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Alphabot

User Manual

1000004-MN-01 - Rev C

Manual Template PN: 1000020-FM-01 Rev A

Summary of Contents for Alphabot

Page 1: ...Alphabot User Manual 1000004 MN 01 Rev C Manual Template PN 1000020 FM 01 Rev A ...

Page 2: ...ition information contained herein is subject to change without notice Every precaution has been taken in preparation of this manual Nevertheless Alert Innovation Inc assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions or any damages resulting from the use of the information contained in this publication Alphabot and the Alert Innovation logo are registered U S trademarks of Alert Innovation Inc Alp...

Page 3: ...al Safety 18 2 1 4 Inherent Safety Hazards of the Alphabot 19 2 1 5 Persons with Pacemakers 22 2 1 6 Fire Safety 22 2 1 7 Seismic 22 2 1 8 Ergonomics 23 2 1 9 RF Safety 23 2 1 10 Safety Equipment Rules 24 2 1 11 Corrective Action Records 25 Product Safety 26 2 2 2 2 1 Bot Safety Features 26 2 2 1 1 Lockout Tagout Standards 26 2 2 1 2 Local E Stop Button Function 28 2 2 1 3 Bot Lockout Tagout Proce...

Page 4: ... Safe States and User Interaction 46 3 5 Alphabot Architecture 47 3 6 Alphabot Hardware Overview 48 3 7 Physical Specifications 58 3 8 Power Requirements 59 3 9 Technical Specifications Capacity Velocity 59 3 10 Environmental Specifications 61 3 11 Lifecycle 61 3 12 Operation 62 4 Overview 62 4 1 Theory of Operation 63 4 2 Unpacking an Alphabot 64 4 3 System Start 65 4 4 System Shutdown 66 4 5 Bot...

Page 5: ...ot User Manual Page 5 of 77 1000004 MN 01 Rev C Scope of Troubleshooting 69 5 1 Regulatory Compliance Information 70 6 Standards Compliance 70 6 1 FCC Compliance 72 6 2 ISED Regulatory Information 74 6 3 Revision History 76 7 ...

Page 6: ...sary information for safe interaction with the Alphabot This user manual details the safety information relating specifically to the Alphabot instructions to be followed by the user steps involved in the operation of the bot and basic diagnostic procedures Note The term Alphabot is interchangeable with Bot This manual uses both terms to refer to the Alphabot ...

Page 7: ...ber Link Alert Academy https academy alertinnovation com Alphabot System Reference Guide 1010755 01 Alphabot Pre and Post Procedures 1000067 SR 01 Alphabot APSD System LOTO Manual 1000035 SF 01 Acronyms and Alert Specific Terms 1000030 OP 01 Alphabot system Master Control System MCS User Manual 1000016 MN 01 ...

Page 8: ...Master Control System MCS software Alphabots are at the heart of this system moving product from station to station and ultimately presenting the completed order to customers Alphabots have their own vertical drive mechanism which engages with vertical tracks in the Alphabot System structure to allow each bot to move from one elevation to another A wheel retraction extension mechanism enables the ...

Page 9: ... of other Alert products to fulfill customer orders Individual Alphabots are inducted into the Alphabot System and commanded by the Master Control System to arrive at workstations upon command At the workstation tote containers are loaded with product and handed off to the Alphabot which will carry product throughout the system using structures transit planes and express planes ...

Page 10: ...he Structure s storage module aisles These totes contain eaches individual items that are made available to Pickers as stock to fulfill orders for sale Order Totes contain all the picked product for any specific order Totes can be further divided into sub totes which are smaller compartments that can be slotted into a tote Each sub tote contains its own product or type of product This allows for h...

Page 11: ...ransit Plane can be vertically split into two zones chilled and ambient The chilled portion connects frozen and chilled storage to a chilled dynamic workstation and the ambient portion connects ambient storage to ambient dynamic workstations 1 7 Express Planes Express planes are platforms that allow the Alphabots to move between different storage units and can be used as buffer zones for the Alpha...

Page 12: ... Static workstations are fixed workstations that provide an interface to introduce product totes or sub totes into the storage module of the Alphabot system These workstations are also meant for collecting the completed dispensed orders and for exception handling a k a Hospital functionality ...

