Real-time computer-generated integral imaging light field displays: revisiting the point retracing rendering method from a signal processing perspective

Integral imaging light field displays (InIm-LFDs) can provide realistic 3D images by showing an elemental image array (EIA) under a lens array. However, it is always challenging to computationally generate an EIA in real-time with entry-level computing hardware because the current practice that projects many viewpoints to the EIA induces heavy computations. This study discards the viewpoint-based strategy, revisits the early point retracing rendering method, and proposes that InIm-LFDs and regular 2D displays share two similar signal processing phases: sampling and reconstructing. An InIm-LFD is demonstrated to create a finite number of static voxels for signal sampling. Each voxel is invariantly formed by homogeneous pixels for signal reconstructing. We obtain the static voxel-pixel mapping through arbitrarily accurate raytracing in advance and store it as a lookup table (LUT). Our EIA rendering method first resamples input 3D data with the pre-defined voxels and then assigns every voxel's value to its homogeneous pixels through the LUT. As a result, the proposed method reduces the computational complexity by several orders of magnitude. The experimental rendering speed is as fast as 7 to 10 ms for a full-HD EIA frame on an entry-level laptop. Finally, considering a voxel may not be perfectly integrated by its homogeneous pixels, called the sampling error, the proposed and conventional viewpoint-based methods are analyzed in the Fourier domain. We prove that even with severe sampling errors, the two methods negligibly differ in the output signal's frequency spectrum. We expect the proposed method to break the long-standing tradeoff between rendering speed, accuracy, and system complexity for computer-generated integral imaging.

Resolution-enhanced light field displays by recombining subpixels across elemental images

Light field displays based on integral imaging feature ultra-compact volume and freedom of the vergence-accommodation conflict for advanced virtual reality and augmented reality devices; however, they currently suffer from low visual resolution. Considering that subpixels have an intrinsically tripled resolution compared with triad pixels, this Letter develops a subpixel-level algorithm by recombining subpixels with relatively small raytracing errors from different elemental images. As a result, based on a highly accurate image formation model, the resolution of a typical system (pixel size, 7.8 μm; system thickness, 4.07 mm) is remarkably enhanced from 8.3 to 20.0 pixels per degree, for a gain of 2.41. In addition, the color breakup introduced by the chromatic subpixels is largely suppressed.

Nonlinear mapping method for the generation of an elemental image array in a photorealistic pseudoscopic free 3D display

Limited available elemental image array resources may be the most severe bottleneck for the promotion and application of integral-imaging-based 3D display. We propose a nonlinear mapping method for the generation of an elemental image array to get a photorealistic pseudoscopic free 3D display based on the parallel light field reconstruction nature of the integral imaging system. All the light rays emitted from the display panel are classified into a corresponding parallel light field according to its direction, and all the parallel light fields are captured as orthogonal projections of the scene before synthesizing all the orthogonal projections using a nonlinear mapping method to form the final elemental image array. Preliminary optical experiments as well as ray optical analysis are conducted to prove the feasibility and validity of the proposed method. The proposed method can exploit most of the current 3D platform. It is an effective and efficient way to generate an elemental image array.

Glasses-free randot stereotest

We proposed a glasses-free randot stereotest using a multiview display system. We designed a four-view parallax barrier system and proposed the use of a random-dot multigram as a set of view images for the glasses-free randot stereotest. The glasses-free randot stereotest can be used to verify the effect of glasses in a stereopsis experience. Furthermore, the proposed system is convertible between two-view and four-view structures so that the motion parallax effect could be verified within the system. We discussed the design principles and the method used to generate images in detail and implemented a glasses-free randot stereotest system with a liquid crystal display panel and a customized parallax barrier. We also developed graphical user interfaces and a method for their calibration for practical usage. We performed experiments with five adult subjects with normal vision. The experimental results show that the proposed system provides a stereopsis experience to the subjects and is consistent with the glasses-type randot stereotest and the Frisby–Davis test. The implemented system is free from monocular cues and provides binocular disparity only. The crosstalk of the system is about 6.42% for four-view and 4.17% for two-view, the time required for one measurement is less than 20 s, and the minimum angular disparity that the system can provide is about 23 arc sec.

Real-time capturing and 3D visualization method based on integral imaging

We propose a real-time capturing and 3D visualization method based on integral imaging. We applied real-time conversion algorithm to conventional integral imaging pickup system. Gap control method with depth plane adjustment is also applied to improve image quality. Implemented system provides real-time 3D images with ultra high definition resolution in 20 frames per second, and the observer can change depth planes freely. Simulations and experimental results show the validity of proposed system.