OPTICAL SENSOR ENCLOSURE WITH INTEGRAL WINDOW AND OPTICAL ALIGNMENT FEATURES

摘要

An enclosure for a position sensor (30) includes a housing (44) and a lower cassette (46) that cooperate to provide a sealed volume in which a sensor assembly (26) is enclosed and protected. The sensor assembly (26) includes a light source (54) and a light detector (56). The sensor assembly (26) further includes a light pipe (60) that guides light from the light source (54) onto a target and a lens (62) that guides reflected light from the target onto the light detector (56). The lower cassette (46) is transparent to the light produced by the light source (54) and includes an integral window (40) through which the light enters and exits the lower cassette (46). An upper cassette (64) supports an upper portion of the light pipe (60) and the lens (62). A recess adjacent the window (40) supports a lower portion of the light pipe (60) and the lens (62) in the lower cassette (46), and the upper cassette (64) is received in a receptacle formed inside the lower cassette (46).