Page 13: ...The Alphabot enters the picking workstation from a lower transit plane ascends into the transfer position in front of the picker and then exits to an upper transit plane To ensure product accuracy the workstation controller uses an overhead projector to illuminate both the pick and put locations pick to light and put to light Chilled and frozen products will be picked at a chilled workstation and ...

Page 14: ...em responsible for processing all orders scheduling all Alphabot tasks managing all bot moves to optimize flow and throughput while preventing collisions between bots and interfacing to the external systems An MCS dashboard provides information regarding the general system health current asset utilizations and system notifications ...

Page 15: ...er disconnect switch prior to performing any maintenance on the internals of the bot Never perform tasks that you have not been trained to execute Performing maintenance or repair tasks can result in serious injury or death and may cause damage to the equipment Please contact DTE Support for assistance with the tasks outlined in this manual Alphabots require manual startup and shutdown by trained ...

Page 16: ...g of the equipment and always use good judgment Follow good practices to use the latest edition of any standards document to be compliant with safety requirements Installation operation and maintenance procedures that expose people equipment or data to possible risk are accompanied by specific hazard warnings of varying degrees of importance as follows Danger DANGER indicates a hazardous situation...

Page 17: ...tart of each procedure However you should always remain alert to the need to protect yourself while working in any capacity on or near this equipment The following symbols are used in this manual to indicate the type of equipment required note that each PPE needs to be inspected for defects before use Wear safety glasses or goggles Wear face shield Wear protective gloves Wear shock resistant glove...

Page 18: ...ally responsible manner Alert recognizes that eliminating certain hazardous substances from our products is beneficial to the environment and to AI customers Dispose of capacitors in accordance with local regulations for electronic waste Do not incinerate capacitors or recycle with batteries Do no crush cut or otherwise damage the capacitors Do no dispose the capacitors in trash ...

Page 19: ...hat the Alphabot s main board breaker switch is in the OFF position and that bot LOTO procedures have been performed This will prevent the bot from executing any move commands No actuation of the tote chain or drive wheels can occur while the breaker switch is OFF Failure to follow these guidelines could result in serious injury or death ...

Page 20: ...ath may occur Use a winch to attach the Bot from above when possible or secure a maintenance cart under the Bot object before attempting to move it Failure to comply will result in serious injury or death CRUSH HAZARD Do not have any part of your body under the bot at any time While brakes are disengaged on the bot the bot may roll off the service cart or the rails This presets a foot crush hazard...

Page 21: ...t panel The hinged segment at the bottom presents a pinch hazard Failure to do so may result in minor or moderate injury Operators Authorized employees who perform operation activities on the Alphabot System shall be qualified and trained on proper handling of the equipment and safe entry procedures into the system ...

Page 22: ...traCaps pack is protected against collision in the middle of the vehicle A certified early smoke detection system is included with each system in compliance with local state and federal regulations and connected to the building sprinkler system The main SPLC has two reserved safety inputs to be connected with the building fire control unit in order to stop all the Bots upon an early smoke detectio...

Page 23: ...or pull a disabled Bot Use the provided power pack to release the bot brakes then use standard lifting techniques to push or pull the disabled bot Failure to do so may result in minor to moderate injury 2 1 9 RF Safety The Bots use Wi Fi wireless communication within the system with bridges operating at 2 4 5 GHz The vehicles use RFID wireless communication operating at 13 56 MHz Both units comply...

Page 24: ...ch Authorized Employee will be assigned unique padlocks and the padlocks shall be labeled with the Authorized Employee s name The padlock shall be substantial enough to prevent removal without the use of excessive force or unusual techniques such as with the use of bolt cutters or other metal cutting tools A lockout hasp snap on is needed for multiple padlocks Padlock Removal Rules Maintenance and...

Page 25: ... the following conditions The Supervisor ensures that the Authorized Employee has been physically removed from the Structure The Authorized Employee is incapable of removing the padlock device themselves The Authorized Employee is informed that their padlock device has been removed The reason for the padlock removal must be documented and the record maintained for a minimum of one year 2 1 11Corre...

Page 26: ...ent thereby preventing the release of hazardous energy while operators perform servicing and maintenance activities These standards detail measures for controlling hazardous energies electrical mechanical hydraulic pneumatic chemical thermal and other energy sources OSHA standard In USA the OSHA standard The Control of Hazardous Energy Lockout Tagout Title 29 Code of Federal Regulations CFR Part 1...

