SELF-HEALING ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR MEANS

• US 3,784,959 A
• Filed: 11/10/1971
• Issued: 01/08/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fluor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Edward E. Horton
• Inventors: Horton, Edward E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Champion, Marvin A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pate, III, William F.
• Application Number:
  US05/197,324
• Time in Patent Office: 790 Days
• Field of Search: 339/94,96,60,61
• US Class Current: 439/275
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/453 Shutter or cover plate opened by engagement of counterpart
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/523 for use under water
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 439/948 Contact or connector with insertion depth limiter

Abstract

An electrical connector means for use in an adverse hostile fluid environment such as a subsea installation, and comprising electrical contact members embedded in and normally covered by a dielectric material having a relatively soft deformable resilient surface means having raised portions which under pressure engagement are adapted to be penetrated by one of the contact members which includes a hard contact point while the other contact member includes a relatively soft contact portion to make full electrical contact under pressure. Shims between housing portions are also provided to limit and control the depth of penetration thereby permitting repeated use of the connector means with full electrical contact.

Claims

1. Electrical connector means for use in a hostile environment, comprising, in combination:

a connector housing means including separable housing portions provided with hollow chambers and annular positioning faces in opposed relation;

dielectric means in each chamber;

one of said housing portions having an enlarged outer cylindrical wall to receive the other housing portion to position said dielectric means and said positioning faces in proximate relation;

an electrical contact means carried in each chamber and embedded in said dielectric material;

said dielectric means in each chamber including planar end surface means at about the plane of its respective annular positioning face, each end surface means including a raised portion longitudinally aligned with and covering an electrical contact means, one of said contact means extending into said raised portion, said raised portions of said dielectric means on said separable housing portions having raised self-sealing generally flat faces for pressure contact over a limited area when said housing portions are in assembled operative relation, said raised portions being longitudinally compressable and each portion being adapted to flow into non-raised sections of said surface means to reduce the material cross section of said raised portions, said raised faces being penetrated by said one of said electrical contact means for making electrical contact between said contact means; and

means carried by said one housing portion at said outer cylindrical wall to engage the other housing portion for urging said housing portions toward each other to make said electrical contact and to engage under high contact pressures over said limited area said raised self-sealing faces.

2. In a means as stated in claim 1 wherein said dielectric means includes a relatively non-deformable dielectric material at the bottom portion of each chamber, and a relatively deformable resilient dielectric material at the upper portion of each chamber, said deformable resilient material providing said end surface means including said raised portions, each of said contact means being embedded in both non-deformable and deformable dielectric material of each dielectric means;

and each contact means having a shoulder seated on the non-deformable dielectric material.

3. In a subsea electrical connector construction, the combination of:

a housing means comprising separable housing portions each having a hollow internal chamber;

one of said housing portions having an outer enlarged cylindrical wall to receive the oTher housing portion and its internal chamber;

dielectric means confined each chamber including a deformable relatively soft resilient dielectric portion adjacent the opening to each internal chamber;

an electrical contact member embedded in each dielectric means and having a contact surface covered by and adjacent to the surface of said deformable dielectric portion;

at least one of said deformable portions having a raised portion of selected discrete area covering said contact surface of said electrical contact member embedded therein;

said electrical contact surface in said raised portion including means to penetrate said resilient dielectric portions; and

a connecting means at said cylindrical wall to move said housing portions relative to each other to engage said raised dielectric portion of discrete area with the opposed soft dielectric portion to cause penetration of said soft dielectric portions to make an electrical contact between said contact members and to impart localized high pressure contact between said raised portions and said opposed soft dielectric portions to purge said contact surfaces of foreign particles.

4. In a subsea connector construction as stated in claim 3 including means at said deformable portions cooperable with said housing portions for regulating the depth of penetration of said electrical contact members.

