Integral 3D imaging system using monocular 2D video and depth data

An autostereoscopic imaging system, which displays moving actual images created from 2D video and depth data, is proposed. The system consists of a depth camera, signal processing algorithms, and an integral display prototype. The specifications are as follows: (a) Depth camera: a monocular VGA video camera with optical distance sensor captures 2D texture image and its depth map simultaneously. (b) Signal processing: 10x10 parallax images are created from the video stream, and the angle between two neighboring parallax images is 0.8 degrees. (c) Display: The display device is contact type (LCD) or projection type (LCOS), and the optical device is a microlens-array. 2D resolution of the 3D image is 720 cycle/radian at a viewing distance, and a viewing zone is about 8 degrees. Noticeable defects due to occlusions are not found within the viewing zone. The method of transmission of texture and depth data has higher compatibility with conventional coding technologies than transmission using compressed parallax images. And the transmission method enables the users to choose various types of displays and the way of displaying the contents. Therefore we believe that this system is a candidate for the future 3D television system.