METAL SHIELD AND HOUSING OF OPTICAL PROXIMITY SENSOR INCREASING RESISTANCE TO UNDESIRABLE MECHANICAL DEFORMATION

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a dogged optical proximity sensor for mechanical damage in manufacture and assembly due to automatic assembling machines. SOLUTION: In a metal housing 40 provided with an infrared optical emitter and an optical detector and provided with a first opening 43 and a second opening 42, light emitted with the infrared optical emitter passes through the first opening 43 and is reflected from an object to pass through the second opening 42 for detection due to the optical detector. The metal housing 40 includes a first module 41 keeping the infrared optical emitter arranged in the inside and a second module 44 keeping the optical detector arranged in the inside. The metal housing includes a metal inside side wall optically insulated between the first and second modules 41, 44 which are further mutually separated with tabs 45a, 45b, 45c arranged to be folded therebetween. COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT