KR101622657B1 - Information providing system using mobile terminal and method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an information providing server, which stores characteristic information of a marker, identification information, and marker providing information; A marker displayed at a predetermined position; A memory for storing feature information and identification information of the marker, a camera for photographing the displayed marker, a marker recognition unit for recognizing the marker in the photographed image data, and identification information of the recognized marker to the information providing server A wireless communication unit for receiving corresponding marker provision information, and a mobile terminal including a display unit for displaying the received marker provision information, and a method thereof.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to an information providing system and a method thereof,

The present invention relates to a method for acquiring information through a mobile terminal, and more particularly, to a system and method for selectively providing information desired by a user through a marker recognized by a camera attached to the mobile terminal .

A terminal can be divided into a mobile terminal (mobile / portable terminal) and a stationary terminal according to whether the terminal can be moved. 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. .

Also, since high-speed / high-capacity data communication through a mobile terminal becomes possible, the mobile terminal is used as an information search means such as a web surfing from the viewpoint of a user and as an excellent advertisement medium from the viewpoint of an information provider. However, unlike a fixed terminal, the information that the user wants to acquire or provide through the mobile terminal due to the specificity of the mobile terminal, which is changed every moment by the user, is closely related to the reality Mostly.

However, in the conventional information retrieval and providing system, even when the user is only interested in specific information, the information provider has to provide a large amount of information unilaterally configured to an unspecified number of users to the user, Not only does it take a lot of time and effort to find the necessary information, but it is also costly and inefficient for the information provider. In addition, existing hot codes can be accessed directly by a specific URL, but there is a problem of harming the design, and hot code alone can not access the information, so accessability is low.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an information providing system and a method thereof via a mobile terminal with a camera, which can directly provide specific information of interest to a user through a marker.

According to one aspect of the present invention for realizing the above-described object, an information providing method through a mobile terminal is a method for providing information to a user through an information providing server through a marker, characteristic information of a marker, identification information, Storing marker providing information for the marker; Storing characteristic information and identification information of a marker registered in the mobile terminal; Photographing a marker displayed at a predetermined position with a camera; Recognizing a cursor from the photographed image data; Transmitting the identification information of the recognized marker to the information providing server; Reading the marker provision information corresponding to the identification information and transmitting the read marker provision information to the mobile terminal; And displaying the received marker provision information on the display unit.

According to another aspect of the present invention for realizing the above object, an information providing system through a mobile terminal is provided with feature information extracted from an image of a marker, unique identification information given to the marker, An information providing server for storing marker providing information to be provided to the user by the information provider; A marker displayed at a predetermined position; A memory for storing feature information and identification information of the marker, a camera for photographing the displayed marker, a marker recognition unit for recognizing the marker in the photographed image data, and identification information of the recognized marker to the information providing server A wireless communication unit for receiving corresponding marker provision information, and a display unit for displaying the received marker provision information.

According to another aspect of the present invention for realizing the above object, a mobile terminal for providing information includes a memory for storing feature information and identification information of a marker, a camera for photographing a marker displayed at a predetermined position, A marker recognition unit for recognizing a marker in the photographed image data; a wireless communication unit for transmitting the identification information of the recognized marker to the information providing server and receiving the corresponding marker provision information; Display unit.

According to at least one embodiment of the present invention configured as described above, the user can acquire only necessary information without conducting a complicated information search process using the marker as a medium, and the information provider can advantageously provide information such as advertisement . In addition, trademark, trade name, and the like can be used as markers at the same time without inserting a barcode or the like into existing trademarks or names to be displayed for advertisements, etc. Therefore, it is easy to manage, there is no fear of designing like a barcode, Since it has an effect, it can be displayed sufficiently large, so that it can be photographed even at a long distance. Also, it is easy for the user to intuitively understand the contents of the information connected with the marker. In addition, according to the present invention, a user can store a marker in a terminal and easily set a marker and a category of desired information, thereby recognizing only necessary markers among many photographed markers at the same time, avoiding reception of unnecessary information, . In addition, the user can easily and quickly acquire information thereafter using the recognized photographed image.

