A common approach to characterizing autostereoscopic and polarization‐based 3‐D displays

Abstract— Autostereoscopic and polarization‐based stereoscopic 3‐D displays recreate 3‐D images by providing different images in the two eyes of an observer. This aim is achieved differently for these two families of 3‐D displays. It is shown that viewing‐angle measurements can be applied to characterize both types of displays. Viewing‐angle luminance measurements are made at different locations on the display surface for each view emitted by the display. For autostereoscopic displays, a Fourier‐optics instrument with an ultra‐high‐angular‐resolution VCMaster3D is used. For polarization‐based displays, a standard Fourier‐optics instrument with additional glass filters is used. Then, what will be seen by an observer in front of the display is computed. Monocular and binocular quality criteria (left‐ and right‐eye contrast, 3‐D contrast) was used to quantify the ability to perceive depth for any observer position. Qualified monocular and binocular viewing spaces (QMVS and QBVS) are deduced. Precise 3‐D characteristics are derived such as maximum 3‐D contrast, optical viewing freedom in each direction, color shifts, and standard contrast. A quantitative comparison between displays of all types becomes possible.     

Objective evaluation of qualified viewing spaces for near‐to‐eye and autostereoscopic two‐view displays

Abstract— Virtual‐image (near‐to‐eye) and two‐view autostereoscopic (3‐D) displays share similar optical properties in the comfortable user position for viewing. In this paper, the definitions and criteria of qualified viewing space (QVS) and qualified stereoscopic viewing space (QSVS) are discussed. Due to the complex nature of these viewing spaces, the related presumptions and the required optical characteristics and their measurements are specified. The effects of different display and observer parameters, such as interpupillary distance, to the resulting viewing spaces are discussed. Finally, real measurement data of two autostereoscopic display devices are presented.     

Optical characterization of autostereoscopic 3‐D displays

Abstract— Display‐measurement methods different from conventional 2‐D display measurements are needed for verifying the optical characteristics of autostereoscopic (3‐D) displays and for comparing different 3‐D display technologies. Industry is lacking standardized measurement methods, and the reported results can not always be compared. The selected set of characteristics discussed in this paper and partly defining the quality of the 3‐D experience are crosstalk, viewing freedom, and optimum viewing distance. Also, more conventional display characteristics such as luminance are discussed, since the definitions for these characteristics in 3‐D mode usually differ from those used for the 2D displays. We have investigated how these chosen 3‐D display characteristics can be objectively measured from transmissive two‐view and multiview 3‐D displays. The scope of this article is to generally define those basic characteristics as well as the different measurement methods. Most of the 3‐D characteristics can be derived from the luminance and colors versus the viewing angle. Either a conoscopic or a goniometric measurement system can be used, as long as the angular and stray‐light properties are suitable and known. The characteristics and methods are currently discussed in the display‐quality standardization forums.     

A crosstalk model and its application to stereoscopic and autostereoscopic displays

We propose a model to quantify the crosstalk phenomenon for stereoscopic and autostereoscopic displays, separate crosstalk contributed from co‐location image contrast (CIC) and system crosstalk (SCT), introduce gray scale dependency of CIC, modify model for gray scale dependency of SCT in active type 3D displays, and apply the model to derive the 3D luminance and SCT measurement formulas. The model might serve as a basis for the 3D metrology, and the results of this research should be of reference value to hardware makers and inspectors of stereoscopic and autostereoscopic displays.     

Two‐parallax‐barriers‐based autostereoscopic liquid‐crystal display without cross‐talk

Abstract— An autostereoscopic liquid‐crystal display (LCD) consists of two parallax barriers and an LCD including a liquid‐crystal panel, and a backlight panel is proposed. Parallax barrier 1 is located between the backlight panel and the liquid‐crystal panel, and Parallax barrier 2 is located between the liquid‐crystal panel and viewers. The operation principle of the autostereoscopic display and the calculation equations for the parallax barriers are described in detail. The autostereoscopic LCD was developed and produces high‐quality stereoscopic images without cross‐talk at the optimal viewing distance and less cross‐talk than a conventional one based on one parallax barrier at other viewing distances.     

