Patent ID: 8068656

Claim:
An x-ray inspection apparatus comprising: an irradiation unit configured and arranged to irradiate x-rays to an inspected object; an x-ray detection unit configured and arranged to detect an amount of x-rays that are irradiated by the irradiation unit and transmitted through the inspected object; a sample image obtaining unit configured to obtain a plurality of sample x-ray transmission images of a plurality of sample inspected objects based on an amount of x-rays irradiated to each of the sample inspected objects detected by the x-ray detection unit; an input unit configured to receive inputs of actual masses of the sample inspected objects; an ideal curve generating unit configured to generate an ideal curve which indicates a mass per unit area with respect to a brightness per unit area included in the sample x-ray transmission images; a curve adjustment unit configured to adjust the ideal curve generated by the ideal curve generating unit for a plurality of gradation levels based on the actual masses input in the input unit; and a mass estimation unit configured to estimate a mass of the inspected object based on the amount of x-rays irradiated to the inspected object and detected by the x-ray detection unit according to the ideal curve adjusted by the curve adjustment unit.