KR101799462B1 - Mobile terminal and function limiting mode operating method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal for controlling unintended backlight on or unlocking by a user's action or motion in a pocket or bag, and a method of operating the operation limiting mode. The present invention stores an operation restriction mode and its setting information for limiting use of a specific function of a terminal and measures the distance to a tab (pouch, bag) through a sensing unit when an event requesting execution of the specific function is generated , And if there is a screen within a close distance, the restriction release of the specific function is forcibly maintained, thereby preventing unnecessary power consumption caused by backlight on or lock release.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a mobile terminal and a method for operating the function limiting mode,

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal for preventing unintentional backlight on or unlocking by a user's operation or movement in a pocket or a bag, and a method for operating the function restricted mode.

The mobile terminal may be configured to perform various functions. Examples of such various functions include a data and voice communication function, a function of photographing a video or a moving image through a camera, a voice storage function, a music file playback function through a speaker system, and an image or video display function. Some mobile terminals include additional functions to execute games, and some other mobile terminals are also implemented as multimedia devices. Moreover, recent mobile terminals can receive a broadcast or multicast signal to view a video or television program.

Further, efforts for supporting and increasing the functions of the mobile terminal continue. Such efforts include not only changes and improvements in structural components that form the mobile terminal, but also improvements in software or hardware. Among them, the touch function of the mobile terminal allows a user who is unfamiliar with the button / key input to conveniently perform the operation of the terminal by using the touch screen. In recent years, not only simple input but also user interface (UI) Is becoming an important function of Accordingly, as the touch function is applied to a mobile terminal in various forms, development of a user interface (UI) corresponding thereto is further demanded.

Various power consumption detection methods have been adopted in mobile terminals. The power consumption detection method is mainly performed when the user uses the mobile terminal or temporarily suspends the use of the mobile terminal by controlling the screen display according to the remaining amount of the battery or restricting the usage of the battery-consuming element or the specific application.

In general, the user stores the used mobile terminal in a pocket or a bag. Statistically, men often carry mobile devices in their pockets and women carry them in handbags or bags.

However, when the portable terminal is carried in a pocket or a bag, unintentional input (key input or the like) may be performed by unnecessary actions (such as placing a hand in the pocket or finding other objects) or external stimuli Touch input) may be generated. As a result, the backlight is turned on by the unintentional input, unnecessarily consuming the battery, and sometimes the lock is released, and an undesired function such as a telephone call occurs.

In this way, when a user inserts a mobile terminal into a pocket or bag, the backlight is turned on or unlocked due to an unintended input (key or touch input), so that unnecessary functions are performed to increase battery consumption. Increases the latency and usage time of the mobile terminal.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a mobile terminal and a method of operating the function limitation mode of the mobile terminal, which can reduce power consumption of the battery by preventing backlight illumination or terminal function execution by unintended input in a pocket or bag.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a mobile terminal and a method of operating a function limiting mode thereof, which can reduce power consumption of a battery by controlling a backlight when a predetermined event occurs in a pocket or a bag.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of operating a function limiting mode of a mobile terminal, the method including: detecting an event occurrence; Checking whether a curtain is present within a predetermined distance; And forcibly turning off the backlight regardless of the event if a screen is present within a predetermined distance.

The event includes a key press, a call reception, and an SMS reception, and the predetermined distance represents a proximity distance in which a user's visual in focus is not achieved.

The checking step may include periodically measuring a distance to the curtain; Comparing the measured distance with a previously stored set value to determine whether a curtain is present within a predetermined distance; .

The curtain is a face-to-face object facing the mobile terminal, and includes a face of a pocket or a bag user.

The method of operating the operation limiting mode of the mobile terminal further includes turning on the backlight and adjusting the brightness of the backlight according to the ambient brightness when the screen is farther away from the screen by a predetermined distance in a state where the backlight is off. At this time, if the periphery is dark, the backlight is dimmed and controlled to have normal brightness if the surrounding is bright.

The operation limiting mode operation method of the mobile terminal does not perform a function operation such as screen unlocking in response to a key depression when a key depression event is detected when a screen is present within a predetermined distance.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a mobile terminal including: a sensing unit for sensing an event occurrence and a distance to a screen; And an operation restriction mode and its setting information for limiting use of a specific function of the terminal are stored. When an event requesting execution of the specific function is generated, the distance to the tab is measured through the sensing unit, And decides to release the use restriction of the specific function.

