Patent ID: 7824334

Claim:
An ultrasonograph comprising: an ultrasonic probe configured to scan a living body with ultrasonic wave and receives ultrasonic echo to output echo signals; a device for generating original image data RAW 0 of an ultrasonotomographic image by digitalizing said echo signals; a frequency component adjusting device for adjusting spatial frequency components of said original image data so as to avoid chroma clip in both highlight and shadow ranges of said ultrasonotomographic image; and a displaying device for displaying said ultrasonotomographic image based on output image data from said frequency component adjusting device, wherein said frequency component adjusting device comprises: an unsharp image data generating device for generating unsharp image data RAW i (i=1 to N, N=a positive integer) by reducing the spatial frequency components of said original image data RAW 0 in N steps; a subtraction device subtracting said unsharp image data RAW i from one another RAWi−1 to generate differential image data ΔRAW j (j=0 to N−1); a weighting device for weighting said differential image data ΔRAW j by multiplying them by coefficients kj which are prepared for respective ones of said differential image data ΔRAW j ; an integration device integrating said weighted differential image data ΔRAW j to generate adjusted image data RAW_En whose spatial frequency components are adjusted by said coefficients kj; and an addition device adding said adjusted image data RAW_En to said original image data RAW0 to generate output image data RAW_out that is finally output as said ultrasonotomographic image.