PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a curving device which can exactly detect a shape of the curving device such as an endoscope.SOLUTION: A curving device is constituted of a light source, an optical fiber which can diffuse desired detection light emitted from the light source, a part to be detected which is arranged at a part of the optical fiber, and a light receiving part for detecting the detection light diffused through the optical fiber, and also constituted by combining a shape sensor which utilizes that a characteristic of light which is detected via the part to be detected is changed according to a change of a radius of curvature of the optical fiber at the curvature of the optical fiber, is bendable in a free direction, and has directivity in detection sensitivity with respect to the curving direction, and a flexible curving structure 12 having curvature directivity which has curvature easiness easy in curving in at least a specified direction offset from a center line direction, and curvature difficulty difficult in curving in the other direction.COPYRIGHT: (C)2014,JPO&INPIT【課題】内視鏡などの湾曲装置の形状を正確に検出することができる湾曲装置を提供する。【解決手段】光源と、前記光源から照射される所望の検出光を伝搬可能な光ファイバと、前記光ファイバの一部に配置された被検出部と、前記光ファイバを通して伝搬された前記検出光を検出する受光部とによって構成され、前記光ファイバの湾曲時に、前記光ファイバの曲率の変化に応じて、前記被検出部を経て検出される光の特性が変化することを利用する形状センサであって、自由な方向に湾曲可能で且つ湾曲方向に対する検出感度に指向性を有する形状センサと、中心線方向から外れた少なくとも特定の方向に湾曲しやすい湾曲容易性とそれ以外の方向には湾曲しにくい湾曲困難性とを備えた湾曲指向性を有する可撓性湾曲構造物12とを組み合わせて構成される。【選択図】図2
