Abstract: Employed is an object information acquiring apparatus including an irradiation unit irradiating an object with light; a detection unit including a plurality of elements each obtaining an acoustic wave generated from the object and converting the acoustic wave into a detection signal; a detection unit moving mechanism moving the detection unit to the object relatively; an adding unit selecting, from detection signals converted from acoustic waves obtained by the plurality of elements at respective positions as the detection unit is moved, detection signals converted from acoustic waves obtained from an identical position on the object, and adding together these detection signals to output a resultant summed signal; an initial sound pressure computing unit computing an initial sound pressure of a region of interest from the summed signal; a light quantity computing unit computing a quantity of light of the region of interest.

Abstract: A subject information obtaining apparatus includes a plurality of acoustic wave detection elements, each of which detects a photoacoustic wave generated when a subject is irradiated with light and outputs a detection signal, an initial-sound-pressure obtaining unit that obtains an initial sound pressure in a region of interest in the subject on the basis of the detection signals, a light-intensity obtaining unit that obtains a corrected light intensity in the region of interest on the basis of weighting coefficients based on sensitivity distributions of the acoustic wave detection elements and a light intensity of the light with which the region of interest is irradiated, and an optical-characteristic-value obtaining unit that obtains an optical characteristic value in the region of interest on the basis of the initial sound pressure and the corrected light intensity.

Abstract: The present invention provides an acoustic wave acquiring apparatus including: a holding plate configured to hold an object via acoustic matching agent; an acoustic wave detector configured to receive an acoustic wave generated from the object irradiated with light from a light source and convert the acoustic wave to an electric signal; and a processor configured to generate characteristic information of the inside of the object by using the electric signal. In the acoustic wave acquiring apparatus, the holding plate is subjected to hydrophilic process or the acoustic matching agent contains surfactant.

Abstract: In an apparatus configured to acquire subject information, a light source is capable of generating light with a first wavelength and alight with a second wavelength different from the first wavelength, an acoustic wave detection unit detects a photoacoustic wave generated by illuminating a subject with light and output a resultant detection signal, and a signal processing unit acquires subject information based on a first detection signal output by the acoustic wave detection unit when the subject is illuminated with the light with the first wavelength and a second detection signal output by the acoustic wave detection unit when the subject is illuminated with the light with the second wavelength. An effective attenuation coefficient of the subject at the first wavelength is equal to an effective attenuation coefficient of the subject at the second wavelength.

Abstract: A photoacoustic imaging apparatus includes holding members configured to hold a subject, an acoustic wave conversion unit configured to receive an acoustic wave generated by irradiating the subject, which is held by the holding members, with light from a light source and convert the acoustic wave into an electric signal, a processing unit configured to generate image data from the electric signal, and an imaging unit configured to capture an optical pattern generated on a light diffusion member by emitting the light to the light diffusion member arranged on a surface of a side where the subject is irradiated with the light in the holding members where the holding members contact the subject in holding the subject, wherein the processing unit calculates light absorption coefficient distribution in the subject based on the optical pattern captured by the imaging unit and the electric signal acquired by the acoustic wave conversion unit.

Abstract: An optical property distribution, such as an absorption coefficient of the inside of a subject, is highly precisely acquired. A photoacoustic imaging apparatus includes an acoustic converting unit configured to receive acoustic waves generated by irradiating a subject with emitted light and to convert the acoustic wave to an electrical signal; and a processing unit configured to determine a light intensity distribution inside the subject on the basis of a light intensity distribution or an illuminance distribution of the light incident on the surface of the subject and to generate image data on the basis of the electrical signal and the determined light intensity distribution inside the subject.

Abstract: A position of a light absorber existing in a subject and an initial sound pressure of an acoustic wave generated at the light absorber are calculated from an electric signal converted from the received acoustic wave generated in response to irradiation of the subject with light. An optical absorption coefficient and an optical scattering coefficient of the subject are calculated using the position of the light absorber and the initial sound pressure of the acoustic wave generated at the position of the light absorber. A light quantity distribution in the subject is calculated using the optical absorption coefficient and the optical scattering coefficient of the subject. An optical absorption coefficient distribution in the subject is calculated using the light quantity distribution in the subject and an initial sound pressure distribution in the subject obtained from the electric signal.