Optical fiber ultrasonic detection equipment and control method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses optical fiber ultrasonic detection equipment, which comprises an optical signal generation assembly, a transmitting optical fiber and a plurality of opto-acoustic transduction transmitters which are connected in sequence, and an echo detection assembly, a transmitting optical fiber and a plurality of opto-acoustic transduction receivers which are connected in sequence, a front end substrate; the transmitting port of each photoacoustic transduction transmitter and the receiving port of each photoacoustic transduction receiver are jointly distributed on the same surface of the front-end substrate; the optical signal generation assembly comprises a laser generation device used for generating excitation optical signals and a phased array unit. The phased array unit is used for controlling the laser generating device to transmit excitation light signals to all the photoacoustic transduction emitters according to a set rule. The plurality of photoacoustic transduction emitters and the plurality of photoacoustic transduction receivers are arranged on the front-end substrate, so that the front-end substrate can be attached to the surface of the human tissue, and non-invasive detection of the human tissue is realized; the precision and reliability of an ultrasonic detection structure are improved, the operation difficulty of ultrasonic detection is reduced, and wide application of ultrasonic detection is facilitated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of ultrasonic detection, and in particular to an optical fiber ultrasonic detection device and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Ultrasonic detection imaging technology is a technology widely used in auxiliary medical diagnosis. It can use the characteristics of ultrasound to obtain the medical effects of internal human tissues, and is of great significance for the diagnosis and monitoring of various diseases. At present, ultrasonic transducers based on the piezoelectric effect and cables are the mainstream means of realizing ultrasonic detection, but both piezoelectric transducers and cables are limited by narrow bandwidth and susceptibility to electromagnetic interference, and show great limitations in some special usage scenarios such as strong electromagnetic environments and minimally invasive surgery. As a device that can realize the mutual conversion of optical signals and acoustic signals, fiber optic ultrasonic transducers have smaller size than traditional piezoelectric transducers, can withstand higher transmission voltages, larger transmission and detection bandwidths, and stronger resistance to electromagnetic interference.

[0003] In current medical practice, in order to ensure the accuracy of detection results and have the function of low electromagnetic interference, it is usually necessary to reduce electromagnetic interference by repeatedly adjusting working parameters, adding external protection measures or optimizing the circuit layout of the entire usage scenario. In addition, existing means of reducing electromagnetic interference often cannot take into account the function of conveniently controlling the ultrasonic beam, and major technical obstacles need to be overcome. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a fiber optic ultrasonic detection device, which can improve the anti-electromagnetic interference performance of the detection device to a certain extent and also has the function of controlling the ultrasonic sound beam, which is conducive to the wide application of the ultrasonic detection device.

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides an optical fiber ultrasonic detection device, comprising: an optical signal generating component; an echo detection component; a plurality of photoacoustic transducer transmitters; a plurality of photoacoustic transducer receivers; a transmitting optical fiber connecting the optical signal generating component and the photoacoustic transducer transmitter; a receiving optical fiber connecting the echo detection component and the photoacoustic transducer receiver; and a front-end substrate carrying the photoacoustic transducer transmitter and the photoacoustic transducer receiver;

[0006] Wherein, the transmitting ports of each of the photoacoustic transducer transmitters and the receiving ports of each of the photoacoustic transducer receivers are distributed on the same surface of the front-end substrate;

[0007] The optical signal generating component includes a laser generating device and a phased array unit for generating an excitation light signal; the phased array unit is used to control the laser generating device to transmit the excitation light signal to each of the photoacoustic transducer transmitters according to a set rule, so as to control the ultrasonic wave output by the photoacoustic transducer transmitter to form a focal point and realize the switching, movement or deflection of the focal point.

[0008] In some embodiments of the present application, the difference in number of photoacoustic transducer transmitters and photoacoustic transducer receivers is not greater than a set difference in number;

[0009] The photoacoustic transducer transmitters and the photoacoustic transducer receivers are evenly mixed and arranged, so that each transmitting port and each receiving port are evenly mixed and distributed on the same surface of the front-end substrate.

[0010] In some embodiments of the present application, the transmitting port of the photoacoustic transducer transmitter is a light-absorbing material structure disposed on the end face of the transmitting optical fiber; the surface of the light-absorbing material structure away from the end face of the transmitting optical fiber is a curved surface; the light-absorbing material structure is used to convert the excitation light signal into ultrasonic waves;

[0011] The receiving port of the photoacoustic transducer receiver is a photoacoustic material structure arranged on the end face of the receiving optical fiber; a groove is arranged on the surface of the end face of the receiving optical fiber in the photoacoustic material structure so that an FP cavity is formed between the photoacoustic material structure and the end face of the receiving optical fiber; the photoacoustic material structure is used to convert the echo vibration signal into an echo light signal.

[0012] In some embodiments of the present application, the echo detection assembly includes a receiving optical circuit, an amplification circuit, and an imaging device;

[0013] The input end of the receiving optical circuit is connected to the end of the receiving optical fiber, and the output end is connected to the amplifier circuit, and is used to convert the echo optical signal into an echo electrical signal;

[0014] The amplifier circuit is used to amplify the echo electrical signal;

[0015] The imaging device is used to generate a detection image according to the amplified echo electrical signal.

[0016] In some embodiments of the present application, the front-end substrate includes a plurality of unit areas, each of which is provided with a transmitting unit consisting of a first set number of the photoacoustic transducer transmitters and a collecting unit consisting of a second set number of the photoacoustic transducer receivers; and the photoacoustic transducer transmitters and the photoacoustic transducer receivers in the same unit area are evenly and staggeredly distributed;

[0017] The phased array unit controls the laser generating device to output the excitation light signal to each photoacoustic transducer transmitter of the same transmitting unit at the same time;

[0018] The acquisition unit is arranged in a mapping manner with the transmitting unit, and the echo detection component connected to the acquisition unit located in the same unit area as the excited transmitting unit works to acquire and detect echo signals.

[0019] In some embodiments of the present application, the transmitting optical fibers connected to the photoacoustic transducer transmitters in the same transmitting unit together form a transmitting optical cable; each transmitting optical cable can be independently addressed and controllably connected to the transmitting optical cable connector, the transmitting optical cable connector includes a reinforcing core and a plurality of transmitting connection ports arranged around the reinforcing core, and the ends of each transmitting optical cable are respectively connected to the transmitting connection port; the transmitting optical cable is connected to the optical signal generating component via the transmitting optical cable connector.

[0020] In some embodiments of the present application, an optical fiber reinforcement core is disposed at the center of the transmitting optical cable, and the ends of each transmitting optical fiber connected to the same transmitting unit are disposed around the optical fiber reinforcement core to form the transmitting connection port;

[0021] The laser generating device comprises a plurality of groups of drivers and laser tubes; the drivers and the laser tubes are connected one-to-one to form a laser unit; the output end of the laser unit is connected to a first optical fiber interface, and the first optical fiber interface is connected one-to-one to the emission connection port;

[0022] The phased array unit controls each of the laser units to output the excited optical signal to each of the transmitting optical cables according to a set rule.

