KR101978817B1 - Dummy transfering apparatus for testing autonomous car - Google Patents

Abstract

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a dummy vehicle, and more particularly, to a device for conveying a person, a vehicle, or a bicycle-shaped dummy for testing the coping ability in an unexpected situation of an autonomous vehicle. A dummy carrier for an autonomous vehicle according to the present invention includes: a main body casing; A drive pulley coupled to the drive motor, a belt having one end engaged with the drive pulley, a driven pulley engaged with the other end of the belt, and a universal joint coupled to a rotating shaft of the driven pulley, A driving unit coupled to the universal joint and exposed to the outside of the lower portion of the main body casing to contact the ground, and a bearing provided between the universal joint and the wheel; A braking unit including a disk coupled to a rotating shaft of the driven pulley, and a hydraulic brake provided at one side of the disk; A pair of left and right wheels of the front wheel for turning the direction of the dummy carrier, the servo motor including a ball screw connected to the motor shaft of the servo motor, a strut bar moved in the horizontal direction by the ball screw, And the steering unit includes a steering bar coupled to both ends of the strut bar and having a steering bar that is pivoted according to the horizontal movement of the strut bar to pivot the wheel to the left and right.

Description

DUMMY TRANSFER APPARATUS FOR TESTING AUTONOMOUS CAR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a dummy vehicle, and more particularly, to a device for conveying a person, a vehicle, or a bicycle-shaped dummy for testing the coping ability in an unexpected situation of an autonomous vehicle.

An autonomous vehicle is a self-driven vehicle that does not require the driver to operate the vehicle, and is designed to recognize and actively respond to the surrounding environment and conditions by using various sensors. Usually, an unexpected situation occurs when a vehicle, a bicycle or a person suddenly pops out from a part blocked by an intersection or a big bus during an actual vehicle driving, a vehicle in another lane suddenly invades a lane, or a vehicle suddenly stops . In order to commercialize an autonomous vehicle, it is necessary to implement a technology that can reduce accidents to a maximum extent by coping with such an unexpected situation promptly and accurately. In order to secure the safety of the autonomous vehicle, Repeated tests should be carried out.

A typical vehicle safety test uses a model dummy made up of a vehicle, a bicycle, or a person, and a dummy carrier for moving the dummy is used. The dummy truck is equipped with a wheel and is movable forward and backward while a dummy is fixedly supported at an upper portion thereof. The dummy truck collides with the test vehicle to test the performance of the vehicle.

However, the conventional dummy truck for a vehicle stability test is a simple impact tester. In the dummy truck, only basic operations such as front-to-rear running or sudden stop are possible in a state where a dummy is mounted. There is a disadvantage in that it is impossible to produce various unexpected situations for testing an autonomous driving vehicle due to the impossibility of braking, and that the main body is severely damaged in a collision with a vehicle.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2009-0016183

The present invention has been developed to solve the disadvantages of the conventional dummy truck for vehicle testing as described above, and it is possible to change various directions of the dummy truck and ensure a reliable braking function, And it is an object of the present invention to provide a dummy vehicle which can minimize damage to the main body by ensuring a suspension function as well as a reliable test for recognizing the situation of a traveling vehicle and a corresponding function.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a dummy carrier for an autonomous vehicle, including: a main body casing; A drive pulley coupled to the drive motor, a belt having one end engaged with the drive pulley, a driven pulley engaged with the other end of the belt, and a universal joint coupled to a rotating shaft of the driven pulley, A driving unit coupled to the universal joint and exposed to the outside of the lower portion of the main body casing to contact the ground, and a bearing provided between the universal joint and the wheel; A braking unit including a disk coupled to a rotating shaft of the driven pulley, and a hydraulic brake provided at one side of the disk; A pair of left and right wheels of the front wheel for turning the direction of the dummy carrier, the servo motor including a ball screw connected to the motor shaft of the servo motor, a strut bar moved in the horizontal direction by the ball screw, And the steering unit includes a steering bar coupled to both ends of the strut bar and having a steering bar that is pivoted according to the horizontal movement of the strut bar to pivot the wheel to the left and right.

