Geospace Technologies Corporation

Houston Geophysical Products, Inc.

Oyo Geospace Corporation

Timothy D Becker

An improved connector assembly is disclosed wherein end segment portions of a male plug have increasing cylindrical wall cylindrical wall diameter from the outer-most segment to an intermediate segment to an inner segment. The female receptacle has its female receptacle dimensions arranged to accept the male plug such that increasing cylindrical wall diameters exist from its outer-most segment to an intermediate segment to an inner-most segment. The increased diameters enhance the sealing with a strong and sustainable sealing pressure wherein coupling forces between the male plug and female receptacle are minor until the end of the insertion of the male plug into the female receptacle.

Connector assembly

A male connector () for connection to a female connector () to form a water tight connector () is disclosed. A plug connector body () and a connector overmold () are connected together where the plug connector body () of hard urethane material is molded with no mold parting lines. The soft connector overmold () of soft urethane is fitted about a portion of the plug connector body () with heat applied such that the plug body () and overmold () are fused together along their connecting surfaces so that substantially no water ingress into the connection of plug body () and connector overmold () is possible. An 'O' ring () is placed in an annular space () defined between facing shoulders of the connector overmold () and the plug connector body (). Annular alignment keyways () of; the female connector () engage the 'O' ring () to seal the male connector () and female connector () from water ingress.

An apparatus for producing a watertight connection for the purpose of joining electrical or optical circuits including, in a preferred embodiment, a male connector with a cylindrical plug characterized by having a first groove and a first raised seal disposed about the plug's outer side surface and a female connector with a cylindrical receptacle characterized by a second groove and a second raised seal disposed about receptacle's inner side surface, such that the seal of the plug is received in the groove of the receptacle, and groove of the plug receives the seal of the receptacle, thereby operatively coupling the contacts in a redundantly sealed environment. The first and second grooves are disposed distal to the raised seals (with respect the cable end of the connectors) so that when the connector pair is mated, the grooves pass each other without interference and the seals simultaneously engage the grooves.

A removable socket assembly (36, 44) for an electrical connector (10, 18) in a take-out assembly for a seismic cable (11). The socket assembly (36, 44) has a receptacle (50) receiving a socket (52) in a threaded relation. Base (68) of socket (52) has a bore (82) of a hexagonal cross section and a tool (90) of a hexagonal cross section is received within bore (82) in a mating relation for removal and replacement of socket (52) in the event of malfunctioning.

Female socket assembly for electrical connector

A geophone connector assembly includes a body having a socket that includes a tubular mandrel, a female contact assembly positioned in the mandrel and having resilient fingers surrounded by a sleeve member and arranged to receive the pin of a mating connector, and a threaded bore in the mandrel arranged to receive a threaded shank on the inner end of the female contact assembly to enable removal and replacement of the contact assembly as a unit in the field in the event of damage thereto.

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Cypress, TX, United States of America

Timothy D Becker