Fiber optic ultrasonic detection device and control method thereof

Abstract

The present invention discloses an optical fiber ultrasonic detection device, comprising an optical signal generating component, a transmitting optical fiber, and a plurality of photoacoustic transducer transmitters connected in sequence, an echo detection component, a transmitting optical fiber, and a plurality of photoacoustic transducer receivers connected in sequence; a front-end substrate; 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 comprises 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 photoacoustic transducer transmitter according to a set rule. The present application sets a plurality of photoacoustic transducer transmitters and photoacoustic transducer receivers on the front-end substrate, and the front-end substrate can be attached to the surface of human tissue to achieve non-invasive detection of human tissue; improves the accuracy and reliability of the ultrasonic detection structure, and reduces the operational difficulty of ultrasonic detection, which is conducive to the widespread application of ultrasonic detection.

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 to assist in medical diagnosis. It can use the characteristics of ultrasound to obtain medical information about the internal tissues of the human body, and is of great significance for the diagnosis and monitoring of various diseases. At present, ultrasonic transducers based on the piezoelectric effect combined with cables are the mainstream means of achieving ultrasonic detection. However, 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 between optical and acoustic signals, fiber optic ultrasonic transducers have smaller size than traditional piezoelectric transducers, can withstand higher transmission voltages, have larger transmission and detection bandwidths, and are more resistant to electromagnetic interference.

[0003] In current medical practice, in order to ensure the accuracy of detection results and achieve 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 methods 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 an optical fiber ultrasonic detection device, which can improve the anti-electromagnetic interference performance of the detection device to a certain extent and has the function of controlling the ultrasonic sound beam, which is conducive to the widespread application of ultrasonic detection equipment.

[0005] To solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a fiber optic 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 transmitters; a receiving optical fiber connecting the echo detection component and the photoacoustic transducer receivers; and a front-end substrate carrying the photoacoustic transducer transmitters and the photoacoustic transducer receivers;

[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 set rules, so as to control the ultrasonic waves 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 the number of photoacoustic transducer transmitters and the number of photoacoustic transducer receivers is not greater than a set number difference;

[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 emission port of the photoacoustic transducer transmitter is a light-absorbing material structure provided on the end face of the transmitting optical fiber; the surface of the light-absorbing material structure facing 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 provided on the surface of the photoacoustic material structure that is in contact with the end face of the receiving optical fiber, 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 amplifying 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 based on 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 mapped to 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 controlled and connected to the transmitting optical cable connector, the transmitting optical cable connector includes a strengthening core and a plurality of transmitting connection ports arranged around the strengthening 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 through the transmitting optical cable connector.

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

[0021] The laser generating device includes multiple sets of drivers and laser tubes; the drivers and 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 is independently addressable and controllably connected to a receiving optical cable connector, the receiving optical cable connector including a strengthening core and a plurality of receiving connection ports disposed around the strengthening 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 assembly via 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 corresponding to the transmitting unit and the collection unit located in the same unit area.

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

[0026] The optical signal generating component 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 via a transmitting optical fiber. The photoacoustic transducer transmitter converts the received excitation light signal into an ultrasonic wave and propagates it outward. 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 wave 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, controls the laser generating device to synchronously output the excitation light signal to the selected transmitting units, and controls the ultrasonic waves output by the photoacoustic transducer transmitter to form a plurality of different focal points;

[0030] And / or, according to a set rule, the phased array unit selects a reference transmitting unit from each of the transmitting units, 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 excitation light signals 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 focal point 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 decreases 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 present invention provides an optical fiber ultrasonic detection device and a control method thereof, which include an optical signal generating component; an echo detection component; multiple photoacoustic transducer transmitters; multiple 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 port of each photoacoustic transducer transmitter and the receiving port 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 light signal; the phased array unit is used to control the laser generating device to transmit the excitation light 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 equipment of the present application, multiple photoacoustic transducer transmitters and multiple 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 according to different setting rules such as different delay durations and phase gradients, so that the output of the photoacoustic transducer transmitter enables the ultrasonic wave to be focused, switched, moved or deflected, so that the ultrasonic signal has strong anti-interference, low signal attenuation and high detection sensitivity in the actual detection process, and is conveniently controlled to realize imaging detection inside 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 following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. 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 any creative work.

[0036] Figure 1A schematic diagram of the framework structure of the fiber optic ultrasonic detection device provided in an 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 structural diagram of a transmitting optical cable connector provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Figure 4 A schematic structural diagram 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 and facilitating the widespread application of ultrasonic detection technology.

