U.S. patent number 3,729,699 [Application Number 05/157,917] was granted by the patent office on 1973-04-24 for underwater wet electrical connector.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Southwest Research Institute. Invention is credited to Edward Miles Briggs, William Edgar, Rodgers Eugene Rimmer.
United States Patent |
3,729,699 |
Briggs , et al. |
April 24, 1973 |
UNDERWATER WET ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR
Abstract
An electrical connector designed for engagement and
disengagement under water at very great depths with high voltage
and amperage capacity. The connector incorporates a dummy piston to
seal the female electrical contact, which is displaced by the male
pin. Sealing means and hydrostatically compensated dielectrical oil
supply means are disclosed. The invention herein described was made
under Contract N62399-69-C-0001 with the Department of the Navy.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an
improved electrical connector particularly useful when making up an
electrical connection between two cables while under water at great
depths and designed for high voltage and high amperage capacity.
Electrical connectors for use in undersea environments have
generally been made up under dry conditions and then submerged. It
has been known to utilize a male connector member to push salt
water out of a vent in the female connector member under wet
conditions, with relatively low voltage and amperage capacities.
SUMMARY The underwater wet electrical connector of the present
invention generally includes a male plug and a female receptacle
designed for mating and disengagement in an undersea environment.
The male plug includes at least one male pin extending from the
plug which includes a contact terminal thereon. The contact
terminal is electrically insulated from the body of the male plug
and means for attaching the terminal to an appropriate electrical
conductor cable is provided. The female receptacle includes a
female contact socket designed to mate with the male pin and which
includes a contact block arranged therein. When disengaged, a dummy
piston slides into the contact socket to prevent the entrance of
sea water. As the male plug is mated with the female receptacle,
the piston is displaced by the male pin into an oil filled cavity.
The female contact block includes means for appropriately
connecting it to a conductor cable leading from the female
receptacle. The female contact socket is included in an elastomer
molding which surrounds the contact block and the dummy piston, as
well as the male pin when inserted therein. This elastomer molding
provides a squeezing interference fit to prohibit the entrance of
sea water when the connection is made up, as well as to wipe any
moisture on the surface of the male pin there-from as it is
inserted. An oil supply means is provided, along with double 0-ring
seals on either side of the female contact block, to further
prevent the entrance of sea water and to provide a dielectric
material to cover the surface of the male pin and the dummy piston
when either is in the female contact block. Mechanically, the
connector must have at least the strength of the cable itself and
thus be capable of suspending in excess of 5,000 feet of cable,
without buoyant members, and while submerged. A method of securing
the armor wire in the cable to the connector is provided. A
polarizing key is also provided to assist in making up the
connector under water, as well as to help protect the male pins.
The connector must also be capable of withstanding the hydrostatic
pressure without leakage. Electrically, the connector of the
present invention is designed for use undersea, and designed to be
mated and disconnected undersea, at depths in excess of 5,000 feet,
while at the same time carrying an electrical pressure of at least
4,160 volts and 50 amps when mated. These parameters are necessary
if it is desired to undertake large-scale underwater construction
or salvage projects, since these types of projects require large
amounts of power. At the present time, there are no ways to provide
this power, primarily because there are no suitable connectors
available. Thus, it is an object of the present invention to
provide an underwater wet electrical connector particularly useful
in mating and disconnecting electrical cable in an undersea
environment of at least, 5,000 feet, and when mated carrying a
relatively high voltage with high current capacity. It is a further
object of the present invention to provide such a connector which
includes a means for excluding sea water from the female
receptacle, and particularly the female contact, while providing an
electrical connector that will not be damaged by direct exposure to
hydrostatic pressure and sea water. It is a further object of the
present invention to provide a means in such an electrical
connector to displace salt water from the electrical insulating
surfaces.
