Endoscope system

An endoscope system comprising:

• an endoscope including an insertion portion to be inserted in a subject, a distal end portion which is provided on a distal end side of the insertion portion and which includes an image pickup section for outputting an image pickup signal corresponding to an image of a photographic subject in the subject, and a bending portion which is capable of changing a position and an orientation of the distal end portion with respect to an insertion direction of the insertion portion;
• a position detecting section for acquiring position information including at least information on a position where the distal end portion is located;
• a passing target position setting section for setting a passing target position for the distal end portion based on the image of the photographic subject;
• a path estimating section for estimating a path through which the distal end portion is to be passed based on the position information and the passing target position;
• a bending control target position setting section for properly setting a bending control target position on the path such that the distal end portion reaches the passing target position along the path, based on the passing target position and the path;
• and
• a bending control information calculating section for calculating bending control information on an amount of bending and a bending direction of the bending portion based on the bending control target position.