Analysis of displayable depth range for retinal projection type super multi-view 3D head-mounted display using the time division projection optical system

Abstract

We have previously proposed the retinal projection type super multi-view head-mounted display (HMD) using the time division projection optical system. By using the super multi-view HMD, it is possible to provide the viewer with the threedimensional (3D) image that induces the accommodation of a human eye naturally. In order to realize the super multi-view method, it is necessary to simultaneously project multiple parallax images on the retina. However, when the parallax between each parallax image is large and the corresponding pixels of each parallax image on the retina do not overlap each other, the retinal image is observed as multiple projection images, therefore the accommodation cannot be induced. In this paper, to estimate the displayable range of 3D image of the proposed super multi-view HMD, we revealed the relationship between the number of parallax images and the displayable range of 3D image by using Gullstrand’s schematic eye model and the analysis of the light intensity distributions of retinal images. In order to verify the displayable range of 3D image, we constructed the prototype HMD which projected five parallax images on the retina. We confirmed that the displayable range of 3D image of the prototype HMD is from 900 mm to 2000 mm in front of human eye. By clarifying the relationship between the number of parallax images and the displayable range of 3D image, it is possible to freely design the display range of 3D image of the retinal projection type super multi-view HMD.