KR20120081493A - Mobile terminal and contents navigation method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A mobile terminal and a content navigation method are provided to dynamically adjust the gap of thumbnail sequence images by the gesture of a user. CONSTITUTION: A control unit(180) displays a first thumbnail sequence among a plurality of selected images to a display unit(151). The controller senses the gesture which is related with the first thumbnail sequence. The controller displays the second thumbnail sequence among the selected images by every second gaps in response to the sensed gesture.

Description

MOBILE TERMINAL AND CONTENTS NAVIGATION METHOD THEREOF}

The present disclosure relates to a mobile terminal and a method for controlling the operation of the mobile terminal, and more particularly, to a mobile terminal having a content playing function and a content searching method in such a mobile terminal.

Terminals may be divided into mobile terminals and stationary terminals according to their mobility. Again, the mobile terminal may be divided into a handheld terminal and a vehicle mount terminal according to whether the user can carry it directly.

Recently, as a mobile terminal provides complex and various functions, there is a demand for consideration of convenience of a user interface (UI) including a content playback function.

In the present disclosure, in the process of searching for a content, a mobile terminal and a mobile terminal capable of precisely searching content by dynamically adjusting an image interval corresponding to thumbnails included in a thumbnail sequence according to a detected gesture, It is a technical problem to provide a content searching method.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of searching for a content of a mobile terminal, the method including: displaying a first thumbnail sequence of images selected at a first interval among a plurality of images; Detecting a gesture associated with the first thumbnail sequence; And displaying a second thumbnail sequence of images selected at every second interval among the plurality of images in response to the sensed gesture.

In an example embodiment, the second interval may be determined based on a duration, a repetition number, or a direction of the detected gesture.

In another embodiment, the content searching method may further include determining a ratio of the first and second intervals.

In an embodiment, the displaying of the first thumbnail sequence may include displaying a first preview image of a thumbnail selected from the first thumbnail sequence, and the content searching method comprises: a thumbnail selected from the second thumbnail sequence And displaying a second preview image of the.

Also in one embodiment, the method of content searching further comprises: detecting a second gesture associated with a selected thumbnail in the second thumbnail sequence; And re-displaying the first thumbnail sequence in response to the sensed second gesture.

In another exemplary embodiment, the second gesture may be a gesture of dragging a thumbnail selected in the second thumbnail sequence to a predetermined region.

In an embodiment, the size of the predetermined area may be determined according to the types of the plurality of images.

In an embodiment, the displaying of the first thumbnail sequence may include displaying an image corresponding to a thumbnail selected from the first thumbnail sequence, and displaying the second preview image comprises: displaying the first preview image; And continuously displaying an image corresponding to the selected thumbnail in the thumbnail sequence.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mobile terminal comprising: a display unit configured to display a first thumbnail sequence of images selected at a first interval among a plurality of images; An input unit configured to detect a gesture associated with the first thumbnail sequence; And a controller configured to control the display unit to display a second thumbnail sequence of images selected at every second interval among the plurality of images in response to the detected gesture.

In an example embodiment, the second interval may be determined based on a duration, a repetition number, or a direction of the detected gesture.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the mobile terminal may dynamically adjust the image interval of the thumbnail sequence according to the gesture of the user, thereby enabling the precise search of the content. In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the mobile terminal provides a thumbnail touch area wider than the thumbnail sequence display area, thereby preventing malfunctions during content search and providing convenience of search.

1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2A is a front perspective view of an example of a mobile terminal according to the present invention;
FIG. 2B is a rear perspective view of the mobile terminal shown in FIG. 2A.
3 is a flowchart illustrating a content searching process according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4A to 4F illustrate a content searching process according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5A through 5C are diagrams illustrating a content searching process according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6A to 6E illustrate a content searching process according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a diagram for explaining an interval of a thumbnail sequence according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a diagram for describing a thumbnail touch area according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a mobile terminal related to embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The suffix "module" and " part "for the components used in the following description are given or mixed in consideration of ease of specification, and do not have their own meaning or role.

The mobile terminal described herein may include a mobile phone, a smart phone, a laptop computer, a digital broadcasting terminal, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable multimedia player (PMP), a navigation and a tablet PC, and the like. have. However, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the configuration according to the embodiments described herein may also be applied to fixed terminals such as digital TVs, desktop computers, etc., except when applicable only to mobile terminals.

1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The mobile terminal 100 includes a wireless communication unit 110, an audio / video input unit 120, a user input unit 130, a sensing unit 140, an output unit 150, a memory 160, A controller 170, a controller 180, a power supply 190, and the like. The components shown in FIG. 1 are not essential, and a mobile terminal having more or fewer components may be implemented.

Hereinafter, the components will be described in order.

The wireless communication unit 110 may include one or more modules for enabling wireless communication between the mobile terminal 100 and the wireless communication system or between the mobile terminal 100 and the network in which the mobile terminal 100 is located. For example, the wireless communication unit 110 may include a broadcast receiving module 111, a mobile communication module 112, a wireless Internet module 113, a short range communication module 114, and a location information module 115 .

The broadcast receiving module 111 receives a broadcast signal and / or broadcast related information from an external broadcast management server through a broadcast channel.

The broadcast channel may include a satellite channel and a terrestrial channel. The broadcast management server may refer to a server for generating and transmitting broadcast signals and / or broadcast related information, or a server for receiving broadcast signals and / or broadcast related information generated by the broadcast management server and transmitting the generated broadcast signals and / or broadcast related information. The broadcast signal may include a TV broadcast signal, a radio broadcast signal, a data broadcast signal, and a broadcast signal in which a data broadcast signal is combined with a TV broadcast signal or a radio broadcast signal.

