An underwater sealed connector with a pin sealing structure and a connector assembly

Abstract

The present invention discloses an underwater sealed connector and a connector assembly with a pin sealing structure. The underwater sealed connector includes a connector housing and a socket structure arranged in the connector housing. A movable push rod movably arranged along the axial direction is arranged in the socket structure. A sealing structure is arranged at the front end of the movable push rod. The sealing structure is used to seal and contact with the front end face of the pin when the pin of the adapter connector is inserted into the socket structure, so as to form a sealed cavity between the front end face of the movable push rod and the front end face of the pin. The sealed cavity is used to prevent contaminants on the front end face of the pin from entering the underwater sealed connector from the sealed cavity. The connector assembly includes the underwater sealed connector and the adapter connector. The present invention avoids external contaminants from being brought into the interior of the underwater sealed connector through the pin of the adapter connector, avoids the growth of microorganisms in the underwater sealed connector, and ensures the service life of the underwater sealed connector and the safety of the overall equipment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of connectors, and in particular to an underwater sealed connector and a connector assembly with a pin sealing structure. Background Art

[0002] At present, there are many types of wet-pluggable underwater sealed electrical connectors with a wide range of applications. They are widely used in defense, industry, aquaculture and other fields. Compared with other connectors, the main difference of wet-pluggable underwater sealed electrical connectors is that they need to perform continuous insertion and unplugging underwater. They are key components in large-scale deep-sea engineering construction such as seabed observation networks, seabed oil and gas extraction, ocean exploration and communication networks. Their performance directly determines the performance, service life and reliability of engineering facilities.

[0003] However, whether in liquid fluid media such as water and oil, or in gaseous fluid media such as air, inert or active gases, or in supercritical media, or in any mixture of two or more of gaseous media, liquid media, and solid media, when the connector is inserted or unplugged, external contaminants may be brought into the connector. When contaminants enter the connector, microorganisms will grow inside the connector, which may damage the connector at best, or even make the entire device scrapped.

[0004] Therefore, how to prevent contaminants in the external medium environment where the connector is located from damaging the connector when plugging and unplugging the connector is a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently.

[0005] It should be particularly noted that the above technical information is only intended to deepen the understanding of the overall background technology of the present invention, and should not be regarded as admitting or implying in any form that the above technical information constitutes the prior art already known to those skilled in the art. Summary of the invention

[0006] In view of the deficiencies in the above-mentioned background technology, the present invention proposes an underwater sealed connector and a connector assembly with a pin sealing structure, so as to solve the technical problem that the underwater sealed connector is damaged by contaminants brought into the interior of the underwater sealed connector through the pin of the adapter connector.

[0007] The technical solution of this application is:

[0008] An underwater sealed connector with a pin sealing structure comprises a connector housing and a socket structure arranged in the connector housing, wherein a movable push rod movably arranged along the axial direction is provided in the socket structure, and a sealing structure is provided at the front end of the movable push rod, and the sealing structure is used for sealingly contacting and cooperating with the front end face of the pin when the pin of the adapter connector is inserted into the socket structure, so as to form a sealed cavity between the front end face of the movable push rod and the front end face of the pin, and the sealed cavity is used for preventing contaminants on the front end face of the pin from entering the underwater sealed connector from the sealing cavity.

[0009] The technical solution provides a sealing structure at the front end of the movable push rod for sealing the pin of the adapter connector, specifically, for sealing the front end face of the pin. When the pin of the adapter connector is inserted into the socket structure of the underwater sealing connector, the sealing structure and the front end face of the pin are in sealing contact and cooperation in the circumferential direction. The sealing structure can seal the front end face of the pin and the front end face of the movable push rod in a sealed cavity, which is a narrow sealing gap, thereby preventing external contaminants from entering the interior of the underwater sealing connector, especially preventing contaminants attached to the front end face of the pin from being released from the sealing cavity to the internal space of the socket structure.

[0010] Specifically, during the process of the adapter connector being inserted into the socket structure of the underwater sealing connector, first, the pin and the movable push rod are not assembled by pressing, and various pollutants may exist in the environment where the front end face of the pin and the front end face of the movable push rod are located; then, during the process of the pin and the movable push rod approaching each other, a sealing cavity is formed between the sealing structure and the front end face of the pin and the front end face of the movable push rod, so as to seal the pollutants carried on the surface of the pin in the sealing cavity; then, during the process of the pin and the movable push rod continuing to approach each other until the contact position is fully contacted by the pressing action, the volume of the sealing cavity gradually decreases, and the pollutants in the sealing cavity will be discharged from the sealing cavity as the compressed environmental medium flows out, and at this time, the front end face of the pin and the front end face of the movable push rod The front end face is still in the external environment, which is relative to the interior of the socket structure (each socket structure includes an internal oil bag, and the internal oil bag of the socket structure is filled with internal balancing liquid), that is, the pollutants flowing out of the sealing cavity return to the original external environment; then, as the front ends of the pin and the movable push rod approach each other and form an axial push-fit contact relationship, the sealing cavity presents a very narrow sealing gap, and does not affect the contact and fit between the front end face of the pin and the movable push rod, so that the pin can provide a retreat force for the movable push rod while maintaining the theoretically existing sealing gap to accommodate dirt, and the front end face of the pin is wrapped by the sealing cavity and enters the socket structure relatively cleanly, avoiding bringing the environmental medium and pollutants outside the connector housing into the connector housing.

