JP2020072303A - Electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve sidetone quality and realize an electronic apparatus in which a speaker can easily talk.SOLUTION: In an electronic apparatus including a first microphone, an audio output unit, and a transmission/reception unit, the transmission/reception unit transmits an audio signal indicating audio input to the first microphone and receives the audio signal from the other party of a call, and the electronic apparatus includes a filter unit that acts on the audio signal indicating audio collected by the first microphone, and an addition unit that adds the audio signal after the filter unit operates to the audio signal received by the transmission/reception unit and then supplies the audio signal to the audio output unit, and the audio output unit outputs the audio from the addition unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to electronic devices.

  Conventionally, a side tone is used in a telephone such as a mobile phone in order to deliver stable voice to an opposite party. Side tone is a method in which the voice of the speaker is returned to the voice received by the speaker, so that stable voice can be delivered to the other party.

  For example, when a person makes a call in a noisy environment, he or she tries to speak loudly because he cannot hear his own voice. In the current mobile phone, the side tone only returns the transmitted voice to the receiving side, and has no adjusting function other than the gain adjusting unit.

  For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 4-216216 discloses a technique of detecting the volume of a speaker and returning a side tone at a volume suitable for the speaker.

JP-A-4-216216 (Published August 6, 1992)

  However, the above conventional techniques have the following problems. That is, only the side tone volume is adjusted according to the speaker's transmission volume. Normally, humans listen to their own voice with two sounds, "air conduction sound" that enters from the ear and reaches the inner ear via the outer and middle ear, and "bone conduction sound" that reaches the inner ear directly through the skull. There is. The two sounds have different frequency characteristics, and bone-conducted sounds are difficult to hear at frequencies above 1000 Hz.

  Not only in the above case, the frequency characteristics that can be heard vary depending on how the mobile terminal is placed along the ear. Also, since the way of hearing changes depending on the surrounding environment, it cannot be said that the volume adjustment alone is optimal.

  An object of one embodiment of the present invention is to improve the quality of sidetone and realize an electronic device in which a speaker can easily talk.

  In order to solve the above problems, an electronic device according to an aspect of the present invention is an electronic device including a first microphone, a voice output unit, and a transmitting / receiving unit, and the transmitting / receiving unit is the The audio signal input to the microphone of No. 1 is transmitted, the audio signal is received from the other party of the call, and the electronic device operates on the audio signal indicating the audio collected by the first microphone. And an adding unit that adds the audio signal after the filter unit has acted to the audio signal received by the transmitting and receiving unit and then supplies the audio signal to the audio output unit. The sound from the department is output.

  According to one embodiment of the present invention, the quality of sidetone is improved and an electronic device in which a speaker can easily talk can be realized.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of an electronic device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the electronic device which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the principal part structure of the electronic device which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. 3 is a flowchart showing a flow of voice processing of the electronic device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 9 is a flowchart showing a flow of voice processing of the electronic device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 7 is a flowchart showing a flow of voice processing of the electronic device according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

[Embodiment 1]
An embodiment of the present invention will be described below. Before performing the description with reference to the drawings, first, the side tone which is the background technology will be described. The side tone is a technology in which a voice signal of a voice of a speaker collected by a microphone included in a mobile phone as an example of an electronic device is mixed with a voice signal of a communication partner received by the mobile phone and output from a speaker. That is. In this way, making part of the speaker's voice audible from the voice output unit is called side tone.

  Normally, the earpiece of the mobile phone covers the speaker's ears, making it difficult for the speaker to hear his / her own voice, but by adopting the side tone technology, stable voice can be delivered to the speaker. .. The electronic device described in this specification adopts the above-described side tone technology and solves the problems that cannot be solved by the conventional side tone technology.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the electronic device according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 and 4. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of an electronic device 1 according to this embodiment. The main configuration of the electronic device 1 will be described. A mobile phone such as a smartphone is given as an example of the electronic device 1, but the electronic device 1 is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a wireless communication device or an intercom.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic device 1 includes a first microphone 11a, a voice output unit 12, a transmission / reception unit 13, and a control unit 14. However, in the electronic device 1, the control unit 14 is not always an essential component.

