Patent ID: 8692708

Claim:
A radiometric imaging device for scanning a scene and generating a high-density signal pattern representing said scene, said device comprising: a radiometer to detect radiation emitted in a predetermined spectral range from a spot of said scene and for generating a radiation signal from said detected radiation, a spot mover to effect a movement of the spot, from which the radiation is detected, to various positions, control circuitry to control said spot mover to effect the movement of the spot from one position to another position so that radiation is detected at a number of spots distributed over the scene, wherein said number is lower than a number of pattern signals of said high-density signal pattern and radiation signals generated from the radiation detected at said number of spots form a low-density signal pattern, and processing circuitry to process the radiation signals of said low-density signal pattern and to generate said high-density signal pattern by applying compressive sensing to said low-density signal pattern, wherein said control circuitry is adapted to effect, after said high-density signal pattern representing said scene has been generated, a movement of the spot, from which the radiation is detected, to various positions in a reduced field of view, which is smaller than the whole scene and contains an object of interest, so that radiation is detected at a reduced number of spots distributed over the reduced field of view, said reduced number is lower than a number of pattern signals of a high-density signal pattern representing said reduced field of view and radiation signals generated from the radiation detected at said reduced number of spots form a low-density signal pattern of said reduced field of view, and said processing circuitry is adapted to process the radiation signals of said low-density signal pattern of said reduced field of view and to generate said high-density signal pattern of said reduced field of view by applying compressive sensing to said low-density signal pattern of said reduced field of view.