[0011] On the contrary, during the process of the adapter connector pulling out the socket structure of the underwater sealed connector, the pin and the movable push rod are always in a squeezed state before the pin and the movable push rod are released from the top-pressing assembly, that is, the front end face of the pin, the sealing structure, and the front end face of the movable push rod are always in a sealed cavity state, until the contact position of the pin and the movable push rod extends out of the connector housing and the top-pressing assembly is released, the environmental medium and pollutants outside the connector housing are likely to contact the front end face of the pin and the front end face of the movable push rod, and the residual environmental medium and pollutants in the sealed cavity can also return to the environmental medium outside the connector housing. Therefore, after adopting the technical solution provided by the present invention, whether in the process of the adapter connector pin performing the insertion action or the process of the adapter connector pin performing the removal action, the environmental medium and pollutants outside the underwater sealed connector can be prevented from entering the connector housing.

[0012] On the basis of the above technical solution, as the preferred technical solution of the underwater sealing connector, the front end face of the movable push rod is cone surface 1, and the front end face of the corresponding adapter connector pin is cone surface 2. After cone surface 1 and cone surface 2 are in contact with each other, they are sealed in the sealing cavity by the sealing structure. This technical solution sets the contact point between the movable push rod and the pin as a cone surface, not only based on the consideration of centering and assembly force, but also in the process of squeezing the pin and the movable push rod, and before the squeezing surface of the pin and the movable push rod enters the connector housing, it is convenient to discharge most of the external media or contaminants in the sealing cavity formed by the front end face of the pin, the sealing structure, and the front end face of the movable push rod, and at the same time, it can also improve the sealing effect of the sealing structure between the pin and the movable push rod.

[0013] On the basis of the above technical scheme, as a preferred technical scheme for the underwater sealing connector, the front end face of the movable top rod is provided with a mounting groove, a fixing piece is provided in the mounting groove, the sealing structure is crimped between the mounting groove and the fixing piece, and the outer end face of the fixing piece facing the pin is the conical surface 1. The present technical scheme provides a preferred way to connect the sealing structure with the movable top rod, that is, the sealing structure is clamped to the end of the movable top rod through the mounting groove and the fixing piece. It should be noted that the present technical scheme only provides a specific structural form of the clamping connection between the sealing structure and the movable top rod. In addition, structural forms such as bonding, welding, and integrated molding can also be adopted. Various different clamping methods, various different bonding methods, and various different welding methods can also be adopted.

[0014] On the basis of the above technical scheme, as a preferred technical scheme for the underwater sealing connector, the bottom diameter of the mounting groove is larger than the diameter of the groove opening, the bottom of the mounting groove is a fixing member stop groove, the fixing member includes a large diameter end adapted to the fixing member stop groove, and a small diameter end adapted to the groove opening of the mounting groove, and the sealing structure is fixed by crimping the outer wall of the small diameter end with the inner wall of the mounting groove.

[0015] On the basis of the above technical solution, as a preferred technical solution for the underwater sealing connector, a sealing structure stop groove is arranged between the small diameter end and the large diameter end, and the sealing structure includes a thick wall portion crimped between the outer wall of the sealing structure stop groove and the inner wall of the mounting groove, and a thin wall portion extending out of the mounting groove, and the thin wall portion is used to seal and contact with the front end face of the pin when the pin of the adapter connector is inserted into the socket structure to form the sealing cavity.

[0016] On the basis of the above technical solution, as a preferred technical solution for the underwater sealing connector, the thin-walled portion includes a connecting portion clamped between the outer wall of the small diameter end and the inner wall of the mounting groove, and a deformation portion located outside the mounting groove, and the deformation portion is used to seal and contact with the front end face of the pin when the pin of the adapter connector is inserted into the socket structure to form the sealing cavity.

[0017] On the basis of the above technical solution, as the preferred technical solution of the underwater sealed connector, a dirt receiving channel is provided at the center of the conical surface 1, and the dirt receiving channel is used to store water and pollutants between the conical surface 1 and the conical surface 2 when the plug pin of the adapter connector is inserted into the socket structure. In the process of squeezing the plug pin and the movable push rod, and before the squeezing surface of the plug pin and the movable push rod enters the connector housing, if it is to ensure that the external medium or pollutants in the sealed cavity formed by the front end face of the plug pin, the sealing structure, and the front end face of the movable push rod are completely discharged, it is necessary to design the insertion force of the movable push rod to be larger; the design of the dirt receiving channel avoids the above problem. In the process of squeezing the plug pin and the movable push rod, the medium or pollutants in the sealed cavity can be pushed into the dirt receiving channel, which not only avoids the pollutants or external medium from overflowing the sealed cavity and entering the connector housing, but also avoids the pollutants or external medium from being mixed between the front end face of the plug pin and the front end face of the movable push rod.

[0018] On the basis of the above technical solution, as a preferred technical solution for the underwater sealing connector, the first cone surface is an inwardly concave cone surface, and the second cone surface is an outwardly convex cone surface. When the pin of the adapter connector is inserted into the socket structure, the outwardly convex cone surface and the inwardly concave cone surface are plugged into and matched with each other and are sealed in the sealing cavity by the sealing structure.

[0019] On the basis of the above technical solution, as a preferred technical solution for the underwater sealed connector, the sealing structure is arranged close to the outer edge of the front end face of the movable push rod, and the sealing structure is used to envelop the entire front end face of the pin when the pin of the adapter connector is inserted into the socket structure.

[0020] The connector assembly comprises an adaptor connector with a pin and an underwater sealed connector with a socket structure. The underwater sealed connector is any of the above-mentioned underwater sealed connectors with a pin sealing structure.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention include:

[0022] This technical solution sets a sealing structure at the contact position between the pin and the movable push rod. When the pin and the movable push rod are pressed, the sealing structure can seal the front end surface of the pin inside, thereby preventing external pollutants from entering the interior of the underwater sealed connector. Whether the adapter connector is inserted or unplugged, the environmental medium and pollutants outside the underwater sealed connector can be prevented from entering the connector, and the growth of microorganisms inside the underwater sealed connector is avoided, which not only ensures the service life of the underwater sealed connector, but also ensures the safety of the overall equipment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other accompanying drawings can be obtained based on these accompanying drawings without paying any creative work.

[0024] Figure 1 It is a cross-sectional view of a pin and a movable ejector in a conventional connector;

[0025] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of a conventional connector assembly after assembly;

[0026] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of an underwater sealed connector with a pin sealing structure provided by the present invention;

[0027] Figure 4 for Figure 3 A magnified view of the middle contact position;

[0028] Figure 5 for Figure 3 Axonometric drawing of the middle movable ejector after enlargement;

[0029] Figure 6 for Figure 4 A partial enlarged view of the middle contact position;

[0030] Figure 7 It is a partial cross-sectional view of the connector assembly of the present invention in a plug-in state.

[0031] Description of Figure Numbers:

[0032] 100. Conventional pins, 200. Conventional movable ejector pins;

[0033] 300. Connector housing, 400. jack structure, 500. adapter connector, 600. underwater sealing connector;

[0034] 1. Insert pin, 2. Seal 2, 3. Fixing piece, 4. Movable ejector rod, 5. Mounting slot, 6. External oil bag, 7. Wire spring hole; 8. Internal oil bag;

[0035] 1-1. Cone surface 2;

[0036] 2-1. Thick wall part, 2-2. Thin wall part, 2-3. Deformed part;

[0037] 3-1. Sealing stop groove, 3-2. Contamination receiving channel;

[0038] 4-1. Cone surface 1;

[0039] 5-1. Fixing piece stop groove. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the core concept of the present invention and the following embodiments, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0041] The present application provides these embodiments to make the technical solutions provided by the present application sufficiently thorough and complete, and to fully express the protection scope of the technical solutions provided by the present application to those skilled in the art. It should be noted that unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement of the components and steps, the types of materials, and the relative relationship of sizes described in these embodiments should be interpreted as merely exemplary, and not as a limitation.

[0042] It should be noted that, in the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, the meaning of "several" is greater than or equal to two; the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "inner", "outer", "axial", "radial", etc., indicating the orientation or position relationship, are only for the convenience of describing the technical solution of this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on this application. When the absolute position of the object being described changes, the relative position relationship may also change accordingly.

[0043] In addition, the words "one", "two", "first", "second" and similar words used in this application do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different parts. "Vertical" does not mean vertical in the strict sense, but is within the tolerance range. "Parallel" does not mean parallel in the strict sense, but is within the tolerance range. "Include" or "comprising" and similar words mean that the elements before the word include the elements listed after the word, and do not exclude the possibility of including other elements.

[0044] It should also be noted that in the description of this application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be internal communication between two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to the specific circumstances. When a specific device is described as being located between a first device and a second device, there may or may not be an intermediate device between the specific device and the first device or the second device.

[0045] All terms used in this application have the same meaning as those understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs, unless otherwise specifically defined. It should also be understood that terms defined in general dictionaries, for example, should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant technology, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or extremely formal sense, unless explicitly defined in the text.

[0046] Technologies, methods, and equipment known to ordinary technicians in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the corresponding technologies, methods, and equipment should be considered part of the specification.

[0047] The specific embodiments are as follows:

[0048] like Figure 1As shown, a conventional pin 100 and a conventional movable ejector rod 200 in a conventional connector are shown. The conventional pin 100 is used for press-fitting with the conventional movable ejector rod 200 .

[0049] like Figure 2 As shown, when the conventional plug pin 100 of the adapter connector 500 is docked with the conventional movable push rod 200 of the socket structure 400 outside the connector housing 300, pollutants in the external environment may be clamped between the conventional plug pin 100 and the conventional movable push rod 200. When the conventional plug pin 100 presses the conventional movable push rod 200 to be inserted into the connector housing 300, the pollutants also enter the connector housing 300. The pollutants entering the connector housing 300 will not only affect the reliable operation of the connector, but also breed microorganisms and aggravate the damage to the connector. At the same time, during the process of pulling the conventional plug pin 100 out of the connector housing 300, as the pressure between the conventional plug pin 100 and the conventional movable push rod 200 changes, the pollutants and microorganisms between the two will be diffused more into the connector housing 300.

[0050] In order to solve the above problems, Figure 3 and Figure 7 As shown, the present invention provides an underwater sealed connector with a pin sealing structure, including a connector housing 300 and a socket structure 400 arranged in the connector housing 300, the connector housing 300 is provided with a conventional outer oil bag 6, the outer oil bag 6 is arranged outside all the socket structures 400, and each socket structure 400 itself also has an inner oil bag, the outer oil bag 6 and the inner oil bag 8 of the socket structure 400 itself constitute a double-layer pressure balance structure, and the socket structure 400 is provided with a movable push rod 4 axially movably arranged. The above is the prior art, and the improvement of the technical solution of the present invention lies in: a sealing structure is provided at the front end of the movable push rod 4, and the sealing structure is used to seal and contact with the front end face of the pin 1 when the pin 1 of the adapter connector 500 is inserted into the socket structure 400, so as to form a sealed cavity between the front end face of the movable push rod 4 and the front end face of the pin 1, and the sealed cavity is used to prevent pollutants on the front end face of the pin 1 from entering the underwater sealed connector 600 from the sealed cavity.

