same time. Therefore, in order to identify these two cases, the impact determination unit 110 compares the impact value input this time with the impact value previously input, and when the impact value rapidly increases and the rate of change is equal to or greater than the threshold value, step S270 and, if not, proceeds to step S260.

In operation 240, a method for calculating the rate of change of the impact value may be applied in various ways. For example, as shown in FIG. 3 , the shock values of the shock sensor 1 (G1) and the shock sensor 2 (G2) that are cumulatively summed in a certain time unit (eg, 500 ms unit) are summed, and the rate of change between them is set as a threshold way to compare it.

Referring to FIG. 3 , (a) of FIG. 3 shows a case in which the overall impact value is large but the change rates a1 and a2 are not large. This is a case in which an impact of a similar magnitude is continuously applied to the vehicle, as in the case of driving on an unpaved road.

3 (b) shows a case where the overall impact value is small, but the impact value suddenly increases significantly in a specific section, so that the change rate a3 is greater than or equal to the threshold value. This is a case in which a large impact is transmitted to the vehicle due to a vehicle collision or collision while driving on a flat road.

Meanwhile, in step 240, for convenience of calculation, the shock values of the shock sensor 1 (G1) or the shock sensor 2 (G2) are accumulated and summed in a certain time unit (eg, 500 ms unit), and the rate of change between them is calculated as the threshold value and You can also compare.

In step S270 , the impact determination unit 110 requests that the sensors detect the impact and store the image data stored in the temporary storage unit 131 at the time the corresponding impact value was input in the event image storage unit 133 . output an event image storage command to the image control unit 120, and the image control unit 120 stores the image data stored in the temporary storage unit 131 at the requested time in the event image storage unit 133 to display the impact event. is recorded and stored (S270). In this case, as the image controller 120 , not only the front camera 141 and the rear camera 142 , but also image data input from the surround view camera 143 may be stored in the event image storage unit 133 .

On the other hand, as a result of comparison in step S240 described above, if the rate of change of the shock value is less than the threshold, the shock is sensed, but a constant shock is continuously applied to the vehicle, such as when the vehicle is traveling on an unpaved road. The determination unit 110 does not apply the impact event and does not output the event image storage command to the image control unit 120, and accordingly, the image data stored in the temporary storage unit 131 is stored in the event image storage unit 133. The same impact event is not applied (S260).

On the other hand, as a result of the investigation in step S230, the shock is not detected at the same time in the shock sensor 1 (G1) and the shock sensor 2 (G2), and the shock value from the shock sensor 1 (G1) and the shock sensor 2 (G2) with a time difference, respectively When this is input, the impact determination unit 110 receives the impact value from the impact sensor 1 (G1) installed in the front of the vehicle, and then the impact value is input from the impact sensor 2 (G2) installed in the rear of the vehicle, and the impact sensor 1 ( It is investigated whether the shock value input from G1) and the shock value input from the shock sensor 2 (G2) are the same within a predefined error range (S250). Here, the error range may be variously set by the user.

4 is a view for explaining an event processing process when a vehicle passes an obstacle such as a speed bump according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in (a) of FIG. 4 , when the vehicle circumnavigates on flat ground, both the shock sensor 1 ( G1 ) and the shock sensor 2 ( G2 ) output an impact value of a certain size, and the corresponding impact values are determined by the impact determination unit. (110) does not exceed the threshold (EG) that is recognized as an impact.

As shown in (b) of FIG. 4 , when the vehicle crosses the speed bump while the vehicle is running, the impact sensor 1 ( G1 ) installed in the front is larger than when driving on flat ground first, and the impact value exceeds the impact threshold is output to the impact determination unit 110 . At this time, since the shock sensor 2 (G2) installed at the rear receives the shock from the vehicle body, it outputs a larger shock value to the shock determination unit 110 than when driving on flat ground, but since the rear wheel is still in contact with the flat ground, it The impact value is smaller than the impact value of impact sensor 1 (G1).