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. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the configuration according to the embodiments described herein may be applied to a fixed terminal such as a digital TV, a desktop computer, and the like, unless the configuration is applicable only to a mobile terminal.

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) And a Digital Broadcasting System (ISDB-T) (Integrated Services Digital Broadcast-Terrestrial). Of course, the broadcast receiving module 111 may be adapted to other broadcasting systems as well as the digital broadcasting system described above.

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

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

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

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

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

Referring to FIG. 1, 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 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.

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

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

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

Examples of the proximity sensor include a transmission 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. The video signal or the audio signal may be output through the display unit 151 or the audio output module 152 so that they may be classified as a part of the alarm unit 153.

The haptic module 154 generates various tactile effects that the user can feel. A typical example of the haptic effect generated by the haptic module 154 is vibration. The intensity and pattern of 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. The haptic module 154 may include two or more haptic modules 154 according to the configuration of the portable terminal 100.

The memory 160 may store a program for the operation of the controller 180 and temporarily store input / output data (e.g., a phone book, a message, a still image, a moving picture, etc.). The memory 160 may store data on vibration and sound of various patterns outputted when a 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 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 has 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 of a metal material, for example, a metal material such as stainless steel (STS) or titanium (Ti).

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 portable 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 and may be employed in any manner as long as the user operates in a tactile manner.

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 output from the sound output unit 152 or the size of the sound output from the display unit 151 To the touch recognition mode of the touch screen.

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

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

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

A flash 123 and a mirror 124 are 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 talking and the like, a broadcast signal reception antenna 116 may be additionally disposed on the side of the terminal body. The antenna 116, which forms part of the broadcast receiving module 111 (see FIG. 1), can be installed to be able to be drawn out from the terminal body.

A power supply unit 190 for supplying power to the portable terminal 100 is mounted on the terminal body. The power supply unit 190 may be 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 also be of a light transmission type like the display unit 151. [ In this case, if the display unit 151 is configured to output time information on both sides, the time information can be recognized through the touch pad 135 as well. The information output on both sides may be all controlled by the touch pad 135. [ Alternatively, a display may be additionally mounted on the touch pad 135, and a touch screen may be disposed on the rear case 102 as well.

The touch pad 135 operates in 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 an information providing system or method through the terminal configured as described above will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments can be used alone or in combination with each other. In addition, the embodiments described below may be used in combination with the above-described user interface (UI).

3 is a block diagram schematically showing an embodiment of an information providing system through a mobile terminal 100 according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the information providing system through the mobile terminal 100 according to the present invention includes a marker 210 displayed in a specific space; A camera 121 for photographing the displayed marker 210 to generate image data, a memory 160 for storing feature information and identification information of a registered marker, a category or a keyword, and various control commands and user's selection A user input unit 130 capable of receiving image data from the camera 121, a marker 121 for detecting each marker from the image data photographed by the camera 121, extracting the feature information, comparing the feature information with the feature information of the registration marker stored in the memory 160, A wireless communication unit 110 for transmitting identification information of the recognized marker and category or keyword information to the information providing server 400 (including position information of the terminal at the time of shooting) A mobile terminal 100 including a controller for controlling the overall operation of the mobile terminal 100; And an information providing server 400 having a database 410 storing characteristic information of registration markers, identification information, and information provided by the information provider.

In the present invention, 'marker' means an object serving as an intermediary so that a user of the mobile terminal 100 can directly access information provided by a specific information provider. When the information provider registers the marker on the specific information providing server 400 and stores the information to be provided through the marker, the user photographs the marker 210 with the camera 121 of the terminal, recognizes the marker, 400), and receives the information provided by the information provider.