[0023] In some embodiments of the present application, the receiving optical fibers connected to the photoacoustic transducer receivers in the same acquisition unit together form a receiving optical cable; each receiving optical cable can be independently addressed and controlled to be connected to a receiving optical cable connector, the receiving optical cable connector includes a reinforcing core and a plurality of receiving connection ports arranged around the reinforcing core, and the ends of each receiving optical cable are respectively connected to the receiving connection ports; the receiving optical cable is connected to the echo detection component through the receiving optical cable connector;

[0024] Each of the receiving connection ports is also respectively connected to the output end of the laser generating device, and the phased array unit is used to control the laser generating device to synchronously output the excitation light signal to the transmitting connection port and the receiving connection port respectively corresponding to the transmitting unit and the collecting unit located in the same unit area.

[0025] In another aspect of the present application, a control method for an optical fiber ultrasonic detection device is provided, which is applied to the optical fiber ultrasonic detection device as described in any one of the above items, wherein the optical fiber ultrasonic detection device comprises a control end and a holding end, wherein the control end comprises an optical signal generating component and an echo detection component, and the holding end comprises a front-end substrate carrying a photoacoustic transducer transmitter and a photoacoustic transducer receiver, and the control end is connected to the holding end through a transmitting optical fiber and a receiving optical fiber to reduce electromagnetic interference, wherein the control method comprises:

[0026] The optical signal generating component comprises a laser generating device and a phased array unit, wherein the phased array unit controls the laser generating device to output an excitation optical signal, the laser generating device is connected to the photoacoustic transducer transmitter via a transmitting optical fiber, the photoacoustic transducer transmitter converts the received excitation optical signal into an ultrasonic wave and propagates it outward, and the phased array unit controls the ultrasonic wave to form a focal point and realizes the switching, movement or deflection of the focal point according to a set rule;

[0027] The photoacoustic transducer receiver receives the echo signal and converts it into an echo light signal. The photoacoustic transducer receiver is connected to the echo detection component via a receiving optical fiber. The echo detection component converts the received echo light signal into an echo electrical signal and generates a detection image based on the echo electrical signal.

[0028] In some embodiments of the present application, the phased array unit controls the ultrasound to form a focal point and implements switching, movement or deflection of the focal point according to a set rule, including:

[0029] According to the set rules, the phased array unit selects and determines the number and position of the transmitting units in the fiber-optic ultrasonic detection device, and controls the laser generating device to synchronously output the excitation light signal to the selected transmitting unit, so as to control the ultrasonic wave output by the photoacoustic transducer transmitter to form a plurality of different focusing points;

[0030] And / or, according to a set rule, the phased array unit selects a reference transmitting unit from each of the transmitting units, and controls the laser generating device to output an excitation light signal to the reference transmitting unit, and controls the laser generating device to sequentially output an excitation light signal to each of the transmitting units arranged in a direction away from the reference transmitting unit, so as to control the switching change of the focus position formed by the ultrasonic wave output by the photoacoustic transducer transmitter;

[0031] And / or, according to a set rule, the phased array unit gradually increases the delay time of each of the transmitting units along a set moving direction, and gradually reduces the delay time of each of the transmitting units in a direction opposite to the moving direction, so as to control the movement change of the focal point formed by the ultrasonic wave output by the photoacoustic transducer transmitter;

[0032] And / or, according to the set rules, the phased array unit gradually advances the phase of the excitation light signal of each of the transmitting units along the set deflection direction, and gradually delays the phase of the excitation light signal of each of the transmitting units along the opposite direction of the set deflection direction, so as to control the deflection change of the focal point formed by the ultrasonic wave output by the photoacoustic transducer transmitter.

[0033] The optical fiber ultrasonic detection equipment and control method thereof provided by the present invention include an optical signal generating component; an echo detection component; a plurality of photoacoustic transducer transmitters; a plurality of photoacoustic transducer receivers; a transmitting optical fiber connecting the optical signal generating component and the photoacoustic transducer transmitter; a receiving optical fiber connecting the echo detection component and the photoacoustic transducer receiver; and a front-end substrate carrying the photoacoustic transducer transmitter and the photoacoustic transducer receiver; wherein the transmitting ports of each photoacoustic transducer transmitter and the receiving ports of each photoacoustic transducer receiver are distributed on the same surface of the front-end substrate; the optical signal generating component includes a laser generating device and a phased array unit for generating an excitation optical signal; the phased array unit is used to control the laser generating device to transmit the excitation optical signal to each photoacoustic transducer transmitter according to a set rule, so as to control the focal point azimuth switching, movement or deflection of the ultrasonic wave output by the photoacoustic transducer transmitter.

[0034] In the fiber optic ultrasonic detection device of the present application, a plurality of photoacoustic transducer transmitters and a plurality of photoacoustic transducer receivers are arranged on the front-end substrate. The large number of photoacoustic transducer transmitters in the present application can output ultrasonic waves with stronger propagation capability, and the laser generating device is controlled based on the phased array unit to transmit the excitation light signal to each photoacoustic transducer transmitter respectively according to different setting rules such as different delay durations and phase gradients, so that the photoacoustic transducer transmitter outputs the ultrasonic wave to achieve focusing, switching, moving the focal point or deflecting the focal point, so that the ultrasonic signal has strong anti-interference, small signal attenuation and high detection sensitivity in the actual detection process, and convenient control to achieve imaging detection of the inside of human tissue; when actually performing ultrasonic detection on human tissue, the front-end substrate is directly attached to the surface of the human tissue without forming an incision on the human tissue; thereby, on the basis of ensuring the accuracy and reliability of ultrasonic detection, the operational difficulty of ultrasonic detection is reduced, which is conducive to the wider application of ultrasonic detection. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions of the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0036] Figure 1A schematic diagram of the framework structure of the optical fiber ultrasonic detection device provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the distribution structure of the transmitting port and the receiving port on the front-end substrate provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of a transmitting optical cable connector provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of a receiving optical cable connector provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of the photoacoustic transducer transmitter provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of a photoacoustic transducer receiver provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] In the accompanying drawings: 10 is an optical signal generating component, 101 is an optical fiber reinforcement core, 102 is a reinforcement core, 11 is a first optical fiber interface, 12 is a transmitting optical cable connector, 121 is a transmitting connection port, 13 is a transmitting optical cable, 131 is a transmitting optical fiber, 14 is a photoacoustic transducer transmitter, 141 is a transmitting port, 20 is an echo detection component, 21 is a second optical fiber interface, 22 is a receiving optical cable connector, 221 is a receiving connection port, 23 is a receiving optical cable, 231 is a receiving optical fiber, 24 is a photoacoustic transducer receiver, 241 is a receiving port, and 30 is a front-end substrate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] The core of the present invention is to provide a fiber optic ultrasonic detection device for realizing ultrasonic detection of blood vessels and other tissues inside the human body outside the human body, thereby reducing the operational difficulty of ultrasonic detection to a certain extent, which is conducive to the widespread application of ultrasonic detection technology.

