Three-dimensional Display Using Modified Two-dimensionally Aligned Multiple Telecentric Optical Systems

Abstract

A new technique is proposed which enables the construction of an auto-stereoscopic display which can generate a number of horizontal parallax images simultaneously. A number of telecentric optical systems are arranged in a modified two-dimensional array and multiplexed. Because each optical system has a different horizontal position, each parallax image generated by each optical system is displayed in a different horizontal direction. The difference in the vertical display direction due to the optical system's vertical position is canceled by a vertical diffuser. This display enables the observation of 3-D images simultaneously without the use of 3-D glasses. Observers can perceive 3-D images with binocular disparity, vergence, and motion parallax. In addition, accommodation may work, because a number of parallax images are displayed with a very small horizontal angle pitch. There are two types of configurations that can be used in an auto-stereoscopic display; one uses multiple afocal imaging systems, and another uses light source arrays. An auto-stereoscopic display having 64 parallaxes is constructed using the former configuration.