The broadcast-related information may refer to a broadcast channel, a broadcast program, or information related to a broadcast service provider. The broadcast related information may also be provided through a mobile communication network. In this case, it may be received by the mobile communication module 112.

The broadcast related information may exist in various forms. For example, it may exist in the form of Electronic Program Guide (EPG) of Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) or Electronic Service Guide (ESG) of Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld (DVB-H).

The broadcast receiving module 111 may include, for example, Digital Multimedia Broadcasting-Terrestrial (DMB-T), Digital Multimedia Broadcasting-Satellite (DMB-S), Media Forward Link Only (MediaFLO), and Digital Video Broadcast (DVB-H). Digital broadcast signals can be received using digital broadcasting systems such as Handheld and Integrated Services Digital Broadcast-Terrestrial (ISDB-T). Of course, the broadcast receiving module 111 may be adapted to other broadcasting systems as well as the digital broadcasting system described above.

The broadcast signal and / or broadcast related information received through the broadcast receiving module 111 may be stored in the memory 160.

The mobile communication module 112 transmits and receives radio signals to at least one of a base station, an external terminal, and a server on a mobile communication network. The wireless signal may include various types of data depending on a voice call signal, a video call signal or a text / multimedia message transmission / reception.

The wireless Internet module 113 is a module for wireless Internet access, and may be built in or externally attached to the mobile terminal 100. Wireless Internet technologies may include Wireless LAN (Wi-Fi), Wireless Broadband (Wibro), World Interoperability for Microwave Access (Wimax), High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), and the like.

The short range communication module 114 refers to a module for short range communication. Bluetooth, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), infrared data association (IrDA), Ultra Wideband (UWB), ZigBee, and the like can be used as a short range communication technology.

The position information module 115 is a module for obtaining the position of the mobile terminal, and a representative example thereof is a Global Position System (GPS) module.

Referring to FIG. 1, the A / V input unit 120 is for inputting an audio signal or a video signal, and may include a camera 121 and a microphone 122. The camera 121 processes image frames such as still images or moving images obtained by the image sensor in the video call mode or the photographing mode. The processed image frame can be displayed on the display unit 151. [

The image frame processed by the camera 121 may be stored in the memory 160 or transmitted to the outside through the wireless communication unit 110. [ Two or more cameras 121 may be provided depending on the use environment.

The microphone 122 receives an external sound signal through a microphone in a communication mode, a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, or the like, and processes it as electrical voice data. The processed voice data can be converted into a form that can be transmitted to the mobile communication base station through the mobile communication module 112 when the voice data is in the call mode, and output. Various noise reduction algorithms may be implemented in the microphone 122 to remove noise generated in receiving an external sound signal.

The user input unit 130 generates input data for a user to control the operation of the terminal. The user input unit 130 may include a key pad dome switch, a touch pad (static pressure / capacitance), a jog wheel, a jog switch, and the like.

The sensing unit 140 senses the current state of the mobile terminal 100 such as the open / close state of the mobile terminal 100, the position of the mobile terminal 100, the presence or absence of user contact, the orientation of the mobile terminal, And generates a sensing signal for controlling the operation of the mobile terminal 100. For example, when the mobile terminal 100 is in the form of a slide phone, it may sense whether the slide phone is opened or closed. In addition, whether the power supply unit 190 is supplied with power, whether the interface unit 170 is coupled to the external device may be sensed. The sensing unit 140 may include a proximity sensor 141.

The output unit 150 is for generating output related to the visual, auditory or tactile sense and includes a display unit 151, an audio output module 152, an alarm unit 153, and a haptic module 154 .

The display unit 151 displays (outputs) information processed by the mobile terminal 100. For example, when the mobile terminal is in the call mode, a UI (User Interface) or a GUI (Graphic User Interface) associated with a call is displayed. When the mobile terminal 100 is in a video call mode or a photographing mode, the mobile terminal 100 displays photographed and / or received images, a UI, and a GUI.

The display unit 151 includes a liquid crystal display (LCD), a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), and a flexible display (flexible). and at least one of a 3D display.

Some of these displays may be transparent or light transmissive so that they can be seen through. This can be referred to as a transparent display, and a typical example of the transparent display is TOLED (Transparent OLED) and the like. The rear structure of the display unit 151 may also be configured as a light transmissive structure. With this structure, the user can see an object located behind the terminal body through the area occupied by the display unit 151 of the terminal body.

There may be two or more display units 151 according to the embodiment of the mobile terminal 100. For example, in the mobile terminal 100, a plurality of display portions may be spaced apart from one another, or may be disposed integrally with one another, and may be disposed on different surfaces, respectively.

When the display unit 151 and a sensor for detecting a touch operation (hereinafter, referred to as a touch sensor) form a mutual layer structure (hereinafter referred to as a touch screen), the display unit 151 may be configured in addition to an output device. Can also be used as an input device. The touch sensor may have the form of, for example, a touch film, a touch sheet, a touch pad, or the like.

The touch sensor may be configured to convert a change in a pressure applied to a specific portion of the display unit 151 or a capacitance generated in a specific portion of the display unit 151 into an electrical input signal. The touch sensor can be configured to detect not only the position and area to be touched but also the pressure at the time of touch.

If there is a touch input to the touch sensor, the corresponding signal (s) is sent to the touch controller. The touch controller processes the signal (s) and transmits the corresponding data to the controller 180. As a result, the controller 180 can know which area of the display unit 151 is touched.

