Abstract
A method of identifying the position of an opening, for example a door or a cargo bay, or the like of an aircraft, said opening having a predetermined perimeter; said method comprising: i) providing at least one passive target means (10, 11) proximate the perimeter of said opening and preferably being disposed proximate the perimeter of said opening, and when said opening is a door proximate the four corners of said door, and in another embodiment said target means is provided as a cluster of targets for example, at least one target located proximate each corner of said door; ii) directing a preferably pulsing lighting means (30) on said target (10, 11), preferably a passive reflective target such as that manufactured by the 3M company under the trademark Scotchlite® in one embodiment being in the invisible spectrum such as infrared or the like; iii) providing a target identification means and preferably at least one camera (20) and preferably a digital camera synchronized with said lighting means (30) and preferably housed together with said light to provide raw data, preferably images to a computing means; iv) computing means for receiving information from said target identification means and preferably at least one camera to process said information (in one embodiment provide enhanced images) and compare it to information stored in the computing means and thereby determine further action which might be taken based on the identification of the position opening.
