Electrical connector.

p0001The invention relates to electrical connectors and more particularly those intended to be immersed, for example, with submarine cables.

p0002It is known that electrical connector essentially comprises two insulating bodies provided with through recesses in which are arranged connecting elements, such as pins or plugs of the male type and / or female able to cooperate. Thus auand the two parts of the connector are associated, that is to say when the female pins are mated with the male pins of the other part, the continuity of the transmission of electric power or information is provided to the inlet to the outlet of the connector.

p0003When performing an association of the two connector parts, it brings them from each other by exerting pressure forces to ensure penetration of the male pins into the female sockets into each other. It is necessary that these male-type parts and / or female are completely secured in the insulating connector body to prevent, for example, they come out under the effect of traction and the electric transmission is not done correctly. To ensure this function is commonly used elastic means capable of providing a retaining force, for example, clips are placed in homes and coming to relax behind each pin or socket to lock in the bottom of the housing where they penetrated.

p0004However, these clips are expensive for their implementation and require special tools for their assembly and disassembly. It is also known from documents US-A-3,487,355 and 3,501,736 other pin retaining means in the receiving housing formed by transverse pins which are implemented on each of the halves of a connector. But in these two documents, the transverse pins retaining passing through areas of size reduction or decreases in diameter which are provided on the pins and the sockets; this results in a localized weakening of these parts; furthermore, in the second of these documents, the transverse pins are used to reienir pins and sockets against longitudinal forces. in both directions; in addition, additional locking means are provided to retain the transverse pins in their position of use.

p0005The invention aims to achieve a retainer pins connector which is easy to machine and / or manufacture and / or molding and has all the required safety with simple means without weakening ensuring bushings and pins connection keeping them in their respective insulating body and maintaining the transverse pins in their position of use.

p0006A connector having an insulating body made of rigid material with at least a longitudinal housing having a stop inside shoulder of a pin or a sleeve, at least one pin or sleeve having a first external shoulder being introduced into a corresponding recess until it meets the first shoulder with the shoulder of the housing, a cross breakthrough, a locking pin is placed in this transverse drilled according to the invention is characterized in that each spindle or sleeve has opposite the first shoulder, a second shoulder and the cross breakthrough is arranged so that, after its insertion into said transverse opening, the pin is facing the second shoulder of each pin or sleeve and immobilizes the latter by preventing its decline.

p0007retention means of the pin housed in the corresponding transverse opening are constituted by a resilient seal located around said pin, and whose external dimension is greater than the inner dimension of said hole.

p0008In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the retention means of the pin housed in the corresponding transverse opening are formed, in addition to or instead of the elastic joints above, with a protective sheath which surrounds each insulating body tight manner.

p0009Advantageously, each protective sheath extends in the longitudinal direction on each insulating body and the power cable which penetrates the rear thereof, and preferably, the protective sheath of an insulating body also extends so as to cover the parting plane in which are joined at least partly the end faces of the two insulating body of the assembled connector.

p0010More preferably, the protective sheath is extended beyond the joint plane is shaped in its end part in the hooking means and the insulating body on which it extends in correspondence present on its outside a gripping means cooperating with that of the cladding.

p0011Other features and advantages of the invention will emerge during the following description given in the attached drawings by way of illustration, but not limitation in which<ul><li>- Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an assembled connector, provided with pins and bushings,</li><li>- Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view along II-II of Figure 1.</li></ul>

p0012These Figures 1 and 2 represent, respectively two sectional views taken along two perpendicular planes of one embodiment of an assembled connector, more particularly adapted to be immersed, for example, at the end of submarine cables and / or submersible devices.

p0013The mounting pins and sockets is the same in each of the two associated parts constituting the connector; thus, it is described in one half. The difference between the two, essentially on the presence of bushes in one insulating body and pins in the other. But be described in detail for each half of their non-symmetrical features relevant to the invention.

