Generating Light Field From Stereo Images for AR Display With Matched Angular Sampling Structure and Minimal Retinal...

Area of Science:

• Computer Vision
• Display Technology
• 3D Graphics

Background:

• Near-eye light field displays provide immersive 3D experiences by projecting light rays mimicking real objects.
• These displays require four-dimensional light field data, while much existing 3D content is in stereo image format.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an efficient method for converting stereo images into light field data for augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR) near-eye displays.
• To ensure perceptual quality and compatibility with existing light field display hardware.

Main Methods:

• A practical approach to generate light field data from stereo images with minimal computational cost.
• Ensuring perceptual quality by aligning light field subview baselines with micro-projector configurations.
• Compensating for display optical artifacts via digital rectification.

Main Results:

• The proposed method successfully converts stereo images into light field data.
• Quantitative and qualitative experiments validated the approach's effectiveness and efficiency.
• The light field converter demonstrated compatibility with real-world light field displays.

Conclusions:

• The developed method offers a practical solution for leveraging existing stereo content on light field displays.
• This technique enhances the usability of AR/VR systems by enabling the use of readily available 3D content.
• The approach maintains reasonable image quality and addresses display-specific optical characteristics.