As long as the marker is a size and a shape that can be recognized by the marker recognition unit 182 of the terminal, the marker is not limited in its form in principle. Thus, markers can be composed of shapes, letters, one-dimensional or two-dimensional bar codes, designs, logotype, or a combination thereof. The information provider preferably registers markers of the same type as the trademark, service mark, trade name, information provider name, corporation name, company name, company name, etc. associated with the provided information. In this case, the trademark, the mutual name, and the like can be used as markers at the same time without inserting a barcode or the like into an existing trademark, a name or the like for displaying an advertisement or the like. Therefore, markers, signs, maps, and other markers and marks can be used without any extra cost to display the markers. In addition, since there is no fear of designing like a barcode, and since the advertisement has its own advertising effect, it can be displayed in a sufficiently large size, so that it can be photographed even at a long distance. Also, it is easy for the user to intuitively understand the contents of the information connected with the marker.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a process of providing information through a system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The process of providing information through the mobile terminal 100 includes: registering a marker in the information providing server 400 (S100); Storing the marker to be obtained in the mobile terminal 100 (S200); Setting a category of information to be obtained for the stored marker (S300); (S400) photographing the marker 210 displayed at a predetermined position through the camera 121 of the mobile terminal 100; Recognizing a marker in the photographed marker image (S500); Transmitting the recognized marker and the set category to the information providing server 400 and requesting the information (S600); (S700) of retrieving the requested information from the terminal 410 of the information providing server 400 and transmitting the retrieved information to the terminal; And displaying the received information on the display unit of the terminal (S800). Each step will be described in detail below.

Referring to FIG. 5, the marker registration step S100 will be described. First, the information provider provides an image of a marker to be registered in the information providing server 400 (S110). The information providing server 400 extracts the feature information from the image of the provided marker S120 and gives the identification information unique to the marker such as the serial number S130 to the database 410 of the information providing server 400, (Hereinafter, a marker to which identification information is assigned is referred to as a registration marker). Thus, two or more identical or very similar markers may not be registered. When the marker is registered, the information provider provides information (hereinafter referred to as information) to be provided by the information provider, such as name, address, business sector, connection information such as the URL of the advertisement information provider server 420, Server 400, and the information providing server 400 links the registered marker to the database 410 (S140).

The provision information may further include category information of the provided information or keyword information of the provided information. A category list may be provided by the information providing server 400 and the information provider may select a category from the list for each provided information according to the provided information or the information provider may generate and set up a separate category list. The keyword may be selected and stored according to the information provided by the information provider, or extracted from the information providing server 400.

The provision information may further include location information related to the provided information. For example, when the information provider intends to provide information of different contents according to the area, location information such as the location where the marker is displayed according to the provided information may be provided and stored in the database 410.

6A and 6B, feature information and identification information of a registration marker to which a user wants to receive information are stored in the memory 160 of the terminal (S200). Referring to FIG. 6A, the user accesses the information providing server 400 (S211) to input a keyword related to the information provider or the providing information (S212), and the information providing server 400 searches the database 410 S213) and outputs a marker matching the keyword (S214). When the user selects a desired marker from the output marker, the information providing server 400 transmits the feature information and the identification information of the selected marker to the user's mobile terminal 100, which is stored in the memory 160 of the mobile terminal 100, (S215).

The feature information and the identification information of the registration marker may be stored in the memory 160 of the mobile terminal 100 according to the process shown in FIG. 6B (S200). The user shoots the marker 210 to be stored (or previously captured and loads the image stored in the memory 160) (S221). The marker recognition unit detects the marker in the photographed image (S222), extracts the feature information of the detected marker (S223), and transmits the feature information of the extracted marker to the information providing server 400 through the wireless communication unit 110 (S224). The information providing server 400 recognizes the marker by comparing the feature information of the received marker with the feature information of the marker registered in the database 410 (S225), and transmits the identification information and feature information of the recognized registration marker to the terminal (S226). The feature information and identification information of the received registration marker are stored in the memory 160 (S227).

The method may further include registering or releasing the marker stored in the memory 160 of the mobile terminal 100 as a marker of interest according to the user's selection (S250). Only the marker registered as the marker of interest among the markers stored in the memory 160 of the mobile terminal 100 is subjected to the marker recognition or information request and is canceled when the marker is released. Also, according to the user's choice, the user can re-register as a marker of interest again when necessary.

