RU2657644C2 - Vehicle airbag with additional chamber - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: transportation.

SUBSTANCE: group of inventions relates to embodiments of a vehicle airbag. Airbag includes a main camera and an additional camera, attached to the main camera with a seam. Between the main camera and the secondary camera is a channel. Seam forms a closed shape, and the inner side of the seam is located between the sides of the main chamber and between the sides of the additional chamber.

EFFECT: safety is ensured by excluding injury to the head when it is turned in a collision at an angle.

20 cl, 21 dwg

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to passive safety systems for vehicles, in particular to the design of an airbag.

State of the art

One of the possible causes of head injuries in vehicle collisions, in particular when a collision involves an oblique hit, is the rotation of the head of the passenger of the vehicle. For example, vehicles traveling in opposite directions can collide at an angle, hitting each other from the driver’s side. In this case, a person occupying a seat on the side of the hit vehicle may turn his head, which may result in head injury when the head hits the airbag and turns toward the driver of the vehicle. Existing passenger airbags may not have problems turning their heads in a direct head-on collision. However, these airbags are not capable of sufficiently minimizing head rotation and head damage in collisions at an angle.

Disclosure of invention

A vehicle airbag is proposed that includes a main camera, an additional camera attached to the main camera with a seam, and a channel between the main camera and the additional camera, the seam forming a closed shape, and the inner side of the seam being between the sides of the main camera and between the sides of the secondary camera.

The closed shape can be partially formed by the perimeter section of the additional chamber, and partially by the inner side of the seam.

The inner side of the seam may form an edge of the gap between the secondary camera and the main camera.

A seam can be formed by tying, gluing and / or sewing.

The main chamber can be configured to contact at least two reaction surfaces, and the secondary chamber is configured to contact only one of the at least two reaction surfaces when the airbag is full after collision detection.

The airbag may also contain a check valve in the channel, configured to allow gas to pass from the main chamber to the secondary chamber.

At the same time, the airbag controller can open the valve when an oblique collision is detected by a certain amount, which will ensure the rigidity of the additional camera corresponding to a certain angle of collision.

The channel size can be chosen so as to set the rigidity of the additional camera.

The airbag may also include a second additional chamber attached to the first chamber, and a second channel between the main chamber and the second additional chamber, through which gas injected into the first chamber can enter the second additional chamber. The length or height of the secondary camera may exceed the length or height of the main camera.

In yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a vehicle airbag that includes a main camera, an additional camera attached to the main camera by a seam, and a channel between the main camera and the additional camera, the seam being partially formed by the perimeter section of the secondary camera and partially internal side of the seam, which is located between the sides of the main camera and between the sides of the secondary camera.

In this case, the inner side of the seam can define the edge of the gap between the additional camera and the main camera.

The length or height of the secondary camera may exceed the length or height of the main camera.

The seam position can be set, at least in part, either by a point between the upper edge of the secondary camera and the middle of the distance from the upper edge of the secondary camera to the lower edge of the secondary camera, or by a point between the upper edge of the secondary camera and the middle of the distance from the upper edge of the secondary camera to the lower edge of the primary cameras.

Brief Description of the Drawings

In FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of the first and second vehicles as they move along a path leading to a collision at an angle.

In FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of a vehicle that includes a passenger airbag having a main camera and an additional camera.

In FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional plan view of a portion of a vehicle that includes a passenger airbag having a main camera and an additional camera.

In FIG. 4 is another cross-sectional view from above of a vehicle part 4, which includes a passenger airbag having a main camera and an additional camera, which depicts a head blow to the airbag after a collision at an angle.

In FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of a vehicle that includes a passenger airbag having a main camera and an additional camera.

In FIG. Figures 6-10 show corresponding general views of examples of an additional camera attached to the main camera.

In FIG. 11 and 12 are images of respective examples of airbags 10, which depict examples of mechanisms used to attach the secondary camera 12 to the main camera 11.

In FIG. 13 shows a graph of indicators for airbags with and without an additional camera, in terms of the criterion for the severity of head injuries (BrIC).

In FIG. Figure 14 shows two time-lapse simulation models of a head-to-airbag strike.

In FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a part of a vehicle, including another example of a passenger airbag having a main camera and a partially attached secondary camera.

In FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional plan view of a portion of a vehicle that includes a passenger airbag of FIG. 15 having a main camera and a partially attached secondary camera.

In FIG. 17-19 show corresponding general views of the example of the airbag of FIG. 15 having an additional chamber partially attached to the main chamber.

In FIG. Figure 20 shows three simulations of the impact of a human head on an airbag by time.

In FIG. 21 is a graph of estimated values for airbags without an additional camera, with an additional camera fully attached, and with an additional camera partially attached.

The implementation of the invention

In FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of the first and second vehicles 1, 2, moving along a path leading to a collision at an angle. In FIG. 1 shows vehicles 1, 2 before a collision at an angle of 3 defined by the longitudinal axes A, B of vehicles 1, 2, respectively. In the example of FIG. 1 angle 3 is 15 degrees, which is the value used by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for angle collision testing. Accordingly, when a vehicle 2 collides with a vehicle 1, a passenger sitting in the vehicle 2 will begin to move in an direction at an angle to the axis B of the vehicle 2. For example, a passenger may begin to move in the direction indicated by arrow C; the direction of movement of the passenger depends on many factors, such as speed, angle of collision, center of gravity of vehicles 1, 2, etc. In this scenario, a passenger sitting in a vehicle 2 may undergo a head turn and receive a head injury that is more severe than in a head-on collision, for example when measured using the head injury severity criterion (BrIC).

In FIG. 2 is a top view of a vehicle part 4. Part 4 of the vehicle includes a passenger airbag 10 having a main camera 11 and an additional camera 12, in which case the airbag 10 is depressed when it is deployed from the vehicle dashboard 14. The airbag 10 is made of standard materials and can be deployed in accordance with standard schemes, for example, as will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 2 and will be described in detail below, the auxiliary chamber 12 is positioned so as to mitigate the tendency for the head of the vehicle passenger to turn or twist in a collision at an angle. In accordance with the presented image, the airbag 10 is located on the passenger side of the vehicle (for vehicles with left-hand drive), and the additional camera 12 is thus placed to the left of the main camera 11, so as to mitigate the rotation of the head in the direction toward the additional cameras 12. However, as an alternative or addition, an additional camera 12 may be located to the right of the main camera 11. For example, to protect the front passenger when the passenger the oron is under attack, as in the vehicle 1 in FIG. 1, or in countries where the passenger side of the vehicle is located on the left rather than the right, it may be desirable to place an additional camera 12 to the right of the main camera 11. In addition, it is possible to use two or more additional cameras 12 attached to the main camera 11, for example , one of them can be on the left (as shown in Fig. 2), and the other on the right.

As best seen in FIG. 5, and also illustrated in FIG. 2, when inflating the airbag 10, the main chamber 11 is in contact with the first and second reaction surface. That is, when the airbag 10 is full, the main camera 11 is in contact with the dashboard (dashboard) 14, as well as with the windshield 29 of the vehicle. When the airbag 10 is inflated, the additional chamber 12, in contrast, is in contact with only one reaction surface, for example, with the dashboard 14.

In FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view in plan view of a vehicle part 4 including an airbag 10 for an inflated passenger. The airbag 10 includes a main camera 11 and an additional camera 12. It is known from the prior art that a filling unit 18 is installed in the vehicle dashboard 14. It is also known that after deployment, for example, after a collision detected by the airbag controller (not shown) ), the filling unit 18 may begin to inflate the airbag 10 through the pump valve 20.

In FIG. 3 also shows the channel 16 between the main camera 11 and the secondary camera 12. In accordance with one example, the secondary camera 12 can be attached to the main camera 11 in a standard manner, for example, sewn, glued, attached, etc., while between the main camera 11 and an additional chamber 12, a wall 15 can be located, and a hole can be left in the seam connecting the main and additional chambers 11, 12 to create a channel 16. Alternatively or as an addition, the channel 16 can be a hole with by a check valve 17 or a similar device, through which after the detection of some event, for example, after a collision that starts the process of inflating the airbag 10, gas will flow from the main chamber 11 to the additional chamber 12. Although in FIG. 3, channel 16 is shown in the form of a rectangle, often it may have a circular shape and / or no valve 17, as shown in FIG. 11 and 12.

