JP2019025216A - Member, light shielding structure, and device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a simple light shielding structure capable of covering an analyte placement part by a light shielding sheet, while preventing the light shielding sheet from coming into contact with the analyte placement part.SOLUTION: A device including an analyte placement part 104 for placing an analyte, and a light application part 108 for applying light to an analyte 106 placed on the analyte placement part, includes a tubular side wall part 101 that is a member to be disposed between the analyte placement part and the light shielding sheet such that, when the analyte placement part and the light application part are covered by the light shielding sheet, the light shielding sheet is situated in a state spaced from the analyte placement part. When one end in the axial direction of the side wall part is fitted into a fit-in part provided on the device, the side wall part is attached to the device so as to enclose the circumference of the analyte placement part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a light shielding structure in an apparatus for irradiating a subject with light.

  There is known a technique for visualizing morphological information and functional information of a subject by detecting an acoustic wave propagating from the subject. One of them is a technique (Photoacoustic Tomography, hereinafter referred to as PAT) for visualizing functional information of a subject using light and ultrasound.

  When a living tissue is irradiated with pulsed light such as visible light or near infrared light, a light-absorbing substance inside the living body, especially a substance such as hemoglobin in the blood, absorbs the energy of the pulsed light and expands instantaneously. Generate acoustic waves. This phenomenon is called a photoacoustic effect, and PAT visualizes biological tissue information by measuring the acoustic wave. For example, a blood vessel can be imaged by visualizing a light energy absorption density distribution (density distribution of a light-absorbing substance in a living body that has become a generation source of an acoustic wave) as biological tissue information. Also, functional information such as oxygen saturation of blood can be obtained by utilizing the optical wavelength dependency of the generated acoustic wave.

  Patent Document 1 discloses an apparatus for visualizing breast tissue as a subject. An acoustic matching material is disposed between the acoustic detection element that detects acoustic waves and the subject. The acoustic matching material has a role of matching the acoustic impedance of the acoustic detection element and the subject.

  The intensity of light that is allowed to irradiate a living tissue is determined by various safety standards as a maximum permissible exposure (MPE: maximum permissible exposure, hereinafter referred to as MPE). Patent Document 1 discloses a light shielding member for setting measurement light leaking from the opening for inserting a subject to the outside of the apparatus to a value equal to or lower than MPE.

JP 2006-140555 A

“Photoacoustic angiography of the breast”, Medical Physics, Vol. 37, no. 11, November 2010

In order to avoid unnecessary irradiation of the subject and the imaging technician during imaging, an examination posture is adopted in which the subject placed on the subject placement unit is covered with a light shielding member. Here, the subject corresponds to an imaging target portion of the subject. As the light shielding member, a flexible sheet-like light shielding member (hereinafter referred to as a light shielding sheet) may be used. Due to its flexibility, the light shielding sheet can be shielded according to the physique and imaging posture of the subject by installing the light shielding sheet so as to cover the subject placed on the subject placement unit. Furthermore, because of the flexibility of the light shielding sheet, it is possible to shield the subject from being unnecessarily constrained by securing a peripheral region in contact with the periphery of the subject placement unit.
On the other hand, when a light shielding sheet is applied to an acoustic wave receiving device that receives an acoustic wave via an acoustic matching material applied to the subject placement unit, the light shielding sheet slips down to the subject placement unit and comes into contact with the acoustic matching material there's a possibility that.
When measurement light is irradiated to the light shielding sheet in such a state, the photoacoustic wave generated by the light shielding sheet propagates to the receiving unit via the contacted acoustic matching material, and noise with respect to the photoacoustic wave from the subject It may be an ingredient. As a result, there is a possibility that the measurement accuracy of the subject information is lowered.
In addition, the acoustic matching material may be a water-based matching material containing liquid, gel, etc. whose main component is water and acoustic impedance close to the living body. There is a problem that it is not preferable to ensure the hygiene of the light shielding sheet.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and is a simple light-shielding that enables the light-shielding sheet to cover the subject placement unit while preventing the light-shielding sheet from contacting the subject placement unit. The purpose is to provide a structure.