Inventors: |
Briggs; Edward Miles (San
Antonio, TX), Edgar; William (San Antonio, TX), Rimmer;
Rodgers Eugene (San Antonio, TX) |
Assignee: |
Southwest Research Institute
(San Antonio, TX)
|
Family
ID: |
22565875 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/157,917 |
Filed: |
June 29, 1971 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
439/140; 439/271;
439/199 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01R
13/523 (20130101); H01R 13/453 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H01R
13/523 (20060101); H01R 13/44 (20060101); H01R
13/453 (20060101); H01r 013/44 () |
Field of
Search: |
;339/42,117,118,60,94,34,35,182,183 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: McGlynn; Joseph H.
Assistant Examiner: Lewis; Terrell P.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An underwater wet electrical connector for use in making up
electrical connections in an under sea environment including:
a male plug,
at lease one male pin extending from the plug,
a male contact terminal mounted on each pin,
dielectric means electrically insulating the male contact terminal
from the male plug,
means for electrically connecting an electrical cable conductor to
each male contact terminal,
a female receptacle,
a female contact socket arranged to receive and mate with each male
pin within the female receptacle,
a female contact block mounted within the socket,
the female contact block having a contactor portion arranged to
receive the male contact terminal and provide an an electrical
conducting path there between when the male pin is inserted into
the female contact socket,
dielectric means electrically insulating the female contact block
from the female receptacle,
means for electrically connecting an electrical cable conductor to
each female contact block,
a piston reciprocally mounted in the female contact socket arranged
to prevent the entrance of sea water into the female contact socket
when the male pin is not inserted therein,
means retaining the piston in the female contact socket when the
male pin is not inserted therein and receiving the piston when
displaced from the female contact socket when the male pin is
inserted therein,
seal means adjacent the exterior of the female receptacle and
mechanically alternatively sealing the piston and the male pin when
inserted in the female contact socket, and
a dielectric oil compensator having biasing means therein providing
a positive pressure on the oil at all times, said compensator being
mounted within the female receptacle and hydraulically
interconnecting an oil supply means with the piston and with the
male pin when inserted in the female contact socket.
2. The invention of claim 1 including:
the dielectric oil supply means providing dielectric oil interiorly
of the seal means at the interface between the piston and the
female contact socket and the male pin and the female contact
socket as either is inserted in the female contact socket.
3. The invention of claim 1 wherein the female contact socket
includes an elastomer molding interiorly of the seal means
providing a squeezing interference fit on the piston and on the
male pin when inserted in the female contact socket.
4. The invention of claim 3 including:
a compensator cylinder,
a compensator piston having first and second sides,
the first side of the piston being mechanically biased toward the
second side and being vented to the under sea environment,
the second side of the piston and the cylinder being filled with
dielectric oil, and
piping means directing the oil from the cylinder to the piston and
to the male pin as either is inserted in the female contact
socket.
5. The invention of claim 1 wherein the seal means includes O-ring
seals arranged to wipe sea water from the male pin as it is
inserted in the female contact socket.
6. The invention of claim 3 including:
a compensator mounted within the female receptacle and
hydraulically interconnecting the dielectric oil supply means, and
the piston, and arranged to hydrostatically balance the piston in
the female receptacle.
7. The invention of claim 6 including:
a compensator cylinder,
a compensator piston having first and second sides,
the first side of the piston being mechanically biased toward the
second side and being vented to the under sea environment,
the second side of the piston and the cylinder being filled with
dielectric oil, and
piping means directing the oil from the cylinder to the piston and
to the male pin as either is inserted in the female contact
socket.
8. The invention of claim 2 wherein the seal means includes O-ring
seals arranged to wipe sea water from the male pin as it is
inserted in the female contact socket.
9. The invention of claim 1 including:
anchor means for mechanically interconnecting the electrical cable
to the male plug and to the female receptacle.