Determination of luminance distribution of autostereoscopic 3D displays through calculation of angular profile

Abstract— The luminance distribution of autostereoscopic 3‐D displays using the parallax‐barrier method was simulated by two different calculation methods. The first method directly calculates the total luminance distribution by summing light rays coming from different positions on the imaging display through a parallax barrier at each eye position. The second method first calculates the angular distribution of light rays coming from the imaging display through a parallax barrier and then derives the spatial luminance distribution for each eye position. The two methods resulted in an equivalent distribution. Yet, the second method outperforms the first method in terms of calculating the speed and versatility.     

High‐resolution autostereoscopic 3‐D projection display with a space‐dividing iris‐plane shutter

Abstract— A high‐resolution autostereoscopic 3‐D projection display with a polarization‐control space dividing the iris‐plane liquid‐crystal shutter is proposed. The polarization‐control iris‐plane shutter can control the direction of stereo images without reducing the image quality of the microdis‐play. This autostereoscopic 3‐D projection display is 2‐D/3‐D switchable and has a high resolution and high luminance. In addition, it has no cross‐talk between the left and right viewing zones, a simple structure, and the capability to show multi‐view images.     

Effects of 3D perspective on head gaze estimation with a multiview autostereoscopic display

Head gaze, or the orientation of the head, is a very important attentional cue in face to face conversation. Some subtleties of the gaze can be lost in common teleconferencing systems, because a single perspective warps spatial characteristics. A recent random hole display is a potentially interesting display for group conversation, as it allows multiple stereo viewers in arbitrary locations, without the restriction of conventional autostereoscopic displays on viewing positions. We represented a remote person as an avatar on a random hole display. We evaluated this system by measuring the ability of multiple observers with different horizontal and vertical viewing angles to accurately and simultaneously judge which targets the avatar is gazing at. We compared three perspective conditions: a conventional 2D view, a monoscopic perspective-correct view, and a stereoscopic perspective-correct views. In the latter two conditions, the random hole display shows three and six views simultaneously. Although the random hole display does not provide high quality view, because it has to distribute display pixels among multiple viewers, the different views are easily distinguished. Results suggest the combined presence of perspective-correct and stereoscopic cues significantly improved the effectiveness with which observers were able to assess the avatar׳s head gaze direction. This motivates the need for stereo in future multiview displays.     

Simple method of characterizing the spatial luminance distribution at the user position for autostereoscopic 3‐D display

Abstract— The image quality of autostereoscopic 3‐D displays strongly depends on the user position. So, characterization of the spatial luminance distribution at the user position is important. For the measurement of the spatial luminance distribution, a method that places a diffuser screen at the user position and is illuminated by a 3‐D display has been investigated. By placing the diffuser screen and 3‐D display non‐parallel, the luminance distribution at the various distances can be determined. Though the accuracy of this measurement method is somewhat limited, the measuring procedure is fast and simple, compared with other time‐consuming methods.     

Image correction based on homography in stereoscopic projection display

Abstract— Stereoscopic and autostereoscopic projection‐display systems use projector arrays to present stereoscopic images, and each projector casts one parallax image of a stereoscopic scene. Because of the position shift of the projectors, the parallax images have geometric deformation, which influences the quality of the displayed stereoscopic images. In order to solve this problem, a method based on homography is proposed. The parallax images are pre‐transformed before they are projected, and then the stereoscopic images without geometric distortion can be obtained. An autostereoscopic projection‐display system is developed to present the images with and without calibration. Experimental results show that this method works effectively.     