  The first microphone 11a mainly acquires a voice of a speaker (which may also be referred to as a speaker, a speaker, or a user). The transmission / reception unit 13 transmits an audio signal indicating the audio input to the first microphone 11a and receives an audio signal from the other party of the call. The audio output unit 12 is not particularly limited as long as it can output the audio represented by the audio signal received by the transmission / reception unit 13.

  When the electronic device 1 is a mobile phone, the transmission / reception unit 13 transmits / receives data to / from a base station (not shown) via an antenna. Further, the transmitting / receiving unit 13 may be configured to communicate with a repeater of Local Area Network such as a wifi (registered trademark) router.

  In addition, the transmission / reception unit 13 includes an encoding unit that encodes voice data indicating the voice collected by the first microphone 11 a, and a decoding unit that decodes the data received by the antenna and supplies the data to the addition unit 16. It can be configured.

  The electronic device 1 also includes a filter unit 15 and an addition unit 16. The filter unit 15 is controlled by the control unit 14 and acts on the voice signal indicating the voice collected by the first microphone 11a. The adding unit 16 adds the audio signal after the filter unit 15 has acted to the audio signal received by the transmitting / receiving unit 13 and then supplies the audio signal to the audio output unit 12. The voice output unit 12 outputs the voice from the addition unit 16. As an example of the effect on the audio signal by the filter unit 15, for example, the filter unit 15 is controlled by the control unit 14 and adjusts the frequency characteristic of the audio signal indicating the audio collected by the first microphone 11a. Is not limited to this. The type of the filter unit 15 is not particularly limited, and for example, an IIR (Infinite Impulse Response) filter that can adjust the frequency characteristic can be used.

  According to the above configuration, it is possible to realize an electronic device in which the quality of sidetone is improved and a speaker can easily talk.

  Further, although the specific filter characteristics of the filter unit 15 are not limited to those of the present embodiment, for example, it is preferable that the filter section 15 has a characteristic that the frequency band of 1000 Hz to 3000 Hz is more easily transmitted than the other frequency bands. Usually, humans hear their voices with two sounds, “air conduction sound” that enters from the ear and reaches the inner ear through the outer and middle ear, and “bone conduction sound” that reaches the inner ear directly through the skull. While listening, the two sounds have different frequency characteristics, and particularly bone-conducted sounds tend to be difficult to hear at frequencies of 1000 Hz or higher. By adopting the filter unit 15 having the above frequency characteristics, it is possible to further improve the call quality.

  Next, the gain adjusting unit 17 will be described based on FIGS. 1 and 4. The electronic device 1 further includes a gain adjusting unit 17, as shown in FIG. The gain adjusting unit 17 is controlled by the control unit 14 and adjusts the gain of the audio signal after the filter unit 15 acts. The adding unit 16 adds the audio signal after the gain adjustment by the gain adjusting unit 17 to the audio signal received by the transmitting / receiving unit 13, and then supplies the audio signal to the audio output unit 12.

  According to the above configuration, the electronic device 1 can further adjust the gain of the audio signal by further including the gain adjusting unit 17, and thus the call quality between the user and the call partner can be further improved. it can.

  Next, a flow of voice processing of the electronic device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of voice processing of the electronic device 1.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the electronic device 1 acquires a voice signal indicating the voice of the speaker input to the first microphone 11a (step S11). Next, the filter unit 15 is controlled by the set value stored in the control unit 14 (step S12). Examples of the setting values stored in the control unit 14 here include, for example, parameters prepared in advance by the speaker, such as the strength of gain (volume) and high / low frequency cooperation.

