KR20060025798A - Mobile terminal provided with pattern recognition function and method for searching information using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mobile communication terminal having a character recognition program and a method for constructing a database of subway timetables using a mobile communication terminal.

In order to achieve the object of the present invention, the present invention provides a method for storing and retrieving transportation time information data using a mobile communication terminal equipped with a digital camera and having a character recognition program and a database program. Inputting a transportation timetable image photographed through the vehicle; Extracting the transportation time information data from a still image by driving the text recognition program provided in the mobile communication terminal; Storing the extracted transportation time information data as DB information by the database program; Outputting and calculating the transportation time information data requested by searching the DB information when the user receives the transportation time information data search request; And notifying the user of the output / calculated transportation time information data.

According to the present invention, it is possible to use the information with the burden of billing through the conventional mobile communication Internet service or to use the Notepad function in the mobile terminal to eliminate the inconvenience that an error may occur during input / update / search and input process. It is possible to use only the information most suitable for the user.

Mobile communication terminal, text recognition program, database program

Description

Mobile terminal provided with text recognition program and method for retrieving subway operation using the terminal {Mobile Terminal Provided with Pattern Recognition Function and Method for Searching Information Using the Same}

1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an internal configuration of a mobile communication terminal equipped with a digital camera according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is an image of a subway timetable posted at a subway station,

3 is a flowchart illustrating a process of storing and retrieving subway time data using a mobile communication terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a flowchart illustrating a process of calculating / providing the last train / first train time information by a database program when the user searches for the last train / first train time;

FIG. 5 is an example of an interface screen provided to a user mobile communication terminal in a process in which subway time information is databased and necessary information is retrieved from the database according to an embodiment of the present invention.

<Description of Symbols for Main Parts of Drawings>

100: mobile communication terminal 110: central processing unit

112: display unit 120: character recognition program

122: database program 130: lens

140: camera unit 150: S-RAM

160: FLASH ROM 170: EEP-ROM

180: power supply unit 190: key input unit

The present invention relates to a mobile communication terminal incorporating a text recognition program and a method for retrieving subway operation information using the terminal. More specifically, by using the digital camera attached to the mobile communication terminal to take the image information related to the subway, and then extract the data extracted through the text recognition program to the database, the user can enter / update / search the subway time information in a simple way It relates to a method and an apparatus for enabling.

As is well known, recent advances in electronics and telecommunications engineering have resulted in a variety of mobile terminals. That is, with the rapid development of wireless communication and data processing technology, people can use not only voice calls but also Internet access, video communication and video message transmission using mobile communication terminals. In addition, due to the rapid dissemination of mobile communication terminals, mobile communication terminals are becoming an essential means of communication in modern life, such as a large amount of communication occurring in human relationships through mobile communication terminals.

In order to search for necessary information through the mobile terminal, the user can obtain necessary information through a mobile communication Internet service such as Nate or Magic N, or directly press a plurality of key buttons formed on the keypad of the mobile terminal. Input or write data directly to the time information (Liquid Crystal Display) of the mobile terminal using an electronic data input tool such as an electronic pen, or input voice data and text data input to the voice input device of the mobile terminal. It can be stored in the library and retrieved, extracted and used later.

Among these methods, users are charged with the fee when they get information using mobile internet service, and the amount of information provided by the Internet service is much smaller than the amount of information required by the user. Has a problem. In addition, a method of inputting data using an electronic data input tool requires a relatively large LCD screen, and thus is not suitable for a mobile phone with a small LCD screen, and is generally used for a PDA having a relatively large LCD screen. In addition, even when using a method of inputting voice data into the voice input device, it is difficult to accurately recognize and recognize the input voice data at the current voice recognition technology level, and a high specification system is required to support a smooth voice recognition speed. Due to the required problem, there are many difficulties to apply universally to a mobile communication terminal.

Therefore, the method of directly pressing a key button is the most widely used method of inputting data using a mobile communication terminal. More specifically, in the method of inputting numeric data using a key button of a mobile communication terminal, Select the numeric input mode by operating the mode selection key on the communication terminal, and then input the numeric information through the keypad which is assigned one key button for each number. However, when using a method of inputting information by directly pressing a key button of the conventional mobile communication terminal, there is a problem that the input / update / search process is cumbersome and inconvenient for a user unfamiliar with the mobile communication terminal. There is a disadvantage that the key button is not pressed well in the middle, or the size of the key button is small so that more than one key button is often pressed at once.

