KR101611291B1 - Mobile terminal and method for controlling the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal and a control method thereof, in which usage of a terminal can be realized by further considering convenience of a user. According to at least one of the embodiments of the present invention, when the AP function is activated in the mobile terminal and the cause of the performance degradation that may occur when the function of reducing the power consumption of the AP function is activated, It has an advantage that it can operate smoothly.

Description

[0001] MOBILE TERMINAL AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME [0002]

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal and a control method thereof, in which usage of a terminal can be realized by further considering convenience of a user.

The terminal can move And can be divided into a mobile / portable 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.

Such a terminal has various functions, for example, in the form of a multimedia device having multiple functions such as photographing and photographing of a moving picture, reproduction of a music or video file, reception of a game and broadcasting, etc. .

In order to support and enhance the functionality of such terminals, it may be considered to improve the structural and / or software parts of the terminal.

Recently, a mobile terminal capable of providing an access point (hereinafter referred to as "AP ") capable of providing a wireless LAN service conforming to the IEEE 802.11 standard has been introduced. A LAN is connected to an external device such as a notebook equipped with a WLAN card by using an AP device corresponding to a hub of a wired LAN as a wireless local area network (WLAN) It is a network environment that provides services. IEEE 802.11 technology is often referred to as "Wi-Fi" in mobile communication technology. The terms "wireless LAN" and "Wi-Fi" used in the following description refer to technologies based on IEEE 802.11.

When the AP function is activated in the mobile terminal, an external device such as a notebook computer can make a Wi-Fi connection to the mobile terminal through the AP function.

In the case of a general AP device, power is supplied from a commercial power source (for example, an outlet power source). Therefore, the use of the general AP apparatus is rarely limited due to its power consumption, so there is little need for power saving.

However, unlike the general AP apparatus, in the case of the mobile terminal, since power is not supplied from a commercial power source and mainly operates from a battery power source, there is a great need for power saving. Therefore, it is necessary to further study a method of reducing the power consumption while smoothly performing the AP function when the AP function is activated in the mobile terminal.

The present invention proposes in accordance with the above-mentioned necessity, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a mobile terminal which can perform an AP function smoothly while the AP function is activated and reduce the power consumption so that the mobile terminal can operate as an AP for a long time A mobile terminal and a control method thereof are provided.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a wireless communication system including a user input unit, a display unit, a Wi-Fi module capable of providing an AP function, The Wi-Fi module is controlled to be switched between awake states, and until the Wi-Fi connection request is successfully received from at least one external device through the Wi-Fi module or until a predetermined time elapses from a specific point in time, And a power save off mode for maintaining the power save mode.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling a Wi-Fi module, the method comprising: activating an AP function in a Wi-Fi module that can be switched between a sleep state and an awake state; And in a power save off mode in which the Wi-Fi module maintains the awake state until a predetermined time elapses from when a signal is received or responded or until a predetermined time elapses from a certain point in time. As shown in FIG.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wireless communication system including a user input unit, a display unit, an AP function and a Wi-Fi module for connecting to at least one external device via a Wi-Fi connection, In a power saving mode that can be periodically switched between a sleep state and an awake state, a ratio between a sleep interval of the sleep state and an awake interval of the awake state can be controlled by a user And a controller for controlling the mobile terminal.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a wireless communication system including a display unit, a Wi-Fi module for providing an AP function to connect to at least one external device via a Wi-Fi connection, And a controller for controlling one setting in the group including the power saving setting and the forced power saving setting so that the setting can be applied to the Wi-Fi module.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling a Wi-Fi module, the method comprising: activating an AP function in a Wi-Fi module; Mode, the ratio between the sleep interval of the sleep state and the awake interval of the awake state is adjusted according to the user's selection.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling an AP function in a WiMAX module, the method comprising: activating the AP function in a WiMAX module that can be switched between a sleep state and an awake state; And a setting in the group including the power save setting and the forced power save setting is applied to the Wi-Fi module.

Effects of the mobile terminal and the control method according to the present invention will be described as follows.

According to at least one of the embodiments of the present invention, when the AP function is activated in the mobile terminal and the cause of the performance degradation that may occur when the function of reducing the power consumption of the AP function is activated, There is an advantage that it can be operated smoothly.

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.

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 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).