Here, the braking unit includes: an electric cylinder; a master cylinder that receives mechanical energy from the electric cylinder and pressurizes the fluid stored therein to convert the fluid into pressure energy; And a branch valve for branching and supplying the hydraulic brake for braking the interlocked disk.

The steering unit is horizontally disposed so that the motor shaft of the servo motor faces one direction, and is coupled to the ball screw. A strut bar is coupled to the nut block of the ball screw. Wherein the strut bar is a rod-like member disposed in parallel with the ball screw, the rod being connected to the nut block by a connecting block and having an LM guide at a lower portion thereof and being movable in the left and right horizontal directions in accordance with normal / One end hinged to the end of the travel bar and the other end hinged to the steering bar; Wherein the steering bar is fixedly coupled to a rear side of a bearing connecting the wheel and the universal joint, the steering bar being vertically disposed to the front side from the end of the link and extending forward, The left and right ends of the coaxial shaft are rotatable in the forward and backward directions.

The suspension unit may further include a suspension unit disposed in a lateral direction so as to be parallel to the rotation axis of the wheel, and one end of the suspension unit is hingedly coupled to a mounting block fixed to a bottom surface of the main casing of the dummy carrier, Shock absorber; A pivotal support having one end hingedly coupled to the lower side of the mounting block so as to be vertically pivotable and the other end coupled to a bearing connected to the wheel; And a link member hinged to an outer end of the shock absorber.

The apparatus further includes a dummy support portion extending horizontally and extending horizontally on the front side of the main body casing to mount and support the dummy.

According to the present invention as described above, the dummy carrier can be freely switched and reliably braked by the organic coupling between the driving part, the braking part, the steering part, and the suspension part, It is possible not only to reliably test the recognition of the situation of the traveling vehicle and the corresponding function, but also to minimize the damage of the main body by the suspension function.

1 is a perspective view of a dummy carrier according to the present invention,
FIG. 2 is a dummy support structure of a dummy carrier according to the present invention,
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the entire internal structure of the carrier separated from the top cover of the main casing of the dummy carrier according to the present invention,
4 is a plan view showing the internal structure of the dummy carrier according to the present invention,
FIG. 5A is a perspective view of a front portion of a dummy truck according to the present invention,
FIG. 5B is a perspective view of the front portion of the dummy carrier according to the present invention, viewed from the rear side,
FIG. 6 is a partial plan view for explaining a configuration of a steering unit of a dummy carrier according to the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view illustrating a configuration of a steering unit of a dummy carrier according to the present invention. FIG.
FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view illustrating a structure of a suspension part of a dummy carrier according to the present invention. FIG.
9 is a bottom perspective view of a dummy carrier according to the present invention,
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the suspension part of the dummy carrier according to the present invention,
FIG. 11 is a view illustrating the operation of the suspension unit of the dummy truck according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, the structure and operation of a dummy carrier according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments.

First, as shown in FIG. 1, the exterior of a dummy carrier according to the present invention includes a main body casing 10 and a dummy support portion 20.

The main body casing 10 is formed of a metallic material as an enclosure in which a drive unit 100, a steering unit 300, a braking unit 200, a suspension unit 400 and the like, which will be described later, Preferably, the upper edge portion includes an inclined skirt 12 so that the vehicle can travel on the upper side of the dummy carrier with less impact when the vehicle collides with the vehicle.

The dummy supporting portion 20 is a portion for mounting and supporting a dummy composed of a vehicle, a bicycle or a human model, and is formed to extend horizontally on the front side of the main body casing 10 as shown in Fig. Specifically, the dummy supporting portion 20 includes a first horizontal bar 21, a second horizontal bar 22, and a dummy receiving plate 23.

The rear end of the first horizontal bar 21 is fixedly coupled to the front side of the lower surface of the main body casing 10 and extends a predetermined length to protrude forward of the main casing 10, And is coupled to the front side of the first horizontal bar 21 so as to be adjustable in length. 2 shows an exploded view of the dummy support 20. As shown in Fig. As shown in the figure, the first horizontal bar 21 is formed with a slot S along its longitudinal direction, and the second horizontal bar 22 is inserted into the slot S and slidably moved. Accordingly, the second horizontal bar 22 can be housed inside and outside the first horizontal bar 21, and the entire length of the dummy supporting portion 20 can be adjusted if necessary.

