KR101495797B1 - Mobile terminal and method for controlling alarm thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a camera comprising: a camera; An image analyzer for comparing a surrounding image obtained through the camera with a predetermined reference image; And a controller for controlling a predetermined alarm or alarm output based on a comparison result by the image analyzer, and an alarm control method in the mobile terminal.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for controlling an alarm in a mobile terminal and a mobile terminal,

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal, and more particularly, to a method of controlling an alarm in the mobile terminal.

A terminal such as a personal computer, a notebook computer, or a mobile phone has various functions, for example, a multimedia device having a complex function such as photographing or photographing of a moving picture, reproduction of music or a moving picture file, (Multimedia player).

The terminal can move And may be divided into a mobile terminal and a stationary terminal depending on whether the mobile terminal is a mobile terminal or a mobile terminal. The mobile terminal can be divided into a handheld terminal and a vehicle mount terminal according to whether the user can directly carry the mobile terminal.

In order to support and enhance the functionality of the terminal, it is contemplated to improve the structural and / or software portion of the terminal.

However, the alarm function included in the conventional terminal is implemented to operate only at a predetermined time, resulting in monotony and inconvenience in use.

The present invention provides a mobile terminal and an alarm control method in the mobile terminal in which it is possible not to operate an alarm in a situation that is unnecessary even in an alarm setting mode or in a predetermined environment.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a camera comprising: a camera; An image analyzer for comparing a surrounding image obtained through the camera with a predetermined reference image; And a control unit for controlling the predetermined alarm or alarm output based on the comparison result by the image analysis unit.

Here, the controller may turn on the camera at the predetermined alarm time or turn on the camera a predetermined time before the predetermined alarm time so that the camera can capture the surrounding image .

Here, the controller may control the viewpoint or viewing angle of the camera so that the camera can acquire the peripheral image.

Here, if the degree of coincidence between the peripheral image and the reference image has a value equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value as a result of the comparison by the image analyzing unit, the controller may cancel the predetermined alarm, Processing, and switching the output of the preset alarm to vibration.

Here, if the degree of coincidence between the peripheral image and the reference image has a value smaller than a predetermined threshold value as a result of the comparison by the image analyzing unit, the control unit may cancel the predetermined alarm, Silence processing, and switching the output of the preset alarm to vibration.

Here, the camera may be located at a front side of the mobile terminal.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling an alarm in a mobile terminal, comprising: checking whether an alarm is set; When the alarm is set, turning on the camera before the predetermined time from the alarm set time or alarm set time; Comparing a surrounding image obtained through the camera with a predetermined reference image; And controlling the predetermined alarm or alarm output based on the comparison result.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording medium on which a program for executing the alarm control method described above is recorded and read by the mobile terminal.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a mobile terminal capable of not operating an alarm in a situation where it is unnecessary to set an alarm or in a predetermined environment, and an alarm control method in the mobile terminal.

1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal to which an embodiment of the present invention can be applied.
2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a mobile terminal to which an embodiment of the present invention can be applied;
3 is a flowchart schematically illustrating an alarm control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

While the present invention has been described in connection with certain exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and similarities. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments, but includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, numerals (e.g., first, second, etc.) used in the description of the present invention are merely an identifier for distinguishing one component from another.

Also, in this specification, when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" with another element, the element may be directly connected or directly connected to the other element, It should be understood that, unless an opposite description is present, it may be connected or connected via another element in the middle.

Hereinafter, a mobile terminal related to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the 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 in this specification may include a mobile phone, a smart phone, a laptop computer, a digital broadcasting terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), a PMP (Portable Multimedia Player), navigation and the like.

1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a mobile terminal to which an embodiment of the present invention can be applied.

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 unit 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 broadcast signals 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, an EPG (Electronic Program Guide) of DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) or an ESG (Electronic Service Guide) of Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld (DVB-H).

