KR101520066B1 - System and method for situation-aware multi-modal communication - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a communication device for recognizing a situation and providing various communication modes and a method for providing the communication device. According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide an optimal preferred communication mode considering both the sender and the receiver's situation, and the user can perform communication in accordance with the provided preferred communication mode or by selecting any one of them. For example, the preferred communication mode is selected by analyzing the context information and the user behavior log of the communication device, the preferred communication mode is exchanged with another communication device, and the optimal preferred communication mode is selected based on the user's preferred communication mode and the other preferred communication mode It is possible to provide the mode to the user.

Communication, situation, environment, awareness, awareness, multimode, context information

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a communication apparatus and a communication apparatus,

And relates to a technique of recognizing a situation at a communication device and providing the user with a communication mode suitable for the situation.

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, portable communication devices such as mobile phones and PDAs have been widely used and information communication technologies have been developed. For example, in the case of a PDA, various functions such as a telephone function, a schedule management function, and a camera function are often installed.

These various functions of the communication apparatus are provided as hierarchical menus, and it is general that the user selects one of the functions in the menu. However, it is difficult to classify and memorize these functions into hierarchical menus in proportion to increasingly diverse functions of communication devices. In the case of sending a color mail of a cellular phone, for example, many users who do not know what item to select from a menu can know a lot.

In addition, since the communication mode also varies with these functions, it is necessary to memorize the hierarchical structure of the menu in order to select a necessary function (e.g., communication function) in a specific situation and to select a specific mode again in the selected function Therefore, it is very troublesome to select a menu.

Therefore, in a communication apparatus providing various functions, a system capable of automatically providing a specific function or a specific communication mode suitable for the situation is needed.

Disclosed herein is a communication apparatus and method for automatically providing a function suitable for each situation without manually opening a menu and selecting each item in order to efficiently use various functions of the communication apparatus.

In particular, the communication apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes: a sensor unit for sensing a current state of the communication apparatus; A user behavior log collecting unit for collecting a user behavior log including a user behavior according to each situation or a communication mode at that time; A situation analyzer for selecting a preferred communication mode based on the user behavior log and the current situation and providing the selected preferred communication mode to the user; . ≪ / RTI >

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication device, comprising: a negotiating unit for transmitting a preferred communication mode of the communication device to another communication device or requesting and receiving a partner's preferred communication mode corresponding to the preferred communication mode; The situation analyzer may combine the preferred communication mode of the user with the preferred communication mode of the partner received by the negotiation unit to provide the user with the optimal preferred communication mode.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication mode providing method comprising: selecting a preferred communication mode based on a user's current situation and a user activity log collected in advance, when a communication request is made to another communication device; Requesting and communicating to the other communication device a preferred communication mode of the other corresponding to its own preferred communication mode; Providing a user with an optimal preferred communication mode by combining his / her preferred communication mode and a preferred communication mode of the received communication partner; . ≪ / RTI >

Determining whether there is a request for a preferred communication mode from another communication device in the communication device on the receiving side that has requested the preferred communication mode; Selecting the preferred communication mode based on the current situation and the user behavior log, if there is a request; Transmitting the selected preferred communication mode to the other communication device; Can be performed.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the communication device may be a portable communication terminal, and the above situation may include information on location, time, date, temperature, weather, speed or power. In addition, the communication mode may be any one of a voice call, a video call, a text message, an e-mail, a hand-free mode, a reception rejection mode or a transmission restriction mode.

According to the disclosed contents, since the communication mode suited to the situation is automatically provided, there is no need to cumbersome to select the function on the menu. In addition, since the communication is performed using the communication mode having a high frequency of use in each situation based on the user's present or past behavior, the communication device can be utilized in accordance with the situation. Furthermore, considering the situation, the preferred communication mode is selected in consideration of not only the situation of the caller but also the situation of the receiver, so that the convenience of each user can be further improved.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather unclear. In addition, the terms described below are defined in consideration of the functions of the present invention, which may vary depending on the user, the intention of the operator, or the custom. Therefore, the definition should be based on the contents throughout this specification.

1 shows a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the communication device 100 may be a portable communication terminal such as a cellular phone or a PDA. For example, a PDA having a display function in the form of a touch screen and a telephone function can be an example of the communication apparatus 100 described above.

The communication apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment can provide various communication modes such as video call, voice call, text message, e-mail, denial of access, call restriction, hand- In addition, among these communication modes, it is possible to recognize a peripheral situation and automatically select a communication mode suitable for the situation and provide the communication mode to the user.

To this end, the communication apparatus 100 may include an application 101, a sensor unit 102, a user behavior log collecting unit 103, a situation analyzing unit 104, a display unit 105, and the like.

