WO2022104701A1 - 超声探头、内窥镜、内窥成像系统以及内窥成像方法 - Google Patents

超声探头、内窥镜、内窥成像系统以及内窥成像方法 Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2022104701A1
WO2022104701A1 PCT/CN2020/130433 CN2020130433W WO2022104701A1 WO 2022104701 A1 WO2022104701 A1 WO 2022104701A1 CN 2020130433 W CN2020130433 W CN 2020130433W WO 2022104701 A1 WO2022104701 A1 WO 2022104701A1
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Prior art keywords
ultrasonic transducer
imaged
ultrasonic
dimensional
photoacoustic
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PCT/CN2020/130433
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English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
马腾
龚小竞
谭清源
解志华
王丛知
郑海荣
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深圳先进技术研究院
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Priority to PCT/CN2020/130433 priority Critical patent/WO2022104701A1/zh
Publication of WO2022104701A1 publication Critical patent/WO2022104701A1/zh

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    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B5/00—Measuring for diagnostic purposes; Identification of persons
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B8/00—Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
    • A61B8/08—Detecting organic movements or changes, e.g. tumours, cysts, swellings
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B8/00—Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
    • A61B8/12—Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters

Definitions

  • the present application relates to the technical fields of photoacoustics and ultrasound, and in particular, to an ultrasound probe, an endoscope, an endoscopic imaging system, and an endoscopic imaging method.
  • Photoacoustic imaging benefits from its high sensitivity and large imaging depth, and is an important means to obtain imaging information of tumor feeding vessels and molecular events.
  • photoacoustic imaging technology has been applied to the in vivo research of various tumors, and its imaging methods mainly include in vitro photoacoustic imaging and endoscopic photoacoustic imaging.
  • in vitro photoacoustic imaging has the advantage of non-invasiveness, and combined with molecular probes, it can accurately capture specific molecules.
  • endoscopic photoacoustic imaging is performed in-depth by the endoscopic imaging system, that is, endoscopic photoacoustic imaging can directly reach the lesion area for observation, which can provide more abundant and accurate detailed information of the lesion.
  • simultaneous imaging of multiple objects such as molecular probes and microvessels
  • multiple objects such as molecular probes and microvessels
  • photoacoustic endoscopes researchers have studied photoacoustic endoscopes, and researchers have proposed a variety of photoacoustic endoscopes for information acquisition of gastrointestinal tumors.
  • the existing endoscopic photoacoustic imaging systems have poor imaging quality.
  • embodiments of the present application provide an endoscopic ultrasound probe, an endoscope, an endoscopic imaging system, and an endoscopic imaging method, which can improve the quality of photoacoustic imaging when used for photoacoustic imaging.
  • An endoscopic ultrasound probe comprising:
  • the substrate is a hollow substrate
  • an optical fiber element located in the substrate for transmitting laser light emitted by the laser
  • the lens group is located on one side of the base, and is used for shaping the laser light transmitted by the optical fiber element to form a first ring cone light, the first ring cone light is used to illuminate the object to be imaged, and Exciting the object to be imaged to generate a photoacoustic signal;
  • a ring array ultrasonic transducer the ring array ultrasonic transducer ring is arranged on the outside of the substrate, and is used to collect the photoacoustic signal, and the photoacoustic signal is used to form a three-dimensional photoacoustic of the object to be imaged image.
  • the optical fiber element can be moved in a direction parallel to the axis of the base, so as to adjust the distance between the end of the optical fiber element facing the lens group and the lens group.
  • the annular array ultrasonic transducer includes at least one row of ultrasonic transducer array elements surrounding the axis of the substrate, each row of ultrasonic transducer array elements includes a plurality of ultrasonic transducer array elements, and the ultrasonic transducer array elements in each row include multiple ultrasonic transducer array elements.
  • the ultrasonic transducer array element is used to collect the photoacoustic signal.
  • the annular array ultrasonic transducer is a two-dimensional annular array ultrasonic transducer, and the two-dimensional annular array ultrasonic transducer includes multiple rows of ultrasonic transducer array elements surrounding the base axis, and all The number of rows of the ultrasonic transducer array elements is the same as the number of ultrasonic transducer array elements included in each row of the ultrasonic transducer array elements.
  • the method further includes: a mechanical scanning device, which is used to drive the annular array ultrasonic transducer to translate along the axis of the substrate.
  • the annular array ultrasonic transducer is further configured to transmit ultrasonic waves to the object to be imaged, and collect ultrasonic waves reflected from the object to be imaged.
  • the first ring cone light is a cone-shaped light beam, wherein the shape of the projection of each section of the first ring cone light in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the substrate in the preset plane is a ring shape. , and the width of each ring is the same, and the preset plane is a plane perpendicular to the axis of the base.
  • the lens group includes:
  • a convex lens which is used for converging or diverging the laser light transmitted by the optical fiber element
  • a cone lens which is used to form a second annular cone light based on the laser light emitted from the convex lens
  • a reflecting mirror which is used for reflecting the second annular conic light emitted by the conical mirror to form the first annular conic light.
  • the substrate is a columnar substrate.
  • An endoscope comprising: an ultrasonic probe, wherein the ultrasonic probe is the ultrasonic probe described in any one of the above.
  • An endoscopic imaging system comprising:
  • a computer configured to form a three-dimensional photoacoustic image of the object to be imaged based on the photoacoustic signal.
  • the annular array ultrasonic transducer included in the endoscope is also used to transmit ultrasonic waves to the object to be imaged, and collect ultrasonic waves reflected from the object to be imaged
  • the computer A three-dimensional ultrasonic image is also obtained based on the ultrasonic waves reflected from the object to be imaged, and a three-dimensional acousto-optic fusion image is obtained based on the three-dimensional ultrasonic image and the three-dimensional photoacoustic image.
  • An endoscopic imaging method comprising:
  • the first ring cone light irradiates the object to be imaged, and excites the object to be imaged to generate a photoacoustic signal
  • the photoacoustic signal is collected, and the photoacoustic signal is used to form a three-dimensional photoacoustic image of the object to be imaged.
  • the method further includes: obtaining a three-dimensional photoacoustic image of the object to be imaged based on the photoacoustic signal.
  • the lens group is used to shape the laser light output by the optical fiber element to form a first ring cone light
  • the ring array ultrasonic transducer is used to collect the first ring light.
  • the photoacoustic signal formed by the cone light is irradiated on the object to be imaged, so that the ring array ultrasonic transducer that collects the photoacoustic signal and the first ring cone light emitted through the lens group are used to directly obtain the ring photoacoustic signal
  • the photoacoustic signal in the annular area of the image does not need to be rotated along the axis direction of the substrate, thereby increasing the speed of photoacoustic imaging and further improving the quality of photoacoustic imaging.
  • the optical fiber element located inside the hollow base can move in a direction parallel to the axis of the base, so that the end of the optical fiber element facing the lens group and the The distance between lens groups. Therefore, the ultrasonic probe can adjust the distance between the optical fiber element and the lens group by moving the optical fiber element in the direction parallel to the axis of the substrate, so as to generate the first ring cone light with different cone angles, In this way, the excitation area formed by the object to be imaged irradiated by the generated first ring cone light can overlap with the detection area of the ring array ultrasonic transducer, so that the two can be better matched, so that the optical field and the sound field can be used in biological applications.
  • High-efficiency coupling in tissue improves the signal-to-noise ratio of photoacoustic imaging and further improves the quality of photoacoustic imaging.
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an ultrasonic probe provided by an embodiment of the application
  • Fig. 2 is the enlarged structural schematic diagram of the lens group and the optical fiber element corresponding to Fig. 1;
  • FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a lens group and an optical fiber element in an ultrasonic probe provided by another embodiment of the present application;
  • FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of an ultrasonic probe provided by another embodiment of the present application.
  • FIG. 5 is a schematic flowchart of an endoscopic imaging method provided by an embodiment of the present application.
  • FIG. 6 is a schematic flowchart of an endoscopic imaging method provided by another embodiment of the present application.
  • the existing endoscopic photoacoustic imaging systems have poor imaging quality.
  • the photoacoustic signal is collected by a single ultrasonic transducer array element.
  • a photoacoustic signal is generated, and then the photoacoustic signal is collected by a single ultrasonic transducer array element to obtain a piece of depth information.
  • point-by-point scanning is performed to obtain a circle of B-ultrasound images. Steady pullbacks form a three-dimensional image.
  • an embodiment of the present application provides an endoscope ultrasonic probe, as shown in FIG. 1 , the ultrasonic probe includes:
  • Substrate 1 the substrate 1 is a hollow substrate
  • optical fiber element 2 the optical fiber element 2 is located in the substrate for transmitting the laser light emitted by the laser;
  • the lens group 3 is located on one side of the substrate 1, and is used to shape the laser light transmitted by the optical fiber element 2 to form a first annular cone light, and the first annular cone light is used to illuminate the to-be-to-be-cone light imaging an object, and exciting the object to be imaged to generate a photoacoustic signal;
  • the ring array ultrasonic transducer 4 which is arranged on the outside of the substrate 1, is used to collect the photoacoustic signal, and the photoacoustic signal is used to form the image of the object to be imaged. 3D photoacoustic image.
  • the object to be imaged may be a biological tissue model or a non-biological tissue model, which is not limited in this application, as long as it cannot be viewed from the outside.
  • the model of its internal structure can be.
  • the object to be imaged may be a model of biological tissue, for example, a model of the digestive tract or a model of blood vessels, etc.
  • the object to be imaged It can also be a model of non-biological tissue, for example, a pipeline model, etc. This application does not limit this, depending on the specific situation.
  • the ultrasound probe can be applied to multiple application scenarios, for example, intra-digestive tract imaging, intravascular imaging, etc., which are not limited in this application, depending on the situation.
  • the substrate is a columnar substrate.
  • the shape of the columnar substrate may be a cylinder.
  • the shape of the columnar base may also be a square column, which is not limited in the present application, depending on the situation.
  • the base material may be a backing sound-absorbing material, so as to absorb the useless sound of the annular array ultrasonic transducer near the base when the annular array ultrasonic transducer works. At the same time, it can also buffer the vibration of the ring array ultrasonic transducer when it works, so as to protect the ring array ultrasonic transducer.
  • the lens group is used to shape the laser light output by the optical fiber element to form a first ring cone light
  • the ring array ultrasonic transducer is used to collect the first ring light.
