Patent ID: 7403278

Claim:
A surface inspection apparatus which inspects a plurality of surfaces formed in a peripheral edge portion of a plate-like object, the apparatus comprising: a photographing mechanism, which photographs the peripheral edge portion of the plate-like object having a plurality of surfaces; and an image processing device, which processes an image obtained by the photographing mechanism; the photographing mechanism including an optical system which guides images of the plurality of surfaces of the plate-like object in one direction, and a camera unit having an image pickup surface, on which the images of the plurality of surfaces guided by the optical system in the one direction are formed; wherein the peripheral edge portion of the plate-like object includes a circumferential surface of the plate-like object, a first tapered surface formed by chamfering a first edge portion made by the circumferential surface and a first surface of the plate-like object, and a second tapered surface formed by chamfering a second edge portion made by the circumferential surface and a second surface of the plate-like object; and the optical system includes a first guide mirror which reflects an image of the first tapered surface and guides the image to the camera unit, a second guide mirror which reflects an image of the second tapered surface and guides the image to the camera unit, and a compensating lens which is mounted between the camera unit and the circumferential surface and forms the image of the circumferential surface on the image pickup surface of the camera unit.