The application 101 is for performing various functions of the communication device 100 and may include a user interface. For example, the application 101 can provide a communication task, a camera function, a web connection function, and the like.

The sensor unit 102 senses the current state of the communication device 100.

The current situation can mean context information such as location, time, date, temperature, weather, speed or power. That is, the sensor unit 102 detects the peripheral information of the communication apparatus 100 or the own information of the communication apparatus 100.

For example, in the case of a place, it is possible to grasp the position of the communication device 100 through the GPS module included in the sensor unit 102. It is also possible to use the clock built in the sensor unit 102 or receive the corresponding information from the GPS module in case of time and date. The speed can be measured using an acceleration sensor, and weather is possible to receive information via the web. Also, the sensor unit 102 may measure the battery power of the communication device 100 to sense the electric power.

The user behavior log collection unit 103 collects a behavior log of a user using the communication device 100. [

The user behavior log may include a user's behavior or a communication mode at that time according to each situation. For example, if the user has exchanged a text message with another user using the communication device 100 at a specific time and place, the user behavior log collecting unit 103 may transmit the corresponding time and place as the context information, It is possible to store the use of the function in the form of a table.

More specifically, if a user receives a telephone call in the conference room at 10:00 am on Oct. 2, and the call rejection function has been used for the conference, the user behavior log collecting unit 103 acquires the data # 1 and # It is possible to create a user action log as shown in Fig.

The user behavior log collection unit 103 can periodically collect such a user behavior log or collect it every time set by the user. Also, an action log may be collected every time the communication function is used.

1, the situation analyzing unit 104 selects a preferred communication mode based on the user behavior log and the current situation, and provides it to the user.

The preferred communication mode may mean a communication method best suited to the current situation among various communication functions provided by the communication apparatus 100. [ The preferred communication mode may be one or more and may be provided to the user through the display unit 105. [ The user can select the preferred communication mode displayed through the display unit 105 and perform communication. For example, when a user is driving, a video communication or a text message is not suitable, so that the preferred communication mode can be voice communication or hand-free.

This preferred communication mode is selected based on the user behavior log collected by the user behavior log collecting unit 103 and the current situation detected by the sensor unit 102. [ For example, the situation analyzing unit 104 reads the measured value (i.e., the current situation) of the sensor unit 102 immediately before the communication is started, compares the measured value with the user behavior log stored in the user behavior log collecting unit 103, It is possible to select a communication mode having a measured value. At this time, the situation information can be plural, and it is also possible to assign a weight to a specific situation.

As a more specific example, referring to FIG. 7, suppose that a user has previously collected a user action log, such as data # 2, using a text message in the office, and the information about the place is given a high weight. When the user attempts to communicate with a friend in the office, the situation analyzing unit 104 detects that the current situation is office through the sensor unit 102 and transmits the user behavior log collecting unit 103, You can read the behavior log table. The situation analyzer 104 may compare the current situation and the user behavior log to extract the most similar data 2 locally and select the corresponding text message communication mode as the preferred communication mode.

1, the preferred communication mode selected by the situation analyzing unit 104 is provided to the application 101 and the display unit 105, and the user can perform communication through a communication mode suitable for the situation .

The above description indicates the situation of the communication device 100 and does not consider the situation of the other communication device as the communication partner. However, it is also possible to provide an optimal preferred communication mode in consideration of the situation of other communication devices through another embodiment of the present invention.

2 shows a communication device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the communication device 200 according to the present embodiment further includes a negotiation unit 106 in addition to the configuration shown in FIG. As will be described later, in the case of the situation analyzer 104, additional functions may be performed in addition to the functions described in FIG.

The negotiation unit 106 performs a function of transmitting certain information to another communication apparatus or requesting and receiving any information from another communication apparatus. At this time, the above information can be used as basic information for providing an optimal communication mode considering both the sender and the receiver of the communication. For example, the negotiating unit 106 may transmit its own preferred communication mode to another communication apparatus or request and receive a preferred communication mode of the partner corresponding to its preferred communication mode.

In addition, in FIG. 2, the situation analyzer 104 may combine the preferred communication mode of its own with the preferred communication mode of the partner received by the negotiating unit 106 to provide the user with the optimal preferred communication mode.

For example, if the preferred communication mode of the originating communication device is a text message and the preferred communication mode of the receiving communication device is a voice call, the originator is provided with two text message modes and voice communication modes, It is possible to perform communication by selecting a communication mode.

The preferred communication mode of the receiving-side communication device can be obtained using the configuration shown in Fig.

3 is intended to illustrate a method of providing a communication mode according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, for convenience of explanation, the calling terminal is referred to as A (301) and the receiving terminal is referred to as B (302). In addition, each of the terminals 301 and 302 is a PDA capable of carrying and communicating, and can be regarded as having a display means in the form of a touch screen.

