IMAGE READING APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DRIVING APPROPRIATE PHOTOELECTRIC ENERGY CONVERTING ELEMENTS WHEN FIRST AND SECOND DRIVING VOLTAGES ARE APPLIED SIMUTANEOUSLY

An image reading apparatus and method in which a plurality of photoelectric energy converting elements disposed in a one-dimensional array is divided every m elements into n first blocks B.sub.1, B.sub.2, . . . , B.sub.n, driving voltages are applied sequentially to the units of m photoelectric energy converting elements in the first blocks B.sub.1, B.sub.2, . . . , B.sub.n, and the electrical signals of the photoelectric energy converting elements are read out. The drive side on which the driving voltage is sequentially applied to the above-mentioned divided n first blocks, B.sub.1, B.sub.2, . . . , B.sub.n is further divided every x first blocks into y second blocks C.sub.1, C.sub.2, . . . , C.sub.y, and are provided a first voltage application means which applies a first driving voltage (D1, D2, . . . , Dy) in sequence to the units of x first blocks B.sub.1, B.sub.2, . . . , B.sub.x in the second blocks C.sub.1, C.sub.2, . . . , C.sub.y, a second voltage application means which applies a second driving voltage (E1, E2, . . . , Ex) in sequence to the first blocks B.sub.1, B.sub.2, . . . , B.sub.x in the same relative positions in the respective second blocks C.sub.1, C.sub.2, . . . , C.sub.y and a matrix driver which applies the driving voltage to drive the units of m photoelectric energy converting elements 10, 12 in the appropriate first blocks when the above-mentioned first driving voltage and second driving voltage are applied simultaneously to the first blocks B.sub.1, B.sub.2, . . . , B.sub.n.