PURPOSE: To enable automatic inspection by scanning the surface of the body to be inspected by a TV camera, counting continuous scanning lines when a pulse of foreign matter or defect detection is generate at an adjacent part, and deciding foreign matter or a defect from the counted value.

CONSTITUTION: The body B to be inspected which is carried to an inspection position by a conveyance device A is lighted by a lighting device C and its image is picked up by the TV camera D. When the body B to be inspected reaches a fixed position 1, the camera D which is associated with a position detecting means H catches and scans it and scans it and a processing circuit decides its scanning signal. The processing circuit calculates the number of continuous scanning lines when the pulse signal of foreign matter or defect detection is generated at the adjacent address part between adjacent scanning lines. When the counted value is larger than a set value, the foreign matter or defect is decided.