New image multiplexing scheme for compensating lens mismatch and viewing zone shifts in three-dimensional lenticular displays

Abstract

A lenticular system provides optimal display quality when a homogeneous lenticular sheet is precisely aligned on LCD subpixels and when a viewer is located within a predetermined viewing zone. In practice, however, many lenticular systems suffer from image distortion due to misalignment or inhomogeneity of the lenticular sheet. To alleviate such distortion, we propose a new multiplexing algorithm. The proposed algorithm first obtains the geometric relationship between LCD subpixels and lenticules by using various pattern images. Then, it generates a mapping matrix between LCD subpixels and multiple-view images based on the obtained relationship. While the proposed scheme is quite simple, it effectively compensates any misalignment or inhomogeneity of the lenticular sheet, and it significantly improves 3-D image quality. In addition, by simply adjusting the mapping parameters, the algorithm can change the predetermined viewing zone to include a viewer's actual position. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed compensation scheme successfully works in a real 3-D lenticular display system.