In this paper, a compact range image sensor for measuring objects in a short distance is constructed using a multi-slit laser projector. When a robot executes a task such as grasping an object or avoiding an obstacle, three-dimensional (3D) information of the target is usually necessary. A humanoid generally carries a vision sensor at its head and recognizes, grasps or avoids objects using the vision sensor. Measurement with a sensor attached to a robot's body is often suffered from occlusion by its hand just before grasping an object. The constructed sensor is compact enough to be attached to a robot's hand and thus occlusion can be avoided. The compactness of the sensor is achieved by using a small CMOS camera and a laser projector and setting the baseline length between them as short as possible. The short baseline length also enables measurement in a short distance. Some experiments verify that the constructed sensor can obtain 3D information of objects appropriately in a short distance.