The broadcast receiving module 111 receives broadcasting signals using various broadcasting systems. In particular, the broadcasting receiving module 111 may be a Digital Multimedia Broadcasting-Terrestrial (DMB-T), a Digital Multimedia Broadcasting-Satellite (DMB-S) Only Digital Broadcast-Handheld (DVB-H), Integrated Services Digital Broadcast-Terrestrial (ISDB-T), and the like. Of course, the broadcast receiving module 111 may be adapted to other broadcasting systems that provide broadcast signals 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 unit 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 refers to a module for wireless Internet access, and the wireless Internet module 113 can be embedded in the mobile terminal 100 or externally. WLAN (Wi-Fi), Wibro (Wireless broadband), Wimax (World Interoperability for Microwave Access), HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) and the like can be used as wireless Internet technologies.

The short-range communication module 114 refers to a module for short-range communication. Bluetooth, RFID, IrDA, Ultra Wideband (UWB), ZigBee, Near Field Communication (NFC), and the like can be used as the short range communication technology.

The location information module 115 is a module for confirming or obtaining the location of the mobile terminal. A typical example of the location information module is a GPS (Global Position System) module. According to the current technology, the GPS module 115 calculates information on a distance (distance) from three or more satellites to one point (entity), information on the time when the distance information is measured, It is possible to calculate three-dimensional position information according to latitude, longitude, and altitude with respect to one point in one hour. Further, a method of calculating position and time information using three satellites and correcting the error of the calculated position and time information using another satellite is also used. The GPS module 115 continues to calculate the current position in real time and uses it to calculate speed information.

Referring to FIG. 1, an A / V (Audio / Video) 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 communication 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 unit 160 or may be transmitted to the outside through the wireless communication unit 110. [ The camera 121 may be equipped with two or more cameras according to the configuration of the terminal.

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 is a user interface for receiving various commands from a user, and there is no particular limitation on the implementation method thereof. For example, the input unit 130 may include a plurality of operation units (see 131 and 132 in FIG. 2) as shown in FIG. 2, and these operation units may include a key pad, a touch pad Static pressure / static electricity), a wheel key, a jog switch, and the like.

In this case, the user input unit 130 may be integrated with the display module 151, which will be described later, so that the display screen 151 is displayed on the display screen 151. In this case, May be implemented in a sort-f key manner through the entire surface of the memory card.

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 is possible to sense whether the slide phone is opened or closed. In addition, it may be responsible for a sensing function related to whether the power supply unit 190 is powered on, whether the interface unit 170 is connected to an external device, and the like.

The output unit 150 may include a display unit 151, an audio output module 152, an alarm unit 153, a haptic module 154, and the like, for generating output related to visual, auditory, have.

The display module 151 displays and 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 the video communication mode or the photographing mode, the photographed and / or received video or UI and GUI are displayed.

The display module 151 may be a liquid crystal display, a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display, an organic light-emitting diode, a flexible display, a three-dimensional display 3D display) or the like.

Some of these displays may be transparent or light transmissive so that they can be seen through. This may be referred to as a transparent display. A typical example of the transparent display is a transparent LCD or the like. The rear structure of the display module 151 may also be of a light transmission type. With this structure, the user can see an object located behind the terminal body through the area occupied by the display module 151 of the terminal body.

According to the embodiment of the mobile terminal 100, there may be two or more display modules 151. FIG. 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 each other, or may be disposed on different surfaces.

In a case where the display module 151 and the sensor for sensing the touch operation (hereinafter, referred to as 'touch sensor') have a mutual layer structure (hereinafter referred to as 'touch screen' It 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 module 151 or a capacitance generated in a specific portion of the display module 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 pressure and directionality 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. Thus, the control unit 180 can know which area of the display module 151 is touched or the like.

At this time, the proximity sensor may be disposed in the inner region of the mobile terminal or in the vicinity of the touch screen, which is wrapped by the touch screen. The proximity sensor refers to a sensor that detects the presence of an object approaching a predetermined detection surface or an object existing in the vicinity of the detection surface without physical contact by using electromagnetic force 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 type photoelectric sensor, a direct reflection type photoelectric sensor, a mirror reflection type photoelectric sensor, a high frequency oscillation type proximity sensor, a capacitive proximity sensor, and a magnetic 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.

