US 11,925,437 B2
Photoacoustic imaging apparatus and photoacoustic imaging method
Yoshiyuki Sankai, Tsukuba (JP)
Assigned to CYBERDYNE INC., UNIVERSITY OF TSUKUBA, Ibaraki (JP)
Appl. No. 17/263,178
Filed by CYBERDYNE INC., Tsukuba (JP); and UNIVERSITY OF TSUKUBA, Tsukuba (JP)
PCT Filed Jul. 24, 2019, PCT No. PCT/JP2019/029112
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jan. 26, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/022409, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 30, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 2018-140528 (JP), filed on Jul. 26, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0177270 A1, Jun. 17, 2021
Int. Cl. A61B 5/00 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 5/0095 (2013.01) [A61B 5/6801 (2013.01)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A photoacoustic imaging apparatus for detecting photoacoustic waves generated from a light absorber inside a subject and producing images of the light absorber on the basis of the photoacoustic waves, the photoacoustic imaging apparatus comprising:
a light emitting unit that emits pulsed light with a wavelength absorbed inside the subject;
a thin film that is pasted or applied to a skin surface of the subject, has flexibility as a whole, and makes the pulsed light transmit it and reflects the light on its outer surface at the same time;
a multi-directional light emitting unit that emits a plurality of visible light beams at the same time from multi-directions to the outer surface of the thin film;
a micro-vibration detection unit that detects, on the basis of diffraction and/or interference of a plurality of reflected light obtained from the outer surface of the thin film, a state of causing micro-vibrations of the thin film as the photoacoustic waves generated from the light absorber collide against an inner backside of the thin film; and
a shape image transformation unit that produces the images of a shape of the light absorber on the basis of a vibrational state of the thin film as detected by the micro-vibration detection unit.