Quick coupler for seismic streamer sections

Claim 1

In a seismic streamer cable including at least two adjacent cable sections, each section consisting of an outer jacket, at least one stress member inside said jacket, a plurality of hydrophones disposed inside said jacket at desired intervals along the length of said cable section, and a plurality of electrical conductors for transmitting signals from said hydrophones, comprising in combination: a coupler section assembly for mechanically and electrically connecting together said adjacent cable sections, said coupler section including a cylindrical hollow two-part housing including a male part and a mating female part having inner and outer walls, sealable against fluid invasion when mated, for receiving the pluralities of electrical conductors from each said cable section; a pair of axially disposed mating connector-plate assemblies in said housing, one said connector plate assembly including a plurality of individual miniature multicontact male plugs rigidly mounted thereon for receiving the conductors from one cable section, the other connector plate assembly including a pair of plates and a plurality of individual miniature multicontact female plugs floatingly mounted there-between for receiving the plurality of conductors from the other cable section; and means for releasably locking the parts of said two-part housing together after the connector-plate assemblies have been mated together.