Patent ID: 7713204

Claim:
An ultrasonic diagnostic system, comprising: an ultrasonic probe including piezoelectric vibrators configured to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves to/from a subject; a transmitting and receiving unit configured to transmit and receive electrical signals to/from the piezoelectric vibrators; a first image-data generating unit configured to generate first image data from a received electrical signal obtained by the transmitting and receiving unit; a kernel-data generating unit configured to extract the first image data in a specified range with reference to a specified pixel of the first image data to generate kernel data; a pixel-value arranging unit configured to modulate the values of the pixels in the kernel data when the values of the pixels in the kernel data meet a predetermined condition and to arrange the pixel values or the modulated pixel values of at least three of the pixels in the kernel data in descending order; a pixel-value selecting unit configured to select a pixel value in a specified array rank from at least one of the arranged multiple pixel values and a modulated pixel value in a specified array rank from the modulated pixel values, the pixel-value selecting unit is configured to demodulate the selected modulated pixel value; a characteristic determination unit configured to determine a characteristic of an image from the pixel value of the first image data; and a second image-data generating unit configured to select a specified pixel value in the first image data and at least one of the pixel value in the specified array rank selected by the pixel-value selecting unit and the demodulated pixel value, and to generate second image data therefrom.