  Next, the filter unit 15 adjusts the frequency characteristic (frequency characteristic) of the voice signal indicating the voice collected by the first microphone 11a (step S13). Next, the gain adjusting unit 17 appropriately adjusts the gain of the audio signal after the filter unit 15 has acted (step S14). Next, the voice signal adjusted by the filter unit 15 and the gain adjusting unit 17 by the adding unit 16 is added to the voice signal received by the transmitting / receiving unit 13 (step S15). Finally, the audio signal added by the adding unit 16 is supplied to the audio output unit 12 (step S16).

  According to the electronic device 1, it is possible to realize an electronic device in which the quality of the side tone is improved and the speaker can easily talk.

[Embodiment 2]
Another embodiment of the present invention will be described below. For convenience of description, members having the same functions as the members described in the above embodiment will be designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

  Compared to the first embodiment, the configuration including the other microphone of the present embodiment is different from the former in that the configuration of the control unit is different from the former. The difference will be mainly described below.

  Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 and 5. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of the electronic device 1a according to the present embodiment. The main configuration of the electronic device 1a will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the electronic device 1a includes a first microphone 11a, a voice output unit 12, another microphone 11b, a transmission / reception unit 13, a control unit 14a, a filter unit 15, and a gain adjustment unit 17. And an addition unit 16.

  As described above, the first microphone 11a, the audio output unit 12, the transmission / reception unit 13, the filter unit 15, the gain adjustment unit 17, and the addition unit 16 of the present embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment. Since the microphone 11a, the voice output unit 12, the transmission / reception unit 13, the filter unit 15, the gain adjustment unit 17, and the addition unit 16 are similar in configuration, description of these configurations will be omitted.

  In the present embodiment, the first microphone 11a acquires external noise (noise) around the electronic device 1a, in addition to mainly acquiring the voice of the speaker. The other microphone 11b is different from the first microphone 11a and collects external noise in a direction different from the direction in which the first microphone 11a is installed. Further, the type of the other microphone 11b is not particularly limited, and for example, a microphone for hands-free call or a noise canceling microphone using a plurality of microphones can be used.

  As described above, the first microphone 11a acquires the voice of the speaker and the external noise (noise) around the electronic device 1a. Then, as shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, the control unit 14a includes a parameter control unit 141 and an external noise determination / adjustment unit 142. The noise signal collected by the first microphone 11a or the other microphone 11b is supplied to the external noise determination / adjustment unit 142. In addition, a signal indicating the determination and adjustment result by the external noise determination / adjustment unit 142 is supplied to the parameter control unit 141. Then, the parameter control unit 141 adjusts at least one of the parameter of the gain adjustment unit 17 and the parameter of the filter unit 15 according to the determination result and adjustment result supplied from the external noise determination / adjustment unit 142. In other words, the parameter control unit 141 adjusts at least one of the parameter of the gain adjustment unit 17 and the parameter of the filter unit 15 according to the noise collected by the first microphone 11a or the other microphone 11b. To do.

  Specifically, in the present embodiment, the parameter control unit 141 is optimal for adjusting the gain adjusting unit 17 and the filter unit 15 according to the noise collected by the first microphone 11a or the other microphone 11b. Create parameters. Then, the set value is input to the gain adjusting unit 17 and the filter unit 15.

  As an example of adjusting the parameter according to the noise by the control unit 14a, for example, in the case of a noisy environment, the gain may be adjusted to be increased. Further, as another example, in an environment where noise is similarly high, the parameters of the gain adjustment unit 17 and the parameters of the filter unit 15 are set so as to increase the gain of the frequency band corresponding to the frequency of the voice of the speaker. It can be adjusted. In the latter case, the formant, that is, the band of the overtone component of the human voice may be increased.

  According to the above configuration, the electronic device 1a can suitably adjust at least one of the parameter of the gain adjustment unit 17 and the parameter of the filter unit 15, so that the call quality between the user and the other party of the call can be improved. Can be further improved.