In FIG. 11, an example of an airbag 10 is presented, where an example of a mechanism for attaching an additional camera 12 to the main camera 11 is described. In particular, in accordance with the example of FIG. 11, the additional chamber 12 is sewn to the wall 23 of the main chamber 11 along several seams 19 defined by the perimeter of the additional chamber 12 attached to the wall 23.

In FIG. 12 is an example of an airbag 10, where another example of a mechanism for attaching an additional camera 12 to the main camera 11 is considered. In particular, in accordance with the example of FIG. 12, similarly to the example of FIG. 11, the secondary chamber 12 is sewn to the wall 23 of the main chamber 11 at several seams 19. However, since in the embodiment shown in FIG. 12 of the airbag 10 (as in the airbag 10 having an additional camera 12e, which will be described below with reference to Fig. 10), the additional camera 12 has a greater height than the main camera 11, the seams 19 do not extend along the entire perimeter of the side additional chamber 12. Instead, some seams 19 define a portion of the perimeter of the side of the additional chamber 12 attached to the wall 23. The remaining seams 19 basically coincide with the upper edge 24 of the wall 23, where the edge 24 is at the point of attachment of the additional chambers S 12 to the wall 23 of the main camera 11.

The size of the hole in the channel 16 and / or the speed with which gas from the main chamber 11 passes through the channel 16, possibly having a check valve 17, to the additional chamber 12, may depend on various factors. For example, airbag 10 may have different sizes and configurations depending on the type and / or size of the vehicle in which it is installed. In addition, the airbag controller may be configured to control a valve mounted in the channel 16 in accordance with various conditions. For example, valve 17 may be opened if an angle collision has been detected and remain closed, i.e. prevent inflation of an additional chamber if a frontal or frontal collision has been detected. Similarly, the control of the valve 17 may depend on other collision parameters, for example, the valve 17 may be able to open in a collision with a displaced deformable obstacle (ODB), which is simulated during testing.

In addition, the degree of opening of the valve 17 may depend on the detected or predicted angle of oblique collision. For example, if the angle of impact is greater, for example, more than 15 degrees, more than 30 degrees, etc., it may be preferable to fully open the valve 17 or increase the degree of its opening, since in this case it is preferable that the additional chamber 12 is relatively rigid or solid compared with the main camera 11. In other words, it may be possible to change the stiffness or hardness of the secondary camera 12 to compensate for the predicted angle of impact and, thus, it is likely that the passenger’s head turns trans sports facilities. In general, in order for the configuration of the channel 16 to control the filling, hardness, rigidity and other parameters of the secondary chamber 12, the secondary chamber 12 should not have an outlet or other openings or channels other than channel 16. On the other hand, the main chamber 11 may have an outlet made in a standard way.

In FIG. 4 is another cross-sectional plan view of a vehicle part 4, which includes a passenger airbag 10 having a main camera 11 and an additional camera 12, which depicts a head 22 impact on the airbag 10 in a collision at an angle. As shown by the arrow around the circle depicting the head 22, in an oblique collision, i.e. at an angle to the axis B of the vehicle, the head 22 will most likely turn clockwise as the passenger moves at an angle to the axis B. An additional camera 12 is provided to mitigate this rotation. In addition, to further minimize the rotation of the head of the passenger 22, an additional camera 12 can be opened with greater rigidity than the main camera 11.

In FIG. 5 is a side view of part 4 of the vehicle, which includes a passenger airbag 10 having a main camera 11 and an additional camera 12. As in FIG. 4, the arrow indicates the direction of rotation of the head 22 of the vehicle passenger in an oblique collision with another vehicle. It is also seen that the additional camera 12 of the airbag 10 provides a barrier to reduce the rotation of the head 22 of the passenger, which would be impossible when using the airbag 10 only with the main camera 11.

