Locating system for detecting a spatial position of a laying head of a device for automatically laying reinforcing fibre strips in relation to a base on which the reinforcing fibre strips can be laid in a laying direction by means of the laying head, wherein the locating system comprises: at least one laser source, which emits a main beam and is designed to project onto the laid reinforcing fibre strips at least two laser lines which extend substantially in parallel at a spacing A from one another and substantially transversely to the laying direction, a camera, and an evaluation unit coupled to the camera, wherein the locating system is designed to record by means of the camera elevation profiles (50, 52, 80, 82, 92, 94) of the projected laser lines (32, 34) produced as a result of an irregular surface of the laid reinforcing fibre strips and to supply them to the evaluation unit, and to record the elevation profiles (50, 52, 80, 82, 92, 94) respectively at different times t 1 and t 2, where t 1 > t 2, during a movement of the laying head in the laying direction, characterized in that the evaluation unit is designed to compare the elevation profiles (50, 52) recorded at the time t 1 with the elevation profiles (80, 82, 92, 9) recorded at the time t 2 crosswise with one another, and to output a signal if one of the elevation profiles (50, 52) recorded at the time t 1 is congruent with one of the elevation profiles (80, 82, 92, 94) recorded at the time t 2, wherein the presence of a signal indicates that the laying head was displaced in a time interval Δ t = t 2 minus t 1 by the spacing A, which exists between the projected laser lines (32, 34), in the laying direction in relation to the base on which the reinforcing fibre strips were laid by means of the laying head. at least one laser source, which emits a main beam and is designed to project onto the laid reinforcing fibre strips at least two laser lines which extend substantially in parallel at a spacing A from one another and substantially transversely to the laying direction, a camera, and an evaluation unit coupled to the camera, wherein the locating system is designed to record by means of the camera elevation profiles (50, 52, 80, 82, 92, 94) of the projected laser lines (32, 34) produced as a result of an irregular surface of the laid reinforcing fibre strips and to supply them to the evaluation unit, and to record the elevation profiles (50, 52, 80, 82, 92, 94) respectively at different times t 1 and t 2, where t 1 > t 2, during a movement of the laying head in the laying direction, characterized in that the evaluation unit is designed to compare the elevation profiles (50, 52) recorded at the time t 1 with the elevation profiles (80, 82, 92, 9) recorded at the time t 2 crosswise with one another, and to output a signal if one of the elevation profiles (50, 52) recorded at the time t 1 is congruent with one of the elevation profiles (80, 82, 92, 94) recorded at the time t 2, wherein the presence of a signal indicates that the laying head was displaced in a time interval Δ t = t 2 minus t 1 by the spacing A, which exists between the projected laser lines (32, 34), in the laying direction in relation to the base on which the reinforcing fibre strips were laid by means of the laying head.