CN219516242U - Probe for photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging and imaging system - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model discloses a probe for photoacoustic/ultrasonic imaging and a photoacoustic/ultrasonic imaging system. The optical component comprises a laser and a reflecting component, wherein the laser generates and outputs laser, and the reflecting component reflects light output by the laser, so that the light is emitted out of the shell and irradiates the measured part. The ultrasonic transducer receives an acoustic signal from the site to be measured, converts the acoustic signal into an electrical signal, and emits an ultrasonic wave to the site to be measured. The probe for photoacoustic/ultrasonic imaging and the photoacoustic/ultrasonic imaging system can realize photoacoustic imaging and ultrasonic imaging of a measured part, and the laser is integrated in the probe, so that compared with a mode of externally arranging the laser and conducting outgoing light of the laser to the probe through an optical fiber, the probe for photoacoustic/ultrasonic imaging can reduce light energy loss and heat consumption.

Description

Probe for photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging and imaging system

Technical Field

The utility model relates to the field of photoacoustic imaging, in particular to a probe for photoacoustic/ultrasonic imaging. The utility model also relates to a photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging system.

Background

Ultrasound imaging is an important means of diagnosing and treating tumors in the abdominal cavity of a patient. Clinically, a doctor uses an ultrasonic imaging probe to detect and position tumors in the abdominal cavity of a patient so as to assist in performing operations such as puncture/ablation and the like. For example, a liver tumor, a probe enters the abdominal cavity through a micro wound to reach the liver of a human body, an ultrasonic transducer array at the head end of the probe transmits ultrasonic waves to the liver tumor, meanwhile, an echo signal reflected by the tumor is received through the ultrasonic transducer array, and after signal processing, a doctor can obtain an ultrasonic image of the liver tumor, so that the position of the tumor can be conveniently positioned in an operation. However, ultrasound imaging also has certain drawbacks: conventional ultrasound imaging can only obtain the structural morphology of a focus through an image, and can not obtain the component information of focus tissues, so that the tumor cannot be comprehensively estimated.

In recent years, photoacoustic imaging has become a hotspot of academic research. The imaging principle of photoacoustic imaging is that when laser light of a specific wavelength is irradiated to a tissue, the tissue generates temperature rise after absorbing the pulse laser light, and then the tissue is elastically deformed to generate ultrasonic waves, which are called photoacoustic signals. Different substances have different absorption spectra for light, so that the photoacoustic signal carries not only structural information of the tissue but also component information inside the tissue. Therefore, by using photoacoustic imaging, the structural morphology of the focus can be obtained, and the composition information of focus tissues can be obtained. The existing photoacoustic imaging system is to externally arrange a laser and conduct outgoing light of the laser to a probe through an optical fiber, however, light energy loss and heat consumption exist in the process of conducting light through the optical fiber.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above, an object of the present utility model is to provide a probe for photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging, which can realize photoacoustic imaging and ultrasound imaging of a measured portion, and can reduce optical energy loss and heat consumption. The utility model also provides a photoacoustic/ultrasonic imaging system.

In order to achieve the above purpose, the present utility model provides the following technical solutions:

a probe for photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging comprising a housing, and an optical assembly and an ultrasound transduction component disposed within the housing;

the optical assembly comprises a laser and a reflecting component, wherein the laser generates and outputs laser, the reflecting component is arranged on an optical outlet path of the laser, and the reflecting component is used for reflecting light output by the laser, so that the light is emitted out of the shell and irradiates a tested part;

the ultrasonic transduction component is arranged on one side of the reflecting component far away from the laser and is used for receiving the acoustic signal from the tested part, converting the acoustic signal into an electric signal and emitting ultrasonic waves to the tested part.

Optionally, the optical assembly further includes a focusing component, where the focusing component is disposed between the laser and the reflecting component, and is configured to focus the light output by the laser, so that the light passes through the reflecting component and is focused to the measured location.

Optionally, the laser, the focusing component, the reflecting component and the ultrasonic transduction component are sequentially disposed along an axial direction of the housing.

Optionally, a light-transmitting element is disposed on the housing corresponding to the light-emitting side of the reflecting component, and the light-transmitting element is configured to transmit the reflected light of the reflecting component and irradiate the measured portion.

Optionally, an acoustic focusing component is disposed on the housing at a position corresponding to the ultrasonic transduction component, and is configured to receive an acoustic signal from the tested portion and focus the acoustic signal so that the acoustic signal is received by the ultrasonic transduction component.

