PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve the problem that generated sound waves do not enter a sound detector depending on the shape of an absorber and the shape lacks when a direction of placing a sound wave detector to a subject is limited.SOLUTION: The photoacoustic imaging apparatus includes a light source (11) for irradiating the subject with light, a detector (14) for detecting photoacoustic waves generated in a light absorber, a reflection unit (15) for reflecting the photoacoustic waves, and an arithmetic processing unit (16) for generating the information image of the subject. The arithmetic processing unit distinguishes images obtained by performing reconfiguration processing to the detected photoacoustic waves into images by the sound waves directly made incident on the detector and images reflected at the reflection unit and made incident on the detector. The image by reflected sound waves is converted to a real image and superposed with the image by a direct sound waves, complementing processing is performed, and the information image of the subject is obtained.COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT【課題】被検体に対して音響波検出器を置く方向に制限がある場合、吸収体の形状によっては発生した音波が音響検出器に入らず、形状がかけてしまう。【解決手段】光音響イメージング装置は、被検体に光を照射する光源(11)、光吸収体で発生する光音響波を検出する検出器(14)、光音響波を反射させる反射部(15)、被検体の情報画像を生成する演算処理部(16)を備える。演算処理部は、検知した光音響波に再構成処理を施して得られる像を、検出器へ直接入射した音響波による像と、反射部で反射して検出器へ入射した像とに区別する。反射音響波による像を実像に変換して直接音響波による像と重ね合わせて補完処理を行って、被検体の情報画像を求める。【選択図】図1
