PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultrasonograph which provides ultrasonic diagnostic images of higher resolution by removing fundamental wave components and second harmonic components and efficiently amplifying third harmonic components.SOLUTION: The ultrasonograph includes: an ultrasonic probe for transmitting ultrasonic waves, receiving reflected waves of the transmitted ultrasonic waves and generating reception signals a third harmonic extraction part for extracting the third harmonic components from the reception signals and an image generation part for generating ultrasonic diagnostic images on the basis of the third harmonic components. The third harmonic extraction part adds the reception signals, 2&pi/3 delay signals obtained by shifting the phase of the reception signals by 2&pi/3 and 4&pi/3 delay signals obtained by shifting the phase of the reception signals by 4&pi/3, to remove the fundamental wave components and the second harmonic components from the reception signals, the third harmonic extraction part also amplifies the third harmonic components to be triple and extract them, and thereby the ultrasonograph providing the ultrasonic diagnostic images of higher resolution is provided.COPYRIGHT: (C)2012,JPO&INPIT【課題】基本波成分および2次高調波成分を除去するとともに、3次高調波成分を効率よく増幅することで、より高解像度な超音波診断画像を得ることのできる超音波診断装置を提供すること。【解決手段】超音波を送信し、送信された超音波の反射波を受信して受信信号を生成する超音波プローブと、受信信号から3次高調波成分を抽出する3次高調波抽出部と、3次高調波成分に基づいて超音波診断画像を生成する画像生成部とを備え、3次高調波抽出部は、受信信号と、受信信号の位相を2π/3ずらせた2π/3遅延信号と、4π/3ずらせた4π/3遅延信号とを加算することで、受信信号から基本波成分および2次高調波成分を除去するとともに、3次高調波成分を3倍に増幅して抽出することができ、より高解像度な超音波診断画像を得ることのできる超音波診断装置を提供することができる。【選択図】図3
