Inspection apparatus and method for patrol-inspection of rigid cage channel

An apparatus for patrol-inspection of a rigid cage channel, comprising:

• a main bottom plate;
• a moving assembly;
• a transmission assembly;
• a driving assembly;
• a guide assembly;
• and
• a housing disposed on the main bottom plate;
• wherein the housing is disposed at a middle portion of the main bottom plate, the driving assembly is disposed inside the housing, the driving assembly comprises a tilt sensor and a pressure sensor both connected to a microcontroller, the microcontroller is connected to a driver, the driver is connected to a brushless DC motor, and an output shaft of the brushless DC motor is provided with an optical encoder connected to the driver;
• wherein the moving assembly comprises a front-wheel driving output shaft, a front-wheel driven output shaft, a rear-wheel driving output shaft, and a rear-wheel driven output shaft, the front-wheel driving output shaft and the front-wheel driven output shaft are located at a front end of the main bottom plate, the rear-wheel driving output shaft and the rear-wheel driven output shaft are located at a rear end of the main bottom plate, a wheel flange is provided at each of the front-wheel driving output shaft, the front-wheel driven output shaft, the rear-wheel driving output shaft, and the rear-wheel driven output shaft each wheel flange is connected with a respective wheel hub, a respective permanent magnet device is provided in each wheel hub, and a respective rubber skin is provided on the outer side of each wheel hub;
• wherein the transmission assembly comprises a worm connected with the output shaft of the brushless DC motor, a worm wheel disposed on the front-wheel driving output shaft and the rear-wheel driving output shaft and meshed with the worm, timing pulleys disposed at the front-wheel driving output shaft, the front-wheel driven output shaft, the rear-wheel driving output shaft, and the rear-wheel driven output shaft, a timing belt is wound on the timing pulleys of the front-wheel driving output shaft and the rear-wheel driven output shaft, and a timing belt is wound on the timing pulleys of the front-wheel driven output shaft and the rear-wheel driving output shaft;
• and
• wherein the guide assembly comprises a front-wheel guide wheel and a rear-wheel guide wheel, and the front-wheel guide wheel and the rear-wheel guide wheel are both generally disposed outside of a plane defined by an exterior lateral surface of a respective wheel hub.