In FIG. 15-19 show another possible arrangement of the chambers 11, 12 for creating an airbag 10, in which the secondary chamber 12 is partially fixed or attached to the secondary chamber 11 so that a gap 30 remains between the corresponding parts of the main chamber 11 and the secondary chamber 12. How It was said above that the cameras 11, 12 can be glued, tied, sewn along the seam, etc .; in this example, the seam 19 passes partially, but not completely, along the perimeter of the additional chamber 12; also, the seam 19 may partially, but not completely, pass or not pass along the perimeter of the main chamber 11. In any case, the seam 19 may have an inner side 33, which also borders on the gap 30, while the side or edge of the gap 30 is formed by the side 33 of the seam 19 . As will be seen from the following, the seam 19 usually forms a closed shape, i.e. seam 19 forms an almost continuous perimeter of a certain shape, for example, square, rectangular, trapezoidal, oval, etc., another similar shape or irregular shape. Furthermore, although in FIG. 17-19, a seam 19 is shown which is larger than the hole 16 and extends around it, it should be understood that in accordance with some embodiments of the airbag 10 with an additional chamber 12 partially attached, some or all of the dimensions of the hole 16 and the seam 19 may be the same, i.e. seam 19 may specify the position of some or all of the boundaries of the hole 19.

As seen in FIG. 17-19, the seam 19 generally runs around the channel 16 and defines the sides or boundaries of the common wall 15 between the chambers 11, 12. In this regard, it should be understood that in this context the term “gap” refers to the outer parts of the chambers 11, 12, not having a common wall 15. In other words, in FIG. 15 and 16, the free space between the chambers 11 and 12 formed by the gap 30 is shown for illustrative purposes only. In practice, the walls of the chambers 11, 12 on either side of the gap 30 may be in contact with each other, for example, as shown in FIG. 17-19. In FIG. 17-19 it is also seen that the region 35, where the gap 30 can be located, relative to the wall of the main chamber 11 and relative to the wall of the secondary chamber 12, is defined by the region 35 outside the peripheral seam 19, where the wall 23 of the main chamber 11 overlaps the wall 32 of the secondary chamber 12. For example, the region 35 may be limited by the parts of the two sides of the wall 32 (i.e., the sides of the wall of the secondary chamber 12), the side 33 of the seam 19 and the edge 37, beyond which the overlay of the wall 23 of the main chamber and the wall 32 of the secondary chamber ends.

In other words, for the area bounded by the seam 19 (i.e. having it as a perimeter), including side 33, the wall 23 serves as a common wall between the main camera 11 and the secondary camera 12. However, in the region 35, the wall 23 of the main camera 11 not used in conjunction with additional camera 12 (i.e., it is not common to these cameras and is not part of additional camera 12). Instead, a region 35 is formed on the wall 32 of the additional chamber, the walls 23 and 32 overlap each other in the region 35 and form a gap 30. Accordingly, the inner side 33 of the seam 19 is between or inside, i.e. neither on nor near (in this context, the term “nearby” refers to a distance not exceeding two centimeters), the edges of either wall 23 or wall 32. In general, the inner side 33 is located relative to that of the walls 23, 32, which has a smaller height (or relative to any of them, if the walls 23 and 32 have almost the same height). In addition, the inner side 33 may extend substantially or approximately parallel to the edge 37, and the inner side 33 may be located somewhere between the edge 37 and the middle of the distance from the edge 37 to the edge of one of the walls 23 or 32, generally parallel to the edge 37.

In FIG. 6-10 show corresponding views of various examples of additional chambers 12. Although in the previous figures the additional chamber 12 is shown as a body with rectangular faces, for example, having the shape reflected by the additional chamber 12a in FIG. 6, depending on various factors, another form can be used that, when a collision is detected, will provide the contact of the additional chamber 12 with one reaction surface, for example, with the dashboard 14, while when a collision is detected, the main chamber 11 can contact at least two reaction surfaces , for example, with the dashboard 14 and the windshield 15. For example, in the General case, it is desirable to reduce the size and weight of the components installed in the vehicle, including airbags Axles and airbag components. Accordingly, the additional chamber 12 may be approximately U-shaped, as shown in the example of the additional chamber 12b, substantially trapezoidal or approximately triangular in shape, as shown in the example of the additional chamber 12c, and / or may have an opening, as shown in the example of the additional chamber 12d . Also, the additional chamber 12 may be generally rectangular or oblong, as shown in the example of the additional chamber 12e, while the length and / or height of the chamber 12 may be greater than the corresponding values of the length or height of the main chamber 11, for example, the end of the chamber 12 may protrude , for example, to be higher than the main camera 11.

