Patent ID: 8182427

Claim:
An ultrasonic imaging apparatus configured to capture a plurality of B-mode images of a same cross section respectively by a plurality of linear scans with different directional ultrasonic beams and to create and display a compound image from the plurality of B-mode images, said ultrasonic imaging apparatus comprising: an image capturing device configured to capture a plurality of B-mode images respectively by a first linear scan with an ultrasonic beam steered to a reference direction and at least a second linear scan with an ultrasonic beam steered to at least one direction different from the reference direction; a first compound image creation device configured to create a first compound image using the plurality of B-mode images; a second compound image creation device configured to create a second compound image using the plurality of B-mode images; an expanded image creating device configured to create a compound image by combining the first compound image and the second compound image, wherein the image creating device is configured to create a field of view (FOV) of the compound image that coincides with a FOV of a B-mode image captured by the first linear scan; and a display device configured to display the compound image.