Testing device for testing a distance sensor that operates using electromagnetic waves

A method for operating a testing device for testing a distance sensor that operates using electromagnetic waves in the form of at least one temporally coherent and temporally limited sensor signal, the method comprising:

• receiving, by a receiving element of the testing device, an electromagnetic free-space wave as a received signal;
• during a simulation operation, guiding by a signal processing unit of the testing device, the received signal or a derived signal derived from the received signal with a predefinable time delay to form a time-delayed signal as a simulated reflection signal;
• emitting, by an emission element of the testing device, the time-delayed signal or a derived time-delayed signal derived from the time-delayed signal as an electromagnetic output signal;
• fully processing, by the signal processing unit, a received sensor signal or a derived sensor signal derived from the received sensor signal in a delay step with the predefinable time delay as a constant working time delay to form a time-delayed sensor signal, wherein the predefinable time delay was predefined at a start of the delay step;
• and
• detecting, by the signal processing unit, ongoing processing of the received sensor signal or of the derived sensor signal in the delay step based on:
• determining a signal level or signal power of the received sensor signal or of the derived sensor signal, and
• based on a predetermined active threshold value being exceeded by the determined signal level or signal power, determining that processing of the received sensor signal or the derived sensor signal is ongoing.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions, when executed, facilitate performance of the following:

• receiving, by a receiving element of a testing device, an electromagnetic free-space wave as a received signal;
• during a simulation operation, guiding by a signal processing unit of the testing device, the received signal or a derived signal derived from the received signal with a predefinable time delay to form a time-delayed signal as a simulated reflection signal;
• emitting, by an emission element of the testing device, the time-delayed signal or a derived time-delayed signal derived from the time-delayed signal as an electromagnetic output signal;
• fully processing, by the signal processing unit, a received sensor signal or a derived sensor signal derived from the received sensor signal in a delay step with the predefinable time delay as a constant working time delay to form a time-delayed sensor signal, wherein the predefinable time delay was predefined at a start of the delay step;
• and
• detecting, by the signal processing unit, ongoing processing of the received sensor signal or of the derived sensor signal in the delay step based on:
• determining a signal level or signal power of the received sensor signal or of the derived sensor signal, and
• based on a predetermined active threshold value being exceeded by the determined signal level or signal power, determining that processing of the received sensor signal or the derived sensor signal is ongoing.