Abstract: A method for compensating beam angle variation of a beam bundle of laser beams with respective beam angles includes generating the beam bundle using a diffractive optical element, determining a beam angle value from a beam angle of at least one laser beam of a first subset of the laser beams, detecting a light pattern projected by a second subset of the laser beams, and evaluating the light pattern. The evaluation is performed taking into account the beam angle variation of the beam angles of the second subset of the laser beams on the basis of the determined beam angle value.

Abstract: A method for detecting a distortion of a light pattern defining a code word includes projecting a light pattern onto an object via a light source and detecting the projected light pattern and comparing the detected light pattern with a reference light pattern. The reference light pattern has individual, spaced-apart light pattern elements arranged in a plurality of successive columns in the direction of a first extension axis and the number and/or position of the at least one light pattern element in each column of the reference light pattern is an encoding feature that defines at least one code word. The distortion of the detected light pattern with respect to the reference light pattern is determined by comparing distances between the light pattern elements of the detected light pattern with distances between the light pattern elements of the reference light pattern.