Fixed three-dimensional holographic images

Three-dimensional holograms were recorded in a cerium-doped, strontium barium niobate (SBN:75) photorefractive crystal. These holograms are shown to not degrade after more than one week of continuous readout and to reconstruct reproductions of the original object with an observable field of view of approximately 35 degrees.     

Depth extraction of three-dimensional objects using block matching for slice images in synthetic aperture integral imaging

We describe a computational method for depth extraction of three-dimensional (3D) objects using block matching for slice images in synthetic aperture integral imaging (SAII). SAII is capable of providing high-resolution 3D slice images for 3D objects because the picked-up elemental images are high-resolution ones. In the proposed method, the high-resolution elemental images are recorded by moving a camera; a computational reconstruction algorithm based on ray backprojection generates a set of 3D slice images from the recorded elemental images. To extract depth information of the 3D objects, we propose a new block-matching algorithm between a reference elemental image and a set of 3D slice images. The property of the slices images is that the focused areas are the right location for an object, whereas the blurred areas are considered to be empty space; thus, this can extract robust and accurate depth information of the 3D objects. To demonstrate our method, we carry out the preliminary experiments of 3D objects; the results indicate that our method is superior to a conventional method in terms of depth-map quality.     

Enhanced reconstruction of three-dimensional shape and texture from integral photography images

A method for the reconstruction of 3D shape and texture from integral photography (IP) images is presented. Sharing the same principles with stereoscopic-based object reconstruction, it offers increased robustness to noise and occlusions due to the unique characteristics of IP images. A coarse-to-fine approach is used, employing what we believe to be a novel grid refinement step in order to increase the quality of the reconstructed objects. The proposed method's properties include configurable depth accuracy and direct and seamless triangulation. We evaluate our method using synthetic data from a computer-simulated IP setup as well as real data from a simple yet effective digital IP setup. Experiments show reconstructed objects of high-quality indicating that IP can be a competitive modality for 3D object reconstruction.     

Speckle-reduced three-dimensional volume holographic display by use of integral imaging

We propose a method to implement a speckle-reduced coherent three-dimensional (3D) display system by a combination of integral imaging and photorefractive volume holographic storage. The 3D real object is imaged through the microlens array and stored in the photorefractive crystal. During the reconstruction process a phase conjugate reading beam is used to minimize aberration, and a rotating diffuser located on the imaging plane of the lens array is employed to reduce the speckle noise. The speckle-reduced 3D image with a wide viewing angle can be reconstructed by use of the proposed system. Experimental results are presented and optical parameters of the proposed system are discussed in detail.     

Parallel integral projection transform for straight electrode localization in 3-D ultrasound images

In surgical practice, small metallic instruments are frequently used to perform various tasks inside the human body. We address the problem of their accurate localization in the tissue. Recent experiments using medical ultrasound have shown that this modality is suitable for real-time visualization of anatomical structures as well as the position of surgical instruments. We propose an image-processing algorithm that permits automatic estimation of the position of a line-segment-shaped object. This method was applied to the localization of a thin metallic electrode in biological tissue. We show that the electrode axis can be found through maximizing the parallel integral projection transform that is a form of the Radon transform. To accelerate this step, hierarchical mesh-grid algorithm is implemented. Once the axis position is known, localization of the electrode tip is performed. The method was tested on simulated images, on ultrasound images of a tissue mimicking phantom containing a metallic electrode, and on real ultrasound images from breast biopsy. The results indicate that the algorithm is robust with respect to variations in electrode position and speckle noise. Localization accuracy is of the order of hundreds of micrometers and is comparable to the ultrasound system axial resolution.     

Photon-counting three-dimensional integral imaging with compression of elemental images

In this paper, we present lossless compression of elemental images in photon-counting integral imaging. In order to verify the performance of the compression method applied to low light level three-dimensional (3D) integral imaging, we compute the correlation coefficient and peak to mean square error (PSNR) as metrics for 3D scene reconstruction integrity. We show quantitatively via experiments that a considerable compression of the elemental images in photon-counting integral imaging may be achievable without significant loss in the performance in terms of correlation and PSNR metrics. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on applying lossless compression algorithms in photon-counting 3D computational integral imaging.     

Viewing-angle enhancement of speckle-reduced volume holographic three-dimensional display by use of integral imaging

In a conventional integral imaging system the viewing angle is limited by the f-number of the microlens. To overcome this limitation we employ a phase-conjugate beam to read out elemental images, which are stored in photorefractive volume holographic storage, while the rotating diffuser reduces the speckle noise. In the proposed system the viewing angle can be enhanced over the f-number limitation. Experimental results and discussions of viewing parameters are presented.     

Gradient-index lens-array method based on real-time integral photography for three-dimensional images

Because a three-dimensional (3-D) autostereoscopic image can be seen from a desired viewpoint without the aid of special viewing glasses, integral photography (IP) is an ideal way to create 3-D autostereoscopic images. We have already proposed a real-time IP method that offers 3-D autostereoscopic images of moving objects in real time by use of a microlens array and a high-definition television camera. But there are two problems yet to be resolved: One is pseudoscopic images that show a reversed depth representation. The other is interference between the element images that constitute a 3-D autostereoscopic image. We describe a new gradient-index lense-array method based on real-time IP to overcome these two problems. Experimental results indicating the advantages of this method are shown. These results suggest the possibility of using a gradient-index lens array for real-time IP.     