For example, the broadcast receiving module 111 may be a Digital Multimedia Broadcasting-Terrestrial (DMB-T), a Digital Multimedia Broadcasting-Satellite (DMB-S), a Media Forward Link Only (DVF-H) A digital broadcasting system such as DVB-CB, OMA-BCAST, or 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 may be coupled to a base station, an external terminal, or a server on a mobile communication network, such as, but not limited to, Gobal System for Mobile communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband CDMA Transmits and receives wireless signals with one. 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 include WLAN (Wi-Fi), Wibro (Wireless broadband), Wimax (World Interoperability for Microwave Access), HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access), GSM, CDMA, WCDMA, LTE Evolution (but not limited to) may be used.

Hereinafter, the wireless Internet module by Wi-Fi will be referred to as a "Wi-Fi module ". The Wi-Fi module can provide an AP function so that an external device such as a notebook can access a Wi-Fi connection. This will be described later.

The wireless Internet module 113, which performs wireless Internet access through the mobile communication network, is connected to the mobile communication module 110 through the mobile communication network, for example, from the viewpoint that the wireless Internet access by Wibro, HSDPA, GSM, CDMA, WCDMA, LTE, (112). ≪ / RTI >

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 Wi-Fi module 113 may operate as the short-range communication module 114 when the AP function is activated for Wi-Fi connection with an external device.

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. According to the current technology, the GPS module 115 calculates distance information and accurate time information from three or more satellites, and then applies trigonometry to the calculated information to obtain a three-dimensional string of latitude, longitude, The location information can be accurately calculated. At present, a method of calculating position and time information using three satellites and correcting an error of the calculated position and time information using another satellite is widely used. In addition, the GPS module 115 can calculate speed information by continuously calculating the current position in real time.

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 an image frame such as a still image or moving image 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 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, a dome switch, a touch pad (static / static), 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 is possible to sense whether the slide phone is opened or closed. It is also possible to sense whether the power supply unit 190 is powered on, whether the interface unit 170 is connected to an external device, and the like. Meanwhile, the sensing unit 140 may include a proximity sensor 141. This will be discussed later in connection with touch screens.

The output unit 150 is for generating an output relating to visual, auditory or tactile sense and includes a display unit 151, an acoustic output module 152, an alarm unit 153, a haptic module 154, 155, and the like.

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 the video communication mode or the photographing mode, the photographed and / or received video or UI and GUI are displayed.

The display unit 151 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), a flexible display display, and 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 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 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 each other, or may be disposed on different surfaces.

(Hereinafter, referred to as a 'touch screen') in which a display unit 151 and a sensor for sensing a touch operation (hereinafter, referred to as 'touch sensor') form a mutual layer structure, 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 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 (not shown). 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 unit 151 is touched or the like.

The proximity sensor 141 may be disposed in an inner region of the mobile terminal or in the vicinity of the touch screen, which is enclosed 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 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, 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 recognizing that the pointer is positioned on the touch screen while the pointer is not in contact with the touch screen is referred to as "proximity touch & The act of actually touching the pointer on the screen is called "contact touch. &Quot; 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 audio 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 mode, a call mode or a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, a broadcast reception mode, 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. In this case, the display unit 151 and the sound / voice output module 152 may be a kind of the alarm unit 153. The display unit 151 and the sound / . ≪ / RTI >

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 include a pin arrangement vertically moving with respect to the contact skin surface, a spraying force or a suction force of the air through the injection port or the suction port, a touch on the skin surface, contact with an electrode, And various tactile effects such as an effect of reproducing a cold sensation using an endothermic or exothermic element can be generated.

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. At least two haptic modules 154 may be provided according to the configuration of the mobile terminal 100.

The projector module 155 is a component for performing an image project function using the mobile terminal 100 and is similar to the image displayed on the display unit 151 in accordance with a control signal of the controller 180 Or at least partly display another image on an external screen or wall.

Specifically, the projector module 155 includes a light source (not shown) that generates light (for example, laser light) for outputting an image to the outside, a light source And a lens (not shown) for enlarging and outputting the image at a predetermined focal distance to the outside. Further, the projector module 155 may include a device (not shown) capable of mechanically moving the lens or the entire module to adjust the image projection direction.

The projector module 155 can be divided into a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) module, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) module and a DLP (Digital Light Processing) module according to the type of the display means. In particular, the DLP module may be advantageous for miniaturization of the projector module 151 by enlarging and projecting an image generated by reflecting light generated from a light source on a DMD (Digital Micromirror Device) chip.

