RU2731014C1 - Winch for audio equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: lifting devices.

SUBSTANCE: present invention relates to lifting devices intended for lifting and lowering of audio equipment. Winch for sound equipment comprises housing accommodating: - drum intended for winding cable and carrying cable, wherein drum consists of two parts, first part of cable is wound on first part of drum and bearing cable intended for suspension of audio equipment, second part of cable is wound on second part of drum, wherein one end of the first portion of the cable is intended for connection to said audio equipment, the second end of the first portion of the cable is connected to the second portion of the cable, the second portion of the cable is in the form of a flat coil and is intended to connect the first portion of the cable with the fixed connection point to the external signal path; - a stacker configured to lay the first portion of the cable and the cable on the turn coil on the coil; - drive connected to drum and stacker and made with possibility of their actuation, wherein to ensure tension of the first part of the cable near the drum there is a flexible element, one end of which is fixed in a point of suspension of sound equipment or near it, and the second end of the resilient member is connected to a clamp mounted in the lower portion of the first portion of the cable, wherein a portion of the cable between said clamp and the audio equipment does not undergo tensioning.

EFFECT: technical result consists in providing simple and reliable design of winch, longer service life of winch and accuracy of positioning of audio equipment.

15 cl, 6 dwg

Description

Technology area

The present invention relates to lifting devices intended for lifting and lowering sound (acoustic) equipment in sound and recording systems used in concert halls, theater stages, conference rooms, studios, etc.

State of the art

Currently, in concert halls and theater stages, specialized microphone winches are widely used to position sound equipment such as microphones used, for example, to record sound during a concert, in the volume of a stage.

These winches are installed on ceiling structures above the point where the microphone is to be fed.

There are solutions in which, when the microphone is raised, the excess cable is folded into a box, or selected by sliding the pulley rollers. Such solutions are used quite rarely due to the complexity of the design and low reliability.

Also currently on the market are winches with cable laying on a stationary drum using a stacker that rotates around the drum. However, when winding or unwinding the cable, the hanging cable with the microphone is twisted, as a result of which the use of such winches is unacceptable or severely limited.

There are also winches in which the excess cable is wound around a rotating drum. In such winches, there is a problem with the movement of the end of the cable attached to the movable drum. Traditionally, it has been solved using Slip Ring. This solution is widely used in cable drums in various fields of technology. However, this solution is poorly suited for microphones. Moving contacts are a source of interference and distortion, even when they are at rest and have high quality contact groups.

Therefore, a solution to avoid breaking the circuit has an advantage.

For example, a microphone winch is known, disclosed in document US 5,526,997 A. Said winch comprises a housing in which two drums (main and secondary) are located, located on one hub, and through the said hub from the main drum to the secondary drum an opening passes. The signal cable is wound on both reels, the first part of the cable being wound on the main reel, the intermediate part of the cable passing through the hole in the hub, and the second part of the cable being wound on the secondary reel. In such a winch, the microphone is connected to the first part of the cable. The second part of the cable is shorter than the first part and includes an end that is attached to the housing to provide a permanent electrical connection to the path of the recording equipment. By driving the said drums in motion, the cable is wound onto the drum or the cable is unwound from the drum, thereby carrying out the vertical positioning of the microphone. Moreover, when the first part of the cable is completely unwound from the main drum, the second part of the cable is first unwound and then wound onto the secondary drum. This solution allows the connection between the microphone and the recording equipment using a single, unbreakable cable, and avoids the use of slip rings to transfer signals between the microphone and recording equipment. Both the first part of the cable and the second part of the cable in the above-mentioned solution are a flat coil. This gives a compact design, but creates other difficulties of a fundamental nature. The main one is the difficulty of obtaining the coordinates of the microphone suspension. This is due to the fact that the length of the spiral turn depends on the length of the outlet and on the weight of the cable with the payload.

However, it should be noted that the said winch can only be used for lifting and lowering equipment with a small mass, which is limited by the mechanical characteristics of the signal (acoustic) cable. To raise and lower sound equipment with a larger mass, for example, large loudspeakers, a number of measures are required to ensure the necessary safety of the work performed and the reliability of the equipment.

Summary of the invention

The present invention is intended to solve at least some of the above problems.

