PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a photoacoustic imaging apparatus capable of acquiring a clear acoustic image by causing a detection part to efficiently detect acoustic waves.SOLUTION: A photoacoustic imaging apparatus 100 comprises: light source parts 1a and 1b including three light-emitting parts 10a-10c performing pulse emission a detection part 2 for detecting acoustic waves generated from a detection object in an analyte that absorbs light applied from the light-emitting parts 10a-10c and a control part 30 that deviates pulse emission timing of the light-emitting parts 10a-10c, causes the light-emitting parts 10a-10c to sequentially emit light so as to overlap respective light pulses of the light-emitting parts 10a-10c with each other, generates composite waveforms of a plurality of light pulses of the light-emitting parts 10a-10c, and controls an amount of timing deviations of the pulse emissions to approximate a frequency of the composite waveforms to a frequency in which receiving sensitivity of the detection part 2 is maximized.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6COPYRIGHT: (C)2016,JPO&INPIT【課題】検出部において効率的に音響波を検出することにより鮮明な音響画像を得ることが可能な光音響画像化装置を提供する。【解決手段】この光音響画像化装置100は、パルス発光される3つの発光部10a~10cを含む光源部1aおよび1bと、発光部10a~10cから照射された光を吸収した被検体内の検出対象物から発生する音響波を検出するための検出部2と、発光部10a~10cのパルス発光タイミングを互いにずらすことにより、発光部10a~10cの光パルスがそれぞれ重なるように発光部10a~10cを順に発光させることによって、発光部10a~10cの複数の光パルスの合成波形を生成するとともに、合成波形の周波数が検出部2の受信感度が最大となる周波数に近づくようにパルス発光のタイミングのずらし量を制御する制御部30とを備える。【選択図】図6