On the other hand, the recent increase in the number of pixels of the camera mounted on the mobile phone to hundreds of thousands or millions of pixels to obtain a high resolution image, and when applying the character recognition technology to the mobile terminal can extract the necessary information from the image taken There will be room for a significant improvement in the data input process to the mobile communication terminal.

In addition, by using the method of storing and retrieving the subway operation information through the mobile communication terminal and adopting a method of obtaining time information of the first train / last train / transfer station of the corresponding station, which is posted in a certain format for each subway station, the user needs Because only the station is stored, it does not require much storage capacity and does not have all the information required by the existing mobile communication Internet service. After searching, you can overcome the problem of having to compare the two time zones to guess if you can ride.

In order to solve this problem, the present invention, after photographing the necessary information using a digital camera attached to the mobile communication terminal, using a text recognition program to database the data extracted from the photographed image by a database program It is an object of the present invention to provide a mobile communication terminal that allows a user to input / update / search in a simple manner only the information necessary for the user without using an internet service or a notepad.

Another object of the present invention is to take a subway timetable by using the mobile communication terminal as mentioned above, and the necessary information in the database to the mobile communication terminal and the subway operation information such as the subway line, the last train time, the first train time to the destination It provides a way to search.

In order to achieve the object of the present invention, the present invention provides a mobile communication terminal equipped with a digital camera, comprising: a key input unit including a plurality of key buttons including one or more shooting function keys; The photographing function key is pressed to receive an input recording start signal to generate a photographing driving signal, to drive a text recognition program and a database program, to recognize a transportation timetable by a text recognition program, and to extract data to transport A central processing unit controlling a process of accumulating time information data into a database by the database programmer; A camera unit which receives the photographing driving signal to photograph a subject through a lens and converts the photographed image input through the lens into an electrical image signal; An S-RAM receiving the image signal from the camera unit and temporarily storing the image signal; A FLASH-ROM for storing character data extracted from the image signal by the character recognition program; And a display unit for displaying the photographed image and the extracted text data, and provides a mobile communication terminal having a database of transportation timetables.

According to another object of the present invention, a method for storing and retrieving transportation time information data using a mobile communication terminal equipped with a digital camera and having a text recognition program and a database program, comprising: (a) the mobile communication terminal; Inputting a transportation timetable image photographed through the vehicle; (b) extracting the transportation time information data from a still image by driving the text recognition program provided in the mobile communication terminal; (c) storing the extracted transportation time information data as DB information by the database program; (d) in response to receiving a request for retrieving the transportation time information data of the user, outputting and calculating the transportation time information data requested by searching the DB information; And (e) informing the user of the output / calculated transportation time information data.

According to still another object of the present invention, in a method for searching a transportation timetable using a mobile communication terminal equipped with a camera and having a key input unit, a traffic time database, a character recognition program, a databaseization program, and a search program, (a) receiving and storing a starting name input by a user through the key input unit; (b) retrieving the source name from the transportation database; (c) extracting traffic time information corresponding to the departure place name; And (d) informing the user of the extracted traffic time information.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. First of all, in adding reference numerals to the components of each drawing, it should be noted that the same reference numerals are used as much as possible even if displayed on different drawings. In addition, in describing the present invention, when it is determined that the detailed description of the related well-known configuration or function may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an internal configuration of a mobile communication terminal 100 equipped with a digital camera according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an internal configuration of a mobile communication terminal 100 equipped with a digital camera may include a central processing unit (CPU) 110, a camera unit 140, an S-RAM 150, and a FLASH-ROM 160. ), A display unit 112, an EEP (Electrically Erasable Programmable) -ROM 170, a power supply unit 180, and a key input unit 190.

The central processing unit 110 is a key part in charge of controlling the overall mobile communication terminal, and in the embodiment of the present invention, a character recognition program and a database program are mounted. The character recognition program 120 extracts only numeric information from the photographed image data input from the camera unit, and the extracted numeric information is databased by a database program and stored as useful information that meets the user's conditions.

On the other hand, the character recognition refers to a technology that detects various characters optically or electrically and automatically converts them into codes that can be understood by devices such as computers. Generally, the character recognition processing steps are 1. pre-processing, 2. document structure analysis / registration, 3. character separation, 4. pattern matching, and 5. post-processing. Proceeds.

Preprocessing refers to the task of correcting the skew of an optically or electrically converted character or eliminating blemishes such as shadows. Document structure analysis / registration refers to the task of separating, ordering, or defining the document format of images and letters (numbers) that are components of a document. Character separation refers to a process of extracting an image of each character string, separating each row or word, and then separating each individual character again. Pattern matching refers to a process of extracting candidate characters and calculating reliability by classifying them into models having the most similar features using a pattern matching algorithm in each separated character image. Finally, post-processing refers to the task of correcting recognition errors or cross-reference recognition errors by words or surveys based on a dictionary.

