KR100729512B1 - Mobile phone with an internet connection function using camera and method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

A mobile terminal having an Internet access function using a camera and a method thereof are provided to enable users to easily access the wireless Internet without the necessity of inputting URLs(Uniform Resource Locators) one after another and regardless of age or sex by photographing an URL, extracting the URL from the photographed image, and accessing the associated website. A mobile terminal comprises a camera(10), a key input part(20), a URL extraction part(30), an Internet access part(60), and a memory(70). The camera(10) photographs information containing a URL string, displayed on a webpage or paper, and acquires an image. The key input part(20) inputs an operation command for the camera(10) or a wireless Internet access command. The URL extraction part(30) extracts the URL string from the photo image obtained through the camera(10). The Internet access part(60) receives the extracted URL string from the URL extraction part(30), acquires a URL, drives an internal wireless Internet browser, and controls Internet access to the acquired URL. The memory(70) stores and manages the acquired URL.

Description

Mobile communication terminal with internet access function using camera and its method {MOBILE PHONE WITH AN INTERNET CONNECTION FUNCTION USING CAMERA AND METHOD THEREFOR}

1 is a flowchart illustrating an internet access process using a mobile communication terminal according to the prior art.

2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating a user interface screen when connecting to the Internet of FIG. 1.

3 is a block diagram showing an Internet access device of a mobile communication terminal according to the present invention.

4 is a flowchart illustrating an internet access process using a mobile communication terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5A to 5E are diagrams for explaining an internet access process according to FIG. 4.

6 is a flowchart illustrating an internet access process using a mobile communication terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention.

7A to 7G are diagrams for explaining an internet access process according to FIG. 6.

* Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings

10: camera 20: key input unit

30: URL extraction unit 40: display unit

50: wireless processing unit 60: Internet connection means

70: memory

The present invention relates to a wireless Internet access service, and in particular, by using a camera of the mobile communication terminal to photograph the URL to be connected, extract the URL address from the photographed image using a camera that can be connected to the wired / wireless site A mobile communication terminal having an internet access function and a method thereof are provided.

Recently, the number of users for wireless data communication service that enables to transmit / receive data such as letters, numbers and graphics wirelessly through mobile communication terminal is increasing rapidly. When using wireless data communication service, traffic information, In addition to searching general information such as securities information, it is also possible to search the Internet with a WAP browser.

As a result of the wireless Internet, various additional services, which were only available on a wired computer, are also available in mobile communication terminals. Currently, a large number of subscribers use the Internet access service through the wireless Internet function of mobile communication terminals. .

Looking at the conventional Internet access method with reference to Figures 1 and 2 as follows.

First, when a user wants to access the Internet using a mobile communication terminal, the user enters the Internet access environment of the mobile communication terminal as shown in FIG. If selected, the mobile communication terminal displays a user interface screen as shown in FIG. 2B.

If a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) to be accessed from the user is input in the URL input window at the bottom of the screen as shown in FIG. 2B, the browser is installed in the mobile communication terminal to request Internet access to the corresponding URL address (ST1).

Then, the mobile communication terminal receives the URL address of the web server requested to access the Internet from the user in step ST1, and proceeds to step ST2 to connect to the Internet through a base station controller and a mobile telephone exchange via a base station. At this time, the base station controller and the mobile telephone exchange perform the call connection to the network interworking system, that is, the Interworking Function (IWF), for the internet connection call requested by the data communication option from the mobile communication terminal, and perform the data relay transfer protocol. Wireless data transmission and reception between web server and mobile communication terminal is enabled.

Accordingly, the mobile communication terminal downloads the web document from the web server in step ST3, and displays the downloaded web document on the display unit of the mobile communication terminal in step ST4.

However, as described above, in the Internet access process of the conventional mobile communication terminal, when accessing a general wired / wireless site, a user must directly input a corresponding URL, and most of the URLs include English and special symbols rather than Korean. There was considerable difficulty in accessing the website by entering URLs (special characters) through a multi-step process.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to take a URL to be accessed using a camera of the mobile communication terminal, extract the URL address from the photographed image and automatically connect to the wired / wireless site, so that the user can input the URL address. There is a need to provide a mobile communication terminal having an internet access function using a camera which is quite convenient for use and a method thereof.

Another object of the present invention is to take a URL to be accessed using a camera of the mobile communication terminal, extract the URL address from the photographed image and then match the URL address and the website name, the user to save the URL The present invention provides a mobile communication terminal having an internet access function using a camera that can easily find information and access a wired / wireless site, and a method thereof.