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 audio output module 152 may output audio data received from the wireless communication unit 110 or stored in the memory unit 160 in a call signal reception mode, a call mode or a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, a broadcast reception mode, The sound output module 152 may output an acoustic signal related to a function (e.g., a call signal reception sound, a 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 audio signal may also be output through the display module 151 or the audio output module 152.

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 the vibration generated by the hit module 154 can be controlled. For example, different vibrations may be synthesized and output or sequentially output.

In addition to the vibration, the haptic module 154 may be configured to perform various functions such as an effect of stimulation by a pin arrangement vertically moving with respect to a contact skin surface, an effect of stimulation by air spraying force or suction force through a jet opening or a suction opening, A variety of tactile effects such as an effect of stimulation through contact of an electrode, an effect of stimulation by an electrostatic force, and an effect of reproducing a cold sensation using a heat absorbing or exothermic element can be generated.

The haptic module 154 can transmit the tactile effect through the direct contact and can also be implemented to feel the tactile effect through the muscular sense of the user's 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 unit 160 may store a program for the operation of the controller 180 and may store input / output data (e.g., a phone book, a message, a still image, a moving picture, etc.). The memory unit 160 may store data related to vibration and sound of various patterns outputted when a touch is input on the touch screen.

The memory unit 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) (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 unit 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 receives power from the external device to transfer the data to each component in the mobile terminal 100 or to transmit data in the mobile terminal 100 to an 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 170 may be a path through which power from the cradle is supplied to the mobile terminal 100 when the mobile terminal 100 is connected to an external cradle, May be a pathway to the mobile 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 control unit 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 external power and internal power under the control of the controller 180 and supplies power necessary for operation of the respective components.

The various embodiments described herein may be embodied 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 may be implemented as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays May be implemented using at least one of processors, controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors, and electrical units for performing functions. In some cases, And may be implemented by the control unit 180.

According to a software implementation, embodiments such as procedures or functions may be implemented with separate software modules that perform at least one function or operation. The software code may be implemented by a software application written in a suitable programming language. Also, the software codes may be stored in the memory unit 160 and executed by the control unit 180. [

Hereinafter, a description will be given of a method of controlling an alarm in a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention with reference to FIG. 3, by way of example, with reference to the block diagram and the appearance of a mobile terminal to which the present invention can be applied. .

The present invention is not limited to setting the alarm function in the terminal in a simple manner only in terms of time, but in the case of recognizing a specific place based on a peripheral image obtained by using a camera provided in the terminal, It is intended to provide an alarm or an alarm that does not operate at a specific location.

3 is a flowchart schematically illustrating an alarm control method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In step S310, the user executes the alarm setting function of the terminal and sets a time at which the alarm is to be sounded (hereinafter referred to as alarm time).

After the alarm time is set as described above, in step S320, the control unit (see 180 in FIG. 1, hereinafter referred to) confirms whether or not the preset alarm time has arrived. The same method as in the conventional art can be used to confirm whether or not the alarm time has arrived.

When the preset alarm time comes, the controller 180 turns on the camera (see 121 in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, hereinafter), so that the camera 121 displays the image around the position where the terminal is placed (Hereinafter, referred to as peripheral video).

3, the camera unit 121 is turned on when the preset alarm time comes. However, the control unit 180 may set the time when the camera 121 is turned on from a predetermined alarm time For example, 5 minutes before).

At this time, the obtained peripheral image may be a video image captured through a camera, or a preview image input through a camera. At this time, the controller 180 may control the camera controller (not shown) to adjust the viewpoint or the viewing angle of the camera 121 so that the peripheral image can be acquired appropriately and in a wider field of view.

Here, it is preferable that the camera 121 is located on the front side of the mobile terminal 100 as shown in FIG. In general, a user often places a face on which a display is located (i.e., a front face) facing upward when mounting a terminal of the user. However, since the posture in which the terminal is mounted may vary, the camera does not necessarily have to be located in the front portion of the terminal, and it is obvious that the peripheral image can be acquired through the rear camera. In recent years, it is often the case that a rear camera as well as a front camera are mounted together for self photographing, and either or both of these front and rear cameras may be used for acquiring a peripheral image.