Then, as shown in FIG. 4(c), in the process in which the front wheel passes the speed bump and the rear wheel passes the speed bump, the impact value of the shock sensor 1 (G1) installed in the front is greatly reduced and the shock value of the shock sensor 2 (G2) installed at the rear passing through the speed bump is greatly increased.

In this way, when the vehicle passes all the speed bumps, as shown in (d) of FIG. 4, the shock values output from the shock sensor 1 (G1) and the shock sensor 2 (G2) are again similar to those of (a). is output If the above-described state condition is satisfied in step S250, the impact determination unit 110 proceeds to step S260 and does not apply the impact event.

However, if the above-described state condition is not satisfied, it is determined that an unknown shock has been applied to the vehicle, so the impact determination unit 110 outputs an event image storage command to the image control unit 120 . Then, the image control unit 120 stores the image in the event image storage unit 133 by performing the above-described step S270.

5 is a view for explaining a selective image storage method according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

When the impact sensors G1 and G2 of the present invention are implemented as gyro sensors, the impact sensors G1 and G2 may output an impact value as a vector value of each of the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis, and , the impact determination unit 110 may calculate the impact direction and magnitude as the sum of these vectors.

Therefore, in step S270 , when the impact determination unit 110 outputs an event image storage command to the image controller 120 , the impact indicated by the impact value input from the impact sensor 1 ( G1 ) and the impact sensor 2 ( G2 ) Whether to store an image input from any camera included in the camera unit 140 may be designated according to the direction and size of the .

For example, as shown in FIG. 5 , if the shock application direction indicated by the shock values input from the shock sensor 1 ( G1 ) and the shock sensor 2 ( G2 ) is the right front, the shock determination unit 110 is the front camera 141 . and an event image storage command to store only the image input from the right surround view camera 143 .

Accordingly, the impact application direction is divided into front and rear, left and right, and if the impact application direction is left front, the front camera 141 and the left surround view camera 143, and if the right front is the front camera 141 and the right surround view camera. 143, the left rear rear camera 142 and the left surround view camera 143, the right rear rear camera 142 and the image data input from the right surround view camera 143, the event image storage unit 133 can be stored in

The present invention can also be implemented as computer-readable codes on a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium includes all kinds of recording devices in which data readable by a computer system is stored. Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, and optical data storage device. In addition, the computer-readable recording medium is distributed in a computer system connected through a network, so that the computer-readable code can be stored and executed in a distributed manner.

So far, with respect to the present invention, the preferred embodiments have been looked at. Those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains will understand that the present invention can be implemented in a modified form without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the disclosed embodiments are to be considered in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. The scope of the present invention is indicated in the claims rather than the foregoing description, and all differences within the scope equivalent thereto should be construed as being included in the present invention.

G1: Shock sensor 1 G2: Shock sensor 2
100: event video storage system
110: impact determination unit 120: image control unit
130: memory unit 131: temporary storage unit
133: event video storage unit
140: camera unit 141: front camera
142: rear camera 143: surround view camera

Claims (12)