[0044] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the scheme of the present invention, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0045] like Figures 1 to 6 As shown, Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the framework structure of the optical fiber ultrasonic detection device provided in the embodiment of the present application; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the distribution structure of the transmitting port and the receiving port on the front-end substrate provided in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 3A schematic diagram of the structure of a transmitting optical cable connector provided in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of a receiving optical cable connector provided in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of the photoacoustic transducer transmitter provided in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of the photoacoustic transducer receiver provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0046] In a specific embodiment of the present application, the fiber optic ultrasonic detection device may include:

[0047] An optical signal generating component 10; an echo detecting component 20; a plurality of photoacoustic transducer transmitters 14; a plurality of photoacoustic transducer receivers 24; a transmitting optical fiber 131 connecting the optical signal generating component 10 and the photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14; a receiving optical fiber 231 connecting the echo detecting component 20 and the photoacoustic transducer receiver 24; and a front-end substrate 30 carrying the photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 and the photoacoustic transducer receiver 24;

[0048] The transmitting ports 141 of each photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 and the receiving ports 241 of each photoacoustic transducer receiver 24 are distributed on the same surface of the front-end substrate 30;

[0049] The optical signal generating component 10 includes a laser generating device and a phased array unit for generating an excitation optical signal; the phased array unit is used to control the laser generating device to transmit the excitation optical signal to each photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 according to a set rule, so that the ultrasonic wave output by each photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 forms a focal point, controls the deflection of the focal point, and distributes the formed focal point at a plurality of different positions (i.e., switches the focal point) or moves the position of the focal point.

[0050] On the other hand, the present application also protects a control method for a fiber optic ultrasonic detection device, which is applied to the above fiber optic ultrasonic detection device. In actual applications, the fiber optic ultrasonic detection device may include a control end and a holding end, wherein the control end includes an optical signal generating component 10 and an echo detection component 20, and the holding end includes a front-end substrate 30 carrying a photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 and a photoacoustic transducer receiver 24, and the control end and the holding end are connected by a transmitting optical fiber 131 and a receiving optical fiber 231 to reduce electromagnetic interference.

[0051] In addition, the control method includes:

[0052] The optical signal generating component 10 includes a laser generating device and a phased array unit. The phased array unit controls the laser generating device to output an excitation light signal. The laser generating device is connected to the photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 via the transmitting optical fiber 131. The photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 converts the received excitation light signal into an ultrasonic wave and propagates it outward. The phased array unit controls the ultrasonic wave according to the set rules to achieve at least one of focusing, switching the focal point, moving the focal point or deflecting the focal point; the photoacoustic transducer receiver 24 receives the echo signal and converts it into an echo optical signal. The photoacoustic transducer receiver 24 is connected to the echo detection component 20 via the receiving optical fiber 231. The echo detection component 20 converts the received echo optical signal into an echo electrical signal and generates a detection image based on the echo electrical signal.

[0053] It should be understood that forming a focal point, switching a focal point, moving a focal point and deflecting a focal point all have practical application value in the medical field. This application integrates a valuable new solution while reducing electromagnetic interference without sacrificing control and convenient use of image detection. Among them, forming a focal point allows the ultrasonic energy to be concentrated in a smaller area, thereby improving the imaging resolution, which is particularly useful when observing small or detailed structures; switching a focal point can quickly switch the focal point between different depths or positions, which helps to quickly evaluate the conditions at different tissue levels and improve diagnostic efficiency; moving a focal point can move the focal point in a specific direction to dynamically observe the area of ​​interest, for example, scanning along a blood vessel or an anatomical structure; deflecting a focal point allows the direction of the sound beam to be changed without moving the front-end substrate 30, so that tissue structures at different angles can be observed, which is of outstanding value for evaluating complex or difficult to directly observe areas.

[0054] It should be noted that the two-dimensional phased array can control the focus of the sound beam in two directions (usually the x and y directions) at the same time. This means that a small focal area can be formed on a plane instead of a single point. For the sake of simplicity of description, the focal area is referred to as the focal point in this application to facilitate the understanding of those skilled in the art. It should be understood that the focal point in this application does not imply a tendency to limit the focal area to only one point.

[0055] Reference Figure 1 In this embodiment, the optical signal generating component 10 is used to output the excitation optical signal to each photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 through the transmitting optical fiber 131, and each photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 and each photoacoustic transducer receiver 24 are jointly arranged on the front-end substrate 30; Figure 2 As shown, Figure 2The figure shows a schematic diagram of a distribution method of the transmitting port 141 of the photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 and the receiving port 241 of the photoacoustic transducer receiver 24 on the same surface of the front-end substrate 30; in actual applications, when the front-end substrate 30 is attached to the surface of the human tissue to be detected, the transmitting port 141 of each photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 and the receiving port 241 of each photoacoustic transducer receiver 24 can be attached to the surface of the human tissue. On this basis, the photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 is stimulated by the excitation light signal to convert the light signal into a vibrating ultrasonic signal, and sends the ultrasonic signal to the inside of the human tissue through the transmitting port 141; the ultrasonic signal interacts with the blood vessels and other tissue structures inside the human tissue to generate an echo signal (that is, the signal reflected back by the ultrasonic wave, which also belongs to the ultrasonic signal); the echo signal can be received by the photoacoustic transducer receiver 24 attached to the surface of the human tissue, and the photoacoustic transducer receiver 24 generates a corresponding echo light signal based on the echo signal, and the echo light signal is transmitted to the echo detection component 20 through the receiving optical fiber 231. The echo detection component 20 can generate an image that can characterize the situation inside the detected human tissue based on the collected detected echo light signal, so as to assist in medical diagnosis.

[0056] Based on the above discussion, the photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 of the present application is arranged on the surface of human tissue through the front-end substrate 30 without extending into the interior of the human tissue, so the area occupied by the layout of the photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 is not limited by the volume of the human tissue structure; thus, for the same human tissue part, a larger number of photoacoustic transducer transmitters 14 can be arranged to emit ultrasonic waves with greater signal strength, thereby improving the anti-interference performance of the ultrasonic signal, reducing the signal attenuation and increasing the sensitivity. On this basis, the phased array unit can control the laser generating device to output the excitation light signal to each different photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 with a delay. With the delay and phase adjustment of the excitation light signal received by the photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 at different positions on the front-end substrate 30, the ultrasonic wave output by each photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 can follow the geometric focusing delay law and phase gradient. The formed focal point can be distributed at multiple different positions. By switching the focal point or moving the position of the focal point, the focus point of the ultrasonic wave can be deflected and changed, etc., thereby realizing the detection of ultrasonic signals in a larger area in human tissue, and even if the front-end substrate 30 is not moved manually, the detection images at different positions can be better obtained.

[0057] It is understandable that the change mode of the ultrasonic wave output by each photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 is based on the delay time and phase gradient (phase advance or delay) between each photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 , as well as the relative position between each photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 .

