An optoelectronic composite structure of an underwater pluggable connector

Abstract

The present invention provides an optoelectronic composite structure for an underwater pluggable connector, which includes a male head and a female head. An electrically connected male connector is arranged inside the male head, and an electrically connected female connector is arranged inside the female head. The male head and the female head are plugged into each other, and the electrically connected male connector and the electrically connected female connector are plugged into each other. The female head includes a female head inner core and a female head outer housing slidably and sealingly sleeved outside the female head inner core. A sealed female head optical fiber cavity is formed between the female head outer housing and the female head inner core. At least one optical fiber female connector is arranged inside the female head optical fiber cavity. The male head includes a male head inner core and a male head movable housing slidably and sealingly sleeved outside the male head inner core. A sealed male head optical fiber cavity is formed between the male head movable housing and the male head inner core. An optical fiber male connector is arranged inside the male head optical fiber cavity. The present invention isolates the optical fiber connector from seawater to prevent seawater from affecting the optical fiber docking.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an underwater connector, and more particularly to an optoelectronic composite structure of an underwater pluggable connector. Background Art

[0002] Underwater connectors are used to connect and conduct optical fiber connectors or electrical connectors at both ends of the male and female heads in an underwater wet environment, and isolate seawater through a sealing method for power transmission and data transmission. They are the core equipment for enabling intelligent control of subsea equipment.

[0003] Optical fiber connectors are different from electrical connectors. Due to the nature of optical fibers themselves, they have high requirements for docking accuracy. Moreover, during the underwater docking process of optical fibers, since the refractive angle of optical fibers is different from that of seawater, if there is seawater at the connection of optical fibers during docking, it will cause large transmission losses after the optical fibers are docked and cannot be used. Most of the optical fiber connectors of existing underwater connectors are in direct contact with seawater when not docked, and it is difficult to completely drain the seawater during docking, resulting in transmission losses and affecting the use efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To solve the problem that there are large transmission losses after the optical fiber connectors of existing underwater connectors are docked, which affects the use efficiency, and there is no optoelectronic composite connector in China, the present invention provides an optoelectronic composite structure of an underwater pluggable connector.

[0005] Throughout the present invention, directional terms or their approximate terms, such as front, rear, left, right, up (top), down (bottom), inside, outside, side, etc., mainly refer to the directions of the attached drawings. Each directional term or its approximate term is only used to assist in explaining and understanding the embodiments of the present invention, and is not used to limit the present invention.

[0006] An optoelectronic composite structure of an underwater pluggable connector, comprising a male head and a female head. An electrically connected male connector is arranged inside the male head, and an electrically connected female connector is arranged inside the female head. The male head and the female head are plugged into each other, and the electrically connected male connector and the electrically connected female connector are plugged into each other. The female head includes a female head inner core and a female head outer housing slidably and sealingly sleeved outside the female head inner core. A sealed female head optical fiber cavity is formed between the female head outer housing and the female head inner core. An optical fiber female connector is arranged inside the female head optical fiber cavity. The male head includes a male head inner core and a male head moving housing slidably and sealingly sleeved outside the male head inner core. A sealed male head optical fiber cavity is formed between the male head moving housing and the male head inner core. An optical fiber male connector docked with the optical fiber female connector is arranged inside the male head optical fiber cavity. When the connectors are docked, the female head outer housing is sealingly abutted against the male head moving housing, the female head inner core is sealingly abutted against the male head inner core, and the female head optical fiber cavity is communicated with the male head optical fiber cavity. During the whole docking process, the male head optical fiber cavity and the female head optical fiber cavity are always in a sealed state relative to seawater, effectively isolating seawater and preventing seawater from contacting the optical fiber connectors, which affects the transmission efficiency after docking.

[0007] Further, the electrically connected male connector is arranged at one end of the male head inner core close to the female head, and the electrically connected female connector is arranged at one end of the female head inner core close to the male head. The two electrically connected connectors are docked first, which plays a role of guiding and positioning for the whole connector. The electrically connected connectors are located inside the optical fiber connectors. After the connection is completed, the sealing structure at the optical fiber connectors also seals the electrical connection.