The first horizontal bar 21 and the second horizontal bar 22 are provided on both sides of the first horizontal bar 21 and the second horizontal bar 22 at regular intervals And the fixture 25 is fastened to the corresponding fastening hole of the first horizontal bar 21 and the second horizontal bar 22. The fastening holes 25a, Specifically, the fixture 25 is formed of a plate having a substantially rectangular shape at its upper portion, and corresponding to the fastening holes 21a and 22a of the first horizontal bar 21 and the second horizontal bar 22, respectively, The fixing pin 25a is formed. Accordingly, the first horizontal bar 21 and the second horizontal bar 22 are fixedly coupled to each other as the fixing pin 25a is press-fitted into the fastening holes 21a and 22a. The first horizontal bar 21 and the second horizontal bar 22 are provided with a cutting hole 21b at a portion adjacent to the fastening portion of the fastener 25 so that the fastener 25 can be easily gripped and separated. And 22b, respectively. The incision holes 21b and 22b provide a clearance through which the operator's fingers can be inserted, thereby facilitating gripping of the fastener 25, thereby ensuring convenience in replacement.

Referring again to FIG. 1, a dummy receiving plate 23 is fixedly coupled to a front end of the second horizontal bar 22. As shown in the drawing, the dummy is fixedly mounted on the dummy receiving plate 23 through a separate bracket or a supporting stand. Accordingly, as the main body chasing is driven by the driving unit 100, which will be described later, the dummy is movable in a state of being supported by the derby support plate 23. [

3 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the dummy carrier separated from the top cover of the main body casing 10 according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a plan view and FIGS. 5a and 5b show A perspective view of the driver 100 as viewed is shown. As shown in the figure, the internal structure of the dummy carrier according to the present invention includes a driving unit 100, a braking unit 200, a steering unit 300, and a suspension unit 400. Hereinafter, each of the components will be described in detail.

The driving unit 100 includes a driving motor 110, a belt 140, a universal joint 160, and a wheel 180, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, . FIG. 5A is a perspective view of the front wheel of the dummy carrier according to the present invention viewed from one side, and FIG. 5B is a perspective view of the front wheel as seen from the rear side. As shown in FIG. 5B, Only one of left and right configurations will be described below.

First, the driving motor 110 is horizontally disposed in the main casing 10 such that the motor shaft is directed to one side, and the driving pulley 130 is coupled to the motor shaft. One end of the belt 140 is engaged with the driving pulley 130 and the other end of the belt 140 is engaged with a driven pulley 150 rotatably mounted on a separate bracket. The drive pulley 130 coupled to the drive motor 110 is also connected to the encoder 120 by another belt 140. Accordingly, when the driving motor 110 is operated and the driving pulley 130 is rotated, a rotational force is transmitted to the encoder 120, and the encoder 120 measures the rotational speed of the motor, Thereby controlling the number of revolutions. The universal joint 160 is coupled to the rotary shaft 152 of the driven pulley 150 and the universal joint 160 is coupled to the wheel 180. A bearing 170 serving as a coupler is connected between the universal joint 160 and the wheel 180 so that rotational force can be smoothly transmitted.

When the driving motor 110 is operated, the driven pulley 150 is rotated by the belt 140 engaged with the driving pulley 130, and the universal joint 150 coupled to the rotating shaft of the driven pulley 150 The wheel 160 is rotated and the wheel 180 coupled to the universal joint 160 is rotated. The wheel 180 is configured such that a portion of the wheel 180 is exposed to the outside through an opening formed in a lower plate of the main casing 10 so as to be in contact with the ground,

The braking unit 200 stops the rotation of the wheel 180 that is running and stops the entire dummy carrier. The hydraulic braking system 250 is employed as a preferred embodiment. In the hydraulic brake 250 system, a pair of brake pads is provided in the caliper, and the interval between the brake pads is narrowed by the hydraulic pressure transmitted from the outside, so that the discs 260 interposed between the two brake pads are pressed against each other at both sides, The rotation of the motor 260 is stopped. In the present invention, the structure of the hydraulic brake 250 is adopted and the structure is adapted to the structure of the driving part 100 and the four-wheel driving characteristic. 4 and 5B, the braking unit 200 includes a disk 260, a hydraulic brake 250, an electric cylinder 210, a hydraulic pump, a connecting bar 230, (240).