In FIG. 13 is a graph comparing the respective BrIC (head injury severity criterion) for airbags with or without additional camera 12. It can be seen that when simulating a vehicle collision at an angle, the use of an airbag 10, which includes a main camera 11 and an additional camera 12, leads to an approximately 30% improvement in the reduction in the BrIC value for a passenger of a vehicle compared to the airbag 10 with a standard configuration , i.e. having a main camera 11, but without the additional camera 12 described herein.

In FIG. 21 is a graph of estimated values for airbags 10 without an additional camera 12, with a fully attached additional camera 12 and with a partially attached additional camera, obtained based on the criterion for the severity of head injuries (BrIC). It can be seen that when modeling a vehicle collision at an angle, the use of an airbag 10 having a main camera 11 and a secondary camera 12 partially attached leads to a decrease in the estimated value obtained based on the head injury severity criterion (BrIC) by about 37 percent compared to using the airbag 10 with a standard design, i.e. with a main camera 11 and without a partially attached additional camera 12 described above.

Another advantage of the proposed airbag 10 is shown in FIG. 14, which depicts two simulations of the impact of a human head 22 against an airbag 10 by time. The upper set of simulated values characterizes the values for hitting the head 22 against the airbag only with the main camera 11 at time points corresponding to 52, 60, 66, 70 and 74 milliseconds after the collision, respectively. The lower set of simulated values characterizes the values for hitting the head 22 about the airbag 10 with the main camera 11 and with the additional camera 12 at the same time after the collision. It can be seen that the airbag 10 with the additional camera 12 results in a smaller rotation of the head 22 than the airbag only with the main camera 11.

In FIG. 20, similar to FIG. 14, there are three sequences of simulations of the impact of a human head 22 on an airbag 10 by time, including schemes without an additional camera 12 (“standard configuration”), with a main camera 11 and an additional camera 12 (“airbag with an additional camera”) , with a main camera 11 and a partially attached additional camera 12 ("airbag with a partially attached additional camera"). The set of simulated values for the "standard configuration" characterizes the values for hitting the head 22 against the airbag only with the main camera 11 at time points corresponding to 52, 60, 66, 70 and 74 milliseconds after the collision. The set of simulated values for the "airbag with additional camera" characterizes the values for hitting the head 22 about the airbag 10 with the main camera 11 and with the additional camera 12 at the same time after the collision. It can be seen that the airbag 10 with the additional camera 12 leads to a smaller rotation of the head 22 than the airbag only with the main camera 11. Also, the set of simulated values for the "airbag with partially attached additional camera" characterizes the values for hitting the head 22 against the airbag 10 with the main camera 11 and a partially attached additional camera 12 at the same time after the collision. It can be seen that the airbag 10 with the additional camera 12 leads to a smaller rotation of the head 22 than the sequence for the "standard configuration" and even compared with the set of simulated values for the "airbag with additional camera".

In the accompanying drawings, the same reference numbers indicate the same elements, but some or all of these elements may be changed. Accordingly, it should be understood that the description is provided for illustrative purposes and not limitation. Many additional options for implementation and application, other than the examples shown, will become apparent when reading the above description. The scope should not be determined on the basis of the above description, but, on the contrary, should be determined on the basis of the attached claims along with the full scope of equivalents for which this formula is the basis. It is assumed and intended that the described technologies may be developed and improved in the future, and the disclosed systems and methods will be included in similar future implementations. Thus, it should be understood that the application of the invention may be modified and modified within the framework of the following claims.

All terms used in the claims should be understood in their broadest reasonable interpretations and their usual meanings, as is understood by specialists in this field of technology, unless otherwise expressly indicated in the description of the invention. In particular, the use of the words “any”, “given”, “above”, etc. it should be understood as one or more of these elements, unless otherwise specified in the formula.

