WO2017169188A1

WO2017169188A1 - Photoacoustic measurement device

Info

Publication number: WO2017169188A1
Application number: PCT/JP2017/005099
Authority: WO
Inventors: 覚入澤; 村越　大
Original assignee: 富士フイルム株式会社
Priority date: 2016-03-29
Filing date: 2017-02-13
Publication date: 2017-10-05
Also published as: JPWO2017169188A1; JP6534493B2

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a photoacoustic measurement device capable of detecting defects in a photoacoustic wave generation unit comprising a light guiding member and a light absorbing body. [Solution] This device has: a light source (35) for emitting light; a light guiding member (16) for guiding light entering from a base end to a leading end; an insert (15), at least a leading end part of which is inserted into a test subject, and which encloses at least the leading end of the light guiding member (16) and a light absorbing body (17) that is connected to the leading end and that absorbs light guided by the light guiding member to generate a photoacoustic wave; a photoacoustic wave detection unit (11) for detecting the photoacoustic wave generated from the leading end part of the insert (15) inserted into the test subject; a light detection unit (52) for detecting light leakage from the leading end part of the insert (15); and a determination unit (54) for determining abnormality of a photoacoustic wave generation unit (18) comprising the light guiding member (16) and the light absorbing body (17) on the basis of the amount of the light leakage.

Description

Photoacoustic measuring device

The present invention relates to a photoacoustic measurement device that measures a photoacoustic wave generated in a subject, and in particular, by measuring a photoacoustic wave emitted from a tip of an insert that is inserted into a subject. It is related with the photoacoustic measuring device which enabled confirmation of the front-end | tip position.

As a kind of image inspection method capable of non-invasively inspecting the state inside a living body, photoacoustic imaging is known in which the inside of a living body is imaged using a photoacoustic effect. When a living body is irradiated with pulsed laser light such as a laser pulse, the living tissue absorbs the energy of the pulsed laser light, and ultrasonic waves (photoacoustic waves) are generated by adiabatic expansion due to the energy. Photoacoustic imaging is a technique for visualizing the inside of a living body based on a photoacoustic wave by detecting the photoacoustic wave with an ultrasonic probe or the like and constructing a photoacoustic image based on a detection signal.

Conventionally, various puncture needles have been punctured into a subject that is a living body, and procedures such as surgery, sample collection, and chemical injection have been performed.

When performing various treatments using a puncture needle, it is desirable to be able to confirm the tip position of the puncture needle for the safety of the subject. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-260260 discloses a technique that enables the tip position of an insert such as a puncture needle to be confirmed by applying the above-described photoacoustic imaging. In Patent Document 1, a light absorber such as an optical fiber that reaches the vicinity of the tip of the insert is disposed in an insert such as a puncture needle, and the light absorber covers the tip of the light guide member at the tip of the insert. A configuration is disclosed in which the light propagating through the light guide member is incident on the light absorber from the front end of the light guide member. By making light incident on the light absorber from the tip of the light guide member, generating a photoacoustic wave from the light absorber, detecting the photoacoustic wave and displaying a photoacoustic image of the light absorber, The tip, that is, the tip of the insert can be confirmed.

JP 2015-37519 A

When the light guide member such as an optical fiber is broken or the connection between the light guide member and the light absorber is disconnected in the configuration of the above-described Patent Document 1, a photoacoustic wave is generated from the tip of the insert. The light for leaking out. Unnecessary exposure to the operator or subject due to light leaking from the insert is undesirable. In addition, if the connection between the light guide member and the light absorber is shifted or a part of the light absorber is lost, the position where the photoacoustic wave is generated shifts or the signal intensity of the photoacoustic wave decreases. Therefore, there is a possibility that the tip position of the insert in the subject cannot be accurately detected.

In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a photoacoustic measurement device that can detect a defect in a photoacoustic wave generation unit including a light guide member and a light absorber.

The photoacoustic measurement apparatus of the present invention includes a light source that emits light, a long light guide member that is connected to the light source and guides light incident from the proximal end to the distal end, and at least the distal end portion is in the subject. An insert that is inserted and includes at least a tip of a light guide member and a light absorber that is connected to the tip and absorbs light guided by the light guide member and generates a photoacoustic wave. A photoacoustic wave detection unit that detects a photoacoustic wave emitted from the distal end portion of the insert inserted into the subject, a light detection unit that detects leakage light from the distal end portion of the insert, and a light detection unit And a determination unit that determines an abnormality of the photoacoustic wave generation unit including the light guide member and the light absorber based on the amount of the leaked light detected in step (b).

In the photoacoustic measurement device of the present invention, the determination unit determines that the photoacoustic wave generation unit is abnormal when the amount of leaked light detected by the light detection unit is greater than a predetermined reference value. It may be configured.

In the photoacoustic measurement apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable that the light detection unit includes an optical filter that transmits only a wavelength region of light emitted from the light source on the light incident surface.

In the photoacoustic measurement apparatus of the present invention, the light detection unit may be configured to start detection of leaked light based on a trigger signal indicating driving of the light source.

In the photoacoustic measuring device of the present invention, it is preferable to further include a light source drive notification unit that performs a light source drive notification indicating the drive of the light source.

When the photoacoustic measurement device of the present invention includes a light source drive notification unit, the light source drive notification unit may be configured to perform light source drive notification based on a trigger signal that instructs driving of the light source.

When the photoacoustic measuring device of the present invention includes a light source drive notification unit, the light source drive notification unit also serves as an abnormality notification unit, and when the determination unit determines that the photoacoustic wave generation unit is abnormal The abnormality notification may be performed so as to be distinguishable from the light source drive notification.

The photoacoustic measurement apparatus of the present invention may include a light source drive switch that instructs driving start and stop of the light source.

In the photoacoustic measurement device of the present invention, a light guide member is connected, an optical coupling unit in which the light guide member is optically coupled to the light source, and a connection detection unit that detects a connection between the light guide member and the optical coupling unit. It is preferable to further comprise.

When the photoacoustic measurement device of the present invention includes a connection detection unit, it is preferable that the light source can be driven only when the connection detection unit detects the connection between the light guide member and the optical coupling unit.

When the photoacoustic measuring device of the present invention includes a connection detection unit, the connection between the light guide member and the optical coupling unit is notified when the connection detection unit detects the connection between the light guide member and the optical coupling unit. It is preferable to further include a connection notification unit.

