Geometric analysis of spatial distortion in projection-type integral imaging

Sub-pixel marking and depth-based correction methods for the elimination of voxel drifting in integral imaging display

Integral imaging is a kind of true three-dimensional (3D) display technology that uses a lens array to reconstruct vivid 3D images with full parallax and true color. In order to present a high-quality 3D image, it's vital to correct the axial position error caused by the misalignment and deformation of the lens array which makes the reconstructed lights deviate from the correct directions, resulting in severe voxel drifting and image blurring. We proposed a sub-pixel marking method to measure the axial position error of the lenses with great accuracy by addressing the sub-pixels under each lens and forming a homologous sub-pixel pair. The proposed measurement method relies on the geometric center alignment of image points, which is specifically expressed as the overlap between the test 3D voxel and the reference 3D voxel. Hence, measurement accuracy could be higher. Additionally, a depth-based sub-pixel correction method was proposed to eliminate the voxel drifting. The proposed correction method takes the voxel depth into consideration in the correction coefficient, and achieves accurate error correction for 3D images with different depths. The experimental results well confirmed that the proposed measuring and correction methods can greatly suppress the voxel drifting caused by the axial position error of the lenses, and greatly improve the 3D image quality.

Post-calibration compensation method for integral imaging system with macrolens array

Three-dimensional display with large-format is an inevitable and foreseeable trend for the future display technology, integral imaging is one of the most powerful and promising candidates to achieve this goal with full-parallax, true-color, acceptable viewing resolution and viewing angle. To obtain a 3D display with high quality, calibration is needed to correct optical misalignment and optical aberrations, which is often challenging and time consuming. We propose a post-calibration compensation method for the integral imaging system with macrolens array, the inter-lens position misalignment is corrected by forcing it to image in a regular ideal reference grid. Our method distinguishes itself from previous ones by finding the correct pixel-to-ray correspondence with a relatively simple setup and acceptable precision. A prototype is fabricated to evaluate the feasibility of the proposed method. Furthermore, the proposed method is evaluated in terms of the geometrical accuracy and quality of the reconstructed images.

Reduced distortion in high-index microsphere imaging by partial immersion

We experimentally demonstrate that pincushion distortion is obvious when using a BaTiO₃ glass (BTG) microsphere fully immersed in ethanol or SU-8 2002 resist to image a Blu-ray disk with sub-diffraction features. The distortion is related to the layer thickness of the immersing medium. For a BTG microsphere partially immersed in the SU-8 resist where the SU-8 thickness is around 4/5 the diameter of the microsphere, its distortion decreases dramatically, but it can still clearly resolve the Blu-ray disk. For such a partially immersed microsphere, the calculated position of the photonic nanojet is outside the microsphere and close to the object, indicating the microsphere has a super-resolution imaging property, and the distortion simulated by ZEMAX is decreased.

Hybrid camera array based calibration for computer-generated integral photography display

Integral photography (IP) is one of the most promising 3D displays that can achieve a full parallax 3D display without glasses. There is a great need to render a correct, high-precision 3D image from an IP display. To achieve a correct 3D display, calibration is needed to correct optical misalignment and optical aberrations, while it is challenging to achieve correct mapping between a microlens array and matrix display. We propose an IP calibration method for a 3D autostereoscopic integral photography display based on a sparse camera array. Our method distinguishes itself from previous methods by estimating parameters for a dense correspondence map of an IP display with a relatively flexible setup and high precision in a reasonable time cost. We also propose a workflow to enable our method to handle both a visible and invisible microlens array and obtain a great outcome. One prototype is fabricated to evaluate the feasibility of the proposed method. Moreover, we evaluate our proposed method in geometry accuracy and image quality.

Three-dimensional display technologies of recent interest: principles, status, and issues [Invited]

Recent trends in three-dimensional (3D) display technologies are very interesting in that both old-fashioned and up-to-date technologies are being actively investigated together. The release of the first commercially successful 3D display product raised new research topics in stereoscopic display. Autostereoscopic display renders a ray field of a 3D image, whereas holography replicates a wave field of it. Many investigations have been conducted on the next candidates for commercial products to resolve existing limitations. Up-to-date see-through 3D display is a concept close to the ultimate goal of presenting seamless virtual images. Although it is still far from practical use, many efforts have been made to resolve issues such as occlusion problems.

