Patent ID: 7455642

Claim:
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, comprising: a main body; a delay adding circuit within the main body; a probe handle; two-dimensionally arrayed transducer elements located within the probe handle, wherein the transducer elements are divided into a plurality of sub-arrays; a plurality of phasing circuits for each one of the sub-arrays that alternately carry out a phasing operation on output signals from said one of the sub-arrays, wherein each one of the phasing circuits has phasing data that is rewritten when the phasing circuit is not carrying out the phasing operation and not rewritten when the phasing circuit is carrying out the phasing operation, wherein each one of said phasing circuits outputs a receiving signal, wherein, for each one of the sub-arrays, the receiving signals outputted by its plurality of phasing circuits are coupled inside of said probe handle, and wherein coupled receiving signals are delayed and added by the delay adding circuit within the main body.