Oil-filled sealed photoelectric connector for underwater vertical dynamic cable system

Abstract

The invention discloses an oil-filled sealed photoelectric connector for an underwater vertical dynamic cable system. The oil-filled sealed photoelectric connector comprises a bent plug assembly and a socket assembly, wherein the bent plug assembly comprises a bent plug connector connected with the dynamic cable; a photoelectric contact component I is arranged in the bent plug component; the socket assembly is fixed on the detection unit glass sphere, and a photoelectric contact assembly II connected with a detection element in the detection unit glass sphere is arranged in the socket assembly; wherein the photoelectric contact component I is adaptively connected with the photoelectric contact component II. According to the invention, through application of the oil filling pipe, special sealing design and innovation of key technical points such as the oil-filled sealing photoelectric connector integrating the battery core wire and the optical fiber core wire, the water pressure resistance reliability, the sealing performance and the signal transmission stability of the connector in a deep sea high-pressure environment are remarkably improved; the device provides support for long-term stable operation of a deep-sea micro telescope, can be expanded and applied in the future, and meets other long-term application requirements of deep sea.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of underwater wet plug connectors, and in particular to an oil-filled sealed photoelectric connector for an underwater vertical dynamic cable system. Background Art

[0002] Oil-filled balancing technology is a key technology in underwater equipment such as submersibles and underwater robots. It mainly solves the pressure balance problem during deep diving to ensure the normal operation and safety of the equipment. In the field of underwater connectors, it is usually used in underwater wet-plug connector assemblies led out of underwater terminals, and is basically not used in the field of deep-water dry-plug connectors similar to the present invention.

[0003] On the one hand, deep-water dry-plug connectors are usually matched with long-length optical and electrical cables to form components, and long-length oil-filled cables are relatively rarely used. On the other hand, the application scenarios of deep-water dry-plug connectors generally require high mobility, and dry-plug connectors are rarely used in long-term applications (more than 10 years). The main reason is that dry-plug watertight connectors are difficult to ensure long-term sealing and signal transmission stability in deep-water high-pressure environments.

[0004] The core and difficulty of the existing dry-plug connector technology is the sealing of the connector and the cable connected to it. Generally, there are two ways to achieve sealing here: the first way is stuffing box sealing, that is, placing elastic material between the cable and the connector housing, axially extruding the stuffing box so that it fits tightly with the connector housing and the cable radially to achieve sealing; the second way is vulcanization sealing, that is, cross-linking the connector housing material, cable sheath and vulcanized rubber together by vulcanization to achieve sealing; in order to improve the sealing reliability, the two methods are usually combined.

[0005] However, the above-mentioned prior art has the following two problems: first, for the stuffing box seal, since the cable sheath is squeezed, the sheath material will creep after being under pressure for a long time, thereby reducing the compression of the stuffing box, which in turn causes water leakage; second, for the vulcanized seal, also due to long-term use, the seawater itself and its water pressure continuously penetrate or decompose the vulcanized colloid, which in turn causes water leakage.

[0006] Therefore, under the condition of long-term application in deep sea, the existing technology has the defects of low reliability and short service life. Based on this, it is urgent to solve the problem of long-term stable optical and electrical transmission in deep sea high pressure environment. Summary of the invention

[0007] The purpose of the present invention is to provide an oil-filled sealed photoelectric connector for an underwater vertical dynamic cable system, so as to solve the problems of long-term stable sealing performance and photoelectric transmission in a deep-sea high-pressure environment.

[0008] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0009] The present invention provides an oil-filled sealed photoelectric connector for an underwater vertical dynamic cable system, comprising a bent plug assembly and a socket assembly for connecting a glass sphere of a detection unit to a dynamic cable;

[0010] The curved plug assembly comprises a curved plug connector connected to the dynamic cable; an optoelectronic contact component assembly I for connecting the electrical core wire and the optical fiber core wire in the dynamic cable is arranged in the curved plug assembly;

[0011] The socket assembly is fixed on the glass sphere of the detection unit, and is provided with a photoelectric contact assembly II connected to the detection element in the glass sphere of the detection unit;

[0012] The photoelectric contact component assembly I is adaptively connected to the photoelectric contact component assembly II.