[0008] Further, a first sealing ring is arranged at the abutting position of the female head outer housing and the female head inner core close to the male head end. The first sealing ring is fixedly connected with the female head outer housing. A protruding retaining ring for sealingly abutting against the first sealing ring is arranged at the peripheral edge of one end of the female head inner core close to the first sealing ring. The inner diameter of the first sealing ring is larger than the end face inner diameter of the protruding retaining ring and smaller than the end face outer diameter of the protruding retaining ring in contact with the first sealing ring. A second sealing ring is arranged at the abutting position of the male head moving housing and the male head inner core close to the female head end. The second sealing ring is fixedly connected with the male head inner core. The inner diameter of the first sealing ring is greater than or equal to the outer diameter of the second sealing ring. The outer diameter of the second sealing ring is smaller than the outer diameter of the end face of the male head moving housing in contact with the second sealing ring and larger than the inner diameter of the end face of the male head moving housing in contact with the second sealing ring. After the second sealing ring is sealingly abutted against the female head inner core, the female head outer housing continues to move towards the male head direction relative to the female head inner core, pushes the male head moving housing through the first sealing ring, and simultaneously forms a sealing structure with the male head moving housing to prevent seawater from invading the optical fiber connectors.

[0009] Further, a female head spring is sleeved outside the female head inner core. The female head spring is located inside the female head housing. One end of the female head spring abuts against the protruding retaining ring, and the other end of the female head spring abuts against the female head housing along the axial direction of the female head spring. A male head spring is sleeved outside the male head inner core. The male head spring is located inside the male head moving housing. One end of the male head spring abuts against the male head moving housing along the axial direction of the male head spring, and the other end of the male head spring abuts against the male head inner core along the axial direction of the male head spring.

[0010] Further, a limiting ring for fixing the fiber optic female connector is fixedly arranged on the inner side of the female head housing. One end of the fiber optic female connector connected to the fiber optic male connector inclines towards the central axis direction of the female head inner core. An inclined slideway is arranged on the inner side surface of the limiting ring, and the inclination direction of the slideway is the same as that of the fiber optic female connector. A fiber optic reset rod is arranged at one end of the fiber optic male connector far away from the fiber optic female connector. Without external force, the fiber optic reset rod makes one end of the fiber optic male connector connected to the fiber optic female connector incline away from the central axis of the male head inner core.

[0011] Further, a guiding block is arranged on the outer side surface of the female head housing. An inner male head housing fixedly connected to the male head inner core is arranged on the outer side of the male head moving housing. A housing sealing ring is arranged between the inner male head housing and the male head moving housing. A drain hole is opened on the inner male head housing, and a guiding groove slidably matched with the guiding block is further opened on the inner male head housing. The direction of the guiding groove is parallel to the central axis direction of the male head inner core.

[0012] Further, an outer male head housing is fixedly arranged on the outer side of the inner male head housing, and a fixed housing is fixedly arranged on the outer side of the female head housing. A plugging groove for inserting the outer male head housing is opened on one side of the fixed housing close to the inner male head housing.

[0013] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0014] After the electrical connection of the present invention is completed and docked, the optical fiber connection is carried out. The electrical connection plays a positioning role in the overall connection process of the connector;

[0015] The first sealing ring and the second sealing ring are alternately matched in a stepped sealing form, which is convenient for draining water and ensures the sealing effect at the optical fiber joint;

[0016] During the docking process of the fiber optic male connector, under the action of the fiber optic reset rod, it inclines upward and gradually enters the range of the slideway, and accurately docks with the fiber optic female connector under the guiding action of the slideway. Description of the Drawings

[0017] Figure 1 : Schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of the male and female connectors of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 : Schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of the female connector of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 3 : Schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of the male connector of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 4 : Schematic cross-sectional structure diagram when the first sealing ring and the second sealing ring of the present invention are in contact;

[0021] Figure 5 : Schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of the docking process of the optical fiber male connector and the optical fiber female connector of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 6 : Schematic cross-sectional structure diagram after the male and female connectors of the present invention are docked.

