Source energy connector pigtail

• US 9,761,994 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2016
• Issued: 09/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Teledyne Instruments Incorporated (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Teledyne Instruments Incorporated (Teledyne Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: Saydyk, Daniel, Williams, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Duverne, Jean F
• Application Number:
  US15/060,417
• Publication Number:
  US 20160261064A1
• Time in Patent Office: 558 Days
• Field of Search: 439449
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/04 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/523 for use under water
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/5845 the strain relief being achieved by molding parts around cable and connections
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 2201/14 seismic connectors

Abstract

The present invention provides a ruggedized heavy duty source connector adapted for use on large air guns. The source connector comprises reinforcing fibers in the cable jacket that are anchored to the connector front shell, an external blast shield in place of a rear shell, and a fatigue resistant strain relief overmold.

Claims

1. A ruggedized source connector comprising:

a body having a front, a back, an interior and an exterior;

an overmold assembly disposed in part at the back and in the interior of the body;

a shell mechanically coupled to the body and disposed about the exterior of the back of the body and covering at least a portion of the overmold assembly, the shell adapted to prevent damage to the overmold assembly;

a set of pins disposed in the interior at the front of the body; and

a cable disposed within the overmold assembly and having a set of conductors electrically connected to the set of pins, the cable comprising a plurality of reinforcement layers anchored within the interior of the body, the anchored plurality of reinforcement layers adapted to transfer torsional and axial stress loads from the cable and the overmold to the body.

2. The source connector of claim 1 wherein the shell comprises a blast shield.

3. The source connector of claim 1 wherein the overmold assembly comprises a shell-to-overmold transition and a tapered tail adapted to provide strain relief to the cable.

4. The source connector of claim 1 wherein strain relief for the cable is provided by the plurality of reinforcement layers.

5. The source connector of claim 4 wherein the reinforcement layers comprise layers of aramid fiber reinforcement.

6. The source connector of claim 1 wherein the overmold assembly comprises an engineered polymer overmold.

7. The source connector of claim 1 wherein a set of o-rings are disposed at the front of the body and are adapted to provide a hermetic seal when the source connector is in a mated configuration.

8. The source connector of claim 1 wherein the shell is coupled with the body by a threaded portion.

9. The source connector of claim 1 wherein the plurality of reinforcement layers of the cable are anchored in a socket within the interior of the body by one of potting or a conical anchor insert.

10. The source connector of claim 9 wherein the potting is a high strength epoxy potting and the socket is a spelter socket.

11. The source connector of claim 1 wherein the set of pins are disposed in a retained insert at the front of the body.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein strain relief for the cable is provided by the plurality of reinforcement layers.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the reinforcement layers comprise layers of aramid fiber reinforcement.

12. A system for providing an electrical connection to a piece of subsea equipment requiring a strain and pressure-resistant connection, the system comprising:

an electrical power source;

the piece of subsea equipment comprising a set of receptacles;

a ruggedized source connector cable having a first source connector and a second source connector, each of the first source connector and the second source connector comprising;

a body having a front, a back, an interior and an exterior;

an overmold assembly disposed in part at the back and in the interior of the body;

a shell mechanically coupled to the body and disposed about the exterior of the back of the body and covering at least a portion of the overmold assembly, the shell adapted to prevent damage to the overmold assembly;

a set of pins disposed in the interior at the front of the body; and

a cable disposed within the overmold assembly and having a set of conductors electrically connected to the set of pins, the cable comprising a plurality of reinforcement layers anchored within the interior of the body, the anchored plurality of reinforcement layers adapted to transfer torsional and axial stress loads from the cable and the overmold to the body;

wherein the piece of subsea equipment is connected to the electrical power source by the first source connector of the ruggedized source connector cable mated to a receptacle in the set of receptacles and the second source connector of the ruggedized source connector cable in an operative electrical connection with the electrical power source.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the piece of subsea equipment is an air gun.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the shell of the source connector comprises a blast shield.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein the overmold assembly of the source connector comprises a shell-to-overmold transition and a tapered tail adapted to provide strain relief to the cable.

18. The system of claim 12 wherein the overmold assembly of the source connector comprises an engineered polymer overmold.

19. The system of claim 12 wherein a set of o-rings are disposed at the front of the body of the source connector and are adapted to provide a hermetic seal when the source connector is mated with the receptacle.

20. The system of claim 12 wherein the shell of the source connector is joined with the body by a threaded portion.

21. The system of claim 12 wherein the plurality of reinforcement layers of the cable are potted in a socket within the interior of the body by one of potting or a conical anchor insert.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the potting is high strength epoxy potting and the socket is a spelter socket.

23. The system of claim 12 wherein the set of pins in the source connector are disposed in a retained insert at the front of the body.