Patent ID: 7656541

Claim:
An optoelectronic apparatus for the detection of an object in accordance with the triangulation principle, comprising: a light source ( 12 ); a receiver arrangement for the detection of light beams ( 20 a , 20 b , 36 , 38 , 38 ′) scattered back and/or reflected by an object ( 18 , 18 b , 18 c ); and an evaluation unit ( 34 ) for the output of an object detection signal in dependence on the distance of the object from the receiver arrangement; wherein the receiver arrangement has an optical receiver system ( 22 ) for the deflection of the light beams ( 20 a , 20 b , 36 , 38 , 38 ′) scattered back and/or reflected by the object ( 18 a , 18 b , 18 c ), a microlens array ( 24 ′, 24 ) disposed after the optical receiver system ( 22 ) as well as a pixel array ( 28 ) comprising photodetectors, with a macropixel ( 32 a , 32 b , 321 - 325 ) being associated with each microlens ( 26 a , 26 b , 261 - 265 ), wherein each macropixel ( 32 a , 32 b , 321 - 325 ) has a plurality of subpixels ( 30 , 30 ′), and wherein the evaluation unit ( 34 ) includes a unit for the determination of the received signal distribution over the subpixels ( 30 , 30 ′) within a macropixel ( 32 a , 32 b , 321 - 325 ); and wherein a corresponding spacing value is associated respectively with one of a subpixel ( 30 , 30 ′) and a position of a characteristic of the received signal distribution over the subpixels of a macropixel which subpixel or position can be acted on by light beams ( 20 a , 20 b , 36 , 38 ′) scattered back and/or reflected from an object ( 18 a , 18 b , 18 c ) arranged at a predetermined spacing.