KR20110036438A - Mobile terminal and method for setting user environment using circumference environment sensing thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A mobile terminal and method for setting a user environment is provided to minimize the inconvenience for changing user environment by the change of surroundings. CONSTITUTION: A camera unit(40) photographs and acquires peripheral images. A controller(70) extracts one or more circumstance candidates among a plurality of circumstance information according to an external environment factor which is sensed by a surrounding environment sensor. The controller selects the final circumstance information among the extracted circumstance candidates corresponding to the peripheral image. The controller changes the user environment as the final circumstance information.

Description

Mobile terminal and method for setting user environment using circumference environment sensing

The present invention relates to a technology for setting a use environment of a mobile terminal, and more particularly, even when a user does not set up a use environment for a mobile terminal in detail, considering the use pattern of the user's mobile terminal according to the surrounding environment. The present invention relates to a mobile terminal that automatically resets and a usage environment setting method through recognition of its surrounding environment.

Information and communication technology using wired and wireless communication networks is growing very fast in a short period of time due to new technologies and functions that stimulate consumer purchasing. In particular, due to the development of the technology of the mobile terminal, beyond the step of performing a simple application, various applications are installed to meet the needs of users. As a result, the user can use voice information, text information, video information, MP3 (Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) layer 3), games, and the like anytime and anywhere through the mobile terminal.

The user uses the mobile terminal with his / her mobile device, and the brightness and noise vary depending on the surrounding environment, such as an office, subway, bus, street, park, etc., so that the user can use the mobile device in an optimal state in various environments. To do this, the user's environment of the mobile terminal must be directly reset to match the current environment. In this case, the use environment of the mobile terminal may include a brightness of the screen, a volume, a reception mode, and the like.

As described above, in order for the user to use the mobile terminal in an optimal state in various surrounding environments, the user must repeatedly reset the use environment of the portable terminal according to the current surrounding environment.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for setting a usage environment through a mobile terminal and its surrounding environment, which can minimize the inconvenience of the user having to manually reset the use environment of the mobile terminal in response to changes in the surrounding environment of the mobile terminal. There is.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a mobile terminal and a method for setting a usage environment by recognizing the surrounding environment, which is automatically provided to the user by automatically resetting an optimal use environment in consideration of the user's usage pattern according to the surrounding environment of the user. .

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a portable terminal comprising a storage unit, a surrounding environment sensing unit, a camera unit and a control unit. The storage unit stores a plurality of usage environment information set in consideration of a usage pattern of each user according to a plurality of surrounding environments in which the mobile terminal is used. The surrounding environment sensor detects at least one external environment factor in the surrounding environment. The camera unit acquires a surrounding image by photographing the surrounding environment. The controller extracts at least one usage environment candidate according to the external environment factor received from the surrounding environment sensor from the set plurality of usage environment information, and the surrounding image photographed by the camera unit from the extracted usage environment candidates. Selects the last usage environment information corresponding to and resets the current usage environment of the mobile terminal to the selected last usage environment information.

The mobile terminal according to the present invention may further include a sound source processing unit for obtaining the ambient sound source from the surrounding environment. In this case, the controller may analyze the acquired surrounding image and the surrounding sound source and select the final usage environment information from the extracted usage environment candidates.

The present invention also provides a mobile terminal setting a plurality of usage environment information in consideration of each user's usage pattern according to a plurality of surrounding environment, the mobile terminal detects at least one external environmental factor in the surrounding environment An extraction step of extracting at least one usage environment candidate according to the detected external environment factor from the set plurality of usage environment information; the mobile terminal obtains the surrounding image or sound source processing unit photographed by a camera unit from the extracted usage environment candidates; Selecting the end use environment information by analyzing a surrounding sound source, and the mobile terminal through the recognition of the surrounding environment of the mobile terminal comprising a reset step of resetting the current use environment of the mobile terminal with the selected end use environment information; Provides a way to set preferences.

In the method for setting a usage environment of a mobile terminal according to the present invention, in the setting step, the mobile terminal may set the plurality of usage environment information by selecting respective usage patterns according to the plurality of surrounding environments in the usage environment setting mode. have.

In the method for setting a usage environment of a mobile terminal according to the present invention, in the setting step, the mobile terminal may set the plurality of usage environment information by statistically processing a usage pattern of a user according to the plurality of surrounding environments.