  • the photoacoustic signal formed by the cone light irradiated on the object to be imaged can be directly obtained by using the ring array ultrasonic transducer that collects the photoacoustic signal and the first ring cone light emitted through the lens group to realize the ring light.
  • the photoacoustic signal in the annular region of the acoustic image does not need to be rotated along the axis of the substrate, thereby increasing the speed of the photoacoustic imaging and further improving the quality of the photoacoustic imaging.
  • the first ring cone light is a ring-shaped light beam, and the overall shape of the ring light beam is a cone. Specifically, the first ring cone light is perpendicular to the The projected shape of each section in the direction of the base axis on the preset plane is annular, and the preset plane is a plane perpendicular to the base axis.
  • the widths of each of the rings are the same, that is, the first ring cone light is an equal-thickness ring cone light, so that the first ring cone light is illuminated
  • the light intensity at each position in the active area on the object to be imaged is the same, and at the same time, the first annular cone light can be irradiated to the overlapping area of the active area formed on the object to be imaged and the detection area of the annular array ultrasonic transducer It is an annular area, and the width of the annular area is the same everywhere, thereby improving the quality of photoacoustic imaging.
  • the widths of the rings are not exactly the same, that is, the first ring cone light is an unequal thickness ring cone light, which is not limited in the present application, depending on the situation.
  • the thickness of the ring cone light in the embodiments of the present application means that the thickness of the ring cone light does not change during the transmission process of the ring cone light.
  • the lens group 30 includes:
  • the convex lens 31 is used for converging or diverging the laser light transmitted by the optical fiber element 20;
  • a cone lens 32, the cone lens 32 is used to form a second annular cone light based on the laser light emitted by the convex lens 31;
  • the reflector 33 is used to reflect the second ring cone light emitted by the cone mirror 32 to form the first ring cone light, so that in the photoacoustic imaging process, the ring array ultrasonic transducer 40 When used together, the speed of photoacoustic imaging can be improved, thereby improving the quality of photoacoustic imaging.
  • the convex lens 31 is used for converging or diverging the laser light transmitted by the optical fiber element 20 . Therefore, the convex lens 31 can affect the light beam formed by the laser light output by the optical fiber element after passing through the conical mirror 32 . Therefore, the coupling state of the light field of the first ring cone light and the sound field of the ring array ultrasonic transducer can be adjusted, thereby improving the quality of photoacoustic imaging.
  • the convex lens 31 can form an equal-thickness ring cone light regardless of whether the laser light transmitted by the optical fiber element 20 is converged or diverged. Whether the laser light transmitted by the optical fiber element 20 is converged to form a cone of equal thickness, or the convex lens 31 is used to diverge the laser light transmitted by the optical fiber element 20 to form a cone of equal thickness, depends on the situation.
  • the convex lens 31 when used for converging the laser light transmitted by the optical fiber element 20 , it is specifically used for: diverging laser light transmitted by the optical fiber element 20 .
  • the collimation is performed to form a parallel light beam, so that the subsequent cone mirror 32 can form an equal-thickness ring cone light based on the parallel light beam.
  • the cone lens is a non-diffractive optical device, which is not limited in the present application, depending on the specific situation.
  • the ultrasonic probe can ensure the effective coupling between the first ring cone light and the sound field of the ultrasonic detection area by designing the parameters of each optical element in the ultrasonic probe in specific applications, and can also be applied to In the process of the medical field, based on the actual biological environment, the parameters of each optical element in the ultrasonic probe are designed so that the sound field and the light field coupling area can completely cover the target area in the living body.
  • the parameters of the optical element are not limited and depend on the situation.
  • the microscopic optical elements involved in the ultrasonic probe can be customized and assembled to ensure the microscopic size of the endoscopic probe.
  • the precise arrangement of multiple optical components can be achieved.
  • the lens group further includes: an optical lens barrel 34; in the embodiment of the present application, the convex lens 31, the cone lens 32 and the The reflecting mirrors 33 are sequentially arranged in the optical lens barrel 34 .
  • the side wall of the optical lens barrel 34 located between the cone mirror 32 and the reflector 33 is light-transmitting, so as to be reflected by the reflector 33
  • the formed first annular cone light can be irradiated to the outside of the optical lens barrel 34 .
  • the optical lens barrel 34 includes a first partial lens barrel 341 , a second partial lens barrel 342 and a third partial lens barrel 343 , wherein the The second partial lens barrel 342 is located between the first partial lens barrel 341 and the third partial lens barrel 343 .
  • FIG. 3 shows the dimensions of some components in the optical lens barrel provided by the embodiment of the present application.
  • the size of the inner diameter of the first part of the lens barrel 341 is 7 mm
  • the size of the second part of the lens barrel 342 along the axis of the lens barrel is 2 mm
  • the size of the inner diameter of the second part of the lens barrel 342 is 5.26 mm
  • the size of the third part of the lens barrel 343 along the axis of the lens barrel is 11mm
  • the size of the outer diameter of the third part of the lens barrel 343 is 10mm
  • the size of the inner diameter is 5mm, etc., but this is only the optical
  • An example of a specific structure of the lens barrel which does not limit the size of the optical lens barrel provided by the embodiments of the present application, depends on the specific situation.
  • the convex lens, the cone lens and the reflecting mirror may be fixedly arranged in the optical lens barrel, or may be movably arranged in the optical lens barrel , which is not limited in this application.
  • the convex lens when the convex lens, the cone lens and the reflecting mirror are movably arranged in the optical lens barrel, the convex lens can move along the axis of the optical lens barrel, The axicon is movable along the axis direction of the optical lens barrel.
  • the optical lens barrel is an optical lens barrel with an internal thread
  • the lens group further includes: a first pressing ring group and a second pressure ring group; wherein, the first pressure ring group includes a first pressure ring with an external thread and a second pressure ring with an external thread, and the convex lens is located between the first pressure ring and the second pressure ring. Between the second pressure rings, the first pressure ring group is used to fix the convex lens, and can drive the convex lens to move along the axis of the optical lens barrel, so as to adjust the position of the convex lens in the optical lens barrel s position;
  • the second pressure ring group includes a third pressure ring with an external thread and a fourth pressure ring with an external thread, and the cone mirror is located between the third pressure ring and the fourth pressure ring, so
  • the second pressing ring group is used to fix the axicon, and can drive the axicon to move along the axis direction of the optical lens barrel, so as to adjust the position of the axicon lens on the optical lens barrel.
  • the mirror can move with the optical lens barrel along the axis of the optical lens barrel.
  • the lens group further includes : the third pressure ring group; the third pressure ring group includes a fifth pressure ring with an external thread and a sixth pressure ring with an external thread, and the reflector is located in the fifth pressure ring and the sixth pressure ring Between the six pressure rings, the third pressure ring group is used to fix the reflector, and can drive the reflector to move along the axis of the optical barrel, so as to adjust the position of the reflector in the optical position of the lens barrel.
  • the optical lens barrel may be directly fixed on the side of the base facing the lens group, that is, the optical lens barrel is directly fixed on the The top end of the ring array ultrasonic transducer, optionally, in the embodiment of the present application, the optical lens barrel may be directly fixed on the side of the base facing the lens group by bonding.
  • the endoscope further comprises a metal barrel located in the base, the optical fiber element is located in the cavity of the metal barrel, and one end of the metal barrel fixes the optical fiber Lens barrel, the other end of the metal barrel away from the lens group is provided with a torque spring, so as to drive the lens group through the torque spring to make it move relative to the ring array ultrasonic transducer, thereby changing the lens
  • the ultrasonic probe provided by the embodiment of the present application can realize the first ring by accurately controlling the distance between the lens group and the ring array ultrasonic transducer.
  • the dynamic adjustment of the cone light can adjust the size of the halo in the ultrasonic detection area of the ring array ultrasonic transducer, thereby obtaining the best coupling between the light field and the sound field.
  • the optical fiber element can be moved in a direction parallel to the axis of the base, so as to adjust the end of the optical fiber element toward the lens group and the The distance between the lens groups, therefore, the ultrasonic probe can also realize the dynamic adjustment of the first ring cone light by accurately controlling the distance between the optical fiber element and the lens group, so that the first ring cone light reaches the ring array ultrasonic transducer.
  • the detection area of the ultrasonic field of the transducer is used to couple the light field and the sound field.
  • the optical fiber elements may include optical fibers, and in other embodiments of the present application, the optical fiber elements may also include other devices, which are not limited in the present application, and may vary depending on the situation. Certainly.
  • the ultrasonic probe can adjust the distance between the optical fiber element and the lens group by moving the optical fiber element in the direction parallel to the axis of the substrate, thereby indirectly changing the size of the cone angle of the first ring cone light , in order to generate the first ring cone light with different cone angles, so as to adjust the coupling state of the light field and the sound field, so that the ring effect area formed by the first ring cone light irradiated on the object to be imaged and the ring array ultrasonic transducer
  • the annular detection area of the detector overlaps, so that the two are better matched, thereby realizing the efficient coupling of the light field and the sound field in biological tissue, improving the signal-to-noise ratio of photoacoustic imaging, and further improving the quality of photoa
  • the annular array ultrasonic transducer includes at least one row of ultrasonic transducer array elements surrounding the axis of the substrate, and each row of ultrasonic transducers
  • the transducer array element includes a plurality of ultrasonic transducer array elements, and during photoacoustic imaging, the ultrasonic transducer array elements are used to collect the photoacoustic signal.
  • a one-dimensional ultrasonic transducer includes a plurality of ultrasonic transducers, and the plurality of ultrasonic transducer array elements are extended and arranged in one direction; an ultrasonic transducer with more than one dimension and less than two dimensions includes: ultrasonic transducer array elements, the plurality of ultrasonic transducer array elements are respectively extended and arranged in two mutually perpendicular directions, and the number of ultrasonic transducer array elements in one direction is the same as the number of ultrasonic transducer array elements in the other direction.
  • the difference between the number of ultrasonic transducer array elements is greater than the preset value, for example, the number of ultrasonic transducer array elements in one direction is much smaller than the number of ultrasonic transducer array elements in the other direction. number.
  • ultrasonic transducers with dimensions larger than 1 and smaller than 2 can be divided into 1.25-dimensional ultrasonic transducers, 1.5-dimensional ultrasonic transducers, and 1.5-dimensional ultrasonic transducers. transducer and 1.75-dimensional ultrasound transducer.