In the above case, the connection notification unit also serves as an abnormality notification unit, and when the determination unit determines that the photoacoustic wave generation unit is abnormal, notification and identification of the connection between the light guide member and the optical coupling unit You may be comprised so that abnormality notification may be performed as possible.

In the photoacoustic measurement device of the present invention, it is preferable that the photoacoustic measurement device further includes an abnormality notification unit that performs abnormality notification when the determination unit determines that the photoacoustic wave generation unit is abnormal.

In the photoacoustic measurement apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable that the photoacoustic measurement apparatus further includes a mode changeover switch for switching on / off an abnormality detection mode in which light detection is performed by the light detection unit.

In the photoacoustic measuring device according to the present invention, the photoacoustic wave detection unit detects the photoacoustic wave when the photodetection unit has an abnormality detection mode in which light detection is performed and the abnormality detection mode is on. The sensitivity of the light detection unit during the period may be set to be greater than the sensitivity of the light detection unit during the period in which the photoacoustic wave detection is performed by the photoacoustic wave detection unit.

In the photoacoustic measuring device according to the present invention, the photoacoustic wave detection unit detects the photoacoustic wave when the photodetection unit has an abnormality detection mode in which light detection is performed and the abnormality detection mode is on. In the period, the value of at least one light source driving condition selected from the number of light emission, the pulse width, and the current is the value of at least one light source driving condition in the period in which the photoacoustic wave detection is performed by the photoacoustic wave detection unit. You may be comprised so that it may set smaller than a value.

When the photoacoustic measuring device of the present invention includes the connection detection unit, the light detection unit is configured to detect the connection between the light guide member and the light coupling unit based on detection of the connection between the light guide member and the light coupling unit by the connection detection unit. The light detection may be performed for a certain period from the start of the connection, and the determination unit may be configured to determine the abnormality of the photoacoustic wave generation unit based on the amount of leaked light detected by the light detection unit during the certain period.

In the above case, when no abnormality of the photoacoustic wave generation unit is detected by the determination unit, the photodetection unit is configured to stop light detection and start detection of the photoacoustic wave by the photoacoustic wave detection unit. It may be.

The photoacoustic image generation apparatus of the present invention includes a light source that emits light, a long light guide member that is connected to the light source and guides light incident from the proximal end to the distal end, and at least the distal end portion within the subject. An insert that is inserted into the light guide member and includes at least a tip of the light guide member and a light absorber that is connected to the tip and absorbs light guided by the light guide member to generate a photoacoustic wave. A photoacoustic wave detector that detects a photoacoustic wave emitted from the tip of the insert inserted into the subject, a light detector that detects light leaked from the tip of the insert, and light detection And a determination unit that determines an abnormality of the photoacoustic wave generation unit including the light guide member and the light absorber based on the amount of leaked light detected by the unit, so that the light including the light guide member and the light absorber It is possible to easily confirm a defect in the acoustic wave generation unit.

The block diagram which shows the photoacoustic measuring device which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing which shows a puncture needle. The figure which shows the external appearance of the photoacoustic measuring device containing a laser unit. The flowchart of the photoacoustic detection process by the photoacoustic measuring device which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The flowchart of the abnormality detection process by the photoacoustic measuring device which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The block diagram which shows the photoacoustic image generating apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the example of the arrangement | positioning form of the photon detection part which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The block diagram which shows the photoacoustic image generating apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, corresponding elements in the drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the photoacoustic measurement apparatus 10 of the present embodiment. The photoacoustic measuring device 10 has a function of generating a photoacoustic image based on a photoacoustic signal as an example. As shown in FIG. 1, an ultrasonic probe 11 (ultrasonic probe), an ultrasonic wave The sound wave unit 12, the laser unit 13, the image display part 14, and the puncture needle 15 which is an example of an insert are provided. A light absorber 17 that generates a photoacoustic wave is disposed in the vicinity of the distal end of the puncture needle 15, and a long light guide member 16 such as an optical fiber that guides light to the light absorber 17 has a base end that is a laser. Connected to the unit 13.

The photoacoustic measurement apparatus 10 detects a photoacoustic wave emitted from a tip 15b (see FIG. 2) of a puncture needle 15 inserted into a subject and images the photoacoustic image as a photoacoustic image. The tip position of the needle 15 can be detected. Light guided by the light guide member 16 is applied to the light absorber 17, and the light absorber 17 absorbs the light to generate a photoacoustic wave. As light for generating this photoacoustic wave, laser light is generally used. Causes of the failure of the photoacoustic wave generation unit include breakage of the light guide member 16, displacement of the connection between the light guide member 16 and the light absorber 17, or partial omission or loss of the light absorber 17. It is done. When these abnormalities occur, if laser light is input to the photoacoustic wave generator 18, the laser light leaks to the outside, and the user such as the operator and the subject are exposed to unnecessary laser light. .

In the present photoacoustic measurement device 10, the present photoacoustic measurement device 10 includes an abnormality detection means 51 for detecting an abnormality in the photoacoustic wave generation unit 18 including the light guide member 16 and the light absorber 17, and an abnormality detection. A mode changeover switch 58 for turning on and off an abnormality detection mode described later by the means 51 is provided, and is configured to prevent the use of the puncture needle 15 provided with the photoacoustic wave generation unit 18 in which an abnormality has occurred. Yes.

The laser unit 13 includes a light source 35 that emits infrared light, particularly near-infrared laser light. The light source 35 is a light source for generating a photoacoustic wave. Hereinafter, each element of this photoacoustic measuring device 10 is demonstrated.

As described above, the puncture needle 15 is an example of an insert in which at least the tip is inserted into the subject. FIG. 2 is a view showing a cross section of the puncture needle 15. The puncture needle 15 is made of, for example, a hollow tubular needle tube made of a metal such as stainless steel or a synthetic resin. The puncture needle 15 has a hollow portion 15a extending in the tube axis direction over the entire length. The puncture needle 15 has a tip 15b that is cut obliquely with respect to the tube axis. The puncture needle 15 is punctured into the subject from the tip 15b.