The first aspect of the present invention is:
In a device having a subject placement unit for placing a subject and a light irradiation unit for irradiating light on the subject placed on the subject placement unit, the subject is covered by a light shielding sheet. A member disposed between the subject placement unit and the light shielding sheet so that the light shielding sheet is separated from the subject placement unit when the placement unit and the light irradiation unit are covered. There,
Has a tubular side wall,
One end of the side wall portion in the axial direction is fitted into a fitting portion provided in the device, so that the side wall portion is attached to the device so as to surround the subject mounting portion. The member characterized by this is provided.

The second aspect of the present invention is:
Provided is a light-shielding structure comprising a member according to a first aspect of the present invention and a light-shielding sheet that is covered from above the member in order to prevent light irradiated to the subject from leaking to the outside.

The third aspect of the present invention is:
A subject placement unit for placing the subject;
A light irradiation unit that irradiates light to the subject placed on the subject placement unit;
A light shielding structure according to the second aspect of the present invention;
There is provided a device characterized by comprising:

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a simple light-shielding structure that makes it possible to cover a subject placement part with a light-shielding sheet while preventing the light-shielding sheet from contacting the subject placement part.

The top view of a subject information acquisition apparatus (before light shielding sheet installation). The AA sectional view of Drawing 1, and the block diagram of the composition in connection with control. The top view and BB sectional drawing of a subject information acquisition apparatus (after light shielding sheet installation). The top view of a subject information acquisition device (an example from which a subject's posture differs). The top view, side view, and perspective view of a soft wall. Another configuration example of the soft wall.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative arrangements of the components described below should be appropriately changed depending on the configuration of the apparatus to which the invention is applied and various conditions. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is not intended to be limited to the following description.

  The present invention relates to an apparatus having a subject placement unit for placing a subject, and a light irradiation unit for irradiating light on the subject placed on the subject placement unit. In particular, the present invention relates to a technique for reducing light leaking from an object mounting section to the outside of the apparatus to a predetermined intensity (for example, MPE) or less in such an apparatus. Specifically, the present invention can be understood as a light shielding structure or a light shielding method in a device that irradiates light to a subject, or a member applied to the device for light shielding. Alternatively, the present invention can also be understood as a method for controlling an apparatus for preventing leakage light exceeding a predetermined intensity.

  The apparatus of the present invention includes a subject information acquisition device that acquires information on a subject (referred to as subject information) by irradiating the subject with light. The object information acquisition apparatus includes an apparatus (referred to as a photoacoustic apparatus or a photoacoustic imaging apparatus) that receives acoustic waves generated in the object due to the photoacoustic effect and acquires characteristic information of the object. In this case, the characteristic information is characteristic value information corresponding to each of a plurality of positions in the subject, which is generated using a received signal derived from the received photoacoustic wave.

  The characteristic information acquired by the photoacoustic measurement is a value that reflects the absorption amount and absorption rate of light energy. For example, it includes a generation source of an acoustic wave generated by light irradiation with a single wavelength, an initial sound pressure in the subject, or a light energy absorption density or absorption coefficient derived from the initial sound pressure. Further, the concentration of a substance constituting the tissue can be acquired from characteristic information obtained from a plurality of different wavelengths. By obtaining the oxygenated hemoglobin concentration and the deoxygenated hemoglobin concentration as the substance concentration, the oxygen saturation distribution can be calculated. Further, as the substance concentration, a glucose concentration, a collagen concentration, a melanin concentration, a volume fraction of fat or water, and the like are also required.

  A two-dimensional or three-dimensional characteristic information distribution is obtained based on the characteristic information of each position in the subject. The distribution data can be generated as image data. The characteristic information may be obtained not as numerical data but as distribution information of each position in the subject. That is, distribution information such as initial sound pressure distribution, energy absorption density distribution, absorption coefficient distribution, and oxygen saturation distribution.

