Patent ID: 8330964

Claim:
A method for detecting objects, in which a light pattern is beamed by a plurality of transmitting modules into an observation zone, the transmitting modules being spaced to each other, in which light radiated back from the observation zone is detected by at least one spatially resolving detector unit, in which a surface contour of an object located in the observation zone is determined on a basis of the detected light according to a light section principle, in which a maximum spatial resolution is caused by intervals at which the transmitting modules are spaced from each other, wherein in an overview measurement, a first selection of transmission modules is activated, wherein a first spatial resolution is defined by the first selection of transmission modules, wherein in an object measurement, a second selection of transmission modules is activated, wherein a second spatial resolution is defined by the second selection of transmission modules or by the second selection of transmission modules together with at least a selected number of the transmission modules pertaining to the first selection, which second spatial resolution is greater than the first spatial resolution.