Entertainment device and entertainment methods

Abstract

An entertainment device comprises a display, an object position detector to detect a three-dimensional position of an object in front of an image plane of the display, and a source position detector to detect a source position of a pointing source with respect to the display. A pointing direction indicates a direction in which the pointing source is pointing. The device also comprises a direction detector to detect a pointing direction of a user control device. The pointing direction of the user control device is associated with the pointing direction, so that a change in the pointing direction of the user control device causes a change in the pointing direction of the pointing source. The device also comprises an alignment detector to detect whether the three-dimensional position lies on a line passing through the source position in the direction of the pointing direction of the pointing source.

1 . An entertainment device comprising:
 a display to display an image to a user;   an object position detector to detect a three-dimensional position of an object in front of an image plane of the display;   a source position detector to detect a source position of a pointing source with respect to the display, the pointing source having an associated pointing direction indicative of a direction in which the pointing source is pointing;   a direction detector to detect a pointing direction of a user control device, the pointing direction of the user control device being associated with the pointing direction of the pointing source so that a change in the pointing direction of the user control device causes a change in the pointing direction of the pointing source; and   an alignment detector to detect whether the three-dimensional position lies on a line passing through the source position in the direction of the pointing direction of the pointing source.   
     
     
         2 . A device according to  claim 1 , in which:
 the object is a computer generated object;   the image comprises the computer generated object; and   the entertainment device is operable to generate the computer generated object so that, when displayed on the display, the computer generated object appears to be positioned at the three-dimensional position.   
     
     
         3 . A device according to  claim 2 , comprising:
 a user position detector to detect a position of the user with respect to the display; and   a computer generated object position detector to detect an apparent position of the computer generated object with respect to the display.   
     
     
         4 . A device according to  claim 1 , in which:
 the object is a real object.   
     
     
         5 . A device according to  claim 4 , in which the object position detector comprises:
 a camera operable to capture one or more images of the real object; and   a processor operable to carry out image processing on the captured images so as to detect the three-dimensional position of the real object.   
     
     
         6 . A device according to  claim 5 , in which the camera comprises a distance detector detect a relative distance between the camera and the real object. 
     
     
         7 . A device according to  claim 1 , in which the pointing source corresponds to a position of a game character within a game executed by the entertainment device. 
     
     
         8 . A device according to  claim 1 , in which the pointing source corresponds to the position of the user control device. 
     
     
         9 . A device according to  claim 8 , comprising:
 a generator to generate a three-dimensional image to be displayed on a display;   an image region detector to detect, with respect to the display, a three-dimensional image display region in which the three-dimensional image can be perceived as three-dimensional by a viewer viewing the display;   in which the generator is operable to generate the three-dimensional image within the image display region so that the three-dimensional image appears to be associated with the position and the pointing direction of the user control device.   
     
     
         10 . An entertainment system comprising:
 an object position detector to detect a three-dimensional position of an object in front of an image plane of a display;   a source position detector to detect a source position of a pointing source with respect to the display, the pointing source having an associated pointing direction indicative of a direction in which the pointing source is pointing;   a direction detector to detect a pointing direction of a user control device, the pointing direction of the user control device being associated with the pointing direction of the pointing source so that a change in the pointing direction of the user control device causes a change in the pointing direction of the pointing source; and   an alignment detector to detect whether the three-dimensional position lies on a line passing through the source position in the direction of the pointing direction of the pointing source.   
     
     
         11 . An entertainment method comprising:
 displaying an image on a display to a user;   detecting a three-dimensional position of an object in front of an image plane of the display;   detecting a source position of a pointing source with respect to the display, the pointing source having an associated pointing direction indicative of a direction in which the pointing source is pointing;   detecting a pointing direction of a user control device, the pointing direction of the user control device being associated with the pointing direction of the pointing source so that a change in the pointing direction of the user control device causes a change in the pointing direction of the pointing source; and   detecting whether the three-dimensional position lies on a line passing through the source position in the direction of the pointing direction of the pointing source.   
     
     
         12 . An entertainment device comprising:
 a generator to generate a three-dimensional image to be displayed on a display;   an image region detector to detect, with respect to the display, a three-dimensional image display region in which the three-dimensional image can be perceived as three-dimensional by a viewer viewing the display; and   a control device detector to detect a source position and pointing direction of a user-operated control device for controlling the entertainment device, the source position being indicative of a position of the user-operated control device with respect to the display, and the pointing direction being indicative of a direction in which the user-operated control device is pointing with respect to the display;   in which the generator is operable to generate the three-dimensional image within the image display region so that the three-dimensional image appears to be associated with the source position and the pointing direction of the user-operated control device.   
     