The event includes a key press, a call reception, and an SMS reception, and the predetermined distance represents a proximity distance in which a user's visual in focus is not achieved.

The sensing unit periodically measures the distance to the diaphragm through the proximity sensor, and the controller compares the measured distance with the preset value to determine whether a diaphragm exists within a predetermined distance.

The curtain is a face-to-face object facing the mobile terminal, and includes a face of a pocket or a bag user.

The control unit turns on the backlight when the backlight is forcibly turned off, and adjusts the backlight brightness according to the illuminance measured by the illuminance sensor.

The controller dims the backlight if the surroundings are dark, and controls the brightness to the normal brightness when the surroundings are bright.

The control unit does not perform a function operation such as screen unlocking in response to a key depression when a key depression event is detected when a screen is present within a predetermined distance.

When the mobile terminal is in a narrow space such as a pocket or a bag, the backlight function is turned off even if a key event, a call reception event, or an SMS reception event occurs, and when the mobile terminal is taken out, The power consumption of the battery can be effectively prevented by controlling the brightness of the backlight.

1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a block diagram of a wireless communication system in which a mobile terminal may operate in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a view showing an example of a menu screen for setting a function restriction mode according to an embodiment of the present invention;
4 is a flowchart showing an example of operation of a function restriction mode when a key event is generated in an embodiment of the present invention;
5 is a flowchart showing another example of operation of a function restriction mode when a key event is generated in an embodiment of the present invention;
6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the function restriction mode when a call event is generated in the embodiment of the present invention;
7 is a flowchart showing the operation of a function restriction mode when an SMS reception event is generated in an embodiment of the present invention;

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 components used in the following description are given merely for convenience of description, and do not give special significance or role in themselves. Accordingly, it should be noted that the above-mentioned "module" and "part"

The terminal may be implemented in various forms. For example, the terminal described in this specification may include a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone, a smart phone, a notebook computer, a digital broadcasting terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), a PMP (Portable Multimedia Player) And fixed terminals such as a digital TV, a desktop computer, and the like. In the following description, it is assumed that the terminal is a mobile terminal. However, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the configuration according to the following description may be applied to the fixed terminal, except for components specifically configured for mobile use.

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. 1 shows a mobile terminal having various components. However, not all illustrated components are required. A mobile terminal may be implemented by more components than the illustrated components, or a mobile terminal may be implemented by fewer components.

Hereinafter, the components will be described in order.

The wireless communication unit 110 may include one or more components that allow wireless communication between the mobile terminal 100 and the wireless communication system or wireless communication between the mobile terminal 100 and a network on 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-related information may refer to a broadcast channel, a broadcast program, or information related to a broadcast service provider. 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.

Meanwhile, the broadcast related information may be provided through a mobile communication network, and in this case, it may be received by the mobile communication module 112.

The broadcast-related information may exist in various forms. For example, an EPG (Electronic Program Guide) of DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) or an ESG (Electronic Service Guide) of Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld (DVB-H).

The broadcast receiving module 111 receives broadcasting signals using various broadcasting systems. In particular, the broadcasting receiving module 111 may be a Digital Multimedia Broadcasting-Terrestrial (DMB-T), a Digital Multimedia Broadcasting-Satellite (DMB-S) Only Digital Broadcast-Handheld (DVB-H), Integrated Services Digital Broadcast-Terrestrial (ISDB-T), and the like. Of course, the broadcast receiving module 111 is configured to be suitable for all broadcasting systems that provide broadcasting signals as well as the digital broadcasting system described above.

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

In addition, 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. Here, 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 the wireless Internet module 113 can be built in or externally. WLAN (Wi-Fi), Wibro (Wireless broadband), Wimax (World Interoperability for Microwave Access), HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) and the like can be used as wireless Internet technologies.

The short-range communication module 114 refers to a module for short-range communication. Bluetooth, radio frequency identification (RFID), infrared data association (IrDA), ultra wideband (UWB), ZigBee, and the like can be used as the short distance communication technology.

