IMAGE READING DEVICE, IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS, AND IMAGE READING METHOD

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image reading device capable of determining whether or not an input image is a blank image even when the input image includes information continuing in a relatively long span in a single direction.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus according to the present invention includes an image reading unit and a control unit. The image reading unit reads a document to obtain an input image. The input image is formed of a plurality of pixels arranged along a main scanning direction and a sub scanning direction of the document. The control unit determines whether or not the input image is a blank image on the basis of a main scanning maximum consecutive number that is the maximum value of the consecutive number of non-white lines in the main scanning direction, and a sub scanning maximum consecutive number that is the maximum value of the consecutive number of non-white lines in the sub scanning direction.