[0023] Description of reference numerals

[0024] 1. Fixed housing; 101. Insertion slot; 2. Optical fiber female connector; 5. Electrical connection female connector; 6. Male connector outer housing; 8. Electrical connection male connector; 9. Male connector inner housing; 91. Guide groove; 92. Drainage hole; 93. Housing sealing ring; 10. Male connector movable housing; 11. Optical fiber male connector; 13. Optical fiber reset rod; 14. Male connector inner core; 16. Female connector outer housing; 161. Guide block; 17. Female connector inner housing; 18. Female connector inner core; 21. Female connector spring; 22. Limit ring; 221. Slideway; 23. First sealing ring; 25. Second sealing ring; 26. Male connector optical fiber cavity; 27. Female connector optical fiber cavity; 28. Male connector spring. Detailed implementation manners

[0025] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings.

[0026] Existing underwater connectors include male and female connectors. During use, the male and female connectors are inserted into each other to achieve power transmission, data transmission, etc. In this embodiment, an optoelectronic composite structure of an underwater pluggable connector is as Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the female head includes a female head outer housing 16 slidably sleeved outside the female head inner core 18. A first sealing ring 23 is sleeved on the right part of the female head outer housing 16. The female head inner core 18 is located on the left side of the first sealing ring 23. A protruding retaining ring is provided at the right end peripheral edge of the female head inner core 18. The protruding retaining ring is in sealing contact with the first sealing ring 23. The inner diameter of the first sealing ring 23 is greater than the inner diameter of the protruding retaining ring and less than the outer diameter of the protruding retaining ring. A female head spring 21 is sleeved outside the female head inner core 18. The right end of the female head spring 21 abuts against the protruding retaining ring. A step is provided on the left part of the inner side surface of the female head outer housing 16. The left end of the female head spring 21 abuts against the step of the female head outer housing 16. A closed female head optical fiber cavity 27 is formed between the female head outer housing 16 and the female head inner core 18. An optical fiber female connector 2 is provided inside the female head optical fiber cavity 27. A limiting ring 22 is fixedly provided on the inner side wall of the female head outer housing 16. The limiting ring 22 fixes the optical fiber female connector 2. The inner wall of the limiting ring 22 is a conical surface, which is inclined towards the central axis of the female head inner core 18 from left to right. A slideway 221 is provided along the generatrix direction of the conical surface. The inclination direction of the optical fiber female connector 2 is the same as the direction of the slideway 221. A guiding block 161 is provided on the outer side surface of the right part of the female head outer housing 16. When the male head and the female head are docked, the guiding block 161 slides along the guiding groove 91 to make the docking process smoother. A fixed housing 1 is fixedly provided on the outer side of the female head outer housing 16. A plug-in groove 101 is opened on the right part of the fixed outer housing. After the male head and the female head are docked, the male head outer housing 6 enters the plug-in groove 101 for subsequent fixation. An electrical connection female connector 5 is provided inside the female head inner core 18.

