Patent ID: 9128032
Filing Date: 2015-09-08
Classification: A61B,G01N

Abstract:
1. Apparatus for photoacoustic (PA) imaging of a subject, said apparatus comprising: a light positioned to illuminate said subject to generate PA waves emanating from said subject; a programmed computer system; a staring array of transducers for receiving said PA waves and converting said PA waves to corresponding analog signals, said staring array having at least three transducers and arranged in at least three dimensions and wherein three-dimensional (3-D) spatial co-ordinates of the transducers is to be determined by the programmed computer system; an acoustically transmissive medium which surrounds the transducers and acoustically couples said staring array to said subject; at least one analog to digital converter configured to receive said analog signals and convert said analog signals to corresponding digital signals; and the programmed computer system operatively connected to said at least one analog to digital converter to receive said digital signals and configured to: calibrate, at least when 3D spatial co-ordinates of the transducers is to be determined by the programmed computer system, the acoustic response of each of the transducers by measurements of PA waves from a PA source at a known plurality of positions, predetermined by the programmed computer system, through a calibration volume to generate at least three-dimensional (3-D) characterization maps for each transducer, and process said digital signals, received when the staring array is staring, by an image reconstruction algorithm to create one or more three dimensional (3-D) images of said subject, said image reconstruction algorithm utilizes the three-dimensional (3-D) characterization maps for at least some of the transducers.