Referring to FIG. 1, a proximity sensor 141 may be disposed in an inner region of the mobile terminal or in the vicinity of the touch screen, which is surrounded by the touch screen. The proximity sensor refers to a sensor that detects the presence or absence of an object approaching a predetermined detection surface or a nearby object without mechanical contact using the force of an electromagnetic field or infrared rays. The proximity sensor has a longer life span than the contact sensor and its utilization is also high.

Examples of the proximity sensor include a transmission photoelectric sensor, a direct reflection photoelectric sensor, a mirror reflection photoelectric sensor, a high frequency oscillation proximity sensor, a capacitive proximity sensor, a magnetic proximity sensor, and an infrared proximity sensor. And to detect the proximity of the pointer by the change of the electric field along the proximity of the pointer when the touch screen is electrostatic. In this case, the touch screen (touch sensor) may be classified as a proximity sensor.

Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the act of allowing the pointer to be recognized without being in contact with the touch screen so that the pointer is located on the touch screen is referred to as a "proximity touch", and the touch The act of actually touching the pointer on the screen is called "contact touch." The position where the pointer is proximately touched on the touch screen means a position where the pointer is vertically corresponding to the touch screen when the pointer is touched.

The proximity sensor detects a proximity touch and a proximity touch pattern (e.g., a proximity touch distance, a proximity touch direction, a proximity touch speed, a proximity touch time, a proximity touch position, a proximity touch movement state, and the like). Information corresponding to the detected proximity touch operation and the proximity touch pattern may be output on the touch screen.

The sound output module 152 may output audio data received from the wireless communication unit 110 or stored in the memory 160 in a call signal reception, a call mode or a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, a broadcast reception mode, and the like. The sound output module 152 also outputs sound signals related to functions (e.g., call signal reception sound, message reception sound, etc.) performed in the mobile terminal 100. [ The audio output module 152 may include a receiver, a speaker, a buzzer, and the like.

The alarm unit 153 outputs a signal for notifying the occurrence of an event of the mobile terminal 100. Examples of events that occur in the mobile terminal include call signal reception, message reception, key signal input, touch input, and the like. The alarm unit 153 may output a signal for notifying the occurrence of an event in a form other than the video signal or the audio signal, for example, vibration. The video signal or the audio signal may be output through the display unit 151 or the audio output module 152 so that they may be classified as a part of the alarm unit 153.

The haptic module 154 generates various tactile effects that the user can feel. A typical example of the haptic effect generated by the haptic module 154 is vibration. The intensity and pattern of vibration generated by the haptic module 154 can be controlled. For example, different vibrations may be synthesized and output or sequentially output.

In addition to vibration, the haptic module 154 may be configured to provide a pin array that vertically moves with respect to the contact skin surface, a jetting force or suction force of air through an injection or inlet port, grazing to the skin surface, contact of an electrode, electrostatic force, and the like. Various tactile effects can be generated, such as effects by the endothermic and the reproduction of a sense of cold using the elements capable of endotherm or heat generation.

The haptic module 154 can be implemented not only to transmit the tactile effect through the direct contact but also to allow the user to feel the tactile effect through the muscular sensation of the finger or arm. The haptic module 154 may include two or more haptic modules 154 according to the configuration of the portable terminal 100.

The memory 160 may store a program for the operation of the controller 180 and temporarily store input / output data (e.g., a phone book, a message, a still image, a moving picture, etc.). The memory 160 may store data relating to various patterns of vibration and sound output when a touch input on the touch screen is performed.

The memory 160 may be a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card type memory (for example, SD or XD memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), PROM A disk, and / or an optical disk. The mobile terminal 100 may operate in association with a web storage that performs a storage function of the memory 160 on the Internet.

The interface unit 170 serves as a path for communication with all external devices connected to the mobile terminal 100. The interface unit 170 receives data from an external device or supplies power to each component in the mobile terminal 100 or transmits data to the external device. For example, a wired / wireless headset port, an external charger port, a wired / wireless data port, a memory card port, a port for connecting a device having an identification module, an audio I / O port, A video input / output (I / O) port, an earphone port, and the like may be included in the interface unit 170.

The identification module is a chip for storing various information for authenticating the use right of the mobile terminal 100 and includes a user identification module (UIM), a subscriber identity module (SIM), a general user authentication module A Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), and the like. Devices with identification modules (hereinafter referred to as "identification devices") can be manufactured in a smart card format. Accordingly, the identification device can be connected to the terminal 100 through the port.

The interface unit may be a passage through which power from the cradle is supplied to the mobile terminal 100 when the mobile terminal 100 is connected to an external cradle, or various command signals input from the cradle by a user may be transferred. It may be a passage that is delivered to the terminal. The various command signals or the power source input from the cradle may be operated as a signal for recognizing that the mobile terminal is correctly mounted on the cradle.

The controller 180 typically controls the overall operation of the mobile terminal. For example, voice communication, data communication, video communication, and the like. The control unit 180 may include a multimedia module 181 for multimedia playback. The multimedia module 181 may be implemented in the control unit 180 or may be implemented separately from the control unit 180. [

The controller 180 may perform a pattern recognition process for recognizing handwriting input or drawing input performed on the touch screen as characters and images, respectively.

The power supply unit 190 receives an external power source and an internal power source under the control of the controller 180 to supply power for operation of each component.

Various embodiments described herein may be implemented in a recording medium readable by a computer or similar device using, for example, software, hardware or a combination thereof.

According to a hardware implementation, the embodiments described herein include application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and the like. It may be implemented using at least one of processors, controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors, and electrical units for performing other functions. The described embodiments may be implemented by the controller 180 itself.

According to the software implementation, embodiments such as the procedures and functions described herein may be implemented as separate software modules. Each of the software modules may perform one or more of the functions and operations described herein. Software code can be implemented in a software application written in a suitable programming language. The software code may be stored in the memory 160 and executed by the controller 180.