In the winch for audio equipment in accordance with the present invention, in addition to the signal cable, which communicates between the suspended audio equipment and external audio equipment, it is proposed to use a load-carrying cable that takes up mechanical loads during hoisting operations.

In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a winch for audio equipment, comprising a housing that houses:

- a drum designed for winding a cable and a supporting cable, the drum consists of two parts, the first part of the cable is wound on the first part of the drum and the supporting cable is designed for hanging audio equipment, the second part of the cable is wound on the second part of the drum, and one end of the first part the cable is designed to be connected to said audio equipment, the second end of the first part of the cable is connected to the second part of the cable, the second part of the cable is designed to connect the first part of the cable with a fixed point of connection to an external signal path;

- a stacker made with the possibility of laying a cable and a cable on the drum coil to coil; and

- a drive connected to the drum and stacker and configured to drive them, and

moreover, to ensure the tension of the first part of the cable near the drum, an elastic element is provided, one end of which is fixed at the point of suspension of the audio equipment or near it, and the second end of the elastic element is connected to a clamp installed in the lower fragment of the first part of the cable, and a part of the cable between the said clamp and sound equipment does not experience tension.

In one embodiment of the winch, the audio equipment is one of a microphone and a speaker.

According to another embodiment, the second part of the cable is in the form of a flat, single-layer coil.

According to another embodiment of the winch, the walls of the compartment for the second cable portion in the second drum portion are covered with a sliding material.

According to another embodiment of the winch, the second part of the cable is coated with grease.

According to another embodiment of the winch, the second cable part and the first cable part are made of different types of cables.

According to another embodiment of the winch, the second cable part and the first cable part are formed from one type of cable as a whole.

According to another embodiment of the winch, the resilient element is a coil spring.

According to another embodiment of the winch, a weight is additionally mounted on the cable.

In another embodiment, the winch comprises a controller for controlling the winch.

According to another embodiment of the winch, the controller is configured to control the drive to set the lifting speed of the audio equipment to provide the necessary cable and cable management.

In accordance with a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a sound equipment positioning system comprising at least one of the aforementioned winch and a control unit.

According to one embodiment of the system, the control unit comprises a display.

According to another embodiment of the system, the control unit comprises information input means.

According to an alternative embodiment of the system, the control unit is associated with a mobile terminal configured to receive control actions from a user.

The technical result provided by the present invention consists in providing a simple and reliable design of the winch with high noise immunity of the signal path, increasing the service life of the winch and the positioning accuracy of the sound equipment.

Brief Description of Drawings

The invention is further illustrated by the description of preferred embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a winch in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 shows a second flat coil cable section in a second drum section.

FIG. 3 shows the process of rewinding a flat coil from one extreme position to another extreme position.

Fig. 4 schematically depicts a part of a reel with laid coils of cable and cable.

FIG. 5 schematically depicts the reaction forces of the support arising at the points of contact of the cable and cable with the elements of the broach path.

FIG. 6 schematically depicts audio equipment suspended from a carrier cable with a cable attached to it.

Description of preferred embodiments of the invention

The embodiments are not limited to the embodiments described herein, a person skilled in the art based on the information set forth in the description and the knowledge of the prior art, other embodiments of the invention will become apparent without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Elements mentioned in the singular do not exclude the plurality of elements, unless otherwise specified.

A winch in accordance with the present invention is intended for remotely controlled lifting and lowering of audio equipment. As the aforementioned sound equipment, for example, microphones for making sound recordings during concerts, loudspeakers for creating the necessary acoustic stage during performances and any other suitable equipment can be used. The winch is installed over the point at which the sound equipment must be positioned, and the installation site can be either a fixed base, such as ceiling structures, technical decks or grates, or a movable base, for example, soffits.

In accordance with the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, shown in Fig. 1, the winch comprises a housing 1 consisting of a metal frame 2 with metal (for example aluminum) panels 3 fixed thereon. At least some of said housing panels are removable to enable maintenance, commissioning, adjustment, etc. Alternatively, both the frame and the body panels can be made of other materials that provide the required mechanical and strength characteristics, for example, plastics, metal-plastic composite materials, etc.

All the main mechanical units of the winch are located in the mentioned body - drum 4, drive 5, stacker 6.

