Geophone keyway tee protective casing

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to a protective casing for an electrical connection. More particularly, the invention relates to a protective casing for a tee electrical connection typically found in various applications such as for seismic equipment. Still more particularly, the invention relates to keyed protective casing that can be removed and replaced without disconnection of the electrical connections housed within the tee connection.

2. Background Information

The field of seismology focuses on the use of artificially generated elastic waves to locate subsurface formations which may contain mineral deposits such as hydrocarbons, ores, water, and geothermal reservoirs. Seismology may also be used for archaeological purposes and for obtaining geological information for engineering. Exploration seismology provides data that, when used in conjunction with other available geophysical, borehole, and geological data, can provide information about the structure and distribution of rock types and their contents.

Seismic exploration involves attempting to deduce the subsurface geometry and properties of a portion of land. This typically is accomplished by generating seismic energy via impulse-type explosions or gentler vibrations, detecting the reflected and refracted seismic energy with appropriate detection devices, recording the measurements and processing the recorded information. The detection equipment generally includes a geophone or a plurality of geophones spaced apart in an array. The term “geophone” is used throughout this disclosure to refer to any type of seismic detector. The geophones respond to vibrations from the earth and generate and transmit corresponding electrical signals to recording and processing equipment. An electrical cable couples one geophone to the next in the array.

FIG. 1

shows a schematic drawing of several geophones

10

coupled together by a cable

12

. Each geophone connects to the cable

12

at a tee connection

14

(called a “tee” connection because if its general resemblance to the letter “T”). Connection points

14

typically simply comprise electrical conductors and a circuit board that facilitates connecting the conductors together to form the tee connection. Connection points

14

, as is true for most of the rest of the seismic detection equipment, are exposed to the elements in the field such as water, wind, and the like. These connections and their associated circuit boards must be protected and, accordingly, a protective covering or housing typically is provided on each tee connection to perform that function. Such a protective covering typically is referred to simply as a “tee.” For purposes of this disclosure, the electrical connection is referred to as a “tee connection” and the protective covering is referred to simply as a “tee.”

A conventional tee is depicted in FIG.

2

and typically comprises two pieces

16

and

18

which are typically attached together with screws or similar fasteners to protect the connection. To install such a tee, the electrical cable

20

to the geophone

10

is inserted upward and through an opening in the bottom tee half

18

. Then, the conductors in cable

20

are soldered to a circuit board in the tee connection point

14

to which the ends of cable

12

are also soldered. After the connections are soldered, the top tee half

16

is positioned over the lower half

18

and the two halves are placed together and attached by screws.

Although generally satisfactory, there is a significant disadvantage to the conventional two-piece tee shown in FIG.

2

. If the bottom tee half

18

breaks, or for some other reason needs replacement, a labor intensive and time consuming task is necessary to replace the bottom tee half. To remove the bottom tee half, the two tee halves

16

,

18

must first be disconnected from each other. Then, the electrical connections corresponding to cable

20

must be desoldered. Once cable

20

is disconnected from connection point

14

, the broken bottom tee half

18

can be removed and replaced with a new piece. Then, the conductors associated with geophone cable

20

must be resoldered. Finally, the top half

16

must be reattached to the lower half. This entire process can take upwards of 15 to 20 minutes. On a seismic site having hundreds or thousands of tees, this process can be very time consuming and costly. Further, each time a solder joint is desoldered and resoldered, the mechanical and electrical integrity of the connection is diminished.

Accordingly, a solution to the aforementioned problem is needed. Such a solution would preferably permit quick removal and replacement of a tee and avoid the problems associated with desoldering and resoldering electrical connections.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The problems noted above are solved in large part by a three-piece keyway tee that comprises a cover and two lower pieces. Each lower piece preferably includes a protruding key and a key slot. The two lower pieces mate with one another, with the protruding key of each lower piece engaging the key slot of the other lower piece. The keys and slots preferably extend through an entire length of the lower pieces. In such an embodiment, mating the lower pieces together includes engaging the keys and slots and sliding one lower piece along an axis relative to the other lower piece. Preferably, the lower pieces are substantially identical.