[0027] As Figure 1 and Figure 3As shown, the male connector further includes a male connector moving housing 10 that is hermetically sleeved outside the inner core 14 of the male connector. The male connector moving housing 10 is in the shape of a cylindrical barrel. A second sealing ring 25 is fixedly arranged on the outer side of the left part of the inner core 14 of the male connector. The male connector moving housing 10 is located on the right of the second sealing ring 25 and is in sealing contact with it. The outer diameter of the second sealing ring 25 is smaller than the outer diameter of the male connector moving housing 10 and larger than the inner diameter of the male connector moving housing 10. A sealed male connector optical fiber cavity 26 is formed between the male connector moving housing 10 and the inner core 14 of the male connector. An optical fiber male connector 11 is arranged inside the male connector optical fiber cavity 26. A fiber optic reset rod 13 is arranged on the right part of the optical fiber male connector 11. The fiber optic reset rod 13 is made of an elastic material. When the connector is disconnected, the fiber optic reset rod 13 is restricted in the male connector optical fiber cavity 26 by the male connector moving housing 10 and the inner core 14 of the male connector. A male connector spring 28 is sleeved outside the inner core 14 of the male connector. One end of the male connector spring 28 abuts against the inner core 14 of the male connector, and the other end abuts against the male connector moving housing 10. That is, a step is arranged on the right part of the outer side surface of the inner core 14 of the male connector, and a step is arranged on the left part of the inner side surface of the male connector moving housing 10. The left end of the male connector spring 28 abuts against the step of the male connector moving housing 10, and the right end of the male connector spring 28 abuts against the step of the inner core 14 of the male connector. Thus, the left end of the male connector moving housing 10 is in sealing contact with the second sealing ring 25 under the extrusion of the male connector spring 28. A male connector inner housing 9 is slidably sleeved outside the male connector moving housing 10. The male connector inner housing 9 is fixedly connected to the inner core 14 of the male connector. A housing sealing ring 93 is arranged between the male connector inner housing 9 and the male connector moving housing 10. A guiding groove 91 is arranged on the male connector inner housing 9 along the insertion direction of the female connector and the male connector. A drain hole 92 is also opened on the male connector inner housing 9. A male connector outer housing 6 is fixedly arranged outside the male connector inner housing 9. An electrical connection male connector 8 is also arranged at the left end of the inner core 14 of the male connector. The specific structures of the electrical connection female connector 5 and the electrical connection male connector 8 are prior arts and will not be elaborated here.

[0028] The specific working principle of this embodiment is as follows:

[0029] As Figure 1 shown, the male connector and the female connector are ready to be docked. During the docking process, the electrical connection male connector 8 first accesses the electrical connection female connector 5, playing a role in positioning and guiding the entire connector. When the male connector and the female connector move to Figure 4 the position shown, the electrical connection male connector 8 and the electrical connection female connector 5 complete the docking. The inner side surface of the first sealing ring 23 abuts against the outer side surface of the second sealing ring 25. The right end of the first sealing ring 23 is in sealing contact with the male connector moving housing 10, isolating the inside of the male connector and the female connector from seawater. The second sealing ring 25 is in sealing contact with the protruding retaining ring. At this time, continue to push the female connector outer housing 16 to move to the right. During the movement, the male connector optical fiber cavity 26 and the female connector optical fiber cavity 27 communicate. Throughout the process, the optical fiber cavity is always isolated from seawater, which can reduce the influence of seawater on the optical fiber female connector 2 and the optical fiber male connector 11 after docking. Move to Figure 5When in the shown position, the male fiber optic connector 11 is tilted upward under the action of the fiber optic reset rod 13 and contacts the slideway 221. Under the guiding action of the slideway 221, it enters the female fiber optic connector 2 in parallel and finally moves to Figure 6 the shown position to complete the docking. After the docking is completed, the relative positions of the male and female connectors are fixed. The fixing member can be a circlip or the like. After fixing, power can be supplied.

[0030] When it is necessary to disconnect the male and female connectors, after power-off, the above-mentioned fixing member is removed. The outer shell 16 of the female head is reset under the action of the female head spring 21, and the moving housing 10 of the male head is reset under the action of the male head spring 28.