[0058] In an optional embodiment of the present application, the front-end substrate 30 in the fiber-optic ultrasonic detection device can be divided into a plurality of unit areas, each unit area including a transmitting unit composed of a plurality of photoacoustic transducer transmitters and a collecting unit composed of a plurality of photoacoustic transducer receivers;

[0059] The phased array unit controls the ultrasonic wave to form a focal point and realizes the switching, movement or deflection of the focal point according to a set rule, specifically including:

[0060] According to the set rules, the phased array unit selects and determines the number and position of the transmitting units in the fiber-optic ultrasonic detection device, and controls the laser generating device to synchronously output the excitation light signal to the selected transmitting unit, so as to control the ultrasonic wave output by the photoacoustic transducer transmitter to form a variety of different focal points;

[0061] And / or, according to the set rules, the phased array unit selects a reference transmitting unit from each transmitting unit, and controls the laser generating device to output an excitation light signal to the reference transmitting unit, and controls the laser generating device to sequentially output the excitation light signal to each transmitting unit arranged in a direction away from the reference transmitting unit, so as to control the switching change of the focus position formed by the ultrasonic wave output by the photoacoustic transducer transmitter;

[0062] And / or, according to a set rule, the phased array unit gradually increases the delay time of each transmitting unit along the set moving direction, and gradually reduces the delay time of each transmitting unit in the opposite direction of the moving direction, so as to control the movement change of the focus point formed by the ultrasonic wave output by the photoacoustic transducer transmitter;

[0063] And / or, according to the set rules, the phased array unit gradually advances the phase of the excitation light signal of each transmitting unit along the set deflection direction, and gradually delays the phase of the excitation light signal of each transmitting unit in the opposite direction of the set deflection direction, so as to control the deflection change of the focal point formed by the ultrasonic wave output by the photoacoustic transducer transmitter.

[0064] For ease of explanation, Figure 2 The embodiment shown is used as an example for explanation. Figure 2 The transmitting port 141 of the photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 and the receiving port 241 of the photoacoustic transducer receiver 24 are arranged in a two-dimensional array, and the transmitting port 141 and the receiving port 241 are alternately distributed; and Figure 2The photoacoustic transducer transmitters 14 corresponding to the multiple transmitting ports 141 in the same dotted frame are regarded as the same transmitting unit, and the laser generating device synchronously outputs the excitation light signal to each photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 corresponding to the same transmitting unit, while the excitation light signals output by each photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 corresponding to different transmitting units may have a delay and a phase difference; that is, the phased array unit controls the laser generating device to synchronously output the excitation light signal to the photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 in the same transmitting unit, and controls the laser generating device to independently output the excitation light signal to the photoacoustic transducer transmitters 14 of different transmitting units. Figure 2 As shown, for the convenience of explanation, each dotted box is labeled according to its row and column position.

[0065] When the phased array unit controls the two corresponding transmitting units in A11 and A22 to output ultrasonic waves synchronously, a focusing point can be formed at the midpoint between A11 and A22. After a delay time, the two corresponding transmitting units in A21 and A12 are controlled to output ultrasonic waves synchronously, and a focusing point can also be formed at the midpoint between A21 and A12, thereby realizing the control of focusing and focusing direction. In addition, by controlling A11 and A21 to output ultrasonic waves and controlling A16 and A26 to output ultrasonic waves, a focus one can be formed between A11 and A21, and a focus two can be formed between A11 and A21, thereby realizing multi-focus focusing control.

[0066] When the phased array unit controls each transmitting unit in the dotted box of A12, A13, A14, A15 and A16 to synchronously output ultrasonic waves with the transmitting unit in A11 (i.e., the selected transmitting unit), the focal point position finally formed is gradually switched from the unit area between A11 and A12 to the unit area between A11 and A16, that is, by controlling the photoacoustic transducer transmitters 14 in different unit areas to synchronously output ultrasonic waves, focal points can be formed at different positions, thereby realizing the switching of the focal point position.

[0067] When the phased array unit controls the transmitting unit in A11 to synchronously output ultrasonic waves, it controls the transmitting unit in A13 to delay the output of ultrasonic waves, and then gradually increases the delayed emission time of the transmitting unit in A11 and gradually decreases the delayed emission time of the transmitting unit in A13. In this way, the focal point can be moved toward the direction close to A11, that is, the movement and change of the focal point of the ultrasonic wave can be achieved.

[0068] When the phased array unit requires a phase delay of the transmitting unit and gradually reduces the phase delay according to a phase gradient, for example, the focus of each transmitting unit for synchronous excitation is moved from A23 to the upper right corner of the front end substrate 30, that is, basically the upper right corner of the position of A16, as shown below:

[0069] Since the transmitting units in each unit area work simultaneously without phase and time delay, phase adjustment is only performed at the transmitting unit level.

[0070] Δφ=(2π / λ)Δd, Δd represents the distance from the current transmitting unit to the target unit, the size of a single transmitting unit in the first direction (A11 to A16) is Δdx, and the size of a single transmitting unit in the second direction (A21 to A11) is Δdy.

[0071] As shown in the following Table 1, Table 1 shows the phase delay corresponding to the transmitting units in each unit area. The setting of the phase delay is conducive to coherent superposition at the focal point to achieve focusing.

[0072] Table 1:

[0073]

[0074] It should be noted that the above-mentioned method of forming a phase gradient by setting a phase delay for each transmitting unit can actually also be a method of advancing the phase of the transmitting unit close to the target position and delaying the phase of the transmitting unit far from the target position, all of which fall within the protection scope of the present application.

[0075] In practical applications, based on the different purposes of detecting human tissue, the phased array unit can control the photoacoustic transducer receivers 24 at different positions to output ultrasonic waves in different delay modes according to different rules, thereby outputting different ultrasonic waves. The above examples are only for facilitating understanding, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this solution. Generally speaking, the time delay rule is to change the phase relationship of reaching the target point by delayed emission to achieve focusing, while the phase gradient rule directly changes the phase relationship of reaching the target point. In comparison, the coherent gradient also includes other more flexible ways to achieve coherent superposition in addition to delayed emission. Therefore, although the time delay rule is used in the example of moving the focal point, it does not mean that the present application excludes the use of the phase gradient rule in the control of the moving focus. Similarly, although the distance of the deflected focal point is used for the phase gradient rule, it does not mean that the present application excludes the use of the time delay rule in the control of the deflected focus. Those skilled in the art can use the phase gradient rule and the time delay rule in combination according to actual needs and under the guidance of this application.

