Laser distance sensors usually measure either light propagation time or phase shift. Both of these methods have advantages and disadvantages, however: propagation time measurement is fast, but often not precise enough for challenging time measurements. The measurement of the phase shift is considerably more accurate, but the more complex evaluation means that it is not as fast as pure propagation time measurement. If applications require that long distances be measured with high accuracy and as quickly as possible, neither of the processes is ideal. It instead makes sense to combine their advantages. The result is long-distance sensors that are able to measure distances from 0.05 m to 500 m quickly and with millimetre precision.