Preferably, the projector module 155 may be provided longitudinally on the side, front or back side of the mobile terminal 100. It goes without saying that the projector module 155 may be provided at any position of the mobile terminal 100 as occasion demands.

The memory unit 160 may store a program for processing and controlling the control unit 180 and temporarily store the input / output data (e.g., telephone directory, message, audio, For example. The memory unit 160 may store the frequency of use of each of the data (for example, each telephone number, each message, and frequency of use for each multimedia).

In addition, the memory unit 160 may store data on vibration and sound of various patterns output when the touch is input on the touch screen.

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.

When the mobile terminal 100 is connected to an external cradle, the interface unit may be a path through which power from the cradle is supplied to the mobile terminal 100, or various command signals input by the user to the cradle may be transmitted It can be a passage to be transmitted 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 controller 180 may control the Wi-Fi module 113 to perform the AP function.

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 a processor, controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors, and other electronic units for performing other functions. In some cases, The embodiments described may be implemented by the control unit 180 itself.

According to a software implementation, embodiments such as the procedures and functions described herein may be implemented with 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 is stored in the memory 160 and can be executed by the control unit 180. [

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

The disclosed mobile terminal 100 includes a bar-shaped terminal body. 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 injection molding a synthetic resin or may be formed to have a metal material such as stainless steel (STS) or titanium (Ti) or the like.

The display unit 151, the sound output unit 152, the camera 121, the user input units 130/131 and 132, the microphone 122, the interface 170, and the like may be disposed in the front body 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 mobile terminal 100 and may include a plurality of operation units 131 and 132. The operation units 131 and 132 may be collectively referred to as a manipulating portion.

The contents inputted by the first or second operation unit 131 or 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 outputted from the sound output unit 152, 151) can be input.

2B is a rear perspective view of the mobile 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 that of the camera 121 (see FIG. 2A), and may be a camera having the same or different pixels as 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 may be additionally 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 illuminate the user's own face or the like when the user intends to shoot himself / herself (self-photographing) 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 communication, a broadcast signal receiving 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 mobile terminal 100 is mounted on the terminal body. The power supply unit 190 may be built in the terminal body or may be 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 be of a light transmission type for the display unit 151. [ In this case, if the display unit 151 is configured to output the time information on both sides (i.e., in the directions of both the front and back sides of the mobile terminal), the time information can be recognized through the touch pad 135 do. The information output on both sides may be all controlled by the touch pad 135. [

Meanwhile, the display for exclusive use of the touch pad 135 may be separately installed, so that the touch screen may be disposed in the rear case 102 as well.

The touch pad 135 operates in correlation with the display portion 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, embodiments related to a control method that can be implemented in the mobile terminal configured as above will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It goes without saying that the embodiments described below can be used alone or in combination with each other.

3, a wireless environment in which embodiments of a mobile terminal and a control method thereof according to the present invention can be implemented will be schematically described.

3 schematically shows a radio environment in which an embodiment of a mobile terminal and its control method according to the present invention can be implemented.

3, when the Wi-Fi module 113 of the mobile terminal 100 performs an AP function, an external device 200 such as a notebook computer can access the Wi-Fi module 113 by Wi-Fi .

The mobile communication module 112 of the mobile terminal 100 can access the mobile communication network via the Internet.

Therefore, when the external device 200 can not directly access the mobile communication network, the mobile device 100 can access the mobile communication network via the mobile terminal 100.

Hereinafter, a process of connecting the external device to the AP will be described with reference to FIG.

4 is a flowchart of a process in which an external device accesses an AP.

First, refer to (4-1) in FIG.

The external device searches for a nearby AP using a probe message or a beacon (AP scanning) [S10]. The AP search has active scanning and passive scanning.

As shown in (4-2) of FIG. 4, in the active search, the external device transmits a probe request message [S13] and receives a probe response message from the available AP [S15] means searching the AP.

As shown in (4-3) in FIG. 4, the manual search refers to searching for an AP by receiving a beacon broadcast periodically by the AP [S17].

Upon completion of the AP search, the external device sends an authentication request message to the AP and receives an authentication response message in response to the authentication request message from the AP, thereby performing authentication (S20, S30]. In most cases, since the open system authentication method is used, the AP unconditionally authenticates the authentication request from the external device. More enhanced authentication methods include 802.1x-based EAP-TLS, EAP-TTLS, EAP-FAST, and PEAP.