As shown in the figure, a disk 260 is coupled to a rotating shaft of the driven pulley 150, and a hydraulic brake 250 is provided at one side of the disk 260. As described above, the hydraulic brake 250 is provided with a pair of brake pads spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in the caliper, and a pair of brake pads is interposed between the pair of brake pads . The operation of the brake pads within the hydraulic brake 250 by hydraulic pressure and the structure thereof are already known, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

4, an electric cylinder 210, a master cylinder 220, a connecting bar 230, and a diverter valve 240 are provided to supply hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic brake 250. The electric cylinder 210 is a cylinder configured to reciprocate by a small motor. The master cylinder 220 receives mechanical energy from the electric cylinder 210 and pressurizes the fluid stored therein to convert it into pressure energy. 4, the transmission cylinder 210 and the master cylinder 220 are arranged in parallel so that the piston rods face in the same direction, and the ends of the piston rods are connected to each other by the interconnecting bar 230 . The distal ends of the connecting bars 230 on the side of the electric cylinder 210 are elongated longer and spaced apart from each other at the upper and lower ends of the extension ends of the connecting bars 230 to restrict the contraction and expansion of the electric cylinder 210, And a pair of limit switches 215 for controlling the limit switches 215 are provided.

The connecting bar 230 coupled to the piston rod of the electric cylinder 210 is moved so that the connecting bar 230 is moved in the axial direction of the connecting rod 230. As a result, The piston rod of the master cylinder 220 coupled with the master cylinder 220 is moved together to pressurize the fluid stored in the master cylinder 220 to form pressure energy. The compressed fluid is discharged from one side of the master cylinder 220 and is transferred to the branch valve 240 through a hose or tube (indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 4). The branch valve 240 branches and supplies the fluid pressurized by the master cylinder 220 to each of the hydraulic brakes 250 for braking the disk 260 interlocked with the four wheels 180 240) to the respective hydraulic brake (250) are omitted). In this manner, the oil pressure is supplied to each of the hydraulic brakes 250 so that the rotation of each disk 260 is stopped, and the rotation of each wheel 180 is stopped, thereby braking the entire dummy carrier.

The steering unit 300 is a portion that rotates the left and right wheel 180 of the front wheel part in the left and right direction to change the direction of the dummy carrier. 6 and 7 show a front view and a rear perspective view of the front wheel portion in which some brackets and components are omitted so that the configuration of the steering portion 300 can be seen well. The steering unit 300 includes a servo motor 310, a ball screw 320, a strut bar 340, and a steering bar 350, as shown in FIG.

As shown in the figure, the servomotor 310 is horizontally disposed with the motor shaft facing one side, and the ball screw 320 is coupled to the motor shaft. A strut bar 340 is coupled to the nut block 322 of the ball screw 320. When the nut block 322 of the ball screw 320 moves along the horizontal direction, the strut bar 340 rotates the rear end of the steering bar 350 coupled to both ends of the nut bar block 322, And the wheel 180 connected to the front end of the left and right wheels 350 and 350 is turned right and left. Here, the strut bar 340 may be formed as an integral bar or may be composed of a moving bar 342 and a link 344, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. In the illustrated embodiment, the moving bar 342 is a rod-shaped member arranged in parallel with the ball screw 320 and connected to the nut block 322 by a connecting block 330, And is movable in the left and right horizontal directions in accordance with the normal and reverse rotations of the servo motor 310 as shown in FIG. One end of the link 344 is coupled (preferably hinged) to the end of the moving bar 342 and the other end is hinged to the steering bar 350. The steering bar 350 is extended from the end of the link 344 toward the front side, that is, perpendicular to the link 344 and extending forward. The steering bar 350 is fixedly coupled to the rear side of the bearing 170 connecting the wheel 180 and the universal joint 160. The bearing 170 is fixed to the bracket 170 And the left and right ends of the pivot shaft 172 are rotatable in the forward and backward directions.

