An optical detection apparatus, in particular a laser scanner, for determining the extent of a detected object or its classification by size, which is configured - to transmit a plurality of transmitted pulses into a detection zone after one another in different directions following one another in a scanning direction during a scan sweeping over a scanning angle (φ); - to receive the radiation of the transmitted pulses respectively returning from the detection zone; - to generate a received signal with respect to each transmitted pulse, said received signal depending on the time progression of the returning radiation of the transmitted pulse; and - to average the received signals of the plurality of transmitted pulses to generate an averaged received signal, wherein - the apparatus is configured, for the generation of the received signal of a transmitted pulse, to sample in time a signal (18, 20, 22) generated from the returning radiation of the transmitted pulse; - the averaged received signal comprises a plurality of averaged sampled values which each represent an averaged value of the sampled values corresponding to one another in time of the received signals of the transmitted pulses of the plurality of transmitted pulses; - the apparatus is configured to evaluate a peak value (A1, A2) of the averaged received signal in order to determine the extent of a detected object in the scan angle range defined by the transmission directions of the plurality of transmitted pulses; and - the angular extent (φ 1) related to the scanning angle (φ) of each of the transmitted pulse of the plurality of transmitted pulses at a spacing (d) from the detection apparatus disposed within the detection zone is at most 20 times as large as the angular spacing (φ 2) related to the scanning angle (φ) between two transmitted pulses of the plurality of transmitted pulses directly adjacent in the scanning direction; and the cross-section of each transmitted pulse of the plurality of transmitted pulses at a spacing (d) from the detection apparatus disposed within the detection zone has an overlap with at most one quarter of the remaining transmitted pulses of the plurality of transmitted pulses. - to transmit a plurality of transmitted pulses into a detection zone after one another in different directions following one another in a scanning direction during a scan sweeping over a scanning angle (φ); - to receive the radiation of the transmitted pulses respectively returning from the detection zone; - to generate a received signal with respect to each transmitted pulse, said received signal depending on the time progression of the returning radiation of the transmitted pulse; and - to average the received signals of the plurality of transmitted pulses to generate an averaged received signal, wherein - the apparatus is configured, for the generation of the received signal of a transmitted pulse, to sample in time a signal (18, 20, 22) generated from the returning radiation of the transmitted pulse; - the averaged received signal comprises a plurality of averaged sampled values which each represent an averaged value of the sampled values corresponding to one another in time of the received signals of the transmitted pulses of the plurality of transmitted pulses; - the apparatus is configured to evaluate a peak value (A1, A2) of the averaged received signal in order to determine the extent of a detected object in the scan angle range defined by the transmission directions of the plurality of transmitted pulses; and - the angular extent (φ 1) related to the scanning angle (φ) of each of the transmitted pulse of the plurality of transmitted pulses at a spacing (d) from the detection apparatus disposed within the detection zone is at most 20 times as large as the angular spacing (φ 2) related to the scanning angle (φ) between two transmitted pulses of the plurality of transmitted pulses directly adjacent in the scanning direction; and the cross-section of each transmitted pulse of the plurality of transmitted pulses at a spacing (d) from the detection apparatus disposed within the detection zone has an overlap with at most one quarter of the remaining transmitted pulses of the plurality of transmitted pulses.