The light field stereoscope

Abstract

Figure 1: The light field stereoscope is a near-eye display (top left) that facilitates immersive computer graphics via stereoscopic image synthesis with correct or nearly correct focus cues. As opposed to presenting conventional 2D images, the display shows a 4D light field to each eye, allowing the observer to focus within the scene (center and right). The display comprises two stacked liquid crystal displays (LCDs) driven by nonnegative light field factorization. We implement these factorizations in real-time on the GPU; resulting patterns for front and rear LCDs, including the views for both eyes and inverse lens distortion, are shown (bottom left). AbstractOver the last few years, virtual reality (VR) has re-emerged as a technology that is now feasible at low cost via inexpensive cellphone components. In particular, advances of high-resolution micro displays, low-latency orientation trackers, and modern GPUs facilitate immersive experiences at low cost. One of the remaining challenges to further improve visual comfort in VR experiences is the vergence-accommodation conflict inherent to all stereoscopic displays. Accurate reproduction of all depth cues is crucial for visual comfort. By combining well-known stereoscopic display principles with emerging factored light field technology, we present the first wearable VR display supporting high image resolution as well as focus cues. A light field is presented to each eye, which provides more natural viewing experiences than conventional near-eye displays. Since the eye box is just slightly larger than the pupil size, rank-1 light field factorizations are sufficient to produce correct or nearly-correct focus cues; no time-multiplexed image display or gaze tracking is required. We analyze lens distortions in 4D light field space and correct them using the afforded high-dimensional image formation. We also demonstrate significant improvements in resolution and retinal blur quality over related near-eye displays. Finally, we analyze diffraction limits of these types of displays.

Baseline and Triangulation Geometry in a Standard Plenoptic Camera

“…Using these two images in conjunction with a stereo display technique, e.g. stereoscopic glasses (Huang et al 2015), allows for the reproduction of depth as perceived by human eyes. With regard to the location in object space, however, this stereo vision system concedes much more freedom than the human's perception as the distance between cameras, called baseline, may vary.…”

Compact see‐through near‐eye display with depth adaption

“…To reproduce a light field, multiple LCD panels/display distances are required. Depending on how the display images on each panel is combined, three different methods can be defined: additive light field, 11,12 multiplicative light field, 13 and polarization light field. 14 In this work, we focus on the additive light field rendering as the other methods are not in the scope.…”

P‐62: Effect of Viewpoints of Integral Image 3D display on Human Eye Accommodation Response

“…The integral image (II) can sample and reconstruct the light field of real world by using a lens array, can provide quasi-continuous VPs to viewers and promote human eyes to focuse on the 3D targets. The inconsistency of eye accommodation and convergence is reduced [5][6][7].…”