When the user having the A 301 wants to call the user having the B 301, the user having the B 301 in the address book stored in the A 301 is selected and the predetermined call button is pressed Communication can be started.

Prior to the start of communication, for example, at a moment when the user selects the other party in the address book, the application 101A requests the situation analyzing unit 104A for the preferred communication mode (1).

Then, the situation analyzing unit 104A extracts data from the sensor unit 102A and the user behavior log collecting unit 103A, compares the extracted data, and obtains the preferred communication mode (②③). The preferred communication mode can be selected and obtained from the user behavior log collecting unit 103A in a user behavior log in a situation most similar to the current situation information obtained through the sensor unit 102A as described above.

Although it is possible to provide the user with the obtained preferred communication mode, it is also possible to provide an optimal preferred communication mode considering the situation of the B 302 as well.

For example, when the situation analyzing unit 104A receives a request for the preferred communication mode from the application 101A, it selects its own preferred communication mode and requests the negotiating unit 106A for the preferred communication mode of the B 302 It is possible (④). The negotiating unit 106A transmits the request to the negotiating unit 106B of the B 302 (step 5), and the negotiating unit 106B of the B 302 transmits the request to the situation analyzing unit 104B again (⑥).

B 302 analyzes the data extracted from the sensor unit 102B and the user behavior log collecting unit 103B and compares the extracted data to acquire the preferred communication mode (⑦⑧). And then transmits the obtained preferred communication mode to the negotiation unit 106B (9).

The obtained preferred communication mode of the B 302 is transmitted again to the negotiating unit 106A of the A (301) (10). The negotiating unit 106A of the B 301 transmits the preferred communication mode of the received B 302 to the situation analyzing unit 104A (11), and the situation analyzing unit 104A transmits its preferred communication mode (12) by combining the preferred communication mode of the received B (302) and transmitting it to the application (101) (13).

The application 101 displays the preferred communication mode transmitted through the display means, and the user performs communication by selecting one of the preferred communication mode or the displayed preferred communication mode.

4 illustrates a system architecture of software performed in a communication device in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the system according to the present embodiment may be configured with an application and middleware, wherein the application resides in a communication device or can be downloaded through the Internet or a local network. Examples of the application include a music player, a calendar, a game, a camera, a notepad, a web access, and various programs related to communication.

When a user requests a recommendation, the task manager 401 obtains a recommendation best suited to the current user situation from the middleware and provides it to the user, and the user can select any one of the recommendations. At this time, the user's selection may be fed back to the system.

The middleware may include a recommendation engine 402, a context manager 404, a situation recognition unit 403, a history manager 405, and the like.

The history manager 405 collects a history of usage data.

The context manager 404 detects the current situation or collects the state of the application program. For example, it is possible to detect a current location in the vicinity of a WiFi access point, detect a Bluetooth signal or the like, and detect the state of other users co-participating in the system (Co-locator identifier).

The situation recognition unit 403 extracts a task in a situation similar to the current situation detected by the context manager 404 and transmits the extracted task to the recommendation engine 402. [ It is possible to receive user feedback for extraction or to use unsupervised learning.

The recommendation engine 402 determines the priorities of the tasks, selects the tasks according to the high priority, and transmits the selected tasks to the task manager 401.

If the task selected by the user is a task related to communication, it is possible to select an optimal preferred communication mode as described above and perform communication according to the selected communication mode.

5 shows a display screen of a communication apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. At this time, the communication device may be a PDA having a communication function, and the display screen may be constituted by a touch screen.

Referring to FIG. 5, reference numeral 501 denotes a current state of a communication apparatus, and reference numeral 502 denotes tasks that a user frequently uses in that situation. And 503 indicates a list of communication partners when the communication related task is selected from the above tasks.

For example, 501 represents the status of the company, October 2, afternoon, and meeting in turn from left to right. In this situation, the task that the user frequently uses may be a note function, a camera function, and a communication function as shown in 502. These tasks can be obtained through the task recommendation manager of the communication device. When the user clicks on the corresponding part to use the communication function, a list of the communicable counterparts such as 503 appears. At this time, it is possible for the name of the other person in the list to be displayed in the order in which the user is frequently used in the situation.

FIG. 6 illustrates a next screen displayed when the user selects a communication function in FIG. This can be the finally selected preferred communication mode through the process described in FIG.

For example, the user's preferred communication mode may be e-mail 601 in an environment such as 501 in FIG. Meanwhile, the preferred communication mode of the selected party in 503 may be the text message 602. Therefore, it is possible to finally display each preferred communication mode as shown in FIG. Alternatively, it is also possible to display only one of them by setting a weight in advance in each communication mode.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the communication device can be utilized in various ways because it recognizes each situation and provides the user with a task or a communication mode suitable for the situation.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the appended claims, Should be considered to be within the scope of the present invention.