In the method for setting a usage environment of a mobile terminal according to the present invention, in the setting step, the usage environment information includes a plurality of surrounding environment items classified by an external environment factor and usage pattern information matched with the plurality of surrounding environment information, respectively. It may include. In this case, the usage pattern information may include setting information on at least one of brightness, volume, vibration, and a reception mode of the mobile terminal.

In the method for setting a usage environment of a mobile terminal according to the present invention, the extracting step may include detecting, by the mobile terminal, at least one external environmental factor in the surrounding environment through a surrounding environment sensing unit, and the value of the detected external environmental factor is changed. Monitoring whether it is out of a preset threshold range, and if the value of the detected external environment factor is out of the preset threshold range during the monitoring, at least one use environment candidate according to the detected external environment factor by the mobile terminal; The method may include extracting from the set plurality of usage environment information.

In the method for setting a usage environment of a mobile terminal according to the present invention, in the monitoring step, the mobile terminal periodically performs the step of detecting the external environmental factor, and the value of the detected external environmental factor is determined for a predetermined time. If it is in the threshold range, the period can be increased to perform monitoring.

In the method for setting a usage environment of a mobile terminal according to the present invention, the external environment factor in the extracting step may include at least one of brightness or noise of the surrounding environment.

In the method for setting a usage environment of a mobile terminal according to the present invention, the selecting step includes the step of the mobile terminal analyzing the surrounding image or the surrounding sound source to determine a surrounding environment item, from the extracted use environment candidates by the mobile terminal. And selecting usage environment information including the determined surrounding environment item as final usage environment information.

In the method for setting a usage environment of a mobile terminal according to the present invention, the determining may include extracting, by the mobile terminal, at least one object included in the surrounding image, or extracting at least one sound source included in the surrounding sound source. The method may include determining, by the portable terminal, the type of the extracted object or the type of the extracted sound source, and determining, by the portable terminal, an environment item including the determined object or sound source.

In the method for setting a usage environment of a mobile terminal according to the present invention, the determining may include obtaining a surrounding image including a specific object through the camera unit or surrounding the surrounding including a specific sound source through the sound source processing unit. Obtaining a sound source, the mobile terminal extracting the specific object from the surrounding image, or extracting the specific sound source from the surrounding sound source, the type of the specific object extracted by the mobile terminal or the type of the extracted specific sound source The determining may include determining, by the mobile terminal, a surrounding environment item including the determined specific object or a specific sound source.

According to the present invention, since the mobile terminal automatically resets the use environment of the mobile terminal in consideration of external environmental factors according to the surrounding environment and the usage pattern of the user's mobile terminal, the user can carry the mobile terminal repeatedly according to the change of the surrounding environment of the mobile terminal. It is possible to minimize the need to manually reset the use environment of the terminal.

And, when setting the use environment, the mobile terminal according to the present invention detects an external environmental factor such as the brightness or noise of the surroundings, extracts the use environment candidate according to the detected external environment factor from the preset use environment information, and extracts the used environment Since the mobile phone's usage environment is reset by selecting the usage environment candidate corresponding to the surrounding image or the surrounding sound source as the final usage environment information, the mobile terminal considers the user's usage pattern according to the surrounding environment to obtain an optimal usage environment. Can be provided to the user.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail an embodiment of the present invention.

The “ambient environment” is an external environment in which a user uses a mobile terminal, and includes, but is not limited to, an office, a house, a performance hall, a park, a subway, a bus, a car, or a street.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the mobile terminal 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may detect a surrounding environment in which the portable terminal 100 is used, and consider a user's usage pattern according to the surrounding environment. Provides the best use environment. That is, the mobile terminal 100 stores a plurality of usage environment information 21 set in consideration of a usage pattern of each user according to a plurality of surrounding environments. The mobile terminal 100 detects at least one external environment factor in the surrounding environment, and extracts at least one use environment candidate according to the detected external environment factor from the plurality of preset use environment information 21. The mobile terminal 100 selects the final usage environment information corresponding to the surrounding environment from among the usage environment candidates extracted by using the acquired surrounding image or the surrounding sound source. The mobile terminal 100 resets the current usage environment of the mobile terminal 100 to the selected final usage environment information. In this case, the mobile terminal 100 includes a digital broadcasting receiver such as a mobile communication terminal, a notebook, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable multimedia player (PMP), a digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB), or a digital video broadcasting (DVB). It is not limited thereto.

