A method for calibrating a network of multiple horizontally scanning range finders, in particular laser range finders, wherein the scanning range of each of the range finders has an overlap with the scanning range of at least one of the other range finders, the method comprising: - performing a measurement with the range finders during movement of an object through an area covered by the network of range finders; - identifying, for each of the range finders, data sets of the measurement associated with the moving object, based on a static analysis of the respective range finder; - for each pair of overlapping range finders out of the network of range finders, determining an estimated relative transformation between respective poses of the range finders of this pair, based on the identified data sets of the range finders of this pair; - determining an initial maximum likelihood configuration of poses of all of the range finders of the network based on the estimated relative transformations of each pair; and - in an iterative fashion with multiple iteration steps, - determining sets of point correspondences out of the identified data sets, wherein each point correspondence is defined between points in each of the pairs of overlapping range finders, if a distance of said points in said pair is below a threshold, the threshold being redefined decreasingly for each of the iteration steps; and - determining a maximum likelihood configuration of poses of all of the range finders of the network based on the sets of point correspondences determined for the present iteration step and either on the maximum likelihood configuration determined in the previous iteration step or, in a first iteration step, on the initial maximum likelihood configuration; - until a convergence criterion is reached. - performing a measurement with the range finders during movement of an object through an area covered by the network of range finders; - identifying, for each of the range finders, data sets of the measurement associated with the moving object, based on a static analysis of the respective range finder; - for each pair of overlapping range finders out of the network of range finders, determining an estimated relative transformation between respective poses of the range finders of this pair, based on the identified data sets of the range finders of this pair; - determining an initial maximum likelihood configuration of poses of all of the range finders of the network based on the estimated relative transformations of each pair; and - in an iterative fashion with multiple iteration steps, - determining sets of point correspondences out of the identified data sets, wherein each point correspondence is defined between points in each of the pairs of overlapping range finders, if a distance of said points in said pair is below a threshold, the threshold being redefined decreasingly for each of the iteration steps; and - determining a maximum likelihood configuration of poses of all of the range finders of the network based on the sets of point correspondences determined for the present iteration step and either on the maximum likelihood configuration determined in the previous iteration step or, in a first iteration step, on the initial maximum likelihood configuration; - until a convergence criterion is reached. - determining sets of point correspondences out of the identified data sets, wherein each point correspondence is defined between points in each of the pairs of overlapping range finders, if a distance of said points in said pair is below a threshold, the threshold being redefined decreasingly for each of the iteration steps; and - determining a maximum likelihood configuration of poses of all of the range finders of the network based on the sets of point correspondences determined for the present iteration step and either on the maximum likelihood configuration determined in the previous iteration step or, in a first iteration step, on the initial maximum likelihood configuration; - until a convergence criterion is reached.