Spherical surface inspection equipment for optically examining the

Abstract

Spherical surface inspection equipment which optically examines the nature of the surface of a sphere to be examined, is made up of light illumination member including a point of light source for emitting a luminous flux, at predetermined angle of spread in a specific direction which is disposed in such a way that the exit point of the luminous flux matches a first focal point, and a curved-face mirror whose mirror surface is defined by a predetermined inner surface area which forms a part of a curved surface obtained by rotating a specific curve around a specific axis including the first focal point and includes and extends through at least 180 degrees around the axis. The spherical surface inspection equipment also includes sphere-to-be-examined drive member which retains the sphere such that its center is brought in alignment with the second focal point, and which rotates the sphere about the axis of rotation along a specific half of the meridian included between the poles on the surface of the sphere opposite to the predetermined inner surface of the curved-surface mirror; and surface nature determination member which limits the light reflected from the sphere to only the light reflected from an area corresponding to a predetermined width between the half of the specific meridian included between the poles and detects the thus-limited reflected light through use of at least one photodiode; and which determines the nature of the surface of the sphere according to the result of such detection.