Ultrasonic probe and ultrasonic diagnostic device comprising the same

An ultrasonic probe comprising:

• a plural number of transducer base members, each of which has:
• a plural number of transducer elements arranged in a first direction for ultrasound transmitting and receiving, and a plural number of switching members for selecting ones of the plural number of transducer elements;
• wherein said plural number of transducer base members are arranged in a second direction transverse to the first direction;
• wherein said plural number of transducer elements is arrayed convexly to an ultrasound transmitting direction at least in one direction of the two dimensional array.

An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising;

• an ultrasonic probe having ultrasonic transducer elements in a two-dimensional array, by having a plural number of transducer base members, each of which has:
• a plural number of transducer elements arranged in a first direction for ultrasound transmitting and receiving, and a plural number of switching members for selecting ones of the plural number of transducer elements;
• wherein said plural number of transducer base members are arranged in a second direction transverse to the first direction;
• an element selecting means for selecting ones of the transducer elements of the two-dimensional array to perform transmitting and receiving of ultrasound;
• bundling means for supplying a bundling data to said element selecting means for bundling and connecting ones of the transducer elements to predetermined transducer groups;
• delay means for controlling ultrasound to an object with predetermined transmitting delay time to each transducer group of the predetermined transducer groups;
• beam forming means for beam forming each receiving signal output from said each bundling group of the predetermined transducer groups;
• imaging means for image processing an output signal of said beam forming means, and
• an image display means.

An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising:

• a two-dimensional array probe for transmitting and receiving ultrasound to an object, the two-dimensional array probe having a plural number of transducer base members, each of which has:
• a plural number of transducer elements arranged in a first direction for ultrasound transmitting and receiving, and a plural number of switching members for selecting ones of the plural number of transducer elements;
• wherein said plural number of transducer base members are arranged in a second direction transverse to the first direction;
• a diagnostic apparatus for acquiring and displaying an ultrasonic image of a desired diagnosis part in an interior of the object by using an ultrasonic signal with said two-dimensional array probe,
• a data transmitting part for inputting and outputting both a selecting data for selecting transducer elements and said ultrasonic signal, between said two-dimensional array ultrasonic probe and said diagnostic apparatus.