2A is a perspective view of an example of a mobile terminal or a mobile terminal according to the present invention.

The disclosed portable terminal 100 has a terminal body in the form of a bar. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and can be applied to various structures such as a slide type, a folder type, a swing type, and a swivel type in which two or more bodies are relatively movably coupled.

The body includes a case (a casing, a housing, a cover, and the like) which forms an appearance. In this embodiment, the case may be divided into a front case 101 and a rear case 102. [ A variety of electronic components are embedded in the space formed between the front case 101 and the rear case 102. At least one intermediate case may be additionally disposed between the front case 101 and the rear case 102. [

The cases may be formed by injecting synthetic resin or may be formed of a metal material, for example, a metal material such as stainless steel (STS) or titanium (Ti).

The display unit 151, the audio output unit 152, the camera 121, the user input units 130/131 and 132, the microphone 122, and the interface 170 may be disposed in the terminal body, mainly the front case 101. have.

The display unit 151 occupies most of the main surface of the front case 101. A sound output unit 151 and a camera 121 are disposed in an area adjacent to one end of both ends of the display unit 151 and a user input unit 131 and a microphone 122 are disposed in an area adjacent to the other end. The user input unit 132 and the interface 170 may be disposed on the side surfaces of the front case 101 and the rear case 102. [

The user input unit 130 is operated to receive a command for controlling the operation of the portable terminal 100 and may include a plurality of operation units 131 and 132. The manipulation units 131 and 132 may also be collectively referred to as manipulating portions, and may be employed in any manner as long as the user operates the tactile manner with a tactile feeling.

Content input by the first or second manipulation units 131 and 132 may be variously set. For example, the first operation unit 131 receives commands such as start, end, scroll, and the like, and the second operation unit 132 controls the size of the sound output from the sound output unit 152 or the size of the sound output from the display unit 151 To the touch recognition mode of the touch screen.

FIG. 2B is a rear perspective view of the portable terminal shown in FIG. 2A.

Referring to FIG. 2B, a camera 121 'may be further mounted on the rear surface of the terminal body, that is, the rear case 102. The camera 121 'may have a photographing direction substantially opposite to the camera 121 (see FIG. 2A), and may be a camera having different pixels from the camera 121.

For example, the camera 121 may have a low pixel so that the face of the user can be photographed and transmitted to the other party in case of a video call or the like, and the camera 121 ' It is preferable to have a large number of pixels. The cameras 121 and 121 'may be installed in the terminal body so as to be rotatable or pop-upable.

A flash 123 and a mirror 124 are further disposed adjacent to the camera 121 '. The flash 123 illuminates the subject when the subject is photographed by the camera 121 '. The mirror 124 allows the user to see his / her own face or the like when photographing (self-photographing) the user using the camera 121 '.

An acoustic output 152 'may be additionally disposed on the rear surface of the terminal body. The sound output unit 152 'may implement the stereo function together with the sound output unit 152 (see FIG. 2A), and may be used for the implementation of the speakerphone mode during a call.

In addition to the antenna for talking and the like, a broadcast signal reception antenna 116 may be additionally disposed on the side of the terminal body. The antenna 116, which forms part of the broadcast receiving module 111 (see FIG. 1), can be installed to be able to be drawn out from the terminal body.

A power supply unit 190 for supplying power to the portable terminal 100 is mounted on the terminal body. The power supply unit 190 may be embedded in the terminal body or may be directly detachable from the outside of the terminal body.

The rear case 102 may further include a touch pad 135 for sensing a touch. The touch pad 135 may also be of a light transmission type like the display unit 151. [ In this case, if the display unit 151 is configured to output time information on both sides, the time information can be recognized through the touch pad 135 as well. The information output on both sides may be all controlled by the touch pad 135. [ Alternatively, a display may be additionally mounted on the touch pad 135, and a touch screen may be disposed on the rear case 102 as well.

The touch pad 135 operates in association with the display unit 151 of the front case 101. The touch pad 135 may be disposed parallel to the rear of the display unit 151. The touch pad 135 may have a size equal to or smaller than that of the display unit 151.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments related to a terminal configured as described above will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments described later may be used alone or in combination with each other. In addition, embodiments described below may be used in combination with the above-described user interface (UI).

Embodiments disclosed in this document may be implemented in the mobile terminal 100 described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 2B.

Hereinafter, a method for searching contents of a mobile terminal and an operation of the mobile terminal 100 for implementing the same will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 8.

Application execution function

The controller 180 may control the wireless communication unit 110 or the interface unit 170 to obtain an application from an external device or an application providing server. In addition, the controller 180 may store and install the obtained application in the memory 160. When the application is installed, the memory 160 may store programs and data of the application, and the controller 180 may manage installation information of the application. In addition, when the application is installed, the controller 180 may generate an object set to execute the installed application and store the generated object in the memory 160.

When the controller 180 receives the request for displaying the idle screen, the controller 180 may control the display 151 to display the idle screen including at least one object stored in the memory 160. An object displayed on the idle screen may be selected through the user input unit 130, and when an object is selected, an application corresponding to the selected object may be executed.

Multitasking feature

In the mobile terminal 100 that supports multitasking in which the controller 180 shares a common processing resource, the controller 180 can execute a plurality of applications through job scheduling. That is, the controller 180 may execute the second application in the background area while executing the first application in the foreground area (that is, the activated state) (ie, deactivate the state).

variety Gesture  input

The user input unit 130 may detect various gestures using a touch sensor. In one embodiment, the gesture is a tap, drag, flick, swipe, double tap, and touch & hold gesture using a finger or stylus, etc. It may include.

