Patent ID: 7474814

Claim:
An optical device comprising: a flexible board having a main body on which a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element are disposed at opposite sides, and an extended portion which extends from roughly a midsection of the main body and which has an external connection terminal at a tip thereof, the light-receiving element and the associated light-emitting element being mounted, spaced from each other, on the flexible board; a light-permeable light-emitting side molded resin section in which the light-emitting element is encapsulated; a light-permeable light-receiving side molded resin section in which the light-receiving element is encapsulated; a control integrated circuit mounted on the flexible board and between the light-emitting element and the light-receiving circuit; and an integrated circuit side molded resin section in which the control integrated circuit is encapsulated, wherein the light-emitting side molded resin section and the light-receiving side molded resin section are disposed apart such that the optical device is flexible between the light-emitting side molded resin section and the light-receiving side molded resin section, and the integrated circuit side molded resin section is disposed apart from the light-emitting side molded resin section and the light-receiving side molded resin section such that the optical device is flexible between the molded resin sections.