The winch drum 4 is intended for winding and unwinding the cable 7 and the carrying cable 8 (shown further in Figs. 4-6). Said drum 4 has a modular structure and consists of two parts. The first part of the cable is wound on the first part of the drum and the carrier cable is designed to suspend the sound equipment; the second part of the cable is wound on the second part of the drum, which makes the signal path unbreakable.

The first part of the cable 7, together with the cable 8, during winding is laid on the drum turn to turn from one edge of the first part of the drum to the other. Since the radius of the loop of the carrying cable remains constant, an unambiguous and simple dependence of the coordinates of the suspension of the sound equipment and the angle of rotation of the drum is achieved, which allows for high positioning accuracy of the sound equipment.

The compartment in the second part of the drum for the second part of the cable, made in the form of a flat single-layer coil (see Fig. 2), has a cylindrical shape. According to an exemplary embodiment, the second cable section contains 10 cable turns, which allows the reel to rotate 20 turns between the extreme positions in which the second cable section is tightened to the stop. In the middle of the drum rotation cycle, the second part of the cable changes the winding direction. The process of rewinding a flat coil from one extreme position to another extreme position is shown in Fig. 3. In FIG. 3 the central bushing is stationary, and the compartment rotates. The fixed end of the second part of the cable is led out through the central bushing, equipped with limiters for the minimum radius. Said fixed end of the second part of the cable is intended for connection to an external signal path connected to external audio equipment. The connection point of the second part of the cable to the external signal path can be fixed to the winch body. The movable end of the second part of the cable is led into the first part of the drum, where the first part of the cable is connected to it. When the rotation is reversed, a loop is formed on the second part of the cable, which should be able to slide and eventually come out completely. If the winch is uncoiled or fully wound, then when reversing such a loop does not form. But if the reverse occurs not at the extreme points, then a movable loop is always formed. If the reverse occurs several times at a sufficient distance (for example, more than one or two revolutions of the drum), then a loop is formed with each reverse. The number of loops can be 3-4, rarely more, because due to the rigidity of the cable, adjacent loops are mutually compensated. Each loop has a size of about 3-4 cable diameters and increases the winding radius of the compensation coil. In unfavorable circumstances, there may not be enough space for the coil, and the mechanical stress on the cable increases greatly. In these conditions, it is important to ensure that there are no "pockets" in the compartment where the turns can be squeezed out. The cylindrical compartment is best suited for this. Structurally, this can be achieved, for example, by laying a ring of metal tape, which abuts against the racks that define the size of the compartment. Thus, the second part of the cable and the compartment for it in accordance with the present invention provide a reliable and simple design that provides a continuous signal path from the suspended audio equipment to the point of connection to an external signal path connected to external audio equipment. This provides increased noise immunity of the mentioned signal path.

Said external signal path, to which the fixed end of the second part of the cable is connected, and external audio equipment may be of different nature. For example, if the audio equipment suspended on the winch is a microphone, then the external signal path is the output signal path with respect to the winch and can be connected, for example, to sound recording equipment. Alternatively, if the suspended audio equipment is a loudspeaker, then the external signal path is the input signal path for the winch and may be connected to, for example, a turntable, mixer, etc.

The design of the compartment for the second cable section and the mechanical properties of the cable are essential to ensure system performance. It is necessary to ensure good sliding of the cable not only along the walls of the container, but also between the turns. Only in this case can the hinges unfold freely. The first is ensured by the fact that the walls of the compartment for the second part of the cable are laid with a polymer gasket made of a highly sliding material (for example, lavsan or polyethylene terephthalate, i.e. Teflon), and for the second, the cable is lubricated with grease. The gap between the walls of the compartment and the cable should be small to prevent the cable from sinking into it. This improves the reliability and service life of the second part of the cable, and the entire winch as a whole.

Depending on the requirements, the cable can be made as a composite cable, i.e. the second part of the cable and the first part of the cable are made of different types of cables, and one-piece, i.e. the second part of the cable and the first part of the cable are made of the same type of cable as a unit.