[0044] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present invention, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Obviously, the embodiments described are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without 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 fiber optic ultrasonic detection device provided in an 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 structural diagram of a transmitting optical cable connector provided in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 4 A schematic structural diagram 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 assembly 10; an echo detecting assembly 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 assembly 10 and the photoacoustic transducer transmitters 14; a receiving optical fiber 231 connecting the echo detecting assembly 20 and the photoacoustic transducer receivers 24; and a front-end substrate 30 carrying the photoacoustic transducer transmitters 14 and the photoacoustic transducer receivers 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 light signal; the phased array unit is used to control the laser generating device to transmit the excitation light 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 multiple different positions (i.e., switching 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 an optical fiber ultrasonic detection device, which is applied to the above optical fiber ultrasonic detection device. In actual applications, the optical fiber 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. 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] Furthermore, 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 through 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 light signal. The photoacoustic transducer receiver 24 is connected to the echo detection component 20 through the receiving optical fiber 231. The echo detection component 20 converts the received echo light 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 ease of use for image detection. Among them, forming a focal point allows the ultrasonic energy to be concentrated in a smaller area, thereby improving 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 assess 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; and deflecting a focal point allows the direction of the sound beam to be changed without moving the front-end substrate 30, allowing observation of tissue structures at different angles, which is of outstanding value for evaluating complex or difficult-to-observe areas.

[0054] It should be noted that a two-dimensional phased array can simultaneously control the focus of the acoustic beam in two directions (typically the x and y directions). This means that a small focal area can be formed on a plane, rather than a single point. For simplicity, this application uses the term "focusing point" to refer to the focal area to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. It should be understood that the term "focusing point" in this application does not imply that the focal area is limited to a single point.

[0055] Reference Figure 1 In this embodiment, the optical signal generating component 10 is used to output the excitation light 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 application, 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 this 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 is also an 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 this echo signal. 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 represent the situation inside the detected human tissue based on the collected and detected echo light signal 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. Therefore, the area occupied by the layout of the photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 is not limited by the volume of the human tissue structure. Therefore, for the same human tissue part, a larger number of photoacoustic transducer transmitters 14 can be arranged to emit ultrasonic waves with greater signal intensity, thereby improving the anti-interference performance of the ultrasonic signal, making the signal attenuation small and the sensitivity high. 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. As the delay and phase of the excitation light signal received by the photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 at different positions on the front-end substrate 30 are adjusted, the ultrasonic waves output by each photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 can follow the geometric focusing delay law and phase gradient. The formed focal points can be distributed at multiple different positions. By switching the focal point or moving the position of the focal point, the focus of the ultrasonic wave can be deflected and changed, etc., thereby realizing the detection of a larger area of the ultrasonic signal in the human tissue, and even without manually moving the front-end substrate 30, better detection images of different positions can be obtained.

[0057] It can be understood that the way in which the ultrasonic waves output by each photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 change is based on the length of the delay and phase gradient (phase advance or delay) between each photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14, as well as the relative positions 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 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 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, and controls the ultrasonic wave output by the photoacoustic transducer transmitter to form a variety of different focal points;

[0061] And / or, according to a set rule, the phased array unit selects a reference transmitting unit from among the transmitting units, 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 excitation light signals to each transmitting unit arranged in a direction away from the reference transmitting unit, so as to control the switching change of the focal point 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 movement direction, and gradually decreases the delay time of each transmitting unit in the opposite direction of the movement direction, so as to control the movement change of the focal 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 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.

[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 box are regarded as the same transmitting unit, and the laser generating device synchronously outputs excitation light signals to the photoacoustic transducer transmitters 14 corresponding to the same transmitting unit, while there may be time delays and phase differences between the excitation light signals output by the photoacoustic transducer transmitters 14 corresponding to different transmitting units; that is, the phased array unit controls the laser generating device to synchronously output excitation light signals to the photoacoustic transducer transmitters 14 in the same transmitting unit, and controls the laser generating device to independently output excitation light signals to the photoacoustic transducer transmitters 14 of different transmitting units. Figure 2 As shown, for the convenience of explanation, each dotted box is numbered according to its row and column position.

