Patent ID: 9535159
Date: 2017-01-03
CPC Classifications: A61B,G01N,G01S

Claim:
1. A test-object-information acquisition apparatus comprising: a light radiating unit configured to radiate light onto a test object; a first probe configured to receive an acoustic wave generated in the test object in response to the test object being irradiated with the light from the light radiating unit and converts the acoustic wave into a first electric signal; a second probe that includes a plurality of conversion elements arranged in a first direction, and configured to radiate an ultrasound beam towards the test object, to receive a reflected wave of the ultrasound beam from the test object, and to convert the reflected wave into a second electric signal; an ultrasound controller configured to control the second probe to radiate the ultrasound beam toward the test object; a scanning unit configured to cause the light radiating unit, the first probe, and the second probe to perform a reciprocating scan process across the test object by moving the light radiating unit, the first probe, and the second probe back and forth in a second direction that is different from the first direction; a photoacoustic-image acquisition unit configured to acquire a photoacoustic image on the basis of the first electric signal; an ultrasound-image acquisition unit configured to acquire an ultrasound image on the basis of the second electric signal, wherein the ultrasound controller is further configured to cause the plurality of conversion elements to linearly scan the ultrasound beam along the first direction, and to vary a linear scanning direction to be different between the forward scan and the backward scan of the reciprocating scan process; and a controller configured to correct the acquired ultrasound image.