In the hollow portion 15a, the distal end 16a of the long light guide member 16 that receives light that generates a photoacoustic wave from the proximal end and guides the light to the distal end 16a is disposed in the vicinity of the puncture needle distal end 15b. Has been. In the present specification, one end to which light from the light guide member 16 is input is referred to as a base end, and the other end from which light is emitted is referred to as a distal end. A light absorber 17 connected to the tip 16a of the light guide member 16 is disposed in the vicinity of the puncture needle tip 15b. Here, the vicinity of the puncture needle tip 15b is a position where a photoacoustic wave that can image the tip of the puncture needle 15 with the accuracy required for the puncture operation when the light absorber 17 is disposed at that position. It means that. For example, it refers to the range of 0 mm to 3 mm from the distal end of the puncture needle 15 to the proximal end side.

The light absorber 17 is made of a material that absorbs light (here, in particular, infrared light), for example, a synthetic resin such as an epoxy resin, a fluorine resin, or a polyurethane resin mixed with a black pigment, and is in a molten state as a light guide member. After being supplied to the inner wall of the puncture needle 15 so as to cover the 16 tips 16a, it is solidified. Thus, in this example, the vicinity of the tip of the light guide member 16 is fixed to the inner wall of the puncture needle 15 by the light absorber 17. The other part of the light guide member 16 may be appropriately fixed to the inner wall of the puncture needle with another adhesive or the like.

The light guide member 16 is constituted by, for example, an optical fiber, and may be constituted by a single optical fiber continuous from the base end to the distal end, or a plurality of optical fibers are connected in series by an optical connector or the like. It may be configured.

When the proximal end of the light guide member 16 is optically connected to the light source 35 of the laser unit 13, laser light emitted from the light source 35 is input from the proximal end of the light guide member 16, and the laser light is guided. The light is emitted from the tip 16 a of the member 16 and is irradiated on the light absorber 17. The light absorber 17 absorbs the irradiated infrared light and generates a photoacoustic wave. A portion of the light guide member 16 that is not included in the puncture needle 15 is included in a flexible protective member 19 (see FIG. 3) such as a protective tube. In addition, it is preferable that the protection member 19 is transparent with respect to visible light. By doing in this way, it becomes easy to confirm the presence or absence of the damage of the light guide member 16 with the naked eye.

The ultrasonic probe 11 is a photoacoustic wave detection unit that detects a photoacoustic wave emitted from the distal end portion of an insert (here, the puncture needle 15) inserted into the subject. The probe 11 has, for example, a plurality of ultrasonic transducers arranged one-dimensionally. In addition to detecting the photoacoustic wave, the probe 11 transmits an acoustic wave (ultrasonic wave) to the subject and receives a reflected acoustic wave (reflected ultrasonic wave) with respect to the transmitted ultrasonic wave. Thereby, not only photoacoustic image data but also ultrasonic image data can be acquired.

The ultrasonic unit 12 includes a laser trigger transmission unit 22, an ultrasonic transmission unit 23, a signal reception unit 24, a photoacoustic image generation unit 25, an ultrasonic image generation unit 26, and a control unit 28 for controlling them.

The laser trigger transmitter 22 transmits a laser trigger to the laser unit 13 in response to an instruction from the controller 28.

The ultrasonic transmission unit 23 receives the ultrasonic transmission trigger signal from the control unit 28 and causes the probe 11 to transmit ultrasonic waves.

The signal receiving unit 24 receives the photoacoustic wave detection signal and the reflected ultrasonic detection signal detected by the probe 11. The signal receiving unit 24 starts sampling of the photoacoustic wave or the reflected ultrasonic wave based on the sampling trigger signal and the sampling clock signal from the control unit 28, and detects the photoacoustic wave or the reflected ultrasonic wave at a predetermined sampling period. Is sampled.

The photoacoustic image generation unit 25 generates a photoacoustic image based on the photoacoustic wave detection signal detected by the probe 11. The generation of the photoacoustic image includes, for example, image reconstruction such as phase matching addition, detection, logarithmic conversion, and the like. The photoacoustic image generation unit 25 outputs the generated photoacoustic image data to the image display unit 14.

The ultrasonic image generation unit 26 generates an ultrasonic image (reflected acoustic wave image) based on the detection signal of the reflected ultrasonic wave detected by the probe 11. The generation of an ultrasonic image also includes image reconstruction such as phase matching addition, detection, logarithmic conversion, and the like. The ultrasonic image generation unit 26 outputs the generated ultrasonic image data to the image display unit 14.

The control unit 28 controls each unit in the ultrasonic unit 12. When acquiring the photoacoustic image, the control unit 28 sends a laser trigger signal to the laser unit 13 via the laser trigger transmission unit 22 to emit infrared light from the light source 35. Then, a sampling trigger signal is sent to the signal receiving unit 24 in accordance with the laser light irradiation, and photoacoustic wave sampling is started.

In addition, when acquiring an ultrasonic image, the control unit 28 sends an ultrasonic transmission trigger signal for instructing ultrasonic transmission to the ultrasonic transmission unit 23, and transmits ultrasonic waves from the probe 11 to the ultrasonic transmission unit 23. Send it. Then, a sampling trigger signal is sent to the signal receiving unit 24 in synchronization with the timing of ultrasonic transmission, and sampling of reflected ultrasonic waves is started.

The image display unit 14 displays the photoacoustic image and the ultrasonic image separately or as a combined composite image based on the data input from the ultrasonic unit 12.

The laser unit 13 includes a trigger input unit 32, a light source driving circuit 33, an optical coupling unit 36, and a connection detection unit 37 as light source driving means 31 including a light source 35. In addition, the laser unit 13 includes a light detection unit 52 that detects light output from the light source 35, a determination unit 54, and an abnormality notification unit 56 as the abnormality detection unit 51. Further, the laser unit 13 includes a connection notification unit 38 that notifies the user of the connection between the light guide member 16 and the optical coupling unit 36, and a mode changeover switch 58 that switches on / off of an abnormality detection mode described later. The light detection unit 52 includes an optical filter 52a that transmits the wavelength range of the light output from the light source 35 on the light incident surface.

First, the light source driving means 31 including the light source 35 will be described.

The light source 35 is a flash lamp-excited Q-switched solid-state laser such as an alexandrite laser or a YAG (YttriumnetAluminum Garnet) laser, and emits laser light having a wavelength in the infrared region (above 700 nm) as measurement light irradiated on the subject. The light source 35 is configured to receive a trigger signal from the control unit 28 of the ultrasonic unit 12 and output a laser beam.

