Masato Miura

Integral three-dimensional television with video system using pixel-offset method.

Integral three-dimensional (3D) television based on integral imaging requires huge amounts of information. Previously, we constructed an Integral 3D television using Super Hi-Vision (SHV) technology, with 7680 pixels horizontally and 4320 pixels vertically. We report on improved image quality through the development of video system with an equivalent of 8000 scan lines for use with Integral 3D television. We conducted experiments to evaluate the resolution of 3D images using an experimental setup and were able to show that by using the pixel-offset method we have eliminated aliasing produced by full-resolution SHV video equipment. We confirmed that the application of the pixel-offset method to integral 3D television is effective in increasing the resolution of reconstructed images.

Integral three-dimensional image capture equipment with closely positioned lens array and image sensor

We have developed a compact integral three-dimensional (3D) imaging equipment that positions the lens array and image sensor in close proximity to each other. In the conventional scheme, a camera lens is used to project the elemental images generated by the lens array onto the image sensor. In contrast, the imaging equipment presented here combines the lens array and image sensor into one unit and makes no use of a camera lens. This scheme eliminates the resolution deterioration and distortion caused by the use of a camera lens and improves, in principle, the quality of the reconstructed 3D image. We captured objects with this imaging equipment and displayed the reconstructed 3D images using display equipment consisting of a liquid crystal panel and a lens array. The reconstructed 3D images were found to have appropriate motion parallax.

Integral imaging system with enlarged horizontal viewing angle

We developed a three-dimensional (3-D) imaging system with an enlarged horizontal viewing angle for integral imaging that uses our previously proposed method for controlling the ratio of the horizontal to vertical viewing angles by tilting the lens array used in a conventional integral imaging system. This ratio depends on the tilt angle of the lens array. We conducted an experiment to capture and display 3-D images and confirmed the validity of the proposed system.

Integral 3D display using multiple LCD panels and multi-image combining optical system

We present a method to display an integral three-dimensional (3D) image without gaps between multiple display active areas by using multiple liquid crystal display (LCD) panels and multi-image combining optical systems (MICOS). We designed a MICOS to improve the resolution characteristics and decrease the luminance unevenness corresponding to the viewpoint. Furthermore, we developed a method for correcting the distortion of the integral 3D image by using image processing. We prototyped an integral 3D display using four 8K dual-green (8KDG) LCD panels and the improved MICOSs. The prototype display achieved to magnify the display area about 5.66 times more than when a single LCD panel was used.

Integral 3D display using multiple LCDs

The quality of the integral 3D images created by a 3D imaging system was improved by combining multiple LCDs to utilize a greater number of pixels than that possible with one LCD. A prototype of the display device was constructed by using four HD LCDs. An integral photography (IP) image displayed by the prototype is four times larger than that reconstructed by a single display. The pixel pitch of the HD display used is 55.5 μm, and the number of elemental lenses is 212 horizontally and 119 vertically. The 3D image pixel count is 25,228, and the viewing angle is 28°. Since this method is extensible, it is possible to display an integral 3D image of higher quality by increasing the number of LCDs. Using this integral 3D display structure makes it possible to make the whole device thinner than a projector-based display system. It is therefore expected to be applied to the home television in the future.

Integral three-dimensional capture system with enhanced viewing angle by using camera array

A three-dimensional (3D) capture system based on integral imaging with an enhanced viewing zone by using a camera array was developed. The viewing angle of the 3D image can be enlarged depending on the number of cameras consisting of the camera array. The 3D image was captured by using seven high-definition cameras, and converted to be displayed by using a 3D display system with a 4K LCD panel, and it was confirmed that the viewing angle of the 3D image can be enlarged by a factor of 2.5 compared with that of a single camera.

Compact integral three-dimensional imaging device

A compact integral three-dimensional (3D) imaging device for capturing high resolution 3D images has been developed that positions the lens array and image sensor close together. Unlike the conventional scheme, where a camera lens is used to project the elemental images generated by the lens array onto the image sensor, the developed device combines the lens array and image sensor into one unit and makes no use of a camera lens. In order to capture high resolution 3D images, a high resolution imaging sensor and a lens array composed of many elemental lenses are required, and in an experimental setup, a CMOS image sensor circuit patterned with multiple exposures and a multiple lens array were used. Two types of optics were implemented for controlling the depth of 3D images. The first type was a convex lens that is suitable for compressing a relatively large object space, and the second was an afocal lens array that is suitable for capturing a relatively small object space without depth distortion. The objects captured with the imaging device and depth control optics were reconstructed as 3D images by using display equipment consisting of a liquid crystal panel and a lens array. The reconstructed images were found to have appropriate motion parallax.

Integral imaging system with 33 mega-pixel imaging devices using the pixel-offset method

Integral 3D television based on integral imaging requires huge amounts of information. Earlier, we built an Integral 3D television using Super Hi-Vision (SHV) technology, with 7680 pixels horizontally and 4320 pixels vertically. Here we report on an improvement of image quality by developing a new video system with an equivalent of 8000 scan lines and using this for Integral 3D television. We conducted experiments to evaluate the resolution of 3D images using this prototype equipment and were able to show that by using the pixel-offset method we have eliminated aliasing that was produced by the full-resolution SHV video equipment. As a result, we confirmed that the new prototype is able to generate 3D images with a depth range approximately twice that of Integral 3D television using the full-resolution SHV.

Method of enlarging horizontal viewing zone in integral imaging

We present a method of changing the ratio of a horizontal to vertical angles by rotating a lens array in integral imaging. We arranged an elemental image with a width and height that is not equal to the pitch of an elemental lens as the total number of the pixels of the elemental image is invariant. Additionally, we rotated the lens array to avoid overlapping the specially-shaped elemental images. We enlarged the horizontal viewing angle by arranging the elemental images with a width that is larger than height and the pitch of the elemental lens. We investigated the arrangement of these images and found that rotating the lens array changed the ratio of the horizontal to vertical viewing angles.

Continuous combination of viewing zones in integral three-dimensional display using multiple projectors

Abstract. We propose a method for arranging multiple projectors in parallel using an image-processing technique and for enlarging the viewing zone in an integral three-dimensional image display. We have developed a method to correct the projection distortion precisely using an image-processing technique combining projective and affine transformations. To combine the multiple viewing zones formed by each projector continuously and smoothly, we also devised a technique that provides accurate adjustment by generating the elemental images of a computer graphics model at high speed. We constructed a prototype device using four projectors equivalent to 4K resolution and realized a viewing zone with measured viewing angles of 49.2 deg horizontally and 45.2 deg vertically. Compared with the use of only one projector, the prototype device expanded the viewing angles by approximately two times in both the horizontal and vertical directions.