[0076] The aforementioned focus point offset usually refers to changing the position of the focus in a plane perpendicular to the depth of the sound beam (transverse plane). This offset can be horizontal or vertical, and the movement path of the focus point is not limited to linear or nonlinear movement, which can be adjusted according to actual needs. The movement of the focus point usually refers to the change in the depth direction, that is, moving the focus along the propagation direction of the sound beam. It can be understood that in Figure 2The embodiment shown is only one arrangement structure of the photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 and the photoacoustic transducer receiver 24 in the present application. In practical applications, the photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 and the photoacoustic transducer receiver 24 can also adopt other arrangements. For example, the photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 can also be arranged according to Figure 2 The two-dimensional array shown is arranged in a manner of alternating a row of photoacoustic transducer transmitters 14 and a row of photoacoustic transducer receivers 24; for example, the photoacoustic transducer transmitters 14 and the photoacoustic transducer receivers 24 may also be arranged in a plurality of concentric rings, and from the inner ring to the outer ring, a circle of photoacoustic transducer transmitters 14 and a circle of photoacoustic transducer receivers 24 may be arranged alternately, or each circle may be a circle of photoacoustic transducer transmitters 14 and photoacoustic transducer receivers 24 arranged alternately, and no specific limitation is made in this application. However, the total number of photoacoustic transducer transmitters 14 and the total number of photoacoustic transducer receivers 24 should be roughly the same, and the difference between the two numbers should not be greater than the set number difference, for example, the difference between the numbers should not be greater than 10, and at most 1-2, and the most preferred number is the same; on this basis, the layout of the photoacoustic transducer transmitters 14 and the photoacoustic transducer receivers 24 on the front-end substrate 30 should be as uniformly mixed as possible, so that each transmitting port 141 and each receiving port 241 are evenly mixed and distributed on the same surface of the front-end substrate 30. This arrangement helps to optimize the beamforming and distribution of the received signal, ensuring that no matter which photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 is excited or in what way the photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 is excited, the emitted ultrasonic signal is received by the widely distributed photoacoustic transducer receivers 24, reducing the loss of the acoustic signal. When the photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 emits ultrasonic waves and reflects them back from human tissue, all photoacoustic transducer receivers 24 may receive these echo signals. These signals are then processed by receiving optical circuits, amplifying circuits and algorithms to generate high-quality ultrasound images, thereby ensuring the accuracy of the final detection results.

[0077] As mentioned above, the transmitting port 141 of the photoacoustic transducer receiver 24 and the receiving port 241 of the photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 in this embodiment are bonded to the surface of human tissue through the front-end substrate 30, and the tissue surface at different positions of the human body may have different surface shapes; in order to ensure that each transmitting port 141 and each receiving port 241 can better fit the surface of human tissue, the front-end substrate 30 in this embodiment can adopt a flexible substrate; for example, a flexible rubber plate can be used, or a substrate formed by flexibly splicing multiple rigid plates together, which is not specifically limited in this application.

[0078] Based on the above discussion, in order to simplify the control difficulty of each photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 and photoacoustic transducer receiver 24, in another optional embodiment of the present application, it may further include:

[0079] Each photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 is composed of a plurality of transmitting units; each transmitting unit includes a first set number of adjacently arranged photoacoustic transducer transmitters 14;

[0080] The phased array unit controls the laser generating device to output excitation light signals to each photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 of the same transmitting unit at the same time; and outputs excitation light signals to each different transmitting unit according to a set rule.

[0081] As described above, the number of photoacoustic transducer transmitters 14 and photoacoustic transducer receivers 24 in the present embodiment can be relatively large. Therefore, in order to simplify the difficulty of the phased array unit controlling the laser generating device to output excitation light signals to each photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14, each photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 of the front-end substrate 30 is divided into a plurality of transmitting units, so that the laser generating device can output the excitation light signals to each photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 in the same transmitting unit synchronously and without delay, that is, the photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 in the same transmitting unit can synchronously output ultrasonic waves.

[0082] Of course, it is understandable that when actually dividing the transmitting units, it is not limited to Figure 2 The dotted line frame shown in FIG. 1 is divided into two parts, and the number of photoacoustic transducer transmitters 14 included in each transmitting unit can be the same or different. Figure 2 The photoacoustic transducer transmitters 14 located in the same column or the same two columns are divided into the same transmitting unit; if the photoacoustic transducer transmitters 14 and the photoacoustic transducer receivers 24 are arranged in circles, the photoacoustic transducer transmitters 14 located in the same circle can be divided into the same transmitting unit; in actual applications, in actual applications, the front-end substrate 30 can be divided into a plurality of unit areas, each unit area is provided with a transmitting unit composed of a first set number of photoacoustic transducer transmitters 14 and a collecting unit composed of a second set number of photoacoustic transducer receivers 24; and the photoacoustic transducer transmitters 14 and the photoacoustic transducer receivers 24 in the same unit area are evenly staggered; the phased array unit controls the laser generating device to output the excitation light signal to each photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 of the same transmitting unit at the same time; the collecting unit is mapped to the transmitting unit, and the echo detection component 20 connected to the collecting unit located in the same unit area as the excited transmitting unit works to collect and detect the echo signal.

[0083] It is understandable that each photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 may also be divided into transmitting units in other ways, which are not listed one by one in the present application.

[0084] Reference Figures 1 to 3 In some embodiments of the present application, the optical fiber ultrasonic detection device may further include:

[0085] The transmitting optical fibers 131 connected to the photoacoustic transducer transmitters 14 in the same transmitting unit together form a transmitting optical cable 13; each transmitting optical cable 13 can be independently addressed and controlled and connected to the transmitting optical cable connector 12;

[0086] The transmitting optical cable 13 is connected to the optical signal generating component 10 via the transmitting optical cable connector 12;

[0087] The transmitting optical cable connector 12 includes a reinforcing core 102 and a plurality of transmitting connection ports 121 arranged around the reinforcing core 102 , and the ends of each transmitting optical cable 13 are connected to the transmitting connection port 121 respectively.

[0088] In this embodiment, the transmitting optical fibers 131 connected to the photoacoustic transducer transmitters 14 corresponding to the same transmitting unit are collectively formed into a transmitting optical cable 13; Figure 3 The cross section of the transmission connection port 121 of the plurality of transmission optical cables 13 in the transmission optical cable connector 12 is outputted, such as Figure 3 As shown, a fiber reinforcement core 101 is disposed at the center of each transmitting optical cable 13, and the ends of each transmitting optical fiber 131 connected to the same transmitting unit are disposed around the fiber reinforcement core 101 to form a transmitting connection port 121, so that each transmitting unit corresponds to a transmitting optical cable 13. A reinforcement core 102 is also disposed at the center of the transmitting optical cable connector 12, and each transmitting connection port 121 is disposed around the reinforcement core 102, and the reinforcement core 102 is used to enhance the tightness and support of each transmitting connection port 121 and the overall structure of the transmitting optical cable connector 12.

[0089] like Figure 1 As shown, the laser generating device may include multiple groups of drivers and laser tubes, each driver and laser tube is connected one-to-one to form a laser unit; the output end of each laser tube is connected to a first optical fiber interface 11, and the arrangement of each first optical fiber interface 11 corresponds to the arrangement of the emission connection port 121 on the emission optical cable connector 12, and the emission optical cable connector 12 and the optical fiber interface may be pluggable. When the emission optical cable connector 12 and the first optical fiber interface 11 are connected to each other, each first optical fiber interface 11 is connected to each emission connection port 121 one-to-one to form an optical path.

