Depth resolution and displayable depth of a scene in three-dimensional images

Abstract

In evaluating 3 dimensional images, the depth resolution which the image can provide, is an important parameter defining the image quality. The depth resolution obtainable with 3 dimensional images is mainly determined by the parameters of cameras used for multiview image acquisitions and viewer's eye resolution. The depth resolution and the possible image depth range, obtainable with parallel, toed-in and sliding aperture camera configurations for multiview image acquisition in the 3-dimensional imaging systems are calculated by assuming that the focusing beam is diffraction limited and that a pixel pitch of the imaging sensor is a limiting image spot size. The calculation reveals that these parameters are essentially the same for the configurations considered. For the depth resolution comparison with a hologram with a size corresponding to the aperture size of camera objective, it is shown that the hologram provides better depth resolved image than the multiview systems. The depth resolution of the images in the the 3-D imaging systems is further reduced by viewer's eye resolution. The amount of the reduction is proportional to the number of picture elements in the eye resolution spot.