Patent Application
20140296690
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an object information acquiring apparatus and an object information acquiring method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Researches on an optical imaging device that allows light emitted to an object from a light source such as a laser to propagate through the inside of the object to obtain internal information on the object are active in medical fields. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-88627 proposes photoacoustic tomography (PAT) as one of such optical imaging techniques.
PAT is a technique of irradiating an object such as a living body with a pulse beam generated from a light source, detecting acoustic waves generated when light having propagated through and diffused into the living body is absorbed in biological tissues, and analyzing the detected acoustic waves to visualize information on optical characteristics at the inside of the living body. In this way, it is possible to obtain optical characteristic values (in particular, optical energy absorption density) inside the object.
A back-projection method is known as one of reconstruction methods mainly used for calculating initial acoustic pressure. In PAT, initial acoustic pressure P0 of acoustic waves generated from light absorber in an object can be expressed by Equation (1) below.
P
0=Γ·μa·Φ (1)
Here, Γ is a Gruneisen coefficient which is a division of the product of a volume expansion coefficient β and the square of the speed of sound c by the specific heat capacity CP at constant pressure. It is known that δ takes an almost constant value if the object is determined. μa is an optical absorption coefficient of the light absorber. Φ is light intensity in a local region (a intensity of light irradiated to the light absorber; also referred to as light fluence).
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-88627 discloses a technique of measuring the changes over time in acoustic pressure P which is the magnitude of acoustic waves having propagated through the object using an acoustic wave detector and calculating an initial acoustic pressure distribution from the measurement results. According to Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-88627, by dividing the initial acoustic pressure distribution by the Gruneisen coefficient Γ, it is possible to obtain the product of μa and Φ (that is, optical energy absorption density).
As expressed in Equation (1), it is necessary to obtain a distribution of light intensity Φ in the object in order to obtain the optical absorption coefficient μa from the distribution of the initial acoustic pressure P0. That is, by dividing the initial acoustic pressure by the light intensity, it is possible to obtain the optical absorption coefficient.
However, the initial acoustic pressure obtained by reconstructing measured signals is affected from the frequency-range characteristics of a probe. Thus, it is not possible to obtain an accurate initial acoustic pressure that is based on the product of the absorption coefficient inside the object and the light intensity, as expressed in Equation (1).
As a result, there is a problem that it is difficult to calculate accurate characteristic information such as an absorption coefficient, an oxygen saturation, or a component concentration.
In view of the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a technique of suppressing the influence of frequency-range characteristics of a probe and calculating characteristic information of an object more accurately.
The present invention in its one aspect provides an object information acquiring apparatus comprises a light source; an acoustic detecting unit configured to detect an acoustic wave generated from an object to which light from the light source is irradiated; and a processing unit configured to acquire characteristic information on the inside of the object based on the acoustic wave and correct the characteristic information using an absorption coefficient of a background region inside the object.
The present invention in its another aspect provides a processing method comprises the steps of: acquiring characteristic information on the inside of an object based on an acoustic wave generated from the object to which light is irradiated; and correcting the characteristic information using an absorption coefficient of a background region inside the object.
According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technique of suppressing the influence of frequency-range characteristics of a probe and calculating characteristic information of an object more accurately.
Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.
Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of constituent components described below are to be appropriately changed according to the configuration and various conditions of an apparatus to which the present invention is applied, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to those described below.
The object information acquiring apparatus of the present invention is an apparatus that uses the photoacoustic effect to irradiate an object with light (electromagnetic waves) to transduce an acoustic wave generated in and propagated through the object to thereby acquire object information as image data. For example, the acquired object information may be a generation source distribution of the acoustic wave generated by light irradiation, an initial acoustic pressure distribution inside the object, an optical energy absorption density distribution and an absorption coefficient distribution derived from the initial acoustic pressure distribution, or a concentration distribution of a substance that constitutes a tissue. For example, the substance that constitutes the tissue may be blood components such as an oxygen saturation distribution or an oxygenated or reduced hemoglobin concentration distribution, fats, collagen, or water.
