PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus which reduces an inhomogeneity between a deflection of a transmitting and receiving beam and a sensitivity of receiving in a parallel and simultaneous receiving.SOLUTION: When the parallel and simultaneous receiving is performed for a prescribed imaging region using an ultrasonic probe 20 which has ultrasonic vibration elements arranged on a convex surface or a plane, an element selecting section 41 and an element selection controlling section 42 select and drive a vibration element for transmission corresponding to a transmission aperture width which has an approximately same size of a receiving aperture width used once time of the parallel and simultaneous receiving for the above imaging region, and form a transmission beam having a wave surface of the convex surface or the plane to a direction of radiation. Also, when the above vibration element for transmission is driven, a driving circuit of a transmission section 2 forms a transmission sound field which is flat to a point of the orientation and the direction by controlling a driving signal amplitude for the vibration element for transmission at an end section on the basis of a preset weighting function.COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI【課題】 並列同時受信における送受信ビームのビーム曲がりと受信感度の不均一を低減した超音波診断装置の提供。【解決手段】 凸面上あるいは平面上に配列された超音波振動素子を有した超音波プローブ20を用いて所定の画像化領域に対して並列同時受信を行なう際に、素子選択部41及び素子選択制御部42は、前記画像化領域に対する1回の並列同時受信に使用される受信開口幅と略同程度の送信開口幅に対応した送信用振動素子を選択駆動し、放射方向に対して凸面あるいは平面の波面を有した送信ビームを形成する。更に、前記送信用振動素子を駆動する際、送信部2の駆動回路は端部の送信用振動素子に対する駆動信号振幅を予め設定された重み付け関数に基づいて制御することにより方位方向に対して平坦な送信音場を形成する。【選択図】 図1