6, when the nut block 322 of the ball screw 320 is moved in the horizontal direction in accordance with the normal rotation of the servo motor 310, the nut block 322 is connected to the nut block 322 The movable bar 342 is moved in the horizontal direction together and the link 344 connected to the movable bar 342 rotates the rear end of the steering bar 350 and the bearing 170 Is rotated about the rotation axis 172, and finally the wheel 180 is also rotated. In this way, the steering angle of the wheel 180 is changed to allow the dummy truck to be freely changed in direction, and various unexpected situations can be produced while traveling on various routes during the autonomous vehicle test.

The suspension unit 400 prevents damages of the dummy truck by damping the load of the vehicle when the dummy truck according to the present invention collides with the autonomous vehicle under test and the vehicle passes over the dummy truck. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the suspension unit 400 viewed from the rear side, FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the suspension unit 400 viewed from the front side, and FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the suspension unit 400 exposed to the outside A bottom view of the dummy carrier according to the present invention is shown. FIG. 10 is a bottom perspective view showing a bottom plate of the dummy carrier according to the present invention and a suspension part 400 shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the suspension unit 400 includes a shock absorber, a pivotal support 430, a link member 440, and a fixing bracket.

The shock absorber 410 is installed in a mounting block 420 which is disposed in a transverse direction parallel to the rotation axis of the wheel 180 and one end of which is fixed to an inner bottom surface (bottom plate) of the main casing 10 of the dummy carrier And is hinged to be vertically rotatable. The other end is hinged to a link member 440 to be described later.

One end of the pivot support bracket 430 is hinged to the lower side of the mounting block 420 to be rotatable up and down and the other end is supported on the bearing 170 connected to the wheel 180. More specifically, To the lower portion of the bracket (B). 9, a plurality of openings are formed in the bottom plate 15 of the dummy carrier according to the present invention. In the openings, the wheels 180 and the pivotal supports 430 are exposed to the outside And the rest of the mounting block 420 is fixedly coupled to the bottom plate 15 except for the portion thereof hinged to the pivotal support 430. Accordingly, the wheel 180, the bearing 170, the universal joint, and the pivotal support 430 are not supported by the bottom plate 15, and only when the wheel 180 is in contact with the ground, The rotatable supporter 430 floats in the air and the bearing 170 and the wheel 180 connected to the rotatable supporter 430 are supported by the mounting block 420. [ Which is the structure supporting it.

The link member 440 is hingedly coupled to the outer end of the shock absorber 410 to smoothly inflate and deflate the shock absorber 410. The link member 440 is disposed inside the main casing 10 of the shock absorber bar 410, And includes a hinge block 441, a first rotation link 442, and a second rotation link 443 disposed laterally in the support bracket 446 fixedly coupled.

Here, the hinge block 441 has one end fixedly coupled to the support bracket 446 and the other end recessedly formed, and the hinge block 441 is hinge-coupled with the first rotation link 442 inserted into the groove . The first turning link 442 is bent in a substantially 'A' shape at its side end surface. A central corner portion inserted into the groove of the hinge block 441 is hinged to the hinge block 441, Is hinged to the end of the shock absorber bar (410), and the upper side end is hinged to the upper end of the second pivotal link (443) arranged in the vertical direction. The lower end of the second rotation link 443 is hinged to the front side of the rotation support base 430 so as to be rotatable from side to side.

11 shows an operation state of the suspension unit 400 having the above-described structure. As shown in FIG. 11 (a), in the normal state, the main casing 10 is in a state in which the shock absorber 410 is deployed at a relatively higher position than the wheel 180 in the inflated state. Then, when the test subject vehicle rides on the upper part of the dummy carrier according to the present invention, the body casing 10 is sagged downward by the load of the vehicle as shown in Fig. 11 (b). At this time, the shock absorber bar 410 is contracted to prevent damages to the lower portion of the main casing 10 due to the buffering action. When the test vehicle is removed from the dummy carrier and the load is removed, It is expanded and returned to its original state.