[0051] In this embodiment, a sealing structure is provided at the front end of the movable push rod 4 for sealing the pin 1 of the adapter connector 500, specifically, for sealing the front end face of the pin 1. When the pin 1 of the adapter connector 500 is inserted into the socket structure 400 of the underwater sealing connector 600, the sealing structure is in sealing contact with the front end face of the pin 1. The sealing structure can seal the front end face of the pin 1 and the front end face of the movable push rod 4 in the sealing cavity, thereby preventing external contaminants from entering the interior of the underwater sealing connector.

[0052] Specifically, during the process of the adapter connector 500 being inserted into the socket structure 400 of the underwater sealing connector, first, the plug pin 1 and the movable push rod 4 are not assembled by pressing, and various pollutants may exist in the environment where the front end face of the plug pin 1 and the front end face of the movable push rod 4 are located; then, during the process of the plug pin 1 and the movable push rod 4 approaching each other, the sealing structure is in contact and extruded with the front end face of the plug pin 1, and a sealing cavity is formed between the sealing structure and the front end face of the movable push rod 4, so as to seal the pollutants carried on the surface of the plug pin in the sealing cavity; then, during the process of the plug pin 1 and the movable push rod 4 continuing to approach each other until the contact position is fully contacted by the pressing action, the pollutants in the sealing cavity will be discharged along with the compressed environmental medium. The contaminants are discharged from the sealed cavity by the outflow of the contaminants. At this time, the front end faces of the pin 1 and the movable push rod 4 are still in the external environment, that is, the contaminants flowing out of the sealed cavity are returned to the original external environment. Then, with the continued pressing of the pin 1 and the movable push rod 4, until the front end faces of the pin 1 and the movable push rod 4 form an axial pushing fit relationship, the sealed cavity presents a narrow sealing gap in which a certain amount of contaminants are mixed. At this time, the pin 1 also provides a retreat force for the movable push rod 4 as it is inserted forward. The front end face of the pin 1 enters the socket structure 400 relatively cleanly, avoiding the environmental medium and contaminants outside the connector housing 300 from being brought into the connector housing 300.

[0053] In addition, it should be noted that Figure 2 and Figure 7 As shown, a wire spring hole 7 for adapting the pin 1 is provided in the socket structure 400, thereby realizing the electrical connection between the adapter connector 500 and the underwater sealing connector 600; the movable push rod 4 in the socket structure 400 provides a corresponding insertion force to the pin 1 through the action of the spring on the back; in the process of gradually inserting the pin 1 of the adapter connector 500 into the socket structure 400, the internal oil bag 8 of the socket structure 400 itself is gradually pressurized and expanded, thereby the underwater sealing connector 600 realizes reliable underwater sealing.

[0054] On the contrary, during the process of the adapter connector 500 executing the action of pulling out the socket structure 400 of the underwater sealing connector, before the pin 1 and the movable push rod 4 are released from the pressing assembly, the pin 1 and the movable push rod 4 are always in a squeezed state, that is, the front end face of the pin 1, the sealing structure, and the front end face of the movable push rod 4 are always in a sealed cavity state, until the contact position between the pin 1 and the movable push rod 4 extends out of the connector housing 300 and the pressing assembly is released. At this time, the movable push rod 4 resumes the sliding sealing cooperation relationship formed with the front end of the outer oil bag 6, and the environmental medium and pollutants outside the connector housing 300 are likely to contact the front end face of the pin 1 or the front end face of the movable push rod 4, and the residual environmental medium and pollutants in the sealing cavity can also return to the environmental medium outside the connector housing 300.

[0055] Therefore, after adopting the technical solution provided by the present invention, whether in the process of inserting the pin 1 of the adapter connector 500 or in the process of removing the pin 1 of the adapter connector 500, the environmental medium and pollutants outside the underwater sealing connector 600 can be prevented from entering the interior of the connector housing 300.

[0056] It should be noted that, as long as the contact position can be sealed, the sealing structure can be in various forms or sizes. For example, rubber seals, textile seals, composite seals, rubber pads, O-rings, Y-rings, V-shaped fabric seals, etc. At the same time, the assembly method of the sealing structure can also be adaptively selected according to the type of seal, such as welding, bonding, clamping, etc. According to actual needs, those skilled in the art can select a practical sealing structure and its connection method.

[0057] On the basis of the above-mentioned embodiment, as a preferred embodiment of the underwater sealed connector, the sealing structure is annular, and the axial direction of the sealing structure is arranged along the pressing direction of the pin 1 and the movable push rod 4.

