Socket-Plate Body with Thumbscrew
The socket-plate body is the central piece of the pedestal. The socket part of the component constrains the ball and provides three degrees of rotation for the probe, and the plate component contains holes and indents for pedestal fixation purposes.
Dimensions of the socket were calculated based on the ball component dimensions. Given the radius of the ball and the chord (25 mm and 23.94 mm prospectively), the radius of the hole at the bottom of the socket is 23.94 mm, and the inner radius of the socket is 25 mm. Given a thickness of 3 mm, the outer radius of the socket would be 28 mm. Another hole with a 2.5 mm radius is located near the top edge of the socket. The hole is for the insertion of a 5M standard thumbscrew, which would lock the ball at any given angle within the socket.
Dimensions of the socket were calculated based on the ball component dimensions. Given the radius of the ball and the chord (25 mm and 23.94 mm prospectively), the radius of the hole at the bottom of the socket is 23.94 mm, and the inner radius of the socket is 25 mm. Given a thickness of 3 mm, the outer radius of the socket would be 28 mm. Another hole with a 2.5 mm radius is located near the top edge of the socket. The hole is for the insertion of a 5M standard thumbscrew, which would lock the ball at any given angle within the socket.
The plate part supports two mechanisms to fix the pedestal to the patient’s head: the elastic straps and the adhesives. Three rectangular indents are located 27 mm away from the origin of the center and are 120 degrees apart. These indents are for attachment of the strap. When the plate is all the way against the patient’s head, the bottom indent would be placed along the temporal window in the chin direction. These indents have dimensions of 10 mm x 6 mm x 2.1 mm with a cover of 10mm x 2.8 mm x 1mm to secure hooks in the slots.
Twelve 3 mm diameter holes are placed on the plate at four different locations. After the pedestal is installed against the patient’s head, the collodion is applied through the holes, reaching the pedestal-patient skin interface. The pedestal is positioned so the two sets of four holes will be located close to the patient’s ear and over the patient’s zygoma bones. One set of two concentrated holes will be over his/her cheek bone. These are the relatively flat areas on the human head.
A thumbscrew is inserted on the side of the socket to fix the ball and the probe at a given angular position. The screwed-in thumbscrew applies a force that is parallel to the plate surface and normal to the ball surface. This horizontal force will lock the ball securely in the socket. The thumbscrew can be screwed and unscrewed anytime whenever the probe insonation angle needs to change.
The thumbscrew is a standard M5 screw with a large head. The standard diameter makes the threading of the hole on the socket convenient for the user. The actual dimension of the screw is M5 x 0.8 x 10 MM. Also, the inner hole edge of the plate is filleted at approximately 35°, so if the probe is rotated all the way to the edge of the hole on the plate, no ultrasound signals would be blocked due to the thickness of the plate.
Twelve 3 mm diameter holes are placed on the plate at four different locations. After the pedestal is installed against the patient’s head, the collodion is applied through the holes, reaching the pedestal-patient skin interface. The pedestal is positioned so the two sets of four holes will be located close to the patient’s ear and over the patient’s zygoma bones. One set of two concentrated holes will be over his/her cheek bone. These are the relatively flat areas on the human head.
A thumbscrew is inserted on the side of the socket to fix the ball and the probe at a given angular position. The screwed-in thumbscrew applies a force that is parallel to the plate surface and normal to the ball surface. This horizontal force will lock the ball securely in the socket. The thumbscrew can be screwed and unscrewed anytime whenever the probe insonation angle needs to change.
The thumbscrew is a standard M5 screw with a large head. The standard diameter makes the threading of the hole on the socket convenient for the user. The actual dimension of the screw is M5 x 0.8 x 10 MM. Also, the inner hole edge of the plate is filleted at approximately 35°, so if the probe is rotated all the way to the edge of the hole on the plate, no ultrasound signals would be blocked due to the thickness of the plate.