[0013] Further, the bent plug connector includes a plug housing and an outlet housing connected to the plug housing;

[0014] One end of the plug housing is provided with a rear cover through an oil sealing screw; the other end is sealedly provided with the photoelectric contact component I inside, and the other end is provided with a connecting screw sleeve for locking and connecting the socket component outside.

[0015] Still further, the bent plug connector is connected to the dynamic cable through an oil-filled tube;

[0016] The lead-out shell is fixedly connected to the oil-filling tube through an oil-filling tube buckling ring, and an electrical core wire I and an optical fiber core wire I are arranged in the oil-filling tube to connect the electrical core wire and the optical fiber core wire in the dynamic cable; the electrical core wire I and the optical fiber core wire I are respectively connected to the optoelectronic contact component I.

[0017] Still further, the socket assembly includes a through-bay socket connector disposed on the glass sphere of the detection unit;

[0018] The through-cabin socket connector includes a socket housing penetrating the outer wall of the glass sphere of the detection unit, a photoelectric contact component II sealed in the socket housing, an equipment external sealing gasket set sleeved on the socket housing, and a locking nut arranged inside the glass sphere of the detection unit and used to lock the socket housing;

[0019] The socket housing is thread-locked with the connecting screw sleeve;

[0020] An internal gasket set of the equipment is arranged between the locking nut and the inner wall of the glass sphere of the detection unit.

[0021] Furthermore, the external sealing gasket group of the device includes a transition gasket adapted to the outer wall of the glass sphere of the detection unit; the internal gasket group of the device includes an arc-shaped gasket, a flat gasket, and a butterfly-shaped gasket sleeved on the socket housing;

[0022] The arc-shaped gasket is matched with the inner wall of the glass sphere of the detection unit, the butterfly-shaped gasket is in tension contact with the locking nut; and the flat gasket is located between the arc-shaped gasket and the butterfly-shaped gasket.

[0023] Furthermore, one end of the photoelectric contact component II is adaptively connected to the photoelectric contact component I; and the other end thereof is connected to the detection element in the glass sphere of the detection unit through the electrical core wire II and the optical fiber core wire II.

[0024] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial technical effects of the present invention are:

[0025] 1. Through the application of oil-filled pipes and the use of the oil-liquid balance principle, the water pressure resistance reliability of the connector in the deep-sea high-pressure environment is significantly improved. This design effectively solves the leakage problem caused by insufficient sealing performance of traditional dry plug connectors in long-term applications, ensuring the stability and safety of the connector in the deep-sea environment.

[0026] 2. The special sealing design of the socket and the glass ball cabin fully considers the spherical surface characteristics and material characteristics, ensuring the sealing and reliability between the connector and the glass ball cabin. This design avoids the stress of metal on the glass during installation, reduces the risk of sealing failure, and improves the sealing performance of the entire system.

[0027] 3. The oil-filled sealed photoelectric connector integrating the electric core wire and the optical fiber core wire realizes the function of long-term stable transmission of signals and power. This design not only improves the stability and reliability of signal transmission, but also extends the service life of the connector, meeting the needs of long-term deep-sea applications.

[0028] 4. The bent plug assembly of the present invention is designed in the form of an elbow, which avoids the formation of a long cantilever structure, thereby reducing the risk of damage to the tail oil filling pipe. This structural design improves the mechanical strength and durability of the connector, making it more suitable for use in harsh deep-sea environments.

[0029] 5. The socket assembly of the present invention adopts a special sealing gasket set and locking nut design to ensure the installation, fastening and sealing performance of the socket assembly on the glass sphere of the detection unit. This design simplifies the installation process, improves the installation efficiency, and ensures the stability and reliability of the connector during use.

[0030] In summary, the present invention significantly improves the water pressure resistance reliability, sealing performance and signal transmission stability of the connector in the deep sea high-pressure environment through the innovation of key technical points such as the application of oil-filled tubes, special sealing design, and oil-filled sealed optoelectronic connectors that integrate electrical cores and optical fiber cores, thus meeting the needs of long-term deep sea applications. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0032] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the vertical dynamic cable system of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the bent plug assembly of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the socket assembly of the present invention;

[0035] Explanation of the reference numerals: 1. bent plug assembly; 11. bent plug connector; 111. plug housing; 112. connecting screw sleeve; 113. photoelectric contact assembly I; 114. lead-out housing; 115. rear cover; 116. oil sealing screw; 117. oil filling tube buckling ring; 12. oil filling tube; 13. electric core wire I; 14. optical fiber core wire I; 2. socket assembly; 21. through-cabin socket connector; 211. socket housing; 212. photoelectric contact assembly II; 22. equipment external sealing gasket group; 221. transition gasket; 23. equipment internal gasket group; 231. arc-shaped gasket; 232. flat gasket; 233. butterfly gasket; 24. locking nut; 25. electric core wire II; 26. optical fiber core wire II; 3. dynamic cable; 4. detection unit glass sphere. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] like Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment discloses an oil-filled sealed optoelectronic connector for an underwater vertical dynamic cable system, including a curved plug assembly 1 and a socket assembly 2 for connecting a detection unit glass sphere 4 to a dynamic cable 3.

[0037] like Figure 2 As shown, the curved plug assembly 1 includes a curved plug connector 11 connected to the dynamic cable 3; an optoelectronic contact component assembly Ⅰ113 connecting the electrical core wires and optical fiber core wires in the dynamic cable 3 is installed in the curved plug assembly 1.

[0038] In this embodiment, the bent plug connector 11 includes a plug housing 111 and a lead-out housing 114 connected to the plug housing 111; wherein one end of the plug housing 111 is installed with a rear cover 115 through an oil sealing screw 116; the other end thereof is internally sealed with the optoelectronic contact component I 113, and the other end thereof is externally installed with a connecting screw sleeve 112 for locking and connecting the socket component 2.

[0039] When implementing it, Figure 2 As shown, an O-ring is installed between the rear cover 115 and the top of the plug housing 111 , and an O-ring is installed between the oil sealing screw 116 and the rear cover 115 .

[0040] An O-ring is sleeved between the outer wall of the optoelectronic contact assembly I113 and the inner wall of the plug housing 111 ; an O-ring is installed on the outer wall of the plug housing 111 to increase the sealing performance with the socket housing 211 .

[0041] In this embodiment, the bent plug connector 11 is connected to the dynamic cable 3 through an oil filling tube 12; the lead-out housing 114 is fixedly connected to the oil filling tube 12 through an oil filling tube buckling ring 117, and an electrical core wire Ⅰ13 and an optical fiber core wire Ⅰ14 connecting the electrical core wire and the optical fiber core wire in the dynamic cable 3 are installed in the oil filling tube 12; the electrical core wire Ⅰ13 and the optical fiber core wire Ⅰ14 are respectively connected to the optoelectronic contact component Ⅰ113.

[0042] In this embodiment, the application of the oil-filled pipe 12 utilizes the principle of oil-liquid balance to improve the water pressure resistance reliability of the connector in a deep-sea high-pressure environment. Since the product has been used in the deep sea for a long time, the oil-filled balance structure is the best solution. However, if the maintenance during the product life cycle is not considered, the connector structure in the invention can be changed to a through-cabin structure, that is, instead of using the connector, the oil-filled pipe is directly set through the through-cabin part on the glass sphere of the detection unit to achieve the long-term reliable sealing performance and photoelectric transmission performance of the original invention.