Technical means of the present invention for achieving the above object, a mobile communication terminal having a camera function, the camera for capturing information by recording information including an external paper or a URL string displayed on the screen; A key input unit for inputting an operation command of the camera and a wireless internet access command; A URL extraction unit for analyzing and extracting URL strings from the photographed images taken by the camera; And controlling the operation of the camera according to the input command of the key input unit, and receiving and combining URL strings extracted from the URL extraction unit, respectively, to obtain a URL address, and then driving the built-in wireless Internet browser. It characterized in that it comprises a; Internet access means for controlling access to the wired and wireless web site using.

The apparatus may further include a memory configured to store and manage the URL address obtained by the Internet access means, wherein the memory is matched and stored with a website name corresponding to the URL address.

The technical method of the present invention for achieving the above object is a method of accessing the Internet using a mobile communication terminal, the first step of obtaining the image by photographing the URL information to be connected; Extracting a URL string included in the photographed image; A third step of obtaining a URL address by combining the extracted URL strings; And a fourth step of wirelessly accessing a corresponding website by driving a browser to the obtained URL address.

Specifically, the first step may include driving the camera in the terminal according to an external camera driving command; Selecting a URL information shooting menu while driving a camera in the terminal; And photographing the URL address to be accessed after selecting the URL shooting.

The URL string extracted in the second step may be automatically stored in the terminal. The URL string extracted in the second step may be a name, a directory name, and a file name of a computer having a protocol and information. do.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of accessing the Internet using a mobile communication terminal, the method comprising: obtaining an image by photographing a URL address to be accessed; A second step of extracting each URL string included in the photographed image; A third step of obtaining a URL address by combining the extracted URL strings; A fourth step of storing the obtained URL address in a memory; And a fifth step of automatically driving a browser to wirelessly access the selected URL address when the URL address stored in the memory is selected through the Internet access interface in the terminal.

Specifically, requesting the user to input the website name of the obtained URL address before storing the URL address obtained in the fourth step in the memory; And if the website name is input, matching the website name with a URL address and storing the same in a memory.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

3 is a block diagram showing an Internet access device of a mobile communication terminal according to the present invention, which includes a camera 10, a key input unit 20, a URL extraction unit 30, a display unit 40, a wireless processing unit 50, and the Internet. It consists of a connection means 60 and a memory 70.

The camera 10 is composed of a CCD or CMOS element for capturing an image by capturing information including a URL string displayed or described on a web page 1 or a paper 5 on a screen, and the key input unit 20 has a predetermined value. It consists of numeric / character keys, menu keys, touch screen, etc. for inputting the operation of the camera and a wireless Internet access command through a user interface, and the URL extractor 30 is a photographic image taken by the camera 10. It is configured to extract and analyze each URL string included in the photographic image, and the display unit 40 displays the user interface for driving the camera or wireless Internet connection and the URL information taken by the camera 10 LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or OLED (Organic Light Emitting Display) and the like, the wireless processing unit 50 exchanges a radio signal with a mobile communication network It consists of a modulator, a transmitting amplifier, a receiving amplifier and a demodulator, and is configured to perform a communication service with a corresponding website through a mobile communication network according to a predetermined control, and the Internet access means 60 is an input command of the key input unit 20. According to the control of the operation of the camera 10 as well as receiving each URL string extracted from the URL extraction unit 30 to obtain a URL address by combining and using the URL address obtained by driving the built-in wireless Internet browser It is configured to control access to the wired or wireless website.

In addition, the memory 70 is configured to store and manage various menu application programs such as driving the camera in the terminal and wireless Internet access and the URL address obtained through the Internet access means 60.

The URL extractor 30 and the Internet access means 60 correspond to a control means. The URL string extracted through the URL extractor 30 is a protocol (http), a name of a computer having information, a directory. Name and file name, such URL string is obtained by combining the URL string through the Internet connection means 60 extracted by the URL extraction unit 30 to obtain the URL address.

The obtained URL address is stored in the memory 70, and the user can later access the website by searching for the URL address stored in the memory 70.

In addition, before storing the obtained URL address in the memory 70, the Internet access means 60 receives a website name corresponding to the URL address from the key input unit 20 to match the URL address with the website name. It may be stored in the memory 70.

Looking at the operation process of the Internet access device configured as described above through the following embodiments.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for accessing the Internet of a mobile communication terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG.

First, the user decides the URL information to be connected. For example, the URL address of the web page 1 displayed on the computer monitor as shown in FIG. 5A or the URL address or URL described on the general paper 5 as shown in FIG. 5B. The URL information to be accessed is determined by writing the address by hand.