  Note that the external noise determination / adjustment unit 142 may be configured, for example, to treat all sounds collected by the first microphone 11a as audio signals caused by noise, and as another example, the first noise The microphone 11a may extract a voice signal in a frequency band other than the human voice band from the voice signal collected and specify the extracted voice signal as a voice signal caused by noise. As still another example, a human voice is extracted by calculating the difference between the sound collected by the microphone 11b and the sound collected by the microphone 11a shown in FIG. 2, and other components are audio signals caused by noise. May be specified.

  Next, a flow of voice processing of the electronic device 1a according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of voice processing of the electronic device 1a.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in the electronic device 1a, external noise is collected by the first microphone 11a or another microphone 11b (step S21). Next, the external noise determination / adjustment unit 142 in the control unit 14a adjusts the optimum parameter from the noise information, and supplies it to the parameter control unit 141 (step S22).

  Next, the control unit 14a controls at least one of the gain adjusting unit 17 and the filter unit 15 (step S23). Since the processing contents of subsequent steps S24 to S27 are similar to the processing contents of steps S13 to S16 of the first embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

  According to the electronic device 1a, it is possible to realize an electronic device in which the quality of sidetone is improved and the speaker can easily talk.

[Embodiment 3]
Still another embodiment of the present invention will be described below. For convenience of description, members having the same functions as the members described in the above embodiment will be designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

  Compared to the second embodiment, the configuration including the second microphone and the proximity sensor of the present embodiment and the configuration of the control unit differ from the former in that the configuration is different from the former. The difference will be mainly described below.

  Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 and 6. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of the electronic device 1b according to the present embodiment. The main configuration of the electronic device 1b will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the electronic device 1b includes a first microphone 11a, a voice output unit 12, a second microphone 11c, a proximity sensor 18, another microphone 11b, a transmission / reception unit 13, and a control unit. 14 b, a filter unit 15, a gain adjusting unit 17, and an adding unit 16.

  As described above, the first microphone 11a, the voice output unit 12, the transmission / reception unit 13, the filter unit 15, the gain adjustment unit 17, and the addition unit 16 of the present embodiment are the same as those of the first and second embodiments. Since the first microphone 11a, the voice output unit 12, the transmission / reception unit 13, the filter unit 15, the gain adjustment unit 17, and the addition unit 16 are similar in configuration, description of these configurations will be omitted. ..

  As shown in FIG. 3, the proximity sensor 18 detects whether or not the user is close to the electronic device 1b. Also, the type of the proximity sensor 18 is not particularly limited, and for example, a proximity sensor utilizing IR (infrared), ultrasonic waves, etc. can be used. Unlike the first microphone 11a, the second microphone 11c is provided near the audio output unit 12. Also, the type of the second microphone 11c is not particularly limited, and for example, a microphone for hands-free call or noise canceling using a plurality of microphones can be used. In the present embodiment, the control unit 14b includes a parameter control unit 141, an external noise determination / adjustment unit 142, a peripheral acoustic determination / adjustment unit 143, and a terminal state determination unit 144.

  The ambient sound signal collected by the second microphone 11c is supplied to the ambient sound determination / adjustment unit 143. Further, a signal indicating the determination / adjustment result by the peripheral acoustic determination / adjustment unit 143 is supplied to the parameter control unit 141. The output signal of the proximity sensor 18 is supplied to the terminal state determination unit 144. Further, a signal indicating the determination result by the terminal state determination unit 144 is supplied to the parameter control unit 141.

  Then, when the control unit 14b determines that the user is close to the electronic device 1b, the control unit 14b refers to the sound collected by the second microphone 11c and refers to the parameters of the gain adjustment unit 17 and the filter unit. Adjust at least one of the 15 parameters.

  Specifically, in the present embodiment, when the parameter control unit 141 determines that the user is close to the electronic device 1b, the parameter control unit 141 refers to the sound collected by the second microphone 11c, and adjusts the gain. Optimal parameters for adjusting the unit 17 and the filter unit 15 are created. Then, the set value is input to the gain adjusting unit 17 and the filter unit 15.