Page 27: ...Alphabot User Manual Safety 1000004 MN 01 Rev C Page 27 of 77 ...

Page 28: ... and approved to IEC 60947 5 1 By pressing the bot s local emergency stop button power to all drives e g motion tote pinion extend wheel retract is removed and brakes are applied simultaneously on the motion drives corresponding to a Category 0 stop per NFPA 79 and IEC 60204 1 This E stop function applies to the specific Bot with the pressed E stop button and the rest of the system is still operat...

Page 29: ...s a safe torque off enable function to remove the power to its motor when this signal is low Communication between the Bot main processor and the drives takes place for any operational move 2 2 1 7 E stop Command or System E Stop When the on board SPLC receives a system E stop E stop button pressed outside the structure or Main onboard Bot processor E stop command the drives will quickly decelerat...

Page 30: ...bols are located on the Bot to designate specific functions MAINT Multipurpose connector Capacitor charge Capacitor discharge Brake release LOCAL 3 Way switch Manual Mode local commands only with Yellow flashing LED STOP 3 Way switch Stop Mode Red LED ON REMOTE 3 Way switch Automatic Mode Green LED ON and or Yellow solid ...

Page 31: ...etwork e g does not respond to operational commands or system E stop In this mode only 1 axis can be moved locally at a time for a period of 4 seconds maximum repeatable Since the motor controllers do not have a safe speed the on board SPLC disables the drive every 4 seconds to prohibit runaway conditions The manual mode is generally used for service When the work is done switching the switch back...

Page 32: ...autonomous charger with multiple functions can be plugged onto the circular connector to Charge a bot when found discharged in the system Release the motion brakes to permit the bot to move in a lane or wrangle a stuck bot in a tower after securing it with Alert Innovation Inc s special maintenance tools ...

Page 33: ...Labels Descriptions and locations of safety labels in the Alphabot are listed below Label Hazard Text in Label Location P N 1001575 00 01 DANGER Risk of electrical shock Disconnect all power sources Discharge capacitors before servicing Front Left side of Alphabot Under the main board disconnect breaker ...

Page 34: ...N 01 Rev C Page 34 of 77 Label Hazard Text in Label Location P N 1001573 00 01 WARNING Magnetic Field Can be harmful to pacemakers wearers Pacemaker wearers stay back 30 cm 12 in Front Right side of Alphabot to the right of the charge toe ...

Page 35: ...004 MN 01 Rev C Page 35 of 77 Label Hazard Text in Label Location P N 1001576 00 01 WARNING Moving parts can crush and cut Keep hands clear Top right corner of backside of front section of Alphabot Rear middle beside rear Wifi Antenna ...

Page 36: ...Alphabot User Manual Safety 1000004 MN 01 Rev C Page 36 of 77 Label Hazard Text in Label Location P N 1001574 00 01 Shock Hazard Icon No text Inside Bot 2 ...

Page 37: ...regulations 2 2 5 Radiation Exposure Statement The device has been found to be compliant to the requirements set forth in CFR 47 Sections 2 1091 and Industry Canada RSS 102 for an uncontrolled environment The antenna s used for this transmitter must be installed to provide a separation distance of at least 20 cm from all persons and must not be co located or operating in conjunction with any other...

Page 38: ...tem network Any E stop button activated within the system will generate a category 1 stop to the Bots per NFPA 79 and IEC 60204 1 and automatically de energize the power to the rails Each Bot is provided with a certified simplified Bot SPLC to communicate via wireless Ethernet with the Master SPLC and with a main CPU to communicate with the Master Control Software MCS for operational purposes A ca...

Page 39: ...Alphabot User Manual Safety 1000004 MN 01 Rev C Page 39 of 77 ...

Page 40: ...op per NFPA 79 and IEC 60204 1 The Red LEDs are ON continuously and the brakes are applied on the drive motor shafts The E stop circuitry corresponds to a Category 3 PLd per EN ISO 13849 1 and SIL2 per IEC 62061 Pressing the E stop button will only de energize that Bot In order to resume operations with a local E stopped Bot the following steps are necessary pull the Red mushroom the Bot will come...