As such, the mobile communication terminal enters the camera menu and displays the corresponding user interface as shown in FIG. 5C on the display unit 40 according to the user's menu selection. An application program including a user interface and a command related to the URL shooting may be downloaded and installed from a service center or may be installed in advance when the terminal is manufactured.

As described above, when a predetermined 'URL shooting access' mode is selected by the user in the camera menu as shown in FIG. 5C, the Internet access means 60 drives the camera 10 (S1), and the camera 10 webs. After photographing the URL address on the page or the URL address on the paper to obtain a photographic image is displayed on the display unit 40 under the control of the Internet connection means 60 as shown in Figure 5d (S2). 5D illustrates a photographic image of photographing URL information on a web page.

The obtained photo image is transferred to the URL extractor 30 by the Internet access means 60, and the URL extractor 30 extracts URL strings included in the photographed photo image (S3). The URL extractor 30 extracts only a series of strings starting with 'http', which is a communication protocol, and a string extraction method included in an image uses a conventional extraction method.

That is, a method of extracting a character string using minimum circumscribed rectangle information surrounding each area from the result of labeling the input photo image only after the block division and type classification are performed. It is preferable to use a method of digitizing the number of sunspots by scanning a character area by line scan or extracting a character string according to the state of the number of sunspots. Directional edges are detected for the input image proposed in 309679 and separated into axial edge and diagonal edge pixels. By using the method of detecting the coordinates of a character string by detecting it, or the paper published by Chosun University in 1993. The technique described in "Research on Extracting Strings from Images with Mixed Characters" may be used, or the technique described in "Extracting Text Regions from Natural Images Using Brightness Information," published by Chonnam National University. In addition, the present invention is not limited to such an extraction method, and can be applied by adopting various known extraction methods.

After extracting all the character strings included in the image as described above, the URL extractor 30 outputs each extracted character string to the Internet access means 60, and the Internet access means 60 transmits the URL transmitted from the URL extractor 30. By receiving strings, each string is combined to obtain a URL address (S4, S5). If the URL extraction unit 30 cannot extract the URL string from the picture image in the extraction process (S4), the result is output to the Internet access means 60, and the Internet access means 60 is displayed through the display unit 40. As the reshooting message is displayed, the user requests a reshooting (S9).

The URL address thus obtained is transferred to a browser such as a WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) or ME (Mobile Explorer) method in the terminal, and the Internet access means 60 drives the wireless Internet browser (S6 and S7).

Accordingly, the browser wirelessly connects to the corresponding website using the delivered URL address and receives the web page shown in FIG. 5E to display on the display unit 40 (S8).

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method for accessing an internet of a mobile communication terminal according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG.

First, the user decides the URL information to be accessed, for example, the URL address of the web page 1 displayed on the computer screen as shown in FIG. 7A or the URL address described on the general paper 5 as shown in FIG. The URL information to be accessed is determined by manually writing the URL address.

As such, the mobile communication terminal enters the camera menu and displays the corresponding user interface as shown in FIG. 7C according to the user's menu selection.

As such, when a predetermined 'URL shooting' mode is selected by the user in the menu of the camera 10 as shown in FIG. 7C, the Internet access means 60 drives the camera 10 (S11), and the camera 10 After photographing the URL address on the web page or the URL address on the paper to obtain a photographic image is displayed on the display unit 40 under the control of the Internet connection means 60 as shown in Figure 7d (S12). 7D is a photographic image of photographing URL information on a paper.

The photographed image thus obtained is transferred to the URL extractor 30 by the Internet access means 60, and the URL extractor 30 extracts URL strings included in the photographed photographic image (S13). The URL extractor 30 extracts only a series of strings starting with 'http', which is a communication protocol, and a string extraction method included in an image uses a conventional extraction method.

After extracting all the strings included in the image as described above, the URL extractor 30 outputs the extracted strings to the Internet access means 60, and the Internet access means 60 transmits the URL strings transmitted from the URL extractor 30. Received to obtain a URL address by combining each string (S14, S15).

If the URL extraction unit 30 is unable to extract the URL string from the picture image in the extraction process (S14), the result is output to the Internet access means 60 and the Internet access means 60 through the display unit 40 As the reshooting message is displayed, the user requests the reshooting (S14-1).

The URL address thus obtained is transferred to the URL address area of the memory 70 for storage. Before storing the obtained URL address in the memory 70, the Internet access means 60 stores the URL address. By displaying a message for inputting a website name on the display unit 40, a user can request a website name input (S16), and when the website name is input through the key input unit 20, the Internet access means 60. The web site name and URL address are mutually matched and stored in the memory 70 (S17 and S18). In this case, the information to be shown to the user later is preferably the URL address.