  • the two-dimensional ultrasonic transducer includes: a plurality of ultrasonic transducer array elements, the plurality of ultrasonic transducer array elements are respectively extended and arranged in two mutually perpendicular directions, and the ultrasonic transducers along these two directions
  • the number of ultrasonic transducer array elements is the same, or the plurality of ultrasonic transducer array elements are respectively extended and arranged in two mutually perpendicular directions, and the number of ultrasonic transducer array elements in one direction is the same as the number of ultrasonic transducer array elements in the other direction.
  • the difference between the number of ultrasonic transducer array elements in one direction is smaller than the preset value, for example, the number of ultrasonic transducer array elements in one direction and the ultrasonic transducer array elements in the other direction There is little difference between the numbers. It should be noted that this part of the content has been introduced in detail in the prior art, and will not be described in detail in this application.
  • the one-dimensional annular array ultrasonic transducer only includes one row of ultrasonic transducer arrays surrounding the axis of the substrate, and each row of ultrasonic transducer array elements includes a plurality of ultrasonic transducer array elements.
  • Ultrasonic transducer array element ring array ultrasonic transducer with more than 1 dimension and less than 2 dimensions: including at least two rows of ultrasonic transducer array elements surrounding the axis of the substrate, each row of ultrasonic transducer array elements includes multiple Ultrasonic transducer array elements, and the absolute value of the difference between the number of rows of the ultrasonic transducer array and the number of ultrasonic transducer array elements included in each row of the ultrasonic transducer array is greater than the predetermined value. set value.
  • the above-mentioned larger than 1-dimensional and smaller than 2-dimensional ring-array ultrasonic transducers may be 1.25-dimensional ring-array ultrasonic transducers, 1.5-dimensional ring-array ultrasonic transducers, A two-dimensional annular array ultrasonic transducer or a 1.75-dimensional annular array ultrasonic transducer; a two-dimensional annular array ultrasonic transducer (ie, a two-dimensional toroidal array ultrasonic transducer) includes at least two rows of ultrasonic transducers surrounding the axis of the substrate array elements, and the number of rows of the ultrasonic transducer array elements is the same as the number of ultrasonic transducers included in each row of ultrasonic transducer array elements; or the number of ultrasonic transducer array elements The absolute value of the difference between the number of rows and the number of ultrasonic transducers included in
  • the annular array ultrasonic transducer may be a one-dimensional annular array ultrasonic transducer, that is, the annular array ultrasonic transducer only includes a row surrounding the The ultrasonic transducer array elements of the axis of the substrate, each row of ultrasonic transducer array elements includes a plurality of ultrasonic transducer array elements.
  • the annular array ultrasonic transducer includes at least two rows of ultrasonic transducer array elements surrounding the axis of the substrate, and each row of ultrasonic transducer array elements includes a plurality of ultrasonic transducers
  • the ultrasonic transducer array element is used to collect the photoacoustic signal to increase the detection area of the ring array ultrasonic transducer, so as to increase the first ring cone light and ring light during photoacoustic imaging.
  • the overlapping area of the detection area of the array ultrasonic transducer further realizes the efficient coupling of the light field and the sound field, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio of the photoacoustic imaging.
  • the annular array ultrasonic transducer may also be a 1.25-dimensional annular array ultrasonic transducer, a 1.5-dimensional annular array ultrasonic transducer, or a 1.75-dimensional annular array ultrasonic transducer.
  • Dimensional Ring Array Ultrasound Transducer may also be a 1.25-dimensional annular array ultrasonic transducer, a 1.5-dimensional annular array ultrasonic transducer, or a 1.75-dimensional annular array ultrasonic transducer.
  • the ring array ultrasonic transducer is a one-dimensional ring array ultrasonic transducer, a 1.25-dimensional ring array ultrasonic transducer, a 1.5-dimensional ring array ultrasonic transducer, or a 1.75
  • the 2D ring array ultrasonic transducer can only achieve two-dimensional tomographic images by collecting a photoacoustic signal once. If you want to achieve three-dimensional images, you can only use mechanical scanning to make the corresponding two-dimensional tomography at each annular position along the axis of the substrate. The three-dimensional image can only be reconstructed by superimposing the images.
  • the ultrasonic probe further includes a mechanical scanning device, and the mechanical scanning device is used to drive the annular array ultrasonic transducer to translate along the axis of the base, so that the The object to be imaged moves relative to the annular array ultrasonic transducer to form a three-dimensional image.
  • the inventor has further researched and found that the method of obtaining a three-dimensional image by means of mechanical scanning has a slow imaging speed, and the imaging quality is easily affected by the tissue movement, thereby resulting in poor imaging quality.
  • the inventor's research also found that when the first annular cone light irradiates the object to be imaged, and the photoacoustic signal is generated at the irradiated position of the object to be imaged, the photoacoustic signal is processed with the two-dimensional torus array ultrasonic transducer at the same time. Acquisition, which enables the endoscopic imaging system including the ultrasonic probe to beam the photoacoustic signals collected by each ultrasonic transducer array element according to the distance from the ultrasonic transducer array element to the position where the object to be imaged is irradiated. synthesis, and based on the synthesized beam, a three-dimensional image of the object to be imaged at the irradiation position illuminated by the first annular conoscopic light is obtained.
  • the ring array ultrasonic transducer is a two-dimensional ring array ultrasonic transducer.
  • the ring array ultrasonic transducer includes multiple rows of surrounding The ultrasonic transducer array elements of the base axis, and the number of rows of the ultrasonic transducer array elements is the same as the number of ultrasonic transducers included in each row of the ultrasonic transducer array elements, so that in the light
  • the two-dimensional ring array ultrasonic transducer can collect the photoacoustic signal generated at the position where the object to be imaged is irradiated by the first ring cone light and propagate to the three-dimensional space, so as to realize the collection of the photoacoustic signal through one pass.
  • the three-dimensional photoacoustic image of the irradiated position of the object to be imaged can be obtained without driving the ring array ultrasonic transducer to translate along the axis of the substrate, so as to improve the imaging speed, reduce the degree of influence by tissue movement, and improve the 3D imaging quality.
  • the annular array ultrasonic transducer in the ultrasonic probe is a two-dimensional annular array ultrasonic transducer
  • the optical fiber element can be along a direction parallel to the axis of the substrate moving to adjust the distance between the end of the optical fiber element facing the lens group and the lens group, so that the ultrasonic probe can dynamically adjust the halo size and/or beam angle (ie, cone angle) of the cone light of the equal-thickness ring, to adjust the area and/or position of the thick ring cone light acting on the object to be imaged, so as to obtain three-dimensional photoacoustic imaging of different areas and/or different positions on the object to be imaged.
  • the halo size and/or beam angle ie, cone angle
  • the ring array ultrasonic transducer in the ultrasonic probe is a two-dimensional ring array ultrasonic transducer, and the ultrasonic probe can also adjust the lens group and the ring array by adjusting the lens group and the ring array.
  • the spacing of the ultrasonic transducers is used to adjust the halo size and/or the beam angle (ie, the cone angle) of the equal-thickness ring cone light, so as to adjust the area and/or position of the equal-thickness ring cone light acting on the object to be imaged , and then obtain three-dimensional photoacoustic imaging of different areas and/or different positions on the object to be imaged.
  • the ultrasonic probe may also adjust the halo size and/or the beam angle (ie, the cone angle) of the equal-thickness ring cone light in other ways, which are not specifically limited in this application, depending on the situation Depends.
  • the position of the first ring cone light can also be dynamically adjusted to illuminate different positions of the object to be imaged, so that the object to be imaged can be illuminated at different positions. Tissues at different positions of the object to be imaged generate photoacoustic signals, and finally a three-dimensional photoacoustic image of the tissue within a larger range of the object to be imaged is obtained.
  • the ultrasonic probe further includes: a mechanical scanning device, so as to drive the The ring array ultrasonic transducer is translated along the axis of the substrate to obtain a three-dimensional photoacoustic image of the object to be imaged in a larger range, such as a three-dimensional photoacoustic image of the entire object to be imaged.
  • EUS Endoscopic Ultrasonography System
  • EUS ultrasound Ultrasonography System
  • EUS Endoscopic Ultrasonography System
  • Ultrasound and endoscopy are integrated medical equipment, which has better ultrasound depth.
  • the ultrasound endoscope After the ultrasound endoscope enters the body cavity, it can directly look at the internal organ wall or adjacent organs, perform tomographic scanning on the internal organ wall or adjacent organs, and obtain the layers below the mucous membrane of the internal organ wall and surrounding adjacent organs (such as the mediastinum, Therefore, the ultrasound endoscope has great advantages in staging of gastrointestinal tumors and judging the nature of tumors originating from the intestinal wall.
  • the early ultrasonic endoscope system mainly adopted the mechanical scanning method, specifically: using a micro motor to drive the connecting rod to drive the single ultrasonic transducer at the top of the endoscope to rotate 360°, and obtain annular tomographic images perpendicular to the axis;
  • the advantage of the scanning method is that the design of the transducer is simple, but it requires high-precision mechanical connection and driving, which is easy to damage, and the obtained image is not stable enough.
  • the 360 ° electronic annular scanning ultrasonic probe has a one-dimensional annular array ultrasonic transducer. , which can be combined with color Doppler ultrasound diagnostic equipment using fully digital image processing technology to realize a new fully digital ultrasound endoscopic imaging system.
  • the ultrasonic transducer used in the 360° annular ultrasonic endoscope is generally composed of dozens to hundreds of elongated array elements, and the dozens to hundreds of elongated array elements are evenly arranged into columns along the circumferential direction
  • the outer diameter of the ultrasonic transducer is generally not more than 13mm
  • the center frequency is in the range of 3MHz to 15MHz
  • the electrical connection line of each array element is independently drawn out, so that the electric pulse can be used to excite separately to obtain a 360° ring scan. image.
  • This method does not need to be driven by a DC motor to complete the circular scan, which overcomes the shortcomings of the mechanical circular scan ultrasound endoscope, making the electronic circular scan type ultrasound endoscope suitable for large-scale scanning, overall evaluation and judgment.
  • the image quality obtained by this method still needs to be improved.
  • the ultrasonic probe provided in the embodiment of the present application can be used for both photoacoustic imaging technology and ultrasonic imaging technology, and can also be applied to both photoacoustic imaging technology and ultrasonic imaging technology.
  • the ultrasonic probes provided in the above-mentioned embodiments of the present application have already undergone the photoacoustic imaging experiments of phantoms and isolated animal tissues in the early stage, so they have great practical application value.