Referring to FIG. 7, a user can set a category or keyword of information to be provided for a registration marker stored in the memory 160 (S300). When the user selects a marker to be set as a category among the stored markers (S310), a list of categories that can be set is displayed (S320) or an input window that the user can manually input is activated (S330). This is how you set keywords.

The category list may be the same as the category system used in the information providing server 400. Or the selected marker to the information providing server 400. The information providing server 400 transmits a list of categories set in the provided information of the selected marker in the database 410 and the mobile terminal 100 It can receive and display it.

The category entered through the category list or the input window selected by the user from the displayed category list is stored in the memory 160 in association with the selected marker (S340)

The information provider displays a marker 210 registered at a predetermined location such as a signboard, a billboard, a map of the surrounding area, a map, a map of shops, etc., and the user uses the camera 121 of the mobile terminal 100 to display A marker 210 is photographed to generate image data (S400). The image may include more than one marker 210. The generated image data may include position information of the mobile terminal 100 at the time of photographing generated by the position information module 115 such as GPS. In addition, a separate sign 220 such as a code indicating positional information may be included in the signboard, the billboard, or the marker 210 in which the marker 210 is displayed.

8 is a flowchart illustrating a process of recognizing a marker in the photographed image according to an embodiment of the present invention. The image of the marker photographed through the camera 121 of the mobile terminal 100 (including an image previously photographed and stored in the memory 160 or an image transmitted from another terminal or a server) And is transmitted to the recognition unit 182. The marker recognition unit 182 detects the marker by dividing the captured image into respective marker images included in the image (S510), and extracts the feature information of the detected marker image (S520). The photographed marker can be recognized as a registered specific marker by comparing the extracted feature information with feature information of a registration marker (or a marker designated by the marker of interest) stored in the memory 160 (S530). The feature information refers to information such as a unique character, line, figure, color, or decoded code included in the marker image. The marker recognition unit 182 outputs identification information of the recognized registration marker stored in the memory 160 as a recognition result (S540). The marker detection step S510, the marker feature information extraction step S520 and the feature information comparison step S530 may be performed by the information providing server 400 in the feature information extraction step S100 of the marker registration step S100, The same method as that used in the marker detection (S222) and feature information extraction step (S223) of the registration marker storage step (S200) is used.

For example, the marker recognizing unit 182 can detect markers by dividing the image data received from the camera 121 into closed lines by recognizing the closed lines formed by the edges. Based on the image of the detected marker, feature points of the contour closed curves, which are the characteristic points forming the closed curve, are extracted, and the characteristic values of the contour are extracted through Affine Transform, Information). The marker having the highest similarity is selected by comparing the object characteristic value of the stored marker with the object characteristic value of the stored marker using the object characteristic value (refer to Korean Patent Laid-Open No. 10-2008-0022333).

Alternatively, element images constituting each of the photographed marker images are extracted and normalized, and a feature vector for each normalized element image is extracted. The marker can be recognized by comparing it with the feature vector of the stored registration marker (see Korean Patent Publication No. 2002-0006339). In addition, various image recognition methods may be used to recognize the markers.

9 is an embodiment of an image displayed on the display unit of the mobile terminal 100 after marker recognition. If the marker is recognized through the above process, the recognized marker image portion in the image photographed through the camera 121 may be displayed in an enhanced form (S550). For example, the original image of the marker received from the information providing server 400 and stored in the memory 160 of the terminal can be augmented and displayed on the image portion where the recognized marker is displayed. Further, the marker 310, which has been extracted from the feature information but has failed to be recognized, the marker 320 recognized as a marker not registered as a marker of interest, and the marker 330 340 recognized as a marker of interest can be augmented. In addition, the user can perform a process such as an information request (S600), a registration marker storage (S200), a category setting (S300) by selecting an enhanced marker image portion through a user input unit 130 such as a touch screen.

