Patent ID: 8678171

Claim:
A passing apparatus of a workpiece associated with an absorbent article that receives at a receiving position a first sheet-like workpiece being transported in a transporting direction, changes a longitudinal direction of the first sheet-like workpiece to a direction that intersects the longitudinal direction of the timing when the first sheet-like workpiece is received at the receiving position, and discharges at a discharge position the first sheet-like workpiece whose longitudinal direction is changed, comprising: a plurality of holding pads having a plane section that is in contact with a surface of the first sheet-like workpiece and holds the first sheet-like workpiece; a revolution mechanism that causes the holding pad to revolve about a revolution axis parallel to a normal direction of the plane section; and a spin mechanism that causes the holding pad to spin about a spin axis parallel to the normal direction of the plane section, wherein on an orbit of the holding pad determined by the revolution mechanism, the receiving position and the discharge position are set, at the receiving position, the longitudinal direction of the first sheet-like workpiece points in the transporting direction, the holding pad includes a holding surface in which the plane section is included, the holding surface is formed so that a longitudinal direction and a width direction thereof are respectively aligned with a longitudinal direction and a width direction of the holding pad, the holding pad passes the receiving position on the orbit by a movement of the holding pad along the transporting direction in a state where the spin mechanism causes the longitudinal direction of the holding pad to point in a direction parallel to the transporting direction of the first sheet-like workpiece, the holding pad passes the discharge position on the orbit by a movement of the holding pad in the direction parallel to the transporting direction in a state where the spin mechanism causes the longitudinal direction of the holding pad to point in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the holding pad at the receiving position, when a downstream end of the holding pad in a revolving direction passes the receiving position, the holding pad associated with the downstream end is in a straight line with an adjacent holding pad positioned on a downstream side of the holding pad in the revolving direction and a space between the downstream end and an upstream end of the adjacent holding pad becomes smallest within an entire edge of the orbit, and after the downstream end passes the receiving position, the space is enlarged.