Patent ID: 7602536

Claim:
An image reading apparatus comprising: an image sensor with plurality of line sensors disposed in a direction, each of the line sensors having light receivers for each pixel aligned in the direction; output devices for respective line sensors that output pixel signals obtained from the respective light receivers constituting the line sensors in an alignment order of the light receivers; a conversion device that converts pixel signals outputted from the respective output devices into digital pixel data and outputs the pixel data; a data storage memory capable of storing pixel data; a data reduction rate setting device that sets data reduction rate indicating rate of pixel data to be written amongst the pixel data outputted from the conversion device; reduction devices for respective line sensors that take pixel data from corresponding line sensors amongst pixel data outputted from the conversion device, and output only predetermined number of pixel data according to data reduction rate set in the data reduction rate setting device amongst the respective taken pixel data; and a writing device that writes pixel data outputted from the reduction devices into the data storage memory.