According to one preferred embodiment, each lower piece has a groove along its length, such that when mated together, the grooves of the lower pieces align generally forming a passageway through which the geophone cable can extend up to the connection point

14

. As such, the lower pieces surround the geophone cable when mated together. Thus, in contrast to conventional tee connection casings, the lower pieces of the preferred embodiment can be mated together without disconnecting any conductors from a three-way electrical tee connection. Similarly, the keyway tee can be removed and replaced with a new keyway tee without disconnecting any electrical connections. These and other advantages and benefits will become apparent upon reviewing the following disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1

shows a schematic layout of a plurality of geophones showing the tee connections associated with each geophone;

FIG. 2

shows a conventional tee and illustrates the disadvantage associated with it when having to remove and replace the tee;

FIG. 3

shows an exploded perspective view of a keyway tee in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 4

a

and

4

b

illustrate how two lower pieces of the keyway tee are mated together;

FIG. 5

shows a top view of the lower pieces of the keyway tee mated together;

FIG. 6

illustrates an intermediate step during the installation of the keyway tee; and

FIG. 7

shows a perspective view of a fully assembled keyway tee.

NOTATION AND NOMENCLATURE

Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claims to refer to particular system components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, companies and individuals may refer to a component and sub-components by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components that differ in name but not function. In the following discussion and in the claims, the terms “including” and “comprising” are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean “including, but not limited to . . . ”. Also, the term “couple” or “couples” is intended to mean either a direct or indirect electrical connection. Thus, if a first part couples to a second part, that connection may be either a direct connection or an indirect connection via other parts and connections. To the extent that any term is not specially defined in this specification, the intent is that the term is to be given its plain and ordinary meaning.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following description is directed to a protective casing for an electrical connection. The scope of the disclosure and the claims which follow are not limited to electrical connections and cables employed in seismic equipment systems. Broadly, the embodiments described herein pertain to protecting any type of three-way electrical connection regardless of overall functionality of the associated equipment.

Referring now to

FIG. 3

, a preferred embodiment of a tee connection protective casing

100

is shown. As will be explained below, the protective casing

100

is keyed and accordingly is referred to as a “keyway tee.” As shown, the preferred embodiment of keyway tee

100

generally comprises three components: an upper piece

102

and two lower pieces

104

. The lower pieces

104

mate together in a subcombination and the upper piece

102

mates to the assembled subcombination of the lower pieces. The upper piece

102

generally comprises a cover for the keyway tee.

As can be seen in

FIG. 3

, the lower pieces

104

of the keyway tee

100

are identical to each other, although the lower pieces do not have to be identical (i.e., non-identical lower pieces

104

may be employed in alternative embodiments of the invention and fall within this disclosure). Identical lower pieces

104

are preferred, however, to minimize the complexity and the cost associated with manufacturing the keyway tee

100

. By having identical lower pieces

104

, the keyway tee

100

of the preferred embodiment comprises only two different pieces—over

102

and lower pieces

104

(albeit two instances of the lower piece). Further, installation of the keyway tee

100

is simplified in that if one of the lower pieces

104

needs replacement, the person performing the replacement need not hassle with keeping track of three different parts which would be the case if the lower pieces

104

were not identical. Inventory of replacement parts also is simplified.

Each lower piece

104

and cover

102

preferably comprise a single part made of plastic or other material that suitably protects the electrical wiring and connections contained in tee

100

. Each lower piece

104

, as well as cover

102

, may be injection molded or manufactured in accordance with other known manufacturing techniques. Each lower piece

104

is preferably generally L-shaped as shown, although other shapes can be used in the implementation of the keyway tee. The embodiment of the lower piece

104

shown in

FIG. 3

includes a horizontal member

105

and a vertical member

107

generally at an orthogonal angle to member

105

. As noted above, members

105

,

107

may be extensions from a single piece of injection molded material or can be separate pieces mated or connected together in some suitable fashion (e.g., adhesive, screws, welding, etc.). Each lower piece

104

includes a groove

116

through the horizontal member

105

and another groove

114

vertically down the vertical member

107

. When the two lower pieces

104

are mated together, the vertical grooves

114

generally align, forming an approximately circular or elliptical passageway.