When a peripheral image is acquired through the camera 121, an image analysis unit (not shown) compares the peripheral image with a predetermined reference image. The image analysis unit may be mounted in a terminal by a separate module (for example, an image processing apparatus), but the functions of the image analysis unit may be integrally implemented by the control unit 180.

Here, the reference image may be an image for a specific space that is previously picked up by the user. For example, an image of the ceiling of a user in a place where the user mainly puts the terminal at bedtime can be used as a reference image.

In step S330, based on the image comparison result of the image analysis unit (not shown), in step S330, if the surrounding image acquired by the camera 121 and the predetermined reference image coincide with each other, And in case of a discrepancy, the alarm can be deactivated in accordance with step S350.

That is, assuming that the user sets the alarm to sound at 6 AM every day, according to the prior art, the alarm will sound when the alarm time is 6 AM. According to the present invention, when the preset alarm time arrives, the camera 121 is operated to acquire a peripheral image, and only when the obtained peripheral image is determined to coincide with a reference image, which is a video related to a specific place Activate the alarm. For example, there is a case where the alarm is activated only when the user is sleeping in his / her bedroom, and the alarm is not activated when the surrounding image is determined to be the image related to the place other than the bedroom space will be.

Here, the mutual agreement between the peripheral image and the reference image means that when the degree of matching with the reference image is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold value (for example, 80%) or more Value. ≪ / RTI >

At this time, the control unit 180 may deactivate the alarm function by releasing the predetermined alarm or by processing the predetermined alarm output by silence. Of course, a method of switching the preset alarm output to vibration may be used depending on the necessity or setting.

3, the alarm is normally operated when the peripheral image and the reference image are coincident with each other, and the alarm is not activated when the reference image is inconsistent. However, the alarm may be processed in the opposite manner according to necessity or setting. In other words, in the case of FIG. 3, the case where the alarm operates only when the terminal is located at a specific place is taken as an example. On the other hand, the alarm may be set not to operate only when the terminal is located at a specific place. For example, when the place where the terminal is located is the bedroom of the children, the alarm is set to be inoperable.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims And changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

100: mobile terminal 120: A / V input unit
121: camera 150: output unit
153: alarm unit 180: control unit

Claims (10)

camera;
An image analyzer for comparing a surrounding image obtained through the camera with a predetermined reference image; And
A control section for turning on the camera before a predetermined time from the preset alarm time and releasing or changing the alarm setting before the preset alarm time based on the comparison result by the image analysis section
.
The method according to claim 1,
One way to switch the alarm output mode to silence or to vibrate
Mobile terminal.
The apparatus of claim 1,
And controls the view point or the viewing angle of the camera so that the camera can acquire the peripheral image
Mobile terminal.
The apparatus of claim 1,
When the degree of coincidence between the peripheral image and the reference image has a value equal to or greater than a preset threshold value as a result of the comparison by the image analyzing unit,
Mobile terminal.
The apparatus of claim 1,
When the degree of coincidence between the peripheral image and the reference image has a value smaller than a preset threshold value as a result of the comparison by the image analyzing unit,
Mobile terminal.
The camera according to claim 1,
The mobile terminal according to claim 1,
Mobile terminal.
A method for controlling an alarm in a mobile terminal,
Turning on the camera before a predetermined time from the preset alarm time;
Comparing a surrounding image obtained through the camera with a predetermined reference image; And
And releasing or changing the alarm setting before the preset alarm time based on the comparison result
Lt; / RTI >
8. The method of claim 7, wherein releasing or changing the alarm setting comprises:
And canceling or changing the alarm setting if the degree of coincidence between the peripheral image and the reference image has a value equal to or greater than a preset threshold value
Lt; / RTI >
8. The method of claim 7, wherein controlling the predetermined alarm or alarm output comprises:
If the degree of coincidence between the peripheral image and the reference image has a value smaller than a predetermined threshold value, canceling or changing the alarm setting
Lt; / RTI >
A recording medium on which a program for executing an alarm control method according to any one of claims 7 to 9 can be recorded and read by a mobile terminal.

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