[0043] The optoelectronic contact component I113 includes a filling body I adapted to the inner wall of the lead-out shell 114, a conductive body I sealed in the filling body I and connected to the electric core wire I13, and an optical fiber conductor I sealed in the filling body I and connected to the optical fiber core wire I14.

[0044] In this embodiment, Figure 3 As shown, the socket assembly 2 is fixed on the detection unit glass sphere 4, and a photoelectric contact assembly II 212 connected to the detection element in the detection unit glass sphere 4 is installed therein; wherein the photoelectric contact assembly I 113 is adaptively connected to the photoelectric contact assembly II 212.

[0045] In specific implementation, the socket assembly 2 includes a through-cabin socket connector 21 installed on the glass sphere 4 of the detection unit; the through-cabin socket connector 21 includes a socket shell 211 that passes through the outer wall of the glass sphere 4 of the detection unit, a photoelectric contact assembly II 212 that is sealed and installed in the socket shell 211, an equipment external sealing gasket group 22 that is sleeved on the socket shell 211, and a locking nut 24 that is installed inside the glass sphere 4 of the detection unit and is used to lock the socket shell 211.

[0046] In this embodiment, the socket housing 211 and the lead housing 114 are connected by means of a socket-and-spigot connection and are sealed and locked by means of the connecting screw sleeve 112 .

[0047] Specifically, an external thread matched with the connecting screw sleeve 112 is prefabricated on the outside of the socket housing 211 .

[0048] The socket housing 211 is threadedly locked with the connecting screw sleeve 112 ; and an internal gasket set 23 of the device is installed between the locking nut 24 and the inner wall of the glass sphere 4 of the detection unit.

[0049] In this embodiment, the device external sealing gasket group 22 includes a transition gasket 221 adapted to the outer wall of the detection unit glass sphere 4; wherein the end of the socket housing 211 located outside the detection unit glass sphere 4 is a variable diameter structure; an O-ring is installed between the variable diameter structure and the transition gasket 221, and an O-ring is installed between the transition gasket 221 and the detection unit glass sphere 4 to improve the sealing. In this embodiment, an O-ring is also installed between the socket housing 211 and the detection unit glass sphere 4.

[0050] In this embodiment, the internal gasket group 23 of the device includes an arc-shaped gasket 231, a flat gasket 232, and a butterfly-shaped gasket 233 which are sleeved on the socket housing 211; wherein the arc-shaped gasket 231 is adapted to the inner wall of the glass sphere 4 of the detection unit, and the butterfly-shaped gasket 233 is in tension contact with the locking nut 24; the flat gasket 232 is located between the arc-shaped gasket 231 and the butterfly-shaped gasket 233.

[0051] One end of the photoelectric contact component II 212 is adaptively connected to the photoelectric contact component I 113 ; the other end thereof is connected to the detection element in the glass sphere 4 of the detection unit through the electric core wire II 25 and the optical fiber core wire II 26 .

[0052] In this embodiment, the special sealing design between the socket and the glass ball cabin component takes into account the spherical surface characteristics and material characteristics to ensure the sealing and reliability between the connector and the glass ball cabin component.

[0053] In a specific implementation, the optoelectronic contact assembly II 212 includes a filling body II adapted to the inner wall of the socket housing 211 , a conductive body II sealedly installed in the filling body II and connected to the electrical core wire II 25 , and an optical fiber conductor II sealedly installed in the filling body II and connected to the optical fiber core wire II 26 .

[0054] When in use, after the optoelectronic contact component II 212 is adapted and connected with the optoelectronic contact component I 113, the conductor I is contacted and connected with the conductor II, and the optical fiber conductor I is connected with the optical fiber conductor II, thereby realizing the interconnection between the detection element in the glass sphere 4 of the detection unit and the dynamic cable 3 to facilitate information transmission; the oil-filled sealed optoelectronic connector integrating the electrical core wire and the optical fiber core wire realizes the function of long-term stable transmission of signals and electricity.