The light source 35 is YAG-SHG (Yttrium Aluminum Garnet-Second harmonic generation) that can output laser light in the near-infrared wavelength region in addition to an alexandrite laser. An OPO (Optical Parametric Oscillation) laser, a Ti-Sapphire (titanium-sapphire) laser, or the like can also be used.

Note that the light source 35 is not necessarily a solid-state laser light source, and may be another type of laser light source. For example, the light source 35 may be a laser diode light source (semiconductor laser light source). The light source 35 may be an optical amplification type laser light source using a laser diode light source as a seed light source.

As an example, when the laser unit 13 is configured to include an optical amplification type laser light source, the laser unit 13 includes a semiconductor laser light source that emits pulsed laser light as seed light, and an excitation semiconductor that emits excitation laser light. A laser light source, a multiplexer for combining pulsed laser light and excitation laser light, a fiber optical amplifier having a core doped with, for example, Er (erbium), and connected to the multiplexer, and the fiber An optical isolator for preventing oscillation connected to the optical amplifier and an optical wavelength conversion element for converting the pulse laser beam output from the optical isolator into a second harmonic having a wavelength of ½ may be provided.

The trigger input unit 32 receives the laser trigger signal from the ultrasonic unit 12 and transmits the trigger signal to the light source drive circuit 33. The light source drive circuit 33 receives the laser trigger signal and drives the light source 35, and emits laser light from the light source 35 at a desired timing. The optical coupling unit 36 includes a condensing optical system and an optical connector for causing the light from the light source 35 to enter the light guide member 16. The connection detection unit 37 detects that the light guide member 16 is connected to the optical coupling unit 36. The connection detection unit 37 detects the connection by a contact type sensor such as a micro switch or a photo sensor type detection element such as a photo interrupter provided in the connection part 61 between the light guide member 16 and the optical coupling unit 36, for example.

The light source driving means 31 can drive the light source 35 only when the light coupling member 16 is connected to the optical coupling unit 36, and when the light guiding member 16 is not connected to the optical coupling unit 36. The light source driving means 31 is preferably configured to stop driving the light source 35. For example, in the photoacoustic measurement device 10, when the connection detection unit 37 detects the connection between the light guide member 16 and the optical coupling unit 36, a connection detection signal is transmitted from the connection detection unit 37 to the ultrasonic unit 12. . The ultrasonic unit 12 does not transmit a laser trigger signal by the control unit 28 unless it receives a connection detection signal. In other words, when the light guide member 16 is not connected to the optical coupling unit 36, the control unit 28 is configured to stop the transmission of the laser trigger signal. Since the light source 35 is not driven in a state where the light guide member 16 is not connected to the optical coupling unit 36, even if the light source 35 is a laser light source, the surgeon can safely detect an abnormality in the photoacoustic wave generation unit 18 and to be described later. It is possible to perform the photoacoustic wave detection process.

The connection notification unit 38 can be constituted by a light emitting element such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode), for example. The light emitting element is turned on in the connected state, and the light emitting element is turned off in the disconnected state. A user such as a person can visually check the connection state. A multi-color LED may be used as the connection notification unit 38 to emit light in red when connected to the light source 35 and yellow when not connected.

The connection notification unit 38 may be provided not only in the laser unit 13 but also in any part of the photoacoustic measurement device 10, but may be in the vicinity of the connection unit 61 that connects the light guide member 16 of the laser unit 13. It is easy to confirm and is preferable.

Next, the abnormality detection means 51 will be described.

The light detection unit 52 includes a photoelectric conversion element such as a photodiode that can detect light emitted from the light source 35. The light detection part 52 can be comprised with the element which can detect the light radiate | emitted from the light source 35, and may be comprised with thermoelectric conversion elements, such as a thermopile. The light detection unit 52 starts light detection based on the connection notification from the connection notification unit 38 and sends the light amount detected for a certain period to the determination unit 54. When the accumulation operation is performed from the connection notification by the connection notification unit 38 for a certain period, the certain period can be set to 10 to 30 seconds, for example. The light detection unit 52 may start detection when an object is detected within a predetermined distance from the light detection unit 52 by driving of the light source 35 or by a proximity sensor provided separately. In this case as well, the detection may be performed for an arbitrary fixed period such as several seconds to several tens of seconds. For example, the accumulation operation may be started for a certain period from the detection of light, and the light amount may be detected. For example, in the case where the accumulation operation is performed for a certain period from the detection of light, the certain period can be set to 10 to 100 nsec corresponding to the pulse width of the laser. The optical filter 52 a is a band pass filter that cuts light other than the light emission wavelength of the light source 35 in order to eliminate the influence of light other than the light source 35.

The determination unit 54 determines whether the photoacoustic wave generation unit 18 is abnormal based on the detected light amount received from the light detection unit 52. The determination unit 54 has a determination threshold value as a predetermined reference value, and determines whether the photoacoustic wave generation unit 18 is abnormal by comparing the detected light amount with the determination threshold value. For example, it is determined that the photoacoustic wave generation unit 18 is abnormal when the detected light amount exceeds the determination threshold. By determining the presence / absence of an abnormality based on the determination threshold, the presence / absence of the abnormality can be easily determined.

The abnormality notification unit 56 notifies the determination result by the determination unit 54 to the user. The abnormality notification unit 56 can be configured by a light emitting element such as an LED or a beep sound generating means. When the determination result is “abnormal (abnormal)”, the light emitting element is continuously lit or blinking, or a beep sound is generated by a beep sound generating means. When the determination result is “no abnormality (normal)”, it is not necessary to notify, or may be notified by changing the lighting method of the light emitting element, the beep sound generated by the beep sound generation means, and the like. . Further, a multicolor light emitting LED may be used as the light emitting element, and it may be lit red when abnormal and green when normal. The image display unit 14 may be configured to display characters and marks such as “abnormality detection”. Further, the light emitting element may be turned on and off during the abnormality determination period so that the user can grasp whether the abnormality is being determined.

Note that the connection notification unit 38 may also be configured to serve as the abnormality notification unit 56 described above. In this case, when it is determined by the determination unit 54 that the photoacoustic wave generation unit 18 is abnormal, the abnormality notification is performed so as to be distinguishable from the notification of the connection between the light guide member 16 and the optical coupling unit 36. do it. This makes it possible to notify the user of the presence / absence of connection and the result of abnormality detection without increasing the number of parts. Further, a multi-color light emitting LED may be used as the connection notification unit 38 to emit light in different colors, such as yellow when not connected, green when connected, and red when there is an abnormality notification.

