Braiding machine with non-circular geometry

• US 10,060,057 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2015
• Issued: 08/28/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nike, Inc.
• Inventors: Lee, Eun Kyung
• Primary Examiner(s): Hurley, Shaun R
• Application Number:
  US14/721,314
• Publication Number:
  US 20160348288A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,190 Days
• CPC Class Codes: D04C 3/18 for vertical spools
• CPC Class Codes: D04C 3/28 by stopping only the spool carrier
• CPC Class Codes: D04C 3/36 Frames

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.

Claims

1. A braiding machine, comprising:

a plurality of rotor metals arranged along a rotor track comprising at least one curved portion and an outer perimeter; and

a plurality of carriages disposed between the plurality of rotor metals along the rotor track,

wherein, when at rest, a central axis of each rotor metal is oriented in a direction that is normal to a tangent of the outer perimeter of the rotor track,

wherein, when at rest, a central axis of each carriage is oriented in a direction that is normal to a tangent of the outer perimeter of the rotor track,

wherein, on the at least one curved portion of the rotor track, the orientation of the central axis of the carriages and the orientation of the central axis of the adjoining rotor metals are at an angle relative to each other,

wherein a first 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 first rotor metal rotates, a position of the first 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 greater than a radius of curvature of the first portion of the rotor track.

2. The braiding machine of claim 1, wherein the plurality of carriages are disposed at a plurality of positions around a perimeter of the braiding machine, and wherein any carriage may be transported from any position on the 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 respectively on the plurality of 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 at least one 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 comprising at least one curved portion and an outer perimeter;

a plurality of rotor metals disposed on the rotor track; and

a plurality of carriages disposed on the rotor track and positioned between the plurality of rotor metals,

wherein, when at rest, a central axis of each rotor metal is oriented in a direction that is normal to a tangent of the outer perimeter of the rotor track,

wherein, when at rest, a central axis of each carriage is oriented in a direction that is normal to a tangent of the outer perimeter of the rotor track,

wherein, on the at least one curved portion of the rotor track, the orientation of the central axis of the carriages and the orientation of the central axis of the adjoining rotor metals are at an angle relative to each other,

wherein 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 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 one or more 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 with at least one curved portion, the rotor track having an inner perimeter that forms a simple closed curve and an outer perimeter;

a plurality of rotor metals arranged along the rotor track;

a plurality of carriages disposed on the rotor track and adjoining the plurality of rotor metals;

a plurality of spools mounted respectively on the plurality of 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, when at rest, a central axis of each rotor metal is oriented in a direction that is normal to a tangent of the outer perimeter of the rotor track,

wherein, when at rest, a central axis of each carriage is oriented in a direction that is normal to a tangent of the outer perimeter of the rotor track,

wherein, on the at least one curved portion of the rotor track, the orientation of the central axis of a first carriage of the plurality of carriages and the orientation of the central axis of a first rotor metal of the plurality of rotor metals positioned adjacent the first carriage are at an angle relative to each other,

wherein a longest distance from each of the plurality of spools to the braid point is 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 one of the plurality of rotor metals comprises a first concave side and a second concave side, and wherein each rotor metal of the plurality of rotor metals has a carriage adjacent its first concave side and a carriage adjacent its second concave side on the rotor track.

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

21. The braiding machine of claim 18, wherein the braid point is positioned at a 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 14 rotor metals.

26. The braiding machine of claim 18, wherein the plurality of rotor metals comprises between 14 and 28 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.