The portable terminal 100 according to the present embodiment includes a storage unit 20, a surrounding environment sensing unit 30, a camera unit 40, and a control unit 70, and an input unit 10 and a display unit ( 50) and the sound source processing unit 60 may be further included.

The input unit 10 provides a plurality of keys for the operation of the mobile terminal 100, and generates and transmits a selection signal according to a user's key selection to the controller 70. The user may request execution of the usage environment setting mode through the input unit 10 or request execution or stop of the automatic use environment setting mode. When the automatic use environment setting mode is executed, the controller 70 resets the mobile terminal 100 to an optimum use environment according to the recognized surrounding environment. When the usage environment automatic setting mode is stopped, the controller 70 performs the usage environment manual setting mode. The usage environment manual setting mode is a mode for setting usage environment information by receiving a selection signal directly from a user. In this case, the input unit 10 may be a keypad, a pointing device such as a touch pad, or an input device such as a touch screen, but is not limited thereto.

The storage unit 20 stores a program necessary for controlling the operation of the mobile terminal 100 and data generated while executing the program. The storage unit 20 stores an execution program for resetting the user environment by recognizing the surrounding environment. The storage unit 20 stores a plurality of surrounding environment items and a plurality of usage environment information 21 set in consideration of a usage pattern of the user according to each surrounding environment item.

In this case, the usage environment information 21 may be provided by default or may be set by user setting. In addition, the usage environment information 21 may be set by statistically processing a usage pattern of the user according to a plurality of surrounding environments.

The surrounding environment detecting unit 30 detects and outputs at least one external environment factor in the surrounding environment. At this time, the external environmental factor includes brightness or noise, but is not limited thereto. At this time, the ambient environment detection unit 30 may include an illumination sensor for detecting the ambient brightness and a noise sensor for detecting the ambient noise level.

The camera unit 40 performs a photographing function of the subject, and in particular, acquires a surrounding image by capturing the surrounding environment under the control of the controller 70 so as to automatically set the use environment. In this case, the camera unit 40 may include an image sensor, a signal processor, and an image processor. The image sensor converts the optical signal of the captured image into an analog signal. The signal processor converts an analog signal into a digital signal. The image processing unit processes the image signal input through the signal processing unit to obtain image data, and outputs the acquired image data through the control unit 70 or the display unit 50 or stores it in the storage unit 20.

The display unit 50 displays information stored in the storage unit 20 including various function menus executed in the mobile terminal 100. The display unit 50 displays an image required for performing the usage environment setting mode under the control of the controller 70. As the display unit 50, a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a touch screen may be used. The touch screen simultaneously serves as a display device and an input device.

The sound source processing unit 60 outputs the sound source to the speaker under the control of the control unit 70, and digitizes the sound source input to the microphone and transmits the sound source to the control unit 70. In particular, the sound source processing unit 60 obtains the ambient sound source from the surrounding environment under the control of the control unit 70 so as to automatically set the use environment.

The controller 70 is a microprocessor that performs the overall control operation of the mobile terminal 100. The controller 70 controls the use environment setting through perception of the surrounding environment. That is, the controller 70 extracts at least one usage environment candidate according to an external environment factor received from the surrounding environment sensor 30 from the plurality of usage environment information 21 preset in the storage unit 20. The controller 70 analyzes the surrounding image captured by the camera unit 40 or the ambient sound source acquired by the sound source processor 60 among the extracted use environment candidates, and selects the final use environment information. The controller 70 resets the current usage environment of the mobile terminal 100 to the selected final usage environment information.

In this case, the usage environment information 21 preset in the storage unit 20 may be provided by default or may be set by a user's selection signal. For example, the user may enter a usage environment setting mode according to a user's selection signal through the input unit 10 and set a plurality of usage environment information. That is, the controller 70 may set the plurality of usage environment information 21 by selecting respective usage patterns according to the plurality of surrounding environments in the usage environment setting mode. Alternatively, the controller 70 may set the plurality of usage environment information 21 by statistically processing the usage patterns of the user according to the plurality of surrounding environments.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the usage environment information 21 may include surrounding environment items and user pattern information. Environment items include offices, homes, subways, and other but not limited to venues, parks, buses, cars or streets. The usage environment information 21 includes information on at least one or more objects necessary to determine each surrounding environment item. The information about the object may include an image, a sound source, a string, or a mark capable of specifying the object.