The location information module 115 is a module for confirming or obtaining the location of the mobile terminal. A typical example of the position information module 115 is a Global Position System (GPS) module. According to the present technology, the GPS module calculates distance information and accurate time information from three or more satellites, and then applies trigonometry to the calculated information to obtain three-dimensional current position information according to latitude, longitude, and altitude It can be calculated accurately. At present, a method of calculating position and time information using three satellites and correcting an error of the calculated position and time information using another satellite is widely used. In addition, the GPS module can calculate speed information by continuously calculating the current position in real time.

An audio / video (A / V) 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 a moving image obtained by the image sensor in the video communication mode or the photographing mode. Then, the processed image frame can be displayed on the display module 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. [ The camera 121 may be equipped with two or more cameras according to the configuration of the terminal.

The microphone 122 receives an external sound signal through a microphone in a communication mode, a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, or the like, and processes it as electrical voice data. The processed voice data can be converted into a form that can be transmitted to the mobile communication base station through the mobile communication module 112 when the voice data is in the call mode, and output. The microphone 122 may be implemented with various noise reduction algorithms for eliminating noise generated in the process of receiving an external sound signal.

The user input unit 130 generates input data for a user to control the operation of the terminal. The user input unit 130 may include a key pad, a dome switch, a touch pad (static / static), a jog wheel, a jog switch, and the like. Particularly, when the touch pad has a mutual layer structure with the display module 151 described later, it can be called a touch screen.

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. Also, it is responsible for a sensing function related to whether or not the power supply unit 190 is powered on, whether the interface unit 170 is connected to an external device, and the like. Meanwhile, the sensing unit 140 may include a proximity sensor 141. This will be discussed later in connection with touch screens.

The sensing unit 140 includes a geomagnetic sensor for calculating a moving direction when a user moves, a gyro sensor for calculating a rotating direction, and an acceleration sensor.

The interface unit 170 serves as an interface with all external devices connected to the mobile terminal 100. 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, Video input / output (I / O) ports, earphone ports, and the like.

Here, the identification module is a chip that stores 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 Universal Subscriber Identity Module (" USIM "), and the like. In addition, an apparatus having an identification module (hereinafter referred to as 'identification device') can be manufactured in a smart card format. Accordingly, the identification device can be connected to the terminal 100 through the port. The interface unit 170 receives data from an external device or receives power from the external device to transfer the data to each component in the mobile terminal 100 or to transmit data in the mobile terminal 100 to an external device.

The interface unit 170 may be a path through which power from the cradle is supplied to the mobile terminal 100 when the mobile terminal 100 is connected to an external cradle, Various command signals may be transmitted to the mobile terminal. The various command signals or the power source input from the cradle may be operated as a signal for recognizing that the mobile terminal is correctly mounted on the cradle.

The output unit 150 is for outputting an audio signal, a video signal, or an alarm signal. The output unit 150 may include a display module 151, an audio output module 152, and an alarm unit 153.

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

Meanwhile, as described above, when the display module 151 and the touch pad have a mutual layer structure to constitute a touch screen, the display module 151 can be used as an input device in addition to the output device. The display module 151 may be a liquid crystal display, a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display, an organic light-emitting diode, a flexible display, a three-dimensional display 3D display). Some of these displays can be configured to be transparent so that they can be viewed from outside. This may be referred to as a transparent display. A typical example of the transparent display is a transparent organic light emitting diode (TOLED) or the like. In addition, there may be two or more display modules 151 according to the embodiment of the mobile terminal 100. For example, the mobile terminal 100 may be provided with an external display module (not shown) and an internal display module (not shown) at the same time. The touch screen may be configured to detect not only the touch input position and area but also the touch input pressure.

The audio output module 152 outputs 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 outputs an acoustic signal related to functions (e.g., call signal reception sound, message reception sound, etc.) performed in the mobile terminal 100. [ The sound output module 152 may include 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 informing occurrence of an event in a form other than an audio signal or a video signal. For example, it is possible to output a signal in a vibration mode. When a call signal is received or a message is received, the alarm unit 153 can output a vibration to notify it. Alternatively, when the key signal is input, the alarm unit 153 can output the vibration by the feedback to the key signal input. The user can recognize the occurrence of an event through the vibration output as described above. Of course, a signal for notifying the occurrence of an event may also be output through the display module 151 or the sound output module 152. [

The memory 160 may store a program for processing and controlling the control unit 180 and may store a function for temporarily storing input / output data (e.g., a phone book, a message, a still image, . In addition, 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 (Programmable Read- And an optical disc. Also, the mobile terminal 100 may operate a web storage for performing a storage function of the memory 160 on the Internet.