[0055] Application Examples

[0056] The present invention provides an oil-filled sealed photoelectric connector, comprising a bent plug assembly 1 and a socket assembly 2, which are matched to realize photoelectric signal transmission, meet the requirements of long-term application at 4500 meters underwater, and have a design life of 25 years.

[0057] This connector product is suitable for underwater vertical dynamic cable systems. The main body of the system is a dynamic cable 3 vertically laid on the seabed. The cable leads out a group of branches (including 2 electric and 2 optical) at intervals in the vertical direction. The typical structure has 20 branches in total. The branches and the terminal curved plugs constitute a curved plug assembly 1. The socket assembly 2 is installed on the corresponding detection unit glass sphere 4. Each detection unit can collect continuous data at different ocean depths. At the same time, the setting of multiple detection units is also conducive to improving the collection accuracy and efficiency. In this way, the device in the glass ball can transmit the collected data back to the shore through the connector, and the power supply of the device is also transmitted by this connector.

[0058] The curved plug assembly of the present invention comprises a curved plug connector 11, an oil filling tube 12 and two electric core wires 13 and two optical fiber core wires 14 integrated therein. The plug connector is designed in an elbow form to avoid forming a long cantilever structure and causing the tail oil filling tube to be vulnerable. The plug connector is mainly composed of a plug housing 111, a connecting screw sleeve 112, an optoelectronic contact assembly 113, a lead housing 114, a rear cover 115, an oil sealing screw 116, an oil filling tube buckling ring 117 and various specifications of O-rings, wherein two O-rings are arranged at the end of the plug housing to achieve plug-in sealing with the socket. The oil filling pipe 12 is fixed to the lead-out housing 114 through a buckling ring 117, and the electric core wire 13 and the optical fiber core wire 14 are respectively connected to the photoelectric contact 113 through welding and the preparation process of the optical fiber pin to form the plug photoelectric channel interface; the photoelectric contact assembly 113 is a sealing structure, which can realize the sealing of the plug after the oil filling is completed, and prevent the oil from overflowing from the end face of the plug; after the bent plug assembly is assembled, the oil filling port set on the rear cover 115 is used with the help of special equipment to fill the oil until the oil overflows from the corresponding oil overflow port at the other end, and the oil filling operation is completed. The pressure balance generated by the oil in the oil filling pipe and the seawater is conducive to the reliability of water pressure resistance.

[0059] The socket assembly in the present invention is composed of a through-cabin socket connector 21, an equipment external sealing gasket group 22, an equipment internal gasket group 23, a locking nut 24, and two electrical core wires 25 and two optical fiber core wires 26 led out of the tail; the socket connector is mainly composed of a socket shell 211, an optoelectronic contact assembly 212, and O-rings of various specifications, wherein an O-ring is arranged on the end face of the socket shell flange to achieve sealing with the sealing gasket group 22 outside the equipment, and an O-ring is arranged on the through-cabin neck of the socket shell to buffer and center the hole of the glass sphere of the detection unit to avoid stress on the glass caused by metal during installation. The external sealing gasket group 22 of the equipment includes a transition gasket 221 and an end face O-ring to achieve sealing with the end face of the through-cabin position of the detection unit glass, where the glass is a plane with a diameter of 40 mm. The internal gasket 23 of the equipment includes an arc-shaped gasket 231, a flat gasket 232, and a butterfly-shaped gasket 233. The arc-shaped gasket 231 is used to fit with the inner surface of the glass sphere of the detection unit, the flat gasket 232 contacts its plane and prevents the arc-shaped gasket from rotating when the tail locking nut 24 is installed, and the butterfly-shaped gasket 233 generates a top pressure on the locking nut 24 to prevent loosening. The locking nut 24 is used to fix the entire socket assembly, which is installed with a torque wrench. After the socket assembly is completed, it is installed and fastened on the glass sphere of the detection unit.

[0060] In specific implementation, the detection unit glass sphere 4 can be a neutrino detection cabin, providing support for the long-term stable operation of the deep-sea neutrino telescope. It can also be expanded in the future to meet the needs of other long-term applications in the deep sea.