  • the ring array The ultrasonic transducer is also used to transmit ultrasonic waves to the object to be imaged, and collect ultrasonic waves reflected from the object to be imaged, and the ultrasonic waves are used to form a three-dimensional ultrasonic image of the object to be imaged, so as to facilitate subsequent
  • the three-dimensional ultrasound image obtained based on the ultrasound can be combined with the three-dimensional photoacoustic image to obtain a three-dimensional acousto-optic fusion image, which further improves the imaging quality.
  • the ultrasonic probe further includes: a flexible conduit 50 , the flexible conduit is located at a part of the base away from the lens group One side is used to wrap the wires and optical fiber elements of the annular array ultrasonic transducer to protect the wires and devices located inside.
  • the lens group is used to shape the laser light output by the optical fiber element to form a first ring cone light
  • the ring array ultrasonic transducer is used to collect the The photoacoustic signal formed by the first ring cone light irradiated on the object to be imaged is excited, so that the ring array ultrasonic transducer that collects the photoacoustic signal cooperates with the first ring cone light emitted through the lens group to directly obtain the photoacoustic signal used to realize the The photoacoustic signal in the annular area of the annular photoacoustic image does not need to be rotated along the axis direction of the substrate, thereby improving the speed of photoacoustic imaging and further improving the quality of photoacoustic imaging.
  • the optical fiber element located inside the hollow base can move in a direction parallel to the axis of the base, so that one end of the optical fiber element facing the lens group can be adjusted to be in contact with the lens group.
  • the distance between lens groups can be adjusted to be in contact with the lens group.
  • the ultrasonic probe can adjust the distance between the optical fiber element and the lens group by moving the optical fiber element in the direction parallel to the axis of the substrate, so as to generate the first ring cone light with different cone angles, In this way, the excitation area formed by the object to be imaged irradiated by the generated first ring cone light can overlap with the detection area of the ring array ultrasonic transducer, so that the two can be better matched, so that the optical field and the sound field can be used in biological applications.
  • High-efficiency coupling in tissue improves the signal-to-noise ratio of photoacoustic imaging and further improves the quality of photoacoustic imaging.
  • the ultrasonic probe provided by the embodiment of the present application can generate equal thickness ring cone light in a small space, so that the ring array ultrasonic transducer can be used to collect the light generated by the equal thickness ring cone light irradiated on the object to be imaged.
  • a ring array ultrasonic transducer can be used to transmit and receive the reflected ultrasonic signal from the object to be imaged.
  • the present application also provides an endoscope, the endoscope includes an ultrasonic probe, wherein the ultrasonic probe is the ultrasonic probe described in any one of the above embodiments.
  • the endoscope further includes: an optical mirror 60 , the optical mirror 60 is located in the base, using In order to obtain the position of the ultrasonic probe accurately, it is convenient to guide the ultrasonic probe to reach the target position.
  • the optical mirror 60 is an optical camera, which is not limited in this application, depending on the specific situation.
  • the endoscope further includes: a puncture needle 70 , the puncture needle 70 is located in the base, and is used for Perform minimally invasive puncture aspiration sampling at the imaging position of the object to be imaged.
  • the endoscope further includes: an illumination lamp, the illumination lamp is located in the base, and is used to provide a light source for the optical mirror.
  • the endoscope may further include other elements, which are not specifically limited in the present application.
  • the present application also provides an endoscopic imaging system, including an endoscope, where the endoscope is the endoscope described in any of the foregoing embodiments.
  • the endoscopic imaging system further includes: a computer, configured to form a three-dimensional image of the object to be imaged based on the photoacoustic signal Photoacoustic image.
  • the computer can firstly obtain the image to be imaged based on the image collected by the ring array ultrasonic transducer.
  • the photoacoustic signal at a certain position of the object forms a 3D photoacoustic image at that position, and finally the 3D photoacoustic images at all positions are superimposed to finally obtain a 3D photoacoustic image of the object to be imaged.
  • This application does not limit this.
  • the computer may first obtain the object to be imaged based on the photoacoustic signal at a certain position of the object to be imaged collected by the annular array ultrasonic transducer. Based on the photoacoustic signals at all positions of the object to be imaged, a three-dimensional photoacoustic image of the object to be imaged is obtained based on the photoacoustic signals at all positions of the object to be imaged.
  • the ring array ultrasonic transducer included in the endoscope It is also used to transmit ultrasonic waves to the object to be imaged, and collect ultrasonic waves reflected from the object to be imaged.
  • the computer is also based on the ultrasonic waves reflected from the object to be imaged.
  • the obtaining the three-dimensional ultrasonic image based on the ultrasonic waves reflected from the object to be imaged includes: based on the ultrasonic waves reflected from the object to be imaged, to The three-dimensional ultrasound image of the object to be imaged is reconstructed to obtain the three-dimensional ultrasound image.
  • the obtaining a 3D acousto-optic fusion image based on the 3D ultrasound image and the 3D photoacoustic image includes: combining the 3D ultrasound image with the 3D photoacoustic image The three-dimensional photoacoustic images are superimposed to obtain a three-dimensional acousto-optic fusion image.
  • the present application also provides an endoscopic imaging method, which is applied to the endoscopic imaging system provided in any of the above embodiments.
  • the endoscopic imaging method includes:
  • S100 Shaping the laser light emitted by the laser to form a first ring cone light, the first ring cone light irradiates the object to be imaged, and excites the object to be imaged to generate a photoacoustic signal;
  • S200 collect the photoacoustic signal, and the photoacoustic signal is used to form a three-dimensional photoacoustic image of the object to be imaged;
  • the endoscopic imaging method further includes:
  • S300 Based on the photoacoustic signal, obtain a three-dimensional photoacoustic image of the object to be imaged.
  • the obtaining a three-dimensional photoacoustic image of the object to be imaged based on the photoacoustic signal includes: the object to be imaged, based on the photoacoustic signal.
  • the three-dimensional photoacoustic image is reconstructed to obtain the three-dimensional photoacoustic image.
  • the endoscopic imaging method further includes:
  • a three-dimensional acousto-optic fusion image is obtained.
  • the obtaining of a 3D acousto-optic fusion image based on the 3D ultrasound image and the 3D photoacoustic image includes:
  • the three-dimensional ultrasound image and the three-dimensional photoacoustic image are superimposed to obtain a three-dimensional acousto-optic fusion image, so as to realize multi-modal image fusion and further improve the imaging quality.
  • the lens group is used to shape the laser light output by the optical fiber element to form the first ring cone light, so
  • the annular array ultrasonic transducer is used to collect the photoacoustic signal formed by the first annular cone light irradiated on the object to be imaged, so that the annular array ultrasonic transducer that collects the photoacoustic signal is used to cooperate with the photoacoustic signal emitted through the lens group.
  • the first annular cone light directly obtains the photoacoustic signal used to realize the annular area of the annular photoacoustic image without rotating along the axis of the substrate, thereby improving the speed of photoacoustic imaging and the quality of photoacoustic imaging.
  • the optical fiber element located inside the hollow base can move in a direction parallel to the axis of the base, so that the optical fiber can be adjusted The distance between the end of the element facing the lens group and the lens group.
  • the ultrasonic probe can adjust the distance between the optical fiber element and the lens group by moving the optical fiber element in the direction parallel to the axis of the substrate, so as to generate the first ring cone light with different cone angles, In this way, the excitation area formed by the object to be imaged irradiated by the generated first ring cone light can overlap with the detection area of the ring array ultrasonic transducer, so that the two can be better matched, so that the optical field and the sound field can be used in biological applications.
  • High-efficiency coupling in tissue improves the signal-to-noise ratio of photoacoustic imaging and further improves the quality of photoacoustic imaging.