5. Electrical connector means for use in a hostile environment, comprising, in combination:

a connector housing means including separable housing portions provided with hollow chambers and annular positioning faces in opposed relation;

dielectric means in each chamber;

an electrical contact means carried in each chamber and embedded in said dielectric material;

said dielectric means in each chamber including an end surface means at about the plane of its respective positioning face, said end surface means including a raised portion longitudinally aligned with and covering said electrical contact means, said raised portions of dielectric means on said separable housing portions having raised self-sealing faces for pressure contact when said housing portions are in assembled operative relation, said raised portions being adapted to flow into non-raised sections of said surface means, said raised faces being penetrated by at least one of said electrical contact means for making electrical contact between said contact means;

means for urging said housing portions toward each other to make said electrical contact and to pressure engage said raised self-sealing faces; and

means interposed between said annular positioning faces to regulate the depth of penetration of said one of said electrical contact means;

said depth regulating means including shim elements removably positioned between said positioning faces.

6. A subsea electrical connector comprising:

mating connector housing portions each having a hollow chamber with an opening;

a composite dielectric means in each chamber comprising a hard dielectric portion at the bottom of the chamber and a soft dielectric portion seated thereon and facing in the direction of the opening of the chamber;

each soft dielectric portion having raised portions for pressure sealing engagement with aligned raised portions on the opposed soft dielectric portion in the other housing portion to provide discrete high pressure spaced contact areas for purging said areas of foreign particles;

an electrical contact member in each composite dielectric means, each contact member including a pin portion extending through said hard dielectric portion and an enlarged contact portion having a shoulder seated on said hard dielectric portion and immovably embedded in said soft dielectric portion, said enlarged contact portion having a contact face covered by one of said raised portions;

one of said contact faces having a contact point for penetrating opposed raised portions;

positioning means on said housIng portions for regulating the space between opposed contact faces to provide changeable electrical contact engagement; and

means on said housing portions for urging said housing portions toward each other for compressing said soft raised portions to expel fluid therebetween, to electrically engage said contact portions, and to seal said electrically engaged contact portions.

7. Electrical connector means for use in a hostile environment, comprising, in combination:

a connector housing means including separable housing portions provided with hollow chambers and annular positioning faces in opposed relation;

dielectric means in each chamber;

an electrical contact means carried in each chamber and embedded in said dielectric material;

said dielectric means in each chamber including planar end surface means at about the plane of its respective annular positioning face, each end surface means including a raised portion longitudinally aligned with and covering an electrical contact means, one of said contact means extending into said raised portion, said raised portions of said dielectric means on said separable housing portions having raised self-sealing generally flat faces for pressure contact when said housing portions are in assembled operative relation, said raised portions being longitudinally compressable and each portion being adapted to flow into non-raised sections of said surface means to reduce the material cross section of said raised portions, said raised faces being penetrated by said one of said electrical contact means for making electrical contact between said contact means;

means for urging said housing portions toward each other to make said electrical contact and to pressure engage said raised self-sealing faces; and

means interposed between said annular positioning faces to regulate the depth of penetration of said one of said electrical contact means.

8. A subsea electrical connector comprising:

mating connector housing portions each having a hollow chamber with an opening;

a composite dielectric means in each chamber comprising a hard dielectric portion at the bottom of the chamber and a soft deformable dielectric portion facing in the direction of the opening of the chamber;

each soft dielectric portion having raised portions for pressure sealing engagement with aligned raised portions on the opposed soft dielectric portion in the other housing portion;

an electrical contact member in each composite dielectric means, each contact member including a pin portion extending through said hard dielectric portion and an enlarged contact portion having a shoulder seated on said hard dielectric portion and immovably embedded in said soft dielectric portion, said enlarged contact portion having a contact face covered by one of said raised portions;

one of said contact faces having a contact point for penetrating opposed raised portions;

means for regulating the space between opposed contact faces to provide desired electrical contact engagement;

means for urging said housing portions toward each other for compressing said soft raised portions to expel fluid therebetween, to electrically engage said contact portions, and to seal electrically engaged contact portions; and

said regulating means including opposed positioning faces on said housing portion; and

removable shim means between said positioning faces for modifying the space between opposed contact faces.