The user pattern information includes, but is not limited to, brightness, volume, vibration, and reception mode. The user can set the brightness, volume, vibration, and reception mode according to the surrounding environment through the use environment setting mode.

Meanwhile, FIG. 2 discloses an example in which the brightness, the volume, and the vibration intensity are set to “large, medium, and small”, but is not limited thereto. Brightness, volume and vibration intensity can be set at various levels. Although an example in which one user pattern information is matched to one surrounding environment item is disclosed, a plurality of user pattern information may be matched to one surrounding environment item. In this case, the plurality of user pattern information may be divided into a plurality of values by an external environment factor. That is, even in the same surrounding environment, since the value of the external environment factor may be different, a plurality of user pattern information may be set according to the value of the external environment factor.

The controller 70 may extract the usage environment candidate from the preset usage environment information 21 as follows. First, the controller 70 detects at least one external environmental factor in the surrounding environment through the surrounding environment sensor 30, and monitors whether the detected value of the external environmental factor is out of a preset threshold range. When the value of the external environment factor detected during monitoring is out of a preset threshold range, the controller 70 extracts at least one use environment candidate according to the detected external environment factor from the preset use environment information 21. Of course, if the value of the external environmental factor is in the threshold range, the controller 70 maintains the currently set use environment. For example, when the external environmental factors are brightness and noise level, the controller 70 determines whether the brightness and noise level detected by the surrounding environment sensor 30 are out of a preset threshold range required to maintain a currently set use environment. The use environment candidate may be extracted from the preset use environment information 21.

In this case, the control unit 70 periodically monitors the change of the surrounding environment while minimizing battery consumption of the mobile terminal 100 in the monitoring step. If the value of the detected external environmental factor is within the threshold range for a predetermined time, the controller 70 may increase the period to perform monitoring.

The controller 70 may select the final usage environment information as follows. First, the controller 70 analyzes the surrounding image captured by the camera unit 40 or the surrounding sound source acquired by the sound source processor 60 to determine the surrounding environment item. The controller 70 selects the use environment information including the surrounding environment item determined from the extracted use environment candidates as the final use environment information.

In this case, the controller 70 may determine the surrounding environment item as the first determination method or the second determination method as follows, but is not limited thereto.

The first determination method will be described below. First, the controller 70 extracts at least one object from the surrounding image acquired through the camera unit 40. In this case, the object may be extracted from the surrounding image using an object extraction algorithm. The object is used to determine the surrounding environment items, and may be, for example, but not limited to, subways, cars, buildings, streets, indoor items, office supplies, strings, marks, and the like.

The controller 70 determines the type of the extracted object. That is, the controller 70 may determine the type of the object from the extracted image of the object. For example, it is determined whether the extracted object is a subway, a car, a building, a street, an indoor accessory, an office equipment, a string, or a mark. The character string or mark is used to determine the type of object corresponding to the character string or mark through character or pattern recognition. For example, when the character string is *** station, the controller 70 determines the subway station name.

The controller 70 determines a surrounding environment item including the extracted object. The usage environment information includes information on at least one type of object required to determine each surrounding environment item. For example, when the extracted object is a sofa, a television, a dining table, or the like, which is an indoor accessory, the controller 70 may select a house as a surrounding environment item. Alternatively, when the extracted object is a subway map, a station number, a station name, or the like, the controller 70 may select a subway as a surrounding environment item.

In the first determination method as described above, an example of determining the surrounding environment item from the surrounding image acquired by the camera unit 40 regardless of the user's will is disclosed, but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, the user may determine the surrounding environment item by photographing the surrounding image including the specific object with the camera unit 40. At this time, the specific object refers to the object that is the core in determining the surrounding environment items. For example, a key object in determining the subway as a surrounding environment item may be one of a subway, a subway map, a station number, and a station name.

A second determination method of determining a surrounding environment item by capturing a surrounding image including a specific object by the camera unit 40 will be described below.