Claims (40)

1. An airbag for a vehicle, comprising: main camera an additional camera attached to the main camera with a seam, and a channel between the main chamber and the secondary chamber, providing a lateral flow of fluid from the main chamber into the secondary chamber relative to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, moreover, the seam forms a closed shape and connects the wall of the main chamber with the wall of the secondary chamber, wherein the seam has at least a first side that is not at any edge of the secondary chamber, and a second side, which is located at the first edge of the secondary chamber, the first side of the seam forms the edge of the gap between the wall of the secondary chamber and the wall of the main chamber. 2. The airbag according to claim 1, in which the seam is made by tying, and / or gluing, and / or sewing. 3. The airbag according to claim 1, in which the main camera is configured to contact with at least two reaction surfaces, and the secondary camera is configured to contact only one of the at least two reaction surfaces when the airbag is full after collision detection . 4. The airbag according to claim 1, further comprising a non-return valve located in the channel, wherein the valve is configured to allow gas to pass from the main chamber to the secondary chamber, and there is an airbag controller configured to open the valve upon detection of a collision at an angle. 5. The airbag according to claim 4, in which the airbag controller is configured to open the valve to such an extent as to provide additional camera stiffness determined in accordance with the determined angle of collision. 6. The airbag according to claim 1, in which the channel size is selected so as to adjust the stiffness of the additional camera. 7. The airbag according to claim 1, additionally containing: a second additional camera attached to the first camera, and a second channel between the main chamber and the second additional chamber, through which gas injected by the supercharger into the first chamber can enter the second additional chamber. 8. The airbag according to claim 1, in which the length or height of the secondary camera exceeds, respectively, the length or height of the main camera. 9. An airbag for a vehicle, comprising: main camera an additional camera attached to the main camera with a seam, and the channel between the main camera and the secondary camera, wherein the first seam section is located on the perimeter section of the additional chamber and the second seam section has at most a first end and a second end on the perimeter of the additional chamber, moreover, the seam has at least a first side that is not at any edge of the secondary chamber, and a second side, which is located at the first edge of the secondary chamber, the first side of the seam forms the edge of the gap between the wall of the secondary chamber and the wall of the main chamber, moreover, the length or height of the additional camera exceeds, respectively, the length or height of the main camera. 10. The airbag according to claim 9, in which the seam is made by tying, and / or gluing, and / or sewing. 11. The airbag according to claim 9, in which the main camera is configured to contact with at least two reaction surfaces, and the secondary camera is configured to contact only one of at least two reaction surfaces when the airbag is filled after collision detection . 12. The airbag according to claim 9, further comprising a non-return valve located in the channel, wherein the valve is configured to allow gas to pass from the main chamber to the secondary chamber, and there is an airbag controller configured to open the valve upon detection of a collision at an angle. 13. The airbag according to item 12, in which the airbag controller is configured to open the valve to such an extent as to provide additional camera stiffness, determined in accordance with the determined angle of collision. 14. The airbag according to claim 9, in which the channel size is selected so as to adjust the rigidity of the additional camera. 15. The airbag according to claim 9, further comprising: a second additional camera attached to the first camera, and a second channel between the main chamber and the second additional chamber, through which gas injected by the supercharger into the first chamber can enter the second additional chamber. 16. The airbag according to claim 9, in which the position of the second section of the seam is set, at least partially, either by a point between the upper edge of the secondary chamber and the middle of the distance from the upper edge of the secondary chamber to the lower edge of the secondary chamber, or by a point between the upper edge of the main chamber and the middle of the distance from the upper edge of the main camera to the lower edge of the main camera. 17. An airbag for a vehicle, comprising: main camera an additional camera attached to the main camera with a seam, a channel between the main chamber and the secondary chamber, providing a lateral flow of fluid from the main chamber into the secondary chamber relative to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, and a check valve located in the channel, wherein the valve is configured to allow gas to pass from the main chamber to the secondary chamber, moreover, there is an airbag controller configured to open the valve when a collision is detected at an angle, wherein the seam forms a closed shape and connects the wall of the main chamber with the wall of the secondary chamber. 18. The airbag according to claim 17, in which the seam is made by tying, and / or gluing, and / or sewing. 19. The airbag according to claim 17, wherein the main camera is configured to contact at least two reaction surfaces, and the secondary camera is configured to contact only one of the at least two reaction surfaces when the airbag is filled after collision detection . 20. The airbag according to claim 17, wherein the airbag controller is configured to open the valve to such an extent as to provide additional camera stiffness determined in accordance with the determined angle of collision.

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