The acoustic wave referred in the present invention is typically an ultrasound wave and includes an elastic wave called a sound wave and an acoustic wave. The acoustic wave generated by the photoacoustic effect is referred to as a photoacoustic wave or a light-induced ultrasound wave. The apparatus according to the present invention transduces an acoustic wave that has been generated in or reflected from the object by an acoustic wave detector such as a probe and has propagated through the object.
(Overview of Apparatus Configuration)
The processor 8 is a unit that calculates first object information which is internal characteristic information of the object 4 from the electrical signal obtained by the acoustic wave detector 7. The present invention is characterized in that the processor 8 corrects the first object information to calculate second object information.
The first object information is a spatial distribution of characteristic information associated with generation of the photoacoustic wave such as an initial acoustic pressure distribution of the photoacoustic wave generated from the inside of the object 4 or an absorption coefficient distribution calculated based on the initial acoustic pressure distribution. The initial acoustic pressure distribution is generated by the processor 8 applying a back-projection method to the electrical signal output from the acoustic wave detector 7. In this case, it is preferable that the signal output from the acoustic wave detector 7 is converted into a time-series digital signal by an AD converter and is processed by the processor 8. An information processing apparatus such as a PC can be ideally used as the processor 8. The absorption coefficient distribution is calculated using Equation (1) from the initial acoustic pressure distribution calculated in the above-described manner, a light intensity distribution, and a Gruneisen coefficient distribution of an object. Here, the Gruneisen coefficient is a predetermined value corresponding to an object. Moreover, calculated values, estimated values, measured values, and the like can be used for obtaining the light intensity distribution in the object as will be described later.
(Overview of Process Flow)
In step S301, a pulse beam is irradiated to the object 4 from the light source 1. In step S302, the acoustic wave detector 7 provided on the surface of the object receives an acoustic wave generated from the light absorber 5 inside the object to convert the acoustic wave into an electrical signal. In step S303, the processor 8 calculates the first object information on the inside of the object using the electrical signal. The first object information is expressed as characteristic information or a distribution thereof. In step S304, the processor 8 corrects the first object information using a correction value. In step S305, the second object information is calculated based on the corrected first object information.
(Frequency-Range Sensitivity Characteristics)
In the back-projection method, a spatial distribution of the initial acoustic pressure is calculated (reconstructed) from the time-series signals output by the acoustic wave detector 7. Thus, the frequency characteristics of the time-series signals affect the spatial frequency of the calculated spatial distribution. That is, the photoacoustic wave generated from a very small region in a living body is transduced in the acoustic wave detector 7 as a high-frequency signal component and is reconstructed as an initial acoustic pressure distribution (in the very small region) having a high spatial frequency. Moreover, the photoacoustic wave generated from a large region in the living body is transduced in the acoustic wave detector 7 as a low-frequency signal component and is reconstructed as an initial acoustic pressure distribution (in the large region) having a low spatial frequency. When the frequency-range sensitivity characteristics of the acoustic wave detector 7 are different (the acoustic wave reception sensitivity is different from one frequency range to another), this difference affects the reconstructed spatial distribution of the initial acoustic pressure. Practically, an acoustic wave detector often has certain frequency-range sensitivity characteristics.
For example, when the sensitivity of the acoustic wave detector 7 decreases in a high frequency region, a change in the initial acoustic pressure in a small region of the reconstructed initial acoustic pressure distribution is not reproduced (due to a limited resolution). Conversely, when the sensitivity of the acoustic wave detector 7 decreases in a low frequency region, a moderate change in the initial acoustic pressure distribution at the inside of the object is not reproduced. That is, if the sensitivity in the low frequency region is low, the distribution of the initial acoustic pressure which is uniformly distributed inside the object cannot be reproduced according to the back-projection method.
Since the absorption coefficient distribution is calculated based on the initial acoustic pressure distribution, the absorption coefficient distribution is affected by the frequency-range sensitivity characteristics of the acoustic wave detector 7 similarly to the above. Moreover, another reconstruction method which uses the propagation behavior of acoustic waves without limiting to the reconstruction based on the back-projection method is also affected by the frequency-range sensitivity characteristics.
