Method and apparatus for inspecting extraneous solid substances contained in liquid

An apparatus for determining the presence of extraneous solid substances in a liquid in a transparent container, said apparatus comprising:

• a rotatable turntable means for supporting and rotating said container thereon;
• a light source adjacent turntable means and said container thereon for projecting light rays toward said container;
• a condenser lens between said light source and said container on said turntable means for collimating the light rays from said light source directed toward said container;
• a plurality of photoelectric members;
• scanning means between said turntable and said photoelectric members for receiving the light rays from said light soruce passing through said container unobstructed by any of said extraneous solid substances and optically transferring said light rays to said photoelectric members, said scanning means comprised of:
• an optical fiber line-circle converter means, the line portion thereof adjacent said container, for receiving said light rays travelling through said container, and
• a plurality of rotating scan heads of optical transfer material rotatable about the circle end of said converter, said scan heads having shaft portions coaxially aligned with the longitudinal axial center of the circle end of said converter, and said scan heads being optically connected to said photoelectric members;
• focusing lens means between said container and the line end of said converter for focusing the light rays passing through said container onto the line end of said converter;
• and
• amplifying means connected to said photoelectric members for amplifying the output from said photoelectric members.