Braiding machine and methods of use
AssigneeInceptus Medical, LLC
InventorRichard Quick
Life of this patent
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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.
Claims20
A braiding system, comprising:
- a drive unit including—
- an outer assembly including outer slots;
- an inner assembly coaxially aligned with the outer assembly, the inner assembly including inner slots, wherein a number of the outer slots is the same as a number of the inner slots;
- a plurality of elongate members, wherein individual elongate members extend through and are constrained within individual inner and/or outer slots;
- an outer drive mechanism configured to drive at least a subset of the elongate members from the outer slots to the inner slots;
- and
- an inner drive mechanism configured to drive the subset of the elongate members from the inner slots to the outer slots.
A braiding system, comprising:
- a drive unit including—
- an outer assembly including outer slots;
- an inner assembly coaxially aligned with the outer assembly, the inner assembly including inner slots;
- a plurality of elongate members, wherein individual elongate members extend through and are constrained within individual inner and/or outer slots, and wherein the elongate members are each configured to receive one of a plurality of filaments;
- a plurality of weights configured to be secured to corresponding ones of the filaments to tension the filaments, wherein the filaments and the weights are configured to move within the elongate members;
- an outer drive mechanism configured to drive at least a subset of the elongate members from the outer slots to the inner slots;
- and
- an inner drive mechanism configured to drive the subset of the elongate members from the inner slots to the outer slots.
A method of forming a tubular braid from a plurality of filaments, the method comprising:
- rotating a first cam member to drive a first set of elongate members radially inward toward a central axis relative to a second set of the elongate members, wherein the elongate members each receive an individual one of the filaments, and wherein the elongate members extend through a corresponding one of a plurality of slots;
- rotating the first set of the elongate members about the central axis relative to the second set of the elongate members;
- and
- rotating a second cam member to drive the first set of the elongate member radially outward away from the central axis relative to the second set of the elongate members.
A method of forming a tubular braid from a plurality of filaments, the method comprising:
- coupling one of a plurality of weights to each of the filaments to tension the filaments;
- positioning individual ones of the weights in corresponding ones of a plurality of elongate members;
- driving a first set of the elongate members radially inward toward a central axis relative to a second set of the elongate members, wherein the elongate members each receive an individual one of the filaments and individual one of the weights, and wherein the elongate members extend through a corresponding one of a plurality of slots;
- rotating the first set of the elongate members about the central axis relative to the second set of the elongate members;
- and
- driving the first set of the elongate members radially outward away from the central axis relative to the second set of the elongate members.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.