Patent ID: 7170385

Claim:
An inductive proximity sensor comprising: a housing including an opening on one side; an inductive core including two legs, each core leg including a foot portion; an inductive coil wound bobbin disposed about each leg of said core, each bobbin including an integral ledge cantilevered from an inside surface of said bobbin for forming a pocket under said integral ledge at a bottom of said bobbin for containing the foot portion of said corresponding core leg; a thruster element including a top surface and two legs, each thruster leg disposed into a respective bobbin resting on the integral ledge thereof, said core, wound bobbins and thruster element disposed in said housing; a spring element disposed on the top surface of said thruster element at the housing opening; and a compressive element disposed over the housing opening for compressing said spring element against said thruster element which renders said core and wound bobbins in a fixed relationship to each other in said housing.