1 shows a configuration of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 shows a configuration of a communication apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates an operation procedure of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 shows a configuration of a communication apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

5 and 6 show a display screen of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 7 shows a user behavior log according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART [0002]

101: Application

102:

103: User action log collecting unit

104: Situation Analysis Department

105:

106: negotiation section

Claims (18)

1. A communication device for providing various communication modes to a user, comprising: A sensor unit for sensing a current state of the communication device; A user behavior log collecting unit that collects a user behavior log including a user's behavior for a communication mode and a communication mode at that time each time the communication function is used; And A situation analyzer for selecting a preferred communication mode based on the user behavior log and the current situation and providing the selected preferred communication mode to the user; Lt; / RTI > The communication device comprising: A negotiation unit for requesting another communication apparatus to request and receive a partner's preferred communication mode corresponding to its own preferred communication mode; Further comprising: The situation analyzer may provide the user with a preferred communication mode that considers both the current state of the communication device and the current state of the other communication device by combining the preferred communication mode of the communication device with the preferred communication mode of the partner received by the negotiating part And provides various communication modes by recognizing the situation. delete The method according to claim 1, Wherein the negotiating unit recognizes the situation of completing the request and reception of the partner's preferred communication mode before the communication is started, thereby providing various communication modes. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the situation includes a location, a time, a date, a temperature, a weather, a speed, or a power. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the communication mode includes a mode relating to voice call, video call, text message, e-mail, hand-free, rejection of call or call restriction, and provides various communication modes. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the preferred communication mode is provided through a display unit provided in the communication device, and recognizes a situation and provides various communication modes. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the communication device is a portable terminal, and recognizes a situation and provides various communication modes. A communication mode providing method performed by a communication device, Selecting a preferred communication mode based on the user's current situation and the user activity log collected in advance before the communication is started, if there is a communication request to another communication device; Requesting and communicating to the other communication device a relative preferred communication mode corresponding to its own preferred communication mode; And Providing a user with a preferred communication mode that considers both the current state of the communication device and the current state of the other communication device by combining the own preferred communication mode and the received preferred communication mode of the other party; Lt; / RTI > Wherein the user behavior log includes a user's behavior for the communication mode and the communication mode at that time, and is collected each time the communication function is used. 9. The method of claim 8, Wherein the situation includes information about a location, time, date, temperature, weather, speed or power. 9. The method of claim 8, Wherein the communication mode includes a mode relating to voice call, video call, text message, e-mail, hand-free, rejection of call or call restriction. 9. The method of claim 8, Wherein the preferred communication mode is provided through a display unit provided in the communication device, and recognizes a situation and provides various communication modes. 9. The method of claim 8, Wherein the communication device is a portable terminal, and recognizes the situation and provides various communication modes. A communication mode providing method performed by a communication device, Determining whether there is a request for a preferred communication mode from the other communication device providing a preferred communication mode considering both the current state of the communication device and the current state of another communication device; Selecting the preferred communication mode based on the current situation and the user behavior log if the request is made; And Transmitting the selected preferred communication mode to the other communication device; Lt; / RTI > Wherein the user behavior log includes a communication mode in each situation and a user's behavior with respect to the communication board at that time and is collected each time a communication function is used. 14. The method of claim 13, Wherein the situation includes information about a location, time, date, temperature, weather, speed or power. 14. The method of claim 13, Wherein the communication mode includes a mode relating to voice call, video call, text message, e-mail, hand-free, rejection of call or call restriction. 14. The method of claim 13, Wherein the selected preferred communication mode is provided through a display unit provided in the communication device, and provides various communication modes by recognizing the situation. 14. The method of claim 13, Wherein the communication device is a portable terminal, and recognizes the situation and provides various communication modes. The first communication device selecting the first preferred communication mode based on the current status of the first communication device and the user behavior log of the first communication device collected in advance; The first communication device requesting information corresponding to the first preferred communication mode to a second communication device; Selecting the second preferred communication mode based on the current situation of the second communication device and the user behavior log of the second communication device collected in advance; The second communication device transmitting the second preferred communication mode to the first communication device; And Wherein the first communication device combines the first preferred communication mode and the second preferred communication mode to select a preferred communication mode that considers both the current state of the first communication device and the current state of the second communication device, Providing a user of the device; Lt; / RTI > Wherein the user behavior log of the first communication device includes a communication mode of the first communication device and a behavior of the first communication device user for the communication mode at that time in each situation, Every time, Wherein the user behavior log of the second communication device includes a communication mode of the second communication device and a behavior of a second communication device user for the communication mode at that time in each situation, Every time it is collected, a way to recognize the situation and provide various communication modes.

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