GRADIENT-INDEX LENS-ARRAY METHOD BASED ON REAL-TIME INTEGRAL PHOTOGRAPHY FOR 3-DIMENSIONAL IMAGES

Because a three-dimensional (3-D) autostereoscopic image can be seen f rom a desired viewpoint without the aid of special viewing glasses, in tegral photography (IF) 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 m icrolens 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 descr ibe a new gradient-index lense-array method based on real-time LP to o vercome these two problems. Experimental results indicating the advant ages of this method are shown. These results suggest the possibility o f using a gradient-index lens array for real-time IP. (C) 1998 Optical Society of America.