p0014The connector includes an insulating body 1 in which are formed longitudinal through-2,3,4,5 breakthroughs. Each breakthrough comprises substantially at one of its ends, at least one shoulder 6 which means in an advantageous embodiment that each housing has at least along its axis, eg 7 for breakthrough or the housing 3, two value sections different, respectively 8 and 9, the passage from one to the other of these two sections embodying the shoulder 6 desired. Preferably, the insulating body is of a rigid material such as a ceramic to have a very long life, several years, especially in the case of connectors with immergea'bles submarine cables. Respectively, in each of the through-drilled or housing 2 to 5, is arranged an 11,12,13,14 connecting piece of electrically conductive material of which a first end constitutes a connection portion, which may be a pin 15, but which of course could be a socket, and a second support end 16 has a first shoulder 17 complementary to the shoulder 6 of the housing 3, so that when the pin or sleeve is introduced in its housing, the supporting end wife so SUPPLEMENTARY a housing section, such as section 9. Thus, the first shoulder 17 abuts against the shoulder 6 so as to perfectly define the position of the workpiece relative to the insulating body 1, so that the pin 15, in the example described, emerges from the insulating body of a predetermined length that is in this case substantially equal to the depth value of the sleeve with which it is intended to cooperate to ensure the continuity of the power transmission or electrical information conveyed by cables connected to the connector. In addition, the first shoulder 17 firmly stops the room, pin or socket, against any breakout force to the front of the body 1.

p0015According to another feature, each pin or sleeve has a second shoulder 20 opposite the first shoulder 17. These shoulders 17,20 opposite appear as a reinforcement in this area of ​​the body section 21 of the spindle or sleeve which is Besides significantly lower section 8 of the housing 3. Moreover, the insulating body 1 has a transverse opening 22, the axis 24 is substantially perpendicular to the axis 23 and has a predetermined cross-section so that it opens at least in part in each of the housings 2 to 5. this breakthrough is effectively performed in the insulating body 1 so that the envelope of this section passes just behind the second shoulder 20 of each spindle defined above. Thus, when the four pins or sockets are placed in the bottom of each respective housing, their shoulder 17 pressed against the shoulder 6, a pin 30 is inserted into this axial opening 22 so that its side wall 31 comes to be positioned behind the shoulders 20 of the pins to obtain a wedging of each pin between the shoulder 6 and the sidewall 31 of the pin. Thus, if the pressure forces exerted on the male parts 15 of the 11,12,13,14 pins when such mating connector, they can not retreat because they abut with their shoulder 20 against the side surface 31 of the pin 30.

p0016To this pin 30 are. associated retaining means so that it remains positioned in its housing and it especially during assembly of the connector.

p0017These retaining means can be constituted by an elastic seal 41, which partially surrounds the pin, for example in a groove 42 and the outer diameter 43 before it is compressed, is slightly greater than that of section 22 so that when the pin is inserted into the housing 22, the seal may be slightly squashed and that by its natural elasticity, it comes to be pressed against the side wall of the cross-drilled and then ensure a pressing force and a sufficient friction to hold the pin 30 in place in the breakthrough 22.

p0018Anyway, each pin 30 does not protrude from the outer face 44 of the insulating body 1 in which it is threaded. so you can surround each insulating body 1 with a protective sleeve 40 and the latter can tighten sufficiently against the outer face 44 to seal and prevent the ingress of water. Each protective sleeve 40 is sufficiently long as to cover a substantial length of each body 1 so that a section of the electrical cable 45. Thus, each duct 40 is opposed to the exit out of the body 1 of the pin 30 that it surrounds ; One might therefore provide to use resilient seal 41 described above as a means of retaining pins 30 in their position of use.

p0019As shown in Figure 1, an end portion 46 tapered in the transverse direction of one of the connector body penetrates the other body, which is recessed accordingly. In this way, the joint plane of the two end faces of the assembled body is a broken plane which a part designated by reference 47 is adjacent the outer face 44 of the body 1. The sheath 40 which covers the body 1; that of the right half as viewed in Figure 1, in this example, is extended to cover the joint plane 47 and extend beyond the latter on the body 1, thereby sealing between the bodies 1 and 1 '. In addition, this same extended sheath 40 ends with a free portion as an annular interior flange 48. The body on which extends the annular hook 48 has an annular projection 49 which has a first inclined face 49A which facilitates the passage of the hook ring 48 is coupled when the two connectors.

p0020In contrast to the inclined face 49A, the protrusion 49 has a surface 49B substantially perpendicular to the body 1 so as to oppose the separation of the two assembled parts. Other complementary attachment means could be provided in correspondence to a body and to the end of the sheath of the other body of the assembled connector.

p0021Thus, when the pin ensures its locking function of the pins or sockets in their respective housing, the body 1 may be covered with a protective sealing sheath 40; the latter is suitable when the connector is intended to be associated to submergible cables; in addition it is used to permanently hold the pin.