When the authentication procedure is completed, the external device sends an association request message to the AP and receives an association response message in response to the association request message, thereby performing association (S40, S50]. The combining procedure is a procedure in which the external device accesses the AP and participates in a wireless network provided by the AP. That is, when the combining procedure is completed, the external device is Wi-Fi connected to the AP.

All the messages transmitted from the external device to the AP to access the AP may be referred to as a Wi-Fi connection request signal. In the Wi-Fi connection request signals after the active or manual search and the pie connection process, the first received signal that the AP first receives is the authentication request message. In the Wi-Fi connection process according to the manual search, the first received signal that the AP first receives from the Wi-Fi connection request signals is a beacon ack message (not shown in FIG. 4) to be. In the present invention, the significance of the initial signal will be described later.

The Wi-Fi module that performs the AP function can be switched between an awake state and a sleep state as needed to reduce power consumption. This will be described with reference to FIG.

5 is a graph showing that a WiFi module of a mobile terminal according to the present invention is switched between an awake state and a sleep state.

The awake state refers to a state in which the Wi-Fi module is normally operating after the AP function is activated. The sleep state refers to a state in which the AP function is activated but the Wi-Fi module temporarily stops the operation of the AP function.

A mode in which the Wi-Fi module continuously awakes is referred to as a power save off mode. A mode in which the Wi-Fi module repeats the awake state and the sleep state periodically (or non-periodically) is referred to as a power save mode.

When the Wi-Fi module is in the power saving off mode, the Wi-Fi module is in the awake state, which is good in terms of Wi-Fi performance.

When the Wi-Fi module is in the power saving mode, the awake state and the sleep state are repeated. Therefore, compared with the power saving off mode, the Wi-Fi module is not good in terms of Wi-Fi performance.

Even if the Wi-Fi module is in the power-saving mode, it affects the Wi-Fi performance and the battery power saving depending on the ratio between the awake period (awake period) and the sleep period (sleep period). That is, the longer the awake interval and the shorter the sleep interval, the better the Wi-Fi performance and battery power savings, while the shorter the awake interval and the longer the sleep interval, the worse the Wi-Fi performance and the better the battery power saving.

Hereinafter, an embodiment related to a control method that can be implemented in the mobile terminal will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 9. FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method of controlling a mobile terminal according to the present invention. FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate an awake-sleep state of the Wi-Fi module according to an embodiment of the method of controlling the mobile terminal of FIG. FIG. FIG. 9 is a state diagram of a display screen on which an embodiment of a method of controlling a mobile terminal according to FIG. 6 is implemented.

First, the AP function of the Wi-Fi module 113 of the mobile terminal 100 is activated (S61).

When the AP function is activated (t ₁ ), the WiFi module 113 can directly enter the power saving off mode (S 64). That is, the Wi-Fi module 113 continues to be maintained in the awake state for a while.

On the other hand, when the AP function is activated, the WiFi module 113 is in the power saving mode, and when a predetermined user command is input to the user input unit 130, the Wi- It may enter the off mode (S62, S63). This will be described again later with respect to FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG.

When the Wi-Fi module 113 is in the power saving mode, the controller 180 determines whether the Wi-Fi module 113 receives a Wi-Fi connection request signal from at least one external device 200 S65].

Alternatively, when the WiFi module 113 is in the power save mode, the controller 180 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed after entering the power save off mode (S66). The predetermined time may be a time preset by the terminal user.

After the Wi-Fi module 113 receives the Wi-Fi connection request signal from the external device 200 among the at least one external devices (t ₂ ), the controller 180 controls the Wi-Fi module 113 The power saving mode can be controlled so as to enter the power save mode [S67]. The Wi-Fi connection request signal may be the first received signal that the Wi-Fi module 113 performing the AP function initially receives.

That is, the controller 180 controls the Wi-Fi module 113 so that the Wi-Fi module 113 continues to be in the power-save off mode until at least the first received signal is received from the external device 200 among the Wi-Fi connection request signals .

When the Wi-Fi module 113 receives the Wi-Fi connection request signal from the external device 200, the Wi-Fi module 113 can enter the power saving mode regardless of whether the predetermined time has passed.

