Patent ID: 7342680

Claim:
An image reading apparatus comprising: a light source which emits light to illuminate an original; a reading section which reads an image of the original by receiving light coming from the original illuminated with light emitted from the light source and generates image data representing the image; a first level changing section which changes a light receiving level in the reading section in a first manner used in an imaging system from the light source to the reading section; a second level changing section which changes the light receiving level in a second manner different from the first manner and used in the imaging system from the light source to the reading section; a control section in which plural light receiving levels are generated by having the light receiving level changed synergistically by the first and the second level changing sections and which causes the reading section to read the image at each of the plural light receiving levels; and a combining section which combines plural image data obtained by reading the image at each of the plural light receiving levels.