  The acoustic wave referred to in the present invention is typically an ultrasonic wave and includes an elastic wave called a sound wave or an acoustic wave. An electric signal converted from an acoustic wave by a transducer, an acoustic transducer, or the like is also called an acoustic signal. However, the description of ultrasonic waves or acoustic waves in this specification is not intended to limit the wavelength of those elastic waves. An acoustic wave generated by the photoacoustic effect is called a photoacoustic wave or an optical ultrasonic wave. An electrical signal derived from a photoacoustic wave is also called a photoacoustic signal.

  In the following embodiments, a photoacoustic apparatus that picks up the distribution of a light absorber in a subject by irradiating the subject with pulsed light and receiving and analyzing an acoustic wave from the subject by the photoacoustic effect will be taken up. Such a photoacoustic apparatus is suitable for diagnosing vascular diseases and malignant tumors in humans and animals and for observing the progress of chemical treatment. Examples of the subject include a part of the subject's body (hand, breast, foot, etc.), a non-human animal such as a mouse, an inanimate object, a phantom, and the like.

<Embodiment>
A subject information acquisition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 3A, 3B, 4, and 5A to 5C. FIG. 1 is a top view of the object information acquiring apparatus before the light shielding sheet is installed, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. FIG. 2 also shows a block diagram of a configuration related to the control of the subject information acquisition apparatus. 3A is a top view of the object information acquiring apparatus after the light shielding sheet is installed, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 3A. FIG. 4 is a top view of the subject information acquiring apparatus, and shows an example in which the posture of the subject is different from that in FIG. FIG.
FIG. 5C is a diagram illustrating a member (hereinafter referred to as a soft wall) disposed between the subject placement unit and the light shielding sheet.

(Subject information acquisition device)
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the subject information acquisition apparatus 1 includes a bed top plate 103, a subject placement unit 104, a light irradiation unit 108, a reception unit 107, a light source 300, and a signal processing unit as main components. 301, a detection unit 302, and a control unit 303.

  The subject placement unit 104 is a member for placing the subject 106 (the right hand of the subject 201 in the example of FIG. 1). In the apparatus according to the present embodiment, a subject placement unit 104 having a size capable of placing a forearm (from a fingertip to an elbow) of a general adult male is installed on the bed top plate 103. The subject placement unit 104 has a support surface 104b that supports the subject 106 by, for example, bonding a mesh or a film sheet to a rectangular frame 104a. The material of the support surface 104b is desirably a material that transmits both measurement light and acoustic waves satisfactorily. An acoustic matching material 105 is accommodated in the subject placement unit 104, and the acoustic wave generated in the subject 106 by the measurement light emitted from the light irradiation unit 108 is satisfactorily transmitted to the reception unit 107. The acoustic matching material 105 is for acoustically coupling the receiving unit 107 and the subject 106. For example, a liquid such as water / oil or a fluid containing an aqueous gel is used.

  If hygiene is taken into consideration, a replaceable sheet-like member is installed on the subject placement unit 104 and can be exchanged together with the acoustic matching material 105 accommodated in the subject placement unit 104 for each subject. It can also be done. In this case, since the acoustic matching material 105 disposed between the receiving unit 107 and the subject support surface 104b is isolated from the subject 106, hygiene management can be simplified. The replaceable sheet-like member is desirably made of a material that transmits both measurement light and acoustic waves, like the subject support surface 104b.

  A mat 102 is laid on almost the entire surface of the top plate 103 so that the subject 201 can easily take an inspection posture on the top plate 103. A rectangular opening 102 a is provided in a part of the mat 102. The opening 102a is for exposing the support surface 104b of the subject placement unit 104. In the present embodiment, the opening 102a forms a step (fitting portion) for fitting the soft wall 101 described later. Doubles as The mat 102 does not necessarily need to be a single object, and may be composed of a plurality of sheets. In FIG. 1, the subject 201 is in a prone position on the mat 102 and places the right palm downward from the elbow to the fingertip on the subject placement unit 104. FIG. 4 shows another test posture in which the subject is placed on the subject placement unit 104 from the elbow to the fingertip with the right hand facing downward in the recumbent position.