Optionally, the optical assembly includes a first optical assembly and a second optical assembly, the first optical assembly and the second optical assembly are respectively disposed on two sides of the ultrasonic transduction component, a first reflection component of the first optical assembly is used for reflecting light to outside the housing, and a second reflection component of the second optical assembly is used for reflecting light to outside the housing.

Optionally, the probe further includes a first signal wire harness and a second signal wire harness, where the first signal wire harness is connected with the laser and is used for transmitting an electrical signal sent to the laser, and the second signal wire harness is connected with the ultrasonic transduction component and is used for transmitting an electrical signal generated by the ultrasonic transduction component and an electrical signal sent to the ultrasonic transduction component.

Optionally, the probe further comprises a handle, a wire harness and a matching box, wherein the handle is connected with the shell, the matching box is connected with the handle through the wire harness, and the wire harness comprises the first signal wire harness and the second signal wire harness.

A photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging system comprising:

a probe employing the probe for photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging of any one of the above;

the laser driving module is connected with the laser of the probe and used for sending a first trigger signal to the laser;

an ultrasonic transmitting module connected with the ultrasonic transduction component of the probe and used for transmitting a second trigger signal to the ultrasonic transduction component;

and the ultrasonic receiving module is connected with the ultrasonic transduction component of the probe and used for receiving the electric signals generated by the ultrasonic transduction component.

Optionally, the second trigger signal is delayed relative to the first trigger signal.

According to the technical scheme, the probe for photoacoustic/ultrasonic imaging provided by the utility model comprises a shell, and an optical assembly and an ultrasonic transduction component which are arranged in the shell. The optical component comprises a laser and a reflecting part, the laser generates and outputs laser, the reflecting part is arranged on an emergent light path of the laser, and the reflecting part reflects light output by the laser to make the light emergent outside the shell and irradiate to the tested part. The ultrasonic transduction component is arranged on one side of the reflection component far away from the laser and is used for receiving the acoustic signal from the tested part, converting the acoustic signal into an electric signal and emitting ultrasonic waves to the tested part. The probe for photoacoustic/ultrasonic imaging can realize photoacoustic imaging and ultrasonic imaging of a measured part, and the laser is integrated in the probe, so that compared with a mode of externally arranging the laser and conducting outgoing light of the laser to the probe through an optical fiber, the probe for photoacoustic/ultrasonic imaging can reduce light energy loss and heat consumption.

The photoacoustic/ultrasonic imaging system provided by the utility model can realize photoacoustic imaging and ultrasonic imaging of the measured part, and can reduce light energy loss and heat consumption.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the utility model or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings that are required in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly described, it being obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the utility model, and that other drawings may be obtained according to these drawings without inventive effort for a person skilled in the art.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a core of a probe for photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging according to an embodiment of the present utility model;

FIG. 2 is a schematic core view of a probe for photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging according to a further embodiment of the present utility model;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a probe for photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging according to yet another embodiment of the present utility model;

fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging system according to an embodiment of the present utility model.

Reference numerals in the drawings of the specification include:

the device comprises a 1-probe, a 2-laser driving module, a 3-ultrasonic transmitting module, a 4-ultrasonic receiving module, a 5-data acquisition module, a 6-control module, a 10-probe core, a 11-first optical component, a 12-second optical component, a 13-handle, a 14-wire harness and a 15-matching box;

100-part to be tested, 101-shell, 102-laser, 103-focusing component, 104-reflecting component, 105-ultrasonic transduction component, 106-acoustic focusing component, 107-light transmission element, 108-first signal wire harness, 109-second signal wire harness, 110-pulse laser;

111-first laser, 112-first focusing element, 113-first reflecting element, 114-first light transmitting element, 115-first laser signal beam, 121-second laser, 122-second focusing element, 123-second reflecting element, 124-second light transmitting element, 125-second laser signal beam.

Detailed Description

In order to make the technical solution of the present utility model better understood by those skilled in the art, the technical solution of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present utility model, and it is apparent that the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, not all embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be made by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present utility model without making any inventive effort, shall fall within the scope of the present utility model.

