KR101761614B1 - Mobile terminal and method for controlling thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to a mobile terminal capable of notifying a mobile terminal when a distance difference between a local communication module and an external communication device returns within a critical distance after exceeding a communication- And a control method.
A mobile terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a local area communication module for exchanging data with an external communication device, a distance between the local area communication module and the external communication device, When the difference is out of the communicable threshold distance, when a call connection attempt is received from the originating terminal, a call connection is set up, and a notification of the data exchange impossibility with the user having the external communication device due to the deviation of the threshold distance 1 message to be transmitted to the calling terminal.

Description

[0001] MOBILE TERMINAL AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THEREOF [0002]

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to a mobile terminal capable of notifying a mobile terminal when a distance difference between a local communication module and an external communication device returns within a critical distance after exceeding a communication- And a control method.

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.

In the related art, when the distance between the local communication module and the external communication device is out of a communication-enabled critical distance in a state where the local communication module of the mobile terminal is connected to the external communication device, it is difficult for the user to recognize that the user has departed the critical distance , It is difficult for the caller of the mobile terminal to recognize the temporary inability to talk due to the deviation of the threshold distance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems of the related art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for notifying a calling side when a distance difference between a local communication module and an external communication device exceeds a communication- In order to provide a function.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a function of notifying the user of a return of the distance difference between the local communication module and the external communication device within the critical distance after exceeding the communicable critical distance.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are not restrictive of the invention, unless further departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. It will be possible.

In order to achieve the above object, a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a local area communication module for exchanging data with an external communication device, a local area communication module, When a call connection attempt is received from a calling terminal, establishes a call connection, and when a distance between the user and the user having the external communication apparatus is exceeded due to the deviation of the threshold distance And a controller for controlling a first message informing that data exchange is impossible to be transmitted to the calling terminal.

In order to achieve the above object, a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a local area communication module for exchanging data with an external communication device, a local area communication module, and the external communication device, When a distance difference between the module and the external communication device is out of a communication-enabled threshold distance, if a call connection attempt is received from the calling terminal, the call connection is not established and the call connection attempt is interrupted after a predetermined time has elapsed And a controller for controlling the second terminal to transmit a second message to the calling terminal informing that the data exchange is impossible with the user having the external communication apparatus due to the deviation of the threshold distance.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling a mobile terminal, the method comprising: connecting a short-range communication module for exchanging data with an external communication device; A step of establishing a call connection with a step of receiving a call connection attempt from a calling terminal and setting a call connection with a user having the external communication device due to the deviation of the threshold distance, And transmitting a first message informing of the data exchange impossibility to the calling terminal.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling a mobile terminal, the method comprising: connecting a short-range communication module for exchanging data with an external communication device; Receiving a call connection attempt from the originating terminal; disconnecting the call connection attempt after a predetermined time has elapsed without establishing a call connection; And transmitting, to the calling terminal, a second message informing that the data exchange with the user having the external communication apparatus is impossible due to the threshold distance deviation.

The mobile terminal according to at least one embodiment of the present invention configured as described above transmits an automatic response message to the caller informing that the voice call relay is impossible when the distance difference between the short distance communication module and the external communication device exceeds a communication allowable threshold distance It is possible to provide convenience by transmitting.

The mobile terminal according to at least one embodiment of the present invention configured as described above is configured to transmit a message for informing the user to return when the distance difference between the local area communication module and the external communication device returns within a communicable critical distance, It is possible to provide convenience to the user by transmitting to the device.

The effects obtained by the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and other effects not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description will be.

1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a front perspective view of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a front view of a mobile terminal for explaining an operation state of the mobile terminal according to the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for transmitting a message informing a data relaying disabled state at a threshold distance outage to a calling terminal in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of transmitting a message to an external communication device to notify a user of a return to a critical distance in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
6 is a flowchart illustrating a method for further transmitting a current location of a mobile terminal to an external communication device in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 7A to 7C are diagrams illustrating a list in which information of a calling terminal that has transmitted a message in a predetermined form is displayed with a predetermined visual effect, according to another embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

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), and navigation. 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.

Overall configuration

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 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 image frames such as still images or moving images obtained by the image sensor in the video communication mode or the photographing mode. The processed image frame can be displayed on the display unit 151. [

The image frame processed by the camera 121 may be stored in the memory 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 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. 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. 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 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 also 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 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. [

Organization description

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a mobile terminal or a portable terminal according to the present invention, as viewed from the front.

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 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 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.

Front touch

Hereinafter, a related operation of the display unit 151 and the touch pad 135 will be described with reference to FIG.

3 is a front view of a portable terminal for explaining an operation state of the portable terminal according to the present invention.

