Ocean Design, Inc.

Teledyne Instruments, Inc.

Teledyne Odi, Inc.

Stewart M Barlow

James L Cairns

Peter R Baxter

Srikanth Ramasubramanian

William S Taylor

Steven J Kowalcky

William F Mudge, Iii

A connector has first and second connector units, each unit incorporating an oil-filled chamber housing one or more contact elements to be joined. At least one connector unit has a face seal assembly which seals the forward end of the contact chamber in the unmated condition. The face seal assembly comprises three elements. One element is an annular elastomeric seal situated radially outward. The two other elements are inner seal elements which are pressed together radially to form a substantially disc-like shape. The resulting disc-like shaped seal fills the central, circular end face opening of the outer annular seal. As the connector units are mated, elements of the elastomeric face seal assembly are displaced, one axially, and others both axially and radially, creating an opening between the oil-filled chambers that is sealed from the outside environment.

Wet mate connector

A submersible connector has releasably mateable first and second connector units. The first connector unit has at least one electrical pin extending through a bore in a retaining base and projecting outward from the forward end of the base. The second connector unit has at least one electrical socket module which receives a forward portion of the electrical pin when the units are mated. A pin seal device is located in one of the connector units and has a through bore which engages part of the pin at least in the mated condition of the units. The seal device has a first and second seals in sealing engagement with portions of the connector units when mated, and a chamber between the seals extends over an opposing portion of the pin at least in the mated condition of the units.

Submersible connector with secondary sealing device

First and second connector units each have a contact chamber with a front wall having an opening closed by a stopper. Seals in the respective openings surround and seal the stoppers prior to mating. The stopper in the first connector unit is retracted into the housing during mating while the front wall of second connector unit is retracted into its housing during mating, pushed back by the front wall of the first connector unit, separating the stoppers from the end wall openings and allowing communication between the contact chambers through a passageway defined by the aligned openings. The seals in the end walls seal the passageway during and after mating. A contact assembly in the first connector unit moves transversely into alignment with the passageway for contact with a corresponding fixed contact assembly in the second connector unit as the units move into mating engagement.

Harsh environment connector

A connector, such as for harsh environments, may include first and second connector portions movable between unmated and mated positions. The first connector portion may include a first base, a male contact carried by the first base and extending outwardly therefrom, and a first shell carried by the first base and surrounding the male contact. The second connector portion may include a second base, and a female contact carried by the second base and extending outwardly therefrom. The second connector portion may further include an inner bladder carried by the second base and defining a bladder chamber surrounding the female contact, and a second shell carried by the second base and surrounding the bladder. A dual-level bladder connector embodiment may include an end cap defining a seal to end portions of the inner bladder opposite the second base, and an outer bladder surrounding the inner bladder. The outer bladder may define a first seal with the inner bladder adjacent the base and may define a second seal with the end cap.

Harsh environment connector with dual-level bladder and associated methods

A connector, such as for harsh environments, may include first and second connector portions being movable between unmated and mated positions. The first connector portion may include a first base, a male contact carried by the first base and extending outwardly therefrom, and a first shell carried by the first base and surrounding the male contact. The second connector portion may include a second base, and a female contact carried by the second base and extending outwardly therefrom. The second connector portion may further include a single-level bladder carried by the second base and defining only a single-level bladder chamber surrounding the female contact, and a second shell carried by the second base and surrounding the single-level bladder. A dual-level bladder connector embodiment may include an end cap defining a seal to end portions of the inner bladder opposite the second base, and an outer bladder surrounding the inner bladder. The outer bladder may define a first seal with the inner bladder adjacent the base and may define a second seal with the end cap.

Harsh environment connector including single-level or dual-level bladder and associated methods

A connector may include first and second connector portions being movable between unmated and mated positions. First and second bladders may be in respective first and second connector portions and cooperate therewith so that opposing ends of the first and second bladders are urged together and moved from a closed to an open position as the first and second connector portions are moved from the unmated to the mated position. At least one of the first and second connector portions may define a circular constriction for closing an end of a respective bladder into a circular peripheral shape when the first and second connector portions are in the unmated position. One or both of the bladder ends may define a generally rectangular aperture when in the open position.

Connector including circular bladder constriction and associated methods

A connector, such as for harsh environments, may include first and second connector portions being movable between unmated and mated positions. The first connector portion may include a first base, at least one male contact carried by the first base and extending outwardly therefrom, and a first shell carried by the first base and surrounding the at least one male contact. The second connector portion may include a second base, at least one female contact carried by the second base and extending outwardly therefrom, and a bladder carried by the second base and surrounding the at least one female contact. The second connector portion may further include an end cap having at least one passageway therein for retaining and aligning end portions of the bladder opposite the second base, and a second shell carried by the second base and surrounding the bladder and the end cap. The end cap and adjacent portions of the second shell may include respective mating portions to provide a snap fit engagement therebetween. The end cap may include an integrally formed monolithic body. A manual release latch and corresponding latch opening may be provided in the connector shells.