Of course, in addition to the character recognition method described above, various character recognition technologies are currently being developed and used, and various document recognition products have been developed and commercialized at home and abroad. For example, the domestic document recognition products include Anypage (Samsung), Armi (Summer), and HiArt. Character recognition technology according to an embodiment of the present invention includes all the character recognition technology that is currently developed and commercialized.

On the other hand, the character recognition program 120 according to an embodiment of the present invention is easier to recognize the number than the character. For example, in the case of subway timetables, it is continuous in a regular format such as XX: XX-XX: XX, and it is easy to determine that it is time information when eight numbers are consecutive with ":" and "-" in between. Therefore, despite the most necessary information in the case of the subway timetable (first train / last train time) to overcome the conventional problem that the information is inconvenient, the user can simply enter the information through the mobile terminal with the character recognition function with a simple shooting operation Can be.

In addition, the database program 122 is a program designed to systematically arrange or configure data stored randomly by the user according to the user's needs, and the most suitable information for the user by organically combining the time information output by the character recognition program Implement a function that provides

Databaseization programs can be implemented in various ways, depending on the operating system (OS). They can be implemented in the 'C' programming language or the object-oriented 'C ++' and 'JAVA' programming languages. For example, when a user wants to search for the last train information going from Yeoksam Station (Line 2) to Apgujeong Station (Line 3), the information stored in advance by the user is provided in a database so that time information is provided. In this case, it is possible to overcome the problem of estimating the time by comparing the last train time from the two stations to the transfer station. In addition, the central processing unit 110 can add a program for distinguishing subway lines by recognizing colors in addition to a text recognition program and a database program, and provides information by voice when a user requests a voice change program. It is also possible. Therefore, if necessary, it is also possible to accumulate the information on the subway map as data by driving a program that recognizes the color of the subway map and then update / search the data.

The camera unit 140 converts an image received through the lens into an electrical signal, and transmits the converted electrical signal to the CPU and the camera unit.

The S-RAM 150 temporarily stores image data of the electrical signal converted by the camera unit or stores temporary data generated during operation of the mobile communication camera. Therefore, the central processing unit reads the image data captured by the camera unit from the S-RAM 150 and drives a character recognition program embedded therein to separate and extract information.

The FLASH-ROM 160 receives semi-permanent information such as receiving the information recognized by the character recognition program 120 from the central processing unit 110 and storing the information in a separate area.

The display unit 112 functions to display various data received by the user by pressing a photographing function key from the central processing unit to receive the image being captured or received by the mobile communication terminal through the mobile communication network.

The EEP-ROM 170 is a nonvolatile memory whose memory contents are not erased even when the power is turned off. The EEP-ROM 170 stores basic programs necessary for the operation of the mobile communication terminal and various parameters used in the mobile communication network.

2 shows an example in which a database program according to the present invention is implemented.

The database program according to the present invention receives not only a function of arranging subway time information extracted from a subway timetable input from a camera, but also previously received subway line information, time required to move subway sections for each line, and last train information for each transfer station. It may have a function of storing.

By doing so, it is possible to accurately provide the last train time information going from any departure station to any arrival station.

The following describes a process of calculating the last train / first train timetable at a specific station arranged by the database program and the last train time information between two designated stations.

2A and 2B are the last train / first train timetable images of “Line 2 Yeoksam Station” and “Line 3 Interchange”, respectively, wherein the database program according to the present invention extracts text information from images taken / input from a mobile communication terminal camera. Create and save a table of the same type.

After the first / last train timetable information is databased, if the user requests subway last train information going from “Yeoksam Station on Line 2 to Hongik University Station on Line 2” in the case of weekdays, the central clearing device of the mobile communication terminal may use the table of FIG. Simply extracts the information "24:21" and prints it out.

Of course, since the last train time varies depending on the weekday, Saturday, and Sunday (public holiday) as shown in Figure 2, the central processing unit to provide the last train information after checking whether the weekday / Saturday / Sunday from the current date and time information can do.