  As an example of adjusting the parameter by referring to the output signal of the proximity sensor 18 by the control unit 14b and the sound collected by the second microphone 11c, for example, when the user releases his / her ear from the electronic device, the low frequency characteristic is easily deteriorated. , Adjustment to increase the low-frequency gain. Further, as another example, the control unit 14b preferably adjusts the parameter of the filter unit 15 with reference to the output signal of the proximity sensor 18 and the sound collected by the second microphone 11c.

  According to the above configuration, the electronic device 1b can more appropriately adjust at least one of the parameter of the gain adjusting unit 17 and the parameter of the filter unit 15, so that the call between the user and the call partner can be performed. The quality can be further improved.

  Next, a flow of voice processing of the electronic device 1b according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of voice processing of the electronic device 1b.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the electronic device 1b acquires a voice signal indicating the voice of the speaker input to the first microphone 11a (step S31). Next, the proximity sensor 18 detects whether or not the user is approaching the electronic device 1b, and supplies a detection signal to the terminal state determination unit 144 in the control unit 14b. When the user is approaching the electronic device 1b (step S32: YES), the peripheral sound of the audio output unit 12 is acquired by the second microphone 11c (step S31). On the other hand, when the user is not approaching the electronic device 1b (step S32: NO), the process returns to step S31.

  Subsequently, the peripheral sound determination / adjustment unit 143 in the control unit 14a adjusts the optimum parameter from the peripheral sound and supplies the parameter to the parameter control unit 141 (step S34). Since the processing contents of subsequent steps S35 to S39 are similar to the processing contents of steps S23 to S27 of the second embodiment, the description thereof will be omitted.

  According to the electronic device 1b, it is possible to realize an electronic device in which the quality of sidetone is improved and the speaker can easily talk.

[Example of software implementation]
The control blocks (particularly the control units 14, 14a, and 14b) of the electronic devices 1, 1a, and 1b may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like, or software. May be realized by

  In the latter case, the electronic devices 1, 1a, and 1b are provided with a computer that executes the instructions of a program that is software that realizes each function. The computer includes, for example, at least one processor (control device) and at least one computer-readable recording medium that stores the program. Then, in the computer, the processor reads the program from the recording medium and executes the program to achieve the object of the present invention. As the processor, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) can be used. As the recording medium, a "non-transitory tangible medium" such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a tape, a disk, a card, a semiconductor memory, a programmable logic circuit, or the like can be used. Further, a RAM (Random Access Memory) for expanding the program may be further provided. The program may be supplied to the computer via any transmission medium (communication network, broadcast wave, etc.) capable of transmitting the program. Note that one aspect of the present invention can also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave, in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

[Summary]
An electronic device (1, 1a, 1b) according to aspect 1 of the present invention is an electronic device including a first microphone (11a), an audio output unit (12), and a transmitting / receiving unit (13), The transmitting / receiving unit (13) transmits a voice signal indicating the voice input to the first microphone (11a) and receives a voice signal from the other party of the call, and the electronic device is configured such that the first microphone (11a) is A filter unit (15) that acts on a voice signal indicating the collected voice and a voice signal after the filter unit (15) acts on the voice signal received by the transmitting / receiving unit (13), and then outputs the voice. And an addition unit (16) that supplies the unit (12), and the sound output unit (12) outputs the sound from the addition unit (16).

  According to the above configuration, it is possible to improve the quality of sidetone and realize an electronic device (1, 1a, 1b) in which a speaker can easily talk.

  The electronic device (1, 1a, 1b) according to the second aspect of the present invention is the same as the first aspect, further including a control unit (14, 14a, 14b), and the filter unit (15) includes the first microphone (11a). May be controlled by the control unit (14, 14a, 14b) so as to act on the voice signal indicating the collected voice.

  According to the above configuration, it is possible to improve the quality of the side tone and reliably realize the electronic device (1, 1a, 1b) in which the speaker can easily talk.