Harsh environment connector including end cap and latching features and associated methods

A connector may include first and second connector portions movable between unmated and mated positions; first and second bladders carried by respective connector portions, and each having an end movable between a closed position and an open position; and an interlocking assembly including first and second portions carried by respective connector portions and being movable between a released position, permitting opposing ends of the bladders to move apart, and an interlocked position, holding the opposing ends of the bladders together. The interlocking assembly may hold the opposing ends of the bladders together as the opposing ends of the bladders move from the closed position to the open position and/or as the opposing ends of the bladders move from the open position to the closed position. Also, the interlocking assembly may provide a positive drawback between its first and second portions during movement from the interlocked position to the released position.

Connector including interlocking assembly and associated methods

A sealing apparatus is operative between a cable end and a cable termination and includes an elastomeric inner seal and an elastic outer seal. The sealing apparatus is for a cable end including a cable jacket and at least one cable member extending outwardly therefrom, with the cable termination including a base and at least one nipple extending outwardly therefrom. The elastomeric inner seal may have at least one nipple passageway for receiving and defining a seal with the at least one nipple, and at least one cable member passageway in communication with the at least one nipple passageway for receiving and defining a seal with the at least one cable member. The elastomeric outer seal may have opposing first and second open ends, with the first open end for engaging and defining a seal with the base. The elastomeric outer seal may also have an elastomeric inner seal passageway for receiving the elastomeric inner seal, and a cable end passageway extending in communication with the elastomeric inner seal passageway to the second open end for receiving and defining a seal with the cable jacket.

Harsh environment sealing apparatus for a cable end and cable termination and associated methods

A field-installable cable termination module has an outer casing having a first end for sealably receiving the end of a cable and a second end, the casing having an internal chamber. A cable carrying at least one conductor has an end extending into the first end of the outer casing. A high pressure barrier plug in the casing seals the chamber, and at least one sealed feedthrough device extends through the barrier plug for connecting the conductor to the opposite side of the barrier plug. The conductor extends from the cable end through the first chamber and is connected to the feedthrough device. The chamber is substantially filled with an initially pourable material which cures to form a solid material surrounding the conductor.

Field installable cable termination assembly

An underwater connector has a plug unit and a receptacle unit each containing a bladder member having an internal, oil-filled chamber in which a respective contact module is located. Each contact module has an end face having both electrical and optical contacts for contact engagement with corresponding contacts on the other module when the units are releasably mated together in an underwater environment. The bladder members each have a resilient forward end portion with an opening communicating with the respective chamber, and opposing, pivoted jaws in each unit are closed to compress the forward end portion to close and seal the opening when the units are unmated. As the units are mated, the jaws are opened to permit each end portion to open and permit the contact module of one unit to pass through the openings, into the chamber of the bladder member in the other unit, and into engagement with the other contact module so that all electrical and optical contacts are engaged for electro-optical communication between the units.

Wet mateable connector

An end seal assembly is mounted in a conduit or feedthrough body with a through bore of stepped diameter between its ends into which a fiber or wire-carrying metal cable extends. An inner end of the cable is stopped against a shoulder in the through bore, with at least one fiber or wire extending from the cable end out through the second end of the seal body. An end seal is seated at the outlet end of the seal body and has a through bore through which the or each fiber extends. The through bore is filled with epoxy material. The end seal is of a material having a coefficient of thermal expansion approximately equal to that of the epoxy material.

End seal assembly for tubular conduit

An underwater connector has a plug and a receptacle unit each having an internal chamber in which a respective contact module is located. Each module has an end face having contacts for engagement with corresponding contacts on the other module when the units are releasably mated together. Each chamber has a resilient forward end with an opening communicating with the respective chamber, and an actuator in each unit compresses the forward end to seal the opening when the units are unmated. As the units are mated, the actuator in one unit is urged rearwardly and the forward end of the chamber in the other unit is urged rearwardly, such that each end opens to permit the module of one unit to pass into the chamber of the other unit, and into engagement with the other module so that all contacts are engaged for communication between the units.

Wet-mateable electro-optical connector

An electro-optical connector has a plug unit and a receptacle unit which are releasably mateable in an underwater environment. Each unit has at least two separate contact chambers extending inwardly from the front end, one for containing optical contacts and the other for containing electrical contacts. Each optical contact chamber is sealed by a rolling seal member rotatably mounted in a recessed seat in a front end wall of the chamber for rotation in a non-axial direction between a closed position in which a seal through bore is offset from an inlet into the chamber and an open position in which the seal through bore is aligned with the inlet. One electrical chamber contains an electrical socket and has a front end wall having a sealable opening, an annular seal member mounted in the sealable opening, and a resiliently biased stopper movably disposed in sealing engagement within the annular seal member when the units are not mated. The other electrical chamber contains a conductive probe adapted for insertion through the sealable opening in the first electrical contact chamber to sealably engage the annular seal member and move into electrical contact with the socket. Thus, the electrical sealing arrangement is completely separate and different from the optical sealing arrangement.

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Ormond Beach, FL, United States of America

Stewart M Barlow