INPUT DEVICE, SYSTEM AND METHOD

1 . An input device for an entertainment device, the input device comprising:

a first main surface;

one or more side edges;

one or more motion sensors operable to generate motion data; and

a wireless communicator for transmitting the motion data to the entertainment device,

and wherein an elongate illuminated region extends along some or all of one or more of the side edges.

2 . An input device according to claim 1 comprising:

a first stereoscopic camera and a second stereoscopic camera having respective viewpoints located at opposing corners of a first area of the main surface, the field of view of each stereoscopic camera encompassing a first volume of space immediately above the first area;

and wherein

the first and second stereoscopic cameras are operable to generate respective stereoscopic images, from which a first depth map and complementary second depth map may be generated for opposite sides of an object placed within the first volume of space.

3 . An input device according to claim 2 , comprising a processor operable to generate the first and second depth maps from the two respective stereoscopic images.

4 . An input device according to claim 1 , comprising one or more selected from the list consisting of:

third and fourth stereoscopic cameras having respective viewpoints located at remaining corners of the first area and fields of view encompassing the first volume of space immediately above the first area;

a touch sensitive surface located substantially coincident with the first area;

a display located substantially coincident with the first area; and

a light source substantially coincident with a respective stereoscopic camera.

5 . An entertainment device, comprising

a video receiver operable to receive a captured video image frame from a video camera;

a wireless receiver operable to receive relative movement telemetry from an input device;

an image analyser operable to detect one or more elongate illuminated regions extending along some or all of one or more side edges of an input device captured in the video image frame; and

a processor operable to combine a position and orientation of each detected elongate illuminated region and the relative movement telemetry to estimate a three dimensional position and an orientation of the input device.

6 . An entertainment device according to claim 5 , in which the processor is operable to estimate the position and orientation of the first volume of space immediately above the first area of the input device.

7 . An entertainment device according to claim 5 , in which the processor is operable to estimate the position and orientation of a real object within the first volume of space immediately above the first area of the input device, the object being described by a virtual model formed from a complementary pair of depth maps defining the distance to surface points of the object from two known positions on the input device.

8 . An entertainment device according to claim 7 , in which the processor is operable to generate the complementary pair of depth maps from respective stereoscopic images received from the input device.

9 . An entertainment system comprising:

an input device comprising:

a first main surface;

one or more side edges, wherein an elongate illuminated region extends along some or all of one or more of the side edges;

one or more motion sensors operable to generate motion data;

a wireless communicator for transmitting the motion data to the entertainment device; and

a first stereoscopic camera and a second stereoscopic camera having respective viewpoints located at opposing corners of a first area of the main surface, the field of view of each stereoscopic camera encompassing a first volume of space immediately above the first area;

wherein the first and second stereoscopic cameras are operable to generate respective stereoscopic images, from which a first depth map and complementary second depth map may be generated for opposite sides of an object placed within the first volume of space; and

an entertainment device comprising:

a video receiver operable to receive a captured video image frame from a video camera;

a wireless receiver operable to receive relative movement telemetry from the input device;

an image analyser operable to detect one or more elongate illuminated regions extending along some or all of the one or more side edges of the input device captured in the video image frame; and

a processor operable to combine a position and orientation of each detected elongate illuminated region and the relative movement telemetry to estimate a three dimensional position and an orientation of the input device, in which the processor is operable to estimate the position and orientation of the first volume of space immediately above the first area of the input device;

and in which

the processor of the entertainment device is operable to calculate from complementary depth maps the position and orientation of a virtual model corresponding spatially to a real object in the first volume of space immediately above the first area of the input device, and is operable to use some or all of the calculated position and orientation of the virtual model as a control input for an application.

10 . An entertainment system according to claim 9 , in which

the processor of the entertainment device is operable to generate a video signal comprising some or all of the captured video image frame in conjunction with one or more virtual characters to form an augmented reality image; and

the processor of the entertainment device is operable to position, scale and orient one or more of the virtual characters in a manner responsive to the three dimensional position and the orientation of the input device.

11 . An entertainment system according to claim 10 , in which:

the processor of the entertainment device is operable to calculate the position and orientation of a virtual character at least partly occupying the first volume of space immediately above the first area of the input device, and to consequently calculate each point of virtual contact between the virtual model of the real object and the virtual character.

12 . An input method for an input device, comprising the steps of:

transmitting motion data generated by one or more motion sensors of an input device to an entertainment device;

illuminating one or more elongate regions extending along one or more side edges of the input device for detection by a video camera operably coupled to the entertainment device.

13 . An input method for an entertainment device, comprising the steps of:

receiving at an entertainment device motion data generated by one or more motion sensors of an input device;

receiving a captured video image frame from a video camera;

detecting one or more elongate illuminated regions extending along some or all of one or more side edges of the input device captured in the video image frame; and

combining a position and orientation of each detected elongate illuminated region and the received motion data to estimate a three dimensional position and an orientation of the input device.

14 . An input method for a system comprising an input device and an entertainment device, comprising the steps of:

capturing complementary stereoscopic images of a real object from opposing corners of a first area of a main surface of the input device, the real object located within a first volume of space located immediately above the first area of the main surface of the input device;

generating complementary depth maps of opposite sides of the real object from the complementary stereoscopic images;

calculating from the complementary depth maps a position and orientation of a virtual model corresponding spatially to the real object; and

using some or all of the calculated position and orientation of the virtual model as a control input for an application.

15 . A non-transitory computer program storage product comprising computer program instructions for implementing on an input device the steps of:

transmitting motion data generated by one or more motion sensors of an input device to an entertainment device; and

illuminating one or more elongate regions extending along one or more side edges of the input device for detection by a video camera operably coupled to the entertainment device.

16 . A tangible, non-transitory computer program storage product on which computer program instructions are stored, the instructions, when executed on an entertainment device, cause the entertainment device to carry out a method of:

receiving at an entertainment device motion data generated by one or more motion sensors of an input device;

receiving a captured video image frame from a video camera;

detecting one or more elongate illuminated regions extending along some or all of one or more side edges of the input device captured in the video image frame; and

combining the position and orientation of each detected elongate illuminated region and the received motion data to estimate a three dimensional position and an orientation of the input device.

17 . A tangible, non-transitory computer program storage product on which computer program instructions are stored, the instructions, when executed on a system comprising an input device and an entertainment device, cause the system to carry out a method of:

capturing complementary stereoscopic images of a real object from opposing corners of a first area of a main surface of the input device, the real object located within a first volume of space located immediately above the first area of the main surface of the input device;

generating complementary depth maps of opposite sides of the real object from the complementary stereoscopic images;

calculating from the complementary depth maps the position and orientation of a virtual model corresponding spatially to the real object; and

using some or all of the calculated position and orientation of the virtual model as a control input for an application.