PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a subject information acquisition device capable of excellently imaging an absorber in which a photoacoustic wave has directivity.SOLUTION: A subject information acquisition device includes: an irradiation part 102 for irradiating a light； a plurality of reception elements 104 for receiving an acoustic wave generated when a light is irradiated onto a subject, converting it to an electric signal and outputting the electric signal； a probe having a support medium, in which a plurality of reception elements are disposed in the support medium so that respective orientation axes of the reception elements are concentrated； a weighting processing part 109 for performing weighting for a plurality of the electric signals output from the plurality of reception elements； and an information acquisition part 110 for acquiring characteristic information on the subject using the electric signals. The weighting processing part uses a subject information acquisition device that gives more weight to the electric signal corresponding to the reception element as the intensity of the acoustic wave entering the reception element is stronger.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1【課題】光音響波が指向性を有する吸収体を良好にイメージングできる被検体情報取得装置を提供する。【解決手段】光を照射する照射部１０２と、被検体に光が照射されたときに発生する音響波を受信して電気信号に変換して出力する複数の受信素子１０４と、支持体を有し、複数の受信素子が、それぞれの指向軸が集まるように支持体に配置された探触子と、複数の受信素子から出力された複数の電気信号に対して重み付けを行う重み付け処理部１０９と、電気信号を用いて被検体の特性情報を取得する情報取得部１１０を有し、重み付け処理部は、受信素子に入射する音響波の強度が強いほど、受信素子に対応する電気信号に与える重みを大きくする被検体情報取得装置を用いる。【選択図】図１
