We have developed a method for combining the images of multiple flat-panel displays to improve the quality of integral three-dimensional (3D) images. A multi-image combining optical system (MICOS) is used to magnify and combine the images of multiple displays without gaps between multiple active display areas. However, in the previous prototype, the image quality of the 3D images deteriorated due to the use of a MICOS that had a complicated structure and a diffuser plate. This paper describes an optical system for combining multiple images while suppressing the deterioration of 3D image quality. The improved method can suppress the deterioration of the image quality because it uses a simple structure as a MICOS and does not require a diffuser plate. Furthermore, the thickness of the entire equipment was increased because parallel light was required for the backlight of the LCD panel in the previous design. The thickness of the entire equipment could be reduced to 1/5 or less because diffused light can be used in the improved design.
Stereoscopic image separation can be improved with parallax barriers consisting of single color filter strips. A novel spatially multiplexed autostereoscopic 3D display design with wavelengthselective color filters is presented here. In comparison to common parallax barriers the resolution and brightness are enhanced by factor two. High quality image separation can be provided by using narrow-band RGB-backlights and bandpass barrier-filter. The newly introduced arrangement is realized as a slanted color stripe structure based on a regular RGB-display panel. In this paper we discuss the static color filter design and the influence of the barrier gaps on the uniformity of light emission.
In the augmented reality technology, what a viewer sees needs to be augmented by 3D information in accordance with the real object. Thus, we have previously proposed a retinal projection type super multi-view HMD which provides a viewer with natural 3D images. However, the proposed HMD has two problems. One is whether the blurred retinal image of the real 3D object is equal to the superimposed parallax images of the virtual 3D image. The other one is the restricted depth range of 3D images. When the parallax difference is large and corresponding pixels of parallax images do not overlap each other, we cannot use the superimposed parallax images instead of the blurred image. In this paper, we theoretically consider above problems and verify the effectiveness of the super multi-view HMD. By simulation the light intensity distributions of retinal images, we confirmed that the superimposed parallax images was equal to the blurred image. Moreover, from the range of the suitable parallax difference, we verified the depth range of the 3D image by the proposed HMD was more than 113 mm in front of the pupil.