[0058] This embodiment provides a preferred sealing structure and also provides a preferred arrangement of the preferred sealing structure. In the process of the pin 1 and the movable push rod 4 being close to each other and being pressed together, the coaxially arranged sealing structure not only has a more stable pressure process and more uniform deformation, but also has better centering. At the same time, the structural design of the sealing structure, the end of the pin 1, and the end of the movable push rod 4 can be made simpler, and the installation method and installation structure of the sealing structure are also simplified, and the assembly and disassembly of the sealing structure are also simplified. For example, when the sealing structure adopts a rubber ring, when the pin 1 and the movable push rod 4 are pressed against each other, the rubber ring will be squeezed and deformed accordingly, and the above-mentioned sealing cavity is formed between the end of the pin 1, the rubber ring, and the end of the movable push rod 4.

[0059] Based on the above embodiments, as a preferred embodiment of the underwater sealing connector, Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Figure 6As shown, the front end face of the movable push rod 4 is a conical surface 1-1, and the front end face of the corresponding plug pin 1 of the adapter connector 500 is a conical surface 2-1-1. The conical surface 1-4-1 and the conical surface 2-1-1 are fitted and contacted with each other and then sealed in the sealing cavity by the sealing structure. The conical surface 1-4-1 and the conical surface 2-1-1 are in contact with each other so that the plug pin 1 can transmit the axial insertion force to the movable push rod 4 and make the movable push rod 4 retreat. Although the conical surface 1-4-1 and the conical surface 2-1-1 transmit the axial thrust force to each other, a certain amount of contaminants are attached to the front end face of the plug pin 1, and the contaminants are sandwiched between the two conical surfaces, so that there is a very narrow gap between the two conical surfaces, and then the contaminants can be confined in the sealed space formed by the gap through the sealing structure. Preferably, the conical surface 1-4-1 and the conical surface 2-1-1 are both conical surfaces.

[0060] In this embodiment, the contact point between the movable push rod 4 and the pin 1 is set as a conical surface, not only based on the considerations of centering and assembly force, but also in the process of squeezing the pin 1 and the movable push rod 4, and before the extrusion surface of the pin 1 and the movable push rod 4 enters the connector housing 300, it is convenient to discharge most of the external media or pollutants in the sealing cavity formed by the front end face of the pin 1, the sealing structure, and the front end face of the movable push rod 4, and at the same time, it can also improve the sealing effect of the sealing structure between the pin 1 and the movable push rod 4.

[0061] For the convenience of description and reading by those skilled in the art, the sealing structure in the above embodiment is referred to as sealing member 2 in the following embodiment, so as to distinguish it from sealing member 1 in some embodiments below.

[0062] Based on the above embodiments, as a preferred embodiment of the underwater sealing connector, Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the front end face of the movable push rod 4 is provided with a mounting groove 5, a fixing member 3 is provided in the mounting groove 5, the sealing member 2 is crimped between the mounting groove 5 and the fixing member 3, and the outer end face of the fixing member 3 facing the pin 1 is the conical surface 1 4-1.

[0063] This embodiment provides a preferred way to connect the seal 2 and the movable top rod 4, that is, the seal 2 is clamped to the end of the movable top rod 4 through the installation groove 5 and the fixing member 3. It should be noted that this embodiment provides only a specific structural form of the clamping connection between the seal 2 and the movable top rod 4. In addition, structural forms such as bonding, welding, and integral molding can also be used, and various clamping methods, various bonding methods, and various welding methods can also be used.

[0064] For example, only an annular mounting groove 5 is provided at the end face of the movable push rod 4, and no fixing member 3 is provided, and the sealing member 2 is directly clamped and fixed in the mounting groove 5; for another example, the sealing member 2 is directly bonded to the end face of the movable push rod 4, or an annular groove is provided on the end face of the movable push rod 4, and one end of the sealing member 2 is bonded in the annular groove; for another example, the sealing member 2 is a composite sealing ring with a metal ring, and the metal ring can be directly welded to the end face of the movable push rod 4, or welded in the annular groove opened on the end face of the movable push rod 4; for another example, the sealing member 2 and the movable push rod 4 are integrally injection molded.

[0065] Based on the above embodiments, as a preferred embodiment of the underwater sealing connector, Figure 4 As shown, the bottom diameter of the installation groove 5 is larger than the diameter of the slot opening, and the bottom of the installation groove 5 is a fixing stop groove 5-1; the fixing member 3 includes a large diameter end adapted to the fixing stop groove 5-1 and a small diameter end adapted to the slot opening of the installation groove 5, and the sealing member 2 is fixed by crimping the outer wall of the small diameter end with the inner wall of the installation groove 5. That is, the axial cross section of the installation groove is T-shaped, and the fixing stop groove 5-1 is used to axially limit the fixing member 3, further ensuring the reliability of the assembly of the sealing member 2.

[0066] Based on the above embodiments, as a preferred embodiment of the underwater sealing connector, Figure 4 As shown, a sealing structure stop groove 3-1 is provided between the small diameter end and the large diameter end, and the sealing member 2 includes a thick wall portion 2-1 crimped between the sealing structure stop groove 3-1 and the inner wall of the mounting groove 5-1, and a thin wall portion 2-2 extending outward from the mounting groove 5, the thick wall portion 2-1 is axially mounted in the sealing structure stop groove 3-1, and the thin wall portion 2-2 is used to seal and contact with the front end face of the plug pin 1 when the plug pin 1 of the adapter connector 500 is inserted into the socket structure 400, so as to form the sealing cavity. This embodiment provides a more optimal structural form and fixing method for the sealing member 2 2, that is, the fixing member 3 is axially mounted and radially pressed with the fixing member stop groove 5-1 of the movable push rod 4, and the sealing member 2 2 is axially mounted and radially pressed with the sealing structure stop groove 3-1 of the fixing member 3, so that the connection and positioning structure of the movable push rod 4, the fixing member 3, and the sealing member 2 2 is simple and can be disassembled, and the relative sealing performance of the three is reliable.