The control unit 180 typically controls the overall operation of the mobile terminal. For example, voice communication, data communication, video communication, and the like. In addition, 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 control unit 180 as a battery, and supplies power necessary for operation of the respective components.

The various embodiments described herein may be embodied in a recording medium readable by a computer or similar device using, for example, software, hardware, or a combination thereof.

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

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

The terminal 100 shown in Fig. 1 is configured to be operable in a communication system capable of transmitting data through a frame or packet, including a wired / wireless communication system and a satellite-based communication system .

Hereinafter, a communication system capable of operating a terminal according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

The communication system may use different air interfaces and / or physical layers. For example, wireless interfaces that can be used by communication systems include, but are not limited to, Frequency Division Multiple Access ('FDMA'), Time Division Multiple Access ('TDMA'), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Universal Mobile Telecommunications Systems (UMTS) (especially Long Term Evolution (LTE)), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) . Hereinafter, for the sake of convenience of description, the description will be limited to CDMA. However, the present invention is applicable to all communication systems including CDMA wireless communication systems.

2, the CDMA wireless communication system includes a plurality of terminals 100, a plurality of base stations (BSs) 270, and base station controllers (BSCs) 275 , And a mobile switching center ('MSC') 280. MSC 280 is configured to be coupled to a Public Switched Telephone Network (" PSTN ") 290, and is also configured to be coupled to BSCs 275. BSCs 275 may be coupled in pairs with BS 270 through a backhaul line. The backhaul line may be provided according to at least one of E1 / T1, ATM, IP, PPP, Frame Relay, HDSL, ADSL or xDSL. Thus, a plurality of BSCs 275 may be included in the system shown in FIG.

Each BS 270 may comprise at least one sector, and each sector may comprise an omnidirectional antenna or an antenna pointing to a particular direction of radial from BS 270. [ In addition, each sector may include two or more antennas of various types. Each BS 270 may be configured to support a plurality of frequency assignments and each of the plurality of frequency assignments has a specific spectrum (e.g., 1.25 MHz, 5 MHz, etc.).

The intersection of sector and frequency assignment may be referred to as a CDMA channel. BS 270 may be referred to as a Base Station Transceiver Subsystem (BTSs). In this case, the word "base station" may be referred to as a combination of one BSC 275 and at least one BS 270. [ The base station may also indicate a "cell site ". Alternatively, each of the plurality of sectors for a particular BS 270 may be referred to as a plurality of cell sites.

2, a broadcasting transmitter (BT) 295 transmits a broadcasting signal to the terminals 100 operating in the system. The broadcast receiving module 111 shown in FIG. 1 is provided in the terminal 100 to receive a broadcast signal transmitted by the BT 295.

In addition, FIG. 2 illustrates several Global Positioning System ('GPS') satellites 300. The satellites 300 help to locate at least one of the plurality of terminals 100. Although two satellites are shown in FIG. 2, useful location information may be obtained by two or more satellites. The location information module 115 shown in FIG. 1 cooperates with satellites 300 to obtain desired location information. Here, you can track your location using all of the technologies that can track your location, as well as your GPS tracking technology. Also, at least one of the GPS satellites 300 may optionally or additionally be responsible for satellite DMB transmission.

Among the typical operations of a wireless communication system, the BS 270 receives a reverse link signal from the various terminals 100. At this time, the terminals 100 are connecting a call, transmitting or receiving a message, or performing another communication operation. Each of the reverse link signals received by the particular base station 270 is processed by the particular base station 270. The data resulting from the processing is transmitted to the connected BSC 275. The BSC 275 provides call resource allocation and mobility management functions, including the organization of soft handoffs between the base stations 270. The BSC 275 also transmits the received data to the MSC 280 and the MSC 280 provides additional transmission services for connection with the PSTN 290. [ Similarly, the PSTN 290 connects to the MSC 280, the MSC 280 connects to the BSCs 275, and the BSCs 275 communicate with the BSs 270 ).

The present invention can be applied to a portable terminal such as a mobile terminal, a smart phone or a PMP in a backlight off state or a lock state in a narrow space such as a bag or a bag, And a specific function (operation) is executed after the lock is released. In the present invention, the backlight, lock and specific functions are collectively referred to as functions of the mobile terminal.

