Device for inspecting ceramic sphere

A ceramic-sphere inspection device comprising:

• a rotation supporter which rotatably supports a ceramic sphere at a given position;
• a light projector which emits illuminating light toward a surface of the ceramic sphere;
• a light receiver which detects light reflected from the ceramic sphere as inspection light;
• and
• a processor which evaluates a state of an inner part of a surface layer of the ceramic sphere in response to a detection output from the light receiver,
• wherein the light projector includes:
• a light source;
• and a light projecting unit which guides light of the light source to the surface of the ceramic sphere as illuminating light,
• the light receiver includes:
• a light amount detecting unit;
• and a light receiving unit which guides the inspection light from the ceramic sphere to the light amount detecting unit, and
• at least one of the light projecting unit and the light receiving unit includes at a front end a contact surface which can contact the surface of the ceramic sphere,
• wherein the rotation supporter can be intermittently driven;
• at least one of the light projecting unit and the light receiving unit can proceed and retreat to and from a surface direction of the ceramic sphere, and
• a contact surface at a front end of at least one of the light projecting unit and the light receiving unit closely attaches to the surface of the ceramic sphere when driving of the rotation supporter is stopped, and is detached from the surface of the ceramic sphere when the rotation supporter is driven.