[0090] When the phased array unit controls the driver in a laser unit to start working, the laser tube connected to the driver can transmit an excitation light signal to the corresponding transmitting optical cable 13 through the connected first optical fiber interface 11, that is, multiple transmitting optical fibers 131 in the transmitting optical cable 13 synchronously transmit the same excitation light signal, and then the photoacoustic transducer transmitters 14 of the same transmitting unit connected to the transmitting optical cable 13 synchronously output ultrasonic waves, that is, to control the synchronous and non-delayed output of ultrasonic waves of the photoacoustic transducer transmitters 14 in the same transmitting unit. Therefore, in practical applications, the phased array unit only needs to control the drivers in each laser unit to start working according to different delay durations, that is, to enable each different transmitting unit to output ultrasonic waves according to the corresponding delay, and then to enable the photoacoustic transducer transmitters 14 corresponding to each transmitting unit to output changing ultrasonic waves.

[0091] In practical applications, the laser generating device is not limited to the following Figure 1 The implementation method shown has multiple groups of drivers and laser tubes. The laser generating device can also use a relatively high-power laser, and the laser includes output ends optically connected to each first optical fiber interface 11 respectively, and each output end is provided with an optical switch. The phased array unit controls the opening and closing of each optical switch to control each output end of the laser to output or stop outputting the excitation light signal from each first optical fiber interface 11, and the technical solution of the present application can also be implemented.

[0092] In some embodiments, the present application can further divide each photoacoustic transducer receiver 24 into a number of collection units; each collection unit includes a second set number of adjacently arranged photoacoustic transducer receivers 24; the collection unit and the transmitting unit are mapped, that is, when a transmitting unit is started, at least the collection units in the same unit area are started synchronously, and the photoacoustic transducer receivers 24 of each collection unit and the photoacoustic transducer transmitters 14 of a transmitting unit are evenly and staggered on the front-end substrate 30.

[0093] Reference Figure 2 In this embodiment, the distribution unit area of ​​each receiving port 241 corresponding to each acquisition unit on the front-end substrate 30 can completely overlap with the distribution unit area of ​​a transmitting port 141 corresponding to a transmitting unit on the front-end substrate 30, thereby allowing each acquisition unit to more accurately detect the echo signal corresponding to the transmitting unit located in the same unit area.

[0094] On this basis, refer to Figure 4 , the receiving optical fibers 231 connected to the photoacoustic transducer receivers 24 in the same collection unit together form a receiving optical cable 23;

[0095] The receiving optical cable 23 is connected to the echo detection component 20 via the receiving optical cable connector 22;

[0096] The receiving optical cable connector 22 includes a reinforcing core 102 and a plurality of receiving connection ports 221 disposed around the reinforcing core 102 , and ends of each receiving optical cable 23 are connected to the receiving connection ports 221 , respectively.

[0097] Combination Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, the structure of the receiving optical cable 23 in this embodiment is similar to that of the transmitting optical cable 13. The receiving optical fiber 231 connected to the photoacoustic transducer receiver 24 in the same collection unit can be arranged in the same receiving optical cable 23 around the same optical fiber reinforcement core 101 to ensure the structural strength of the receiving optical cable 23; and the structure of the receiving optical cable connector 22 can also be similar to that of the transmitting optical cable connector 12, and each receiving connection port 221 is also arranged around the reinforcement core 102, and each receiving optical cable 23 can be independently addressed and controlled and connected to the receiving optical cable connector 12; and a second optical fiber interface 21 is provided on the echo detection component 20; the second optical fiber interface 21 and each receiving connection port The ports 221 are arranged in a one-to-one correspondence; thus, after each photoacoustic transducer receiver 24 of the same acquisition unit receives the echo signal of the ultrasound, each photoacoustic transducer receiver 24 in the same acquisition unit generates a corresponding echo optical signal according to the received echo signal, and the echo optical signal is transmitted by each receiving optical fiber 231 in the same receiving optical cable 23, and is received and collected through the same second optical fiber interface 21 of the echo detection component 20; it can be seen that in this embodiment, the echo optical signal of the same transmitting unit is received and collected through the same second optical fiber interface 21, thereby simplifying the difficulty of the echo detection component 20 to obtain the echo optical signals collected and generated by a large number of photoacoustic transducer receivers 24.

[0098] In the above embodiment, the independently addressable and controllable transmitting optical cable 13 is connected to the laser generating device, and the independently addressable and controllable receiving optical cable 23 is connected to the echo detection component 20, which ensures that the path for generating ultrasonic waves and the path for detecting ultrasonic echo signals are completely separated, which is convenient for ensuring clear wiring during implementation, and at the same time helps to set a centralized interface at the control end (such as a host), which is convenient for unified wiring and simplifies the spatial layout of the laser generating device and the echo detection component 20 inside the control end. The transmitting optical cable 13 and the receiving optical cable 23 are both set as a double-layer structure, and the reinforcing core 102 and the optical fiber reinforcing core 101 are used to support the optical fiber and the optical cable, so that the optical cables are arranged neatly, easy to encode, identify and maintain, and easy to maintain the independently addressable characteristics during operation. Because the transmitting optical cable and the receiving optical cable can be independently addressed, each photoacoustic transducer receiver 24 and the photoacoustic transducer transmitter are easy to be controlled and perform the operations such as focusing, switching the focus point, moving the focus point or deflecting the focus point of the ultrasonic wave. By setting the transmitting optical cables and receiving optical cables connected to the transmitting units and the collecting units in the same unit area to be independently addressable and associated, it can be better ensured that when the transmitting unit is excited, at least the echo detection components connected to the collecting units in the same unit area will work. Figure 1 As shown, in an optional implementation of this embodiment, the echo detection component 20 may include a receiving optical circuit, an amplifying circuit and an imaging device;

[0099] The input end of the receiving optical circuit is connected to the end of the receiving optical fiber 231, and the output end is connected to the amplifier circuit, which is used to convert the echo optical signal into an echo electrical signal;

[0100] The amplifier circuit is used to amplify the echo electrical signal;

[0101] The imaging device is used to generate a detection image according to the amplified echo electrical signal.

[0102] It is understandable that the receiving optical circuit in this embodiment can be a circuit device that converts the echo optical signal into the echo electrical signal, for example, it can be a photoelectric sensing circuit, or directly use a photoelectric sensor. In addition, the number of the receiving optical circuits in this embodiment can be the same as the number of the above-mentioned receiving optical cables 23, that is, each receiving optical circuit receives and detects the echo optical signal transmitted in one receiving optical cable 23 through one optical fiber interface.

[0103] In addition, an amplification circuit may be further provided between the output end of the receiving optical circuit and the imaging device to ensure that the echo electrical signal collected by the receiving optical circuit can be detected and identified by the imaging device.

[0104] It should be noted that the imaging device in this embodiment can be the same as the imaging method in a conventional ultrasonic detection imaging device, which is not described in detail in this application.

[0105] Based on the above discussion, refer to Figure 5 In an optional embodiment of the present application, the emission port 141 of the photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 is a light-absorbing material structure arranged on the end face of the transmitting optical fiber 131; the surface of the light-absorbing material structure away from the end face of the transmitting optical fiber 131 is a curved surface; the light-absorbing material structure is used to convert the excitation light signal into ultrasonic waves.

