US 12,455,265 B2
High-speed scanning photo-acoustic image input apparatus and control method therefor
Jung Hwan Oh, Busan (KR); Jae Yeop Choi, Busan (KR); Van Tu Nguyen, Busan (KR); Van Hiep Pham, Busan (KR); Nguyen Thanh Phong Truong, Busan (KR); Cao Duon Ly, Busan (KR); and Su Min Park, Busan (KR)
Assigned to PUKYONG NATIONAL UNIVERSITY INDUSTRY-UNIVERSITY COOPERATION FOUNDATION, Busan (KR)
Appl. No. 18/266,603
Filed by PUKYONG NATIONAL UNIVERSITY INDUSTRY-UNIVERSITY COOPERATION FOUNDATION, Busan (KR)
PCT Filed Jan. 12, 2022, PCT No. PCT/IB2022/050199
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jun. 12, 2023,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/149119, PCT Pub. Date Jul. 14, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 10-2021-0002081 (KR), filed on Jan. 7, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2024/0044844 A1, Feb. 8, 2024
Int. Cl. G01N 29/06 (2006.01); G01N 29/24 (2006.01)
CPC G01N 29/0681 (2013.01) [G01N 29/2418 (2013.01); G01N 29/069 (2013.01); G01N 2291/02483 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus for acquiring a photoacoustic image by high-speed scanning, that converts a one-directional rotational motion of a drive motor into a linear reciprocating motion of a photoacoustic probe connected to the drive motor and generates an image of an object by scanning the object in two dimensions by the linear motion of the photoacoustic probe and a vertical motion perpendicular to the linear motion, comprising:
a photoacoustic transmitter/receiver that outputs a laser pulse toward the object using a laser generating section and receives an ultrasound image signal from the object using an ultrasound receiver;
an analog-to-digital converter that receives the ultrasound image signal and converts the ultrasound image signal into a digital image signal;
a main controller that receives the digital image signal and generates ultrasound image information on the object; and
a trigger controller that receives motion information of the photoacoustic probe, generates a scanning trigger signal corresponding to the motion information, receives information of the laser pulse output, generates a laser trigger signal corresponding to the laser pulse output, generates an output trigger signal corresponding to the laser trigger signal, and outputs the generated output trigger signal to the analog-to-digital converter,
wherein the main controller sequentially synthesizes images corresponding to the ultrasound image signals corresponding to the output trigger signals in the unit of a scan line to generate an image of the object.