First, the controller 70 obtains a surrounding image including a specific object through the camera unit 40. At this time, when the user captures the surrounding image, the surrounding image is taken so that most of the surrounding image is occupied by a specific object. The controller 70 extracts a specific object from the captured surrounding image. The controller 70 determines the type of the extracted specific object. The controller 70 determines a surrounding environment item including the determined specific object. In this case, a method of extracting a specific object from the surrounding image, determining the type of the extracted specific object, and determining a surrounding environment item including the determined specific object is described in detail in the above-described first determination method, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted. .

In this way, since the surrounding environment item is determined by photographing a specific object that is essential for determining the surrounding environment item, the mobile terminal 100 determines the surrounding environment item by analyzing the surrounding image including a plurality of objects. You can quickly determine the surrounding environment item to select the end-use environment information.

Meanwhile, an example of using a surrounding image photographed when selecting final usage environment information is disclosed, but is not limited thereto. For example, the controller 70 may use an ambient sound source obtained by the sound source processor 60 or may use both an ambient image and an ambient sound source together. In this case, the controller 70 may determine the surrounding environment item by using a specific sound source included in the surrounding sound source. The controller 70 may extract a specific sound source from the surrounding sound source using a sound source recognition algorithm. Specific sound source means a sound source that is the key to determining the surrounding environment items. For example, in determining the subway as a surrounding environment item, a specific sound source may be a subway sound coming into or coming out of the station, or an announcement. In determining the distance as the surrounding environment item, a specific sound source may be a sound generated by a car moving on a road, a guide broadcast of a crosswalk, and the like.

The reason for selecting the final use environment information as described above is to provide the user with an optimal use environment in consideration of the use pattern of the user according to the surrounding environment. That is, external environmental factors such as brightness and noise are necessary factors for setting the usage environment, but are not critical factors for determining the surrounding environment. For example, the office or home in the surrounding environment may have similar external environmental factors, but the user patterns in the office and home may be different. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the user pattern at the office and the user pattern at home may be different. However, when setting the use environment considering only external environmental factors, the control unit 70 may be set to the same use environment or office or home.

In contrast, in the present exemplary embodiment, the controller 70 first extracts at least one use environment candidate from the plurality of use environment information 21 by using an external environment factor, and uses the surrounding image or the surrounding sound source from the extracted use environment candidates. Since the end use environment information is selected, the mobile terminal 100 may provide the user with an optimal use environment in consideration of the use pattern of the user according to the surrounding environment. For example, when the use environment candidates extracted in consideration of an external environment factor are offices and homes, the controller 70 may determine a surrounding environment item using a surrounding image or a sound source. The controller 70 may determine final use environment information from use environment information including the determined surrounding environment item.

As described above, since the mobile terminal 100 automatically resets the use environment in consideration of a plurality of external environmental factors and usage patterns, the user may repeatedly change the mobile terminal 100 according to a change in the surrounding environment of the mobile terminal 100. The hassle of having to reset the environment of use 100) can be minimized.

When setting the usage environment, the mobile terminal 100 detects the surrounding brightness or noise, extracts the usage environment candidate from the preset usage environment information 21, and finally corresponds to the surrounding image or the surrounding sound source from the extracted usage environment candidates. Since the use environment candidate is selected and the use environment of the mobile terminal 100 is reset, the mobile terminal 100 may provide an optimal use environment to the user in consideration of the use pattern of the user according to the surrounding environment.

A method of setting a usage environment using the surrounding environment recognition of the mobile terminal 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6 as follows. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a usage environment setting method using perception of a surrounding environment of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a detailed flowchart of a usage environment candidate extraction step of FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a detailed flowchart of an example of selecting end use environment information of FIG. 3. 6 is a detailed flowchart according to another example of a step of selecting end use environment information of FIG. 3.

First, in step S81, the mobile terminal 100 sets the usage environment information 21 in the usage environment setting mode. In this case, the controller 70 may enter a usage environment setting mode and set a plurality of usage environment information 21 according to a user's selection signal through the input unit 10. That is, the controller 70 may set the plurality of usage environment information 21 by receiving the respective usage patterns according to the plurality of surrounding environments from the user in the usage environment setting mode.

On the other hand, the usage environment information 21 may be set as a default. Alternatively, the mobile terminal 100 may set a plurality of usage environment information 21 by statistically processing a usage pattern of the user according to the plurality of surrounding environments.

