Glasses-free Table-style 3D Display Observed from Surrounding Viewpoints : A Study of Displaying Principle and Prototyping

Abstract

We propose a novel glasses-free 3D display of 360° optimized for tabletop tasks. The display employs circularly arranged projectors and a cylindrical- or a conical-shaped optical device that has a directional optical characteristic. Those devices are installed underneath the table not to obstruct the working space. One of the novelties of the proposed method is forming a ring-shaped viewing area above the table. When users look in this area, they can observe individual 3D images from each direction with correct perspective on the table such as a centerpiece.