Description
Other and further objects, features and advantages will be apparent
from an examination of the following description of the presently
preferred embodiment of the invention, given for the purpose of
disclosure, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Like character references designate like parts throughout the
several views of the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a side view of the electrical connector of the present
invention when fully mated and mechanically connected,
FIG. 2 is a partial sectional side view of the electrical connector
prior to mating,
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3--3 of FIG. 2,
and
FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view taken along the line 4--4 of
FIG. 3.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to FIG. 1, the reference numeral 10 generally
designates the underwater wet electrical connector of the present
invention, consisting generally of the male plug 12 and the female
receptacle 14, from each of which extends the electrical cables 16.
Extending from the male plug 12 and lying alongside the female
receptacle 14 is a polarization key 18 which is utilized in a
conventional manner to prevent mismatching of the various male and
female conductors. The polarization key 18 also serves to protect
the male pin from damage, since it extends beyond the end of the
male plug. An internally threaded collar 20 is utilized to
mechanically fasten the male plug and the female receptacle
together.
Referring now to FIG. 2, the electrical cable 16 is shown entering
the end bell 22 of the female receptacle 14. The cable 16 includes
two sets of armor wire, 24 and 26, as well as internal insulation
28 and one or more individually insulated conductors 30. The outer
layer of armor wire 24 is bent up, at a smooth radius to the die
block 32, while the inner layer of armor wire 26 is subsequently
bent up over the thrust washer 34. An additional thrust washer 36
is applied to the armor wire 26, and an anvil 38 applied to the
thrust washer 36. The members are securely fastened together and
the whole attached to the end bell 22 by appropriate fastening
means 40. The interstices are preferably sealed with an appropriate
insulating potting compound. The mechanical connection between the
cable 16 and the male plug 12 is identical.
Referring now particularly to the female receptacle 14, each of the
insulated conductors 30 enters a terminal chamber 42 and is sealed
therein by the terminal sleeve nut 44 and the terminal sleeve
compression insert 46. The conductor 48 is connected by the swaged
fitting 50 to the conductor pin 52. The conductor pin 52 leads
through a threaded pressure seal 54 to the female contact block 56,
which is mounted within the female contact socket 58. The threaded
pressure seal 54 is mounted in the pressure wall 82 and includes a
fused glass insulator 60, which is fused to the body of the
threaded pressure seal and to a stainless steel cylinder 62 in the
center. The conductor pin 52 is preferably made of a high-strength
copper alloy material which is not readily matable with fused glass
hence the necessity for the stainless steel cylinder 62, which is
swaged to the pin 52. The area at each end of the fused glass
insulator 60 is filled with an appropriate dielectric, such as
polyurethane.
The construction of the male plug within the pressure wall 64 is
essentially the same as that heretofore described in the female
receptacle, hence like parts have been designated with like
reference numerals. The male connecting pin 52', however, does not
attach to the female contact block, but instead extends into the
male pin 66. This pin is exposed to salt water when the electrical
connector is not mated. At the center of the male pin 66 is a male
contact terminal 68 which is mechanically, and electrically,
attached to the pin 52'. On either side of the male contact
terminal 68 are appropriate insulators 70, such as molded diallyl
phthalate (DAP).
Referring again to the female receptacle 14, the female contact
block 56 includes a contactor portion 72 which surrounds a dummy
piston 74 therein. The female contact block 56, at the contactor
portion 72 may include longitudinal slots therein, in a
conventional manner to provide a tighter engagement with the male
pin 66, when inserted therein. Both the contactor portion 72 and
terminal 68 may be gold plated. The dummy piston 74 is hollow and
slides within the female contact socket 58, and may be displaced
into the oil filled cavity 76. The piston is preferably constructed
of a relatively slick dielectric, such as Teflon. A spring 78
normally biases the piston 74 within the female contact socket 58,
and the piston 74 is prevented from being pushed out of the female
receptacle 14 by the shoulder 80. Mounted in the female pressure
head 82 as well as in the female end plate 84 in extensions of the
socket are sealing means, here shown as two pairs of 0-rings 86.