Meanwhile, when a predetermined time has elapsed (t ₂ ) after the WiFi module 113 enters the power saving OFF mode, the controller 180 controls the WiFi module 113 to enter the power saving mode Can [S67].

That is, the controller 180 controls the Wi-Fi module 113 to remain in the power saving mode until the predetermined time elapses.

When the predetermined time has elapsed, the WiFi module 113 may enter the power saving mode regardless of whether the Wi-Fi connection request signal is received from the external device 200. [

As described above, when the AP function is activated, the Wi-Fi module 113 remains in the power save-off mode for a while, and the awake state is maintained. Accordingly, Wi-Fi connection between the external device 200 and the Wi-Fi module 113 can be smoothly performed.

In the above description, the WiMAX module 113 maintains the power save mode until it receives a Wi-Fi connection request signal from an external device. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this, and the WiFi module 113 may be configured to maintain the power save mode until the Wi-Fi module 113 receives a Wi-Fi connection request signal from a predetermined number of external devices.

On the other hand, the WiFi module 113 is a WiFi connection with the external device will be a power saving mode, the need to connect via WiFi and the other external device while the (t ₃₎ [S62]. Alternatively, the AP function is the WiFi module 113 when activated is not in the power saving mode may be turned off in the power saving mode (t ₃₎ [S63], as described above.

In this case, the terminal user can input a predetermined user command through the user input unit 130. [ There is no restriction on the input method of the user command. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the user command may be inputted by touching the "external device connection" icon 410 of the touch screen 400 .

When the user command input (t _4), the WiFi module 113 enters the power saving mode off. That is, the Wi-Fi module 113 continues to be maintained in the awake state for a while.

When the Wi-Fi module 113 is in the power saving mode, the controller 180 determines whether the Wi-Fi module 113 receives a Wi-Fi connection request signal from at least one external device 200 S65].

Alternatively, when the WiFi module 113 is in the power save mode, the controller 180 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed after entering the power save off mode (S66).

After the Wi-Fi module 113 receives the Wi-Fi connection request signal from the external device 200 (t ₅ ) or after a predetermined time has elapsed after entering the power-saving off mode (t ₅ ) The control unit 180 can control the WiFi module 113 to enter the power save mode (S67). Since steps S65 to S67 have already been described above, the detailed description will be omitted for the sake of simplicity.

In the above description, when the Wi-Fi module needs to be Wi-Fi connected with the external device, the Wi-Fi connection is smoothly maintained by maintaining the power saving off mode for a while.

Hereinafter, the ratio of the awake period to the sleep period can be adjusted when the Wi-Fi module is in the power saving mode, with reference to FIGS. 10 to 13. FIG.

10 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a mobile terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a mobile terminal according to the present invention. Sleep state of the Wi-Fi module according to the embodiment of the control method of the terminal.

As described above, the Wi-Fi module 113 may be in the power saving mode before or after the Wi-Fi connection with the external device when the AP function is activated [S101, S102].

11 (11-1), when the mobile terminal 100 enters the AP setting menu, the slide bar 430 is displayed on the slide region 420 on the touch screen 400, Can be displayed. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the mobile terminal 100 can enter the AP setting menu through appropriate manipulation of the user input unit 130, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted herein for simplicity I will skip it.

The slide bar 430 is for adjusting the Wi-Fi performance and the degree of battery power saving (S103).

Assume that the ratio of the awake section and the sleep section in the power saving mode is as shown in (11-2) of FIG. 11 when the slide bar 430 is at the middle position of the slide area 420 lets do it. In FIG. 11 (11-2), it is shown that the ratio of the awake interval to the sleep interval is 50 to 50. It should be noted that the ratio of 50 to 50 is only an example for explaining the present embodiment, and may be a different ratio.

As shown in (12-1) of FIG. 12, the slide bar 430 may be selected by touching and dragging in one direction so that Wi-Fi performance takes precedence over battery saving.

Then, as shown in (12-2) of FIG. 12, the ratio of the awake interval and the sleep interval is adjusted such that the Wi-Fi performance is higher than the battery saving. That is, the sleep interval may be shortened in proportion to the length of the touch drag in the one direction, and the awake interval may be longer. In (12-2) of FIG. 12, it is shown as an example that the ratio of the awake interval and the sleep interval is 80 to 20.