Page 41: ...for QA purposes allowing technicians to view the position and surroundings of specific bots within the system There are 6 cameras in total front rear up down left and right Each camera has an LED light to increase visibility and a microphone to record sound if needed Caster wheel and suspension Distributes load and providing a large base of support for the carried payload tote Charge toe Connects ...

Page 42: ...e charge rail note that the Capacitor Board and Power Supply Board are still powered Maintenance port Provides external charging of the cap board and accessing brake control Positioning sensor left and right Reads positioning flags situated along workstation channels which trigger slowdown and stop of the bot when presenting a tote to the Operator RFID readers left and right Used to determine the ...

Page 43: ...ly push out a tote container by actuating the Tote Chains onto which they are attached There are two types of Tote Fingers Tote Grabber Fingers which grab and hold the tote container and Tote Pusher Fingers which push the tote out at a workstation Tote motor Provides actuation to the tote chains Tote sensors front and rear Used to detect when a tote is or is not being held by the Alphabot s Tote F...

Page 44: ...o reset possible waiting for reset RED FLASHING 4 Hz Motion disabled auto reset possible loss of remote heartbeat FAULT YELLOW Fault YELLOW FLASHING Manual mode READY GREEN Normal operation GREEN FLASHING Initialization The Red LED is powered from the on board SPLC safe output This color is solely reserved to denote the Bot safety status e g either blinking Red for system E stop all the Bots are s...

Page 45: ...ation between the MSC and the individual Alphabot Its purpose is to provide an additional layer of assurance that the bots are verifiably immobilized when the maintenance technician enters the Structure When a command is issued to the Alphabot by either the MCS or the Master SPLC it is sent over Wifi and received by one or both of the Alphabot s Wifi Antenna The command is then processed by the Ma...

Page 46: ... All bots can be disabled by pressing a global emergency stop button situated around the perimeter of the system and at each workstation In addition a single bot s main drive wheels and tote load unload motor can be safely disabled by pressing the local emergency stop button mounted on the top of the bot To resume motion all stop conditions must be cleared E Stop buttons are reset by rotating the ...

Page 47: ...nterconnect comes together The main board provides the interconnect of the 4 motors capacitor bank maintenance debug connector and all core components of the Alphabot The main board connects to the capacitor bank and the capacitor bank connects to the power supply board The main board controls the motor boards each of which control their individual motors ...

Page 48: ...ew of the Alphabot 1 Status Lights 2 WiFi Antenna Front 3 Front Cover 4 E stop Button 5 Camera Top 6 Grabber Finger Rear 7 Line Motor Chain Rear 8 WiFi Antenna Rear 9 Tote Sensor Rear 10 Positioning Sensor Left 11 Pusher Finger Rear 12 Guide Wheel Rear 13 RFID Reader 14 Drive Wheel Left 15 Main Board Cutoff Switch 16 Service Switch Maintenance Port 17 Camera Front 18 Guide Wheels Front ...

Page 49: ... C Page 49 of 77 Front View With Cover On 1 Guide Wheel 2 Drive Wheel 3 Charge Toe 4 Vee Wheel 5 Cover 6 Status Lights 7 WiFi Antenna 8 Service Switch 9 Maintenance Port 10 Camera 11 Magnetic Detection Strip Front View Top Down No Cover 1 Main Board ...

Page 50: ... 50 of 77 Front View No Cover 1 Tote Motor 2 Worm Gearbox Rear View With Cover 1 Guide Wheel 2 Drive Wheel 3 Camera Left 4 Pusher Finger Rear 5 Status Lights Rear 6 Camera Rear 7 WiFi Antenna Rear 8 Grabber Finger Rear 9 Camera Right 10 Charge Toe 11 Cover ...

Page 51: ...ft Side View With Cover 1 Guide Wheel Left 2 Maintenance Port 3 WiFi Antenna Front 4 Main Board Cutoff Switch 5 Vee Wheel 6 Camera Left 7 40 Chain Front and Rear 8 Tote Sensor Left 9 Drive Wheel Left 10 RFID Reader left 11 WiFi Antenna Rear 12 Tote Sensor Left 13 Positioning Sensor Left 14 Guide Wheel Left ...

