Patent ID: 8427717

Claim:
An image reading apparatus: a plurality of light-emitting circuits in which a plurality of light-emitting elements are serially connected and which irradiate light onto an original document, a drive section that electrically drives the plurality of light-emitting circuits, which are connected in parallel, a determination section that examines whether or not light of a predetermined light power is being outputted from the light-emitting elements of each of the light-emitting circuits, and determines that an abnormality has occurred in the light-emitting circuits when light of the predetermined light power is not being outputted, a discrimination section that, when the determination section has determined there is an abnormality, discriminates in which light-emitting circuit of the plurality of light-emitting circuits an abnormality has occurred, a light power control section that controls a light power of each of the light-emitting circuits, a display control section that cause a display section to display various messages to a user, a reception section that receives selection input from the user, a reading section that reads an original document image by receiving reflected light from the original document and converting the reflected light to electrical signals to output the signals as image signals, and a reading control section that controls whether or not to cause the reading section to read the original document, wherein, the light-emitting elements of each of the light-emitting circuits are provided apposed in a main scanning direction and are arrayed in main scanning direction positions alternately for each light-emitting circuit, and when the discrimination section discriminates a light-emitting circuit in which an abnormality has occurred, the display control section to cause the display section to display a message of whether or not to execute reading of the original document using the reading section, in addition to a message conveying an abnormality of the light-emitting circuit, and when the reception section has received selection input to execute reading of the original document using the reading section, the light power control section carries out control with respect to the drive section such that an output light power is increased in a light-emitting circuit other than the light-emitting circuit in which the abnormality has occurred, and the reading control section carries out control to cause the reading section to read the original document.