In diagnosing and treating tumors in the abdominal cavity of a patient, conventional ultrasonic imaging can only obtain the structural form of a focus through images, and can not obtain the component information of focus tissues, so that the tumors can not be comprehensively estimated. In addition, the Doppler color Doppler ultrasound can only obtain the information of the flow velocity, the flow direction and the like of blood in a tissue blood vessel through images, and can not provide the component information of the blood oxygen saturation and the like of the blood in the blood vessel, and the blood oxygen saturation in the tissue blood is a main means for clinically distinguishing normal tissues from malignant tumors.

Photoacoustic imaging uses ultrasonic waves, which are called photoacoustic signals, generated by the tissue generating a temperature rise by absorbing a pulsed laser light when the laser light of a specific wavelength is irradiated to the tissue, and then elastically deforming the tissue. Different substances have different absorption spectra for light, so that the photoacoustic signal carries not only structural information of the tissue but also component information inside the tissue. Studies have shown that photoacoustic imaging is typically performed using two wavelengths of laser light, and the content of deoxyhemoglobin and oxyhemoglobin can be analyzed to calculate the blood oxygen saturation of blood in the blood vessel, so that using photoacoustic imaging can help doctors to more fully distinguish tumor lesions from normal tissue.

Based on the above, the utility model provides a probe for photoacoustic/ultrasonic imaging and a photoacoustic/ultrasonic imaging system, which can realize photoacoustic imaging and ultrasonic imaging of a measured part, so that not only the structural form of the measured part but also the composition information of tissue of the measured part can be obtained. For example, by using laser light of a specific wavelength for photoacoustic imaging, the blood oxygen saturation of blood in a blood vessel can be detected, and a doctor can be assisted in more comprehensively distinguishing tumor lesions from normal tissues. In addition, all parts of the probe are integrated in the probe shell, so that the integration level is high.

The probe for photoacoustic/ultrasonic imaging comprises a shell, and an optical assembly and an ultrasonic transduction component which are arranged in the shell;

the optical assembly comprises a laser and a reflecting component, wherein the laser generates and outputs laser, the reflecting component is arranged on an optical outlet path of the laser, and the reflecting component is used for reflecting light output by the laser, so that the light is emitted out of the shell and irradiates a tested part;

the ultrasonic transduction component is arranged on one side of the reflecting component far away from the laser and is used for receiving the acoustic signal from the tested part, converting the acoustic signal into an electric signal and emitting ultrasonic waves to the tested part.

The light output by the laser is incident to the reflecting component, and the reflecting component reflects the light, so that the light is emitted out of the shell and irradiates the measured part. The measured portion absorbs light to generate temperature rise, and then generates ultrasonic waves, that is, generates acoustic signals based on the photoacoustic effect. The measured part is located in a region which can be detected by the ultrasonic transduction component, and the region which can be detected by the ultrasonic transduction component means that ultrasonic energy returned by the region can be received by the ultrasonic transduction component. The ultrasonic transduction component receives an acoustic signal generated by the measured part and converts the acoustic signal into an electric signal, and an image can be generated according to the electric signal so as to realize photoacoustic imaging of the measured part.

The ultrasonic transduction component excited by the ultrasonic emission module generates ultrasonic waves, the ultrasonic waves are emitted to the tested part, and echo is generated after the ultrasonic waves are transmitted to the tested part, namely, the reflected ultrasonic waves. The ultrasonic transduction component receives echo sound signals generated by the tested part and converts the sound signals into electric signals, and an image can be generated according to the electric signals so as to realize ultrasonic imaging of the tested part.

The probe for photoacoustic/ultrasonic imaging of the embodiment can realize photoacoustic imaging and ultrasonic imaging of a measured part, and all parts of the probe are integrated in the probe shell, so that the integration level is high. In addition, the probe for photoacoustic/ultrasonic imaging of the embodiment integrates the laser into the probe, and compared with a mode of externally arranging the laser and transmitting outgoing rays of the laser to the probe through the optical fiber, the probe avoids light energy loss and heat consumption caused in the optical fiber transmission process, and can reduce the light energy loss and the heat consumption.

In this embodiment, the type and structure of the laser are not limited, and a laser with a small volume is preferably used on the premise that the output laser meets the requirement, so that the laser is conveniently integrated in the housing and the volume of the probe is reduced. The laser may be, but is not limited to, a laser diode, and the laser may emit pulsed laser light. The number of lasers and the laser wavelength are not limited, one laser or a plurality of lasers can be set according to application requirements in practical application, and the laser wavelengths output by the lasers in the implementation mode of setting the lasers can be the same or different, and can be set according to application requirements.

