Patent ID: 8149474

Claim:
An image reading apparatus for reading an original document and capturing image data, the apparatus comprising: a plurality of image reading units, each of which is arranged so as to move relatively with respect to the original document, capture the image data by reading an area of the original document with a longitudinal direction perpendicular to the moving direction, and have a reading position separated by a predetermined distance in the moving direction; an accepting unit for accepting a resolution utilized to read the original document by the plurality of image reading units; a read controlling unit for changing a position of the read area on the original document, which is utilized by each of the plurality of image reading units based, on the resolution accepted by the accepting unit; and a combining unit for combining the image data captured from a same reading position by each of the plurality of image reading units, wherein the read controlling unit changes each reading position of the image reading units by controlling each reading timing of the image reading units based on the resolution accepted by the accepting unit, the accepting unit accepts a first resolution or a second resolution that is lower than the first resolution, in a case where the accepting unit accepts the first resolution, the read controlling unit changes each reading position of the image reading units continuously to be separated by a shorter distance than the predetermined distance, and in a case where the accepting unit accepts the second resolution, the read controlling unit changes each reading position of the image reading units continuously with the predetermined distance serving as one unit.