Patent ID: 8192354

Claim:
An endoscope inserted-shape detecting apparatus, comprising: a magnetic-field detecting section including multiple magnetic-field detecting elements for detecting magnetic fields generated by multiple magnetic-field generating elements provided in an insertion section of an endoscope, the multiple magnetic-field detecting elements being placed at predetermined positions; a signal detecting section creating magnetic field signals in accordance with strength of the magnetic fields detected by the magnetic-field detecting elements and outputting the created magnetic field signals; a magnetic-field generated position estimating section estimating the positions of the magnetic field generating elements based on the magnetic field signals; and a control section for determining whether the strength of the magnetic field signal associated with a predetermined magnetic field generating element is within a predetermined range, setting a first subset of magnetic-field detecting elements if the strength is within the predetermined range, or setting a second subset of the magnetic-field detecting elements if the strength of the magnetic field signal is not within the predetermined range, as a group to be used for detecting magnetic field signals.