[0065] When the phased array unit controls the two transmitting units corresponding to A11 and A22 to output ultrasonic waves synchronously, a focal point can be formed at the midpoint between A11 and A22. After a delay time, the two transmitting units corresponding to A21 and A12 are controlled to output ultrasonic waves synchronously, and a focal point can also be formed at the midpoint between A21 and A12, thereby realizing the control of focus and focus direction. In addition, by controlling A11 and A21 to output ultrasonic waves and controlling A16 and A26 to output ultrasonic waves, focus one can be formed between A11 and A21, and 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 output ultrasonic waves synchronously with the transmitting unit in A11 (i.e., the selected transmitting unit), the final focal point position 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 output ultrasonic waves synchronously, and 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, 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 is 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 that is synchronously excited is moved from A23 to the upper right corner of the front-end substrate 30, which is basically the upper right corner of the position of A16, it is expressed as follows:

[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, where 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 Table 1 below, 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, both of which fall within the scope of protection of this application.

[0075] In actual applications, based on the different purposes of detecting human tissue, the phased array unit can control the photoacoustic transducer receivers 24 at different locations to output ultrasound waves in different delay modes according to different rules, thereby outputting different ultrasound 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 changes the phase relationship of the arrival at the target point by delaying the emission to achieve focusing, while the phase gradient rule directly changes the phase relationship of the arrival at the target point. In comparison, the coherence gradient also includes other more flexible methods for achieving coherent superposition besides delayed emission. Therefore, although the time delay rule is used in the example of moving the focus point, it does not mean that this application excludes the use of the phase gradient rule in controlling the moving focus. Similarly, although the phase gradient rule is used in the example of deflecting the focus point, it does not mean that this application excludes the use of the time delay rule in controlling the deflection 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 shift usually refers to changing the focus position in a plane perpendicular to the depth of the sound beam (the transverse plane). This shift can be horizontal or vertical, and the focus movement path is not limited to linear or nonlinear movement, and can be adjusted according to actual needs. The movement of the focus usually refers to the change in the depth direction, that is, moving the focus along the direction of sound beam propagation. 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 this application. In actual 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 in accordance with 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 can also be arranged in a plurality of concentric rings, and from the inner ring to the outer ring, they can be arranged in a manner of alternating a row of photoacoustic transducer transmitters 14 and a row of photoacoustic transducer receivers 24, or each circle can be arranged in a manner of alternating a row of photoacoustic transducer transmitters 14 and photoacoustic transducer receivers 24. There is no specific limitation on this in the present 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. It is most preferred that the numbers are 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 evenly mixed as possible, so that the various transmitting ports 141 and the various receiving ports 241 are evenly mixed and distributed on the same surface of the front-end substrate 30. This arrangement helps to optimize beamforming and the distribution of received signals, ensuring that no matter which photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 is excited or how the photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 is excited, the emitted ultrasound signal is received by the widely distributed photoacoustic transducer receivers 24, thereby reducing acoustic signal loss. When the photoacoustic transducer transmitter 14 emits ultrasound and is reflected 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, 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 adhered 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 different transmitting units according to set rules.

[0081] As described above, the number of photoacoustic transducer transmitters 14 and photoacoustic transducer receivers 24 in this 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 number 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 the 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, the front-end substrate 30 can be divided into multiple unit areas, and 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 and the transmitting unit are mapped, 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 this application.

[0084] Reference Figures 1 to 3 In some embodiments of the present application, the fiber optic 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 strengthening core 102 and a plurality of transmitting connection ports 121 arranged around the strengthening core 102 . Ends of the respective transmitting optical cables 13 are connected to the transmitting connection ports 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 in FIG. Figure 3 As shown, a fiber optic reinforcement core 101 is provided at the center of each transmitting optical cable 13. The ends of each transmitting optical fiber 131 connected to the same transmitting unit are arranged around the fiber optic reinforcement core 101, thereby forming a transmitting connection port 121. As a result, each transmitting unit corresponds to a transmitting optical cable 13. A reinforcement core 102 is also provided at the center of the transmitting optical cable connector 12, and each transmitting connection port 121 is arranged around the reinforcement core 102. 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 sets of drivers and laser tubes, each driver and laser tube being connected in a one-to-one correspondence 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 transmission connection ports 121 on the transmission optical cable connector 12. The transmission optical cable connector 12 and the optical fiber interface may be connected in a pluggable manner. When the transmission optical cable connector 12 and the first optical fiber interface 11 are connected to each other, each first optical fiber interface 11 is connected in a one-to-one correspondence to each transmission connection port 121, forming 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, which means that the multiple transmitting optical fibers 131 in the transmitting optical cable 13 can synchronously transmit the same excitation light signal, thereby causing the photoacoustic transducer transmitters 14 of the same transmitting unit connected to the transmitting optical cable 13 to synchronously output ultrasonic waves, that is, controlling the synchronous and delay-free output of ultrasonic waves by the photoacoustic transducer transmitters 14 in the same transmitting unit. Therefore, in actual 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 thus to achieve the output of varying ultrasonic waves by the photoacoustic transducer transmitters 14 corresponding to each transmitting unit.

[0091] In practical applications, the laser generating device is not limited to the following Figure 1 In the implementation method shown in FIG. 1 , which has multiple sets of drivers and laser tubes, the laser generating device may 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 several 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 starts working, 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 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 the transmitting port 141 corresponding to a transmitting unit on the front-end substrate 30, thereby enabling 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 strengthening core 102 and a plurality of receiving connection ports 221 disposed around the strengthening core 102 . Ends of the respective receiving optical cables 23 are connected to the receiving connection ports 221 , respectively.

[0097] Combine 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 acquisition 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. 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 light signal according to the received echo signal, and the echo light 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 light 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 in obtaining the echo light 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 assembly 20. This ensures that the path for generating ultrasonic waves and the path for detecting ultrasonic echo signals are completely separated, facilitating clear wiring during implementation. This also facilitates the establishment of a centralized interface at the control end (e.g., a host computer), facilitating unified wiring and simplifying the spatial layout of the laser generating device and echo detection assembly 20 within the control end. Both the transmitting optical cable 13 and the receiving optical cable 23 are configured as a double-layer structure, with a reinforcing core 102 and an optical fiber reinforcing core 101 used to support the optical fibers and cables. This ensures neat arrangement of the optical cables, facilitates coding, identification, and maintenance, and easily maintains their independently addressable properties during operation. Because both the transmitting and receiving optical cables are independently addressable, each photoacoustic transducer receiver 24 and the photoacoustic transducer transmitter can be easily controlled to perform operations such as focusing, switching, moving, or deflecting the ultrasonic waves. By setting the transmitting optical cables and receiving optical cables connected to the transmitting units and 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, and 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 based on the amplified echo electrical signal.

[0102] It will be appreciated that the receiving optical circuit in this embodiment can be a circuit device that converts an echo optical signal into an echo electrical signal, such as a photoelectric sensing circuit or a direct photoelectric sensor. Furthermore, the number of receiving optical circuits in this embodiment can be the same as the number of receiving optical cables 23 . In other words, each receiving optical circuit receives and detects an echo optical signal transmitted in one receiving optical cable 23 via 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 conventional ultrasonic detection imaging equipment, 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 facing 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 this embodiment, the light-absorbing material structure is formed on the end face of the transmitting optical fiber 131, and 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 noble 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 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 using different processing processes. For example, the light-absorbing material structure formed by carbon nanotubes + PDMS requires a mixture of carbon nanotubes + PDMS and gel to be coated on the optical fiber end face; the light material structure formed by noble metal nanomaterials can be noble metal nanoparticles evaporated on the optical fiber end face.

[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 provided on the surface of the end face of the receiving optical fiber 231 in the photoacoustic material structure, which is in contact with the end face of the receiving optical fiber 231, 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 FP cavity (Fabry–Pérot cavity) is a resonant cavity. The photoacoustic material structure in this embodiment deforms under mechanical vibration, changing the length and size of the FP cavity. This change in the length and size of the FP cavity causes a change in the optical phase, modulating the optical phase to detect ultrasonic waves. The FP cavity in this photoacoustic material structure can be cast into a U-shaped cavity in a mold. UV glue is applied to the connection between the U-shaped cavity and the optical fiber end face and cured under UV 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 use the FP cavity to realize ultrasonic echo detection, 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. 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 echo signal causes mechanical vibration of the photoacoustic material structure, resulting in changes in the length and size of the FP cavity, 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 ultimately be 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 connected to the output end of the laser generating device respectively;

[0112] The phased array unit is used to control the laser generating device to synchronously output excitation light signals 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; thus, when the phased array unit controls one of the drivers to start working, the laser tube connected to it can simultaneously output the excitation light 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 acquisition unit as modulated light through the receiving optical cable 23. The acquisition 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 acquisition unit senses the echo signal corresponding to the ultrasonic wave output by the transmitting unit, the phase of the modulated light is changed 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 up 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] In summary, in the fiber optic ultrasonic detection device of the present application, multiple photoacoustic transducer transmitters and multiple 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 different ultrasonic signals are realized, so that the ultrasonic signal has strong anti-interference, low 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 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.

[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 the existence of any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "include", "comprise" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that the process, method, article or device comprising a series of elements are inherent to the elements. In the absence of further restrictions, the elements limited by the sentence "comprise one..." do not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device comprising the elements. In addition, the above-mentioned technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are not described in detail in accordance with the corresponding technical solutions in the prior art to achieve the same principle, so as to avoid excessive elaboration.

[0117] This document uses specific examples to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention. The above examples are only intended to help understand the method and core concept of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various improvements and modifications to the present invention without departing from the principles of the present invention, and such 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: optical signal generation components; echo detection component; multiple photoacoustic transducer emitters; multiple 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; 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 front-end substrate includes a plurality of unit areas distributed in a two-dimensional array, each of the unit areas includes a transmitting unit composed of a plurality of photoacoustic transducer transmitters and a collecting unit composed of a plurality of photoacoustic transducer receivers, each of the photoacoustic transducer receivers and each of the photoacoustic transducer transmitters are independently arranged, the photoacoustic transducer transmitters and the photoacoustic transducer receivers in the same unit area are evenly staggered, and when one transmitting unit is started, at least the collecting unit in the same unit area is started synchronously; 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 transmitting units 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; The transmitting optical fibers connected to the photoacoustic transducer transmitters in the same transmitting unit jointly form a transmitting optical cable; the transmitting optical cables can be independently addressed and controlled to be connected to the laser generating device; the receiving optical fibers connected to the photoacoustic transducer receivers in the same collecting unit jointly form a receiving optical cable; the receiving optical cables can be independently addressed and controlled to be connected to the echo detection component, so that the path for generating ultrasonic waves and the path for detecting ultrasonic echo signals are completely separated.

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

3. The fiber optic ultrasonic detection device according to claim 1, wherein: The emission port of the photoacoustic transducer transmitter is a light-absorbing material structure provided on the end face of the emission optical fiber; the surface of the light-absorbing material structure facing 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 provided on the surface of the photoacoustic material structure that is in contact with the end face of the receiving optical fiber, 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 fiber optic ultrasonic detection device according to claim 1, wherein: 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: Each of the unit areas 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; the phased array unit controls the laser generating device to output the excitation light signal to each of the photoacoustic transducer transmitters of the same transmitting unit at the same time; The acquisition unit is mapped to 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 fiber optic ultrasonic detection device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The transmitting optical cable connector includes a strengthening core and a plurality of transmitting connection ports arranged around the strengthening 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 through the transmitting optical cable connector.

7. The fiber optic ultrasonic detection device according to claim 6, characterized in that: An optical fiber reinforcement core is provided at the center of the transmitting optical cable, and the ends of the transmitting optical fibers connected to the same transmitting unit are arranged around the optical fiber reinforcement core to form the transmitting connection port; The laser generating device includes multiple sets of drivers and laser tubes; the drivers and 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 excited optical signal to each of the transmitting optical cables according to a set rule.

8. The fiber optic ultrasonic detection device according to claim 6, wherein: The receiving optical cable connector includes a strengthening core and a plurality of receiving connection ports arranged around the strengthening 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; 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 corresponding to the transmitting unit and the collection unit located in the same unit area.

9. A control method for an optical fiber ultrasonic detection device, characterized in that: The fiber optic ultrasonic detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 comprises a control end and a holding end, the control end comprising an optical signal generating component and an echo detection component, the holding end comprising a front-end substrate carrying a photoacoustic transducer transmitter and a photoacoustic transducer receiver, the control end and the holding end being connected via a transmitting optical fiber and a receiving optical fiber to reduce electromagnetic interference, wherein the control method comprises: The optical signal generating component 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 via a transmitting optical fiber. The photoacoustic transducer transmitter converts the received excitation light signal into an ultrasonic wave and propagates it outward. 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 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, and controls the ultrasonic waves output by the photoacoustic transducer transmitter to form a plurality of different focal points; And / or, according to a set rule, the phased array unit selects a reference transmitting unit from each of the transmitting units, 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 excitation light signals 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 focal point 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 decreases 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.

Images