Patent ID: 8845540
Filing Date: 2014-09-30
Classification: A61B,G01S,G10K

Abstract:
1. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: an array transducer comprising a plurality of transducer elements; a grouping processor which divides the array transducer into a plurality of sub-arrays and which groups, for each sub-array, a plurality of transducer elements belonging to the sub-array into a plurality of element groups; a controller which sets a grouping pattern defining a plurality of transducer elements to be grouped into a same element group; and a beam-forming unit which forms an ultrasound beam using a plurality of element groups grouped for each sub-array over the plurality of sub-arrays, wherein the array transducer is segmented into a plurality of transducer regions, for each of the transducer regions, the controller is configured to set a common grouping pattern for those of the plurality of sub-arrays belonging to each of the segmented transducer regions, and the controller is configured to set the common grouping pattern for each transducer region by setting a virtual infinity focus direction for each of the plurality of transducer regions based on an ideal focus position of an ultrasound beam, by setting, for each transducer region, a delay equivalence line which is a straight line orthogonal to the infinity focus direction, and by grouping a plurality of transducer elements arranged along the delay equivalence line into the same element group.