Correction of aberrations in lens-based 3D displays

Aberrations have been a persistent limiting factor in 3D displays that are based on lens arrays. This paper describes layered polymer microlens and lenticular arrays that can be used to cost-effectively correct for lens aberrations. Arrays are described which have embedded apertures of non-circular cross-section, i.e. aspheric or acylindrical surfaces, that correct for prominent aberrations across a significant angular viewing field (typically 30-60). Corrected lens systems are described, and their relative theoretical and practical performance shown. Aberrations, particularly spherical aberration and field curvature, have historically forced a tradeoff between viewing angle and view resolution. It will be demonstrated that the corrected arrays can surpass existing lens arrays in their attainable visual depth, their ability to reduce optical cross-talk, and their capacity for displaying large numbers of views within multiview systems. In addition, it will be demonstrated how these particular lens geometries may be used to exclude light from neighboring lens cells due to their equiangular relationship to certain concave surface geometries at the critical angle of internal reflection (0). Lens cells in the equiangular design do not need to be partitioned from one another. This dual utility makes the designs applicable to many lens-array-based 3D displays, and potentially to lens-array-based 3D acquisition systems as well.