The mode switch 58 is a switch for switching on / off of the abnormality detection mode. The state in which the abnormality detection mode is on is a state in which the light detection unit 52 is driven, waiting for an instruction to start light detection for a certain period for abnormality detection, and a state in which light detection is actually performed. . The state in which the abnormality detection mode is off is a state in which the light detection unit 52 is not driven. When the mode changeover switch 58 is provided, the user can control on / off of the abnormality detection mode, so that the inspection of the photoacoustic wave generator 18 can be performed safely. The mode changeover switch 58 may be provided in any of the laser unit 13, the ultrasonic unit 12, and the ultrasonic probe 11, or may be provided as another unit. The mode switch 58 may adopt an arbitrary configuration that can accept a user operation and can instruct the detection start and detection stop of the light detection unit 52 according to the accepted operation.

In addition, here, the mode changeover switch 58 also serves as a mode notification unit, and includes a light emitting element covered with a transparent member. The mode changeover switch 58 is lit when the abnormality detection mode is on, and is turned off when the abnormality detection mode is off. When the mode notification unit is provided, it is preferable because the user can easily recognize the operation mode. Note that the mode notification unit may be omitted or provided separately from the mode switch 58. The mode changeover switch 58 may be provided in any of the laser unit 13, the ultrasonic unit 12, and the ultrasonic probe 11, or may be provided as another unit.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a specific external appearance of the photoacoustic measurement apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the present photoacoustic measurement apparatus 10, the ultrasonic unit 12 is a computer including a processor, a memory, and an input unit, and is configured as an apparatus integrated with the image display unit 14. The ultrasonic unit 12 includes the above-described laser trigger transmission unit 22, ultrasonic transmission unit 23, signal reception unit 24, photoacoustic image generation unit 25, ultrasonic image generation unit 26, and control unit 28. And a program related to ultrasonic image generation. The probe 11 is connected to the ultrasonic unit 12, and the laser unit 13 is connected to the ultrasonic unit 12 via a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port 29 described later.

The laser unit 13 has a connection portion 61 that is a connection port for connecting the light guide member 16. The light guide member 16 is connected to the optical coupling portion 36 by being attached to the connection portion 61.

Further, a light detection unit 52 is provided on the surface of the laser unit 13, and further, a mode changeover switch 58, an abnormality notification unit 56 including a light emitting element, and a connection notification unit 38 are provided.

The trigger input unit 32 of the laser unit 13 is connected to the signal output line of the ultrasonic unit 12. The trigger input terminal which is the trigger input unit 32 is configured as a USB connector, for example. The ultrasonic unit 12 has a USB port 29 (receptacle), and a signal output from the ultrasonic unit 12 is supplied by inserting a USB connector including a trigger input terminal into the USB port.

A process in the photoacoustic measurement apparatus 10 of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of photoacoustic detection processing by the photoacoustic measurement apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment. First, the photoacoustic wave detection process in the photoacoustic measurement apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

In the photoacoustic wave detection processing, image acquisition conditions such as the frame rate, the number of laser emission per frame, and the balance of the number of frames of the reflected acoustic wave signal and the photoacoustic image signal per frame are not shown for the ultrasonic unit 12. In advance. Further, the light source driving conditions such as the laser emission timing, the number of laser pulses, and the current are determined by the control unit 28 so as to correspond to the image acquisition conditions, and are used for driving the light source 35 by the light source driving means 31.

The photoacoustic wave detection process starts with the light guide member 16 connected to the optical coupling unit 36. The control unit 28 of the ultrasonic unit 12 sends a trigger signal to the laser unit 13. Upon receiving the trigger signal, the laser unit 13 starts laser oscillation and emits pulsed laser light. The pulsed laser light emitted from the laser unit 13 is guided to the vicinity of the tip 15b of the puncture needle 15 by the light guide member 16 and irradiated to the light absorber 17 (step A1). The light absorber 17 absorbs the pulsed laser light and generates an acoustic wave. In the photoacoustic wave detection process, a user such as a doctor punctures the subject with the puncture needle 15 at an arbitrary timing such as before and after driving the light source 35.

The probe 11 detects the photoacoustic wave generated from the light absorber 17 by the laser light irradiation (step A2). The signal receiving unit 24 receives the photoacoustic wave detection signal from the probe 11, samples and stores the photoacoustic wave detection signal, and transmits the stored photoacoustic wave detection signal to the photoacoustic image generation unit 25. (Step A3). The photoacoustic image generation unit 25 generates a photoacoustic image based on the photoacoustic wave detection signal, and the photoacoustic image is displayed on the image display unit 14.

In the photoacoustic wave detection process, an ultrasonic image may be acquired following the acquisition of the photoacoustic image. The ultrasonic image acquisition process is performed as follows. The control unit 28 transmits an ultrasonic transmission trigger signal to the ultrasonic transmission unit 23, and the ultrasonic transmission unit 23 transmits ultrasonic waves from the probe 11 in response thereto (step A4). The probe 11 detects the reflected ultrasonic wave after transmitting the ultrasonic wave (step A5). The signal reception unit 24 receives the detection signal, samples and stores the reflected ultrasonic detection signal, and transmits the stored reflected ultrasonic detection signal to the ultrasonic image generation unit 26. The ultrasonic image generation unit 26 generates an ultrasonic image based on the detection signal of the reflected ultrasonic wave (step A6), and the ultrasonic image is displayed on the image display unit 14 (A7).

The image display unit 14 may combine and display the photoacoustic wave image and the ultrasonic image. By doing in this way, it becomes possible to confirm where the tip 15b of the puncture needle 15 is in the living body, so that accurate and safe puncture is possible. In this photoacoustic measuring device 10, acquisition of ultrasonic image data can be performed in a different mode independently of acquisition of photoacoustic image data.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an abnormality detection process performed by the photoacoustic measurement apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment. The abnormality detection process performed by the photoacoustic measurement apparatus 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

The control unit 28 of the ultrasonic unit 12 sends a trigger signal to the laser unit 13. Upon receiving the trigger signal, the laser unit 13 starts laser oscillation and emits pulsed laser light. The pulsed laser light emitted from the laser unit 13 is guided to the vicinity of the tip 15b of the puncture needle 15 by the light guide member 16 and irradiated to the light absorber 17 (step B1). If there is an abnormality such as the tip 15b of the puncture needle 15 being detached from the light absorber 17, light leaks from the tip 15b of the puncture needle 15.