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Abstract

一种超声探头、内窥镜、内窥成像系统以及内窥成像方法，该超声探头包括：基底（10）、光纤元件（20）、透镜组（30）和环阵超声换能器（40），其中，基底（10）为中空基底；光纤元件（20）位于基底（10）中用于传输激光器发射的激光；透镜组（30）位于基底（10）的一侧，用于对光纤元件（20）传输的激光进行整形，形成第一环锥光，第一环锥光用于照射待成像物体，激发待成像物体产生光声信号；环阵超声换能器（40）环设在基底（10）的外侧，用于采集光声信号，光声信号用于形成待成像物体的三维光声图像，从而利用采集光声信号的环阵超声换能器（40）配合经透镜组（30）出射的第一环锥光即可直接获得用于实现环形光声图像的环形区域的光声信号，从而提高了光声成像速度，进而提高了光声成像质量。

Description

超声探头、内窥镜、内窥成像系统以及内窥成像方法 技术领域
本申请涉及光声和超声技术领域，尤其涉及一种超声探头、内窥镜、内窥成像系统以及内窥成像方法。
背景技术
光声成像受益于其高灵敏度和较大的成像深度，是获取肿瘤滋养血管和分子事件影像信息的重要手段。目前光声成像技术已经应用于多种肿瘤的在体研究，其成像方法上主要是体外光声成像和内窥光声成像两种。其中，体外光声成像具有无创优势，结合分子探针，可以对特定分子进行精准的捕获。
然而，在现阶段的实际应用中，体外光声成像受限于光在组织中有限的穿透深度，对于位于人体内深处的器官，要获取其细节信息则面临很大挑战，例如，目前的基于PACT(光声计算机断层成像(photoacoustic computed tomography，PACT))的体外系统-光声胰腺成像系统，具有无创、成像速度快等优势，但在进行大动物和人成像时会由于成像深度不足，很难获取细节信息甚至无法成像，所以目前体外的光声成像一般都是针对小鼠等一些小动物进行的。
相比体外光声成像，内窥光声是由内窥成像系统深入体内成像，即内窥光声成像则可以直抵病变区域进行观察，能够提供更丰富和精准的病灶细节信息。另外，使用不同波长的激光，可以实现对多种对象(比如分子探针和微血管)进行同步成像，以获得对判断肿瘤状态非常重要的分子事件信息与滋养血管信息。因此，许多研究人员对光声内窥镜进行了研究，目前研究人员已经提出了多款用于消化道肿瘤的信息获取的光声内窥镜。然而目前已有的内窥光声成像系统成像质量较差。
发明内容
为解决上述技术问题，本申请实施例提供了一种内窥镜的超声探头、内窥镜、内窥成像系统以及内窥成像方法，在用于光声成像时，提高光声成像的质量。
为解决上述问题，本申请实施例提供了如下技术方案：
一种内窥镜的超声探头，包括：
基底，所述基底为中空基底；
光纤元件，所述光纤元件位于所述基底中，用于传输激光器发射的激光；
透镜组，所述透镜组位于所述基底的一侧，用于对所述光纤元件传输的激光进行整形，形成第一环锥光，所述第一环锥光用于照射待成像物体，并激发所述待成像物体产生光声信号；
环阵超声换能器，所述环阵超声换能器环设在所述基底的外侧，用于采集所述光声信号，所述光声信号用于形成所述待成像物体的三维光声图像。
可选的，所述光纤元件能够沿平行于所述基底的轴线的方向移动，以调节所述光纤元件朝向所述透镜组的一端与所述透镜组之间的距离。
可选的，所述环阵超声换能器包括至少一排环绕所述基底的轴线的超声换能器阵元，每排超声换能器阵元包括多个超声换能器阵元，所述超声换能器阵元用于采集所述光声信号。
可选的，所述环阵超声换能器为二维环阵超声换能器，所述二维环阵超声换能器包括多排环绕所述基底轴线的超声换能器阵元，且所述超声换能器阵元的排数和所述每排超声换能器阵元所包括的超声换能器阵元的个数相同。
可选的，还包括：机械扫描装置，所述机械扫描装置用于带动所述环阵超声换能器沿所述基底的轴线平动。
可选的，所述环阵超声换能器还用于发射超声波到所述待成像物体上，并采集从所述待成像物体上反射回来的超声波。
可选的，所述第一环锥光为锥形的光束，其中，所述第一环锥光沿垂直与所述基底轴线方向上的各个截面在预设平面内的投影的形状均为环形，且各所述环形的宽度均相同，所述预设平面为垂直于所述基底轴线的平面。
可选的，所述透镜组包括：
凸透镜，所述凸透镜用于对所述光纤元件传输的激光进行汇聚或发散；
锥镜，所述锥镜用于基于所述凸透镜出射的激光形成第二环锥光；
反射镜，所述反射镜用于对所述锥镜出射的第二环锥光进行反射，形成第一环锥光。
可选的，所述基底为柱状基底。
一种内窥镜，包括：超声探头，其中，所述超声探头为上述任一项所述的超声探头。
一种内窥成像系统，包括：
内窥镜，所述内窥镜为上述任一项所述的内窥镜。
可选的，还包括：
计算机，所述计算机用于基于所述光声信号，形成所述待成像物体的三维光声图像。
可选的，如果所述内窥镜所包括的环阵超声换能器还用于发射超声波到所述待成像物体上，并采集从所述待成像物体上反射回来的超声波，则所述计算机还基于从所述待成像物体上反射回来的超声波，获得三维超声图像，并基于所述三维超声图像与所述三维光声图像，获得三维声光融合图像。
一种内窥成像方法，所述内窥成像方法包括：
对激光器发射的激光进行整形，形成第一环锥光，所述第一环锥光照射到待成像物体，并激发所述待成像物体产生光声信号；
采集所述光声信号，所述光声信号用于形成所述待成像物体的三维光声图像。
可选的，还包括：基于所述光声信号，获得所述待成像物体的三维光声图像。
可选的，还包括：
发射超声波到所述待成像物体上，并采集从所述待成像物体上反射回来的超声波；
基于所述从所述待成像物体上反射回来的超声波，获得所述待成像物体的三维超声图像；
基于所述三维超声图像与所述三维光声图像，获得三维声光融合图像。与现有技术相比，上述技术方案具有以下优点：
本申请实施例所提供的超声探头中，所述透镜组用于对所述光纤元件输出的激光进行整形，形成第一环锥光，所述环阵超声换能器用于采集所述第一环锥光照射到待成像物体上激发形成的光声信号，从而利用采集所述光声信号的环阵超声换能器配合经透镜组出射的第一环锥光，直接获得用于实现环形光声图像的环形区域的光声信号，而无需再沿着基底的轴线方向旋转，从而提高了光声成像速度，进而提高了光声成像质量。
另外，本申请实施例所提供的超声探头中，位于中空基底内部的光纤元件能够沿平行于所述基底的轴线的方向移动，从而能够调节所述光纤元件朝向所述透镜组的一端与所述透镜组之间的距离。因此，所述超声探头可以通过沿平行于所述基底的轴线的方向移动光纤元件，来调节所述光纤元件与所述透镜组之间的距离，以产生不同锥角的第一环锥光，从而能够使产生的第一环锥光所照射的待成像物体形成的激发区与环阵超声换能器的探测区相重叠，使两者更好的匹配，进而能够实现光场和声场在生物组织中的高效耦合，提高光声成像的信噪比，进一步提高光声成像的质量。
附图说明
为了更清楚地说明本申请实施例或现有技术中的技术方案，下面将对实施例或现有技术描述中所需要使用的附图作简单地介绍，显而易见地，下面描述中的附图仅仅是本申请的一些实施例，对于本领域普通技术人员来讲，在不付出创造性劳动的前提下，还可以根据这些附图获得其他的附图。
图1为本申请一个实施例所提供的超声探头的结构示意图；
图2为图1所对应的透镜组和光纤元件的放大的结构示意图；
图3为本申请另一个实施例所提供的超声探头中，透镜组和光纤元件的结构示意图；
图4为本申请又一个实施例所提供的超声探头的局部结构示意图；
图5为本申请一个实施例所提供的内窥成像方法的流程示意图；
图6为本申请另一个实施例所提供的内窥成像方法的流程示意图。
具体实施方式
下面将结合本申请实施例中的附图，对本申请实施例中的技术方案进行清楚、完整地描述，显然，所描述的实施例仅仅是本申请一部分实施例，而不是全部的实施例。基于本申请中的实施例，本领域普通技术人员在没有做出创造性劳动前提下所获得的所有其他实施例，都属于本申请保护的范围。
在下面的描述中阐述了很多具体细节以便于充分理解本申请，但是本申请还可以采用其他不同于在此描述的其它方式来实施，本领域技术人员可以在不违背本申请内涵的情况下做类似推广，因此本申请不受下面公开的具体实施例的限制。
正如背景技术部分所述，目前已有的内窥光声成像系统成像质量较差。
发明人研究发现，目前已有的内窥光声成像系统中是由单个超声换能器阵元采集光声信号，具体的工作工程为：激光在微小导管内聚焦后到达组织处实现高效激发，产生光声信号，然后再由单个超声换能器阵元采集光声信号，获得一条深度信息，接着通过旋转导管，进行逐点扫描，获得一圈B超图像，最后再通过沿轴向方向的稳定回撤形成三维图像。
由于目前的光声内窥成像系统大都采用单个超声换能器阵元探头的点扫描方式来获得三维图像，因此，在点扫描的过程中不可避免需要摆动或转动导管以获得足够的成像范围，导致成像速度慢，给该光声内窥成像系统的应用推广带来很大挑战。
有鉴于此，本申请实施例提供了一种内窥镜的超声探头，如图1所示，该超声探头包括：
基底1，所述基底1为中空基底；
光纤元件2，所述光纤元件2位于所述基底中，用于传输激光器发射的激光；
透镜组3，所述透镜组3位于所述基底1的一侧，用于对所述光纤元件2传输的激光进行整形，形成第一环锥光，所述第一环锥光用于照射待成像物体，并激发所述待成像物体产生光声信号；
环阵超声换能器4，所述环阵超声换能器4环设在所述基底1的外侧，用于采集所述光声信号，所述光声信号用于形成所述待成像物体的三维光声图像。
需要说明的是，在本申请实施例中，所述待成像物体可以为生物组织模型，也可以为非生物组织模型，本申请对此并不做限定，只要其为无法从其外部能够观看到其内部构造的模型即可。具体的，在本申请一个实施例中，所述待成像物体可以为生物组织的模型，例如，消化道的模型或血管的模型等，在本申请的另一个实施例中，所述待成像物体也可以为非生物组织的模型，例如，管道模型等。本申请对此不作限定，具体视情况而定。当所述待成像物体可以为生物组织的模型时，所述超声探头可以应用到多个应用场景，例如，消化道内成像、血管内成像等，本申请对此不作限定，具体视情况而定。