  The light irradiation unit 108 is a member that irradiates the subject 106 placed on the subject placement unit 104 with measurement light emitted from the light source 300. As the light source 300, a laser device such as a solid laser, a gas laser, a dye laser, or a semiconductor laser is suitable. Moreover, a flash lamp, LED, etc. can also be utilized. As the measurement light, for example, pulse light having a pulse width of about 10 nanoseconds to 50 nanoseconds is suitable. Further, the wavelength of the pulsed light is preferably a wavelength (for example, 600 nm or more and 1100 nm or less) at which the light reaches the inside of the subject 106. The light from the light source 300 is guided to the light irradiation unit 108 through the optical transmission path.

  The receiving unit 107 is a member that receives an acoustic wave propagating from the subject 106. The receiving unit 107 has a plurality of acoustic detection elements (not shown). The acoustic detection element is an element that converts an acoustic wave into an analog electrical signal. For example, PZT, cMUT, or the like can be used. As the shape of the receiving unit 107, a hemispherical shape, a spherical crown shape, a part of an ellipsoid, a dish shape, a bowl shape, a shape in which a plurality of curved surfaces or planes are combined, and the like can be used. Although not shown, a moving mechanism for scanning the receiving unit 107 with respect to the subject 106 may be provided.

  The signal processing unit 301 is a device that acquires an analog electrical signal output from the acoustic detection element of the receiving unit 107 and performs processing such as amplification, digital conversion, correction, and storage in a storage device as necessary.

  The detection unit 302 mounts the subject on the light shielding sheet 111 so that the light shielding sheet 111 is properly fixed to the subject information acquisition apparatus 1 (that is, the light is not leaked from the subject placement unit 104 to the outside of the apparatus). This is a circuit for detecting whether the entire unit 104 is covered. A specific detection method will be described later.

  The control unit 303 is a device that performs overall control of the subject information acquisition apparatus 1. For example, the control unit 303 measures the subject 106 while synchronizing timings such as scanning, light irradiation, and acoustic wave reception of the reception unit 107. The control unit 303 also performs arithmetic processing for generating characteristic information inside the subject based on the digital signal obtained from the signal processing unit 301. Further, the control unit 303 performs control to stop or reduce the irradiation from the light irradiation unit 108 according to the detection result of the detection 302. The signal processing unit 301 and the control unit 303 include an information processing device that includes a CPU (processor) and a memory and operates according to a program, a circuit that performs each process, or a combination of the information processing device and a circuit.

(Shading structure)
As illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the subject information acquisition apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment has a light shielding structure including a soft wall 101 and a light shielding sheet 111. The soft wall 101 is configured so that the light shielding sheet 111 is separated from the subject placement unit 104 when the subject placement unit 104 and the light irradiation unit 107 are covered with the light shielding sheet 111. 104 is a member disposed between 104 and the light shielding sheet 111.

  5A to 5C are schematic views of the soft wall 101 of the present embodiment. 5A is a top view, FIG. 5B is a side view, and FIG. 5C is a perspective view. The soft wall 101 has a tubular side wall 40 for enclosing the periphery of the subject placement unit 104. A part of the side wall part 40 is formed with an insertion port 41 through which the subject 201 outside the light shielding sheet 111 inserts the subject 106 that is a part of the body into the subject placement unit 104. . The insertion port 41 is made of, for example, an opening or a notch provided at one end (in the illustrated example, the lower end) of the side wall 40 in the axial direction. The soft wall 101 of the present embodiment is flexible by being made of an elastic material, and has a substantially cylindrical shape in a free state. The soft wall 101 having such a simple structure can be formed, for example, by bending a rectangular urethane sponge foam flat plate in which the insertion port 41 (opening or notch) is formed and joining a part of the flat plate in a tubular shape.

  The height of the side wall portion 40 may be high enough that the light shielding sheet 111 falls and does not reach the acoustic matching material 105 when the light shielding sheet 111 is placed on the soft wall 101. The thickness of the side wall portion 40 may be set so that the soft wall 101 is strong enough to be self-supported without being crushed when the soft wall 101 is installed in the apparatus and the light shielding sheet 111 is covered.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the soft wall 101 is fitted into the step formed by the opening 102 a of the mat 102 with the insertion portion 41 positioned so as to straddle the upper arm of the subject 201, and is lowered one step from the top surface of the mat. Stands in a different position. As described above, since the soft wall 101 is flexible, the soft wall 101 is deformed so as to have an oval shape when viewed from the axial direction (Z direction) as shown in FIG. 1, and fits into the opening 102a of the mat 102. In addition, the free state of the soft wall 101 is in other words a state where the soft wall 101 is not inserted into a groove of the apparatus or a state where the soft wall 101 is not restrained.

