Apparatus for rotating a set of carriers for a strand supply bobbin relative to moving strands from a set of contra-rotating carriers for a strand supply bobbin

In a braiding machine having a set of rear carriers for a strand supply bobbin mounted on the rear side of a first table for rotation in one direction, the strands from a set of supply bobbins on said rear carriers passing through a set of peripheral and radially arcuate slots in said first table, a second table in front of said first table, a central axis stationary shaft for rotatable mounting of said first and second tables thereon, a drive mechanism for rotating said first and second tables in opposite directions, and an apparatus for mounting and driving a set of front carriers for a strand supply bobbin around the front side of said first table, said apparatus comprising:

• a shuttle for each said front carrier, each said shuttle having a forwardly facing platform for mounting the base of a front carrier and a rearwardly projecting segment of an arcuate slide tang having a length less than the spacing between any two of said first table arcuate slots, the radially inner side of each shuttle platform carrying a shuttle drive block having two exteriorly opening actuator slots;
• a circular shuttle mounting track carried on the front side of said first table and having arcuate segments extending between any two of said first table arcuate slots and engaging said shuttle slide tangs;
• a circular actuator cam track carried on the front side of said first table radially inwardly of said shuttle mounting track, said cam track following a constant diameter broken by a set of inwardly directed V's, the apex of each said cam track V being positioned radially inwardly of the inner end of one of said first table arcuate slots;
• and,
• a shuttle drive assembly for each said front carrier mounted on the periphery of the rear side of said second table and having two symmetrical and articulated drive arms mounted on and projecting laterally from a single actuator post, each said drive arm being in confined engagement with said actuator cam track on said first table and carrying an actuator dog for articulated movement into and out of engagement with one of each said two shuttle drive block actuator slots.