The above-described problem can be rephrased as below. That is, an acoustic wave detector has a low reception sensitivity for acoustic waves of ranges other than its strong range or cannot receive the acoustic waves. If a certain acoustic wave detector has sensitivity characteristics in a high frequency range, although the acoustic wave detector can detect a high-frequency photoacoustic wave generated from a very small light absorber, the acoustic wave detector may hardly (or cannot) detect a low-frequency photoacoustic wave generated from a uniform region (background region) having high homogeneity. That is, it is not possible to detect a low-frequency photoacoustic wave generated from regions (the background region having a background absorption coefficient) other than a light absorber. As a result, even when image reconstruction is performed using the detected signals, the initial acoustic pressure in the background region other than the light absorber cannot be reproduced. Moreover, even at the position of the light absorber, only the difference between the initial acoustic pressure generated from the light absorber and the initial acoustic pressure based on the background absorption coefficient around the light absorber is reproduced.
(Correction Process Based on Correction Value)
In a correction process that characterizes the present invention, correction is performed using a correction value that is based on the frequency-range sensitivity of an acoustic wave detector. This correction value is introduced to solve a problem that a background distribution that changes uniformly or moderately over the entire region of the object cannot be reconstructed due to the frequency-range sensitivity characteristics.
A correction method when the initial acoustic pressure in the background region cannot be observed due to the frequency-range sensitivity characteristics of an acoustic wave detector will be described with reference to
(A) of
(B) of
As illustrated in (B), the actual initial acoustic pressure is P0re(z). However, when the acoustic wave detector 7 being used has a central sensitivity range at the frequency range of photoacoustic waves generated from segments having the sizes of the light absorbers 5a and 5b, it is not possible to detect the initial acoustic pressure that depends on the background absorption coefficient. As a result, when the measured initial acoustic pressure is reconstructed, one as illustrated in (E) is obtained. (E) of
That is, if the background absorption coefficient of the object 4 is μaB, the absorption coefficient of a light absorber is μaT, the position of the light absorber 5a is zT1, the position of the light absorber 5b is zT2, and the position of the background is zB, the initial acoustic pressures at the respective positions are expressed by Equations (2a) to (2c) and Equations (3a) to (3c).
P
0
re(zT1)=μaT·Φ(zT1) (2a)
P
0
re(zT2)=μaT·Φ(zT2) (2b)
P
0
re(zB)=μaB·Φ(zB) (2c)
P
0
me(zT2)=(μaT−μaB)·Φ(zT1) (3a)
P
0
me(zT1)=(μaT−μaB)·Φ(zT2) (3b)
P
0
me(zB)=(μaB−μaB)·Φ(zB) (3c)
Thus, even when the initial acoustic pressure P0me(z) obtained by reconstruction is divided by Φ(z), an accurate absorption coefficient distribution is not obtained but a distribution as illustrated in (F) is obtained. (F) of
Thus, in the present invention, by adding the background absorption coefficient to the absorption coefficient obtained in (F), it is possible to calculate an accurate absorption coefficient as illustrated in (H) of
Moreover, as illustrated in (G) of
For example, the background absorption coefficient can be acquired by time-resolved spectroscopy or frequency-resolved spectroscopy. That is, the processor 8 can acquire a background absorption coefficient from a detection signal of light having propagated through an object. Moreover, the background absorption coefficient can be acquired by being input by an input unit.
For example, it is assumed that the absorption coefficients μaare(zT1) and μare(zT2) of the light absorbers 5a and 5b are 0.012/mm and 0.009/mm, respectively, and the background absorption coefficient μare (zB) is 0.005/mm. Moreover, it is assumed that the light quantities Φ(zT1) and Φ(zT2) at the positions of the light absorbers 5a and 5b are 50 mJ/mm2 and 900 mJ/mm2, respectively. In this case, the actual initial acoustic pressures at the positions of the light absorbers 5a and 5b are 0.6 mJ/mm3 and 8.1 mJ/mm3, respectively.