A tap gesture is the most basic gesture of touching a user interface element of a screen, and means a motion of touching a touch screen or a finger or a stylus for a short time. It means the same motion as the single click of the mouse. Touch motion, long press motion, etc. may mean the same motion.

The drag gesture refers to a motion of scrolling in a specific direction while touching the screen. For example, drag gestures are used to scroll up and down the screen in scrollable user interface elements.

Flick gestures are gestures that take a drag gesture but release a finger or stylus from the touch screen in a short time. For example, flick gestures are used to quickly scroll up and down the screen in scrollable user interface elements.

Swipe gesture refers to a gesture that takes a drag gesture but strongly drags a finger or a star illustration on the touch screen. For example, drag gestures are used to display a hidden delete menu corresponding to each item in a list.

Double tap gestures refer to two consecutive tap motions, for example, to zoom in or center content or an image, or to zoom out.

Touch and hold gesture refers to a motion of maintaining a predetermined time while touching a finger or a stylus on a touch screen. Touch and hold gestures are also called long presses. Used to display an enlarged view of the position of the cursor in editable text.

Multi-touch function

Meanwhile, the touch screen of the mobile terminal 100 may recognize a multi touch. In this case, the gesture may further include pinch open and pinch close gestures.

A pinch open gesture refers to a gesture of spreading two fingers together while touching the touch screen as if extending the screen. Pinch open gestures are used to zoom in on the map screen in the map view. The double tap gesture is used to automatically zoom in by a predetermined magnification, but the pinch open gesture is used to adjust the zoom in level based on the degree of the user's finger spreading.

The pinch close gesture is an opposite gesture of the pinch open gesture, and means a gesture of touching two fingers on the touch screen as if the screen is narrowed. For example, a pinch open gesture is used to zoom out of a map screen in map view.

Content playback function

The mobile terminal 100 may receive content, convert the received content into a form reproducible by the mobile terminal 100, and output the converted content. The mobile terminal 100 can also generate or receive a series of thumbnails corresponding to the received content.

Content and thumbnails can be received from various sources. For example, content and thumbnails may be received from a local source such as external memory. In addition, content and thumbnails may be received from a remote source, such as a server or other device that produces the content.

thumbnail sequence

The mobile terminal 100 may generate a thumbnail sequence including thumbnails of the content. Each thumbnail in the thumbnail sequence may correspond to each of a plurality of images in the content. The order of the thumbnails in the thumbnail sequence may be determined according to the order between the plurality of images in the content.

If the content is a video, the order of the thumbnails may be determined according to the time order (timeline) of each image. In addition, when the content is a plurality of separate images, the order of the thumbnails may be determined according to the feature information of the image, such as the name of the image, the size of the image, the type of the image, the generation order of the image, and the like. In addition, when the content is an e-book, the order of the thumbnails may be determined according to the page order.

The mobile terminal 100 may play content, and thus a plurality of images may be sequentially displayed on the screen. In addition, in response to a display request of a thumbnail sequence, the mobile terminal 100 may display a thumbnail sequence together with the image. The image may be displayed in the first area on the screen, and the thumbnail sequence may be displayed in the second area on the screen. The second area may be displayed adjacent to the first area or overlapping the first area.

While the content is playing, the display menu of the previous or next image allows the user to sequentially search for images adjacent to the image being displayed. Also, the thumbnails included in the thumbnail sequence may allow the user to randomly search for a plurality of images included in the content. The order information of the thumbnails included in the thumbnail sequence may be reference information about the position of the image to be accessed in the content, and each thumbnail may be reference information about the content of the image to be accessed.

Due to the display constraints of the mobile terminal 100, it is impossible to display thumbnail sequences of all images included in content on one screen. Therefore, the mobile terminal 100 may display a thumbnail sequence of some images included in the content on the screen.

For example, the mobile terminal 100 may display only thumbnail sequences for some images located near the image being displayed on the screen. In this case, the user can scroll the thumbnail sequence for any search for other images located far from the image currently being displayed. Searching may be cumbersome as the image to be searched is farther from the currently displayed image.

Alternatively, the mobile terminal 100 may display thumbnail sequences of some images selected at predetermined intervals among all images included in the content on the screen. In this case, the user may not be able to precisely search for images corresponding to thumbnails not included in the thumbnail sequence.

Content navigation feature

3 is a flowchart illustrating a content searching process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In operation S100, a first thumbnail sequence of images selected at a first interval among the plurality of images may be displayed.

The plurality of images may constitute one content or may be respective content. For example, when the content is a video, each frame may be one image. Alternatively, when the content is a plurality of separate images (slide show), each image may be one image. Alternatively, when the content is an e-book, each page may be one image.

The first interval may be determined in consideration of the display size of the mobile terminal 100, the number of images, the size of thumbnails, and the like. For example, when the number of thumbnails of the thumbnail sequence that can be displayed on one screen is 10 and the number of images is 100 according to the display size and the size of the thumbnail, the first interval may be 10. That is, thumbnails for one image may be included in the thumbnail sequence for every ten images in order in the plurality of images.

Alternatively, the first interval may be 5. In this case, a thumbnail sequence corresponding to 50 images among 100 images may be displayed on one screen. In this case, the user may access the thumbnail sequence corresponding to the remaining 50 images by applying the scroll gesture.

The screen on which the content is played may be divided into at least two areas. An image may be displayed in the first area, and a thumbnail sequence may be displayed in the second area. According to an embodiment, a preview image of a thumbnail selected in the thumbnail sequence may be displayed in the third region.