[0106] like Figure 5 As shown, in the photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 of the present embodiment, the light-absorbing material structure formed on the end face of the transmitting optical fiber 131, the surface of the light-absorbing material structure away from the end face of the transmitting optical fiber 131 is a curved surface, so that the light-absorbing material structure can be roughly a partial spherical structure; the light-absorbing material structure can be a material structure with characteristics such as high optical absorptivity, low specific heat capacity and high thermal expansion coefficient; for example, it can be a structure formed by precious metal nanomaterials, or it can be a structure formed by materials such as carbon nanotubes + PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane), so as to ensure that the light-absorbing material structure exhibits a high ultrasonic excitation efficiency under the action of the excitation light signal; and different light-absorbing material structures need to be coated on the optical fiber end face with different processing processes, for example, the light-absorbing material structure formed by carbon nanotubes + PDMS needs to be mixed with carbon nanotubes + PDMS and gel and coated on the optical fiber end face; the optical material structure formed by precious metal nanomaterials can be precious metal nanoparticles on the optical fiber end face by evaporation.

[0107] On this basis, if Figure 6 As shown, the transmitting port 241 of the photoacoustic transducer receiver 24 in this embodiment can be a photoacoustic material structure arranged on the end face of the receiving optical fiber 231; a groove is arranged on the surface of the end face of the receiving optical fiber 231 in the photoacoustic material structure, so that an FP cavity is formed between the photoacoustic material structure and the end face of the receiving optical fiber 231; the photoacoustic material structure is used to convert the echo vibration signal into an echo light signal.

[0108] like Figure 6 As shown, the full name of the FP cavity is Fabry–Pérot cavity; the photoacoustic material structure in this embodiment will deform under the action of mechanical vibration, thereby changing the length and size of the FP cavity; the change in the length and size of the FP cavity will cause the light phase to change, and the light phase is modulated to detect ultrasonic waves. The FP cavity in the photoacoustic material structure can be cast into a U-shaped cavity in a mold, and UV glue is applied to the connection between the U-shaped cavity and the end face of the optical fiber, and cured by ultraviolet light.

[0109] It should also be noted that the photoacoustic material structure with the FP cavity in this embodiment is a passive optical resonant cavity; therefore, in practical applications, in order to realize ultrasonic echo detection using the FP cavity, it is necessary to further provide modulated light for the FP cavity.

[0110] To this end, in an optional embodiment of the present application, a modulated light source may be further provided in the echo detection component 20, and the modulated light source transmits modulated light to each receiving optical cable 23 through the above-mentioned second optical fiber interface 21. When the modulated light is transmitted to the FP cavity through the optical cable, the mechanical vibration of the photoacoustic material structure caused by the echo signal causes the length and size of the FP cavity to change, that is, an echo light signal with a phase change relative to the modulated light is formed. The echo light signal is transmitted through the receiving optical cable 23 and can be finally collected by the receiving optical circuit.

[0111] like Figure 1 As shown, in another optional embodiment of the present application, each receiving connection port 221 provided in the receiving optical cable connector 22 is also respectively connected to the output end of the laser generating device;

[0112] The phased array unit is used to control the laser generating device to synchronously output an excitation light signal to the transmitting connection port 121 and the receiving connection port 221 corresponding to the transmitting unit and the collecting unit located in the same unit area.

[0113] by Figure 1 Taking the laser generating device shown as an example, which includes multiple groups of drivers and laser tubes to form multiple laser units, in this embodiment, the output end of each laser tube can be connected not only to a first optical fiber interface 11, but also to a second optical fiber interface 21; and the emitting unit and the collecting unit respectively connected to the first optical fiber interface 11 and the second optical fiber interface 21 connected to the output end of the same laser tube are located in the same unit area of ​​the front-end substrate 30; therefore, when the phased array unit controls one of the drivers to start working, the laser tube connected to it can simultaneously output the excitation optical signal to the first optical fiber interface 11 and the second optical fiber interface 21 connected to its output end. The excitation light signal output by the first optical fiber interface 11 is transmitted to the same transmitting unit through the transmitting optical cable 13 and excites each photoacoustic conversion transmitter 14 in the transmitting unit to vibrate and generate ultrasonic waves; and the excitation light signal output by the second optical fiber interface 21 is transmitted to the same collection unit as modulated light through the receiving optical cable 23. The collection unit and the above-mentioned transmitting unit are mixed and arranged in the same unit area on the front-end substrate 30; thereby ensuring that after the collection unit senses the echo signal corresponding to the ultrasonic wave output by the transmitting unit, the phase of the modulated light changes to form an echo light signal, and is transmitted to the echo detection component 20 through the receiving optical cable 23.

[0114] Compared with the implementation method of directly setting a modulated light source in the echo detection component 20, the implementation method of this embodiment can reduce the number of light sources to a certain extent, thereby reducing the cost of the entire device and simplifying the structural setting of the device.

[0115] To summarize, in the fiber optic ultrasonic detection device of the present application, a plurality of photoacoustic transducer transmitters and a plurality of photoacoustic transducer receivers are arranged on the front-end substrate. Compared with the detection probe that needs to extend into the human tissue, the large number of photoacoustic transducer transmitters in the present application can output ultrasonic waves with stronger propagation capability, and based on the phased array unit according to different setting rules, the laser generating device can transmit the excitation light signal to each photoacoustic transducer transmitter according to different delay times or phase gradients, so that the focal point of the ultrasonic wave output by each photoacoustic transducer transmitter is deflected, the position of the ultrasonic wave focal point is changed, and a variety of ultrasonic signals with different changes are realized, so that the ultrasonic signal has strong anti-interference, small signal attenuation and high detection sensitivity in the actual detection process, and can realize more accurate and larger area detection of the internal structure of human tissue; when actually performing ultrasonic detection on human tissue, the front-end substrate is directly attached to the surface of the human tissue without forming a wound on the human tissue; thereby, on the basis of ensuring the accuracy and reliability of ultrasonic detection, the operational difficulty of ultrasonic detection is reduced, which is conducive to the wider application of ultrasonic detection.

[0116] It should be noted that, in this article, relational terms such as first and second, etc. are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply that there is any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the term "includes", "comprising" or any other variant thereof is intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that the process, method, article or equipment comprising a series of elements are inherent to the elements. In the absence of more restrictions, the elements limited by the sentence "comprising one..." do not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or equipment comprising the elements. In addition, the above-mentioned technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application is consistent with the corresponding technical solution in the prior art in principle, and the part is not described in detail, so as to avoid too much redundancy.

[0117] The principles and implementation methods of the present invention are described in this article using specific examples. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method and core ideas of the present invention. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, several improvements and modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from the principles of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A fiber optic ultrasonic detection device, characterized in that: include: an optical signal generating component; echo detection component; a plurality of photoacoustic transducer emitters; a plurality of photoacoustic transducer receivers; A transmitting optical fiber connecting the optical signal generating component and the photoacoustic transducer transmitter; A receiving optical fiber connecting the echo detection component and the photoacoustic transducer receiver; and a front-end substrate carrying the photoacoustic transducer transmitter and the photoacoustic transducer receiver; Wherein, the transmitting ports of each of the photoacoustic transducer transmitters and the receiving ports of each of the photoacoustic transducer receivers are distributed on the same surface of the front-end substrate; The optical signal generating component includes a laser generating device and a phased array unit for generating an excitation light signal; the phased array unit is used to control the laser generating device to transmit the excitation light signal to each of the photoacoustic transducer transmitters according to a set rule, so as to control the ultrasonic wave output by the photoacoustic transducer transmitter to form a focal point and realize the switching, movement or deflection of the focal point.

