Subsea gang connector system

A subsea connector system comprising:

• (a) a first connector having a first housing connected to a first end plate, wherein a first set of couplers are mounted on the first end plate;
• (b) a second connector having a second housing connected to a second end plate, wherein a second set of couplers, comateable with the first set of couplers, are mounted on the second end plate;
• and
• (c) a latching system including
• (i) a latch pin attached to the second connector having
• a plurality of male splines positioned on a proximal end of the latch pin, wherein the male splines extend a spline length,
• a cylindrical shaft positioned on a distal end of the latch pin, wherein the shaft has a diameter smaller than the external diameter of the male splines and a shaft length that is longer than the spline length, and
• a set of latch pin shoulders wherein each latch pin shoulder transitions from one male spline to the cylindrical shaft, and
• (ii) a latch sleeve attached to the first connector having
• a plurality of female splines positioned on a proximal end of the latch sleeve, wherein the female splines have a length similar to the spline length of the male splines and are coengageable with the male splines of the latch pin,
• a cylindrical counterbore positioned on a distal end of the latch sleeve, the counterbore having a diameter larger than the external diameter of the male splines and a counterbore length longer than the spline length, wherein the counterbore has a threaded segment at a counterbore distal end, and
• a set of latch sleeve shoulders comateable with the latch pin shoulders, wherein each latch sleeve shoulder transitions from one female spline to the counterbore;
• wherein the interaction of the latch sleeve and the latch pin induce the engagement of the first and second connectors.

A connector system comprising:

• (a) a first connector having a first housing connected to a first end plate, wherein a first set of couplers are mounted on the first end plate;
• (b) a second connector having a second housing connected to a second end plate, wherein a second set of couplers, comateable with the first set of couplers, are mounted on the second end plate;
• and
• (c) a latching system including
• (i) a latch pin attached to the second connector having
• a plurality of male splines positioned on a proximal end of the latch pin, wherein the male splines extend a spline length,
• a cylindrical shaft positioned on a distal end of the latch pin, wherein the shaft has a diameter smaller than the external diameter of the male splines and a shaft length that is longer than the spline length, and
• a set of latch pin shoulders wherein each latch pin shoulder transitions from one male spline to the cylindrical shaft, and
• (ii) a latch sleeve attached to the first connector having
• a plurality of female splines positioned on a proximal end of the latch sleeve, wherein the female splines have a length similar to the spline length of the male splines and are coengageable with the male splines of the latch pin,
• a cylindrical counterbore positioned on a distal end of the latch sleeve, the counterbore having a diameter larger than the external diameter of the male splines and a counterbore length longer than the spline length, wherein the counterbore has a threaded segment at a counterbore distal end, and
• a set of latch sleeve shoulders comateable with the latch pin shoulders, wherein each latch sleeve shoulder transitions from one female spline to the counterbore, and
• (iii) a camming mechanism comprising a camming sleeve with a helical slot and a cojoined second slot parallel to a camming sleeve axis and a stationary pin mounted on the first connector;
• wherein the interaction of the latch sleeve and the latch pin induce the engagement of the first and second connectors.

A method of aligning and engaging subsea connectors comprising the steps of:

• obtaining a male tubular connector with a first connector housing having a first right prismatic cross-section, a first transition section, and a second right prismatic cross-section similar in shape to the first cross-section but larger than the first cross-section, wherein the cross-section of the first connector housing smoothly and monotonically increases in the first transition from the first cross-section to the second cross-section;
• obtaining a female tubular connector with a second connector housing having a proximal right prismatic cross-section, a second transition section, and a distal right prismatic cross-section similar in shape to the first cross-section but smaller than the proximal cross-section, wherein the cross-section of the second connector housing smoothly and monotonically decreases in the second transition section from the proximal cross-section to the distal cross-section;
• moving the male tubular connector toward the female tubular connector;
• bringing the first cross-section of the male tubular connector into approximate axial alignment with the proximal cross-section of the female tubular connector;
• pushing the first cross-section of the male tubular connector into the proximal cross-section of the female tubular connector such that the abutment of an exterior end of the first cross-section with an interior of the second transition section of the female connector induces the first prismatic cross-section of the male tubular connector to align with the distal right prismatic cross-section of the female tubular connector;
• and
• continuing moving the male and female tubular connectors toward each other until the male connector is fully entered into an interior of the female connector such that all lateral sides of the first connector housing are substantially equispaced from all adjacent lateral sides of the second connector housing.

A method for engaging subsea connectors comprising the steps of:

• (a) obtaining a subsea connector system comprising:
• a first connector having a first housing connected to a first end plate, wherein a first set of couplers are mounted on the first end plate;
• a second connector having a second housing connected to a second end plate, wherein a second set of couplers, comateable with the first set of couplers, are mounted on the second end plate;
• and
• a latching system including
• (i) a latch pin attached to the second connector having
• a plurality of male splines positioned on a proximal end of the latch pin, wherein the male splines extend a spline length,
• a cylindrical shaft positioned on a distal end of the latch pin, wherein the shaft has a diameter smaller than the external diameter of the male splines and a shaft length that is longer than the spline length, and
• a set of latch pin shoulders wherein each latch pin shoulder transitions from one male spline to the cylindrical shaft, and
• (ii) a latch sleeve attached to the first connector having
• a plurality of female splines positioned on a proximal end of the latch sleeve, wherein the female splines have a length similar to the spline length of the male splines and are coengageable with the male splines of the latch pin,
• a cylindrical counterbore positioned on a distal end of the latch sleeve, the counterbore having a diameter larger than the external diameter of the male splines and a counterbore length longer than the spline length, wherein the counterbore has a threaded segment at a counterbore distal end, and
• a set of latch sleeve shoulders comateable with the latch pin shoulders, wherein each latch sleeve shoulder transitions from one female spline to the counterbore;
• (b) aligning the male and female splines such that an axial translatory movement of the latch sleeve relative to the latch pin causes the male and female splines to initially engage;
• (c) moving the aligned latch sleeve and latch pin together such that the male splines move into the counterbore of the latch sleeve and the female splines are adjacent the cylindrical shaft of the latch pin;
• (d) rotating the latch sleeve relative to the latch pin such that the male and female splines are misaligned and the shoulders of the latch pin abut the shoulders of the sleeve;
• and
• (e) drawing the first connector towards the second connector to connect the first and second set of couplings to form a plurality of sealed conduits.