On the other hand, the initial acoustic pressures (measured values) obtained by reconstructing detection signals detected using a probe of which the central range is fitted to the frequency range corresponding to the sizes of these light absorbers are 0.35 mJ/mm3 and 3.6 mJ/mm3, respectively. The absorption coefficients calculated by dividing the initial acoustic pressures obtained by reconstruction by the light quantities at the respective positions are 0.007/mm and 0.004/mm. Thus, the absorption coefficients are considerably smaller than the actual absorption coefficients, and it is not possible to calculate the accurate absorption coefficients.
Thus, when the background absorption coefficient (0.005/mm) is added to these absorption coefficients (based on the measured value) according to the method of the present invention, the absorption coefficients of the light absorbers 5a and 5b are 0.012/mm and 0.009/mm, respectively, and the accurate values can be calculated. Moreover, when the values (0.25 mJ/mm2 and 4.5 mJ/mm2, respectively) obtained by multiplying the background absorption coefficient and the light quantities are added to the initial acoustic pressures 0.35 mJ/mm3 and 3.6 mJ/mm3 of the light absorbers 5a and 5b obtained by the reconstruction, values 0.6 mJ/mm2 and 8.1 mJ/mm2 are obtained. By dividing these values by the light intensity, it is possible to calculate accurate absorption coefficients of 0.012/mm and 0.009/mm.
In the present embodiment, an object information acquiring apparatus that images an oxygen saturation distribution in the breast as an object will be described. In the present embodiment, the object is held by being interposed between parallel flat holding plates. Moreover, the object information acquiring apparatus of the present embodiment includes a frequency-resolved spectroscopy measurement mechanism and calculates a background absorption coefficient of the object by frequency-resolved spectroscopy to use the background absorption coefficient as a correction value.
The configuration of the apparatus of the present embodiment will be described with reference to
First, in the object information acquiring apparatus of the present embodiment, a mechanism for calculating the background absorption coefficient of the object 4 will be described. A second light source 10 and a photodetector 12 are disposed over the holding plates with the object interposed so as to face each other. The second light source 10 can emit light of a plurality of wavelengths. That is, the second light source 10 can irradiate the object by switching laser diodes having wavelengths of 637 nm, 686 nm, 756 nm, 797 nm, 808 nm, 852 nm, 912 nm, and 975 nm. The photodetector 12 is an avalanche photodiode and detects a component of an irradiation beam 11 which has been emitted from the second light source 10, diffused into the object 4, and reached the position of the photodetector 12. The processor 8 inputs a time waveform of an application voltage for outputting light from a laser diode as a reference waveform and an intensity waveform of light detected by an avalanche photodiode as a measurement waveform to a lock-in amplifier and calculates a phase change and light intensity attenuation. The processor 8 calculates a background absorption coefficient and a background scattering coefficient using the calculated phase change and light intensity attenuation. The background absorption coefficient and the background scattering coefficient are calculated by solving an inverse problem of light propagation assuming that the absorption coefficient and the scattering coefficient of the object 4 are constant. Further, the processor 8 performs fitting with respect to the background absorption coefficients and the background scattering coefficients at the respective wavelengths of the object 4 using the absorption spectrums of fats, water, oxygenated hemoglobin, and reduced hemoglobin to calculate respective component amounts. In
Next, in the object information acquiring apparatus of the present embodiment, a mechanism for performing photoacoustic measurement using light having wavelengths of 756 nm and 797 nm to calculate the absorption coefficient distributions of the respective wavelengths, and correcting the absorption coefficient distributions using a background absorption coefficient distribution to calculate an oxygen saturation will be described. By obtaining the absorption coefficients at a plurality of wavelengths, it is possible to calculate a concentration of a substance.
The irradiation optical system 2 and the acoustic wave detector 7 are disposed with the object interposed so as to face each other to perform transmissive photoacoustic measurement.