Various types of time information can be displayed on the display unit 151. [ These pieces of information can be displayed in the form of letters, numbers, symbols, graphics, or icons.

At least one of the letters, numbers, symbols, graphics, or icons may be displayed in a predetermined arrangement for inputting such information, thereby being implemented as a keypad. Such a keypad may be referred to as a so-called " virtual keypad ".

3 illustrates inputting of a touch applied to the virtual keypad through the front surface of the terminal body.

The display unit 151 may operate as an entire area or may be divided into a plurality of areas and operated. In the latter case, the plurality of areas can be configured to operate in association with each other.

For example, an output window 151a and an input window 151b are displayed on the upper and lower portions of the display unit 151, respectively. The output window 151a and the input window 151b are areas allocated for outputting or inputting information, respectively. In the input window 151b, a virtual keypad 151c is displayed in which a number for inputting a telephone number or the like is displayed. When the virtual keypad 151c is touched, numbers and the like corresponding to the touched virtual keypad are displayed on the output window 151a. When the first operation unit 131 is operated, call connection to the telephone number displayed on the output window 151a is attempted.

The display unit 151 or the touch pad 135 may be configured to receive a touch input by scrolling, as well as the input method described in the above embodiments. The user can move a cursor or a pointer located on an object displayed on the display unit 151, for example, an icon or the like, by scrolling the display unit 151 or the touch pad 135. [ Further, when the finger is moved on the display portion 151 or the touch pad 135, the path along which the finger moves may be visually displayed on the display portion 151. [ This will be useful for editing the image displayed on the display unit 151. [

One function of the terminal may be executed in response to a case where the display unit 151 (touch screen) and the touch pad 135 are touched together within a predetermined time range. In the case of being touched together, there may be a case where the user clamps the terminal body using the thumb and index finger. The one function may be activation or deactivation of the display unit 151 or the touch pad 135, for example.

For convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the mobile terminal referred to below includes at least one of the components shown in FIG.

An external communication device and a mobile terminal within a predetermined distance through the short-range communication module can transmit and receive data wirelessly. Examples of the transmittable / receivable data include voice data, moving picture data, call connection attempts, and the like.

The reason for the frequent use of the short distance communication in the mobile terminal is that a user who does not own the mobile terminal carries a small device smaller than the mobile terminal and can talk with the calling side.

For example, if the user has the external communication device after connecting the external communication device with the local communication module included in the mobile terminal, if the mobile terminal receives a call connection attempt from the calling side, An attempt is relayed through the external communication device and the local communication module, and a call can be made with the calling party when establishing a call connection.

Bluetooth, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), IrDA (Infrared Data Association), UWB (Ultra Wideband), ZigBee, etc. (The above-described short range communication module 114, See content.)

Particularly, Bluetooth is a communication technology standard designed to easily communicate with a mobile terminal, a computer, a PDA or the like at a short distance. Since Bluetooth is relatively fast in data transmission compared with other local communication technologies and is easy to implement, Bluetooth .

At this time, for short-range communication, the external communication device and the mobile terminal must be connected to each other, which is a process of correlating compatible devices. In short-range communication using Bluetooth, this is called "paring".

However, there is a distance that can be communicated by the technical restriction of the short distance communication. Therefore, when the distance difference between the short-range communication module and the external communication device deviates from the communicable threshold distance, the external signal can not relay the data with the mobile terminal.

Accordingly, when a user connects a short distance communication module included in a mobile terminal and an external communication device and then moves while possessing the external communication device to deviate from the communicatable critical distance, the user and the calling side depart from the communicatable critical distance It is difficult to recognize the call disabled state due to the call.

In order to solve this problem, in the present invention, a function of informing a user and a calling terminal when a distance difference between the local communication module and an external communication device returns within a critical distance after exceeding a communicable threshold distance is provided.

For the sake of convenience of description, the present invention will be described in detail herein on the assumption that short-range communication is performed using Bluetooth, which is a representative local area communication technology. However, this is merely exemplary and the contents of the present invention are applicable to various short-range communication technologies other than Bluetooth.

Generally, in the case of short-distance communication using Bluetooth, the communication distance between the Bluetooth external communication device and the short-range communication module of the mobile terminal is 10 m. However, the communicable critical distance can be extended by technological advancement, and is not limited to the above critical distance.

Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the distance that can be communicated between the Bluetooth external communication device and the local communication module of the mobile terminal is referred to as a critical distance, and the contents of the present invention will be described with specific embodiments.

1st Example

According to an embodiment of the present invention, when the distance difference between the short distance communication module and the external communication device is out of the critical distance in a state where the short distance communication module and the Bluetooth external communication device are connected, A message establishing a call connection and notifying that the data exchange with the user possessing the external communication apparatus due to the deviation of the threshold distance is impossible is transmitted to the originating terminal.