As shown in (13-1) of FIG. 13, the slide bar 430 is touched and dragged in the other direction, so that battery saving can be selected so as to take precedence over Wi-Fi performance.

Then, as shown in (13-2) of FIG. 12, the ratio of the awake interval and the sleep interval is adjusted such that the battery saving is higher than the Wi-Fi performance. That is, the awake section may be shortened in proportion to the length of the touch drag in the other direction, and the sleep interval may be longer. In FIG. 13 (13-2), the ratio of the awake interval to the sleep interval is 20 to 80, for example.

It has been described that the ratio between the awake interval and the sleep interval is adjusted when the Wi-Fi module is in the power saving mode after the AP function is activated. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this. The ratio between the awake interval and the sleep interval may be adjusted before the Wi-Fi module enters the power saving mode after the AP function is activated. Alternatively, the AP function may be activated after the ratio between the awake period and the sleep interval is pre-adjusted, and the Wi-Fi connection may be established between the Wi-Fi module and the external device according to the pre-adjusted ratio .

In the above description, the ratio between the awake interval and the sleep interval is manually adjusted by the terminal user. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this, and the ratio between the awake interval and the sleep interval can be automatically adjusted. For example, the controller 130 monitors data traffic of the Wi-Fi communication between the external device 200 and the Wi-Fi module 113, and if the amount of data traffic is large, the awake interval is longer than the sleep interval And automatically controls the sleep interval to be longer than the awake interval in proportion to the amount of data traffic.

It has been described above that the ratio between the awake period and the sleep period in the power saving off mode can be adjusted.

Hereinafter, various settings related to the operation of the AP function of the Wi-Fi module may be present, and one of the settings is selected.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a method of controlling a mobile terminal according to the present invention. FIGS. 15 to 19 are a state diagram of a display screen on which an embodiment of a method of controlling a mobile terminal according to FIG. 14 is implemented, Sleep state of the Wi-Fi module according to the embodiment of the control method of the terminal, and FIG. 20 shows a state diagram of the display screen on which the embodiment of the method of controlling the mobile terminal according to FIG. 14 is implemented.

First, various settings that may exist in connection with the operation of the AP function of the Wi-Fi module will be described with reference to Table 1 below.

Kinds Explanation Automatic power saving setting Power saving according to data traffic Mode can be switched between off mode and power saving mode: Power saving mode when there is a lot of data traffic, and power saving mode when data traffic is low. Force Power Saver Settings Operation in power save mode only Force Power Saver Off Power saving Operation in off mode only

After the AP function is activated (S141), one of the various settings may be selected (S142).

If the selected setting is set to operate in the power saving mode, the ratio between the awake period and the sleep interval may be adjusted for the power saving mode [S143].

The selection of one of the various settings and the adjustment of the ratio between the awake interval and the sleep interval will be described with reference to Figs. 15 to 19. Fig.

As shown in (15-1) of FIG. 15, when the mobile terminal 100 enters the AP setting menu, the slide bar 430 is displayed on the slide region 420 on the touch screen 400 . As described above, it is easily understood by those skilled in the art that the mobile terminal 100 can enter the AP setting menu through appropriate manipulation of the user input unit 130. Therefore, I will omit it for the sake of simplicity of the specification.

The slide bar 430 is used to select one of the settings and adjust the degree of Wi-Fi performance and battery power saving.

The slide area 420 includes sub-areas (area A, area B, area C) corresponding to the various settings. Hereinafter, it is assumed that the period A corresponds to the forced power saving off setting, the period B corresponds to the automatic power saving setting, and the period C corresponds to the forced power saving setting.

In (15-1) of FIG. 15, the slide bar 430 is touch-dragged so as to be located in the section A.

Then, as shown in (15-2) of FIG. 15, the AP function is set to the forcible power saving off setting, and the WiFi module 113 continues to operate in the power saving off mode.

16 (16-1), the slide bar 430 is touch-dragged so as to be located in the section B.

Then, as shown in (16-2) of FIG. 16, the AP function is set to the automatic power saving setting, and the WiFi module 113 selectively operates the power saving off mode and the power saving mode . That is, the controller 180 monitors the data traffic between the Wi-Fi module 113 and the external device 200, and if the data traffic is more than a predetermined amount (or there is data traffic) Mode, and causes the AP function to operate in the power saving off mode if the data traffic is below a certain level (or there is no data traffic).