The marker image may be stored in the memory 160 of the terminal including the characteristic information of the marker or the identification information and the enhanced image data in the image data captured after the marker recognition process or the marker image enhancement process. When the image is subsequently loaded, the information request (S600) can be performed immediately without going through the recognition process.

If the marker is recognized through the above process, the identification information of the recognized marker (or the marker selected by the user among the recognized markers) and the category or keyword information set in the marker are transmitted to the information providing server 400 (S600). Also, the location information included in the image data can be transmitted together.

The information providing server 400 receiving the information retrieves and transmits the providing information linked with the identification information in the database 410 in operation S700 and the mobile terminal 100 transmits the information received from the information providing server 400 On the display unit (S800). When the category, the keyword information, or the location information is received together, the information of the category, the providing information including the keyword, or the providing information related to the location information is retrieved and transmitted to the mobile terminal 100.

The information provider server 420 transmits the category or keyword to the corresponding server by using the connection information of the information provider server 420 included in the provided information, When the information providing server 400 transmits the information to the information providing server 400, the information providing server 400 can transmit the information to the mobile terminal 100.

The information providing server 400 also transmits to the mobile terminal 100 information indicating that there is matching information when there is provided information matching the information received from the mobile terminal 100, A category, a keyword, and the like are augmented (350) and displayed on the image portion of the corresponding marker. When the enhanced part 350 is selected from the user, the enhanced part 350 is transmitted to the information providing server 400, and the information providing server 400 transmits the entire information.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the information providing server 400 may not include the step of registering the marker and receiving the identification information. For example, the feature information of the marker of the information provider and the connection information of the information provider server 420 are individually received and stored in the memory 160 of the mobile terminal 100. When the mobile terminal 100 recognizes the marker (does not output identification information), it can request information from the information provider server 420 connected to the recognized marker, using the connection information of the information provider server 420.

Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the above-described method can be implemented as a code that can be read by a processor on a medium on which the program is recorded. Examples of the medium that can be read by the processor include ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage, etc., and may be implemented in the form of a carrier wave (e.g., transmission over the Internet) .

It is to be understood that the above described embodiments of the information providing system or method according to the present invention can be applied to all or some of the embodiments so that various modifications can be made. Some of which may be selectively combined.

In the foregoing, preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Here, the terms and words used in the present specification and claims should not be construed as limited to ordinary or dictionary meanings, but should be construed as meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea of the present invention.

Therefore, the embodiments described in the present specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are merely the most preferred embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the technical ideas of the present invention are described. Therefore, It should be understood that various equivalents and modifications may be present.

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

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

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

3 is a block diagram of an information providing system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a flowchart of an information providing process according to an embodiment of the present invention;

5 is a flowchart of a marker registration process in an information providing server according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6A and 6B are flowcharts illustrating a process of storing a registration marker in a terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 7 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for setting categories for stored markers in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a flowchart of a marker recognition process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a diagram illustrating an enhanced displayed image after recognition of a marker in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (12)