To determine the angle of rotation of the drum, any suitable known rotation angle sensors installed on the axis of the drum or in a suitable place on the winch body can be used, for example, optical, mechanical, magnetic and other rotation angle sensors. According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a mirrored engraved disc is mounted on the drum shaft as part of the optical encoder. The dashes on the disc allow the drum position to be read. The emitter and photodetector of the encoder are installed on the frame. The encoder signal is used to operate the servo drive, which makes it possible to implement smooth acceleration, deceleration, stabilization of the movement speed, approaches to a point at a given coordinate without the participation of an operator in a fully automatic mode, as well as synchronization of winches in a group.

According to an exemplary embodiment, a drive consisting of a DC motor with an integrated self-locking worm gear is used to drive the winch drum. This solution provides the necessary condition that the drum must be fixed all the time when it is not spinning, including when it is de-energized. However, the drive has a friction clutch for mating with the motor. The clutch is designed to protect the gearbox, cable and cable from external mechanical influences. A typical situation is when installing winches, when the space behind the ceiling is densely packed with lighting and stage equipment, trusses, decorations, lighting devices are suspended from the ceiling. The suspension of audio equipment, that is, the cable connector and weighting material, and the cable, when moving up and down, very often touch or even catch on suspended structures. The friction gear eliminates the risk of breakage or entanglement in these conditions and also makes maintenance very easy. Since the encoder is rigidly connected to the drum and not to the motor, slippage does not affect the coordinate readout. The adjusting nut can change the force on the clutch spring washer and thereby change the shear force. Power transmission to the drum and stacker is carried out by a chain drive. To tension the chain, an additional bypass sprocket with an adjusting groove is used. It should be noted that in an alternative embodiment, any other suitable motor, such as a synchronous motor, an induction motor, etc., can be used as the driving source. In this case, a belt drive, a gear drive, a friction drive, etc. can alternatively be used to transfer the force from the driving source to the drum.

The stacker 6 is designed to form even turns of the cable 7 and the carrying cable 8 on the drum 6. When the drum rotates by means of a drive, the drive force is also transmitted to the stacker with a carriage, which moves linearly in the direction along the axis of the drum 4 so that in one revolution of the drum move one step of winding the cable with the rope. In this case, the cable and the carrying cable together pass through the hole in the carriage and are wound on the drum in one row, turn to turn. The stacker has adjustable carriage end position sensors.

The stacker in accordance with the present invention has the least possible impact on the stacking and unwinding process. The guide fluoroplastic bushing of the stacker, through which the cable and cable pass, is located in the utmost proximity to the point where the cable and cable leave the drum on the vertical tangent to the generator. The cable changes its angle when the sleeve touches only in the extreme positions of the drum.

It should be noted that the carrying cable and the cable are wound on the same drum together and simultaneously. The cable of the required strength is usually noticeably thinner than the cable, i.e. the rope and cable have different diameters and, accordingly, different lengths of the coil on the drum. This has two consequences:

1. The cable on the drum is placed in the gaps formed by adjacent turns of the cable, practically taking up no space (see Fig. 4). In this case, laying the cable on the drum can be tight, almost the same as without the cable. This is important to maintain the capacity of the drum. It should be noted that a conventional steel cable twists under load. Since during lifting and lowering, the linear (that is, reduced to a unit of length) load changes, then the twisting force also changes. Therefore, the load can rotate on the cable and the cable is twisted into the cable.

2. Additional measures are required to align the lengths of the support cable and cable. The length of the coil of the cable or cable laid on the drum depends on its thickness (see Fig. 4).

и

Fig. 4 schematically depicts a part of a drum with laid coils of a cable and a cable, where rd is the radius of the drum, r1 is the radius of a coil of a cable having a diameter d1, r2 is the radius of a coil of a cable having a diameter d2, and

and

The difference in the lengths of the turns ∆L = 2π * (r1-r2) = π * (d1-d2) does not depend on the diameter of the drum, but only on the difference in the diameters of the cable and cable.

For example, with a cable thickness of 6mm and a cable of 2mm, respectively, we find that about 12mm of difference accumulates on each turn.