The first area may be displayed in full screen, and the second area may be displayed adjacent to or overlapping with the first area. In addition, the third area may be displayed adjacent to the second area, thereby allowing the user to intuitively check the selected thumbnail and the preview image corresponding to the selected thumbnail.

In addition, the user input unit 130 may detect a gesture associated with the first thumbnail sequence (S200).

The gesture associated with the first thumbnail sequence may be various kinds of gestures. For example, the gesture may be a gesture of touching and holding a specific thumbnail included in the thumbnail sequence. Alternatively, the gesture may be any one gesture of double tapping and triple tapping a specific thumbnail included in the thumbnail sequence. Alternatively, the gesture may be a gesture of pinching open or pinch closing in a region in which a thumbnail sequence is displayed.

The controller 180 may control the display unit 151 to display a second thumbnail sequence of images selected at every second interval among the plurality of images in response to the gesture detected by the user input unit 130 ( S300).

The second interval may be larger or smaller than the first interval. For example, if the first interval is 10, the second interval may be 20 or 5.

In addition, the second interval may be determined according to the type of the detected gesture.

In one embodiment, when the detected gesture is a gesture of touching and holding a specific thumbnail included in the thumbnail sequence, the second interval may be determined according to the touch duration. In other words, when the user keeps the touch while the user touches a specific thumbnail, the second interval may become smaller.

For example, if the first interval was 10, the second interval may be changed to 5, 1 as the touch duration becomes longer. In contrast, when the second interval becomes 1, and the user applies a gesture to stop the touch (for example, touch up) while touching a particular thumbnail, the second interval may be changed over time. Therefore, it may be changed back to 5 and 10.

In another embodiment, when the detected gesture is a gesture of tapping a specific thumbnail included in the thumbnail sequence, the second interval may be determined according to the number of taps. In other words, when the user taps a particular thumbnail continuously, the second interval may become larger or smaller.

For example, when the first interval is 10 and the user applies a gesture of double tapping a specific thumbnail to the user input unit 130, the second interval may be five. On the contrary, when the first interval is 5 and the user applies a gesture of triple tapping a specific thumbnail to the user input unit 130, the second interval may be 10.

In this case, when a user applies a gesture of single tapping a specific thumbnail to the user input unit 130, a preview image or an image of the specific thumbnail may be displayed on the screen according to an embodiment.

In another embodiment, when the detected gesture is a gesture of pinching open or pinch closing in a region where a thumbnail sequence is displayed, the second interval may be determined according to the type of gesture. That is, in the case of pinching open or pinch closing in the region where the thumbnail sequence is displayed, the second interval may become larger or smaller.

For example, when the first interval is 10 and the user applies the pinch open gesture to the user input unit 130 in the region where the thumbnail sequence is displayed, the second interval may be five. On the contrary, when the first interval is 5 and the user applies the pinch close gesture to the user input unit 130 in the region where the thumbnail sequence is displayed, the second interval may be 10.

Accordingly, the controller 180 may control the display unit 151 to display the thumbnail sequence of the selected images every second interval among the plurality of images whenever the second interval is changed.

In addition, the controller 180 may determine the ratio of the first and second intervals. The controller 180 may provide an interface for setting the ratio of the first and second intervals. The interval of the thumbnail sequence may be adjusted step by step according to the set ratio. For example, when the ratio is 2 or 1/2, if the gesture is detected, the interval of the thumbnail sequence may be 2 times or 1/2 times.

4A to 4F illustrate a content searching process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4A, the controller 180 can play content according to a content play command. Accordingly, the display unit 151 may display the content playback screen 200. The content playback screen 200 may include an image display area 210.

The image display area 210 may display an image corresponding to a portion currently being played in the content being played. The image display area 210 may further display information about content currently being played or information about an image currently being displayed.

The content playback screen 200 may further include a thumbnail sequence display area 220. The thumbnail sequence display area 220 may be basically displayed when the content is played, or may be displayed when a display command of the thumbnail sequence display area 220 is applied to the user input unit 130. For example, when a user applies a gesture of tapping the thumbnail sequence display area 220 to the user input unit 130, the display unit 151 may display the thumbnail sequence display area 220.

The thumbnail sequence display area 220 may overlap or be displayed adjacent to the image display area 210 and may display thumbnail sequences for a plurality of images in the content. As described above, the thumbnail sequence may include thumbnails corresponding to images selected at predetermined intervals in the plurality of images so as to roughly search the entire contents. For example, thumbnails for images selected every 10 in the content including 140 images may be included in the thumbnail sequence.

Referring to FIG. 4B, when the user input unit 130 detects a gesture of selecting one thumbnail in the thumbnail sequence display area 220, a preview image corresponding to the selected thumbnail may be displayed in the preview image display area 230. have. The preview image display area 230 may be included in the content reproduction screen 200 and displayed adjacent to the thumbnail sequence display area 220. For example, when a gesture of touching the 80 th thumbnail is applied, the preview image for the 80 th thumbnail may be displayed in the preview image display area 230.

Referring to FIG. 4C, when the user input unit 130 detects a gesture of touching a single thumbnail in the thumbnail sequence display area 220, when a touch and hold gesture of maintaining a touch state for a predetermined time or longer is detected, the controller controls the control unit. 180 may reduce the interval of the thumbnail sequence.

For example, the controller 180 may change the thumbnail sequence of images selected every ten in the content into a thumbnail sequence of images selected every ten times in the thumbnail sequence display area 220. You can control the display.

In this case, thumbnails corresponding to adjacent images centering on the image corresponding to the selected thumbnail form a thumbnail sequence, and the configured thumbnail sequence may be displayed in the thumbnail sequence display area 220.