Page 52: ...01 Rev C Page 52 of 77 Right Side View With Cover 1 Guide Wheel Right 2 Tote Sensor Right 3 Positioning Sensor Right 4 RFID Reader Right 5 Tote Sensor Right 6 Camera Right 7 Vee Wheel Right 8 Charge Toe 9 Drive Wheel Right 10 Guide Wheel Right ...

Page 53: ...over 1 Guide Wheel Left 2 RFID Reader Left 3 Drive Wheel Left 4 Guide Wheel Left 5 Maintenance Port 6 Status Lights Front 7 WiFi Antenna Front 8 E stop Button 9 Camera Up 10 Guide Wheel Right 11 Drive Wheel Right 12 Charge Toe 13 Tote Transfer Shaft 14 RFID Reader 15 Guide Wheel Right ...

Page 54: ...Alphabot User Manual Hardware 1000004 MN 01 Rev C Page 54 of 77 Top Down View No Cover Diagram Top Down View No Cover Photo ...

Page 55: ...th Cover Diagram Bottom View No Cover Photo 1 Guide Wheel Left 2 RFID Reader Left 3 Drive Wheel Left 4 Guide Wheel Left 5 Guide Wheel Right 6 Caster Wheel 7 Tote Transfer Shaft 8 RFID Reader Left 9 Camera Down 10 Drive Wheel Right 11 Guide Wheel Right 12 Magnetic Detection Strip ...

Page 56: ...Alphabot User Manual Hardware 1000004 MN 01 Rev C Page 56 of 77 Status Lights WiFi Antennae and Service Switch Maintenance Port Connector Maintenance Port Connector and Maintenance Port ...

Page 57: ...Alphabot User Manual Hardware 1000004 MN 01 Rev C Page 57 of 77 Breaker Disconnect Switch ...

Page 58: ...Alphabot User Manual Hardware 1000004 MN 01 Rev C Page 58 of 77 3 8 Physical Specifications ...

Page 59: ...eepy Bear Mode Usage W 200mW 3 10 Technical Specifications Capacity Velocity Max Alphabot Loads lbs kg Alphabot Mass 141 63 95 Maximum Carried Package Weight 50 22 67 Maximum Combined Load on Wheels 191 86 63 Load per Drive Wheel 59 26 76 Maximum Load per Drive Wheel 115 52 16 Drive Wheel Contact Area sq in 0 8 0 36 Portion of Total Load on each Caster Wheel 73 33 11 Load per Rear Wheel 18 25 8 27...

Page 60: ...s lbs kg Rear Wheel Contact Area 0 6 0 27 Caster Load 73 33 11 Max Load on Caster 165 74 8 Caster Contact Area 0 4 0 18 Alphabot Velocity Maximum Velocity Horizontal 4 mps Maximum Velocity Vertical 1 mps Stopping Time 2 5 s Stopping Distance 4 6 m Acceleration to Max Velocity 2 mps ...

Page 61: ... condensing Dust Designed for typical warehouse dust loads Not for use on unpaved or loose surfaces Regular cleaning in dusty environments is recommended to reduce bot maintenance intervals Altitude 100m to 2000m with respect to sea level 3 12 Lifecycle Alphabots are designed for 10 years of active service Active service is defined as the time the Alphabot is either in motion or otherwise in the p...

Page 62: ...hen Alphabots are started up or shut down Alphabots are started up when initially being inducted into the larger Alphabot System when the MCS first becomes aware of their existence and when recovering from a disabling condition within the Alphabot System that requires human intervention Similarly Alphabots are shut down during removal from the floor or when recovering from a disabled condition ...

Page 63: ...rocess is accomplished by creating a flow of bots some of which carry product containers P totes containing eaches from inventory and others of which carry order containers or O totes through an array of picking workstations where a human picker or an automated picker in future embodiments transfers ordered eaches from P totes to O totes P totes and O totes are held in storage when not being used ...

Page 64: ...where the drive unit is safe until it is ready for induction installation onto the floor LIFTING HAZARD Lifting heavy objects without proper technique may result in minor to severe injury Use safe lifting handling and transportation techniques when loading the products at all times o Keep legs bent o Keep back as straight as possible o Load close to body o Grip object from opposite corners o Lift ...

Page 65: ...01 Rev C Page 65 of 77 4 4 System Start The Alphabot system is set to start under the following conditions Whenever the operator logs into any of the workstations System start up initiated through the MCS directly for advanced level users only ...