The light source 1 is a titanium-sapphire laser capable of emitting light of 756 nm and 797 nm. A pulse beam 1a of the wavelength 756 nm emitted from the light source 1 enters a bundle fiber 13 through a bundle fiber-incident optical system 14. An output end of the bundle fiber 13 is connected to the irradiation optical system 2, and a pulse beam emitted from the fiber is irradiated to the object 4 as an irradiation beam 3 through a lens, a diffuser, and the like so that irradiation wavelength dependence decreases.
The irradiation beam 3 is diffused into the object 4 and absorbed by the light absorber 5, and the photoacoustic wave 6 is generated.
The photoacoustic wave 6 is converted into electrical signals by the acoustic wave detector 7. The acoustic wave detector 7 is a 2-dimensional array transducer and is formed of a piezoelectric element having a central frequency of 2 MHz. The processor 8 calculates an initial acoustic pressure distribution P0 (756 nm, r) at the wavelength 756 nm using the electrical signals according to the back-projection method. The processor 8 solves a light diffusion equation by the finite element method using the object shape measured in advance, the distribution of the irradiation beam 3, the background absorption coefficient, and the background scattering coefficient to calculate the light intensity distribution Φ (756 nm, r) at the wavelength 756 nm. The processor 8 calculates the absorption coefficient μa (756 nm, r) using Equation (1) based on the initial acoustic pressure P0 (756 nm, r) and the light intensity Φ (756 nm, r) calculated in this manner. Further, the processor 8 calculates a correction target absorption coefficient distribution μaC (756 nm, r) by adding the background absorption coefficient μaB (756 nm) obtained by frequency-resolved spectroscopy to the absorption coefficient distribution μa (756 nm, r).
Similarly, the pulse beam 1a having the wavelength 797 nm emitted from the light source 1 is irradiated to the object 4 as the irradiation beam 3 through the bundle fiber-incident optical system 14, the irradiation optical system 2 connected to the output end of the bundle fiber 13, the lens, the diffuser, and the like. The irradiation beam 3 is diffused into the object 4 and absorbed by the light absorber 5, and the photoacoustic wave 6 is generated. The photoacoustic wave 6 is converted into electrical signals by the acoustic wave detector 7. The acoustic wave detector 7 is a 2-dimensional array transducer and is formed of a piezoelectric element having a central frequency of 2 MHz. The processor 8 calculates an initial acoustic pressure distribution P0 (797 nm, r) at the wavelength 797 nm using the electrical signals according to the back-projection method. The processor 8 solves a light diffusion equation by the finite element method using the object shape measured in advance, the distribution of the irradiation beam 3, the background absorption coefficient, and the background scattering coefficient to calculate the light intensity distribution Φ (797 nm, r) at the wavelength 797 nm. The processor 8 calculates the absorption coefficient μa (797 nm, r) using Equation (1) based on the initial acoustic pressure P0 (797 nm, r) and the light intensity Φ (797 nm, r) calculated in this manner. Further, the processor 8 calculates a correction target absorption coefficient distribution μaC (797 nm, r) by adding the background absorption coefficient μaB (797 nm) obtained by frequency-resolved spectroscopy to the absorption coefficient distribution μa (797 nm, r).
The processor 8 calculates the oxygen saturation using Equation (4) based on the correction target absorption coefficient distributions μaC (756 nm, r) and μaC (797 nm, r) at the respective wavelengths.
Here, εHb(λ) and εHb0(λ) are the absorption coefficients of reduced and oxygenated hemoglobin at the respective wavelengths λ (nm).
The calculated oxygen saturation distribution is displayed on the monitor 9 in a form of a 3-dimensional image, slice images, or the like.
First, in step S501, frequency-resolved spectroscopy is performed to calculate the background absorption coefficients and background scattering coefficients at the wavelengths 756 nm and 797 nm.