[0061] The above embodiments are only descriptions of the preferred methods of the invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Without departing from the design spirit of the invention, various modifications and improvements made to the technical solutions of the invention by ordinary technicians in this field should fall within the protection scope of the claims of the invention.

Claims

1. An oil-filled sealed photoelectric connector for an underwater vertical dynamic cable system, characterized in that: It comprises a curved plug assembly (1) and a socket assembly (2) for connecting a detection unit glass sphere (4) to a dynamic cable (3); The curved plug assembly (1) comprises a curved plug connector (11) connected to the dynamic cable (3); an optoelectronic contact component assembly I (113) for connecting the electrical core wire and the optical fiber core wire in the dynamic cable (3) is arranged in the curved plug assembly (1); The socket assembly (2) is fixed on the glass sphere (4) of the detection unit, and is provided with a photoelectric contact assembly II (212) connected to the detection element in the glass sphere (4) of the detection unit; The optoelectronic contact component I (113) is adaptively connected to the optoelectronic contact component II (212).

2. The oil-filled sealed photoelectric connector for an underwater vertical dynamic cable system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bent plug connector (11) comprises a plug housing (111) and an outlet housing (114) connected to the plug housing (111); One end of the plug housing (111) is provided with a rear cover (115) via an oil sealing screw (116); the other end is sealedly provided with the photoelectric contact component assembly I (113) inside, and the other end is externally provided with a connecting screw sleeve (112) for locking and connecting the socket assembly (2).

3. The oil-filled sealed photoelectric connector for an underwater vertical dynamic cable system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The bent plug connector (11) is connected to the dynamic cable (3) via an oil-filled pipe (12); The lead-out housing (114) is fixedly connected to the oil filling pipe (12) via an oil filling pipe buckling ring (117); an electric core wire I (13) and an optical fiber core wire I (14) are arranged in the oil filling pipe (12) for connecting the electric core wire and the optical fiber core wire in the dynamic cable (3); the electric core wire I (13) and the optical fiber core wire I (14) are respectively connected to the optoelectronic contact component assembly I (113).

4. The oil-filled sealed photoelectric connector for an underwater vertical dynamic cable system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The socket assembly (2) comprises a through-cabin socket connector (21) arranged on the glass sphere (4) of the detection unit; The through-cabin socket connector (21) comprises a socket housing (211) penetrating the outer wall of the glass sphere (4) of the detection unit, a photoelectric contact component assembly II (212) sealed in the socket housing (211), an equipment external sealing gasket group (22) sleeved on the socket housing (211), and a locking nut (24) disposed inside the glass sphere (4) of the detection unit and used to lock the socket housing (211); The socket housing (211) and the connecting screw sleeve (112) are thread-locked; An internal gasket group (23) of the device is arranged between the locking nut (24) and the inner wall of the glass sphere (4) of the detection unit.

5. The oil-filled sealed photoelectric connector for an underwater vertical dynamic cable system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The device external sealing gasket group (22) comprises a transition gasket (221) adapted to the outer wall of the glass sphere (4) of the detection unit; the device internal gasket group (23) comprises an arc-shaped gasket (231), a flat gasket (232), and a butterfly-shaped gasket (233) sleeved on the socket housing (211); The arc-shaped gasket (231) is adapted to the inner wall of the glass sphere (4) of the detection unit, the butterfly-shaped gasket (233) is in tension contact with the locking nut (24), and the flat gasket (232) is located between the arc-shaped gasket (231) and the butterfly-shaped gasket (233).

6. The oil-filled sealed photoelectric connector for an underwater vertical dynamic cable system according to claim 5, characterized in that: One end of the photoelectric contact component assembly II (212) is adaptably connected to the photoelectric contact component assembly I (113); the other end is connected to the detection element in the glass sphere (4) of the detection unit through an electric core wire II (25) and an optical fiber core wire II (26).

Images