  When examining the left hand of the subject 201, the subject 201 places the subject 106 (left hand) on the subject placement unit 104 from the opposite side of the subject placement unit 104 from the position shown in FIG. I will put it. When inspecting the left hand, the position of the insertion port 41 may be moved by turning the soft wall 101 in the circumferential direction. Therefore, it is not necessary to prepare different soft walls 101 for the left hand and the right hand. Further, although the insertion position of the subject 106 into the subject placement unit 104 differs depending on the physique of the subject 201, the soft wall 101 is rotated in the circumferential direction to adjust the position of the insertion port 41. It is possible to deal with such physique differences. Furthermore, even when the subject 201 is in the lateral position as shown in FIG. 4 and the subject 106 is in a position crossing the short side of the subject placement unit 104, the insertion port 41 of the soft wall 101 is adapted. It can be installed according to the position. As described above, the fact that the position of the insertion port 41 in the circumferential direction can be arbitrarily set when the side wall 40 is fitted into the opening 102a of the mat 102 can improve the versatility and convenience of the soft wall 101. Thus, this is one of the advantages of the light shielding structure of the present embodiment.

  The light shielding sheet 111 shields light so that light exceeding a predetermined intensity (for example, MPE) does not leak from the subject mounting unit 104 to the outside of the apparatus when the subject 106 is irradiated with light from the light irradiation unit 108. Or it is a light shielding member for reducing. The light shielding sheet 111 is made of a material having flexibility and light shielding properties. The size and shape of the light shielding sheet 111 are set such that at least the entire soft wall 101 is covered when the light shielding sheet 111 is placed on the soft wall 101.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the light shielding sheet 111 in a state of being covered from the top of the soft wall 101 is provided as a fixing unit for fixing the light shielding sheet 111 to the subject information acquisition apparatus 1 at a plurality of positions on the end of the light shielding sheet 111. Suction plates 110a to 110f are provided. On the other hand, magnet catches 109a to 109f as fixed portions to which the suction plates 110a to 110f are fixed are installed around the subject mounting portion 104. The magnet catches 109a to 109f can be coupled to the suction plates 110a to 110f of the light shielding sheet 111 by a magnetic force. The magnet catches 109a to 109f are so-called switched magnet catches having switches that are closed when coupled to the suction plates 110a to 110f. The detection unit 302 (see FIG. 2) can detect whether or not all of the magnet catches 109a to 109f are coupled to the corresponding suction plates 110a to 110f based on the outputs of the magnet catches 109a to 109f.

  When performing measurement, first, the subject 201 takes a measurement posture on the mat 102 and places the subject 106 on the support surface 104 b of the subject placement unit 104. Next, an examiner (not shown) fits the soft wall 101 into the opening 102 a while aligning the insertion port 41 of the soft wall 101 with the position of the arm of the subject 201. Note that the soft wall 101 may first be fitted into the opening 102 a and the subject 201 may insert his / her hand through the insertion port 41. Thereafter, the inspector puts the light shielding sheet 111 on the soft wall 101 and fixes the suction plates 110a to 110f of the light shielding sheet 111 to the corresponding magnet catches 109a to 109f. When all the magnet catches 109a to 109f are coupled to the corresponding suction plates 110a to 110f, the detection unit 302 outputs an ON signal. Upon receiving the ON signal from the detection unit 302, the control unit 303 determines and recognizes that the light shielding sheet 111 is properly fixed, and permits the measurement light to be irradiated. For example, when the subject 201 moves during the examination and any one of the suction plates 110a to 110f is detached from the magnet catches 109a to 109f, the output signal of the detection unit 302 is switched off. When the signal from the detection unit 302 is OFF, the control unit 303 determines and recognizes that the light-shielding sheet 111 is not properly fixed, and immediately stops the measurement light irradiation, or the intensity is such that there is no danger even if it leaks. Fades out. With the control as described above, the safety of the apparatus can be further increased.