For convenience of explanation, the call connection setting is clearly defined.

When there is a call connection attempt for a call connection from the calling party and the user inputs a predetermined command through the user input unit for communication with the calling party, the control unit 180 controls the two-way communication between the mobile terminal and the calling party This state is called call connection setup.

Examples of the predetermined command of the user may include an operation of a key button, a folder opening / closing operation, a slide moving operation, and the like.

Reference is made to Fig. 4 for the purpose of describing the concrete contents of the present invention.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of transmitting a message informing a data relaying disabled state at a threshold distance outage to a calling terminal in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

First, the Bluetooth external communication device and the local communication module of the mobile terminal must be paired as described above (S410).

The pairing Bluetooth external communication device and the local communication module of the mobile terminal can relay the voice call of the mobile terminal or relay the data transmission within the critical distance.

At this time, if the user moves while holding the Bluetooth external communication device, the distance difference between the local communication module included in the mobile terminal and the Bluetooth external communication device may deviate from the critical distance (S420).

If the distance difference between the short distance communication module and the Bluetooth external communication device exceeds the critical distance, the Bluetooth external communication device can no longer relay data with the mobile terminal.

In this case, the call connection attempt from the calling party may be received by the mobile terminal (S430).

Upon receiving the call connection attempt from the calling party, the control unit 180 establishes the call connection.

When the call connection is established, the controller 180 transmits a message to the calling party informing that the data exchange with the user having the external communication device is impossible (S440).

Examples of the message indicating that data exchange with the user having the external communication device is impossible include a voice message preset in the mobile terminal or a voice message previously recorded by the user. However, this is merely an example, and various types of messages can be implemented by user setting.

In order to distinguish between a message informing that data exchange is impossible and a general message, a message informing that data exchange is impossible is referred to as a first message.

Therefore, the originating terminal can easily recognize that the user of the mobile terminal is temporarily unable to make a call due to the deviation of the current threshold distance, so that convenience can be provided.

On the other hand, the message informing the data exchange can be controlled to be transmitted in other ways without establishing a call connection.

If the threshold distance is deviated and a call connection attempt is received from the calling terminal, the controller 180 may not set up a call connection.

When the call connection is not established and a predetermined time has elapsed, the call connection signal is stopped. At this time, the control unit 180 transmits a message to the calling party informing that the data exchange with the user having the external communication apparatus is impossible.

The message indicating that data exchange is impossible includes a voice message, a text message, a multimedia messaging service (MMS) message, and the like. However, this is merely an example, and various types of messages employing other techniques can be implemented.

Since the message is distinguished from the first message, which is a voice message, it is referred to as a second message in this specification.

Therefore, even if the controller 180 does not set up the call connection, the calling terminal can conveniently recognize that the call is impossible due to the second message being received after the end of the call connection attempt.

Second Example

Meanwhile, according to another embodiment of the present invention, when the distance difference between the short distance communication module and the Bluetooth external communication device returns within a critical distance after the distance exceeds the critical distance, a message informing the user of the return is transmitted to the external communication device Lt; / RTI >

When the distance difference between the short distance communication module and the Bluetooth external communication device exceeds the critical distance and then returns to a critical distance, the second external communication device re-pairs the voice call of the mobile terminal, Can be relayed.

At this time, in order to notify the user of the fact that the mobile terminal is not carried and the fact that the previous threshold distance separation is not possible, the message informing the return to the critical distance is transmitted to the Bluetooth external communication device Lt; / RTI > This will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for transmitting a message to an external communication device to notify a user of a return to a critical distance according to another embodiment of the present invention.

First, a first message or a second message due to a threshold distance deviation is transmitted to a calling terminal that originated the call connection attempt (510).

At this time, the mobile terminal may again receive a call connection request from another calling side (S520).

If the call connection request is received from another calling party, the controller 180 of the mobile terminal determines whether the distance difference between the local communication module and the Bluetooth external communication device has returned to a critical distance at step S530.

When the distance difference between the short distance communication module and the Bluetooth external communication device returns to the critical distance, the controller 180 transmits a message to the Bluetooth external communication device indicating that the short distance communication module has returned (S540).

Hereinafter, a message informing that the first message and the second message are returned is referred to as a third message in order to distinguish the message from the first message and the second message.

The third message includes a voice message, a text message, a multimedia messaging service (MMS) message, and the like. However, this is merely an example, and various types of messages employing other techniques can be implemented.

When the user receives the third message through the Bluetooth external communication device, the user can easily recognize the return to the critical distance. If another call connection attempt of the calling party is relayed through the external communication device and the local communication module, The call connection is established and the other caller can make telephone calls.