a camera unit including a front camera for photographing the front of the vehicle;
a memory unit for storing image data input from the camera unit;
a plurality of impact sensors installed at different locations, detecting an impact applied to the vehicle and outputting an impact value;
an impact determination unit that determines whether a situation in which an impact value is input is an actual impact event by using the impact values respectively input from the plurality of impact sensors, and outputs an event image storage command when it is determined as an actual impact event; and
When the event image storage command is input, an image controller for controlling the memory unit to store the image input from the camera unit as event image data at the time the shock value is input; . The method of claim 1,
The plurality of impact sensors is an event image storage system, characterized in that it includes an impact sensor 1 installed in the front and an impact sensor 2 installed in the rear. The method of claim 2, wherein the impact determination unit
Check whether the shock sensor 1 and the shock sensor 2 simultaneously sense an impact,
If the shock sensor 1 and the shock sensor 2 simultaneously sense the shock,
When the rate of change of the shock value of the shock sensor 1, the rate of change of the shock value of the shock sensor 2, or the rate of change of the sum of the shock values of the shock sensor 1 and the shock sensor 2 is greater than a threshold, the event image storage command is generated Event video storage system with The method of claim 3, wherein the impact determination unit
An event image storage system, characterized in that the shock values are accumulated in a predefined time unit and the rate of change between them is compared with a threshold value. The method of claim 2, wherein the impact determination unit
Check whether the shock sensor 1 and the shock sensor 2 simultaneously detect an impact,
If the shock sensor 1 and the shock sensor 2 did not detect an impact at the same time,
After the shock value is input from the shock sensor 1, the shock value is input from the shock sensor 2, and the shock value from the shock sensor 1 and the shock value input from the shock sensor 2 are the same within a predefined error range. Investigating whether
If the condition is not satisfied, the event image storage system, characterized in that generating the event image storage command. The method of claim 3 or 5, wherein the impact determination unit
When the time difference between the time when the shock value is input from the shock sensor 1 and the time when the shock value is input from the shock sensor 2 is within a predefined time, the shock sensor 1 and the shock sensor 2 detect the shock at the same time An event video storage system, characterized in that it is determined as one. 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The camera unit further includes a rear view camera for photographing the rear of the vehicle and a surround view camera for photographing the surroundings of the vehicle,
The impact determination unit
The event image storage including whether to store an image input from any camera included in the camera unit as an event image according to the direction and magnitude of the shock indicated by the shock value input from the shock sensor 1 and the shock sensor 2 An event image storage system, characterized in that outputting a command to the image control unit.
An event image storage method performed in an event image storage system having a camera unit including a front camera, the method comprising:
(a) capturing and storing an image using the camera unit;
(b) comparing the shock values output from the shock sensor 1 installed in the front of the vehicle and the shock sensor 2 installed in the rear of the vehicle with a predefined threshold to determine whether an impact is detected;
(c) when the impact is detected in step (b), checking whether the impact sensor 1 and the impact sensor 2 simultaneously sense the impact;
(d) if it is determined in step (c) that the shock sensor 1 and the shock sensor 2 simultaneously sense the shock, the rate of change of the shock value of the shock sensor 1, the rate of change of the shock value of the shock sensor 2, or the shock sensor checking whether a change rate of the sum of the shock values of 1 and the shock sensor 2 is equal to or greater than a threshold value; and
(e) when it is determined in step (d) that the rate of change is greater than or equal to the threshold, storing the image captured when the impact is detected in step (b) as event image data; . The method of claim 8, wherein in step (d)
A method for storing an event image, characterized by accumulating and summing shock values in a predefined time unit, and comparing the rate of change between them with a threshold value. 9. The method of claim 8,
(f) if it is determined in step (c) that the shock sensor 1 and the shock sensor 2 do not sense the shock at the same time, the shock value is inputted from the shock sensor 1 and then the shock value is inputted from the shock sensor 2, examining whether the impact value input from the impact sensor 1 and the impact value input from the impact sensor 2 are the same within a predefined error range; and
(g) if the condition is satisfied in step (f), storing the image captured when the impact is detected in step (b) as event image data. The method of claim 8, wherein in step (c)
When the time difference between the time when the shock value is input from the shock sensor 1 and the time when the shock value is input from the shock sensor 2 is within a predefined time, the shock sensor 1 and the shock sensor 2 detect the shock at the same time An event video storage method, characterized in that it is determined as one. 12. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 11,
The camera unit further includes a rear view camera for photographing the rear of the vehicle and a surround view camera for photographing the surroundings of the vehicle,
In the step (a), an image is captured and stored using the front camera, the rear camera, and the sound view camera,
Step (e) is
According to the direction and magnitude of the impact indicated by the impact value input from the impact sensor 1 and the impact sensor 2, the image captured by the camera selected from among the front camera, the rear camera and the sound view camera is stored as event image data Event video storage method, characterized in that.

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