In this embodiment, the structure of the reflecting member is not limited. The reflecting member may employ, but is not limited to, a mirror formed of a prism or a plane mirror. Preferably, the reflective member may be fixed non-deflectable. The reflecting component can deflect to change the emergent direction of the light rays emitted out of the shell, and the angle of the light rays reflected by the reflecting component is changed by controlling the deflection of the reflecting component, so that the emergent direction of the light rays is changed, and the laser emitted by the probe head irradiates the part to be detected. Optionally, a deflection shaft is disposed at the bottom of the reflective member to ensure angular deflection of the reflective member when it is being toggled or pressed.

In some embodiments, the optical assembly further includes a focusing component disposed between the laser and the reflecting component, and configured to focus the light output by the laser, so that the light passes through the reflecting component and is focused to the measured location. The focusing component focuses the emergent light of the laser, so that the light is focused to the measured part after being reflected by the reflecting component. In the present embodiment, the structure of the focusing member is not limited as long as the focusing member can focus the outgoing light of the laser, and the focusing member may include one or more lenses, including but not limited to a convex lens or a concave lens.

In the present embodiment, the structure of the ultrasonic transducer is not limited as long as it can generate ultrasonic waves under excitation of an electric signal and collect ultrasonic waves for conversion into an electric signal. Ultrasonic transduction components include, but are not limited to, ultrasonic transducer arrays.

Preferably, the laser, the focusing member, the reflecting member and the ultrasonic transduction member are disposed in this order along the axial direction of the housing. In order to easily extend into the body cavity, the probe is slender, and the laser, the focusing component, the reflecting component and the ultrasonic transduction component are sequentially arranged along the axial direction of the shell, so that the transverse size of the probe is reduced. Referring to fig. 1 for illustration, fig. 1 is a schematic core diagram of a probe for photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging according to an embodiment, as shown in the drawing, a laser 102, a focusing component 103, a reflecting component 104 and an ultrasound transducer component 105 are disposed on a probe core, the probe core is located at a head end of the probe, a laser beam Jiao Bujian and a reflecting component 104 are sequentially located on an outgoing light path of the laser 102 in the probe core, and a pulse laser 110 emitted by the laser 102 enters the reflecting component 104 after passing through the focusing component 103 and is reflected by the reflecting component 104. The ultrasonic transduction member 105 is located on a side of the reflection member 104 remote from the focusing member 103.

In the probe core shown in fig. 1, the laser 102, the focusing member 103, the reflecting member 104 and the ultrasonic transducer member 105 are sequentially arranged along the axial direction of the housing 101, and a plurality of ultrasonic transducers are sequentially arranged along the axial direction of the housing 101 to form an array, so that ultrasonic waves can be emitted outwards and returned ultrasonic waves can be collected well. The laser 102, focusing element 103, and reflecting element 104 are located to the right of the ultrasonic transduction element 105, and in other embodiments, the laser 102, focusing element 103, and reflecting element 104 may be located to the left of the ultrasonic transduction element 105.

Optionally, a light-transmitting element is disposed on the housing 101 corresponding to the light-emitting side of the reflecting member 104, and the light-transmitting element is configured to transmit the reflected light of the reflecting member 104 and irradiate the measured portion 100. In the present embodiment, the type of the light-transmitting element is not limited, and the light-transmitting element may be, but not limited to, a planar lens. As shown in fig. 1, a light transmitting element 107 may be disposed on the housing 101 corresponding to the light emitting side of the reflecting member 104, and specifically, a light transmitting hole may be disposed on the housing 101 corresponding to the light emitting side of the reflecting member 104, where the light transmitting element 107 is correspondingly mounted.

Optionally, the reflecting component 104 includes a reflecting plane, which forms an obtuse angle with the axial direction of the housing 101, so that the light output by the laser 102 is reflected to the front upper side and irradiates the measured portion 100. Wherein the side of the light transmitting element 107 is understood to be above the probe. In this embodiment, the specific position of the reflecting component 104 and the angle of the reflecting plane included in the reflecting component are not limited, and may be set according to the area that can be detected by the ultrasonic transducer 105, that is, the area that can be detected by the ultrasonic transducer 105 is to be irradiated with the light reflected by the reflecting component 104, and the area that can be detected by the ultrasonic transducer 105 refers to the ultrasonic wave returned by the area that can be received by the ultrasonic transducer 105.