When laying, it is very desirable to straighten the cable twisted with a cable. Then the laying step will be stable, and the winding itself will be neat. This is necessary, among other things, for smooth feed, without jerking. The straightening occurs due to the forces arising at the points of contact of the cable with the elements of the broach path, that is, with the stacker and the winch exit window (see Fig. 5). The arrows in FIG. 5 shows the direction of the reaction forces of the support. The cable-cable-support system has a stable energy state, the so-called "potential pit", at a point with a minimum deviation from the shortest path of the cable and cable. With an increase in the deviation, an increase in the arc length occurs, which is equivalent to an increase in the speed of movement, that is, the kinetic energy of the system, and this requires additional work. The system can "jump out" of the "potential hole". That is, the twist (twisted state of the cable and cable) can "slip" through the stacker. This happens if the force holding the pair (cable and cable) in a twisted state is for some reason greater than the component of the reaction force of the support directed to unwinding.

When the twisted pair of cable and cable is straightened, the weight suspended at the end rotates. If the moment of inertia of the load does not allow it to rotate in accordance with the speed of unwinding of the pair, then the lay step decreases. This changes the balance of kinetic and potential energy of the system and will inevitably lead to its release from the “potential well”.

The practical application of these considerations is such that in most cases it is sufficient to select the lifting speed to ensure the necessary laying of the cable and cable.

For even and accurate laying, the cable must always be taut near the drum, especially when lowering the system. The tension force must exceed the friction force of the cable against the stacker carriage, so that when the cable is unwound from the drum, no loops are formed between the drum and the stacker. The cable's own weight is not enough for this. In addition, when the winch is unwound, the length of the rope and cable changes in different ways. Therefore, the following measures were taken to tension the cable and compensate for the run.

The cable has a larger diameter than the wire rope. The radius of the winding of the cable is larger, so the length must be longer. The supporting cable is stretched by a suspended load, and it is proposed to use an elastic element, for example, a spiral spring 9 (see Fig. 6), to tension and extract the changing excess cable length. In an alternative embodiment, for example, an elastic band can be used as the elastic element. The spring is fixed at one end at the suspension point of the audio equipment, at the same where the cable is fixed, and the other end of the spring is attached to a clamp that can be moved along the cable. In general, the clamp is fixed in the lower section of the first part of the cable. In an alternative embodiment, one end of the spring is not fixed at the suspension point, but close to it, for example on a cable or on the sound equipment itself, near the suspension point. The part of the cable between the said clamp and the audio equipment is free of tension and forms a loop. The spring provides a slight tension to the cable above the clamp and selects a loop that changes in size depending on the height of the suspension. Connecting the spring to the cable can be done with a collet clamp (for example, using a standard cable connector that has a plastic collet).

Referring to FIG. 6 the equation of static equilibrium in scalar form looks like this:

P = Fr + kX,

where P is the force of gravity acting on the suspended load, Fr is the cable tension force, kX is the cable tension force, equal in modulus to the spring thrust force.

The magnitude of the cable pulling force can range from zero, when the spring is in a free state, to a value of P, modulo equal to the force of gravity, if the entire load hangs only on the spring and, therefore, on the cable. In practice, the selection of the tension force occurs in a fully uncoiled state, with a load suspended from a cable and a detached spring. The position of the collet on the cable is selected in such a way that the cable tension is minimal sufficient for normal operation of the winch stacker. As you climb, the tension will increase and reach a maximum at the top. This is because the length of the cable turn on the drum is greater than the length of the cable turn. The cable rises faster. If at the beginning the tension force was F1, then at the end it will be F = F1 + k * (∆L * N), where in brackets is the incursion of the difference in lengths on N turns (in an exemplary embodiment, the incursion is 15-20 cm). The task of choosing the stiffness coefficient (and size) of the spring k is so that at the end of the lift, the tensile force does not exceed a predetermined value, due, for example, to the strength of the cable or even the weight of the load.

Another feature of practical implementation: when the working load is uncoupled and the winch is reeled up, the mass of the remaining "tail" may not be enough for safe unwinding, so a small weighting device can be installed at the bottom of the cable.

A controller can be installed in the housing to control the elements of the winch. A drum angular position sensor and stacker end sensors are connected to it. The mentioned controller contains non-volatile memory of system settings. The controller independently calculates the ballistics of the movement. This achieves smoothness and no jerking or swaying.

In an alternative embodiment, the elements of the winch can be controlled by an external controller installed in the remote control unit.