Next, the mobile terminal 100 performs a process of automatically resetting the use environment through steps S83 to S87. In this case, steps S83 to S87 may be performed by a request for executing the automatic use environment setting mode of the user through the input unit 10 or may be performed by default. On the other hand, if a stop request of the automatic use environment setting mode is input through the input unit 10, the mobile terminal 100 performs the use environment manual setting mode. The usage environment manual setting mode is a mode in which the user manually sets the usage environment through the input unit 10.

In the present embodiment, a description of the manual use environment setting method, which is a general use environment setting method, will be omitted, and a process of automatically resetting the use environment according to the execution of the use environment automatic setting mode will be described as follows.

Next, in step S83, the mobile terminal 100 extracts at least one use environment candidate from the preset use environment information 21 in consideration of an external environment factor. In this case, in operation S831, the mobile terminal 100 detects at least one external environmental factor of the surrounding environment through the surrounding environment detecting unit 30. Subsequently, in step S833, the mobile terminal 100 monitors whether the value of the detected external environmental factor is out of a preset threshold range. If the value of the external environmental factor is in the threshold range during the monitoring of step S833, the mobile terminal 100 performs step S83 again, and maintains the currently set use environment. That is, since the value of the external environmental factor belongs to the threshold range, it means that there is no change in the surrounding environment, so that the mobile terminal 100 maintains the currently used usage environment. On the other hand, if the value of the external environmental factor detected during the monitoring of step S833 is out of the preset threshold range, in step S835 the mobile terminal 100 is at least one according to the external environmental factor detected by the preset use environment information 21 Extract candidates for use environment.

For example, when the user of the mobile terminal 100 comes to the street from the building where the office is located, the brightness and the noise level of the surrounding environment of the mobile terminal 100 rapidly change. At this time, the mobile terminal 100 detects the brightness and the noise level of the street through the surrounding environment sensing unit 30. The mobile terminal 100 determines that the detected brightness and noise level are out of a predetermined threshold range required to maintain the use environment in the currently set office. The mobile terminal 100 extracts at least one usage environment candidate corresponding to the detected brightness and noise level from the preset usage environment information 21.

In operation S85, the mobile terminal 100 selects the use environment information corresponding to the captured surrounding image from the extracted use environment candidates as the final use environment information. That is, since the usage environment information includes the surrounding environment item, the mobile terminal 100 determines the surrounding environment item by analyzing the captured surrounding image. The mobile terminal 100 selects the use environment information including the surrounding environment item determined from the extracted use environment candidates as the final use environment information.

An example of step S85 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 5 as follows.

First, in operation S851, the mobile terminal 100 extracts at least one object from the captured surrounding image. In this case, the object may be extracted from the surrounding image using an object extraction algorithm. The object is used to determine the surrounding environment items, and may be, for example, but not limited to, subways, cars, buildings, streets, indoor items, office supplies, strings, marks, and the like. For example, when the user comes out of the street, the mobile terminal 100 may extract a car, a building, or a street from the captured surrounding image as an object.

Next, in step S853, the mobile terminal 100 determines the type of the extracted object. That is, the mobile terminal 100 determines the type of the object from the extracted image of the object. For example, it is determined whether the extracted object is a subway, a car, a building, a street, an indoor accessory, an office equipment, a string, or a mark. The character string or mark is used to determine the type of object corresponding to the character string or mark through character or pattern recognition. For example, when the character string is *** station, the mobile terminal determines the subway station name.

In operation S855, the mobile terminal 100 determines a surrounding environment item including the extracted object. The surrounding environment item includes information about at least one type of object required to determine the surrounding environment item. For example, when the extracted object is a car, a building, or a street, the mobile terminal 100 may select a distance as a surrounding environment item. When the extracted object is a sofa, a TV, a dining table, or the like, which is an indoor accessory, the mobile terminal 100 may select a house as a surrounding environment item. Alternatively, when the extracted object is a subway map, a station number, a station name, or the like, the mobile terminal 100 may select a subway as a surrounding environment item.

In operation S857, the mobile terminal 100 selects usage environment information including surrounding environment items determined from the extracted usage environment candidates as final usage environment information.