Subsequently, the flow proceeds to measurement at the wavelength 756 nm. In step S502, a pulse beam of the wavelength 756 nm is irradiated to an object. In step S503, the acoustic wave detector detects an acoustic wave generated from a light absorber when the pulse beam of the wavelength 756 nm is irradiated and converts the acoustic wave into electrical signals. In step S504, an initial acoustic pressure distribution at the wavelength 756 nm is calculated based on the electrical signals, and the light intensity distribution is calculated based on the object shape measured in advance, the irradiation beam distribution, and the background absorption coefficient and the background scattering coefficient of the object at the wavelength 756 nm to calculate the absorption coefficient distribution. In step S505, a correction target absorption coefficient distribution at the wavelength 756 nm is calculated by adding the background absorption coefficient to the absorption coefficient distribution. This step is a step of “correcting characteristic information” that characterizes the present invention.
Subsequently, the flow proceeds to measurement at the wavelength 797 nm. In step S506, a pulse beam of the wavelength 797 nm is irradiated to an object. In step S507, the acoustic wave detector detects an acoustic wave generated from a light absorber when the pulse beam of the wavelength 797 nm is irradiated and converts the acoustic wave into electrical signals. In step S508, an initial acoustic pressure distribution at the wavelength 797 nm is calculated based on the electrical signals, and the light intensity distribution is calculated based on the object shape measured in advance, the irradiation beam distribution, and the background absorption coefficient and the background scattering coefficient of the object at the wavelength 797 nm to calculate the absorption coefficient distribution. In step S509, a correction target absorption coefficient distribution at the wavelength 797 nm is calculated by adding the background absorption coefficient to the absorption coefficient distribution. This step is a correction step based on a correction value.
Finally, in step S510, the oxygen saturation distribution is calculated according to Equation (2) based on the correction target absorption coefficient distributions at the wavelengths 756 nm and 797 nm.
As described above, due to the frequency-range sensitivity characteristics of the acoustic wave detector, it may be not possible to sufficiently receive acoustic waves from the background region and to obtain an accurate initial acoustic pressure (or the absorption coefficient, the oxygen saturation, or the like obtained therefrom). However, according to the present invention, even in such cases, it is possible to correct the measured initial acoustic pressure or the calculated absorption coefficient using a correction value based on the background absorption coefficient and the background scattering coefficient to obtain more accurate values and use the values in generating image data and diagnosis.
The present invention can be understood as an object information acquiring apparatus as described above. Moreover, the present invention can be understood as a control method of the apparatus. Further, the present invention can be realized as a program for causing a processor or the like of the apparatus to execute the respective steps of the control method.
In the present embodiment, an object information acquiring apparatus that images an oxygen saturation distribution in the breast as an object will be described. In the present embodiment, the object is inserted in a water tank and is measured. Moreover, the object information acquiring apparatus of the present embodiment includes an input unit, and a background absorption coefficient measured or estimated in advance is input and used as a correction value.
The configuration of the apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to
A frequency spectroscopy measurement mechanism is incorporated into the apparatus of the first embodiment, and the background absorption coefficient and the background scattering coefficient of the object 4 are calculated using the frequency spectroscopy measurement mechanism. In contrast, the apparatus of the present embodiment includes an input unit 20, and the background absorption coefficient and the background scattering coefficient of the object 4 are acquired when an operator of the present apparatus operates the input unit 20 to input the background absorption coefficient and the background scattering coefficient of the object 4. The input background absorption coefficient and background scattering coefficient may be input as values that are measured by another apparatus and values that are estimated using an age, a BMI value, and the like. If the background absorption coefficient and the background scattering coefficient of the object 4 are known, the known values may be input. Moreover, the age, the BMI value, and the like that enable the background absorption coefficient and the background scattering coefficient to be estimated may be input. In this case, the processor 8 can calculate the background absorption coefficient and the background scattering coefficient based on the input age and BMI value, and the like. Moreover, the processor 8 may read and acquire the background absorption coefficient and the background scattering coefficient corresponding to the input age and BMI value, and the like from a data table.
