# US 2014/0155727 A1 · Subject information acquisition device, method for controlling subject information acquisition device, and storage medium storing program therefor > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0155727 A1 - Document ID: US20140155727A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/092,017 - Filed: 2013-11-27 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2012-12-04 - Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Ryuichi Nanaumi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140155727A1 ## CPC - A61B 5/0095: {by applying light and detecting acoustic waves, i.e. photoacoustic measurements} - A61B 5/7235: {Details of waveform analysis (detecting specific parameters of the electrocardiograph cycle A61B5/349)} - A61B 5/742: {using visual displays (displays for heart-related electrical signals, e.g. ECG, A61B5/339)} - A61B 8/4209: {by using holders, e.g. positioning frames} - A61B 8/5207: {involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data, e.g. for generating an image} - A61B 5/7239: {using differentiation including higher order derivatives} - A61B 8/0825: {for diagnosis of the breast, e.g. mammography} - A61B 8/485: {involving measuring strain or elastic properties} - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) ## Abstract A subject information acquisition device includes an elastic wave receiving unit configured to receive elastic waves generated inside a subject and output a reception signal; and a signal processing unit configured to acquire subject information in an interest region of the subject, on the basis of the reception signal. In measurement states, the elastic wave receiving unit receives elastic waves and outputs reception signals corresponding to the measurement states. The signal processing unit corrects the reception signals by weighting factors based on measurement parameters in the measurement states, and acquires corrected reception signals in the interest region corresponding to the measurement states. The signal processing unit acquires the subject information in the interest region, on the basis of the sum of the corrected reception signals and the sum of the weighting factors. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A subject information acquisition device comprising: an elastic wave receiving unit configured to receive elastic waves generated inside a subject and output a reception signal; and a signal processing unit configured to acquire subject information in an interest region of the subject, on the basis of the reception signal, wherein in a plurality of measurement states, the elastic wave receiving unit receives elastic waves and outputs a plurality of reception signals corresponding to the plurality of measurement states, wherein the signal processing unit corrects the plurality of reception signals by a plurality of weighting factors based on a plurality of measurement parameters in the plurality of measurement states, and acquires a plurality of corrected reception signals in the interest region corresponding to the plurality of measurement states, and wherein the signal processing unit acquires the subject information in the interest region, on the basis of the sum of the plurality of corrected reception signals and the sum of the plurality of weighting factors. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The subject information acquisition device according to claim 1, wherein the signal processing unit acquires the subject information in the interest region by acquiring the ratio of the sum of the plurality of corrected reception signals to the sum of the plurality of weighting factors. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The subject information acquisition device according to claim 1, wherein the elastic wave receiving unit is capable of receiving elastic waves at different positions in the plurality of measurement states. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The subject information acquisition device according to claim 3, further comprising: a moving part configured to move the elastic wave receiving unit to the different positions. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The subject information acquisition device according to claim 1, wherein in the plurality of measurement states, the elastic wave receiving unit is capable of receiving elastic waves at reception surfaces whose angles relative to the interest region are different. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The subject information acquisition device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of weighting factors are each a factor based on the solid angle of a cone whose vertex is the interest region and whose bottom surface is a reception surface of the elastic wave receiving unit in a corresponding one of the plurality of measurement states. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The subject information acquisition device according to claim 1, wherein the elastic wave receiving unit includes a plurality of transducers. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The subject information acquisition device according to claim 7, wherein the elastic wave receiving unit is configured in such a manner that a direction in which reception sensitivity is high of at least one element of the plurality of transducers is directed toward a specific region. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The subject information acquisition device according to claim 7, wherein the signal processing unit is configured to select a transducer to be used among the plurality of transducers in each of the plurality of measurement states. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The subject information acquisition device according to claim 1, wherein the elastic waves are photo acoustic waves generated by irradiating the subject with light. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The subject information acquisition device according to claim 10, wherein the signal processing unit performs a process including differentiation processing on the plurality of reception signals and corrects, using the plurality of weighting factors, the plurality of reception signals that have been subjected to the differentiation processing. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The subject information acquisition device according to claim 1, wherein the elastic waves are reflected waves of ultrasonic waves generated when the ultrasonic waves transmitted to the subject are reflected inside the subject. ### Claim 13 A method for controlling a subject information acquisition device, the method comprising the steps of: receiving elastic waves generated in a subject in a plurality of measurement states and outputting a plurality of reception signals corresponding to the plurality of measurement states; correcting the plurality of reception signals using a plurality of weighting factors corresponding to the plurality of measurement states based on the plurality of measurement parameters corresponding to the plurality of measurement states and a position of an interest region, and acquiring a plurality of corrected reception signals in the interest region corresponding to the plurality of measurement states; and acquiring subject information in the interest region, on the basis of the sum of the plurality of corrected reception signals and the sum of the plurality of weighting factors. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program that causes a computer to execute the method according to claim 13.