According to another embodiment, a winch for audio equipment is provided, comprising a housing containing a reel for winding a cable and a carrier cable for suspending audio equipment, one end of the cable for connecting to said audio equipment, the other end of the cable for connecting to fixed point of connection to the external signal path. The stacker, similarly to the first exemplary embodiment, is configured to lay the cable and cable on the roll coil to coil. The drive is connected to the drum and the stacker with the possibility of activating them. At the same time, to ensure the tension of the cable near the drum, an elastic element is provided, one end of which is fixed at the point of suspension of the sound equipment or near it, and the other end of the elastic element is connected to the clamp installed in the lower part of the cable, and part of the cable between the said clamp and the sound equipment does not experience tension.

The winch in accordance with the present invention allows positioning of audio equipment with an accuracy of 1 mm.

The winch in accordance with the present invention can be used as part of a positioning system for audio equipment, consisting of several such winches and a control unit. The control unit is configured to control the above-mentioned winches for positioning several pieces of audio equipment in certain positions on the stage in accordance with a predetermined arrangement. In this case, the control unit is configured to save a plurality of arrangements of the location of the sound equipment on the stage for the purpose of their subsequent reproduction. Said control unit, in accordance with one embodiment, comprises information display means (eg, a display) for displaying information representing possible layouts of audio equipment or other information necessary to control said system. Also, the control unit in accordance with one of the embodiments comprises input means, such as a keyboard, mouse, touch panel, touchpad, joystick, etc., for receiving control input from a user to control said system. In an alternative embodiment, the control unit can be associated with a mobile terminal that performs the functions of displaying information to the user and receiving control actions from the user. The control unit can communicate with the mobile terminal and with the winches using both wired and wireless communication technologies. Such a system allows a simple and reliable way to provide highly accurate positioning of audio equipment in accordance with a given layout.

Although exemplary embodiments have been described in detail and shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that such embodiments are illustrative only and are not intended to limit the broader invention, and that the invention should not be limited to the specific arrangements and structures shown and described. as various other modifications may be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Claims (19)

1. Winch for sound equipment, containing a housing, which houses: - a drum designed for winding a cable and a supporting cable, the drum consists of two parts, the first part of the cable is wound on the first part of the drum and the supporting cable is designed for hanging audio equipment, the second part of the cable is wound on the second part of the drum, and one end of the first part the cable is designed to be connected to the said audio equipment, the second end of the first part of the cable is connected to the second part of the cable, the second part of the cable is made in the form of a flat coil and is designed to connect the first part of the cable with a fixed point of connection to an external signal path; - a stacker made with the possibility of laying the first part of the cable and the cable on the drum coil to coil; and - a drive connected to the drum and stacker and made with the possibility of bringing them into action, moreover, to ensure the tension of the first part of the cable near the drum, an elastic element is provided, one end of which is fixed at the point of suspension of the sound equipment or near it, and the second end of the elastic element is connected to a clamp installed in the lower fragment of the first part of the cable, and part of the cable between the said clamp sound equipment does not experience tension. 2. The winch of claim 1, wherein the audio equipment is one of a microphone and a loudspeaker. 3. Winch according to claim 1, wherein the second part of the cable is made in the form of a flat single-layer coil. 4. A winch according to claim 1, wherein the walls of the compartment for the second cable portion in the second drum portion are covered with a sliding material. 5. The winch of claim 1, wherein the second portion of the cable is coated with grease. 6. The winch of claim 1, wherein the second cable portion and the first cable portion are made of different types of cables. 7. The winch of claim 1, wherein the second cable portion and the first cable portion are formed from the same type of cable as a unit. 8. The winch of claim. 1, wherein the resilient element is a coil spring. 9. The winch according to claim 1, in which a weighting agent is additionally installed on the cable. 10. The winch of claim 1, further comprising a controller for controlling the winch. 11. The winch according to claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to control the drive to set the lifting speed of the audio equipment, providing the necessary laying of the cable and cable. 12. A positioning system for sound equipment, comprising at least one winch according to PP. 1-11 and control unit. 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the control unit comprises a display. 14. The system of claim. 12, wherein the control unit comprises information input means. 15. The system of claim 12, wherein the control unit is associated with a mobile terminal configured to receive control input from a user.

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