PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultrasonic diagnostic system capable of enhancing the SN ratio of a higher harmonic component even in a case that volume scanning is performed by a two-dimensional ultrasonic probe.SOLUTION: The ultrasonic diagnostic system S is equipped with: the two-dimensional ultrasonic probe 2 containing a plurality of piezoelectric elements arranged in a two-dimensional array state a transmission part 12 for outputting a transmitting electric signal to the ultrasonic probe 2 so as to transmit a first ultrasonic signal into a specimen a receiving part 13 for receiving a receiving electric signal obtained by converting the ultrasonic wave received by the ultrasonic probe 2 a correlation part 14 for detecting the receiving electric signal of a second ultrasonic signal coming from the inside of the specimen based on the first ultrasonic signal from the output of the receiving part 13 by performing the correlational processing of the output of the receiving part 13 and a preset reference signal and an image processing part 15 for forming the internal image of the specimen on the basis of the receiving electric signal of the second ultrasonic signal detected by the correlation part 14. The transmitting electric signal is encoded by a predetermined system.COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT【課題】本発明は、2次元超音波探触子によってボリュームスキャンする場合でも高調波成分のSN比を向上させ得る超音波診断装置を提供する。【解決手段】本発明の超音波診断装置Sは、2次元アレイ状に配列された複数の圧電素子を含む2次元の超音波探触子2と、被検体内に第1超音波信号を送信するように超音波探触子2へ送信電気信号を出力するための送信部12と、超音波探触子2で受信された超音波を変換した受信電気信号を受信するための受信部13と、受信部13の出力と予め設定された参照信号との相関処理を行うことによって、第1超音波信号に基づく被検体内から来た第2超音波信号の受信電気信号を受信部13の出力から検出する相関部14と、相関部14で検出した第2超音波信号の受信電気信号に基づいて被検体内の画像を形成する画像処理部15とを備え、送信電気信号は、予め定められた方式により符号化されている。【選択図】図2
