Abstract: The teachings herein relate to an inspection apparatus for visual inspection of elastic particles and to methods of inspecting elastic particles. The inspection apparatus employs at least one flap for stopping or reducing a horizontal portion of the movement of particles leaving a conveyer belt. Preferably the flap dissipates a part of the kinetic energy of the elastic particles and/or reducing a horizontal rebound of the elastic particles. The teachings herein may be employed in a method with improved accuracy of sorting elastic particles.

Abstract: It is provided an inspection apparatus (10) for visual inspecting elastic particles comprising a conveyor belt (12) for feeding a plurality of particles, particularly in mainly horizontal direction, a fall channel (14) for letting the particles fall downwards due to gravity, wherein the fall channel (14) is arranged downstream the conveyor belt (12), and at least one flap (16) for stopping a horizontal portion of the movement of the particles leaving the conveyor belt (12), wherein the at least one flap (16) is arranged downstream the conveyor belt (12), wherein the flap (16) is resilient in horizontal direction for dissipating at least a part, particularly a majority, of the kinetic energy of the particle aligned in horizontal direction. Due to the resilient flaps (16) a horizontal rebounding of the elastic particles is reduced, so that a sorting out of unwanted particles out of a plurality of elastic particles during a visual inspection with a good accuracy is enabled.