[0067] Based on the above embodiments, as a preferred embodiment of the underwater sealing connector, Figure 4As shown, the thin-walled portion 2-2 includes a connecting portion clamped between the outer wall of the small diameter end and the inner wall of the mounting groove 5, and a deforming portion 2-3 located outside the mounting groove 5. The connecting portion is used to extend the sealing path. The deforming portion 2-3 is an annular lip structure turned radially outward and is used to be in extrusion contact with the front end face of the pin. The deforming portion 2-3 is used to seal and contact with the front end face of the pin 1 when the pin 1 of the adapter connector 500 is inserted into the socket structure 400, so as to form the above-mentioned sealing cavity. In addition, it should be particularly noted that the deforming portion 2-3 can also expand the radial dimension during the deformation process, thereby enveloping a larger area of ​​the front end face of the pin 1. When the deforming portion 2-3 is subjected to the extrusion force of the pin, it can also provide a force to the front end of the movable push rod 4 in the direction of the movable push rod retreating.

[0068] Based on the above embodiments, as a preferred embodiment of the underwater sealing connector, Figure 4 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, a dirt channel 3-2 is provided at the center position of the conical surface 1 4-1, that is, the dirt channel 3-2 is arranged at the center position of the fixing member 3, and the dirt channel 3-2 is used to store water and pollutants between the conical surface 1 4-1 and the conical surface 2 1-1 when the pin 1 of the adapter connector 500 is inserted into the socket structure 400.

[0069] That is, during the squeezing process between the plug pin 1 and the movable push rod 4, and before the squeezing surface of the plug pin 1 and the movable push rod 4 enters the connector housing 300, if it is to be ensured that the external medium or contaminants in the sealed cavity formed by the front end face of the plug pin 1, the sealing member 2, and the front end face of the movable push rod 4 are completely discharged, it is necessary to design the insertion of the movable push rod 4 to be larger; the design of the pollution channel 3-2 avoids the above problem. During the squeezing process between the plug pin 1 and the movable push rod 4, the medium or contaminants in the sealed cavity can be compressed into the pollution channel, which not only prevents the contaminants or external medium from overflowing the sealed cavity and entering the connector housing 300, but also prevents the contaminants or external medium from being mixed between the front end face of the plug pin 1 and the front end face of the movable push rod 4.

[0070] Based on the above embodiments, as a preferred embodiment of the underwater sealing connector, Figures 3 to 6 As shown, the conical surface 1 4 - 1 is an inwardly concave conical surface, and the conical surface 2 1 - 1 is an outwardly convex conical surface. When the pin 1 of the adapter connector 500 is inserted into the socket structure 400 , the outwardly convex conical surface and the inwardly concave conical surface are plugged into and matched with each other and are sealed in the sealing cavity by the seal 2 2 .

[0071] In this embodiment, the contact point between the movable push rod 4 and the pin 1 is set as a conical surface, which is not only based on the consideration of centration and assembly force, but also convenient for discharging the external medium or pollutants in the sealing cavity formed by the front end face of the pin 1, the sealing member 2 and the front end face of the movable push rod 4, and not only for improving the sealing effect of the sealing member 2 between the pin 1 and the movable push rod 4, but also for matching with the deformation part 2-3 in the above embodiment. During the deformation process of the deformation part 2-3, the concave conical surface 14-1 can make the deformation part 2-3 automatically expand the radial dimension, thereby enveloping more of the front end face of the pin 1.

[0072] On the basis of the above-mentioned embodiment, as a preferred embodiment of the underwater sealing connector, the sealing member 2 is arranged near the outer edge of the front end face of the movable push rod 4, and the sealing member 2 is used to envelop the entire front end face of the pin 1 when the pin 1 of the adapter connector 500 is inserted into the socket structure 400.

[0073] A connector assembly, such as Figure 7 As shown, it includes an adapter connector 500 with a pin 1 and an underwater sealing connector with a socket structure 400. The underwater sealing connector can be any embodiment of the underwater sealing connector 600 mentioned above. The socket structure 400 is provided with a movable push rod 4 movably arranged along the axial direction. The pin 1 of the adapter connector 500 is inserted into the socket structure 400 and contacts and cooperates with the movable push rod 4 of the socket structure 400, and a sealed cavity is formed between the front end face of the movable push rod 4 and the front end face of the pin 1. The sealed cavity is used to prevent contaminants on the front end face of the pin 1 from entering the underwater sealing connector 600 from the sealed cavity.

[0074] On the basis of the above-mentioned embodiment, as a preferred embodiment of the connector assembly, a sealing structure is provided at the front end of the movable push rod 4 and / or the front end of the pin, and the sealing structure is used to form a sealing cavity between the front end face of the movable push rod 4 and the front end face of the pin 1, and the sealing cavity is used to prevent contaminants on the front end face of the pin 1 from entering the underwater sealed connector 600 from the sealing cavity.

[0075] This embodiment actually provides a variety of arrangements of the sealing structure, that is, the sealing structure includes a seal 1 connected to the pin 1 and / or a seal 2 2 connected to the movable push rod 4, and both the seal 1 and the seal 2 can form a sealing cavity between the front end face of the movable push rod 4 and the front end face of the pin 1, and the sealing cavity is used to prevent contaminants on the front end face of the pin 1 from entering the underwater sealing connector 600 from the sealing cavity.