在上述任一实施例的基础上，在本申请的一个实施例中，所述基底为柱状基底， 具体的，在本申请的一个实施例中，所述柱状基底的形状可以为圆柱体，在本申请的另一个实施例中，所述柱状基底的形状也可以为方柱体，本申请对此不作限定，具体视情况而定。需要说明的是，在本申请实施例中，所述基底材料可以为背衬吸声材料，以在环阵超声换能器工作时，吸收环阵超声换能器靠近所述基底一侧的无用声波，同时还能缓冲环阵超声换能器工作时起到振动情况，以保护环阵超声换能器。
本申请实施例所提供的超声探头中，所述透镜组用于对所述光纤元件输出的激光进行整形，形成第一环锥光，所述环阵超声换能器用于采集所述第一环锥光照射到待成像物体上激发形成的光声信号，从而利用采集所述光声信号的环阵超声换能器配合经透镜组出射的第一环锥光即可直接获得用于实现环形光声图像的环形区域的光声信号，而无需再沿着基底的轴线方向旋转，从而提高了光声成像速度，进而提高了光声成像质量。
需要说明的是，在本申请的实施例中，所述第一环锥光为环形的光束，且该环形光束的整体外形为锥形，具体的，所述第一环锥光沿垂直与所述基底轴线方向上的各个截面在预设平面内的投影的形状均为环形，所述预设平面为垂直于所述基底轴线的平面。
在上述实施例的基础上，在本申请的一个实施例中，各所述环形的宽度均相同，即所述第一环锥光为等厚环锥光，以使该第一环锥光照射的待成像物体上的作用区域中各位置处的光强相同，同时还能够使该第一环锥光照射到待成像物体上形成的作用区域与环阵超声换能器的探测区的重叠区域为环形区域，且该环形区域的宽度处处相同，从而提高光声成像的质量。在本申请的另一个实施例中，各所述环形的宽度不完全相同，即所述第一环锥光为非等厚环锥光，本申请对此不作限定，具体视情况而定。
还需要说明的是，本申请实施例中的等厚环锥光在理论上来说，是指环锥光的厚度在环锥光传输过程中不发生变化。
在上述任一实施例的基础上，在本申请的一个实施例中，如图2所示，所述透镜组30包括：
凸透镜31，所述凸透镜31用于对所述光纤元件20传输的激光进行汇聚或发散；
锥镜32，所述锥镜32用于基于所述凸透镜31出射的激光形成第二环锥光；
反射镜33，所述反射镜33用于对所述锥镜32出射的第二环锥光进行反射，形成第一环锥光，以便在光声成像过程中，与环阵超声换能器40配合使用，提高光声成像速度，进而提高光声成像质量。
在本申请实施例中，所述凸透镜31用于将所述光纤元件20传输的激光进行汇聚或发散，因此，所述凸透镜31可以影响光纤元件输出的激光经所述锥镜32之后形成的光束的发散角度，从而可以调整第一环锥光的光场和环阵超声换能器的声场的耦合状态，进而提高光声成像质量。
需要说明的是，在本申请实施例中，所述凸透镜31无论是将所述光纤元件20传输的激光进行汇聚或发散，均可以形成等厚环锥光，具体是利用所述凸透镜31对所述光纤元件20传输的激光进行汇聚来形成等厚环锥光，还是利用所述凸透镜31对所述 光纤元件20传输的激光进行发散来形成等厚环锥光，视情况而定。
具体的，如图3所示，在本申请的一个实施例中，所述凸透镜31用于对所述光纤元件20传输的激光进行汇聚时具体用于：对所述光纤元件20传输的发散激光进行准直，形成平行光束，以便于后续锥镜32基于该平行光束形成等厚环锥光。
可选的，在本申请的一个实施例中，所述锥镜为无衍射光器件，本申请对此不作限定，具体视情况而定。
需要说明的是，所述超声探头在具体应用时可以通过对超声探头内的各光学元件的参数进行设计，来确保第一环锥光与超声探测区的声场的有效耦合，还可以在应用到医学领域的过程中，基于实际生物环境，对超声探头内的各光学元件的参数的设计，来使声场和光场耦合区能完全覆盖活体内的目标区域，因此，本申请对超声探头内的各光学元件的参数不作限定，具体视情况而定。
还需要说明的是，具体制作时，在超声探头内的各光学元件参数确定之后，可以通过对超声探头内涉及到的各微小光学元件进行定制加工和组装，来在保证内窥探头微小尺寸的前提下，实现多个光学元件的精准排列。
具体的，继续如图3所示，在本申请的一个实施例中，所述透镜组还包括：光学镜筒34；在本申请实施例中，所述凸透镜31、所述锥镜32以及所述反射镜33依次设置在所述光学镜筒34中。
需要说明的是，在本申请实施例中，位于所述锥镜32与所述反射镜33之间的所述光学镜筒34的侧壁是透光的，以便于由所述反射镜33反射形成的第一环锥光能够照射到光学镜筒34的外部。
具体的，继续如图3所示，在本申请的一个实施例中，所述光学镜筒34包括第一部分镜筒341、第二部分镜筒342和第三部分镜筒343，其中，所述第二部分镜筒342位于所述第一部分镜筒341和第三部分镜筒343之间。
需要说明的是，图3中示出了本申请实施例所提供的光学镜筒中部分部件的尺寸，如所述第一部分镜筒341沿所述镜筒轴线方向上的尺寸为13.96mm，所述第一部分镜筒341的内径的尺寸为7mm，所述第二部分镜筒342沿所述镜筒轴线方向上的尺寸为2mm，所述第二部分镜筒342的内径的尺寸为5.26mm，所述第三部分镜筒343沿所述镜筒轴线方向上的尺寸为11mm，所述第三部分镜筒343的外径的尺寸为10mm，内径的尺寸为5mm等，但这仅是所述光学镜筒具体结构的一种示例，并不对本申请实施例所提供的光学镜筒的尺寸进行限定，具体视情况而定。
在上述实施例的基础上，在本申请的一个实施例中，所述凸透镜、所述锥镜和所述反射镜可以固定设置在所述光学镜筒中，也可以活动设置在所述光学镜筒中，本申请对此不作限定。
具体的，在本申请的另一个实施例中，所述凸透镜、所述锥镜和所述反射镜可活动设置在所述光学镜筒中时，所述凸透镜可沿光学镜筒的轴线方向移动，所述锥镜可沿光学镜筒的轴线方向移动。
在上述实施例的基础上，在本申请的一个实施例中，所述光学镜筒为具有内螺纹 的光学镜筒；在本申请实施例中，所述透镜组还包括：第一压环组和第二压环组；其中，所述第一压环组包括带有外螺纹的第一压环和带有外螺纹的第二压环，所述凸透镜位于所述第一压环和所述第二压环之间，所述第一压环组用于固定所述凸透镜，并可以带动所述凸透镜沿所述光学镜筒的轴线方向上移动，以调节所述凸透镜在所述光学镜筒的位置；
所述第二压环组包括带有外螺纹的第三压环和带有外螺纹的第四压环，所述锥镜位于所述第三压环和所述第四压环之间，所述第二压环组用于固定所述锥镜，并可以带动所述锥镜沿所述光学镜筒的轴线方向上移动，以调节所述锥镜在所述光学镜筒的位置。
在上述实施例的基础上，在本申请的一个实施例中，所述反射镜可与所述光学镜筒沿光学镜筒的轴线方向移动，在本申请实施例中，所述透镜组还包括：第三压环组；所述第三压环组包括带有外螺纹的第五压环和带有外螺纹的第六压环，所述反射镜位于所述第五压环和所述第六压环之间，所述第三压环组用于固定所述反射镜，并可以带动所述反射镜沿所述光学镜筒的轴线方向上移动，以调节所述反射镜在所述光学镜筒的位置。
在上述任一实施例的基础上，在本申请的一个实施例中，所述光学镜筒可直接固定在所述基底朝向所述透镜组的一侧，即所述光学镜筒直接固定在所述环阵超声换能器的顶端，可选的，在本申请实施例中，所述光学镜筒可直接通过粘结固定在所述基底朝向所述透镜组的一侧。
在本申请的另一个实施例中，所述内窥镜还包括位于所述基底中的金属筒，所述光纤元件位于所述金属筒的空腔内，所述金属筒的一端固定所述光学镜筒，所述金属筒背离所述透镜组的另一端设置有力矩弹簧，以通过力矩弹簧带动所述透镜组，使其与所述环阵超声换能器进行相对移动，从而改变所述透镜组与所述环阵超声换能器之间的距离，因此，本申请实施例所提供的超声探头可通过准确控制所述透镜组与所述环阵超声换能器的间距来实现第一环锥光的动态调节，从而调节环阵超声换能器的超声探测区域内的光环大小，进而获得光场和声场的最佳耦合。
在上述任一实施例的基础上，在本申请的一个实施例中，所述光纤元件能够沿平行于所述基底的轴线的方向移动，以调节所述光纤元件朝向所述透镜组的一端与所述透镜组之间的距离，因此，所述超声探头也可通过准确控制光纤元件与透镜组的间距来实现第一环锥光的动态调节，以使第一环锥光到达环阵超声换能器的超声场的探测区域，以进行光场和声场的耦合。需要说明的是，在本申请实施例中，所述光纤元件可以包括光纤，在本申请其他实施例中，所述光纤元件还可以包括其他器件，本申请对此不做限定，具体视情况而定。
由上可知，本申请中位于中空基底内部的光纤元件能够沿平行于所述基底的轴线的方向移动，从而能够调节所述光纤元件朝向所述透镜组的一端与透镜组之间的距离。因此，所述超声探头可以通过沿平行于所述基底的轴线的方向移动光纤元件，来调节所述光纤元件与所述透镜组之间的距离，间接改变第一环锥光的锥角的大小，以产生 不同锥角的第一环锥光，从而调整光场和声场的耦合状态，进而使得所述第一环锥光所照射到待成像物体上形成的环形作用区与环阵超声换能器的环形探测区相重叠，使两者更好的匹配，进而能够实现光场和声场在生物组织中的高效耦合，提高光声成像的信噪比，进一步提高光声成像的质量。
在上述任一实施例的基础上，在本申请的一个实施例中，所述环阵超声换能器包括至少一排环绕所述基底的轴线的超声换能器阵元，每排超声换能器阵元包括多个超声换能器阵元，在光声成像时，所述超声换能器阵元用于采集所述光声信号。
需要说明的是，一维超声换能器包括多个超声换能器，所述多个超声换能器阵元沿一个方向上延伸排列；大于1维小于2维的超声换能器包括：多个超声换能器阵元，所述多个超声换能器阵元分别沿两个相互垂直的方向上延伸排列，且其中一个方向上的超声换能器阵元的个数与另一个方向上的超声换能器阵元的个数之间的差值大于预设值，例如其中一个方向上的超声换能器阵元的个数远小于另一个方向上的超声换能器阵元的个数。具体可根据超声换能器中每排超声换能器阵元的引线的控制方式的不同，将大于1维小于2维的超声换能器可以分为1.25维超声换能器、1.5维超声换能器和1.75维超声换能器。
二维超声换能器包括：多个超声换能器阵元，所述多个超声换能器阵元分别沿两个相互垂直的方向上延伸排列，且沿这两个方向上的超声换能器阵元的个数相同，；或所述多个超声换能器阵元分别沿两个相互垂直的方向上延伸排列，且其中一个方向上的超声换能器阵元的个数与另一个方向上的超声换能器阵元的个数之间的差值小于预设值，例如，其中一个方向上的超声换能器阵元的个数与另一个方向上的超声换能器阵元的个数之间相差不大。需要说明的是，现有技术中已对该部分内容进行了详细介绍，本申请对此不再进行详细描述。
