1. An apparatus for retaining a wellbore member, the apparatus comprising:
a wellhead housing, the wellhead housing having a bore with an axis and an annular lock groove on an inner diameter surface of the bore;
a wellbore member concentrically located within the bore of the wellhead housing, the wellbore member having a shoulder and a seal pocket above the shoulder, the seal pocket defining an annulus between the wellbore member and the wellhead housing;
an annular lock ring positioned in the annulus, the annular lock ring having an outer diameter profile for engaging the lock groove and being radially expandable from an unset position to a set position, the set position preventing upward axial movement of the wellbore member relative to the wellhead housing, the lock ring having an inward and upward facing tapered surface and a cylindrical surface extending downward from the tapered surface;
an energizing ring positioned in the annulus above the lock ring, the energizing ring being axially movable from an upper position to a lower position, the energizing ring having an outward and downward facing lower tapered surface that engages the tapered surface of the lock ring to push the lock ring outward to the set position as the energizing ring moves downward; and
a cylindrical surface on the energizing ring extending upward from the lower tapered surface and engaging the cylindrical surface on the lock ring when the lock ring is in the set position, wherein while the energizing ring is in the set position, the energizing ring can move a predetermined axial distance relative to the lock ring without permitting any radial movement of the annular lock ring.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lower tapered surface of the energizing ring is spaced below the tapered surface of the lock ring while the lock ring is in the set position.
3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lower tapered surface of the energizing ring is free of engagement with the lock ring while the lock ring is in the set position.
4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the energizing ring further comprises:
an upper tapered surface extending downward and outward and extending upward from the cylindrical surface on the energizing ring, the upper tapered surface engaging the tapered surface on the lock ring while the lock ring is in the set position.
5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the upper and lower tapered surfaces incline at a same angle relative to the axis.
6. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the cylindrical surface on the energizing ring has an axial length that is less than an axial length of each of the upper and lower tapered surfaces.
7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cylindrical surface on the energizing ring is positioned so that a lower end of the cylindrical surface on the energizing ring will contact an upper end of the cylindrical surface on the lock ring when the lock ring has fully engaged the lock groove.
8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lower tapered surface of the energizing ring slides against the tapered surface of the lock ring while the energizing ring is moving downward until the lock ring engages the lock groove, at which point the cylindrical surface of the energizing ring contacts the cylindrical surface of the lock ring, and continued downward movement of the energizing ring causes the cylindrical surface of the energizing ring to slide downwardly on the cylindrical surface of the lock ring.
9. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an annular seal located above the energizing ring, wherein downward movement of the annular seal, relative to the wellhead housing, causes the energizing ring to move downward relative to the lock ring.
10. An apparatus for retaining a wellbore member, the apparatus comprising:
a wellhead housing, the wellhead housing having a bore with an axis and an annular lock groove on an inner diameter surface of the bore;
a wellbore member concentrically located within the bore of the wellhead housing, the wellbore member having a shoulder and a seal pocket above the shoulder, the seal pocket defining an annulus between the wellbore member and the wellhead housing;
an annular lock ring positioned in the annulus, the annular lock ring having an outer diameter profile for engaging the lock groove and being radially expandable from an unset position to a set position, the set position preventing upward axial movement of the wellbore member relative to the wellhead housing, the lock ring having an inward and upward facing tapered surface and a cylindrical surface extending downward from the tapered surface;
an energizing ring positioned in the annulus above the lock ring, the energizing ring being axially movable from an upper position to a lower position, the energizing ring having an outward and downward facing lower tapered surface that engages the tapered surface of the lock ring to push the lock ring outward to the set position as the energizing ring moves downward;
a cylindrical surface on the energizing ring extending upward from the lower tapered surface and engaging the cylindrical surface on the lock ring when the lock ring is in the set position, wherein while the energizing ring is in the set position, the energizing ring can move a predetermined axial distance relative to the lock ring without permitting any radial movement of the annular lock ring and the lower tapered surface of the energizing ring is free of engagement with the lock ring while the lock ring is in the set position; and
wherein the lower tapered surface of the energizing ring slides against the tapered surface of the lock ring while the energizing ring is moving downward until the lock ring engages the lock groove, at which point the cylindrical surface of the energizing ring contacts the cylindrical surface of the lock ring, and continued downward movement of the energizing ring causes the cylindrical surface of the energizing ring to slide downwardly on the cylindrical surface of the lock ring.
11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the lower tapered surface of the energizing ring is spaced below the tapered surface of the lock ring while the lock ring is in the set position.
12. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the energizing ring further comprises:
an upper tapered surface extending downward and outward and extending upward from the cylindrical surface on the energizing ring, the upper tapered surface engaging the tapered surface on the lock ring while the lock ring is in the set position.
13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the upper and lower tapered surfaces incline at a same angle relative to the axis.
14. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the cylindrical surface on the energizing ring has an axial length that is less than an axial length of each of the upper and lower tapered surfaces.
15. The apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising an annular seal located above the energizing ring, wherein downward movement of the annular seal, relative to the wellhead housing, causes the energizing ring to move downward relative to the lock ring.
16. A method for securing a wellbore member in a bore of a wellhead housing, the method comprising:
(a) providing an annular lock groove on an inner diameter surface of the bore of the wellhead housing;
(b) positioning the wellbore member concentrically within the bore of the wellhead housing, the wellbore member and the wellhead housing defining an annulus therebetween;
(c) positioning an annular lock ring in the annulus, the lock ring having an inward and upward facing tapered surface and a cylindrical surface extending downward from the tapered surface;
(d) positioning an energizing ring positioned in the annulus above the lock ring, the energizing ring having an outward and downward facing lower tapered surface and a cylindrical surface extending upward from the lower tapered surface; and
(e) moving the energizing ring downward so that the downward facing lower tapered surface pushes the lock ring outward to engage the lock groove until the downward facing lower tapered surface is below the upward facing tapered surface of the lock ring and at least a portion of the cylindrical surface of the energizing ring engages the cylindrical surface of the annular lock ring.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the energizing ring comprises an upper tapered surface facing downward and outward and extending upward from the cylindrical surface on the energizing ring, and wherein step (e) further comprises engaging the tapered surface on the lock ring with the upper tapered surface of the energizing ring while the lock ring is in the set position.
18. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of, after step (e), moving the energizing ring a predetermined axial distance, relative to the lock ring, without causing the lock ring to disengage the lock groove.
19. The method of claim 16, wherein step (e) further comprises the step of sliding the cylindrical surface of the energizing ring downward within the cylindrical surface of the lock ring.
20. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of providing an annular seal above the energizing ring in the annulus, and wherein downward movement of the annular seal causes the energizing ring to move downward.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An optical connector to which an optical fiber cord including an optical fiber ribbon and a sheath is attached, the optical fiber ribbon containing a plurality of optical fibers, and the sheath covering the optical fiber ribbon, comprising:
a ferrule member holding a plurality of embedded fibers respectively to be fusion-spliced to the plurality of optical fibers;
a fusion splice protection sleeve for protecting the fusion-spliced portion of the optical fibers and the embedded fibers;
a housing for accommodating the ferrule member and the fusion splice protection sleeve, the housing having a male screw part around an outer circumference, and having, at a rear end, a recess for receiving a torn portion of the sheath; and
a fixing member for fixing the sheath to the housing by clamping the sheath between the housing and the fixing member, the fixing member having a female screw part around an inner circumference so as to engage with the male screw part of the housing, and being attached to the rear portion of the housing.
2. An optical connector according to claim 1, wherein
the splice protection sleeve has a reinforcing metal plate extending in the longitudinal direction of the splice protection sleeve.
3. An optical connector according to claim 1, wherein
the ferrule member has a ferrule body and a spacer, the ferrule body having a pair of guiding holes for inserting a guide pin, the spacer being arranged at the rear side of the ferrule body and having one pair of projections respectively to be inserted into each guiding hole.
4. An optical connector according to claim 1, wherein
the cross-section of the rear end portion of the housing is an ellipse expanding in a width direction of the optical fiber ribbon, and the recess is provided on a side having a smaller curvature of the ellipse.
5. A method of attaching an optical fiber cord to an optical connector, the optical fiber cord having a sheath and an optical fiber ribbon containing a plurality of optical fibers, the method comprising steps of:
exposing the optical fiber ribbon at an end portion of the optical fiber cord by tearing the sheath;
attaching a splice protection sleeve to the optical fiber cord;
fusion-splicing the plurality of optical fibers respectively with embedded fibers held in a ferrule member;
protecting the fusion spliced portion of the optical fibers and the embedded fibers by the splice protection sleeve;
putting the ferrule member and the splice protection sleeve into a housing;
putting a torn portion of the sheath onto a recess existing at a rear end part of the housing; and
fixing the sheath to the housing by attaching a fixing member to the rear portion of the housing so as to clamp the sheath.
6. An optical connector according to claim 2, wherein
the ferrule member has a ferrule body and a spacer, the ferrule body having a pair of guiding holes for inserting a guide pin, the spacer being arranged at the rear side of the ferrule body and having one pair of projections respectively to be inserted into each guiding hole.