Braiding machine with non-circular geometry

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016348288-A1
Application number	US-201514721314-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 26, 2015
Priority date	May 26, 2015
Publication date	Dec 1, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A braiding machine in which spools wound with tensile elements are mounted on carriages that are disposed on a rotor track around the perimeter of the braiding machine. The perimeter of the braiding machine is non-circular, such that the area enclosed by the perimeter of the non-circular braiding machine is substantially less than the area enclosed by a circular braiding machine having a perimeter of the same length as the perimeter of the non-circular braiding machine.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A braiding machine, comprising:
a plurality of rotor metals arranged along a rotor track; a plurality of carriages disposed between the rotor metals along the rotor track; wherein a rotor metal of the plurality of rotor metals has a first concave side for receiving a first carriage and a second concave side for receiving a second carriage, and wherein as the rotor metal rotates a position of the first carriage along the rotor track is changed and wherein as the rotor metal rotates a position of the second carriage along the rotor track is changed; wherein the rotor track comprises a first portion and a second portion, and wherein a radius of curvature of the second portion of the rotor track is substantially greater than a radius of curvature of the first portion of the rotor track.

2 . The braiding machine of claim 1 , wherein the carriages are disposed at a plurality of positions around a perimeter of the braiding machine, and any carriage may be transported from any position on a perimeter of the braiding machine to any other position on the perimeter of the braiding machine.

3 . The braiding machine of claim 1 , further comprising spools wound with tensile elements mounted on the carriages, wherein the tensile elements extend from the spools to a ring located at a braid point of the braiding machine.

4 . The braiding machine of claim 1 , wherein the first portion is a first semi-circular portion and the second portion is a first linear portion.

5 . The braiding machine of claim 4 , further comprising a third portion and a fourth portion,
wherein the third portion is a second semi-circular portion and the fourth portion is a second linear portion, wherein the second portion connects a first end of the first portion to a first end of the third portion, and wherein the fourth portion connects a second end of the first portion to a second end of the third portion.

6 . The braiding machine of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of rotor metals comprises at least 96 rotor metals.

7 . The braiding machine of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of rotor metals comprises at least 144 rotor metals.

8 . The braiding machine of claim 1 , further comprising a third portion,
wherein the first portion is a quarter-circular corner portion and the third portion is a quarter-circular corner portion, and wherein the second portion connects a first end of the first portion to a first end of the third portion.

9 . The braiding machine of claim 1 , wherein the rotor track comprises a curved portion and a linear portion.

10 . The braiding machine of claim 1 , wherein the rotor track comprises at least one lobe portion.

11 . A braiding machine comprising: a rotor track;
a plurality of rotor metals disposed on the rotor track; and a plurality of carriages disposed on the rotor track between the rotor metals; wherein the rotor track has an outer perimeter and the outer perimeter forms a simple closed curve that encloses an area; and wherein the area enclosed by the outer perimeter of the rotor track is substantially less than an area enclosed by a circle whose circumference is equal to a length of the outer perimeter of the simple closed curve.

12 . The braiding machine of claim 11 , wherein the simple closed curve is a convex simple closed curve.

13 . The braiding machine of claim 11 , wherein the simple closed curve comprises concave portions.

14 . The braiding machine of claim 11 , wherein the simple closed curve comprises at least one linear portion.

15 . The braiding machine of claim 11 , wherein the simple closed curve has a racetrack geometry.

16 . The braiding machine of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of rotor metals comprises at least 96 rotor metals.

17 . The braiding machine of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of rotor metals comprises at least 144 rotor metals.

18 . A braiding machine comprising:
a rotor track that has an inner perimeter that forms a simple closed curve; a plurality of rotor metals arranged along the rotor track; a plurality of carriages disposed on the rotor track adjoining the rotor metals; a plurality of spools mounted on the carriages; a plurality of tensile elements, wherein each tensile element extends from one of the plurality of spools to a braid point within the simple closed curve formed by the inner perimeter of the rotor track; wherein a longest distance from each of the plurality of spools to the braid point is substantially greater than a shortest distance from each of the plurality of spools to the braid point.

19 . The braiding machine of claim 18 , wherein each of the rotor metals comprises a first concave side and a second concave side, and wherein one of the carriages of the plurality of carriages is disposed adjoining the first concave side of each of the rotor metals and another one of the carriages of the plurality of carriages is disposed adjoining the second concave side of each of the rotor metals.

20 . The braiding machine of claim 18 , wherein each of the rotor metals has a first rotation direction and a second rotation direction which is opposite to the first rotation direction, and wherein each of the rotor metals may be rotated in both the first rotation direction and the second rotation direction.

21 . The braiding machine of claim 18 , wherein the braid point is positioned approximately at the geometric center of the simple closed curve.

22 . The braiding machine of claim 18 , wherein the simple closed curve is an oval.

23 . The braiding machine of claim 18 , wherein the simple closed curve comprises a first semi-circular end portion, a second semi-circular end portion, a first linear portion connecting a first end of the first semi-circular end portion to a first end of the second semi-circular end portion, and a second linear portion connecting a second end of the first semi-circular end portion to a second end of the second semi-circular end portion.

24 . The braiding machine of claim 18 , wherein the plurality of rotor metals comprises at least 96 rotor metals.

25 . The braiding machine of claim 18 , wherein the plurality of rotor metals comprises at least 144 rotor metals.

26 . The braiding machine of claim 18 , wherein the plurality of rotor metals comprises between 144 and 288 rotor metals, inclusive.

27 . The braiding machine of claim 18 , wherein the longest distance from each of the plurality of spools to the braid point is at least 30% greater than the shortest distance from each of the plurality of spools to the braid point

Assignees

• Nike Inc

Inventors

• Lee Eun Kyung

Classifications

• D04C3/36 Primary

  Frames · CPC title

• D04C3/18 Primary

  for vertical spools · CPC title

• D04C3/28 Primary

  by stopping only the spool carrier · CPC title