Influence of 3‐D cross‐talk on qualified viewing spaces in two‐ and multi‐view autostereoscopic displays

Abstract— To estimate the qualified viewing spaces for two‐ and multi‐view autostereoscopic displays, the relationship between image quality (image comfort, annoying ghost image, depth perception) and various pairings between 3‐D cross‐talk in the left and right views are studied subjectively using a two‐view autostereoscopic display and test charts for the left and right views with ghost images due to artificial 3‐D cross‐talk. The artificial 3‐D cross‐talk was tuned to simulate the view in the intermediate zone of the viewing spaces. It was shown that the stereoscopic images on a two‐view autostereoscopic display cause discomfort when they are observed by the eye in the intermediate zone between the viewing spaces. This is because the ghost image due to large 3‐D cross‐talk in the intermediate zone elicits different depth perception from the depth induced by the original images for the left and right views, so the observer's depth perception is confused. Image comfort is also shown to be better for multi‐views, especially the width of the viewing space, which is narrower than the interpupillary distance, where the parallax of the cross‐talking image is small.     

3‐D crosstalk and luminance uniformity from angular luminance profiles of multiview autostereoscopic 3‐D displays

Abstract— Autostereoscopic 3‐D display technologies enable a more immersive media experience by adding real depth to the visual content. However, the method used for the creation of a sensation of depth or stereo illusion contains several display design and content‐related issues that need to be carefully considered to maintain sufficient image quality. Conventionally, methods used for 3‐D image‐quality evaluations have been based on subjective testing. Optical measurements, in addition to subjective testing, can be used as an efficient tool for 3‐D display characterization. Objective characterization methods for autostereoscopic displays have been developed. How parameters affecting stereo image quality can be defined and measured, and how their effect on the stereo image quality can be evaluated have been investigated. Developed characterization methods are based on empirically gathered data. In this paper, previously presented methodology for two‐view displays is extended to cover autostereoscopic multiview displays. A distinction between displays where the change in content occurs in clear steps when the user moves in front of the display, and displays where the apparent movement of the objects is more continuous as a function of the head movement is made. Definitions for 3‐D luminance and luminance uniformity, which are equally important, as well as 3‐D crosstalk, which is the dominant factor in the evaluations of the perceived 3‐D image quality, is focused upon.     

Measuring 3D crosstalk uniformity and its influence on contrast ratio

An array detector was employed to characterize the crosstalk and contrast ratio uniformity of three‐dimensional (3D) displays. The measurement method is described and demonstrated on a stereoscopic display with passive glasses. The resulting high resolution spatial uniformity maps enable a comprehensive statistical characterization of the display and provide a useful visual assessment tool. The statistical uniformity data are used to evaluate the crosstalk dependence on viewing conditions (such as viewing distance), and show the degradation in display performance that could not be captured with a discrete spot measurement. The measurement method was also employed to examine the influence of crosstalk on contrast ratio. It is shown that for some 3D displays, the crosstalk uniformity can dominate the perceived contrast. A metric is proposed that defines the maximal crosstalk contribution to the perceived contrast for 3D images with small features. The summary parameters extracted from the uniformity maps can be utilized to define the boundary viewing conditions needed to maintain minimum image quality.     

Curved OLED display to effectively enhance natural3D

We studied the stereoscopic effect obtained from a two‐dimensional image without using binocular parallax, which we call “natural3D” (n3D). Unlike a parallax‐based three‐dimensional (3D) display system, n3D causes less tiredness and is free from a decrease of the resolution by half because of image division and viewing position dependence. To make the display with these effects comfortable to use, we conducted statistical tests with sensory evaluation experiments and a quantitative evaluation based on physiological responses. These examinations revealed that the n3D effect can be effectively obtained by using, for example, the characteristics of an organic light‐emitting diode display, such as high contrast and easy bendability. This study discusses optimal display curvatures for displays of different sizes that enhance n3D and reduce tiredness, which are revealed through statistical tests. In addition, we performed an experiment with a frame called an n3D window (n3Dw) that is placed before the display such that a subject views the display through the opening of the frame. We found that the combination of a curve and the n3Dw causes n3D more effectively.     

