Patent ID: 7706859

Claim:
A shape-of-endoscope detecting system for inferring a shape of an endoscope insertion portion adapted for insertion into a subject, wherein one of a plurality of magnetic-field generating elements and a plurality of magnetic-field detecting elements is disposed in the endoscope insertion portion, and the other of the plurality of magnetic field generating elements and the plurality of magnetic field detecting elements is disposed outside the subject, the shape-of-endoscope detecting system comprising: a detecting means for detecting positions of the one of the plurality of magnetic-field generating elements and the plurality of magnetic-field detecting elements, disposed in the endoscope insertion portion, using positions of the other of the plurality of magnetic-field generating elements and the plurality of magnetic-field detecting elements, disposed outside the subject; and a data interpolating means for, positioning one or more virtual elements among the plurality of magnetic-field generating elements or the plurality of magnetic-field detecting elements whose positions are detected, based on the detected positions detected by the detecting means and for interpolating data, which represents one or more intermediate positions between the detected positions of adjoining elements of the plurality of magnetic-field generating elements or magnetic-field detecting elements whose positions are detected, using the positions of the one or more virtual elements.