  3A and 3B show a state in which the light shielding sheet 111 is installed on the soft wall 101. FIG. The light shielding sheet 111 is supported by the soft wall 101 (the upper end of the side wall portion 40), and the possibility that the light shielding sheet 111 is loosened or slipped down and contacts the subject placement unit 104 is reduced. Further, since the soft wall 101 is fitted into the opening 102a of the mat 102 in a state where the side wall portion 40 is elastically deformed, a stress that tends to return to a substantially cylindrical shape is generated. In other words, in a state in which the soft wall 101 is fitted in the opening 102a, bending deformation occurs in the side wall portion 40, tensile stress is generated on the outer peripheral side of the side wall portion 40, or compression is performed on the inner peripheral side of the side wall portion 40. Stress is occurring. Therefore, the soft wall 101 is in close contact with the inner surface of the opening 102 a of the mat 102. As a result, the soft wall 101 is fixed, and a gap in which the light shielding sheet 111 falls from the outer edge of the subject placement unit 104 is difficult to be formed.

  As described above, the subject information acquisition apparatus 1 of the present embodiment employs a light shielding structure in which the soft wall 101 is attached so as to surround the subject placement unit 104 and the light shielding sheet 111 is placed thereon. With such a light shielding structure, it is possible to suppress leakage light from the subject placement unit 104 to the outside of the apparatus while preventing the light shielding sheet 111 from coming into contact with the subject placement unit 104. Further, since the configuration is such that the soft wall 101 is simply disposed between the subject placement unit 104 and the light shielding sheet 111, handling and installation are simple. Further, the soft wall 101 is made of a flexible material having elasticity, and the position of the insertion port 41 can be arbitrarily adjusted, so that one soft wall 101 can be used for various measurement postures and various physiques. It can respond to the subject. This not only improves the convenience and operability of the light shielding structure and the apparatus, but also contributes to the reduction of the apparatus cost.

(Modification)
The above-described embodiment is merely an example of a preferable configuration of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment.

  For example, in the above embodiment, a soft wall is created by bending and connecting sponge foam flat plates into a tubular shape, but the method of manufacturing the soft wall is not limited to this. A substantially cylindrical soft wall may be manufactured by molding, or a plurality of members may be combined. Moreover, you may combine multiple types of material instead of a single material. FIG. 6 shows an example of a soft wall 501 having a structure in which a plurality of members made of different materials are combined. The side wall 50 of the soft wall 501 has a structure in which a plurality of rigid members 51 having rigidity are connected in the circumferential direction by a connecting member 52 having a lower elastic coefficient than the rigid member 51. By forming an opening in one of the rigid members 51, an insertion port for inserting a subject is provided. In addition, as a material of the rigid member 51, a metal, resin, wood, etc. can be used. As the material of the connecting member 52, an elastic material such as an elastomer or a sponge, or a flexible material such as a cloth or a resin sheet can be used. The soft wall 501 having a structure as shown in FIG. 6 can also be modified so that the outer shape of the side wall 50 matches the fitting portion. In addition, since the strength of the side wall portion 50 is improved by using the rigid member 51, the soft wall 501 can easily stand on its own, and the side wall portion 50 is prevented from buckling or being crushed when covered with a light shielding sheet. There are advantages such as being able to.

  In the said embodiment, although the soft wall was comprised only by the cylindrical side wall part, you may provide structures other than a side wall part. In addition, a structure for reducing light leaked from the insertion port (for example, an elastic member or a cloth that closes a gap between the insertion port and the subject) may be provided. A plurality of insertion ports may be provided in the side wall portion, and a closing structure for closing unused insertion ports (insertion ports other than the insertion port into which the subject is inserted) may be provided.

In the above embodiment, the suction plate is provided as the fixing part on the light shielding sheet side, and the magnet catch is provided as the fixed part on the apparatus side. However, the fixing method is not limited to this, and the light shielding sheet can be detachably fixed to the apparatus. Any fixing method may be used. For example, instead of magnetic force, a structure in which the fixed portion and the fixed portion are physically coupled as in engagement or fitting may be used.