Page 66: ... outside of defined operational hours o No active orders and no pending orders due within the next hour o All workstations have gone into an inactivity state for at least 15 minutes Fire alarm has been activated Power loss to the system and UPS power has been activated for 2 minutes continuously 4 6 Bot Removal See the Remove Bot from System section of 1000067 SRF 01 Alphabot Pre and Post Procedur...

Page 67: ...he tote in the System 4 8 3 Pull Empty Tote Alphabots deliver the empty totes to the Static Workstation The operator then removes all empty totes from the Static Workstation 4 8 4 Pull Product Alphabots deliver expired and past fresh totes to the Static Workstation The operator then pulls the tote onto the Static Workstation shelf and is instructed to remove all product from the tote or sub tote O...

Page 68: ...1000004 MN 01 Rev C Page 68 of 77 4 8 7 Pull Order Alphabots deliver all order totes for the given order to the Static Workstation The operator will then retrieve the totes from the Static Workstation and deliver them to the customer ...

Page 69: ...res are carried out via the MCS Client This application will allow an Elevated User to remotely diagnose and resolve a multitude of issues without needing to enter the Structure All MCS troubleshooting procedures are completed by Elevated Users and can be found in the MCS User Manual PN 1000016 MN 01 In the event that the procedures in the MCS User Manual do not resolve the problem the Elevated Us...

Page 70: ...ds of compliance are shown in the table below Standards Compliance Standard Title SA UL 2011 Outline of Investigation for Machinery NFPA 79 Electrical Standard for Industrial Machinery UL 508A Standard for Safety Industrial control panels CSA C22 2 No 14 Industrial Control Equipment ISO 13849 1 Safety of machinery Safety related parts of control systems Part 1 General principles for design ISO 121...

Page 71: ...Measurement Control And Laboratory Use Part 1 General Requirements IEC EN 60204 1 Safety Of Machinery Electrical Equipment Of Machines Part 1 General Requirements IEC 60947 5 1 Low voltage switchgear and controlgear Part 5 1 Control circuit devices and switching elements Electromechanical control circuit devices ANSI Z535 xx American National Standards for Safety Signs and Colors ISO 13850 Safety ...

Page 72: ...d to provide a separation distance of at least eight inches 20 cm from all persons This equipment must not be operated in conjunction with any other antenna To fulfill FCC Certification requirements an OEM manufacturer must comply with the following regulations 1 The 1000479 01 04 modular transmitter must be labeled with its own FCC ID number and if the FCC ID is not visible when the module is ins...

Page 73: ...Alphabot User Manual Regulatory Compliance Information 1000004 MN 01 Rev C Page 73 of 77 FCC Labels Location of Labels RFID Label on PCB Board Alphabot Label Contents ...

Page 74: ...impedance for each antenna type indicated Antenna types not included in this list having a gain greater than the maximum gain indicated for that type are strictly prohibited for use with this device Le présent émetteur radio IC 26910 ALPHABOT a été approuvé par ISED Canada pour fonctionner avec les types d antenne énumérés ci dessous et ayant un gain admissible maximal Let types d antenne non incl...

Page 75: ...méro de certification IC ID n est pas visible lorsqu il est installé à l intérieur d un autre appareil l appareil doit afficher l étiquette sur le module de référence ci joint Dans ce cas le produit final doit être étiqueté dans un endroit visible par le texte suivant Contains Transmitter Module IC 26910 ALPHABOT OR Contains IC 26910 ALPHABOT ...

Page 76: ...Location of Safety Labels table for clarity Per the APSD Lockout Tagout Procedures Manual PN1000035 SF 01 the following sections have been updated or added o Bot Lockout procedure updated o Discharge Bot added Referenced Alphabot Pre and Post Procedures Manual PN 1000067 SR 01 for the following o Bot Induction o Bot Removal Alphabot Components section moved into a table and alphabetized Alphabot H...

Page 77: ...t Indicators o Creeper Safety o Training Records Bot Switch and Connector removed notice Inherent Safety Hazards of the Alphabot updated Environmental Safety updated Safety Controller Safe States updated C ECO 100404 9 29 2021 J Duane A Kleen Changed deck to transit plane Replaced all instances of robot with bot or Alphabot Formatting improvements Images added Added info to Safety Equipment Rules ...

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