Yi Xu, Shanghai, China; Yasunori Shiraishi, Settsu, Japan; and Hideki Fujita, Settsu, Japan.
Assigned to Zuiko (Shanghai) Corporation, Shanghai, China; and Zuiko Corporation, Settsu, Japan.

Filed: 4/10/20
Issued: 6/11/24

A folding device for a disposable hygiene article, comprising: a first conveying portion for conveying the disposable hygiene article along a first path in a state where the disposable hygiene article is sandwiched from front and back sides, and having a lead-out port arranged at a terminal end of the first path; a second conveying portion for conveying, from the terminal end of the first path, the disposable hygiene article along a second path extending in a direction intersecting with the first path in a state where the disposable hygiene article is sandwiched from front and back sides, and having a lead-in port arranged at an initial end of the second path; a folding mechanism having a folding component, which is configured to fold the disposable hygiene article between the first conveying portion and the second conveying portion; a driving mechanism connected to the folding component, which is configured to drive the folding component so that the folding component performs reciprocating linear motion along the direction of the second path between a folding position and a retracted position, wherein the folding position is a position where the disposable hygiene article led out from the lead-out port is folded by pressing a part of the folding component into the lead- in port along the direction of the second path and the folded disposable hygiene article is guided in the lead-in port, and the retracted position is a position where the folding component is away from the lead-in port after the folding component performs linear motion in a direction opposite to the second path; and a guiding mechanism that includes an L-shaped plate and a direction changing component fixed to the L-shaped plate for changing a movement direction of a front end portion of the disposable hygiene article, the guiding mechanism configured for guiding, in an extension direction of the first path or by using an extension line of the first path as a reference, a front end portion of the disposable hygiene article led out from the lead-out port to an opposite side of the second conveying portion in a state where a base end portion of the disposable hygiene article is sandwiched by the first conveying portion from front and back sides, wherein the driving mechanism comprises a plurality of pulleys, at least one servo motor directly connected to any one of the pulleys, and a synchronous belt wrapped around the outer circumference of the plurality of pulleys in a looping path.