  In the above embodiment, the opening 102a of the mat 102 also serves as a soft wall fitting portion, but a fitting portion may be provided as a structure different from the opening 102a. For example, a fitting portion may be provided on the bed top plate 103 or the mat 102. The fitting portion may be any structure as long as the outer peripheral surface and / or the inner peripheral surface of the side wall portion 40 of the soft wall are in contact with each other while being elastically deformed. For example, a concave portion, a groove, a step, a protrusion, etc. be able to.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Subject information acquisition apparatus 101,501 ... Soft wall (member)
102a ... opening of mat (insertion part)
104 ... Subject placement unit 106 ... Subject 108 ... Light irradiation unit 111 ... Light shielding sheet 40, 50 ... Side wall of soft wall

Claims (20)

In a device having a subject placement unit for placing a subject and a light irradiation unit for irradiating light on the subject placed on the subject placement unit, the subject is covered by a light shielding sheet. A member disposed between the subject placement unit and the light shielding sheet so that the light shielding sheet is separated from the subject placement unit when the placement unit and the light irradiation unit are covered. There,
Has a tubular side wall,
One end portion in the axial direction of the side wall portion is fitted into a fitting portion provided in the device, so that the side wall portion is attached to the device so as to surround the periphery of the subject placement portion. A member characterized by. The member according to claim 1, wherein an insertion port for inserting the subject is provided in the side wall portion. The member according to claim 2, wherein the side wall portion is fitted into the fitting portion in an elastically deformed state. 4. The elastic deformation according to claim 3, wherein the elastic deformation is a bending deformation in which a tensile stress is generated on an outer peripheral side of the side wall part or a compressive stress is generated on an inner peripheral side of the side wall part. Element. The member according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the side wall portion is formed of a material having elasticity. 5. The structure according to claim 2, wherein the side wall portion has a structure in which a plurality of rigid members having rigidity are connected in a circumferential direction by a connecting member having a lower elastic coefficient than that of the rigid member. The member described. The member according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the insertion port is an opening or a notch provided in the one end portion. The subject is a part of the subject's body;
The said insertion port is for the said subject who is outside the said light shielding sheet to insert only a part of body into the said subject mounting part, The any one of Claim 2 thru | or 7 characterized by the above-mentioned. Item 1. The member according to item 1. The said member can set arbitrarily the position of the circumferential direction of the said insertion port, when inserting the said side wall part with respect to the said insertion part, The Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned. Element.   A light shielding structure comprising: the member according to any one of claims 1 to 9; and a light shielding sheet that is placed on the member in order to prevent light irradiated on the subject from leaking to the outside. The light-shielding structure according to claim 10, wherein the light-shielding sheet has a plurality of fixing portions for fixing the light-shielding sheet in a state of covering the member to the apparatus. The light-shielding structure according to claim 11, wherein the fixing portion detachably fixes the light-shielding sheet to the device by magnetic force, engagement, or fitting. A subject placement unit for placing the subject;
A light irradiation unit that irradiates light to the subject placed on the subject placement unit;
The light shielding structure according to claim 11 or 12,
A device characterized by comprising: The apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising a plurality of fixed parts to which each of the plurality of fixing parts of the light shielding sheet of the light shielding structure is fixed. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the plurality of fixed parts are arranged so as to surround a periphery of the subject placement part. 16. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the fitting portion for fitting the side wall portion of the member is provided between the plurality of fixed portions and the subject placement portion. . The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the fitting portion is a step. A controller configured to determine whether or not the fixing of the plurality of fixing parts to the plurality of fixed parts is appropriate, and to stop or diminish irradiation from the light irradiation unit when it is determined that the fixing is not appropriate; An apparatus according to any one of claims 14 to 17, characterized in that The apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising a receiving unit that receives an acoustic wave propagating from the subject. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein an acoustic matching material that acoustically couples the reception unit and the subject is accommodated in the subject placement unit.

Images