Preferably, an acoustic focusing means is provided on the housing 101 at a position corresponding to the ultrasonic transduction means 105 for receiving an acoustic signal from the site 100 to be measured and focusing the acoustic signal so that the acoustic signal is received by the ultrasonic transduction means 105, by which the acoustic signal from the site 100 to be measured can be effectively collected. In the present embodiment, the material and structure of the acoustic focusing member are not limited as long as the collection of the acoustic signal and the focusing of the acoustic signal can be achieved. Referring to fig. 1, the acoustic focusing member 106 is attached to the outer side of the housing 101 at a position corresponding to the ultrasonic transducer 105, and the outer side is convex.

In this embodiment, the number of optical components included in the probe is not limited, and the probe may include one optical component or a plurality of optical components. If the probe comprises at least two optical components, emergent rays of the optical components penetrate through the shell and irradiate to a region which can be detected by the ultrasonic transduction component. In addition, the laser emitted by each optical component can be the laser with the same wavelength, or the laser emitted by each optical component can be different in wavelength, and the laser can be set according to application requirements in practical application. In some embodiments, the optical components include a first optical component and a second optical component, where the first optical component and the second optical component are disposed on two sides of the ultrasonic transduction component 105, respectively, a first reflection component of the first optical component is configured to reflect light to outside the housing 101, and a second reflection component of the second optical component is configured to reflect light to outside the housing 101. The first optical component and the second optical component can emit laser to irradiate the measured part 100 at the same time, so that the power density of the light irradiated to the measured part 100 can be enhanced, the signal to noise ratio of a photoacoustic signal is improved, and the accuracy of obtaining the measured part information according to photoacoustic imaging is improved.

The irradiation position of the first light component emitting light and the irradiation position of the second light component emitting light do not have to be the same position, for example, when the first light component focuses and emits the emitting light and the second light component focuses and emits the emitting light, the focusing position of the first light component emitting light and the focusing position of the second light component emitting light do not have to be the same, and in practical application, only the focusing position of the first light component emitting light is in the area where the ultrasonic transduction component 105 can detect on the measured portion and the focusing position of the second light component emitting light is in the area where the ultrasonic transduction component 105 can detect on the measured portion.

Preferably, the first optical component and the second optical component are disposed on two sides of the ultrasonic transduction component 105 along the axial direction of the housing 101, respectively. For easier penetration into the body cavity, the probe is elongated, and the first optical assembly, the ultrasonic transduction member 105, and the second optical assembly are disposed in this order along the axial direction of the housing 101, which helps to reduce the lateral dimension of the probe. Referring to fig. 2 for illustration, fig. 2 is a schematic core diagram of a probe for photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging according to still another embodiment, in which a first optical component 11, a second optical component 12 and an ultrasound transducer 105 are integrated in a housing 101, and the first optical component 11 and the second optical component 12 are located on two sides of the ultrasound transducer 105, respectively. The first light assembly 11 includes a first laser 111, a first focusing member 112, and a first reflecting member 113, and a first light transmitting element 114 is provided on the housing 101 corresponding to the light outgoing side of the first reflecting member 113. The first laser signal beam 115 is connected to the first laser 111. The second light assembly 12 includes a second laser 121, a second condenser Jiao Bujian 122, and a second reflecting member 123, and a second light transmitting element 124 is provided on the housing 101 corresponding to the light outgoing side of the second reflecting member 123. The second laser signal harness 125 is connected to the second laser 121. The second signal harness 109 is connected to the ultrasonic transduction component 105. The laser light output by the first laser 111 and the laser light output by the second laser 121 may be the same or may be different in wavelength. The first laser signal beam 115 is used to transmit electrical signals to the first laser 111 and the second laser signal beam 125 is used to transmit electrical signals to the second laser 121.

The probe of the present embodiment may further include a first signal wire harness 108 and a second signal wire harness 109, where the first signal wire harness 108 is connected to the laser 102 and is used for transmitting an electrical signal sent to the laser 102, and the second signal wire harness 109 is connected to the ultrasonic transduction component 105 and is used for transmitting an electrical signal generated by the ultrasonic transduction component 105 and an electrical signal sent to the ultrasonic transduction component 105. Referring to fig. 1, a first signal harness 108 is connected to the laser 102 and a second signal harness 109 is connected to the ultrasonic transduction block 105. Alternatively, the electrical signal generated by the ultrasonic transduction component 105 may comprise two parts: 1) The ultrasonic transduction section 105 converts an acoustic signal generated by the photoacoustic effect into an electric signal after receiving the acoustic signal; 2) The ultrasonic transducer 105 converts an echo signal corresponding to the transmitted ultrasonic wave into an electrical signal after receiving the echo signal.

The probe of this embodiment may further include a handle connected to the housing 101, a wire harness, and a matching box connected to the handle through the wire harness, the wire harness including the first signal wire harness and the second signal wire harness. Referring to fig. 3 for illustration, fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a probe for photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging according to still another embodiment, and as shown in the drawing, the probe includes a probe core 10, a handle 13, a wire harness 14, and a matching box 15, the probe core 10 is disposed at a head end of the probe, the handle 13 is connected with a housing of the probe, and the matching box 15 is connected with the handle 13 through the wire harness 14. In clinical applications, the physician may manipulate the handle 13 to extend the probe core 10 of the probe into the patient's body cavity to test the site 100. Preferably, the entire probe core 10 is entirely encased by the housing, except for the light transmitting element 107 and the acoustic focusing member 106, and is of a sealed, water-tight design.

The matching box 15 includes a matching inductance, the electrical signal generated by the ultrasonic transducer 105 is transmitted to the matching inductance in the matching box 15 through the second signal harness 109, and the electrical signal is transmitted to the host after impedance matching through the matching inductance.

The present embodiment also provides a photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging system including:

a probe, employing the probe for photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging described in any one of the above embodiments;

the laser driving module is connected with the laser 101 of the probe and used for sending a first trigger signal to the laser 101;

an ultrasonic transmission module connected to the ultrasonic transduction component 105 of the probe and transmitting a second trigger signal to the ultrasonic transduction component 105;

an ultrasonic receiving module connected to the ultrasonic transduction block 105 of the probe for receiving the electric signal generated by the ultrasonic transduction block 105.

The laser driving module sends a first trigger signal to the laser 101 of the probe, so that the laser 101 is driven to emit laser, and photoacoustic imaging of the measured part 100 is achieved. The ultrasonic transmitting module transmits a second trigger signal to the ultrasonic transduction component 105 of the probe to excite the ultrasonic transduction component 105 to generate ultrasonic waves to be transmitted to the tested part 100, so that ultrasonic imaging of the tested part 100 is realized. The photoacoustic/ultrasonic imaging system of the embodiment can realize ultrasonic imaging and photoacoustic imaging of the tested part, and the probe integration level is high.

If both photoacoustic imaging and ultrasound imaging are required for the measured portion 100, if the first trigger signal and the second trigger signal are synchronized, the photoacoustic signal and the ultrasound signal returned by the measured portion 100 will be aliased, so that an accurate photoacoustic image and an accurate ultrasound image cannot be obtained. It is therefore preferable to set the delay of the second trigger signal with respect to the first trigger signal so as to avoid aliasing of the photoacoustic signal returned from the site 100 to be measured with the ultrasound signal. The laser driving module may be configured to generate a synchronization signal while sending the first trigger signal to the laser 101 of the probe, send the synchronization signal to the ultrasonic transmitting module, and send the second trigger signal to the ultrasonic transduction component 105 of the probe after a time delay passes after the ultrasonic transmitting module receives the synchronization signal, so as to ensure that the photoacoustic signal returned to the measured part 100 is completely received and then emitted to the measured part 100.

Referring to fig. 4 for exemplary purposes, fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging system according to an embodiment, where the photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging system includes a probe 1, a laser driving module 2, an ultrasound transmitting module 3, and an ultrasound receiving module 4, and the laser driving module 2, the ultrasound transmitting module 3, and the ultrasound receiving module 4 are respectively connected to the probe 1. Further, the photoacoustic/ultrasonic imaging system may further comprise a data acquisition module 5 and a control module 6, wherein the data acquisition module 5 is connected with the ultrasonic receiving module 4, and the control module 6 is connected with the data acquisition module 5. The data acquisition module 5 is used for converting the electric signal transmitted by the ultrasonic receiving module 4 into a digital signal, transmitting the converted signal to the control module 6, and completing image reconstruction after a series of arithmetic operations by the control module 6. The ultrasonic receiving module 4 can amplify or filter the signals, and the like, so that the signal to noise ratio is improved. The laser driving module 2, the ultrasonic transmitting module 3, the ultrasonic receiving module 4 and the data collecting module 5 can be arranged in a host, and the control module 6 can be, but is not limited to, a PC.