The present invention proposes a method of controlling power consumption of a battery by controlling a backlight when a predetermined event occurs in a pocket or a bag or when a mobile terminal is taken out from a pocket or a bag to check the event.

In general, when a mobile terminal enters a pocket or a bag, the mobile terminal is very close to the inner surface of the pocket cloth or bag. Also, when the user grasps the mobile terminal, it maintains a relatively long distance. In the present invention, for convenience of description, an object facing the mobile terminal is defined as a "screen. &Quot; The shape of the curtain may be planar and may be curved or solid as the user's face.

Accordingly, in order to prevent the backlight from being turned on or performing a specific function operation by unnecessary input (touch or key input) in a narrow space such as a pocket (or bag), it is preferable to use a proximity sensor And the distance to the tab, and then determines the on / off of the back light according to the measured proximity of the tab.

That is, according to the present invention, when a predetermined input (touch or key input) is detected, the backlight is not turned on but the current mobile terminal is connected to a pocket (or bag) Determines whether the user is in the same narrow space or not, and finally determines whether the backlight is on or off.

Therefore, the present invention normally turns on the backlight when there is no curtain within a predetermined distance (reference distance) or when there is a curtain at a certain distance (if there is a curtain outside the reference distance). On the other hand, if a screen is present at a very close distance (presence of a screen within the reference distance), it is determined that the current mobile terminal is present in a pocket or a bag, and the backlight is turned off regardless of the input (touch input or key input) . The above function is automatically applied according to the on / off setting of the 'operation restriction mode', for example, the backlight & lock item in the mobile phone setting menu.

In addition, according to the present invention, when the mobile terminal is taken out of a pocket or a bag while the backlight is off, that is, when the distance to the screen is increased, the brightness of the backlight . In this case, if the ambient brightness measured by the illuminance sensor is lower than a predetermined value (e.g., nighttime), the brightness of the backlight is set low and the brightness of the backlight is normally controlled when the ambient brightness is higher than a predetermined value.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a menu screen for setting a function restriction mode according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3, the user selects 'operation restriction mode' in the mobile phone setting menu. The operation restriction mode indicates a mode for limiting the backlight On or the screen lock release under specific conditions.

When the operation restriction mode is selected, the backlight & lock mode is displayed as 'On'. On the screen, the user can set the time (start time and end time) and the repetition period (daily or specific day) . The execution time and the repetition period are set as necessary as a time required for the user to frequently put the mobile terminal in a pocket or bag (e.g., work time, meeting time, and work time). In this state, & The default setting of the lock mode (whether the reference distance of the curtain and the illumination sensor is applied) is automatically applied.

In the operation restriction mode screen, the user can touch the 'unspecified' portion to set a detail item for controlling the backlight & lock. The detail item includes a reference distance of the screen and an illuminance sensor item. Accordingly, the user can set the illumination distance (brightness) of the reference distance and the illuminance sensor by selecting the screen distance or the illuminance sensor item. When all the setting operations are completed and the user presses the OK button, the corresponding settings are stored in the memory 160 ).

Hereinafter, a backlight control method of a mobile terminal according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

4 is a flowchart showing an example of operation of the function restriction mode when a key event is generated in the embodiment of the present invention.

The user selects the operation restriction mode (or the function restriction mode) in the mobile phone setting menu and then inputs the detailed mode information to which the corresponding mode is applied (Fig. 3) (S10). The operation restriction mode is applied when a key input or an event is generated. Once the operation restriction mode is set, the specific operation (backlight, screen lock) of the mobile terminal is limited for power saving. The setting state of the backlight & lock mode and the detailed mode information are stored in the memory 160. [

As described above, the key input (key depression) in the mobile terminal can be generated when the user starts executing the operation of the desired mobile terminal in the standby state or by the movement of the user in a pocket, bag, or the like. The key input includes a side key or a numeric key.

Once the key input is generated, whether it is desired or not, the control unit 180 detects the key input based on the output value of the sensing unit 140 (S11). Upon detecting the key input, the controller 180 checks the mode setting to determine whether the operation restriction mode is set (S12). If the operation restriction mode is not set, the controller 180 proceeds to step S15 to turn on the backlight or release the screen lock (in the case of the screen lock release key). If the operation restriction mode is set, To measure the distance from the mobile terminal to the drape (S13). The distance measurement is repeated at predetermined intervals.