Here, the light detection unit 52 is based on the condition that the optical coupling unit 36 and the light guide member 16 are connected based on the connection notification signal of the connection detection unit 37 and the abnormality detection mode is on. It is configured to perform light detection only when the condition is satisfied. Thereby, the abnormality detection process is executed in a state where the mode change switch 58 is switched and the abnormality detection mode is turned on by a user operation, and is not executed in a state where the abnormality detection mode is turned off. In addition, the abnormality detection process is executed in a state where the light guide member 16 is connected to the optical coupling unit 36, and is not executed in a state where the light guide member 16 is not connected to the optical coupling unit 36. The determination as to whether or not such a condition is satisfied and the execution control of the light detection unit 52 according to the determination result may be performed by the control unit 28, for example, by a circuit provided in the abnormality detection unit 51 or the like. It may be done by any method.

Based on the trigger signal indicating the driving of the light source 35 from the light source driving circuit 33, the light detection unit 52 performs light detection for a certain period from the start of driving of the light source 35 (step B2). It should be noted that the tip 15b of the puncture needle 15 is placed over the light detection unit 52 by the user during at least a part of the certain period. During the determination, the abnormality notification unit 56 blinks in green until the determination result is output after the light detection unit 52 starts the light detection.

In the present embodiment, when the light detection unit 52 receives a trigger signal indicating driving of the light source 35 from the light source drive circuit 33, the light detection unit 52 starts light detection, and leaks light from the tip 15b of the puncture needle 15. Detect for a certain period. Thus, the user can smoothly perform the abnormality detection process according to the driving of the light source 35.

It should be noted that an arbitrary condition can be set as a start condition for the light detection unit 52 to start light detection for a certain period for abnormality detection. For example, the light detection unit 52 detects light for a certain period from the start of the connection between the light guide member 16 and the optical coupling unit 36 based on the detection of the connection between the light guide member 16 and the optical coupling unit 36 by the connection detection unit 37. The determination unit 54 may be configured to determine abnormality of the photoacoustic wave generation unit 18 based on the amount of leaked light detected by the light detection unit 52 during a certain period. In this case, an abnormality detection process is performed each time the connection between the light guide member 16 and the optical coupling unit 36 is detected, so that an abnormality is detected each time a new puncture needle 15 is connected to the laser unit 13. Therefore, it is possible to suitably prevent the defective insert from being inserted into the subject. As a result, the procedure can be redone and the burden on the subject can be reduced.

As a further example, the ultrasonic unit 12 is provided with an abnormality detection start button or the like, and when the detection signal of the ON operation of the abnormality detection start button by a user operation is transmitted, the light detection unit 52 is configured to start light detection. Also good. Alternatively, a proximity detection sensor (not shown) may be provided, and when the detection signal indicating that the puncture needle 15 has approached within a predetermined distance is transmitted by the proximity detection sensor, the light detection unit 52 starts light detection. Good.

Subsequently, the detected light amount accumulated from the light detection unit 52 is transmitted to the determination unit 54, and the determination unit 54 compares the detected light amount with a determination threshold value. The determination unit 54 determines that the input detection light amount is larger than the determination threshold value, and determines that the input is normal, and determines that the detected light amount is normal if the input detection light amount is equal to or less than the determination threshold value (step B3). Then, the determination result in the determination part 54 is notified to a user by the abnormality notification part 56 (step B4). The abnormality notification unit 56 lights red when the determination result is abnormal, and lights green when the determination result is normal, and notifies the determination result by the abnormality detection unit 51. The process ends. In addition, when an abnormality is notified by the abnormality notification unit 56, the user takes measures such as replacing the puncture needle 15.

The photoacoustic measurement device 10 detects the light when the determination unit 54 determines that the photoacoustic wave generation unit 18 is not abnormal based on the amount of leaked light detected by the light detection unit 52 during a certain period. The optical detection of the part 52 can be stopped, and the probe 11 can be configured to detect the photoacoustic wave. In this case, when there is no abnormality in the insert, it is possible to improve the efficiency of the operation of a user such as an operator by automatically transitioning to a state in which the photoacoustic wave can be detected. .

Furthermore, when it is determined that the determination unit 54 is abnormal, the abnormality notification unit 56 performs an abnormality notification requesting a user's confirmation input, and can continue the abnormality notification until the confirmation input is received. The light source driving means 31 can be configured not to drive the light source 35 until a confirmation input is received. For example, when a part of the control unit 28 also serves as the abnormality notification unit 56 and the control unit 28 determines that the abnormality is present, the control unit 28 displays “continuous photoacoustic wave measurement” on the display screen of the image display unit 14. Display the message and confirmation button until a user's confirmation input is accepted. Further, it is conceivable that the control unit 28 transmits the laser stop instruction to the laser trigger transmission unit 22 and does not drive the light source 35 until the confirmation input is received. When it is determined that there is an abnormality, it is possible to improve the safety of use of the photoacoustic measurement device 10 by prompting the user for confirmation.

Also, the photoacoustic wave detection process can be executed regardless of whether the abnormality detection mode is on or off. By enabling the photoacoustic wave detection process and the abnormality detection process to be executed while the abnormality detection mode is on, abnormality detection of the tip 15b of the puncture needle 15 is performed immediately before the puncture needle 15 is inserted into the subject. The photoacoustic wave detection process can be performed by confirming the defect of the insert at an arbitrary timing. Furthermore, it is good also as a structure which starts a photoacoustic wave detection process based on the detection of the connection of the light guide member 16 and the optical coupling part 36 by the connection detection part 37 irrespective of ON / OFF of abnormality detection mode. When the abnormality detection mode is on, the abnormality detection process may be started based on connection detection, or the photoacoustic wave detection process and the abnormality detection process may be started. Furthermore, based on the detection of the connection, the state of the apparatus is changed from a state where only an image other than a photoacoustic image such as an ultrasonic image or a Doppler image can be acquired to a state where a photoacoustic image can be acquired. It may be configured. By doing in this way, user operation required in order to start a photoacoustic wave detection process or an abnormality detection process can be reduced.

