Braiding machine and methods of use
First Claim
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1. A braiding system, comprising:
- an upper drive unit including (a) an outer assembly including (i) outer slots, (ii) outer drive members, and (iii) an outer drive mechanism configured to move the outer drive members, and (b) an inner assembly including (i) inner slots, (ii) inner drive members, and (iii) an inner drive mechanism configured to move the inner drive members;
a lower drive unit including (a) an outer assembly including (i) outer slots, (ii) outer drive members, and (iii) an outer drive mechanism configured to move the outer drive members, and (b) an inner assembly including (i) inner slots, (ii) inner drive members, and (iii) an inner drive mechanism configured to move the inner drive members;
a mandrel coaxial with the upper and lower drive units; and
a plurality of tubes extending between the upper drive unit and the lower drive unit, wherein individual tubes are constrained within individual ones of the inner and/or outer slots, wherein individual tubes are configured to receive individual filaments, and wherein the upper drive unit and the lower drive unit act against the tubes in synchronization.
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Abstract
Systems and methods for forming a tubular braid are disclosed herein. A braiding system configured in accordance with embodiments of the present technology can include, for example, an upper drive unit, a lower drive unit, a mandrel coaxial with the upper and lower drive units, and a plurality of tubes extending between the upper drive unit and the lower drive unit. Each tube can be configured to receive individual filaments for forming the tubular braid, and the upper drive unit and the lower drive unit can act against the tubes in synchronization to cross the filaments over and under one another to form the tubular braid on the mandrel.
134 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A braiding system, comprising:
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an upper drive unit including (a) an outer assembly including (i) outer slots, (ii) outer drive members, and (iii) an outer drive mechanism configured to move the outer drive members, and (b) an inner assembly including (i) inner slots, (ii) inner drive members, and (iii) an inner drive mechanism configured to move the inner drive members; a lower drive unit including (a) an outer assembly including (i) outer slots, (ii) outer drive members, and (iii) an outer drive mechanism configured to move the outer drive members, and (b) an inner assembly including (i) inner slots, (ii) inner drive members, and (iii) an inner drive mechanism configured to move the inner drive members; a mandrel coaxial with the upper and lower drive units; and a plurality of tubes extending between the upper drive unit and the lower drive unit, wherein individual tubes are constrained within individual ones of the inner and/or outer slots, wherein individual tubes are configured to receive individual filaments, and wherein the upper drive unit and the lower drive unit act against the tubes in synchronization. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A braiding system, comprising:
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an outer assembly including (i) a central opening, (ii) a first outer cam, (iii) a second outer cam positioned adjacent to the first outer cam and coaxially aligned with the first outer cam along a longitudinal axis, (iv) outer slots extending radially relative to the longitudinal axis, and (v) an outer drive mechanism; an inner assembly in the central opening of the outer assembly, the inner assembly including (i) an inner cam, (ii) inner slots extending radially relative to the longitudinal axis, (iii) and an inner drive mechanism; and a plurality of tubes constrained within the inner and/or outer slots, wherein the outer drive mechanism is configured to (i) rotate the first outer cam to drive a first set of the tubes radially inward from the outer slots to the inner slots and (ii) rotate the second outer cam to drive a second set of the tubes radially inward from the outer slots to the inner slots, and wherein the inner drive mechanism is configured to (i) rotate the inner cam to move either the first or second set of tubes radially outward from the inner slots to the outer slots and (ii) rotate the inner assembly relative to the outer assembly. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method of forming a tubular braid, comprising:
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driving a first cam having a central axis to move a first set of tubes radially inward toward the central axis; rotating the first set of tubes in a first direction about the central axis; driving a second cam coaxially aligned with the first cam to move the first set of tubes radially outward away from the central axis; driving a third cam coaxially aligned with first cam to move a second set of tubes radially inward toward the central axis; rotating the second set of tubes in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, about the central axis; and driving the second cam to move the second set of tubes radially outward away from the central axis. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A method of forming a tubular braid, comprising:
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engaging upper end portions of a first set of tubes of a plurality of tubes to drive the first set of tubes radially inward from an outer assembly to an inner assembly of an upper drive unit, while synchronously engaging lower end portions of the first set of tubes to drive the first set of tubes radially inward from an outer assembly to an inner assembly of a lower drive unit; synchronously rotating the inner assemblies of the upper and lower drive units to rotate the first set of tubes in a first direction; engaging the upper end portions of the first set of tubes to drive the first set of tubes radially outward from the inner assembly to the outer assembly of the upper drive unit, while synchronously engaging the lower end portions of the first set of tubes to drive the first set of tubes radially outward from the inner assembly to the outer assembly of the lower drive unit; engaging upper end portions of a second set of tubes of the plurality of tubes to drive the second set of tubes radially inward from the outer assembly to the inner assembly of the upper drive unit, while synchronously engaging lower end portions of the second set of tubes to drive the second set of tubes radially inward from the outer assembly to the inner assembly of the lower drive unit; synchronously rotating the inner assemblies of the upper and lower drive units to rotate the second set of tubes in a second direction opposite the first direction; and engaging the upper end portions of the second set of tubes to drive the second set of tubes radially outward from the inner assembly to the outer assembly of the upper drive unit, while synchronously engaging the lower end portions of the second set of tubes to drive the second set of tubes radially outward from the inner assembly to the outer assembly of the lower drive unit. - View Dependent Claims (25)
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Specification