These 0-rings 86 prevent the entry of sea water between the piston
74 and the female receptacle 14, and as will be explained
hereafter, wipe any sea water from the male pin 66 as it is mated
within the female receptacle 14 contact socket 58. Upon assembly,
the entire inner area of the female receptacle 14, as well as the
male plug 12, are completely filled with an appropriate dielectric
potting compound, such as polyurethane. Further, a neoprene or
similar coating 114 may be applied to the pressure wall 64 and end
plate 84.
As shown in FIG. 2, a sacrificial aluminum ring 88 may be suitably
attached to the electrical connector 10. A portion of the female
receptacle 14 includes threads 90 which mate with the internal
threads 92 in the collar 20. The polarizing key 18 on the male plug
12 fits between a milled-out portion of the threads 90 of the
female receptacle.
When mating the male plug with the female receptacle, the
polarizing key is brought to the appropriate position adjacent the
receptacle 14, and the male and female members are brought
together. The male pin 66 displaces the dummy piston 74 and pushes
it back into the cavity 76 as the pin is inserted into the female
receptacle. The 0-rings 86 wipe any sea water on the male pin 66
off as it is pushed therethrough. The electrical contact is
complete when the male contact terminal 68 is engaged by the
contactor portion 72 of the female contact block 56. The female
contact socket on either side of the contactor 72 is preferably
constructed of an elastomer molding which provides a squeezing
interference fit both with the dummy piston 74 and with the male
pin 66. This further excludes the entrance of sea water.
To prevent electrical surface tracking along the dummy piston 74 or
the male pin 66, a dielectric oil supply means is provided to
further displace both sea water and air. Referring now to FIG. 4,
the dielectric oil supply means includes a compensator 94 which
generally includes a cylinder 96 filled with dielectric oil, and a
piston 98 therein. The back side of the piston is loaded by the
spring 100 and is vented through the port 102 to the sea water. Oil
from the compensator 94 is led through appropriate passageways to
oil grooves 108 between each of the 0-rings 86. Plugs 110 are used
to seal the outer ends of the passageways from sea water. A further
passageway 112 leads to the female contact block 56, contactor
portion 72 to provide further dielectric oil at that point. Since
the compensator 94 is vented through port 102, hydrostatic pressure
on each end of the dummy piston 74 is balanced. However, the spring
100 adds a positive pressure to the dielectric oil relative to the
surrounding sea water.
Referring now to FIG. 3, it will be noted that a plurality of
female contact members 58 have been shown and in this instance four
are shown for a grounded three phase AC system. Further, the
position of the compensator 94 and its orifice 102 is shown with
relation to the remainder of the female contact socket. When
multiple female contact members are utilized, similarly, multiple
oil filled compensators 94 may be utilized. It is presently
preferred that the various compensators 94 be manifolded together
to increase the total dielectric oil capacity; however, one large
compensator alone could be used.
Upon disassembly, the threaded collar 20 is disengaged from the
threads 90, and the male plug pulled from the female receptacle. As
the male pin 66 is withdrawn from the female contact socket 58, the
dummy piston 74 replaces the pin 66. The entrance of sea water into
the female contact socket 58 is prevented both by the 0-rings 86
and the oil ring 108, as well as by the squeezing interference fit
of the female contact socket 58. Complete withdrawal of the male
pin leaves the female receptacle 14 effectively sealed from the sea
water and, of course, electrically and mechanically disconnected
from the male plug 12. Under environmental conditions, it is
anticipated that various forms of conventional manipulators, or
other mechanical aids, may be used to remotely mate and disengage
the electrical connector.
Thus, it is seen that the present invention has provided an
underwater wet electrical connector particularly useful at great
ocean depths with high voltage and heavy amperage capacity. The
present invention, therefore, is well adapted to carry out the
objects and attain the ends and advantages mentioned, as well as
others inherent therein. While a presently preferred embodiment of
the invention has been given for the purpose of disclosure,
numerous changes in the details of construction, and combination,
shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without
departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter
claimed.
* * * * *