Disconnectable subsea connector

摘要

The described embodiments provide a subsea connector that is a quickly deployable and reusable. The subsea connector comprises a male and a female assembly that can be connected and disconnected. The male assembly includes a shaft, a sleeve that surrounds the shaft, and bars that are connected to the shaft and are configured to rotate about one axis. The female assembly includes a receptacle into which the male assembly can fit. Once the male assembly is inserted into the female assembly, the bars can rotate into such a position that the male and female assemblies are connected together. The bars can also be rotated such that the male and female assemblies can be disconnected.

主权项

1. A connector device comprising:
a male assembly comprising: a shaft having a body and having a locking end with a cross-sectional area that is larger than the body, a sleeve that surrounds the shaft, and a plurality of bars, each of the bars being pivotally connected to the sleeve; and a female assembly comprising: a receptacle having an opening for receiving the male assembly, the receptacle including at least one wall configured such that, upon insertion of the male assembly into the female assembly, the plurality of bars react against the locking end of the shaft and the at least one wall of the receptacle to prevent the male assembly and the female assembly from separating, wherein the sleeve is slidable along the shaft to reconfigure the male assembly between a first configuration in which the plurality of bars are oriented to accommodate insertion of the male assembly into the receptacle and a second configuration in which the plurality of bars are oriented to block removal of the male assembly from the receptacle.