[0031] Although the present disclosure has been shown and described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof, those skilled in the art should understand that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the above embodiments, but should be determined not only by the appended claims but also by the equivalents of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An underwater pluggable connector optoelectronic composite structure, comprising a male head and a female head. An electrical connection male connector is arranged inside the male head, and an electrical connection female connector is arranged inside the female head. The male head and the female head are plugged into each other, and the electrical connection male connector and the electrical connection female connector are plugged into each other. Characterized in that: The female head includes a female head inner core and a female head outer housing slidably and sealingly sleeved outside the female head inner core. A sealed female head optical fiber cavity is formed between the female head outer housing and the female head inner core. At least one optical fiber female connector is arranged inside the female head optical fiber cavity. The male head includes a male head inner core and a male head moving housing slidably and sealingly sleeved outside the male head inner core. A sealed male head optical fiber cavity is formed between the male head moving housing and the male head inner core. An optical fiber male connector docked with the optical fiber female connector is arranged inside the male head optical fiber cavity. When the connectors are docked, the female head outer housing is in sealing contact with the male head moving housing, the female head inner core is in sealing contact with the male head inner core, and the female head optical fiber cavity is communicated with the male head optical fiber cavity; A first sealing ring is arranged at the contact position of the female head outer housing and the female head inner core near the male head end. The first sealing ring is fixedly connected with the female head outer housing. A protruding retaining ring for sealing contact with the first sealing ring is arranged at the circumferential edge of one end of the female head inner core near the first sealing ring. The inner diameter of the first sealing ring is larger than the end face inner diameter of the protruding retaining ring and smaller than the end face outer diameter of the protruding retaining ring in contact with the first sealing ring. A second sealing ring is arranged at the contact position of the male head moving housing and the male head inner core near the female head end. The second sealing ring is fixedly connected with the male head inner core. The inner diameter of the first sealing ring is greater than or equal to the outer diameter of the second sealing ring. The outer diameter of the second sealing ring is smaller than the outer diameter of the end face of the male head moving housing in contact with the second sealing ring and larger than the inner diameter of the end face of the male head moving housing in contact with the second sealing ring; A female head spring is sleeved outside the female head inner core. The female head spring is located inside the female head outer housing. One end of the female head spring is in contact with the protruding retaining ring, and the other end of the female head spring is in contact with the female head outer housing along the axial direction of the female head spring. A male head spring is sleeved outside the male head inner core. The male head spring is located inside the male head moving housing. One end of the male head spring is in contact with the male head moving housing along the axial direction of the male head spring, and the other end of the male head spring is in contact with the male head inner core along the axial direction of the male head spring.

2. An underwater pluggable connector optoelectronic composite structure according to claim 1, Characterized in that: The electrical connection male connector is arranged at one end of the male head inner core near the female head, and the electrical connection female connector is arranged at one end of the female head inner core near the male head.

3. An underwater pluggable connector optoelectronic composite structure according to claim 2, Characterized in that: A limiting ring for fixing the female optical fiber connector is fixedly arranged on the inner side of the female head housing. One end of the female optical fiber connector connected to the male optical fiber connector inclines towards the central axis direction of the female head inner core. An inclined slideway is arranged on the inner side surface of the limiting ring, and the inclination direction of the slideway is the same as that of the female optical fiber connector. A fiber optic reset rod is arranged at one end of the male optical fiber connector far away from the female optical fiber connector. Without external force, the fiber optic reset rod makes one end of the male optical fiber connector connected to the female optical fiber connector incline towards the direction away from the central axis of the male head inner core.

4. An optoelectronic composite structure of an underwater pluggable connector according to claim 3, characterized in that: A guiding block is arranged on the outer side surface of the female head housing. A male head inner housing fixedly connected to the male head inner core is arranged on the outer side of the male head moving housing. A housing sealing ring is arranged between the male head inner housing and the male head moving housing. Drainage holes are formed in the male head inner housing. A guiding groove slidably matched with the guiding block is also formed in the male head inner housing, and the direction of the guiding groove is parallel to the central axis direction of the male head inner core.

5. An optoelectronic composite structure of an underwater pluggable connector according to claim 4, characterized in that: A male head outer housing is fixedly arranged on the outer side of the male head inner housing. A fixed housing is fixedly arranged on the outer side of the female head housing. A plugging groove for inserting the male head outer housing is formed on one side of the fixed housing close to the male head inner housing.

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