Further, the light source driving condition when the photoacoustic wave detection process is executed while the abnormality detection mode is on may be different from the light source driving condition when the photoacoustic wave detection process is not executed. For example, when the abnormality detection mode is on, the value of at least one light source driving condition selected from the number of emitted light, the pulse width, and the current is in the first period when the photoacoustic wave is not detected by the probe 11. The probe 11 may be set to be smaller than the value of at least one light source driving condition in the second period in which photoacoustic wave detection is performed. In this case, in the second period in which the photoacoustic wave is detected, the light quantity of the light source 35 is increased to suitably realize the photoacoustic wave measurement performance, and in the first period in which the photoacoustic wave is not detected. The inspection of the photoacoustic wave generation unit 18 can be performed safely by suppressing the amount of light from the light source 35 within a range in which the amount of light necessary for abnormality detection can be secured. On the other hand, when the abnormality detection mode is on, in the first period, the value of at least one light source driving condition selected from the number of light emission, pulse width, and current is the value of at least one light source driving condition in the second period. It is good also as a structure set larger than this. In this case, the accuracy of abnormality detection can be increased in the first period.

Note that the light source drive condition is set at an arbitrary timing as long as the value of the at least one light source drive condition can be set different from the value of the light source drive condition of the second period at least in the first period. It's okay. For example, the value of the light source driving condition may be set differently between the execution period of the photoacoustic wave detection process and the other period.

In addition, when the abnormality detection mode is on, the light detection unit 52 detects the photoacoustic wave by the probe 11 when the sensitivity of the light detection unit 52 is not detected by the probe 11. It may be set so as to be larger than the sensitivity of the light detection unit 52 during the period in which the light detection is performed. When there is a possibility of executing photoacoustic wave detection and abnormality detection in parallel, false detection by increasing the sensitivity of the photodetection unit 52 more than necessary is prevented, and photoacoustic wave detection is not performed. In the case where abnormality detection is performed, the sensitivity of the light detection unit 52 can be increased to improve the accuracy of abnormality detection.

Note that the sensitivity of the light detection unit 52 is set to be higher than the sensitivity during the period in which the photoacoustic wave is detected by the probe 11 at least during the period in which the photoacoustic wave is not detected by the probe 11. If it is a thing, you may change the sensitivity of the photon detection part 52 at arbitrary timings. For example, the sensitivity of the light detection unit 52 may be set differently between the execution period of the photoacoustic wave detection process and the other period.

In the above embodiment, the light source driving means 31 and the abnormality detecting means 51 are described as being included in the laser unit 13, but each of these means may be provided separately. As the second and third embodiments, an example in which the abnormality detection unit 51 is provided in the ultrasonic probe 11 and the ultrasonic unit 12 will be described.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the photoacoustic measurement apparatus 10 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 illustrates a configuration in which the light detection unit 52 is provided in a part of the ultrasonic probe 11 in the second embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows a structural example. As shown in FIG. 6, in the photoacoustic measurement apparatus 10, the laser unit 13 may include the light source driving unit 31 and the abnormality detecting unit 51 may be included in the probe 11.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, when the light detection unit 52 is provided in a part of the ultrasonic probe 11, the operator can inspect the abnormality of the puncture needle 15 at hand. Both the ultrasonic probe 11 and the puncture needle 15 need to be used in a clean environment. If the light detection unit 52 is provided in a part of the ultrasonic probe 11, the abnormality detection can also be performed in the clean environment. This is particularly preferred because

A photoacoustic measurement apparatus 10 according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the photoacoustic measurement apparatus 10 according to the third embodiment.

The photoacoustic measurement device 10 according to the third embodiment includes a point that the abnormality detection unit 51 is provided in the ultrasonic unit 12, a point that a light source drive notification unit 39 is provided instead of the connection notification unit 38, and the ultrasonic unit 12. It differs from the photoacoustic measuring device 10 of 1st Embodiment by the point provided with the light source drive switch 42 which is an external switch connected to. Other components and their functions are the same as those of the photoacoustic measurement apparatus 10 of the first embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 8, in the photoacoustic measurement apparatus 10, the laser unit 13 may include the light source driving unit 31 and the abnormality detecting unit 51 may be included in the ultrasonic unit 12. When the abnormality detection means 51 including the light detection unit 52, the determination unit 54, and the abnormality notification unit 56 is provided in the ultrasonic unit 12 as in the present embodiment, an assistant who assists the operator performs abnormality detection. In some cases, the operation becomes easy. In addition, it is not limited to 1st thru | or 3rd embodiment, The light detection part 52, the determination part 54, and the abnormality notification part 56 may be provided in a mutually different location. For example, the light detection unit 52 is provided in the laser unit 13, the determination unit 54 is provided in the ultrasonic unit 12, and the abnormality notification unit 56 is provided in the image display unit 14.

The light source drive switch 42 is a foot switch for switching the laser trigger signal on and off. Thus, when the photoacoustic measuring device 10 includes the light source drive switch 42, the user can easily control the drive of the light source 35, and the inspection of the photoacoustic wave generator 18 can be performed safely. As long as the light source drive switch 42 is connected to the ultrasonic unit 12 and is configured to be able to switch the on / off signal of the laser trigger signal, any other type of external switch can be adopted. .

The light source drive notification unit 39 notifies the user that the light source 35 is being driven, that is, the laser beam is being output. When the photoacoustic measuring device 10 includes the light source drive notification unit 39, the user can easily recognize whether the laser is output, and the photoacoustic wave generation unit 18 can be safely inspected. Can do. In the present embodiment, the light source drive notification unit 39 is a light emitting element such as an LED that blinks each time a trigger pulse is received from the trigger input unit 32. When the light source drive notification unit 39 blinks every time a trigger pulse is received from the trigger input unit 32, it is preferable that the user can recognize in detail whether the laser is outputting or not.

Further, the abnormality notification unit 56 described above may also serve as the light source drive notification unit 39. In this case, when the determination unit 54 determines that the photoacoustic wave generation unit 18 is abnormal, the light source drive notification unit 39 may perform abnormality notification so as to be distinguishable from the light source drive notification. This makes it possible to notify the user of the presence / absence of connection and the result of abnormality detection without increasing the number of parts. For example, the light source drive notification may be flashing green, and the abnormality notification may be flashing red.

Note that the various notification units such as the abnormality notification unit 56, the connection notification unit 38, the light source drive notification unit 39, and the mode notification unit may be configured independently of each other, or two or three functions may be combined into one notification unit. May be configured to serve as both. When a plurality of pieces of information are notified by a single notification unit, it is only necessary to change the emission color for each information using a multicolor LED or distinguish between continuous lighting and blinking lighting.