The probe for photoacoustic/ultrasonic imaging of the embodiment can realize photoacoustic imaging and ultrasonic imaging of a measured part, combines photoacoustic imaging, can reconstruct a photoacoustic image through photoacoustic signals, and has higher resolution compared with the traditional ultrasonic image. For example, in diagnosis and treatment of tumors in the abdominal cavity, because the difference of absorbance of deoxygenated hemoglobin and oxygenated hemoglobin to light of specific wavelength also causes the difference of intensity of photoacoustic signals generated by the deoxygenated hemoglobin and oxygenated hemoglobin, the collected photoacoustic signal data can be analyzed to calculate the blood oxygen saturation of tissues by the principle, so that tumor lesions can be more comprehensively distinguished. And each part of the probe is integrated in the probe shell, and the laser is integrated in the probe shell, so that the integration level of products is improved, the cost of an external laser is reduced, the need of using optical fibers to conduct light is avoided, and the light energy loss can be reduced.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or intervening elements may also be present. The terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," "outer," and the like refer to an orientation or positional relationship based on that shown in the drawings, merely for convenience of description and to simplify the description, and do not denote or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and thus are not to be construed as limiting the utility model. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying a relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated.

The probe and imaging system for photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging provided by the present utility model are described in detail above. The principles and embodiments of the present utility model have been described herein with reference to specific examples, the description of which is intended only to facilitate an understanding of the method of the present utility model and its core ideas. It should be noted that it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and adaptations of the utility model can be made without departing from the principles of the utility model and these modifications and adaptations are intended to be within the scope of the utility model as defined in the following claims.

Claims (10)

1. A probe for photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging, comprising a housing, and an optical assembly and an ultrasound transduction component disposed within the housing;

the optical assembly comprises a laser and a reflecting component, wherein the laser generates and outputs laser, the reflecting component is arranged on an optical outlet path of the laser, and the reflecting component is used for reflecting light output by the laser, so that the light is emitted out of the shell and irradiates a tested part;

the ultrasonic transduction component is arranged on one side of the reflecting component far away from the laser and is used for receiving the acoustic signal from the tested part, converting the acoustic signal into an electric signal and emitting ultrasonic waves to the tested part.

2. The probe for photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging of claim 1, wherein the optical assembly further comprises a focusing means disposed between the laser and the reflecting means for focusing the light outputted from the laser to the measured site after passing through the reflecting means.

3. The probe for photoacoustic/ultrasonic imaging of claim 2, wherein the laser, the focusing member, the reflecting member and the ultrasonic transduction member are disposed in this order along the axial direction of the housing.

4. The probe for photoacoustic/ultrasonic imaging according to claim 1, wherein a light transmitting element for transmitting the reflected light of the reflecting member to be irradiated to the site to be measured is provided on the housing corresponding to the light outgoing side of the reflecting member.

5. A probe for photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging according to claim 1, wherein an acoustic focusing means is provided on the housing at a position corresponding to the ultrasound transduction means for receiving an acoustic signal from the site to be measured and focusing the acoustic signal so that the acoustic signal is received by the ultrasound transduction means.

6. The probe for photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the optical assembly comprises a first optical assembly and a second optical assembly, the first optical assembly and the second optical assembly being disposed on both sides of the ultrasound transduction component, respectively, a first reflection component of the first optical assembly being for reflecting light out of the housing, and a second reflection component of the second optical assembly being for reflecting light out of the housing.

7. The probe for photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging of any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a first signal wire harness connected to the laser for transmitting the electrical signal sent to the laser and a second signal wire harness connected to the ultrasound transduction component for transmitting the electrical signal generated by the ultrasound transduction component and the electrical signal sent to the ultrasound transduction component.

8. The probe for photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging of claim 7 further comprising a handle connected to the housing, a wire harness connected to the handle by the wire harness and a matching box comprising the first signal wire harness and the second signal wire harness.

9. A photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging system, comprising:

a probe employing the probe for photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging of any one of claims 1 to 8;

the laser driving module is connected with the laser of the probe and used for sending a first trigger signal to the laser;

an ultrasonic transmitting module connected with the ultrasonic transduction component of the probe and used for transmitting a second trigger signal to the ultrasonic transduction component;

and the ultrasonic receiving module is connected with the ultrasonic transduction component of the probe and used for receiving the electric signals generated by the ultrasonic transduction component.

10. The photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging system of claim 9, wherein the second trigger signal is delayed relative to the first trigger signal.