Patent ID: 8115655

Claim:
A method for monitoring the temperature of the outer skin of an aircraft, in which a camera connected to a first processing unit for imaging detection of at least one region of the outer surface of the aircraft, records an image once, several times, or at regular intervals and transmits this to the first processing unit, wherein the light spectrum which may be detected by the camera lies in the infrared range and the first processing unit determines the temperatures of pictorially detected locations or has these determined by a downstream signal-processing device, characterized in that the camera is disposed on the vertical stabilizer of the aircraft, that the camera measures at least one area of the upwardly pointing outer surface of the airplane, that the method is performed before the start of the airplane, that the first processing unit compares the temperature for individual locations with a predetermined maximum design temperature for the relevant location, and, if the maximum design temperature is exceeded, generates a warning signal, wherein simultaneously the recorded image is displayed on a display device disposed in the cockpit of the aircraft, wherein the display device, the first or a second processing unit, or another signal-processing device changes the colors of the recorded image displayed on the display device such that each temperature on the surface is allocated a different color.