Of course, when the website name is input through the key input unit 20, the Internet access means 60 stores only the URL address in the memory 70 (S17-1).

Subsequently, according to the user's menu selection while the URL address is stored in the memory 70, the mobile communication terminal enters the Internet access area of the Internet access menu or the camera menu and displays the user interface as shown in FIG. 7E. Will be displayed on the screen. When a predetermined 'URL address room' item is selected by the user in the Internet access menu as shown in FIG. 7E, the Internet access means 60 displays various URL addresses or website names stored in the memory 70 as shown in FIG. 7F. (S19).

Of course, if the stored URL address or website name cannot be displayed on one page, it is provided in units of pages.

When the specific URL address or website name displayed in this way is selected, for example, if 'LG Telecom' is selected, the Internet access means 60 extracts the URL address matched with the website name from the memory 70 to the browser in the terminal. In addition to the transmission, the Internet access means 60 drives the wireless Internet browser (S21, S22).

Accordingly, the browser wirelessly connects to the corresponding website using the delivered URL address and receives the web page shown in FIG. 7G to display on the display unit 40.

Although specific embodiments of the present invention have been described and illustrated above, it is apparent that the present invention may be variously modified and implemented by those skilled in the art, such as storing extracted URL addresses in an Internet access area of a camera menu instead of an Internet access area. It's work. Such modified embodiments should not be understood individually from the technical spirit or the prospect of the present invention, but should fall within the claims appended to the present invention.

Therefore, in the present invention, by using the camera of the mobile communication terminal to shoot the URL to be connected, extract the URL address from the photographed image and access the wired / wireless site, the user can enter the URL address to be connected There is no need to connect to the wireless Internet without difficulty, regardless of gender, age and sex, and accordingly, it is possible to further activate the wireless Internet service.

In addition, by matching and storing the extracted URL address and the website name, there is an advantage that the user can easily find the corresponding URL information to be accessed, which can provide considerable convenience in use.

Claims (11)

delete In a mobile communication terminal having a camera function, A camera for capturing information by capturing information including a URL string displayed on a web page or a paper on a screen; A key input unit for inputting an operation command of the camera and a wireless internet access command; A URL extracting unit for extracting each of the URL strings from the photographed image taken by the camera; And It controls the operation of the camera according to the input command of the key input unit, receives the URL string extracted from the URL extracting unit, obtains the URL address by combining them, and then operates the built-in wireless Internet browser to access the Internet with the obtained URL address. Internet connection means for controlling; And And a memory for storing and managing the URL address obtained by the Internet access means. The method of claim 2, The memory has a mobile communication terminal having an Internet access function using a camera, characterized in that the website name corresponding to the URL address is stored. In the method of connecting to the Internet using a mobile communication terminal, A first step of obtaining an image by photographing URL information to be accessed; A second step of extracting a URL string included in the photographed picture image and storing the extracted URL string in a memory of the terminal; A third step of obtaining a URL address by combining the extracted URL strings; And And a fourth step of wirelessly connecting to a corresponding website by driving a browser to the obtained URL address. The method of claim 4, wherein The first step may include driving a camera in a terminal according to an external camera driving command; Selecting a URL information shooting menu while driving a camera in the terminal; Photographing the URL address to be connected after selecting the URL shooting; and a method of accessing the Internet using a camera in a mobile communication terminal. delete The method according to claim 4 or 5, The URL string extracted in the second step is a name, a directory name, and a file name of a computer having a protocol and information, and the Internet access method using a camera in a mobile communication terminal. The method according to claim 4 or 5, If the extraction of the URL string fails in the second step, the step of requesting the user to re-shoot further characterized in that the mobile communication terminal using the camera. In the method of connecting to the Internet using a mobile communication terminal, A first step of acquiring an image by photographing a URL address to be accessed; A second step of extracting each URL string included in the photographed image; A third step of obtaining a URL address by combining the extracted URL strings; A fourth step of storing the obtained URL address in a memory; And And a fifth step of automatically connecting the browser to the selected URL address when the specific URL address stored in the memory is selected through the Internet access interface in the terminal. . In the method of connecting to the Internet using a mobile communication terminal, A first step of acquiring an image by photographing a URL address to be accessed; A second step of extracting each URL string included in the photographed image; A third step of obtaining a URL address by combining the extracted URL strings; A fourth step of requesting a user to input a website name for the obtained URL address; A fifth step of matching a website name with a URL address when the website name is input and storing the same in a memory; And When a specific URL address stored in the memory is selected through the Internet access interface in the terminal, the browser is automatically driven to wirelessly connect to the selected URL address; Internet access method using a camera in a mobile communication terminal, characterized in that the . delete

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