To provide a static eliminator capable of performing an operation of reaching a
contact position from a separation position of a static
elimination roller, without expanding a
paper sheet interval between a preceding sheet for which static
elimination is unnecessary and a following sheet for which the static
elimination is necessary.SOLUTION: When plain paper sheets are continuously conveyed at
paper sheet intervals (T1, time t0 to time t1), the plain paper sheets are statically eliminated only by a non-
contact type static eliminator. After a front end of a preceding
paper sheet reaches a nipping area at a static elimination nipping part (time t1), a reaching operation of a contact / separation mechanism 150 is started at time t10 after elapsing of a reaching operation
start time "400 msec". In this manner, before a rear end of the preceding plain paper passes through the nipping area (time t2), movement of a static elimination roller is started from a separation position to a
contact position; and before a front end of a following synthetic paper sheet reaches the nipping area (time t31), the movement of the static elimination roller to the
contact position is completed. Thus, the movement of the static elimination roller from the separation position to the contact position can be completed without expanding a paper sheet interval (T1).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9