PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique capable of detecting a position wherein a unique region such as a reflector of high reflectivity, etc. is existable from receieved waveform data of an elastic wave, and a technique to support detection of a unique region by elastic wave diagnosis, and further capable of estimating physical values of a unique region.SOLUTION: The signal processing apparatus scans a beam of elastic waves into an object to be examined, acquires received waveform data of a plurality of scan lines, and performs signal processing to form a tomographic image of the object to be examined from the received waveform data of the plurality of scan lines. The signal processing apparatus includes: a scan line correlation value calculation part (009) that calculates correlation values of received waveform data between a first scan line and a second scan line that has a prescribed relationship with the first scan line, for a plurality of positions on the scan lines and a correlation change position extraction part (010) that extracts, from among the plurality of positions on the scan lines, a position at which the correlation value becomes a value different from a prescribed value as a position at which a unique region can exist.COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT【課題】弾性波の受信波形データから高反射体などの特異領域の存在し得る位置を検出可能な技術を提供する。また、弾性波診断による特異領域の検出を支援するための技術を提供する。さらに、特異領域の物性値を推定可能な技術を提供する。【解決手段】信号処理装置は、被検体内部に弾性波のビームを走査して複数の走査線の受信波形データを取得し、該複数の走査線の受信波形データから前記被検体の断層像を形成するために信号処理を行う。この信号処理装置は、第1の走査線と、該第1の走査線と所定の相関を有する第2の走査線との間の受信波形データの相関値を、該走査線上の複数の位置について、算出する走査線間相関値算出部(009)と、前記走査線上の複数の位置の中から、相関値が所定の値と異なる値となる位置を、特異領域が存在し得る位置として抽出する相関変化位置抽出部(010)と、を備える。【選択図】図4