In the example of step S85 disclosed an example of determining the surrounding environment items from the surrounding image obtained by the camera unit 40 irrespective of the user's will, but is not limited thereto. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the user may photograph the surrounding image including the specific object with the camera unit 40 to determine the surrounding environment item. At this time, the specific object refers to the object that is the core in determining the surrounding environment items. For example, a key object in determining the subway as a surrounding environment item may be one of a subway map, a station number, and a station name.

Another example of step S85 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 6.

First, in operation S850, the mobile terminal 100 obtains a surrounding image including a specific object through the camera unit 40. In this case, when the user photographs the surrounding image including the specific object, the user may photograph the surrounding object to occupy most of the surrounding image.

Next, in operation S852, the mobile terminal 100 extracts a specific object from the captured surrounding image. In operation S854, the mobile terminal 100 determines the type of the extracted specific object.

Next, in operation S856, the mobile terminal 100 determines the surrounding environment item including the determined specific object.

In operation S858, the mobile terminal 100 selects the usage environment information including the determined surrounding environment item as the final usage environment information. As described above, the mobile terminal 100 selects the surrounding environment item by capturing a specific object that is essential for determining the surrounding environment item. In order to determine, the mobile terminal 100 may select the final environment information by quickly determining the surrounding environment items compared to determining the surrounding environment items through the analysis of the surrounding images including a plurality of objects.

Meanwhile, in the present embodiment, an example of using the captured surrounding image when selecting the final use environment information is disclosed, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the mobile terminal 100 may use the surrounding sound source acquired by the sound source processing unit 60 or select the end use environment information by using the surrounding image and the surrounding sound source together.

In operation S87, the mobile terminal 100 resets the current usage environment according to the selected final usage environment information. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, when the selected end-use environment information is "No. 1" office, the brightness, volume, and vibration intensity are reset to "small", and the reception mode is reset to the vibration mode. If the selected end-use environment information is "No. 2" house, the brightness, volume and vibration intensity are respectively reset to "medium" and the reception mode is reset to the bell mode. When the selected end-use environment information is "3" subway, the brightness is "medium", the volume and vibration intensity are reset to "large", and the reception mode is reset to the vibration mode.

On the other hand, if there is one usage environment candidate extracted in step S83, the control unit 70 may skip step S85 and perform step S87.

In the present embodiment, an example of extracting the use environment candidate using the detected external environment factor and selecting the final use environment information using the acquired surrounding image or the surrounding sound source is disclosed, but is not limited thereto. For example, the mobile terminal 100 may extract the use environment candidate by using the acquired surrounding image or the surrounding sound source, and select the final use environment information by using the detected external environment factor. Alternatively, the mobile terminal 100 may select the use environment information corresponding to the surrounding environment from among the preset use environment information by using the external environment factor and the surrounding image or the surrounding sound source together.

On the other hand, the embodiments of the present invention disclosed in the specification and drawings are merely presented specific examples to aid understanding, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. In addition to the embodiments disclosed herein, it is apparent to those skilled in the art that other modifications based on the technical idea of the present invention may be implemented.

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal and a method for setting a usage environment by recognizing the surrounding environment, wherein the mobile terminal stores usage environment information set according to a user's usage pattern, and when the user's environment is set, the brightness or noise of the surroundings is primarily measured. Detect and extract at least one usage environment candidate from preset usage environment information, and select final usage environment information corresponding to the surrounding image captured by the camera unit or the surrounding sound source acquired by the sound source processor from the extracted usage environment candidates. By resetting the usage environment, it is possible to minimize the inconvenience of having to manually reset the usage environment of the mobile terminal as the surrounding environment of the mobile terminal changes, and provide the user with an optimal usage environment according to the surrounding environment of the user. can do.

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

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating usage environment information stored in a storage of FIG. 1.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for setting a use environment by recognizing a surrounding environment of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a detailed flowchart of a usage environment candidate extraction step of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a detailed flowchart of an example of selecting end use environment information of FIG. 3.

6 is a detailed flowchart according to another example of a step of selecting end use environment information of FIG. 3.