2. The optical fiber ultrasonic detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The difference in number between the photoacoustic transducer transmitters and the photoacoustic transducer receivers is not greater than a set difference in number; The photoacoustic transducer transmitters and the photoacoustic transducer receivers are evenly mixed and arranged, so that each of the transmitting ports and each of the receiving ports are evenly mixed and distributed on the same surface of the front-end substrate.

3. The optical fiber ultrasonic detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The emission port of the photoacoustic transducer transmitter is a light-absorbing material structure arranged on the end face of the emission optical fiber; the surface of the light-absorbing material structure away from the end face of the emission optical fiber is a curved surface; the light-absorbing material structure is used to convert the excitation light signal into ultrasonic waves; The receiving port of the photoacoustic transducer receiver is a photoacoustic material structure arranged on the end face of the receiving optical fiber; a groove is arranged on the surface of the end face of the receiving optical fiber in the photoacoustic material structure so that an FP cavity is formed between the photoacoustic material structure and the end face of the receiving optical fiber; the photoacoustic material structure is used to convert the echo vibration signal into an echo light signal.

4. The optical fiber ultrasonic detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The echo detection assembly includes a receiving optical circuit, an amplifying circuit and an imaging device; The input end of the receiving optical circuit is connected to the end of the receiving optical fiber, and the output end is connected to the amplifying circuit, and is used to convert the echo optical signal into an echo electrical signal; The amplifier circuit is used to amplify the echo electrical signal; The imaging device is used to generate a detection image according to the amplified echo electrical signal.

5. The optical fiber ultrasonic detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The front-end substrate comprises a plurality of unit areas, each of which is provided with a transmitting unit consisting of a first set number of the photoacoustic transducer transmitters and a collecting unit consisting of a second set number of the photoacoustic transducer receivers; and the photoacoustic transducer transmitters and the photoacoustic transducer receivers in the same unit area are evenly and staggeredly distributed; The phased array unit controls the laser generating device to output the excitation light signal to each photoacoustic transducer transmitter of the same transmitting unit at the same time; The acquisition unit is arranged in a mapping manner with the transmitting unit, and the echo detection component connected to the acquisition unit located in the same unit area as the excited transmitting unit works to acquire and detect echo signals.

6. The optical fiber ultrasonic detection device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The transmitting optical fibers connected to the photoacoustic transducer transmitters in the same transmitting unit together form a transmitting optical cable; each transmitting optical cable can be independently addressed and controlled to be connected to the transmitting optical cable connector, the transmitting optical cable connector includes a reinforcing core and a plurality of transmitting connection ports arranged around the reinforcing core, and the ends of each transmitting optical cable are respectively connected to the transmitting connection ports; the transmitting optical cable is connected to the optical signal generating component through the transmitting optical cable connector.

7. The optical fiber ultrasonic detection device according to claim 6, characterized in that: An optical fiber reinforcement core is arranged at the center of the transmitting optical cable, and the ends of each transmitting optical fiber connected to the same transmitting unit are arranged around the optical fiber reinforcement core to form the transmitting connection port; The laser generating device comprises a plurality of groups of drivers and laser tubes; the drivers and the laser tubes are connected one-to-one to form a laser unit; the output end of the laser unit is connected to a first optical fiber interface, and the first optical fiber interface is connected one-to-one to the emission connection port; The phased array unit controls each of the laser units to output the stimulated optical signals to each of the transmitting optical cables according to a set rule.

8. The optical fiber ultrasonic detection device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The receiving optical fibers connected to the photoacoustic transducer receivers in the same collection unit together form a receiving optical cable; each receiving optical cable can be independently addressed and controlled to be connected to the receiving optical cable connector, the receiving optical cable connector includes a reinforcing core and a plurality of receiving connection ports arranged around the reinforcing core, and the ends of each receiving optical cable are respectively connected to the receiving connection ports; the receiving optical cable is connected to the echo detection component via the receiving optical cable connector; Each of the receiving connection ports is also respectively connected to the output end of the laser generating device, and the phased array unit is used to control the laser generating device to synchronously output the excitation light signal to the transmitting connection port and the receiving connection port respectively corresponding to the transmitting unit and the collecting unit located in the same unit area.

9. A control method for a fiber optic ultrasonic detection device, characterized in that: The optical fiber ultrasonic detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 comprises a control end and a holding end, wherein the control end comprises an optical signal generating component and an echo detecting component, and the holding end comprises a front-end substrate carrying a photoacoustic transducer transmitter and a photoacoustic transducer receiver, and the control end is connected to the holding end through a transmitting optical fiber and a receiving optical fiber to reduce electromagnetic interference, wherein the control method comprises: The optical signal generating component comprises a laser generating device and a phased array unit, wherein the phased array unit controls the laser generating device to output an excitation optical signal, the laser generating device is connected to the photoacoustic transducer transmitter via a transmitting optical fiber, the photoacoustic transducer transmitter converts the received excitation optical signal into an ultrasonic wave and propagates it outward, and the phased array unit controls the ultrasonic wave to form a focal point and realizes the switching, movement or deflection of the focal point according to a set rule; The photoacoustic transducer receiver receives the echo signal and converts it into an echo light signal. The photoacoustic transducer receiver is connected to the echo detection component via a receiving optical fiber. The echo detection component converts the received echo light signal into an echo electrical signal and generates a detection image based on the echo electrical signal.

10. The control method of the optical fiber ultrasonic detection device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The phased array unit controls the ultrasonic wave to form a focal point and realizes the switching, movement or deflection of the focal point according to a set rule, including: According to the set rules, the phased array unit selects the number and position of the transmitting units in the fiber-optic ultrasonic detection device, controls the laser generating device to synchronously output the excitation light signal to the selected transmitting units, so as to control the ultrasonic wave output by the photoacoustic transducer transmitter to form a plurality of different focusing points; And / or, according to a set rule, the phased array unit selects a reference transmitting unit from each of the transmitting units, and controls the laser generating device to output an excitation light signal to the reference transmitting unit, and controls the laser generating device to sequentially output an excitation light signal to each of the transmitting units arranged in a direction away from the reference transmitting unit, so as to control the switching change of the focus position formed by the ultrasonic wave output by the photoacoustic transducer transmitter; And / or, according to a set rule, the phased array unit gradually increases the delay time of each of the transmitting units along a set moving direction, and gradually reduces the delay time of each of the transmitting units in a direction opposite to the moving direction, so as to control the movement change of the focal point formed by the ultrasonic wave output by the photoacoustic transducer transmitter; And / or, according to the set rules, the phased array unit gradually advances the phase of the excitation light signal of each of the transmitting units along the set deflection direction, and gradually delays the phase of the excitation light signal of each of the transmitting units along the opposite direction of the set deflection direction, so as to control the deflection change of the focal point formed by the ultrasonic wave output by the photoacoustic transducer transmitter.

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