基于上述描述，同理，在本申请实施例中，一维环阵超声换能器仅包括一排环绕所述基底的轴线的超声换能器阵，每排超声换能器阵元包括多个超声换能器阵元；大于1维小于2维的环阵超声换能器：包括至少两排环绕所述基底的轴线的超声换能器阵元，每排超声换能器阵元包括多个超声换能器阵元，且所述超声换能器阵的排数与所述每排超声换能器阵所包括的超声换能器阵元的个数之间的差值的绝对值大于预设值。可选的，根据超声换能器中超声换能器阵元的引线的控制方式的不同，所述大于1维小于2维环阵超声换能器可以为1.25维环阵超声换能器、1.5维环阵超声换能器或1.75维环阵超声换能器；二维环阵超声换能器(即二维环面阵超声换能器)包括至少两排环绕所述基底的轴线的超声换能器阵元，且所述超声换能器阵元的排数和所述每排超声换能器阵元所包括的超声换能器的个数相同；或所述超声换能器阵元的排数和所述每排超声换能器阵元所包括的超声换能器的个数之间的差值的绝对值小于预设值。需要说明的是，本申请实施例中的预设值的取值根据实际情况而定，本申请对此不作限定。
具体的，在本申请的一个实施例中，所述环阵超声换能器可以为一维环阵超声换能器，也就是说，所述环阵超声换能器仅包括一排环绕所述基底的轴线的超声换能器 阵元，每排超声换能器阵元包括多个超声换能器阵元。
在本申请的另一个实施例中，所述环阵超声换能器包括至少两排环绕所述基底的轴线的超声换能器阵元，每排超声换能器阵元包括多个超声换能器阵元，所述超声换能器阵元用于采集所述光声信号，以增加所述环阵超声换能器的探测区域，从而在光声成像时，增加第一环锥光与环阵超声换能器的探测区的重叠区域，进一步实现光场-声场的高效耦合，进而提高光声成像的信噪比。
具体的，在上述实施例的基础上，在本申请的一个实施例中，所述环阵超声换能器还可以为1.25维环阵超声换能器、1.5维环阵超声换能器或1.75维环阵超声换能器。
发明人研究发现，在本申请实施例中，无论当环阵超声换能器是一维环阵超声换能器、1.25维环阵超声换能器、1.5维环阵超声换能器，还是1.75维环阵超声换能器，采集一次光声信号只能实现二维断层图像，如要实现三维图像，只能通过机械扫描的方式，使沿基底轴线方向的各环形位置处对应的二维断层图像进行叠加才能实现对三维图像的重建，基于此，在本申请实施例中，如果所述环阵超声换能器为一维环阵超声换能器，或所述环阵超声换能器为所述1.5维环阵超声换能器，所述超声探头还包括机械扫描装置，所述机械扫描装置用于带动所述环阵超声换能器沿所述基底的轴线平动，从而使所述待成像物体与所述环阵超声换能器相对运动来形成三维图像。
发明人进一步研究发现，通过机械扫描的方式获取三维图像的方式成像速度慢，而且成像质量易受组织运动影响，进而导致成像质量差。
另外，发明人研究还发现，在第一环锥光照射待成像物体，并使待成像物体被照射位置处产生光声信号的同时，配合二维环面阵超声换能器对光声信号进行采集，可以使得包括该超声探头的内窥成像系统根据超声换能器阵元到其待成像物体被照射的位置处的间距，对每个超声换能器阵元采集到的光声信号进行波束合成，并基于该合成波束获得待成像物体被该第一环锥光照射的照射位置处的三维图像。
基于此，在本申请的另一个实施例中，所述环阵超声换能器为二维环阵超声换能器，在本申请实施例中，所述环阵超声换能器包括多排环绕所述基底轴线的超声换能器阵元，且所述超声换能器阵元的排数和所述每排超声换能器阵元所包括的超声换能器的个数相同，从而在光声成像过程中，该二维环阵超声换能器能够采集待成像物体被第一环锥光所照射的位置处产生的向三维空间传播的光声信号，以实现通过一次光声信号的采集即可获得待成像物体被照射位置处的三维光声图像，而无需再带动该环阵超声换能器沿基底的轴线进行平动，以提高成像速度，降低受组织运动影响的程度，进而提高三维成像质量。
具体的，在本申请一个实施例中，所述超声探头中的所述环阵超声换能器为二维环阵超声换能器，所述光纤元件能够沿平行于所述基底的轴线的方向移动，以调节所述光纤元件朝向所述透镜组的一端与透镜组之间的距离，从而使得该超声探头可以通过动态调等厚环锥光的光环大小和/光束角(即锥角)，来调节该等厚环锥光作用在待成像物体上的面积和/或位置，从而获得待成像物体上不同面积和/或不同位置的三维光声成像。在本申请另一个实施例中，在所述超声探头中的所述环阵超声换能器为二维环 阵超声换能器，该超声探头还可以通过调节所述透镜组与所述环阵超声换能器的间距，来调节所述等厚环锥光的光环大小和/或光束角(即锥角)，从而调节该等厚环锥光作用在待成像物体上的面积和/或位置，进而获得待成像物体上不同面积和/或不同位置的三维光声成像。在本申请其他实施例中，该超声探头还可以通过其他方式实现调节所述等厚环锥光的光环大小和/或光束角(即锥角)，本申请对此不作具体限定，具体视情况而定。
需要说明的是，在光声成像过程中，如若获得该待成像物体较大范围内的三维图像，还可通过动态调整第一环锥光的位置，来照射待成像物体的不同位置，以使得待成像物体的不同位置处的组织产生光声信号，最终获得待成像物体较大范围内的组织的三维光声图像。
需要说明的是，如果通过调等厚环锥光的光环大小和光束角(即锥角)，来调节该等厚环锥光作用在待成像物体上的面积达到最大时，仍不能满足使用需求(如需要获得整个待成像物体的三维光声图像)，在上述实施例的基础上，在本申请的一个实施例中，该超声探头还包括：机械扫描装置，以通过该机械扫描装置带动所述环阵超声换能器沿所述基底的轴线平动，以获得待成像物体更大范围的三维光声图像，如整个待成像物体的三维光声图像。
研究人员发现，内窥镜中除了有用于光声成像的光声内窥镜之外，还有用于超声成像的超声内窥镜(Endoscopic Ultrasonography System，EUS)，该超声内窥镜是一种集超声波与内窥镜检查为一身的医疗设备，其具有较好的超声深度。该超声内窥镜进入体腔后，可以直视内脏器官壁或邻近脏器，对内脏器官壁或邻近脏器进行断层扫描，获得内脏器官壁黏膜以下各层次和周围邻近脏器(如纵膈、胰腺、胆管及淋巴结等)的超声图像，因此，所述超声内窥镜在胃肠道肿瘤的分期及判断肠壁起源肿瘤的性质方面具有极大的优势。早期的超声内窥镜系统主要采用机械扫描方式，具体为：利用微型电机驱动连接杆，带动内窥镜顶端的单超声换能器实现360°旋转，获得与轴垂直的环形断层图像；这种扫描方式的优点在于换能器设计简单，但需要高精度的机械连接与驱动，易于损坏，获得的图像也不够稳定。
随着科学技术的发展，在21世纪，日本富士、奥林巴斯、宾得等公司先后研发出360°电子环形扫描超声探头，该360°电子环形扫描超声探头具有一维环阵超声换能器，可以结合采用全数字化图像处理技术的彩色多普勒超声诊断设备，实现新型全数字化超声内窥镜成像系统。其中，360°环形超声内窥镜所用超声换能器一般由几十个到上百个长条状阵元组成，该几十个到上百个长条状阵元沿圆周方向均匀排列成柱形，超声换能器的外径一般不超过13mm，中心频率取值范围为3MHz～15MHz，且每个阵元的电连接线独立引出，从而可利用电脉冲分别激励，以获得360°环形扫描图像。这种方式不需要使用直流电机驱动，即可完成环形扫描，克服了机械环扫超声内窥镜的缺点，使得该电子环扫式超声内窥镜适合大范围扫查，整体评估和判断等。但是该方式得到的成像质量还有待提高。
发明人研究发现，本申请实施例所提供的超声探头既可以用于光声成像技术，也 可以用于超声成像技术，还可以同时应用于光声成像技术和超声成像技术。而且，本申请上述实施例中提供的超声探头已经经过前期的仿体以及离体动物组织光声成像实验，所以具有很大的实际应用价值。
具体的，在上述任一实施例的基础上，在本申请的一个实施例中，如果所述超声探头还用于超声成像技术或同时应用于光声成像技术和超声成像技术，所述环阵超声换能器还用于发射超声波到所述待成像物体上，并采集从所述待成像物体上反射回来的超声波，所述超声波用于形成所述待成像物体的三维超声图像，以便于后续基于所述超声波获得的三维超声图像可以与所述三维光声图像结合，获得三维声光融合图像，进一步提高成像质量。
在上述任一实施例的基础上，在本申请的一个实施例中，如图4所示，所述超声探头还包括：柔性导管50，所述柔性导管位于所述基底远离所述透镜组的一侧，用于包裹所述环阵超声换能器的导线、光纤元件，以保护位于其内部的导线和器件。
综上，本申请实施例所提供的超声探头中，所述透镜组用于对所述光纤元件输出的激光进行整形，形成第一环锥光，所述环阵超声换能器用于采集所述第一环锥光照射到待成像物体上激发形成的光声信号，从而利用采集所述光声信号的环阵超声换能器配合经透镜组出射的第一环锥光，直接获得用于实现环形光声图像的环形区域的光声信号，而无需再沿着基底的轴线方向旋转，从而提高了光声成像速度，进而提高了光声成像质量。
另外，本申请实施例所提供的超声探头中，位于中空基底内部的光纤元件能够沿平行于所述基底的轴线的方向移动，从而能够调节所述光纤元件朝向所述透镜组的一端与所述透镜组之间的距离。因此，所述超声探头可以通过沿平行于所述基底的轴线的方向移动光纤元件，来调节所述光纤元件与所述透镜组之间的距离，以产生不同锥角的第一环锥光，从而能够使产生的第一环锥光所照射的待成像物体形成的激发区与环阵超声换能器的探测区相重叠，使两者更好的匹配，进而能够实现光场和声场在生物组织中的高效耦合，提高光声成像的信噪比，进一步提高光声成像的质量。
由上可知，本申请实施例所提供的超声探头能够在微小空间内产生等厚环锥光，从而可以使用环阵超声换能器采集该等厚环锥光照射到待成像物体上产生的光声信号；同时可以使用环阵超声换能器对待成像物体发射并接收反射回的超声信号。通过调整环锥光和超声换能器的相对位置来控制光场和声场在待成像物体中的分布，有助于在待成像物体内实现高效的光-声的耦合和转化效率，从而提高三维成像质量。
此外，本申请还提供了一种内窥镜，所述内窥镜包括超声探头，其中，所述超声探头为上述任一实施例中所述的超声探头。
在上述任一实施例的基础上，在本申请的一个实施例中，继续如图4所示，所述内窥镜还包括：光学镜60，所述光学镜60位于所述基底中，用于便于精确获得超声探头的位置，从而便于引导所述超声探头达到目标位置。可选的，所述光学镜60为光学摄像机，本申请对此不作限定，具体视情况而定。