Depth extraction of three-dimensional objects in space by the computational integral imaging reconstruction technique

A novel approach to extract the depth data of 3D objects in space by using the computational integral imaging reconstruction (CIIR) technique is proposed. With elemental images of 3D objects captured by the CCD camera through a pinhole array, depth-dependent object images can be reconstructed on the output plane by the CIIR technique. Only the images reconstructed on the output planes where 3D objects were located are clearly focused; so the depth data of 3D objects in space can be extracted by discriminating these focused output images from the others by using an image separation technique. A feasibility test of the proposed CIIR-based depth extraction method is carried out, and its results are discussed as well.     

Enhanced three-dimensional discrete cosine transform based compression method for integral images by adaptive three-dimensional block construction

In this paper, we propose an efficient compression method for integral images based on three-dimensional discrete cosine transform (3D-DCT). Even though the existing 3D-DCT based techniques are efficient, they may not be optimized to the characteristics of integral images, such as applying a fixed size block construction and a fixed scanning in placing 2D blocks to construct a 3D block. Therefore, we propose a variable size block construction and a scanning method adaptive to characteristics of integral images, which are realized by adaptive 3D block modes. Experimental results show that the proposed method gives significant improvement in coding efficiency. In particular, at the high bit rates, the proposed method is more improved, since overhead bits for signaling of the 3D block modes take a smaller part of the total bits.     

Volume integral equations in non-linear 3-D magnetostatics

In this paper a discussion of volume integral formulations in three-dimensional non-linear magnetostatics is presented. Integral formulations are examined in connection with Whitney's elements in order to find new approaches. A numerical algorithm based on a formulation implying properly the continuity conditions of magnetic field strength H, i.e. an h-type formulation, is introduced. Results of demanding application problems are shown demonstrating the characteristics of this kind of volume integral approach. In addition, a discussion of the parallelized version of the numerical code based on the h-type approach is presented appended with numerical results illustrating the advantages of combining integral formulations with concurrent computing.     

Curved computational integral imaging reconstruction technique for resolution-enhanced display of three-dimensional object images

A novel curved computational integral imaging reconstruction (C-CIIR) technique for the virtually curved integral imaging (VCII) system is proposed, and its performances are analyzed. In the C-CIIR model, an additional virtual large-aperture lens is included to provide a multidirectional curving effect in the reconstruction process, and its effect is analyzed in detail by using the ABCD matrix. With this method, resolution-enhanced 3D object images can be computationally reconstructed from the picked-up elemental images of the VCII system. To confirm the feasibility of the proposed model, some experiments are carried out. Experiments revealed that the sampling rate in the VCII system could be kept at a maximum value within some range of the distance z, whereas in the conventional integral imaging system it linearly decreased as the distance z increased. It is also shown that resolutions of the object images reconstructed by the C-CIIR method have been significantly improved compared with those of the conventional CIIR method.     

Aberration compensation of holographic particle images using digital holographic microscopy

Characterisation of small and large-scale vortices in turbulent flows demands a system with high spatial resolution. The measurement of high spatial resolution, three-dimensional vector displacements in fluid mechanics using holography, is usually hampered by aberration. Aberration poses some problems in particle image identification due to low fidelity of real image reconstruction. Phase mismatch between the recording and the reconstruction waves was identified as the main source of aberration in this study. This paper demonstrates how aberration compensation can be achieved by cross-correlating the complex amplitude of an aberrated reconstructed object with the phase conjugate of a known reference object in the plane of the hologram (frequency space). Results favourably show significant increase in Strehl ratio and suppression of background noise that are more pronounced for particle images of 10 and 5 microns. It is clear from the work conducted that wavefront aberration measurement and compensation of holographic microscopic objects are now possible with the use of a variant digital holographic microscope.     

Neural-network-based models of 3-D objects for virtualized reality: a comparative study

The paper presents a comprehensive analysis and comparison of the representational capabilities of three neural architectures for three-dimensional (3-D) object representation in terms of purpose, computational cost, complexity, conformance and convenience, ease of manipulation, and potential applications in the context of virtualized reality. Starting from a pointcloud that embeds the shape of the object to be modeled, a volumetric representation is obtained using a multilayer feedforward neural network (MLFFNN) or a surface representation using either the self-organizing map (SOM) or the neural gas network. The representation provided by the neural networks (NNs) is simple, compact, and accurate. The models can be easily transformed in size, position, and shape. Some potential applications of the presented architectures in the context of virtualized reality are for the modeling of set operations and object morphing, for the detection of object collision, and for object recognition, object motion estimation, and segmentation.     

Phase reconstruction and unwrapping from holographic interferograms of partially absorbent phase objects

A method for automated phase reconstruction from holographic interferograms of nonideal phase objects based on a two-dimensional Fourier transform is described. In particular, the problem of phase unwrapping is solved because earlier techniques are inappropriate for the phase unwrapping from interferograms of partially absorbent objects. A noise-level-dependent criterion for the binary mask that defines the unwrapping path for the flood algorithm is derived. The method shows high noise immunity, and the result is reliable provided that the true phase is free of discontinuities. The phase distribution in the outmasked regions is estimated by a linear least-squares fit to the surrounding unwrapped pixels.     

Digital holographic scanning of large objects using a rotating optical slab

Simple optical glass is used in digital holographic set up to scan and record holograms of a large object. Dimension of the object is such that it does not satisfy sampling theorem. Experimental results and calculations illustrate that an optical slab can be used to scan the surface of the large object by this method. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol, 16, 258–261, 2006