3D/2D convertible projection-type integral imaging using concave half mirror array

We propose a new method for implementing 3D/2D convertible feature in the projection-type integral imaging by using concave half mirror array. The concave half mirror array has the partially reflective characteristic to the incident light. And the reflected term is modulated by the concave mirror array structure, while the transmitted term is unaffected. With such unique characteristic, 3D/2D conversion or even the simultaneous display of 3D and 2D images is also possible. The prototype was fabricated by the aluminum coating and the polydimethylsiloxane molding process. We could experimentally verify the 3D/2D conversion and the display of 3D image on 2D background with the fabricated prototype.

Rectification of elemental image set and extraction of lens lattice by projective image transformation in integral imaging

We propose a new method for rectifying a geometrical distortion in the elemental image set and extracting an accurate lens lattice lines by projective image transformation. The information of distortion in the acquired elemental image set is found by Hough transform algorithm. With this initial information of distortions, the acquired elemental image set is rectified automatically without the prior knowledge on the characteristics of pickup system by stratified image transformation procedure. Computer-generated elemental image sets with distortion on purpose are used for verifying the proposed rectification method. Experimentally-captured elemental image sets are optically reconstructed before and after the rectification by the proposed method. The experimental results support the validity of the proposed method with high accuracy of image rectification and lattice extraction.

Demonstration of a large-size real-time full-color three-dimensional display

A large-size and full-color three-dimensional (3D) display system without the need for special eyeglasses is demonstrated. With a specially fabricated holographic functional screen with a size of 1.8x1.3 m(2), the system including optimally designed camera-projector arrays and a video server can display the fully continuous, natural 3D scene with more than 1 m image depth in real time. We explain the operating principle and present experimental results.

Recent progress in three-dimensional information processing based on integral imaging

Recently developed integral imaging techniques are reviewed. Integral imaging captures and reproduces the light rays from the object space, enabling the acquisition and the display of the three-dimensional information of the object in an efficient way. Continuous effort on integral imaging has been improving the performance of the capture and display process in various aspects, including distortion, resolution, viewing angle, and depth range. Digital data processing of the captured light rays can now visualize the three-dimensional structure of the object with a high degree of freedom and enhanced quality. This recent progress is of high interest for both industrial applications and academic research.

Simple correction method of distorted elemental images using surface markers on lenslet array for computational integral imaging reconstruction

In this paper, we propose a simple correction method of distorted elemental images for computational integral imaging reconstruction (CIIR) method by using surface markers on lenslet array. The position information of surface markers is extracted from distorted elemental images with geometric misalignments such as skew, rotation and so on. Then the elemental images can be corrected simply when applying linear transformation calculated from the extracted positions. Therefore, the proposed method can simply correct geometric misalignments such as skew and rotation. The corrected elemental images can provide the precise reconstruction of 3D plane images in CIIR. To show the usefulness of the proposed method, the preliminary experiments are carried out and the experimental results are presented. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to deal with compensating for the distorted elemental images recorded by using computational integral imaging.

The use of a negative index planoconcave lens array for wide-viewing angle integral imaging

Wide-viewing angle integral imaging by means of a negative refractive index planoconcave lens array is theoretically investigated. The optical properties of a negative refractive index lens are analyzed from the point of view of integral imaging. The effective focal length of a positive index planoconvex lens and a negative index planoconcave lens with the same surface spherical curvature R are approximated as fP,eff = 2R and fN,eff = 0.4 R, respectively. This short effective focal length of the negative index lens is advantageous for extending the viewing angle of the integral imaging. In addition, some other optical properties of a negative index lens are analyzed and compared for a positive index lens. Three-dimensional ray-tracing observation simulations of integral imaging systems with a negative index lens array and a positive index lens array are then performed, in a comparative study of the wide- ewing angle mode for integral imaging. A three-dimensional ray-tracing simulator for an integral imaging system is then developed. Some interesting issues that appear in the wide-viewing mode of integral imaging are discussed. The negative refractive index planoconcave lens was found to give a wider viewing angle of -60(deg.) approximately +60(deg.) and reduces aberration with only a single spherical planoconcave lens.