Accordingly, the 73 th to 79 th thumbnails and the 81 th to 86 th thumbnails adjacent to the 80 th thumbnail may be displayed in the thumbnail sequence display area 220 by forming a thumbnail sequence.

Also, in this case, an animation effect may be implemented in which thumbnails which are not included in a previous thumbnail sequence are smoothly unfolded around the selected thumbnail.

Referring to FIG. 4D, when the display unit 151 displays the thumbnail sequence of which the interval is adjusted in the thumbnail sequence display area 220, the user input unit 130 detects a gesture of dragging from the selected thumbnail to a specific thumbnail. The preview image for the thumbnail may be displayed in the preview image display area 230.

For example, when the user input unit 130 detects a gesture of dragging from the 80 th thumbnail to the 83 th thumbnail, the preview image corresponding to the 83 th thumbnail may be displayed on the preview image display area 230. As a result, in FIG. 4A, an arbitrary search for an image corresponding to the 83rd thumbnail, which could not be randomly searched because no thumbnail is displayed, becomes possible.

Referring to FIG. 4E, when the user applies a touch-up gesture while the display unit 151 displays the preview image for the thumbnail in the preview image display area 230, the image for the specific thumbnail is displayed. It may be displayed in the area 210. For example, when the user stops applying the touch gesture at the 83rd thumbnail, an image for the 83rd thumbnail may be displayed in the image display area 210.

Referring to FIG. 4F, the display unit 151 may display an image of the specific thumbnail on the image display area 210, and also restore the interval of the thumbnail sequence to the thumbnail sequence display area 220. have. For example, a thumbnail sequence including thumbnails corresponding to each of the ten selected images may be displayed in the thumbnail sequence display area 220.

5A through 5C are diagrams illustrating a content searching process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5A, a thumbnail (eg, 86) located at an edge of a thumbnail sequence (eg, including the 73 th thumbnail to the 86 th thumbnail) displayed on the thumbnail sequence display area 220 is displayed. When the touch gesture for the first thumbnail) is detected, the preview image corresponding to the thumbnail may be displayed in the preview image display area 220.

In such a state, if a touch gesture is continued in the thumbnail and a touch and hold gesture is detected, the thumbnail sequence may be adjusted to display a thumbnail adjacent to the thumbnail.

Referring to FIG. 5B, the controller 180 adjusts the thumbnail sequence displayed on the thumbnail sequence display area 220 so that the display unit 151 includes the adjusted thumbnail sequence (for example, the 87th thumbnail to the 87th thumbnail). ) Can be displayed. Accordingly, the 87 th thumbnail may be displayed in the portion where the original 86 th thumbnail is displayed, and the 86 th thumbnail may be displayed in the portion where the original 85 th thumbnail is displayed. As a result, the thumbnails are shifted left by one space and displayed, and the 73 th thumbnail may no longer be displayed.

In this state, when the touch gesture is continued in the 87th thumbnail and the touch and hold gesture is detected, the thumbnail sequence may be adjusted to display the thumbnail adjacent to the 87th thumbnail.

Referring to FIG. 5C, the controller 180 adjusts the thumbnail sequence displayed on the thumbnail sequence display area 220, so that the display unit 151 includes the adjusted thumbnail sequence (for example, the 75 th thumbnail to the 88 th thumbnail). ) Can be displayed. Accordingly, the 88 th thumbnail may be displayed in the portion where the original 87 th thumbnail is displayed, and the 87 th thumbnail may be displayed in the portion where the original 86 th thumbnail is displayed. As a result, the thumbnails are shifted left by one space and displayed, and the 74 th thumbnail may no longer be displayed.

6A to 6E illustrate a content searching process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6A to 6E, the thumbnail touch area 240 may be wider than the thumbnail sequence area 220 on the content playback screen 200. That is, even though a touch input is not directly applied to the thumbnail sequence region 220, when a touch gesture is detected in the thumbnail touch region 240, a preview image corresponding to the thumbnail (eg, the thumbnail closest to the touched portion) is detected. May be displayed in the preview image display area 230.

In FIG. 6A, when a touch gesture for selecting an 80 th thumbnail is applied, a preview image corresponding to the 80 th thumbnail may be displayed in the preview image display area 230. In this case, the image display area 210 may continue to display the image being displayed.

In FIG. 6B, when a touch gesture of dragging from the 80 th thumbnail to the 83 th thumbnail is applied, a preview image corresponding to the 83 th thumbnail may be displayed in the preview image display area 230. Also in this case, the image display area 210 can continue to display the image being displayed.

When a touch gesture for leaving the thumbnail sequence display area 220 is detected while the touch gesture with respect to the 83rd thumbnail is maintained, the controller 180 determines whether the drag gesture is made in the thumbnail touch area 240.

In FIG. 6C, if it is determined that the drag gesture is made in the thumbnail touch area 240, the controller 180 may continuously display the preview image corresponding to the 83rd thumbnail on the preview image display area 230. In this state, when the touch-up gesture is applied, the controller 180 can display an image corresponding to the 83rd thumbnail on the image display area 210.

6D, when it is determined that the drag gesture is out of the thumbnail touch area 240, as illustrated in FIG. 6E, the controller 180 displays the preview image corresponding to the 83rd thumbnail as shown in FIG. 6E. It may no longer be displayed at 230. Also, in this case, even if a touch up gesture is applied, the image display area 210 may continuously display the image being displayed.

Accordingly, in the process of searching for the content through the thumbnail sequence, the user can easily cancel the content search through the drag gesture using the thumbnail touch area 240.