The ratio between the awake interval and the sleep interval can be adjusted when the AP function operates in the slide-on mode by touching and dragging the slide bar 430 within the range of interval B.

In (16-1) of FIG. 16, the slide bar 430 is touch-dragged in one direction within the range of the interval B so that the Wi-Fi performance is adjusted to be higher than the battery saving.

As shown in (16-2) of FIG. 16, the sleep interval is shortened in proportion to the length of the touch drag in the one direction, and the awake interval may be longer. In (16-2) of FIG. 16, it is shown as an example that the ratio of the awake interval and the sleep interval in the power saving mode is 80 to 20.

17-1 (17-1), the slide bar 430 is located in the section B but is touch-dragged so as to touch the other direction within the range of the interval B, so that the battery saving is adjusted to be a priority over the Wi-Fi performance .

As shown in (17-2) of FIG. 17, the awake interval may be shortened and the sleep interval may be longer in proportion to the length of the touch drag in the other direction. In (17-2) of FIG. 17, as an example, the ratio of the awake period to the sleep period is 20 to 80 in the power saving mode.

18 (18-1), the slide bar 430 is touch-dragged so as to be located in the section C.

Then, as shown in (18-2) of FIG. 18, the AP function is set to the forcible power saving setting, and the WiFi module 113 continues to operate in the power saving mode.

The ratio between the awake interval and the sleep interval can be adjusted when the AP function operates in the slide-on mode by touching the slide bar 430 within the range of the interval C.

In (18-1) of FIG. 18, it is illustrated that the slide bar 430 is touch-dragged in the one direction within the range of the interval C so that the Wi-Fi performance is adjusted to be higher than the battery saving.

As shown in (18-2) of FIG. 18, the sleep interval may be shortened in proportion to the length of the touch drag in the one direction, and the awake interval may be longer. 18 (18-2), the ratio of the awake interval to the sleep interval in the power saving mode is 80 to 20, for example.

19 (19-1), the slide bar 430 is located in the section C and is touch-dragged so as to touch the other direction within the range of the interval C, so that the battery saving is adjusted so as to have priority over the Wi-Fi performance .

As shown in (19-2) of FIG. 19, the awake interval may be shortened and the sleep interval may be longer in proportion to the length of the touch drag in the other direction. In FIG. 19 (19-2), it is shown as an example that the ratio of the awake interval and the sleep interval is 20 to 80 in the power saving mode.

 It has been described that the setting of the AP function is selected by touching and dragging the slide bar 430. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this.

As shown in (20-1) of FIG. 20, the various settings are displayed on the touch screen 400, and one of the settings can be selected through appropriate manipulation of the user input unit 130 Lt; / RTI > It is illustrated in Fig. 20 that the desired setting can be selected by touching.

In (20-1) of FIG. 20, it is exemplified that the forcible power saving off setting is selected among the above settings. In the forced power saving off setting, the power saving mode does not exist, so that the slide bar 430 is inactivated.

As shown in (20-2) of FIG. 20, the automatic power saving setting among the settings can be selected by touching. Since the power saving mode exists in the automatic power saving mode, the slide bar 430 is activated in (20-2) of FIG.

It has been described that the setting is selected after the AP function is activated. However, this embodiment is not limited to this, and the setting may be configured to be selected before the AP function is activated.

It is also described above that one of the settings is manually selected by the terminal user. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this, and one of the settings may be automatically selected. For example, the controller 130 monitors data traffic of the Wi-Fi communication between the external device 200 and the Wi-Fi module 113. If the data traffic is heavy, the forced power saving off setting is selected, The automatic power saving setting may be selected so that the forced power saving setting is selected if the data traffic is small.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof.

The present invention described above can be embodied as computer-readable codes on a medium on which a program is recorded. The computer readable medium includes all kinds of recording devices in which data that can be read by a computer system is stored. Examples of the computer-readable medium include ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage, and the like, and also implemented in the form of a carrier wave (for example, transmission over the Internet) . Also, the computer may include a control unit 180 of the terminal.

Accordingly, the above description should not be construed in a limiting sense in all respects and should be considered illustrative. The scope of the present invention should be determined by rational interpretation of the appended claims, and all changes within the scope of equivalents of the present invention are included in the scope of the present invention.

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

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

2B is a rear perspective view of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 schematically shows a radio environment in which an embodiment of a mobile terminal and its control method according to the present invention can be implemented.

