A method for detecting the distance of an object to an optically operating sensor system covering a detection range, said sensor system comprising - at least one useful transmitter for emitting an optical signal, - a receiver for receiving the optical signal which has been emitted by the at least one useful transmitter or any one of the useful transmitters and has been forwarded, e.g. reflected or transmitted, from the object, and - an evaluation unit for generating signal amplitude information assigned to the received optical signal, wherein, on the basis of said signal amplitude information, with knowledge of an optical parameter describing the optical properties of the object for the forwarding of the optical signal, e.g. a reflection coefficient and/or transmission coefficient of the object, the distance of the object to the transmitter system can be detected, and signal running-time information assigned to the received optical signal, wherein, on also the basis of said signal running-time information, the distance of the object to the transmitter system can be detected, wherein, in said method, - the detection range is divided at least into a far range and a near range, - an object, when approaching toward the sensor system, is moved first through the far range and subsequently through the near range of the detection range, - if the object is situated in the far range, its distance to the sensor system is detected on the basis of the running-time information of the received optical signal, characterized in that - if the object is situated in the near range, its distance to the sensor system is detected on the basis of an assumed value or a computed value of the optical parameter of the object and on the basis of the amplitude information of the received optical signal, and - if the object is situated in the far range, the optical parameter is computed, notably on the basis of the distance of the object to the sensor system as detected from the running-time information of the received optical signal, and on the basis of the amplitude information of the received optical signal. - at least one useful transmitter for emitting an optical signal, - a receiver for receiving the optical signal which has been emitted by the at least one useful transmitter or any one of the useful transmitters and has been forwarded, e.g. reflected or transmitted, from the object, and - an evaluation unit for generating signal amplitude information assigned to the received optical signal, wherein, on the basis of said signal amplitude information, with knowledge of an optical parameter describing the optical properties of the object for the forwarding of the optical signal, e.g. a reflection coefficient and/or transmission coefficient of the object, the distance of the object to the transmitter system can be detected, and signal running-time information assigned to the received optical signal, wherein, on also the basis of said signal running-time information, the distance of the object to the transmitter system can be detected, wherein, in said method, - the detection range is divided at least into a far range and a near range, - an object, when approaching toward the sensor system, is moved first through the far range and subsequently through the near range of the detection range, - if the object is situated in the far range, its distance to the sensor system is detected on the basis of the running-time information of the received optical signal, characterized in that - if the object is situated in the near range, its distance to the sensor system is detected on the basis of an assumed value or a computed value of the optical parameter of the object and on the basis of the amplitude information of the received optical signal, and - if the object is situated in the far range, the optical parameter is computed, notably on the basis of the distance of the object to the sensor system as detected from the running-time information of the received optical signal, and on the basis of the amplitude information of the received optical signal.