An information providing server extracts feature information from an image of a registration target marker and assigns identification information unique to the marker and transmits the identification information to the marker through the marker, A marker registration step of storing marker provision information in a database; A marker storing step of storing feature information and identification information of the registered marker in a memory of the mobile terminal; A marker photographing step of photographing a marker displayed at a predetermined position by a camera included in the mobile terminal and generating image data; The mobile terminal detects the image of the marker in the image data, extracts the feature information from the image of the detected marker, compares the extracted feature information with the feature information stored in the memory, A marker recognition step of outputting a marker; An information requesting step of transmitting identification information of the recognized marker to the information providing server in the mobile terminal; An information transmitting step of reading out marker providing information corresponding to the identification information received by the information providing server and transmitting the read marker providing information to the mobile terminal; And And displaying the marker providing information received by the mobile terminal on a display unit, When the category or the keyword is set for at least one marker selected from the user among the markers stored in the memory, the mobile terminal further transmits the set category or keyword information to the information providing server, Information corresponding to the category read from the marker providing information or information including the keyword is received. The method of claim 1, Capturing a marker displayed at a predetermined position by a camera provided in the mobile terminal and generating image data; Detecting an image of a marker in the image data at the mobile terminal and extracting feature information from the detected image of the marker; Transmitting the extracted feature information from the mobile terminal to an information providing server; Comparing the received feature information with the feature information stored in the database, outputting and recognizing identification information of the corresponding marker, and transmitting the feature information and the identification information of the recognized marker to the mobile terminal ; And And storing the identification information and the feature information received from the mobile terminal in the memory. The method according to claim 1, In the marker storing step, Further comprising the step of assigning or releasing the stored marker to the marker of interest, In the marker recognition step, And comparing the extracted feature information with feature information of a marker designated by the marker of interest among feature information stored in the memory. delete The method according to claim 1, In the category, And transmits the identification information of the selected marker to the information providing server, reads the category list of the marker providing information corresponding to the selected marker from the information providing server, and transmits the read category list to the mobile terminal, Wherein the information is selected from a list of users in the list. The method according to claim 1, In the marker photographing step, Further comprising generating location information of the terminal at the time of photographing, The information- Further comprising the location information, The information transmission step includes: And reading and transmitting information related to the location information from the marker providing information. 2. The method of claim 1, Further comprising the step of augmenting an image portion of the marker from which the characteristic information is extracted and the marker from which the identification information is output, and displaying the image portion on the display unit. 2. The method of claim 1, The extracted feature information, the output identification information, the set category or keyword information, the position information of the mobile terminal at the time of shooting the marker, or the marker from which the feature information is extracted from the image photographed by the camera, Further comprising the step of storing the image information formed by the enhancement of the image portion of the outputted marker in the generated image data. Claim 9 has been abandoned due to the setting registration fee. 9. The method according to claim 8, Wherein the identification information of the selected marker is transmitted when the marker corresponding to the image information formed by the enhancement is selected from the user. The method according to claim 1, The information transmission step includes: Wherein the information providing server reads the connection information of the information provider server corresponding to the identification information received by the information providing server and acquires corresponding information from the information provider server corresponding to the connection information and transmits the information to the mobile terminal A method for providing information via a terminal. An information providing server storing feature information extracted from an image of a registration target marker, unique identification information given to the marker, and marker provision information that an information provider wants to provide to a user through the marker, in a database; A marker displayed at a predetermined position; And A memory for storing feature information of the registered marker, identification information, and a category or keyword for at least one marker selected from the user, A camera for photographing the markers to generate image data, A marker recognition unit that detects an image of a marker in the image data, extracts feature information from the detected image of the marker, compares the extracted feature information with feature information stored in the memory, and outputs identification information of a corresponding marker Wealth, A wireless communication unit for transmitting identification information of the recognized marker to the information providing server and receiving marker providing information corresponding to the identification information read out from the information providing server; And a display unit for displaying the received marker providing information, The wireless communication unit of the mobile terminal transmits category information or keyword information of the recognized marker to the information providing server in the identification information and transmits the category information or the keyword information to the information providing server, Information or information including the keyword is received from the mobile terminal. A memory for storing characteristic information of the marker registered in the information providing server, identification information, and a category or keyword for at least one marker selected from the user; A camera for photographing a marker displayed at a predetermined position to generate image data; A marker recognition unit that detects an image of a marker in the image data, extracts feature information from the detected image of the marker, compares the extracted feature information with feature information stored in the memory, and outputs identification information of a corresponding marker Wealth; A wireless communication unit that transmits identification information of the recognized marker to the information providing server and receives marker providing information corresponding to the identification information read by the information providing server; And And a display unit for displaying the received marker providing information, Wherein the wireless communication unit transmits category information or keyword information about the recognized marker to the information providing server in the identification information, and transmits the information corresponding to the category read from the marker providing information in the information providing server, And the information including the keyword is transmitted to the mobile terminal.

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