Patent ID: 7691065

Claim:
An ultrasonic probe comprising an insert section which is to be inserted into a body cavity organ of a subject and a handle section which couples with the insert section, wherein a first predetermined number of vibrator elements are disposed in an array at the tip of the insert section around entire 360 degree outer circumference thereof and a connection change over switch is disposed, and the connection change over switch successively changes over electrical connection of a second predetermined number of vibrator elements among the first predetermined number of vibrator elements to be connected with a third predetermined number of ultrasonic wave transmission and reception channels, in which each of the second predetermined number and the third predetermined number is smaller than the first predetermined number, and each of the plurality of vibrator elements in the array is assigned a consecutive ID number, and the connection change over switch connects a first vibrator element having a lowest ID number and a second vibrator element having a highest ID number to respective corresponding ultrasonic wave transmission and reception channels each having a predetermined delay time so as to permit successive scanning of the plurality of vibrator elements, from the first vibrator element having the lowest ID number in an order of increasing ID number through remaining vibrator elements in the array to the second vibrator element having the highest ID number, and then from the second vibrator element having the highest ID number to the first vibrator element having the lowest ID number, wherein the connection change over switch is constituted in such a manner that each of the third predetermined number of the ultrasonic wave transmission and reception channels is connectable with the first predetermined number of the vibrator elements at the second predetermined number of channel intervals, the delay times of the ultrasonic wave signals transmitted and received from the third predetermined number of ultrasonic wave transmission and reception channels are set changeable at respective times, and each of the second predetermined number and the third predetermined number is greater than one, and wherein the connection change over switch is configured for each of the third predetermined number of ultrasonic wave transmission and reception channels to be connectable to a corresponding subset of plural ones of the vibrator elements, and a number, equal to the second or third predetermined number, of vibrator elements are used to focus ultrasonic wave beams at a time.