True 3‐D scanned voxel displays using single or multiple light sources

Abstract— Conventional stereoscopic displays require viewers to unnaturally keep eye accommodation fixed at one focal distance while they dynamically change vergence to view objects at different distances. This forced decoupling of reflexively linked processes fatigues eyes, causes discomfort, compromises image quality, and may lead to pathologies in developing visual systems. Volumetric displays can overcome this conflict, but only for small objects placed within a limited range of viewing distances and accommodation levels, and cannot render occlusion cues correctly. Our multi‐planar True 3‐D displays generate accommodation cues that match vergence and stereoscopic retinal disparity demands and can display images and objects at viewing distances throughout the full range of human accommodation (from 6.25 cm to infinity), better mimicking natural vision and minimizing eye fatigue.     

一种自动立体显示器立体对比度和视区检测方法

提出了一种基于CCD摄像头的自动立体显示器立体对比度和视区检测方法。首先，运用Direct3D API设计的计算机图形显示在自动立体显示屏上。然后，用一台CCD摄像头代替人的双眼接受立体视图。最后，根据算法提取数字图像的特征参数来计算说明自动立体显示器显示效果的立体对比度，并获得观看自动立体显示器的左右眼视区分布。实验结果表明，此方法能很好地检测自动立体显示器的立体对比度和左右眼视区。     

Depth‐map generation for multi‐view autostereoscopic 3‐D displays based on the SIFT algorithm constrained by boundary

Abstract— A depth‐map estimation method, which converts two‐dimensional images into three‐dimensional (3‐D) images for multi‐view autostereoscopic 3‐D displays, is presented. The proposed method utilizes the Scale Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT) matching algorithm to create the sparse depth map. The image boundaries are labeled by using the Sobel operator. A dense depth map is obtained by using the Zero‐Mean Normalized Cross‐Correlation (ZNCC) propagation matching method, which is constrained by the labeled boundaries. Finally, by using depth rendering, the parallax images are generated and synthesized into a stereoscopic image for multi‐view autostereoscopic 3‐D displays. Experimental results show that this scheme achieves good performances on both parallax image generation and multi‐view autostereoscopic 3‐D displays.     

Angular dependence of the performance of stereoscopic liquid‐crystal‐display (LCD) television using shutter glasses (SG)

Abstract— 3‐D cross‐talk typically represents the ratio of image overlap between the left and right views. For stereoscopic LCDs using shutter‐glasses technology, 3‐D cross‐talk for stereoscopic LCD TV with a diagonal size of 46 in. and vertical alignment (VA) mode was measured to change from 1% to 10% when the stereoscopic display is rotated around the vertical axis. Input signals consist of the left and right images that include patterns of different amounts of binocular disparity and various gray levels. Ghost‐like artifacts are observed. Furthermore, intensities of these artifacts are observed to change as the stereoscopic display is rotated about the vertical axis. The temporal luminance of the LCD used in stereoscopic TV was found to be dependent on the viewing direction and can be considered as one cause of the phenomenon of angular dependence of performance for stereoscopic displays.     

3‐D mobile display based on dual‐directional light guides with a fast‐switching liquid‐crystal panel

Abstract— An autostereoscopic display based on dual‐directional light guides with a fast‐switching liquid‐crystal panel was designed and fabricated to provide better 3‐D perception with image qualities comparable to that of 2‐D displays. With two identical micro‐grooved light guides, each with a light‐controlled ability in one direction, two restricted viewing cones are formed to project pairs of parallax images to the viewer's respective eyes sequentially. Crosstalk of less than 10% located within ±8°–±30° and an LC response time of 7.1 msec for a 1.8‐in. LCD panel can yield acceptable 3‐D perceptions at viewing distance of 5.6–23 cm. Moreover, 2‐D/3‐D compatibility is provided in this module.