If the distance between the mobile terminal and the screen is measured, the controller 180 compares the measured screen distance with a reference distance of the screen stored in the memory 160 (S14). The comparison is an operation for determining whether the current mobile terminal is in a narrow space such as a pocket or a bag or whether the user is using the mobile terminal.

If the measured distance is larger than the reference distance, it means that the current mobile terminal is not in a narrow space such as a pocket or a bag. Therefore, the controller 180 normally turns on the backlight or releases the screen lock (In the case of the screen lock release key) (S15).

On the other hand, if the measured diaphragm distance is smaller than the previously stored reference distance, it means that the current mobile terminal is in a narrow space such as a pocket or a bag. Therefore, the controller 180 turns off the backlight, The lock state is maintained (S16).

Therefore, the present invention is capable of effectively suppressing battery power consumption by forcibly suppressing backlight on or screen unlocking even if unnecessary key input occurs in a mobile terminal due to movement of a user in a narrow space such as a pocket or a bag .

5 is a flowchart showing another example of the operation of the function restriction mode when a key event is generated in the embodiment of the present invention. In particular, Figure 5 includes operations when the mobile terminal is in a pockets or in a bag and when the user takes it out.

The user selects the operation restriction mode in the mobile phone setting menu, and then inputs detailed mode information to which the corresponding mode is applied (FIG. 3) (S20). When the key input is generated, the controller senses the key input based on the output value of the sensing unit 140 (S21), checks the mode setting stored in the memory 160, and determines whether the operation restriction mode is set (S22).

If the operation restriction mode is not set, the control unit 180 proceeds to step S29 to turn on the backlight or release the screen lock (in the case of the screen lock release key). If the operation restriction mode is set, And the distance between the mobile terminal and the drape is measured (S23).

If the distance between the mobile terminal and the screen is measured, the controller 180 compares the measured distance with the reference distance stored in the memory 160 (S24). The comparison is an operation for determining whether the current mobile terminal is in a narrow space such as a pocket or a bag or whether the user is using the mobile terminal.

If the measured distance is larger than the reference distance (when the mobile terminal is taken out of the pocket), the controller 180 operates the illuminance sensor to measure the illuminance around the mobile terminal, and then compares the measured illuminance value with the reference value S26). The illuminance value comparison is for measuring the brightness of the current surroundings of the mobile terminal, for example, night or day can be discriminated, and the brightness of the backlight can be controlled according to the determined surrounding brightness.

If the measured illuminance value is smaller than the reference value, the controller 180 recognizes that the current surroundings are dark and dims the brightness of the backlight corresponding to the key input or releases the screen lock (S27). On the other hand, if the measured illuminance value is greater than the reference value, the controller recognizes that the surroundings are bright and turns on the backlight normally or releases the screen lock in response to the key input (S29).

If the measured distance is smaller than the previously stored reference distance in step S24, the controller 180 determines that the current mobile terminal is in a narrow space such as a pocket or a bag, The backlight is turned off or the screen lock state is maintained (S28).

Therefore, the present invention is capable of restricting backlight on or screen unlocking even if an unnecessary key event occurs in a mobile terminal due to movement or movement of a user in a narrow space such as a pocket or a bag, When it is taken out, the brightness of the backlight is controlled according to the brightness of the surroundings, so that the power consumption of the battery can be effectively prevented.

6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the function restriction mode when a call event is generated in the embodiment of the present invention.

The user selects an operation restriction mode (e.g., backlight & lock mode) for restricting the backlight and some operations of the lock in the mobile phone setting menu, and then inputs detailed information applied in the operation restriction mode.

When an incomming call occurs, the controller 180 determines whether the operation restriction mode is set (S30). If the operation restriction mode is not set, the controller 180 proceeds to step S38 to turn on the backlight and output a bell sound (or vibration). If the operation restriction mode is set, the controller 180 operates the proximity sensor, And the distance to the curtain are measured (S32).

If the distance between the mobile terminal and the screen is measured, the controller 180 compares the measured distance with the set value (screen distance) stored in the memory 160 (S33). If the measured distance is larger than the previously stored reference distance, the controller 180 operates the illuminance sensor to measure the illuminance of the surroundings, and then compares the measured illuminance with the reference value (S34 and S35).