在上述任一实施例的基础上，在本申请的一个实施例中，继续如图4所示，所述 内窥镜还包括：穿刺针70，所述穿刺针70位于所述基底中，用于对待成像物体的成像位置进行微创穿刺抽吸取样。
在上述任一实施例的基础上，在本申请的一个实施例中，所述内窥镜还包括：照明灯，所述照明灯位于所述基底中，用于为所述光学镜提供光源。
需要说明的是，在本申请的一个实施例中，所述内窥镜还可以包括其他元件，本申请对此不作具体限定。
还需要说明的是，由于所述超声探头的相关描述已在上述各实施例中进行了描述，本申请在此不再赘述。
另外，本申请还提供了一种内窥成像系统，包括内窥镜，所述内窥镜为上述任一实施例中所述的内窥镜。
在上述任一实施例的基础上，在本申请的一个实施例中，所述内窥成像系统还包括：计算机，所述计算机用于基于所述光声信号，形成所述待成像物体的三维光声图像。
需要说明的是，在本申请一个实施例中，如需获得该待成像物体较大范围或更大范围内的三维图像，所述计算机可以先基于所述环阵超声换能器采集的待成像物体某一位置处的光声信号，形成该位置处的三维光声图像，最后再将所有位置处的三维光声图像进行叠加，最终获得待成像物体的三维光声图像。本申请对此不作限定，在本申请的另一个实施例中，所述计算机还可以先基于所述环阵超声换能器采集的待成像物体某一位置处的光声信号，得到待成像物体所有位置处的光声信号，再基于待成像物体所有位置处的光声信号得到待成像物体的三维光声图像。
具体的，在本申请的一个实施例中，如果所述超声探头还用于超声成像技术或同时应用于光声成像技术和超声成像技术，所述内窥镜所包括的环阵超声换能器还用于发射超声波到所述待成像物体上，并采集从所述待成像物体上反射回来的超声波，在本申请实施例中，所述计算机还基于从所述待成像物体上反射回来的超声波，获得所述三维超声图像，并基于所述三维超声图像与所述三维光声图像，获得三维声光融合图像，以实现多模态图像融合，进一步提高成像质量。
可选的，在本申请的一个实施例中，所述基于从所述待成像物体上反射回来的超声波，获得所述三维超声图像包括：基于从所述待成像物体上反射回来的超声波，对所述待成像物体的三维超声图像进行重建，以获得所述三维超声图像。
在上述实施例的基础上，在本申请的一个实施例中，所述基于所述三维超声图像与所述三维光声图像，获得三维声光融合图像包括：将所述三维超声图像与所述三维光声图像进行叠加，获得三维声光融合图像。
相应的，本申请还提供了一种内窥成像方法，应用于上述任一实施例中所提供的内窥成像系统，如图5所示，所述内窥成像方法包括：
S100：对激光器发射的激光进行整形，形成第一环锥光，所述第一环锥光照射到待成像物体，并激发所述待成像物体产生光声信号；
S200：采集所述光声信号，所述光声信号用于形成所述待成像物体的三维光声图 像；
如图6所示，在上述任一实施例的基础上，在本申请的一个实施例中，所述内窥成像方法还包括：
S300：基于所述光声信号，获得所述待成像物体的三维光声图像。
可选的，在本申请的一个实施例中，所述基于所述光声信号，获得所述待成像物体的三维光声图像包括：所述基于所述光声信号，对所述待成像物体的三维光声图像进行重建，获得所述三维光声图像。
在上述任一实施例的基础上，在本申请的一个实施例中，所述内窥成像方法还包括：
发射超声波到所述待成像物体上，并采集从所述待成像物体上反射回来的超声波；
基于所述从所述待成像物体上反射回来的超声波，获得所述待成像物体的三维超声图像；
基于所述三维超声图像与所述三维光声图像，获得三维声光融合图像。
在上述实施例的基础上，在本申请的一个实施例中，所述基于所述三维超声图像与所述三维光声图像，获得三维声光融合图像包括：
将所述三维超声图像与所述三维光声图像叠加，获得三维声光融合图像，以实现进行多模态图像融合，进一步提高成像质量。
综上，本申请实施例所提供的内窥镜、内窥成像系统以及内窥成像方法中，所述透镜组用于对所述光纤元件输出的激光进行整形，形成第一环锥光，所述环阵超声换能器用于采集所述第一环锥光照射到待成像物体上激发形成的光声信号，从而利用采集所述光声信号的环阵超声换能器配合经透镜组出射的第一环锥光，直接获得用于实现环形光声图像的环形区域的光声信号，而无需再沿着基底的轴线方向旋转，从而提高了光声成像速度，进而提高了光声成像质量。
另外，本申请实施例所提供的内窥镜、内窥成像系统以及内窥成像方法中，位于中空基底内部的光纤元件能够沿平行于所述基底的轴线的方向移动，从而能够调节所述光纤元件朝向所述透镜组的一端与所述透镜组之间的距离。因此，所述超声探头可以通过沿平行于所述基底的轴线的方向移动光纤元件，来调节所述光纤元件与所述透镜组之间的距离，以产生不同锥角的第一环锥光，从而能够使产生的第一环锥光所照射的待成像物体形成的激发区与环阵超声换能器的探测区相重叠，使两者更好的匹配，进而能够实现光场和声场在生物组织中的高效耦合，提高光声成像的信噪比，进一步提高光声成像的质量。
需要说明的是，在本申请中，术语“包括”、“包含”或者其任何其他变体意在涵盖非排他性的包含，从而使得包括一系列要素的过程、方法、物品或者设备不仅包括那些要素，而且还包括没有明确列出的其他要素，或者是还包括为这种过程、方法、物品或者设备所固有的要素。在没有更多限制的情况下，由语句“包括一个……”限定的要素，并不排除在包括所述要素的过程、方法、物品或者设备中还存在另外的相 同要素。
本说明书中各个部分采用并列和递进相结合的方式描述，每个部分重点说明的都是与其他部分的不同之处，各个部分之间相同相似部分互相参见即可。
对所公开的实施例的上述说明，本说明书中各实施例中记载的特征可以相互替换或组合，使本领域专业技术人员能够实现或使用本申请。对这些实施例的多种修改对本领域的专业技术人员来说将是显而易见的，本文中所定义的一般原理可以在不脱离本申请的精神或范围的情况下，在其它实施例中实现。因此，本申请将不会被限制于本文所示的实施例，而是要符合与本文所公开的原理和新颖特点相一致的最宽的范围。

Claims (16)

  1. 一种内窥镜的超声探头，其特征在于，包括：
    基底，所述基底为中空基底；
    光纤元件，所述光纤元件位于所述基底中，用于传输激光器发射的激光；
    透镜组，所述透镜组位于所述基底的一侧，用于对所述光纤元件传输的激光进行整形，形成第一环锥光，所述第一环锥光用于照射待成像物体，并激发所述待成像物体产生光声信号；
    环阵超声换能器，所述环阵超声换能器环设在所述基底的外侧，用于采集所述光声信号，所述光声信号用于形成所述待成像物体的三维光声图像。
  2. 根据权利要求1所述的超声探头，其特征在于，所述光纤元件能够沿平行于所述基底的轴线的方向移动，以调节所述光纤元件朝向所述透镜组的一端与所述透镜组之间的距离。
  3. 根据权利要求2所述的超声探头，其特征在于，所述环阵超声换能器包括至少一排环绕所述基底的轴线的超声换能器阵元，每排超声换能器阵元包括多个超声换能器阵元，所述超声换能器阵元用于采集所述光声信号。
  4. 根据权利要求3所述的超声探头，其特征在于，所述环阵超声换能器为二维环阵超声换能器，所述二维环阵超声换能器包括多排环绕所述基底轴线的超声换能器阵元，且所述超声换能器阵元的排数和所述每排超声换能器阵元所包括的超声换能器阵元的个数相同。
  5. 根据权利要求1所述的超声探头，其特征在于，还包括：机械扫描装置，所述机械扫描装置用于带动所述环阵超声换能器沿所述基底的轴线平动。
  6. 根据权利要求1所述的超声探头，其特征在于，所述环阵超声换能器还用于发射超声波到所述待成像物体上，并采集从所述待成像物体上反射回来的超声波。
  7. 根据权利要求1所述的超声探头，其特征在于，所述第一环锥光为锥形的光束，其中，所述第一环锥光沿垂直与所述基底轴线方向上的各个截面在预设平面内的投影的形状均为环形，且各所述环形的宽度均相同，所述预设平面为垂直于所述基底轴线的平面。
  8. 根据权利要求1所述的超声探头，其特征在于，所述透镜组包括：
    凸透镜，所述凸透镜用于对所述光纤元件传输的激光进行汇聚或发散；
    锥镜，所述锥镜用于基于所述凸透镜出射的激光形成第二环锥光；
    反射镜，所述反射镜用于对所述锥镜出射的第二环锥光进行反射，形成第一环锥光。
  9. 根据权利要求1所述的超声探头，其特征在于，所述基底为柱状基底。
  10. 一种内窥镜，其特征在于，包括：超声探头，其中，所述超声探头为权利要求1-9任一项所述的超声探头。
  11. 一种内窥成像系统，其特征在于，包括：
    内窥镜，所述内窥镜为权利要求10所述的内窥镜。
  12. 根据权利要求11所述的内窥成像系统，其特征在于，还包括：
    计算机，所述计算机用于基于所述光声信号，形成所述待成像物体的三维光声图像。
  13. 根据权利要求12所述的内窥成像系统，其特征在于，如果所述内窥镜所包括的环阵超声换能器还用于发射超声波到所述待成像物体上，并采集从所述待成像物体上反射回来的超声波，则所述计算机还基于从所述待成像物体上反射回来的超声波，获得三维超声图像，并基于所述三维超声图像与所述三维光声图像，获得三维声光融合图像。
  14. 一种内窥成像方法，其特征在于，所述内窥成像方法包括：
    对激光器发射的激光进行整形，形成第一环锥光，所述第一环锥光照射到待成像物体，并激发所述待成像物体产生光声信号；
    采集所述光声信号，所述光声信号用于形成所述待成像物体的三维光声图像。
  15. 根据权利要求14所述的内窥成像方法，其特征在于，还包括：基于所述光声信号，获得所述待成像物体的三维光声图像。
  16. 根据权利要求15所述的内窥成像方法，其特征在于，还包括：
    发射超声波到所述待成像物体上，并采集从所述待成像物体上反射回来的超声波；
    基于所述从所述待成像物体上反射回来的超声波，获得所述待成像物体的三维超声图像；
    基于所述三维超声图像与所述三维光声图像，获得三维声光融合图像。
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