Diffraction Influence on the Field of View and Resolution of Three-Dimensional Integral Imaging

The influence of the diffraction limit on the field of view of three-dimensional integral imaging (InI) systems is estimated by calculating the resolution of the InI system along arbitrarily tilted directions. The deteriorating effects of diffraction on the resolution are quantified in this manner. Two different three-dimensional scenes are recorded by real/virtual and focused imaging modes. The recorded scenes are reconstructed at different tilted planes and the obtained results for the resolution and field of view of the system are verified. It is shown that the diffraction effects severely affect the resolution of InI in the real/virtual mode when the tilted angle of viewing is increased. It is also shown that the resolution of InI in the focused mode is more robust to the unwanted effects of diffraction even though it is much lower than the resolution of InI in the real/virtual mode.