[0076] The details are as follows:

[0077] As one embodiment, sealing member 1 is connected only to the end of pin 1, and the end of sealing member 1 facing away from pin 1 is pressed against the end of movable push rod 4 to form the above-mentioned sealing cavity; as another embodiment, sealing member 2 is connected only to the end of movable push rod 4, and the end of sealing member 2 facing away from movable push rod 4 is pressed against the end of pin 1 to form the above-mentioned sealing cavity; as another embodiment, both sealing member 1 and sealing member 2 2 are used, and in this manner, there are multiple specific forms.

[0078] For example, in the radial direction, the seal 1 and the seal 2 2 are arranged at intervals or in close contact. In the axial direction, the seal 1 is pressed against the front end face of the movable push rod 4, and the seal 2 2 is pressed against the front end face of the plug pin 1; or in the axial direction, the seal 1 is pressed against the front end face of the movable push rod 4, and the seal 2 2 is arranged at intervals from the front end face of the plug pin 1; or in the axial direction, the seal 1 and the front end face of the movable push rod 4 are arranged at intervals, and the seal 2 2 is pressed against the front end face of the plug pin 1; or in the axial direction, the seal 1 and the seal 2 2 are pressed against.

[0079] That is, when the sealing structure only includes the sealing member 1 connected to the plug pin 1, the end of the sealing member 1 facing away from the plug pin 1 is pressed and matched with the end surface of the movable push rod 4. It should be noted that, like the connection between the sealing member 2 and the movable push rod 4 in the above embodiment, the sealing member 1 in this embodiment can also be connected to the plug pin 1 by various methods such as clamping, welding or bonding.

[0080] When the sealing structure only includes the sealing member 2 connected to the movable push rod 4, the end of the sealing member 2 facing away from the movable push rod 4 is crimped and matched with the end face of the pin 1, similar to the above-mentioned embodiment of the underwater sealing connector.

[0081] When the sealing structure includes a seal 1 connected to the plug pin 1 and a seal 2 connected to the movable push rod 4, the seal 1 and the seal 2 are nested with each other, and the end of the seal 1 facing away from the plug pin 1 is crimped with the front end face of the movable push rod 4, and the end of the seal 2 facing away from the movable push rod 4 is crimped with the front end face of the plug pin 1. That is, the seal 1 and the seal 2 are nested with each other, which can not only form the sealing cavity in the above embodiment, but also form multiple seals. It should also be noted that the seal 1 and the seal 2 can be arranged at intervals in the radial direction, or can be arranged closely in the radial direction, and can be arranged concentrically or non-concentrically.

[0082] As another embodiment, when the sealing structure includes a seal 1 connected to the pin 1, and a seal 2 connected to the movable push rod 4, the seal 1 corresponds to the seal 2 2 axially, and an end of the seal 1 facing away from the pin 1 is crimped into a end of the seal 2 facing away from the movable push rod 4.

[0083] This embodiment also uses seal 1 and seal 2 2 at the same time, and provides another optimal sealing method. Seal 1 and seal 2 2 correspond to each other axially. Seal 1 and seal 2 2 of the same type and size can be used, or seal 1 and seal 2 2 of different types or sizes can be used, as long as the two can be crimped together in the axial direction to form the above-mentioned sealing cavity.

[0084] Based on the above embodiments, as a preferred connector assembly, Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the sealing cavity is connected with a dirt channel 3-2. In addition to the arrangement of the dirt channel 3-2 disclosed in the above underwater sealing connector embodiment, the dirt channel 3-2 can also be arranged on the pin 1.

[0085] This embodiment can provide at least three structural designs, one of which is to arrange the dirt channel 3-2 on the pin 1, the second is to arrange the dirt channel 3-2 on the movable top rod 4, and the third is to arrange the dirt channel 3-2 on both the pin 1 and the movable top rod 4.

[0086] No matter where the dirt channel 3-2 is arranged, or what shape and size the dirt channel 3-2 is arranged in, it is only necessary to ensure that the sealed cavity formed by the front end face of the pin 1, the sealing structure, and the front end face of the movable push rod 4 is connected to the dirt channel 3-2. During the squeezing process between the pin 1 and the movable push rod 4, the medium or pollutants in the sealed cavity can be pushed into the dirt channel 3-2.

[0087] The underwater sealed connector with a pin sealing structure disclosed in the above embodiments and the corresponding connector assembly can be used in a gaseous medium environment, a liquid medium environment, a supercritical medium environment, or a mixed medium environment. It should be noted that the gaseous medium environment, liquid medium environment, and supercritical medium environment recorded in the present technical solution are not absolutely pure medium environments relative to mixed medium environments, but are environments dominated by one medium, such as liquid water, liquid oil, inert gas, active gas, etc. doped with pollutants. Of course, it can also be an environment in which multiple states of one medium exist, such as ice water with ice debris, etc. It can also be an environment in which multiple media are mixed, and naturally it can also be an environment in which multiple media exist in different physical states.

[0088] That is, whether in a liquid fluid medium such as water, oil, or in a gaseous fluid medium such as air, inert or active gas, or in a supercritical medium, or in a mixture of any two or more of a gaseous medium, a liquid medium, and a solid medium, the connector assembly disclosed in the present invention will not bring external contaminants into the interior of the connector when performing actions such as insertion and unplugging, thereby avoiding the growth of microorganisms inside the connector, thereby ensuring both the service life of the connector and the safety of the overall equipment.

[0089] The application of the connector assembly includes the following processes:

[0090] 1. When the adapter connector 500 is inserted, the pin 1 first contacts the rubber pad as a sealing structure, and the contact surface of the rubber pad and the pin 1 is squeezed to form a sealed cavity, which seals the contaminants carried on the surface of the pin 1 in the cavity, and the contaminants cannot be introduced into the connector housing 300 during the insertion process;

[0091] 2. When the adapter connector 500 is inserted and enters the working state, the pin 1 and the rubber pad serving as the sealing structure always remain in an extruded state, thereby preventing dirt carried by the pin 1 from entering the connector housing 300 from the sealing cavity.

[0092] 3. When the adapter connector 500 is unplugged, the pin 1 and the rubber pad serving as a sealing structure remain in an extruded state, and the sealing cavity remains sealed, thereby preventing dirt from entering the connector housing 300 during the unplugging process.

[0093] It should be particularly noted that the details not described in detail in the present invention are all conventional technical means known to those skilled in the art.

[0094] The above content shows and describes the basic principles, main features and beneficial effects of the present invention. The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An underwater sealed connector with a pin sealing structure, comprising a connector housing and a socket structure arranged in the connector housing, wherein a movable push rod movably arranged along the axial direction is arranged in the socket structure, an outer oil bag is arranged outside the socket structure, and the outer oil bag and the inner oil bag of the socket structure itself constitute a double-layer pressure balance structure, and a wire spring hole for adapting the pin is arranged in the socket structure, characterized in that: The front end of the movable push rod is provided with a sealing structure, which is used to seal and contact with the front end face of the plug pin of the adapter connector when the plug pin is inserted into the socket structure, so as to form a sealed cavity between the front end face of the movable push rod and the front end face of the plug pin, and the sealed cavity is used to prevent contaminants on the front end face of the plug pin from entering the underwater sealed connector from the sealed cavity; The sealing structure is arranged near the outer edge of the front end surface of the movable ejector rod, and the sealing structure is used to envelop the entire front end surface of the plug pin when the plug pin of the adapter connector is inserted into the socket structure; When the adapter connector and the underwater sealing connector are electrically connected through the contact between the pin and the wire spring hole, the wire spring hole is located outside the sealing cavity; Before the pin and the movable ejector pin are released from the pressing assembly, the front end face of the pin, the sealing structure and the front end face of the movable ejector pin are always in a sealed cavity state until the contact position between the pin and the movable ejector pin extends out of the connector housing and the pressing assembly is released, and the movable ejector pin resumes the sliding sealing cooperation relationship formed with the front end of the outer oil bag.

2. The underwater sealed connector with a pin sealing structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front end face of the movable push rod is cone surface 1, and the front end face of the plug pin of the adapter connector is cone surface 2. After cone surface 1 and cone surface 2 are in contact with each other, they are sealed in the sealing cavity by the sealing structure.

3. The underwater sealed connector with a pin sealing structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The front end surface of the movable push rod is provided with a mounting groove, a fixing piece is provided in the mounting groove, the sealing structure is crimped between the mounting groove and the fixing piece, and the outer end surface of the fixing piece facing the pin is the first conical surface.

4. The underwater sealed connector with a pin sealing structure according to claim 3, characterized in that: The bottom diameter of the mounting groove is larger than the diameter of the groove opening, and the bottom of the mounting groove is a fixing member stop groove. The fixing member includes a large diameter end adapted to the fixing member stop groove and a small diameter end adapted to the groove opening of the mounting groove, and the sealing structure is fixed by crimping the outer wall of the small diameter end with the inner wall of the mounting groove.

5. The underwater sealed connector with a pin sealing structure according to claim 4, characterized in that: A sealing structure stop groove is provided between the small diameter end and the large diameter end, and the sealing structure includes a thick wall portion crimped between the outer wall of the sealing structure stop groove and the inner wall of the mounting groove, and a thin wall portion extending outward from the mounting groove, and the thin wall portion is used for sealingly contacting and cooperating with the front end face of the pin of the adapter connector when the pin is inserted into the socket structure to form the sealed cavity.

6. The underwater sealed connector with a pin sealing structure according to claim 5, characterized in that: The thin-walled portion includes a connecting portion clamped between the outer wall of the small-diameter end and the inner wall of the mounting groove, and a deformation portion located outside the mounting groove. The deformation portion is used to seal and contact with the front end face of the pin of the adapter connector when the pin is inserted into the socket structure to form the sealed cavity.

7. The underwater sealed connector with a pin sealing structure according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that: A dirt receiving channel is arranged at the center of the first cone surface, and the dirt receiving channel is used to store water and pollutants between the first cone surface and the second cone surface when the plug pin of the adapter connector is inserted into the plug hole structure.

8. The underwater sealed connector with a pin sealing structure according to claim 7, characterized in that: The first cone surface is an inwardly concave cone surface, and the second cone surface is an outwardly convex cone surface. When the pin of the adapter connector is inserted into the socket structure, the outwardly convex cone surface and the inwardly concave cone surface are plugged into and matched with each other and are sealed in the sealing cavity by the sealing structure.

9. A connector assembly, comprising an adapter connector with a pin and an underwater sealed connector with a socket structure, characterized in that: The underwater sealed connector is an underwater sealed connector with a pin sealing structure as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

Images