On the contrary, when the distance difference between the short distance communication module and the Bluetooth external communication device is still deviated from the critical distance, the controller 180 transmits the first message or the second message to another source terminal (S560 ).

Accordingly, in this embodiment, when returning to within the critical distance, the user can recognize the departure from the previous threshold distance through the third message, thereby providing convenience.

In addition, the present invention can recognize the current position of the mobile terminal using the position information signal, and further transmit the current position information to the third message.

The user who recognizes the return via the third message can recognize that he or she does not have the mobile terminal and can easily find the mobile terminal if the location of the mobile terminal is provided to the user. This will be described with reference to FIG.

6 is a flow chart illustrating a method for further transmitting a current location of a mobile terminal to an external communication device in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

Steps S610 to S630 are similar to steps S510 to S530 of FIG. 5, and steps S660 and S670 are similar to S550 and S560 of FIG. 5, respectively, so that redundant description will be omitted for simplicity of description.

When the control unit 180 confirms that the distance difference between the local communication module and the external communication device has returned to a communicable critical distance in step S630, the controller receives the position information signal through the position information module, (S640).

When the current position of the mobile terminal is recognized, the controller 180 transmits the information including the current position of the mobile terminal together with the third message to the Bluetooth external communication device (S650)

Therefore, the user can easily recognize the position of the mobile terminal while recognizing the fact that the communication relay is impossible due to the critical distance.

Third Example

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a list in which at least some pieces of information of a source terminal transmitting a first message and a second message are arranged in a predetermined form is displayed on a display unit with a predetermined visual effect .

If the information of the general absence call and the information of the calling terminal transmitting the first message and the second message together are displayed on the display unit together with the information of the calling terminal transmitting the first message and the second message There is a problem that can not be distinguished.

 Accordingly, the present invention provides a function of giving a predetermined visual effect to the information of the calling terminal which transmitted the first message and the second message, and distinguishing the information from the general absence call information.

As an example of this predetermined visual effect, the color or texture pattern of the object surface can be changed. However, this is an exemplary one, and the visual effect of the present invention is not limited thereto and can be implemented as various effects including blinking, size change and at least a part of shape change.

This will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

7A to 7C are diagrams illustrating a list in which information of a calling terminal transmitting a first message and a second message in a predetermined format is displayed with a predetermined visual effect in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention FIG.

Hereinafter, it is assumed that the calling side terminal that has transmitted the first message and the second message is the Kim Cheol Soo terminal 712 and the Hong Kil Dong terminal 714.

First, referring to FIG. 7A, a list of missing terminals is displayed on the display unit. The list includes the information of the user terminal 711, the terminal 712, the terminal 713, the terminal 714, and the terminal 715.

Among the information of the terminal included in the list, the information of the terminal 712 and the terminal 714 is given a font different from other information, It is possible to clearly recognize that the information is the information of the originating terminal which transmitted the second message.

Referring to FIG. 7B, a shadow effect is given to the positions where the Kim Cheol-Soo terminal 722 and the Hong Kil-Dong terminal 724 are located in the information of the terminals included in the list, and the user transmits the first message and the second message It is easy to confirm that it is the information of one calling side terminal.

On the other hand, the information of the calling terminal which transmitted the first message and the second message can be provided to the user in a different list from the general missed call list.

Referring to FIG. 7C, the information on the missed call terminal 730 and the information on the missed call terminal 730 are included.

Since the information of the Kim Cheol-Soo terminal 741 and the Hong Kil-Dong terminal 742 is included in the list of the telephone 740 to which the automatic response message is transmitted and is separately displayed on the display unit, the user can easily transmit the first message and the second message The information of the calling terminal can be confirmed.

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) .

The mobile terminal described above can be applied to not only the configuration and method of the embodiments described above but also all or some of the embodiments may be selectively combined so that various modifications may be made to the embodiments It is possible.

Claims (5)

A local communication module for communicating data with an external communication device; And
When a call connection is requested from a counterpart terminal in a state where a distance difference between the local area communication module and the external communication device is out of a critical distance enabling local communication, A first message informing that the data exchange with the user having the external communication apparatus is impossible due to the deviation of the threshold distance from the requested call connection or not making the requested call connection is made to the counterpart terminal And a control unit for controlling the transmission unit,
Wherein,
And controls a second message informing the user of the external communication device to be transmitted to the external communication device when the distance difference between the local communication module and the external communication device is returned within the critical distance. delete delete The method according to claim 1,
The short-
A mobile terminal that performs near-field communication according to Bluetooth technology. The method according to claim 1,
And a display unit,
Wherein,
Wherein the control unit controls the display unit to display a list in which at least some pieces of information of the counterpart terminal that transmitted the first message are arranged in a predetermined form, with a predetermined visual effect.

Images