The various notification units such as the abnormality notification unit 56, the connection notification unit 38, the light source drive notification unit 39, and the mode notification unit provided in the photoacoustic measurement device 10 are not only configured by light emitting elements, Various notification display means may be used. Further, the abnormality notification unit 56, the connection notification unit 38, the light source drive notification unit 39, the mode notification unit, the connection detection unit 37, and the mode changeover switch 58 are not essential components and may be omitted.

In each of the above embodiments, the puncture needle is taken as an example of the insert, but the present invention is not limited to this. As described in JP-A-2015-37519, the insert may be a radiofrequency ablation needle that accommodates an electrode used for radiofrequency ablation, or a catheter that is inserted into a blood vessel. It may be a guide wire of a catheter inserted into a blood vessel. Alternatively, an optical fiber for laser treatment may be used.

The photoacoustic measurement device of the present invention has been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above examples, and various improvements and modifications may be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

10 Photoacoustic Measuring Device 11 Ultrasonic Probe (Photoacoustic Wave Detection Unit)
12 Ultrasonic unit 13 Laser unit 14 Image display unit 15 Puncture needle (insert)
15a hollow portion 15b of puncture needle 16 tip of puncture needle 16 light guide member 16a tip 17 of light guide member light absorber 18 photoacoustic wave generator 19 protective member 22 laser trigger transmitter 23 ultrasonic transmitter 24 signal receiver 25 photoacoustic Image generating unit 26 Ultrasonic image generating unit 28 Control unit 29 USB port 31 Light source driving means (light source driving unit)
32 Trigger input unit 33 Light source drive circuit 35 Light source 36 Optical coupling unit 37 Connection detection unit 38 Connection notification unit 39 Light source drive notification unit 42 Light source drive switch 51 Abnormality detection means (abnormality detection unit)
52 Photodetector 52a Optical filter 54 Judgment unit 56 Abnormality notification unit 58 Mode switch 61 Connection unit

Claims

A light source that emits light;
A long light guide member connected to the light source and guiding the light incident from the base end to the tip;
At least a distal end portion is an insert inserted into a subject, and at least the distal end of the light guide member and the light that is connected to the distal end and guided by the light guide member and absorbs the photoacoustic wave An insert containing a light absorber that generates
A photoacoustic wave detector that measures a photoacoustic wave emitted from the tip of the insert inserted into the subject;
A light detection unit for detecting leakage light from the tip of the insert;
A photoacoustic measurement apparatus comprising: a determination unit that determines an abnormality of the photoacoustic wave generation unit including the light guide member and the light absorber based on a light amount of the leakage light detected by the light detection unit.
2. The light according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines that the photoacoustic wave generation unit is abnormal when a light amount of the leakage light detected by the light detection unit is larger than a predetermined reference value. Acoustic measuring device.
The photoacoustic measuring device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the light detection unit includes an optical filter that transmits only a wavelength region of light emitted from the light source on a light incident surface.
The photoacoustic measurement device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the light detection unit starts detection of the leakage light based on a trigger signal indicating driving of the light source.
5. The photoacoustic measurement device according to claim 1, further comprising a light source drive notification unit that performs a light source drive notification indicating the drive of the light source.
The photoacoustic measurement device according to claim 5, wherein the light source drive notification unit performs the light source drive notification based on a trigger signal instructing driving of the light source.
The light source drive notification unit also serves as an abnormality notification unit, and when the determination unit determines that the photoacoustic wave generation unit is abnormal, performs an abnormality notification so as to be distinguishable from the light source drive notification. The photoacoustic measuring device according to 5 or 6.
The photoacoustic measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a light source drive switch that instructs to start and stop driving the light source.
An optical coupling portion to which the light guide member is connected, and the light guide member is optically coupled to the light source;
The photoacoustic measuring device of any one of Claim 1 to 6 further provided with the connection detection part which detects the connection of the said light guide member and the said optical coupling part.
The photoacoustic measurement device according to claim 9, wherein the light source can be driven only when the connection between the light guide member and the optical coupling unit is detected by the connection detection unit.
The connection notification part which notifies the connection of the said light guide member and the said optical coupling part when the connection of the said light guide member and the said optical coupling part is detected by the said connection detection part or Claim 9 or further provided 10. The photoacoustic measuring device according to 10.
The connection notification unit also serves as an abnormality notification unit, and when the determination unit determines that the photoacoustic wave generation unit is abnormal, a notification of connection between the light guide member and the optical coupling unit; The photoacoustic measuring device of Claim 11 which performs abnormality notification so that identification is possible.
The photoacoustic measurement device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising an abnormality notification unit that performs abnormality notification when the determination unit determines that the photoacoustic wave generation unit is abnormal.
The photoacoustic measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, further comprising a mode changeover switch for switching on and off an abnormality detection mode in which light detection is performed by the light detection unit.
The photodetection unit has an abnormality detection mode in which light detection is performed by the photodetection unit, and the photoacoustic wave detection by the photoacoustic wave detection unit is not performed when the abnormality detection mode is on. The photoacoustic measurement according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the sensitivity is set to be greater than the sensitivity of the photodetection unit during a period in which the photoacoustic wave detection is performed by the photoacoustic wave detection unit. apparatus.
In the period in which the photoacoustic wave detection by the photoacoustic wave detection unit is not performed when the anomaly detection mode has an abnormality detection mode for performing light detection by the light detection unit, The value of at least one light source driving condition selected from the pulse width and current is set smaller than the value of the at least one light source driving condition during a period in which photoacoustic wave detection is performed by the photoacoustic wave detection unit. The photoacoustic measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 13.
The light detection unit performs light detection for a certain period from the start of the connection between the light guide member and the optical coupling unit based on detection of the connection between the light guiding member and the optical coupling unit by the connection detection unit. ,
The light according to claim 9, wherein the determination unit determines an abnormality of the photoacoustic wave generation unit based on a light amount of the leakage light detected by the light detection unit during the certain period. Acoustic measuring device.
18. When the determination unit determines that the photoacoustic wave generation unit is not abnormal, the light detection unit stops light detection and starts detection of the photoacoustic wave by the photoacoustic wave detection unit. The photoacoustic measuring device of description.