4, the dummy vehicle according to the present invention includes a communication module 500 for communicating with an external control device, a GPS 1 for determining a current position, And a control unit (not shown) for controlling the entire operation. Accordingly, the operation of the driving unit 100, the braking unit 200, and the steering unit 300 is wirelessly controlled by receiving the control signal from the external control device through the communication module 500. In addition, since the current position can be grasped by a separate GPS device, traveling, braking, steering and the like are automatically performed along the previously stored traveling route. It is possible to perform various tests by carrying out various tests on autonomous vehicles.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments.

10: main body casing 20: dummy support
100: driving part 110: driving motor
120: Encoder 130: Driving pulley
140: belt 150: driven pulley
160: universal joint 170: bearing
180: Wheel 200:
210: electric cylinder 220: master cylinder
230: connection bar 240: branch valve
250: Hydraulic brake 260: Disk
300: Steering section 310: Servo motor
320: Ball Screw 322: Nut Block
330: connecting block 342: moving bar
344: Link 350: Steering bar
400: Suspension part
410: shock absorber 420: mounting block
430: rotation support 440: link member
441: Hinge block 442: First turning link
443: second rotation link 446: support bracket

Claims (5)

A main body casing (10);
A driving belt 110 coupled to the driving motor 110 and a belt 140 engaged at one end with the driving pulley 130; A driven pulley 150 engaged with the other end of the main body casing 140 and a universal joint 160 coupled to the rotating shaft of the driven pulley 150, A driving unit 100 including a wheel 180 exposed to the ground and a bearing 170 provided between the universal joint 160 and the wheel 180;
A braking unit 200 including a disk 260 coupled to a rotating shaft of the driven pulley 150 and a hydraulic brake 250 provided at one side of the disk 260;
A pair of left and right wheels 180 for turning the dummy truck in the left and right directions for turning directions of the dummy truck, and includes a servo motor 310, a ball screw 320 connected to the motor shaft of the servo motor 310, A rear end portion of the strut bar 340 is coupled to both ends of the strut bar 340 and is rotated in accordance with the horizontal movement of the strut bar 340 to rotate the wheel 180 left and right A steering unit 300 having a steering bar 350 for steering the steering wheel 300;
And a suspension unit (400);
The suspension unit 400 includes:
A shock absorber (not shown), which is hingedly coupled to a mounting block 420, which is rotatably mounted on a mounting block 420 fixed to a bottom surface of the main casing 10 of the dummy carrier, (410);
A pivotal support 430 hinged to one side of the mounting block 420 so as to be vertically rotatable and coupled to the bearing 170 connected to the wheel 180;
And a link member (440) hinged to the outer end of the shock absorber bar (410). The method according to claim 1,
The braking unit (200)
A master cylinder 220 that receives mechanical energy from the electric cylinder 210 and converts the fluid stored in the master cylinder 220 into pressure energy; Further comprising a branch valve (240) for branching and supplying the hydraulic brake (250) for braking the disc (260) interlocked with the wheel (180). The method according to claim 1,
The steering unit 300 includes:
A strut bar 340 is coupled to the nut block 322 of the ball screw 320, and the strut bar 340 is coupled to the nut block 322 of the ball screw 320.
The strut bar 340 is connected to the nut block 322 by a connecting block 330 and is disposed in parallel with the ball screw 320. The LM guide is provided at a lower portion of the strut bar 340, And a link 344 hinged to one end of the moving bar 342 and hinged to the other end of the steering bar 350. The other end of the link 344 is hinged to the steering bar 350, Include;
The steering bar 350 extends forward from the end of the link 344 so as to be vertically disposed with respect to the link 344 and extends in the forward direction and connects the wheel 180 and the universal joint 160 170), and the bearing (170) is configured to be rotatable in both the left and right directions about the vertically arranged pivot axis in the forward and backward direction. delete The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a dummy support portion (20) formed horizontally and extended on the front side of the main body casing (10) to mount and support the dummy.

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