Automated passenger boarding bridge alignment system and method with manual identification of aircraft doorway position

A method of aligning an aircraft-engaging end of a passenger boarding bridge to a doorway disposed along a lateral surface of an aircraft, comprising:

• capturing image data relating to a substantial portion of the lateral surface of the aircraft using an imager that is disposed at a location remote from the aircraft;
• displaying to a user aboard the aircraft a first image that is based on some of the captured image data;
• receiving from the user aboard the aircraft an indication for panning the displayed image from the first image to a second image that is based on other of the captured image data, the second image including the doorway of the aircraft;
• identifying the location of the doorway of the aircraft within the image data and in dependence upon the indication received from the user aboard the aircraft;
• transmitting a signal to an automated controller of the passenger boarding bridge, the signal including data relating to the location of the doorway of the aircraft within the image data;
• and,
• automatically aligning the aircraft-engaging end of the passenger boarding bridge to the doorway at the identified location.

A method of aligning an aircraft-engaging end of a passenger boarding bridge to a doorway disposed along a lateral surface of an aircraft, comprising:

• capturing image data relating to a portion of the lateral surface of the aircraft using an imager that is disposed at a location remote from the aircraft;
• displaying to a user aboard the aircraft a first image that is based on the captured image data;
• receiving from the user aboard the aircraft an indication for panning the imager in real time;
• in dependence upon the received indication, panning the imager and capturing image data of different portions of the lateral surface of the aircraft;
• displaying to the user aboard the aircraft a plurality of images based on the captured image data of different portions of the lateral surface of the aircraft;
• receiving an indication from the user that a currently displayed image of the plurality of images includes a feature that is indicative of the location of the doorway of the aircraft;
• identifying the feature that is indicative of the location of the doorway within the currently displayed image;
• and,
• automatically aligning the aircraft-engaging end of the passenger boarding bridge to the doorway based on the identification of the feature that is indicative of the location of the doorway within the currently displayed image.