     
         13 . A device according to  claim 12 , in which the three-dimensional image is associated with the source position and the pointing direction of the user-operated control device so that the three-dimensional image appears to lie along the pointing direction. 
     
     
         14 . An entertainment method comprising:
 generating, using an entertainment device, a three-dimensional image to be displayed on a display;   detecting, with respect to the display, a three-dimensional image display region in which the three-dimensional image can be perceived as three-dimensional by a viewer viewing the display;   detecting a source position and pointing direction of a user control device for controlling the entertainment device, the source position being indicative of a position of the user control device with respect to the display, and the pointing direction being indicative of a direction in which the user control device is pointing with respect to the display; and   generating the three-dimensional image within the image display region so that the three-dimensional image appears to be associated with the source position and the pointing direction of the user control device.   
     
     
         15 . An entertainment device comprising:
 a generator to generate a three-dimensional image to be displayed on a display;   an image region detector to detect, with respect to the display, a three-dimensional image display region in which the three-dimensional image can be perceived as three-dimensional by a viewer viewing the display;   an apparent position detector to detect the apparent position of the three-dimensional image with respect to the display; and   a controller to control an appearance of the three-dimensional image in dependence upon the relative position of the three-dimensional image with respect to the image display region.   
     
     
         16 . A device according to  claim 15 , in which the generator is operable to generate the three-dimensional image so that, over a sequence of image frames, the three-dimensional image appears to move towards the viewer. 
     
     
         17 . A device according to  claim 16 , in which the controller is operable to control apparent motion of the three-dimensional image so that the three-dimensional image appears to remain within the three-dimensional image display region. 
     
     
         18 . A device according to  claim 16 , in which the controller is operable to control the appearance of the three-dimensional image so that the three-dimensional image appears to fade when a position of the three-dimensional image is within a threshold distance of an edge of the three-dimensional image display region. 
     
     
         19 . A device according to  claim 15 , in which:
 the generator is operable to generate one or more icons each associated with a function of the device, the one or more icons comprising one or more subgroups of icons generated by the generator so that the respective subgroups appear located at respective distances from the display; and   the controller is operable to cause the generator to control the number of icons in each subgroup in dependence upon the relative position of each subgroup with respect to the three-dimensional image display region.   
     
     
         20 . An entertainment method comprising:
 generating a three-dimensional image to be displayed on a display;   detecting, with respect to the display, a three-dimensional image display region in which the three-dimensional image can be perceived as three-dimensional by a viewer viewing the display;   detecting an apparent position of the three-dimensional image with respect to the display; and   controlling an appearance of the three-dimensional image in dependence upon the relative position of the three-dimensional image with respect to the image display region.   
     
     
         21 . A tangible, non-transitory computer program product comprising a storage medium on which is stored computer readable program code, the program code, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform an entertainment method,
 the method comprising:   displaying an image on a display to a user;   detecting a three-dimensional position of an object in front of an image plane of the display;   detecting a source position of a pointing source with respect to the display, the pointing source having an associated pointing direction indicative of a direction in which the pointing source is pointing;   detecting a pointing direction of a user control device, the pointing direction of the user control device being associated with the pointing direction of the pointing source so that a change in the pointing direction of the user control device causes a change in the pointing direction of the pointing source; and   detecting whether the three-dimensional position lies on a line passing through the source position in the direction of the pointing direction of the pointing source.   
     
     
         22 . A tangible, non-transitory computer program product comprising a storage medium on which is stored computer readable program code, the program code, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform an entertainment method, the method comprising:
 generating, using an entertainment device, a three-dimensional image to be displayed on a display;   detecting, with respect to the display, a three-dimensional image display region in which the three-dimensional image can be perceived as three-dimensional by a viewer viewing the display;   detecting a source position and pointing direction of a user control device for controlling the entertainment device, the source position being indicative of a position of the user control device with respect to the display, and the pointing direction being indicative of a direction in which the user control device is pointing with respect to the display; and   generating the three-dimensional image within the image display region so that the three-dimensional image appears to be associated with the source position and the pointing direction of the user control device.   
     
     
         23 . A tangible, non-transitory computer program product comprising a storage medium on which is stored computer readable program code, the program code, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform an entertainment method, the method comprising:
 generating a three-dimensional image to be displayed on a display;   detecting, with respect to the display, a three-dimensional image display region in which the three-dimensional image can be perceived as three-dimensional by a viewer viewing the display;   detecting an apparent position of the three-dimensional image with respect to the display; and   controlling an appearance of the three-dimensional image in dependence upon the relative position of the three-dimensional image with respect to the image display region.