  The electronic device (1, 1a, 1b) according to the third aspect of the present invention is the gain of the audio signal after the control section (14, 14a, 14b) controls the filter section (15) in the second aspect. Further, the adding section (16) adds the audio signal after the gain adjustment by the gain adjusting section (17) to the audio signal received by the transmitting / receiving section (13). , May be supplied to the audio output unit (12).

  According to the above configuration, the electronic device (1, 1a, 1b) can adjust the gain of the audio signal by further including the gain adjusting unit (17), and thus the call between the user and the other party of the call. The quality can be further improved.

  The electronic device (1a) according to aspect 4 of the present invention is the electronic device (1a) according to aspect 3, wherein the control unit (14a) responds to noise collected by the first microphone (11a) or another microphone (11b). At least one of the parameters of the gain adjustment unit (17) and the filter unit (15) may be adjusted.

  According to the above configuration, the electronic device (1a) can suitably adjust at least one of the parameter of the gain adjusting unit (17) and the parameter of the filter unit (15), and thus the user and the other party of the call. It is possible to further improve the communication quality between the and.

  An electronic device (1b) according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the electronic device (1b) according to the third or fourth aspect, wherein the proximity sensor (18) detects whether or not the user is close to the electronic device, and the first microphone (11a). A second microphone (11c) different from, and a second microphone (11c) provided close to the sound output unit (12), and the control unit (14b) includes a proximity sensor (18). Of the second microphone (11c), it is determined whether or not the user is close to the electronic device by referring to the output signal of the second microphone (11c). At least one of the parameter of the gain adjusting unit (17) and the parameter of the filter unit (15) may be adjusted with reference to the sound produced.

  According to the above configuration, the electronic device (1b) can more appropriately adjust at least one of the parameter of the gain adjusting unit (17) and the parameter of the filter unit (15), so that the user can talk to the user. The call quality with the other party can be further improved.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and the embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in the different embodiments. Is also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, new technical features can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in each embodiment.

1, 1a, 1b Electronic device 11a First microphone 11b Other microphone 11c Second microphone 12 Voice output unit 13 Transmitter / receiver unit 14, 14a, 14b Control unit 141 Parameter control unit 142 External noise determination / adjustment unit 143 Surrounding sound determination -Adjustment unit 144 Terminal state determination unit 15 Filter 16 Addition unit 17 Gain adjustment unit 18 Proximity sensor

Claims (5)

An electronic device including a first microphone, an audio output unit, and a transmitting / receiving unit,
The transmission / reception unit transmits a voice signal indicating the voice input to the first microphone and receives a voice signal from the other party,
The electronic device is
A filter unit that acts on a voice signal indicating the voice collected by the first microphone;
An adding unit that adds the audio signal after the filter unit operates to the audio signal received by the transmitting / receiving unit and then supplies the audio signal to the audio output unit,
Equipped with
The electronic device, wherein the audio output unit outputs the audio from the addition unit. Further provided with a control unit,
The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the filter unit is controlled by the control unit so as to act on a voice signal indicating a voice collected by the first microphone. Controlled by the control unit, further comprising a gain adjusting unit for adjusting the gain of the audio signal after the filter unit has acted,
The addition unit adds the audio signal after the gain adjustment by the gain adjustment unit to the audio signal received by the transmission / reception unit and then supplies the audio signal to the audio output unit. Electronics. The control unit is
The at least one of the parameter of the gain adjustment unit and the parameter of the filter unit is adjusted according to the noise collected by the first microphone or another microphone. Electronics. A proximity sensor that detects whether the user is close to the electronic device,
A second microphone different from the first microphone, comprising a second microphone provided in the vicinity of the audio output unit,
The control unit is
Referring to the output signal of the proximity sensor, it is determined whether the user is close to the electronic device,
When it is determined that the user is close to the electronic device, at least one of the gain adjustment unit parameter and the filter unit parameter is referred to with reference to the sound collected by the second microphone. 5. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein the electronic device is adjusted.

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