Photoacoustic apparatus, operation method of photoacoustic apparatus, and program

• US 10,012,617 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2014
• Issued: 07/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Abe, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hulka, James R
• Application Number:
  US14/503,949
• Publication Number:
  US 20150098305A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,371 Days
• Field of Search: 367140
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0095 by applying light and detecting acoustic waves, i.e. photoacoustic measurements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7235 Details of waveform analysis A61B5/349 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/0654 Imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/2418 using optoacoustic interaction with the material, e.g. laser radiation, photoacoustics photoacoustic cells G01N21/1702; measuring characteristics of vibrations by using radiation-sensitive means G01H9/00; acousto-optical conversion techniques for short-range imaging G01S15/8965; sound-producing devices using laser bundle G10K15/046

Abstract

A photoacoustic apparatus disclosed in the present specification includes: an acoustic wave transmission unit configured to transmit a transmission acoustic wave to a specific area; a control unit configured to control a transmission waveform of the transmission acoustic wave transmitted from the acoustic wave transmission unit; a light source configured to generate light emitted to an area including the specific area when the acoustic wave reaches the specific area; an acoustic wave reception unit configured to receive the acoustic wave and to output a time-series received signal; and a signal processing unit configured to acquire optical property information based on the time-series received signal, wherein the control unit controls the transmission waveform in such a manner that amplitude of a photoacoustic wave generated in the specific area is reduced by the transmission acoustic wave transmitted from the acoustic wave transmission unit.

Claims

1. A photoacoustic apparatus comprising:

an acoustic wave transmission unit configured to transmit a transmission acoustic wave to a specific area;

a control unit configured to control a transmission waveform of the transmission acoustic wave transmitted from the acoustic wave transmission unit;

a light source configured to generate light emitted to an area including the specific area when the acoustic wave reaches the specific area;

an acoustic wave reception unit configured to receive the acoustic wave and to output a time-series received signal; and

a signal processing unit configured to acquire optical property information based on the time-series received signal,

wherein the control unit controls the transmission waveform in such a manner that amplitude of a photoacoustic wave generated in the specific area is reduced by the transmission acoustic wave transmitted from the acoustic wave transmission unit.

2. The photoacoustic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the transmission waveform in such a manner that a waveform of the transmission acoustic wave in the specific area becomes antiphase of a waveform of the photoacoustic wave generated in the specific area.

3. The photoacoustic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines the transmission waveform based on the time-series received signal.

4. The photoacoustic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control unit extracts, from the time-series received signal, a received signal of the photoacoustic wave generated in the specific area and determines the transmission waveform based on the received signal of the photoacoustic wave generated in the specific area.

5. The photoacoustic apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the control unit determines the transmission waveform by a photoacoustic wave equation based on the received signal of the photoacoustic wave generated in the specific area.

6. The photoacoustic apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a storage unit which houses a plurality of pieces of transmission waveform data,

wherein the control unit selects the transmission waveform from the plurality of pieces of transmission waveform data based on the received signal of the photoacoustic wave generated in the specific area.

7. The photoacoustic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit estimates a waveform of the photoacoustic wave generated in the specific area and determines the transmission waveform based on the estimated waveform of the photoacoustic wave.

8. The photoacoustic apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a shape acquisition unit configured to acquire shape information of the specific area,

wherein the control unit estimates, based on the shape information, a waveform of the photoacoustic wave generated in the specific area.

9. The photoacoustic apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the control unit determines the transmission waveform by a photoacoustic wave equation based on the estimated waveform.

10. The photoacoustic apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a storage unit which houses a plurality of pieces of transmission waveform data,

wherein the control unit selects the transmission waveform from the plurality of pieces of transmission waveform data based on the estimated waveform.

11. The photoacoustic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the acoustic wave transmission unit and the acoustic wave reception unit are arranged on one side of the specific area.

12. The photoacoustic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the acoustic wave transmission unit and the acoustic wave reception unit include a single transducer array.

13. The photoacoustic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a moving unit configured to move the acoustic wave transmission unit and the acoustic wave reception unit in such a manner that amplitude of a photoacoustic wave generated in a specific direction in the specific area is reduced.

14. The photoacoustic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the transmission waveform in such a manner that amplitude of a photoacoustic wave generated in a specific direction in the specific area is reduced by the transmission acoustic wave transmitted from the acoustic wave transmission unit.

15. An operation method of a photoacoustic apparatus, comprising:

transmitting a transmission acoustic wave to a specific area;

emitting light to an area including the specific area when the transmission acoustic wave reaches the specific area;

receiving the acoustic wave and acquiring a time-series received signal; and

acquiring optical property information based on the time-series received signal,

wherein in transmitting the transmission acoustic wave to the specific area, the transmission acoustic wave having a transmission waveform to reduce amplitude of a photoacoustic wave generated in the specific area is transmitted.

16. An operation method of the photoacoustic apparatus according to claim 15, comprising:

emitting auxiliary light to an area including the specific area before transmitting the transmission acoustic wave to the specific area;

receiving a photoacoustic wave generated by the emission of the auxiliary light and acquiring a time-series photoacoustic signal; and

determining, based on the time-series photoacoustic signal, a transmission waveform of the transmission acoustic wave transmitted to the specific area.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute an operation method of the photoacoustic apparatus according to claim 15.

18. A photoacoustic apparatus comprising:

an acoustic wave transmission unit configured to transmit a transmission acoustic wave to a specific area;

a light source configured to generate light emitted to an area including the specific area when the acoustic wave reaches the specific area;

an acoustic wave reception unit configured to receive the acoustic wave and to output a time-series received signal; and

a signal processing unit configured to acquire optical property information based on the time-series received signal,

wherein the acoustic wave transmission unit transmits the transmission acoustic wave which becomes antiphase of a waveform of a photoacoustic wave generated in the specific area.