In addition, when a user requests subway last train information going from "Line 2 Yeoksam Station" to "Line 3 Apgujeong Station," referring to the tables of FIGS. 2A and 2B as well as the time required for each section, "24:44" Information is calculated and provided. This last train time is calculated as "4 minutes" from "Line 2 Yeoksam Station" to the transfer station "Line 3 Bridge", and the last train from "Line 3 Bridge" to "Line Apgujeong Station" is 24:51 This is because even if you take the 24:44 subway to "Seoul National University Station", you can catch the last 24:51 train from "Line 3 Bridge" to Apgujeong.

In addition, for convenience of use, in addition to the last train time information, the remaining time to the last train time and the transfer station can be informed together. In this case, it is also possible to add a function for notifying the user through a vibration or message notification function.

The timetable photographing and database process may be performed for each station that the user goes to, and when such information is accumulated, ultimately, the first / last train time information between all subway stations will be known.

3A is a flowchart illustrating a process in which subway time information input using a mobile communication terminal 100 is databased and a user searches for it according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The user captures and inputs a subway time information image by a photographing method using a camera of the mobile communication terminal (S310), and the subway time information image thus obtained is extracted as text and numeric data by a character recognition program (S320). In the case of the subway timetable, most of the information is composed of a series of consecutive numbers in the format XX: XX-XX: XX. The user can easily store the information.

When there is a request for searching for the last train time information for a subway running between a specific station (S340), the database program of the mobile communication terminal calculates and outputs the last train time information according to the above-described method (S350).

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating processes S340 and S350 of FIG. 3 in detail. The user inputs photographed departure station through a digital camera attached to the mobile communication terminal to search for subway time information (S402), directly inputs through a text input unit of the mobile communication terminal (S406), or LBS (Loccation Based Services) (S406). In this case, LBS (Loccation Based Services) refers to a location-based service that provides location-related information to a moving user. The name of the subway station where the user is located or the nearest subway station where the user is located is the starting station. Perform the step of automatically inputting the specified (S406).

If the information of the departure station, which is inputted through the photographing (S402) or the character input unit or inputted from the LBS (S406), is already stored as database information, the search step is continued. In the case of a name, an error display is output on the LCD display (S410).

When the user requests the first car search (S414), if the first car information is stored in the database, the first car time is output on the LCD screen through the step of obtaining data from the built database (S416), and the first car If the information is not stored in the database, a message is displayed on the LCD screen indicating that there is no first car time data.

In addition, when the user requests the last train information search, the destination is input through the character input unit (S422), and when the destination is the reverse station in the database, the data is searched (S428) and the last train time is displayed on the LCD screen. The step of outputting the transfer station (S430) to provide the last train time information required by the user, if the destination does not exist in the database is stored in the mobile terminal in advance through the information about the route map The last train passing through the destination area is searched for (S432), and if there is data, the last train time and transfer station are output on the LCD screen (S430), and if there is no data, a display indicating that there is no data.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a user interface screen provided to a user mobile communication terminal in a process in which subway time information is databased and necessary information is retrieved therefrom according to the present invention.

Figure 4a is a shooting menu screen, "5. subway information database" item is provided, the user to click on it to shoot the subway timetable.

4B is a subway information search menu screen. In addition to a general line, fare search, etc., a “3. Last train search” menu is provided. When the user selects this menu, a screen for inputting a departure station and an arrival station is provided as shown in FIG. 4C, and the last train information from the input departure station to the arrival station is calculated and output.

4D is an example of outputting the last train time information according to the present invention, and the message "The last train from Yeoksam Station to Apgujeong Station is 24:44. There are about 25 minutes left from now." As described above, when the last train time information is output, transfer station information and the day of the week display may be provided together, or a function of notifying the remaining time through a vibration or message notification function may be added.

The above description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention, and those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains may make various modifications and changes without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are not intended to limit the technical idea of the present invention but to describe the present invention, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The protection scope of the present invention should be interpreted by the following claims, and all technical ideas within the equivalent scope should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

As described above, according to the present invention, more information can be used because the fare burden when obtaining the first subway / last train information using the conventional mobile communication Internet service is reduced and the information displayed at the subway station is used.

In addition, since the data can be used by simple retrieval method after constructing the data by simple shooting method, it is possible to use the notepad function built in the mobile communication terminal to reduce the inconvenience and inconvenience of input / update / search. Can be improved. Furthermore, when the information of the entire station is stored in advance in the terminal, it is possible to solve the problem of wasting space that is not frequently used and changing the whole again when the subway line is newly constructed.

Claims (16)

In the mobile communication terminal equipped with a digital camera, A key input unit including a plurality of key buttons including one or more shooting function keys; The photographing function key is pressed to receive an input recording start signal to generate a photographing driving signal, to drive a text recognition program and a database program, to recognize a transportation timetable by a text recognition program, and to extract data to transport A central processing unit controlling a process of accumulating time information data into a database by the database programmer; A camera unit which receives the photographing driving signal to photograph a subject through a lens and converts the photographed image input through the lens into an electrical image signal; An S-RAM receiving the image signal from the camera unit and temporarily storing the image signal; A FLASH-ROM for storing character data extracted from the image signal by the character recognition program; And A display unit which displays the captured image and the extracted text data; Mobile communication terminal equipped with a digital camera, characterized in that comprising a database of transportation timetable. The method of claim 1, The central processing unit is equipped with a digital camera, characterized in that for recognizing the last train time of the transportation means, and accumulates the transportation last train time information into a database, the mobile communication terminal to database the transportation timetable. The method of claim 1, The central processing unit is a mobile communication terminal that is equipped with a digital camera, characterized in that for recognizing the first vehicle time of the means of transportation, and accumulates the vehicle first vehicle time information in a database. The method of claim 1, The means of transportation is a mobile communication terminal equipped with a digital camera, characterized in that the subway timetable database. The method of claim 1, The central processing unit is a mobile communication terminal equipped with a digital camera, characterized in that the built-in character recognition program and a database program to the database of the transportation timetable. The method of claim 1, The central processing unit is equipped with a digital camera, characterized in that it is equipped with a voice conversion program in addition to the text recognition program and the database program to provide information by voice when a user requests a search to database the transportation timetable Mobile communication terminal. The method of claim 1, The central processing unit is equipped with a digital camera, characterized in that the input of information by distinguishing the color by additionally equipped with a color recognition program in addition to the character recognition program and the database program, the mobile communication terminal to database the transportation timetable . The method of claim 2 or 3, The mobile communication terminal is equipped with a digital camera, characterized in that the addition of a function for notifying the remaining time through the vibration or message notification function of the last vehicle time, the first vehicle time searched by the user database the transportation timetable Mobile communication terminal.  A method of storing and retrieving transportation time information data using a mobile communication terminal equipped with a digital camera and having a text recognition program and a database program, (a) inputting a transportation timetable image photographed through the mobile communication terminal; (b) extracting the transportation time information data from a still image by driving the text recognition program provided in the mobile communication terminal; (c) storing the extracted transportation time information data as DB information by the database program; (d) in response to receiving a request for retrieving the transportation time information data of the user, outputting and calculating the transportation time information data requested by searching the DB information; And and (e) informing the user of the output / calculated transportation time information data. The method of claim 9, The mobile communication terminal includes a key input unit including a plurality of key buttons including one or more photographing function keys; The photographing function key is pressed to receive an input recording start signal to generate a photographing driving signal, to drive a text recognition program and a database program, to recognize a transportation timetable by a text recognition program, and to extract data to transport A central processing unit controlling a process of accumulating time information data into a database by the database programmer; A camera unit which receives the photographing driving signal to photograph a subject through a lens and converts the photographed image input through the lens into an electrical image signal; An S-RAM receiving the image signal from the camera unit and temporarily storing the image signal; A FLASH-ROM for storing character data extracted from the image signal by the character recognition program; And A display unit which displays the captured image and the extracted text data; Transportation data storage and retrieval method through a mobile communication terminal, characterized in that the mobile communication terminal comprising a. The method of claim 9, In the step (e), the transportation data storage and retrieval method through the mobile communication terminal, characterized in that for displaying the time information of the transportation through the LCD display of the mobile communication terminal. The method of claim 9, And a step (e) in the central processing unit of the mobile communication terminal to provide a means of transportation data by voice. Claims [1] A method for searching a transportation timetable using a mobile communication terminal equipped with a camera, comprising a key input unit, a traffic time database, a text recognition program, a database program, and a search program. (a) receiving and storing a starting name input by a user through the key input unit; (b) retrieving the source name from the transportation database; (c) extracting traffic time information corresponding to the departure place name; And (d) informing the user of the extracted traffic time information; Method for retrieving a timetable of the means of transportation using a mobile communication terminal comprising a. The method of claim 13, And in step (c), the traffic time information is a timetable of a means of transportation using a mobile communication terminal, characterized in that the first and last train times of the departure point. The method of claim 13, The step (d) is a method for retrieving a timetable of transportation means using a mobile communication terminal, characterized in that to display the traffic time information on the LCD display of the mobile communication terminal. The method of claim 13, And the mobile communication terminal further includes a voice switching program, and the step (d) provides transportation data by voice.

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