Next, in the object information acquiring apparatus of the present embodiment, a mechanism for performing photoacoustic measurement using light having a wavelength of 1064 nm to calculate the initial acoustic pressure distribution, and correcting the initial acoustic pressure distribution using the background absorption coefficient and the light intensity distribution to calculate a correction target initial acoustic pressure distribution will be described. The irradiation optical system 2 is disposed to irradiate the object 4 from the below. The acoustic wave detector 7 is disposed on a side surface of the water tank 18 so that the object 4 can be measured from all directions(360°) and that the photoacoustic wave 6 generated from the light absorber 5 of the object 4 can scan the wall surfaces of the water tank 18.
The light source 1 is a YAG laser that can emit light of 1064 nm. The pulse beam 1a of the wavelength 1064 nm emitted from the light source 1 enters an air-propagation optical system 15. Since the output end of the air-propagation optical system 15 is connected to the irradiation optical system 2 and the irradiation beam 3 is uniformly irradiated to a certain range of the object 4, the pulse beam 1a is irradiated to the object 4 as the irradiation beam 3 through a lens and a diffuser.
The irradiation beam 3 is diffused into the object 4 and absorbed by the light absorber 5, and the photoacoustic wave 6 is generated.
The photoacoustic wave 6 is converted into electrical signals by the acoustic wave detector 7. The acoustic wave detector 7 is a 1-dimensional array transducer and is formed of a cMUT element having a central frequency of 3 MHz. The processor 8 calculates an initial acoustic pressure distribution P0 (1064 nm, r) of the light having the wavelength 1064 nm using the electrical signals according to a sequential reconstruction method. The processor 8 solves a phototransport equation by the finite element method using the object shape measured in advance, the distribution of the irradiation beam 3, the background absorption coefficient, and the background scattering coefficient to calculate the light intensity distribution Φ (1064 nm, r) of the light having the wavelength 1064 nm. The processor 8 calculates a correction target initial acoustic pressure distribution P0c (1064 nm, r) by adding the product P0B (1064 nm, r) of the light intensity Φ (1064 nm, r) and the background absorption coefficient μLaB (1064 nm) to the initial acoustic pressure P0 (1064 nm, r) calculated in this way.
First, in step S701, the background absorption coefficient and the background scattering coefficient at the wavelength 1064 nm input by the input unit are acquired.
Subsequently, the flow proceeds to measurement at the wavelength 1064 nm. In step S702, a pulse beam of the wavelength 1064 nm is irradiated to an object. In step S703, the acoustic wave detector detects an acoustic wave generated from a light absorber when the pulse beam of the wavelength 1064 nm is irradiated and converts the acoustic wave into electrical signals. In step S704, an initial acoustic pressure distribution at the wavelength 1064 nm is calculated based on the electrical signals. In step S705, the light intensity distribution is calculated based on the object shape measured in advance, the irradiation beam distribution, and the background absorption coefficient and the background scattering coefficient of the object at the wavelength 1064 nm. In step S706, a correction target initial acoustic pressure distribution at the wavelength 1064 nm is calculated by adding the product of the background absorption coefficient and the light intensity distribution to the initial acoustic pressure distribution. This step is a step of “correcting characteristic information” that characterizes the present invention.
As described above, due to the frequency-range sensitivity characteristics of the acoustic wave detector, it may be not possible to sufficiently receive acoustic waves from the background region and to obtain an accurate initial acoustic pressure (or the absorption coefficient, the oxygen saturation, or the like obtained therefrom). However, according to the present invention, even in such cases, it is possible to correct the measured initial acoustic pressure or the calculated absorption coefficient using a correction value based on the background absorption coefficient and the background scattering coefficient to obtain more accurate values and use the values in generating image data and diagnosis.
The present invention can be understood as an object information acquiring apparatus as described above. Moreover, the present invention can be understood as a control method of the apparatus. Further, the present invention can be realized as a program for causing a processor or the like of the apparatus to execute the respective steps of the control method.
While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.
This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-064203, filed on Mar. 26, 2013, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-064203 | Mar 2013 | JP | national |