In one embodiment, the thumbnail touch area 240 may be determined according to the types of the plurality of images. For example, in the case of an e-book, the thumbnail touch area 240 may be narrowly set to prevent an unexpected page switching operation, and in the case of a video, the thumbnail touch area 240 may be used to conveniently search for content by touch. ) Can be set wide.

7 is a diagram for explaining an interval of a thumbnail sequence according to an embodiment of the present invention.

7 (a) to 7 (c) show a conceptual diagram in which thumbnail sequences are changed when the intervals of the thumbnail sequences are set to be changed in order of 10, 5, and 1 order.

First, referring to FIG. 7A, a thumbnail sequence including thumbnails of images selected every ten among a plurality of images is configured, and the display unit 151 displays the thumbnail sequence on the thumbnail sequence display area 220. can do.

In this state, when a touch and hold gesture, a double tap gesture, or a pinch open gesture is detected in the thumbnail sequence display area 220, thumbnails of five selected images are included around the corresponding thumbnail as shown in FIG. 7 (b). The thumbnail sequence may be configured, and the display unit 151 may display the newly configured thumbnail sequence in the thumbnail sequence display area 220.

In this state, when the touch and hold gesture is continuously detected in the thumbnail sequence display area 220 or when the double tap gesture or the pinch open gesture is detected again in the thumbnail sequence display area 220, as shown in FIG. 7C. A thumbnail sequence including thumbnails of images selected for each one based on the corresponding thumbnail is configured, and the display unit 151 may display the newly configured thumbnail sequence in the thumbnail sequence display area 220.

In such a state, when a touch-up gesture, a triple tap gesture, or a pinch close gesture is detected in the thumbnail sequence display area 220, as shown in FIG. 7 (b), thumbnails of five selected images around the thumbnail are included. The thumbnail sequence is configured, and the display unit 151 may display the newly configured thumbnail sequence in the thumbnail sequence display area 220.

In this state, if a predetermined time elapses after the touch-up gesture is detected, or if the triple tap gesture or the pinch close gesture is detected again in the thumbnail sequence display area 220, the thumbnail is displayed as shown in FIG. 7A. A thumbnail sequence including thumbnails of selected images every ten frames is configured, and the display unit 151 may display the newly configured thumbnail sequence on the thumbnail sequence display area 220.

8 is a diagram for describing a thumbnail touch area according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the content search screen 200, the height of the image display area 210 may be H1, the height of the thumbnail sequence display area 220 may be H2, and the height of the thumbnail touch area 230 may be H3. Here, H3 may be less than H1 and greater than or equal to H2.

As described above, the size of H3 may be determined according to the type of content, and the controller 180 may provide a user with an interface for setting the size of H3. In order to prevent a malfunction in a content search process such as an e-book, H3 may be set small so that content search through a thumbnail sequence can be easily canceled. On the contrary, in the process of searching for a content such as a video, H3 may be set large so as to widen the touch area of the thumbnail sequence.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the above-described method may be implemented as code that can be read by a processor in a medium in which a program is recorded. Examples of the medium that can be read by the processor include ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage, etc., and may be implemented in the form of a carrier wave (e.g., transmission over the Internet) . The above-described mobile terminal and its operation control method are not limited to the configuration and method of the above-described embodiments, but the embodiments are all or part of each of the embodiments to be variously modified. It may be configured in combination.

Here, the terms and words used in the present specification and claims should not be construed as limited to ordinary or dictionary meanings, but should be construed as meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments described in the specification and the drawings shown in the drawings are only the most preferred embodiment of the present invention, and do not represent all of the technical idea of the present invention, which can be replaced at the time of the present application It should be understood that there may be various equivalents and variations.

100: mobile terminal 110: wireless communication unit
120: A / V input unit 130: user input unit
140: sensing unit 150: output unit
160: memory 170: interface unit
180: control unit 190: power supply unit

Claims (10)

Displaying a first thumbnail sequence of images selected at a first interval among the plurality of images;
Detecting a gesture associated with the first thumbnail sequence; And
And displaying a second thumbnail sequence of images selected at every second interval among the plurality of images in response to the detected gesture. The method of claim 1, wherein the second interval,
The content search method of the mobile terminal, characterized in that determined based on the detected duration, the number of repetitions or the direction of the gesture. The method of claim 1,
Determining the ratio of the first and second intervals. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the first thumbnail sequence comprises:
Displaying a first preview image of the selected thumbnail in the first thumbnail sequence,
And displaying a second preview image of the thumbnail selected in the second thumbnail sequence. The method of claim 4, wherein
Detecting a second gesture associated with a selected thumbnail in the second thumbnail sequence; And
And re-displaying the first thumbnail sequence in response to the detected second gesture. The method of claim 5, wherein the second gesture,
And a gesture of dragging the thumbnail selected in the second thumbnail sequence to a predetermined area. The method of claim 6, wherein the size of the predetermined area,
The content search method of the mobile terminal, characterized in that determined according to the type of the plurality of images. The method of claim 4, wherein displaying the first thumbnail sequence comprises:
Displaying an image corresponding to a selected thumbnail in the first thumbnail sequence,
The displaying of the second preview image may include:
And continuously displaying an image corresponding to the selected thumbnail in the first thumbnail sequence. A display unit configured to display a first thumbnail sequence of images selected at a first interval among a plurality of images;
An input unit configured to detect a gesture associated with the first thumbnail sequence; And
And a controller configured to control the display unit to display a second thumbnail sequence of images selected at every second interval among the plurality of images in response to the detected gesture. The method of claim 9, wherein the second interval,
The mobile terminal is determined based on the detected duration, the number of repetitions or the direction of the gesture.

Images