Analysis of the viewing parameters for curved lens array system based on integral imaging

Abstract

Integral imaging (integral photography) is a three-dimensional display technique, first proposed by Lippmann in 1908. Recently the integral imaging attracts much attention as an autostereoscopic three-dimensional display technique for its many advantages. However, the limitation of viewing angle is the primary disadvantage of integral imaging. To overcome the limitation some methods have been proposed. Among them the method that uses a curved lens array has been reported recently. This method widens the viewing angle considerably compared with the conventional method. Generally, in integral imaging each elemental lens has its corresponding area, elemental image region, on the display panel. To prevent the image flipping, the elemental image that exceeds the corresponding area is discarded. Therefore the number of the elemental images is limited. However, in the curved lens array system each elemental image does not exceed the corresponding area. It owes the curved structure and this characteristic widens the viewing angle. In this paper, we will examine the proposed integral imaging system using a curved lens array and analyze of the representative viewing parameters; viewing angle, image depth, image size, etc. for the curved lens array system. The viewing region, in which the three-dimensional image can be displayed with wide-viewing angle, is closely related with image depth and the corresponding viewing angle of the curved lens array system.