Subject information obtaining apparatus, subject information obtaining method, and program

摘要

A subject information obtaining apparatus has: a light source; a plurality of receiving elements which receive acoustic waves generated from a subject, and output signals; a memory unit for storing, for each of a plurality of predetermined positions, information to represent signals which are output from the plurality of receiving elements when an acoustic wave source is assumed to exist in the position; and an estimating unit for estimating a distribution of acoustic wave sources. The estimating unit assumes a distribution of acoustic wave sources, obtains signals corresponding to positions of respective acoustic wave sources in the assumed distribution from the stored information, and defines a distribution of acoustic wave sources, of which degree of coincidence between the obtained signals and signals obtained in an actual measurement is highest, as the distribution of acoustic wave sources.

主权项

1. A subject information obtaining apparatus, comprising:
a receiver configured to receive an acoustic wave generated from a subject by irradiation of light at a plurality of receiving positions, and output actual signals; a memory configured to store information on assumed signals for each of a plurality of predetermined positions within the subject, each of the assumed signals being a signal that is assumed to be received by said receiver in a case in which acoustic wave source exists at a predetermined position within the subject; and an estimator configured to estimate an actual distribution of acoustic wave sources within the subject by an iteration method based on the information stored in said memory and the actual signals, wherein a coinciding portion of the information representing a first assumed signal for a first predetermined position within the subject and the information representing a second assumed signal for a second predetermined position within the subject is commonly stored in said memory as a common piece of information, in a case in which the first and second assumed signal have symmetry, and wherein said estimator is configured to
obtain an assumed distribution of assumed acoustic wave sources,obtain assumed signals corresponding to the plurality of predetermined positions of respective assumed acoustic wave sources in the assumed distribution from the information stored in said memory, andobtain a distribution of acoustic wave sources, of which degree of coincidence between the assumed signals and the actual signals is highest, as the actual distribution of the actual acoustic wave sources within the subject.