Description of the Related Art [0002]

10: input unit

20: storage

30: surrounding environment detection unit

40: camera unit

50: display unit

60: sound source processing unit

70: control unit

100: mobile terminal

Claims (13)

In the mobile terminal, A storage unit which stores a plurality of usage environment information set in consideration of a usage pattern of each user according to a plurality of surrounding environments in which the mobile terminal is used; A surrounding environment detecting unit detecting at least one external environment factor in the surrounding environment; A camera unit photographing the surrounding environment to obtain a surrounding image; Extracting at least one usage environment candidate according to the external environment factor received from the surrounding environment sensing unit from the set plurality of usage environment information, and corresponding to the surrounding image photographed by the camera unit from the extracted usage environment candidates; A control unit for selecting usage environment information and resetting the current usage environment of the mobile terminal with the selected final usage environment information; A mobile terminal comprising a. The method of claim 1, A sound source processing unit for obtaining an ambient sound source from the surrounding environment; More, And the controller selects the final usage environment information from the extracted usage environment candidates by analyzing the acquired surrounding image and the surrounding sound source. A setting step of setting, by the mobile terminal, a plurality of usage environment information in consideration of a usage pattern of each user according to the plurality of surrounding environments; An extraction step of the mobile terminal detecting at least one external environment factor in a surrounding environment and extracting at least one use environment candidate according to the detected external environment factor from the plurality of set environment information; Selecting, by the mobile terminal, the final usage environment information by analyzing the surrounding image captured by the camera unit or the ambient sound source acquired by the sound source processor among the extracted usage environment candidates; A resetting step of the mobile terminal resetting the current usage environment of the mobile terminal to the selected last usage environment information; Usage environment setting method through the surrounding environment of the mobile terminal, characterized in that it comprises a. The method of claim 3, wherein in the setting step, And setting the plurality of use environment information by selecting each use pattern according to the plurality of surrounding environments in the use environment setting mode. The method of claim 3, wherein in the setting step, And setting the plurality of usage environment information by statistical processing the user's usage pattern according to the plurality of surrounding environments. The method of claim 3, wherein in the setting step, The usage environment information includes a plurality of surrounding environment items classified by external environment factors and usage pattern information matched with the plurality of surrounding environment information, respectively. Way. The method of claim 6, The usage pattern information includes setting information on at least one of brightness, volume, vibration, and a reception mode of the mobile terminal. The method of claim 3, wherein the extracting step, Detecting, by the mobile terminal, at least one external environmental factor in the surrounding environment through a surrounding environment sensing unit, and monitoring whether a value of the detected external environmental factor is out of a preset threshold range; When the value of the detected external environment factor is out of the preset threshold range during the monitoring, the mobile terminal extracts at least one use environment candidate according to the detected external environment factor from the plurality of set environment information. step; Usage environment setting method through the surrounding environment of the mobile terminal, characterized in that it comprises a. The method of claim 8, wherein in the monitoring step, The portable terminal periodically performs the step of detecting the external environmental factor, and if the value of the detected external environmental factor falls within the threshold range for a predetermined time, the surrounding environment of the mobile terminal is increased. How to set preferences through awareness. The method of claim 8, wherein in the extracting step, And the external environment factor includes at least one of brightness or noise of the surrounding environment. The method of claim 3, wherein the selecting step, Determining, by the portable terminal, a surrounding environment item by analyzing the surrounding image or the surrounding sound source; Selecting, by the portable terminal, usage environment information including the determined surrounding environment item from the extracted usage environment candidates as final usage environment information; Usage environment setting method through the surrounding environment of the mobile terminal, characterized in that it comprises a. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining step, Extracting, by the portable terminal, at least one object included in the surrounding image, or extracting at least one sound source included in the surrounding sound source; Determining, by the portable terminal, the type of the extracted object or the type of the extracted sound source; Determining, by the mobile terminal, a surrounding environment item including the determined object or sound source; Usage environment setting method through the surrounding environment of the mobile terminal, characterized in that it comprises a. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining step, Acquiring, by the portable terminal, a surrounding image including a specific object through the camera unit or obtaining a surrounding sound source including a specific sound source through the sound source processor; Extracting, by the portable terminal, the specific object from the surrounding image, or extracting the specific sound source from the surrounding sound source; Determining, by the portable terminal, the type of the extracted specific object or the type of the extracted specific sound source; Determining, by the portable terminal, a surrounding environment item including the determined specific object or specific sound source; Usage environment setting method through the surrounding environment of the mobile terminal, characterized in that it comprises a.

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