INSPECTION METHOD OF FOREIGN MATTER IN GRANULAR BODY, INSPECTION DEVICE OF FOREIGN MATTER IN GRANULAR BODY, REMOVAL METHOD OF FOREIGN MATTER IN GRANULAR BODY AND REMOVAL DEVICE OF FOREIGN MATTER IN GRANULAR BODY

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inspection method of foreign matter in granular body, a removal method of foreign matter in the granular body, and devices thereof, capable of inspecting and removing foreign matter in the granular body efficiently and accurately. SOLUTION: The granular body is supplied from the first hopper to a primary vibration feeder, and then supplied quantitatively to a second hopper by vibrating the primary vibration feeder. Then, a thin layer of the granular body is sent onto a secondary vibration feeder by adjusting a slit gate, and the thin layer of the granular body is furthermore thinned by vibrating the secondary vibration feeder. The thin layer of the granular body is sent onto the first reflecting board by vibrating the first reflecting board together with the secondary vibration feeder, and the surface of the thin layer of the granular body on a first reflecting board is imaged to thereby detect foreign matter. Then, an image signal imaged by the first imaging device and/or the second imaging device is processed by an image processing device, to thereby determine existence of foreign matter in the granular body, and a foreign matter removal means is driven sequentially with the determination, and the granular body including the foreign matter are removed. COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI