Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus

Abstract

For realization of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus capable of satisfactorily narrowing a beam width while suppressing an increase in the number of focus data, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is designed to include an ultrasonic probethat transmits or receives ultrasonic waves to or from a subject, a transmission unitthat supplies a driving signal to the ultrasonic probe, a reception unitthat handles a received signal sent from the ultrasonic probe, a unitthat reconstructs an ultrasonic image on the basis of a signal sent from the reception unit, and a unitthat displays the ultrasonic image. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus further includes an element selection unitthat selects a plurality of driving oscillatory elements, which constitutes an aperture through which ultrasonic waves are transmitted or received, from among a plurality of oscillatory elements that constitutes the ultrasonic probeand transforms ultrasonic waves into electric signals or vice versa. The element selection unitgroups the plurality of driving oscillatory elements into a plurality of sets, each of which includes one driving oscillatory element or a plurality of adjoining driving oscillatory elements, according to the depth of a focal point.