4 is a flowchart of a process in which an external device accesses an AP.

5 is a graph showing that a WiFi module of a mobile terminal according to the present invention is switched between an awake state and a sleep state.

6 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method of controlling a mobile terminal according to the present invention.

7 and 8 are graphs showing an awake-sleep state of the Wi-Fi module according to an embodiment of the control method of the mobile terminal shown in FIG.

9 is a state diagram of a display screen on which an embodiment of a method of controlling a mobile terminal according to FIG. 6 is implemented.

10 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a control method of a mobile terminal according to the present invention.

11 to 13 show a state diagram of a display screen on which an embodiment of the control method of the mobile terminal according to FIG. 10 is implemented and an awake-sleep state of the WiFi module according to an embodiment of the control method of the mobile terminal according to FIG. FIG.

14 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method of controlling a mobile terminal according to the present invention.

15 to 19 are diagrams showing a state diagram of a display screen on which an embodiment of the control method of the mobile terminal according to FIG. 14 is implemented and an awake-sleep state of the WiFi module according to the embodiment of the control method of the mobile terminal according to FIG. FIG.

FIG. 20 shows a state diagram of a display screen on which an embodiment of a method of controlling a mobile terminal according to FIG. 14 is implemented.

Claims (18)

A user input section; A display unit; A Wi-Fi module capable of providing an AP function; And Controls to activate the AP function, Wherein the Wi-Fi module is switchable between i) a power saving mode in which a sleep state is repeated between an awake state and ii) a power saving off mode in which the Wi-Fi module is continuously maintained in the awake state, Lt; / RTI > Wherein, In response to the activation of the AP function, controlling the Wi-Fi module to enter the power saving off mode, And controls the Wi-Fi module to switch from the power saving off mode to the power saving mode in response to receiving a Wi-Fi connection request signal from at least one external device through the Wi-Fi module. delete The apparatus of claim 1, When the Wi-Fi connection request signal is composed of a plurality of signals, in response to receiving the first signal among the plurality of signals, controlling the Wi-Fi module to switch from the power saving off mode to the power saving mode Wherein the mobile terminal is a mobile terminal. The apparatus of claim 1, Wherein the control unit controls the Wi-Fi module to switch from the power-saving off mode to the power-saving mode in response to receiving the Wi-Fi connection request signal from a predetermined number of external devices among the at least one external device. . The method of claim 3, Wherein the first signal is a beacon ACK message for searching for an AP. delete The apparatus of claim 1, Wherein the control unit controls the Wi-Fi module to switch from the power saving off mode to the power saving mode even if the Wi-Fi connection request signal is not received when a predetermined time elapses after entering the power save off mode. The apparatus of claim 1, Wherein the controller controls the Wi-Fi module to return from the power saving mode to the power saving off mode in response to a predetermined user command being input through the user input unit after the Wi-Fi module is switched to the power saving mode. terminal. 9. The apparatus according to claim 8, Wherein the control unit controls the Wi-Fi module to switch from the power-saving off mode to the power-saving mode in response to receiving the Wi-Fi connection request signal from the at least one external device through the Wi-Fi module. 8. The apparatus of claim 7, Wherein the control unit controls the predetermined time to be set by the user through the user input unit. delete delete delete The apparatus of claim 1, Wherein the control unit controls the display unit to display an alarm notifying the switching between the power saving off mode and the power saving mode. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the mobile terminal further comprises a mobile communication module for accessing a mobile communication network, And controls the external device to access the mobile communication network through the mobile communication module when the external device is connected to the Wi-Fi module. Claim 16 has been abandoned due to the setting registration fee. (i) a power saving mode that is repeated between a sleep state and an awake state and (ii) a power saving off mode that is maintained to be maintained in the awake state. In the Wi-Fi module, The Wi-Fi module entering the power saving off mode; And And controlling the Wi-Fi module to switch from the power saving off mode to the power saving mode in response to receiving a Wi-Fi connection request signal from at least one external device through the Wi-Fi module . delete Claim 18 has been abandoned due to the setting registration fee. 17. The method of claim 16, When the Wi-Fi connection request signal is composed of a plurality of signals, the Wi-Fi module switches from the power saving off mode to the power saving mode in response to receiving the first signal among the plurality of signals. To the mobile terminal.

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