In accordance with the preferred embodiment, each lower piece

104

comprises a protruding key

110

and a corresponding key slot

112

. Each key includes an engaging face

113

which engages a corresponding slot

112

. Each lower piece

104

preferably includes a protruding key

110

formed at one side

108

and a key slot

112

formed at the opposite side

106

. The cross-sectional shape of the protruding key

110

and corresponding key slot

112

is generally rounded (e.g. circular) with preferably parallel engaging faces

113

, although the shape can be varied as desired. For example, the engaging faces

113

comprising the key and slot can be tapered (not shown) if desired from an upper end

111

to the opposite end

115

. The two pieces

104

are mated together by sliding one piece

104

with respect to the other piece with the protruding keys

110

in the key slots

112

as shown in

FIGS. 4

a

and

4

b

. In

FIG. 4

a

, the protruding key

110

of the right hand lower piece

104

is engaged with the key slot

112

of the left hand lower piece and slid down in the direction of the arrow until the ends of the two pieces are flush as in

FIG. 4

b

. The keys

110

and slots

112

preferably are formed down the entire length L of the lower piece

104

permitting the two lower pieces to be engaged with each other starting from either end—the right hand piece

104

slidingly engages the left hand piece

104

as shown in

FIG. 4

a

or the left hand piece slidingly engages the right hand piece.

FIG. 5

shows a top view of two lower pieces

104

mated together.

An advantage of the preferred keyway tee

100

is that it can be removed and/or installed without disconnecting any of the electrical connections as was the case with conventional tee casings. This advantage results from the lower portion of the tee comprising two separate pieces

104

rather than a single piece as with prior casings. Accordingly, as illustrated in

FIG. 6

, a person, such as a technician in the field who often must perform maintenance in adverse conditions, can mate the lower pieces

104

together without disconnecting cable

20

, which couples to the geophone (not shown in FIG.

6

), or cables

12

which couple to other tee connections. Once the two lower pieces

104

are mated together as described above, the cover

102

(

FIG. 3

) is attached to the assembled combination of lower pieces.

Referring still to

FIG. 6

, protective coverings

150

surround electrical cables

12

. These coverings preferably are made from rubber, nylon, flexible plastic or other suitable material and protect against the intrusion of contaminants (e.g., water, dirt, etc.) into the inner region

152

containing the electrical connections. The keyway tee

100

of the preferred embodiment performs a sealing function to aid in preventing intrusion of such contaminants. The rubber coverings

150

rest in the grooves

116

in the lower pieces

104

when the lower pieces mate together. As shown in

FIG. 3

, cover

102

includes a corresponding groove

126

. When the cover

102

is mated to the lower pieces

104

, the grooves

116

and

126

generally align and form, in cross section, an approximately circular or elliptical passage. This is shown in

FIG. 7

which depicts an assembled keyway tee

100

. The grooves in the upper and lower pieces

102

,

104

form a circular or elliptical opening

156

in either end

158

,

160

of the tee

100

. Although the shape of the resulting opening

156

is generally circular or elliptical, the shape can be varied as desired (e.g., square, rectangular, etc.). The diameter D of the opening

156

preferably is smaller than the diameter of the covering

150

when in its uncompressed (i.e., natural) state. As the covering

102

is mated with the lower pieces

104

, the covering

150

is compressed under the pressure caused by the cover

102

and lower pieces

104

. Compressing the covering

150

helps to seal both ends of the keyway tee

100

.

As can be seen in

FIG. 6

, a covering

160

also is provided on the cable

20

which extends to the geophone. That covering resides within the opening

114

(

FIG. 3

) formed between the lower pieces as they are mated together. Covering

170

surrounds cable

20

. Opening

114

also preferably is smaller than the diameter of the covering

170

thereby causing the covering

170

to be compressed as the lower pieces

104

are mated together. Accordingly, the opening in the lower end

162

of the keyway tee

100

from which cable

20

extends is sealed protecting the tee connection from contaminants. Once lower pieces

104

are mated together, the cover

102

is mated to the assembled combination of lower pieces to complete the tee casing assembly via screws (not shown) through holes

120

and

122

.

The preferred embodiment of the keyway tee

100

advantageously permits a tee to be easily and quickly removed and replaced in the field. As such, labor time and costs associated with maintenance of these tee connections in the field are dramatically reduced. The electrical connections being protected by the keyway tee do not need to be desoldered or otherwise disconnected or interfered with any way. As such, the integrity of the electrical connections is not diminished by replacement of the protective tee covering.

The above discussion is meant to be illustrative of the principles and various embodiments of the present invention. Numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. For example, although a three-piece keyway tee is shown in the Figures and described above, embodiments having more than three pieces are also within the scope of this disclosure. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications.