Abstract: Images of a scene are acquired from a moving carrier that is equipped with a sensor. The angular direction of the line of sight of the sensor is automatically controlled. The acquisition is carried out: for a first position of the carrier, with automatic control allowing an outward scan, combined with a scan in step-and-stare mode with a biaxial stare micro-movement, of a band of terrain of the scene to be carried out, a first strip of images thus being acquired, at least one other strip of images of the same zone of terrain being acquired by reiterating these scanning steps for at least one other position of the carrier, and each image of another strip being acquired with a preset degree of overlap with the images of the first strip.

Abstract: A system for acquiring images in color and near-infrared, comprising: a matrix sensor, which comprises first, second, and third types of pixels sensitive to respective visible colors and a fourth type of panchromatic pixels sensitive in the near-infrared; and a signal processing circuit configured to reconstruct first and second sets of monochromatic images, a panchromatic image, a color image from the images of the first set and from the panchromatic image, and at least one image in the near-infrared from the images of the second set and from the panchromatic image. A visible-near-infrared bispectral camera comprises such an acquisition system and method implemented by means of such a camera.

Abstract: A system for simultaneously acquiring images in color and in the near-infrared comprising a single matrix sensor comprises a first, second and third type of pixels sensitive to respective visible colors and a fourth type of panchromatic pixel, these pixels being also sensitive in the near-infrared; and a signal processing circuit configured to: reconstruct a first set of monochromatic images from signals generated by the pixels of the first, second and third type, respectively; reconstruct a panchromatic image from signals generated by the pixels of the fourth type; reconstruct a second set of monochromatic images from signals generated by the pixels of the first, second and third types, and from the panchromatic image; reconstruct an image in colors from the images of the first set and from the panchromatic image, and reconstruct at least one image in the near-infrared from the images of the second set and from the panchromatic image.

Abstract: A method for acquiring images of a scene, from a moving carrier that is equipped with a sensor comprises a step in which images of the scene are acquired during the movement of the carrier, and a step in which the angular direction of the line of sight of the sensor is automatically controlled. The acquisition is carried out: for a first position of the carrier, with automatic control allowing an outward scan, combined with a scan in step-and-stare mode with a biaxial stare micro-movement, of a band of terrain of the scene to be carried out, a first strip of images thus being acquired, and wherein at least one other strip of images of the same zone of terrain is acquired by reiterating these scanning steps for at least one other position of the carrier, each image of another strip being acquired with a preset degree of overlap with the images of the first strip.