If the measured illuminance value is smaller than the reference value, the controller 180 recognizes that the current surroundings are dark, dims the brightness of the backlight corresponding to the key input, and outputs a ring tone (or vibration).

If it is determined in step S33 that the measured diaphragm distance is smaller than the pre-stored reference distance, the controller 180 turns off the backlight and outputs a ring tone (or vibration) regardless of the call reception (S37).

The illuminance sensor is operated only when it is set to the detail item of the limiting mode in FIG. 3, and if not, the processes (S34 and S35) are not performed.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the function restriction mode when an SMS reception event is generated in the embodiment of the present invention.

Each of the processes (S40 to S47) shown in FIG. 7 is the same as the processes (S30 to S37) of FIG. 6 except that only the SMS alarm is outputted instead of the ring tone.

That is, when the SMS is received, the controller 180 determines whether the operation restriction mode is set (S40, S41). If the operation restriction mode is not set, the controller 180 turns on the backlight and outputs an SMS alarm (or vibration) If the operation restriction mode is set, the proximity sensor is operated to measure the distance from the mobile terminal to the tab (S42).

The control unit 180 compares the measured distance with the reference distance stored in the memory 160 (S43). If the calculated distance is larger than the previously stored reference distance, the controller 180 operates the illuminance sensor to measure the ambient illuminance, The illuminance value is compared with the reference value (S44, S45).

If the measured illuminance value is smaller than the reference value, the controller 180 recognizes that the current surroundings are dark, dims the brightness of the backlight corresponding to the key input, and outputs an SMS alarm (or vibration) S46).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S43 that the measured distance is smaller than the reference distance, the control unit 180 turns off the backlight regardless of the SMS reception and outputs an SMS alarm (or vibration) (S47).

The illuminance sensor is operated only when it is set as the detail item of the limiting mode in FIG. 3, and if not, the processes (S34 and S45) are not performed.

Accordingly, in the present invention, when the call or SMS reception event is generated, the backlight is turned off when the mobile terminal is in a narrow space such as a pockets or a bag, and when the backlight is turned on, The power consumption of the battery can be effectively prevented.

As described above, according to the present invention, when the mobile terminal is in a narrow space such as a pocket or a bag, the backlight is turned off even if a key event, a call reception event, or an SMS reception event occurs. When the mobile terminal is taken out, The power consumption of the battery can be effectively prevented.

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

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 .

110: wireless communication unit 111: broadcast receiving module
112: mobile communication module 113; Wireless Internet Module
140; Sensing unit 150: output unit
151: display unit 160: memory
180:

Claims (16)

delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete A mobile terminal having an operation restriction mode for limiting backlight on and unlocking for power saving of a battery,
A sensing unit for sensing an occurrence of an event and a distance to a nearby object; And
When an event for requesting cancellation of the operation restriction mode is generated by the user's movement in a state where the user does not hold the terminal, whether the requested operation restriction mode is released based on the distance from the surrounding object measured by the sensing unit And a control unit,
The control unit
(a) comparing a distance to a measured object with a reference distance when a key press requesting release of the operation restriction mode is detected due to contact with an object,
(b) if the measured distance is smaller than the reference distance, the mobile terminal determines that the mobile terminal is located in a narrow space such as a current pocket or a bag, and does not release the operation restriction mode. 10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the setting of the operation restriction mode
The reference distance to the object, the application of the illuminance sensor, the start time, the end time, and the repetition period of the operation restriction mode. 10. The method of claim 9,
A key press, a call reception, and an SMS reception, wherein the reference distance indicates a proximity distance in which a user's visual focus is not achieved. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the control unit
And to release the requested operation restriction mode if the proximity distance of the measured object is greater than the reference distance. 10. The method of claim 9,
A mobile terminal, comprising: a pocket garment; an inner side of the bag; and a face of the user. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the control unit
Wherein the backlight is turned on and the brightness of the backlight is adjusted according to the illuminance measured by the illuminance sensor when the distance of the object is greater than a reference distance in a state where the requested operation restriction mode is not canceled. 15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the control unit
If the illuminance value measured by the illuminance sensor is compared with a reference value, if the measured illuminance value is smaller than the reference value, it is recognized that the current surroundings are dark, and the brightness of the backlight is controlled to be dimmed. If the illuminance value is larger than the reference value, And controlling the mobile terminal. delete

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