Image reading apparatus, an image forming apparatus, and an image reading method

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce a user's discomfort due to flicker due to lighting and extinction of the light source.SOLUTION: An image reading apparatus comprises: a plurality of light sources capable of applying light from different irradiation positions predetermined with respect to an object to be read; illumination control means for controlling so that a plurality of light sources are sequentially and alternately turned on and off sequentially at intervals at which blinking cannot be recognized by human eyes; an imaging unit that photoelectrically converts the reflected light of the light irradiated by the plurality of light sources sequentially and alternately to the object to be read for each pixel and captures a plurality of read images; a storage unit that stores results of imaging by the imaging unit as one or more read images when at least one of the plurality of light sources applies light to the reading target; and an image combining unit using a plurality of light sources to sequentially and alternately apply light to the object to be read so as to combine each predetermined setting area when the change in the image level due to the specular reflection light of each of the plurality of read images taken by the imaging unit is small, to combine the read images.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4