KR20140143611A - Mobile terminal having an ear-microphone and operation method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal having an ear-microphone. The mobile terminal includes an interface unit in which the ear-microphone is inserted to exchange a signal with the ear-microphone; a sound signal analyzing unit which detects a sound signal inputted through the ear-microphone to determine a sound pattern of the detected sound signal; and a control unit which performs a control operation corresponding to the sound pattern of the sound signal.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a mobile terminal equipped with a microphone,

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal and an operation method thereof, and more particularly, to a mobile terminal capable of controlling various operations corresponding to an acoustic signal input through an ear microphone, and a method of operating the same.

A mobile terminal is a portable device having one or more functions capable of carrying out voice and video communication, capable of inputting and outputting information, and storing data, while being portable. As the functions of the mobile terminal are diversified, the mobile terminal has complicated functions such as photographing and photographing of a moving picture, playback of a music file or a moving picture file, reception of a game, broadcasting, wireless Internet, and transmission / reception of a message. . In order to implement complex functions, mobile terminals implemented in the form of multimedia devices have been applied to new attempts in terms of hardware and software, and various mobile phone accessories have been supported to implement convenient functions.

The ear microphone, which is one of the mobile phone accessories, is a microphone for inputting a voice signal of a user, a speaker for outputting a voice signal of a partner or a sound signal of multimedia, and a telephone for starting or ending a call / End button and the like. Accordingly, the user can connect the microphone to the interface unit of the mobile terminal, and can make a call in a hands-free state through the ear microphone when a telephone call is received.

In addition, in recent years, user needs for controlling various operations of a mobile terminal through an ear microphone have been increasing in addition to the call / termination function. Therefore, various control buttons are added to the control box of the ear microphone to meet the demand of the user. However, due to the small size of the control box, adding various control buttons to the ear microphone has physical / spatial difficulties.

In addition, in order to realize this, even if a plurality of control buttons are added, contact terminals corresponding to the number of the control buttons added to the jack plug of the ear microphone must be added, or a separate plug for the hardware interface must be provided , There is a difficulty in compatibility with other devices. Therefore, there is a demand for an ear microphone that can easily control various operations of the mobile terminal without any problem in the number of control buttons and compatibility with other devices.

The present invention provides an ear microphone including a sound generator for generating different sound signals according to a user's input pattern, and at least one microphone for receiving sound signals generated in the sound generator.

Also, the present invention provides a mobile terminal capable of detecting an acoustic signal input through an ear microphone and analyzing a sound pattern of the detected acoustic signal to control a predetermined operation, and an operation method thereof.

The present invention provides an electronic device comprising: an interface unit to which an ear microphone is inserted and to transmit and receive a signal to and from the ear microphone; An acoustic signal analyzer for detecting an acoustic signal inputted through the ear microphone and determining a sound pattern of the detected acoustic signal; And a control unit for performing a control operation corresponding to the sound pattern of the sound signal.

Further, the present invention provides a mobile terminal comprising: a connection unit inserted into an interface unit of a mobile terminal and transmitting and receiving signals to and from the mobile terminal; A speaker for converting an electric signal applied from the mobile terminal into an acoustic signal and outputting the acoustic signal; And a control box for generating a plurality of sound signals for controlling the operation of the mobile terminal, converting the generated sound signals into electric signals, and providing the sound signals to the mobile terminal.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to control various operations of the mobile terminal through the ear microphone of a structure capable of generating an artificial sound signal without adding a plurality of control buttons to the control box of the ear microphone, .

1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of a mobile terminal equipped with an ear microphone, according to an embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of an ear microphone according to an embodiment of the present invention;
4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a sound generating unit according to an embodiment of the present invention;
5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a sound generation unit according to another embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Examples of the mobile terminal described in the present specification include a mobile phone, a smart phone, a notebook computer, a digital broadcasting terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), a PMP (Portable Multimedia Player), a camera, tablet computers, e-book terminals, and the like. In addition, suffixes "module" and " part "for the components used in the following description are given merely for convenience of description, and do not give special significance or role in themselves. Accordingly, the terms "module" and "part" may be used interchangeably.

1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, a mobile terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in terms of functional components.

1, a mobile terminal 100 includes a wireless communication unit 110, an audio / video (A / V) input unit 120, a user input unit 130, a sensing unit 140, an output unit 150, A controller 160, an interface 170, a controller 180, and a power supply 190. When such components are implemented in practical applications, two or more components may be combined into one component, or one component may be divided into two or more components as necessary.

The wireless communication unit 110 may include a broadcast receiving module 111, a mobile communication module 113, a wireless Internet module 115, a short distance communication module 117, and a GPS module 119.

The broadcast receiving module 111 receives at least one of a broadcast signal and broadcast related information from an external broadcast management server through a broadcast channel. At this time, the broadcast channel may include a satellite channel, a terrestrial channel, and the like. The broadcast management server may refer to a server for generating and transmitting at least one of a broadcast signal and broadcast related information and a server for receiving at least one of the generated broadcast signal and broadcast related information and transmitting the broadcast signal to the terminal.

The broadcast signal may include a TV broadcast signal, a radio broadcast signal, a data broadcast signal, and a broadcast signal in which a data broadcast signal is combined with a TV broadcast signal or a radio broadcast signal. The broadcast-related information may mean information related to a broadcast channel, a broadcast program, or a broadcast service provider. The broadcast-related information can also be provided through a mobile communication network, in which case it can be received by the mobile communication module 113. Broadcast-related information can exist in various forms.

The broadcast receiving module 111 receives broadcast signals using various broadcasting systems. In particular, the broadcast receiving module 111 may be a Digital Multimedia Broadcasting-Terrestrial (DMB-T), a Digital Multimedia Broadcasting-Satellite (DMB-S) ), Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld (DVB-H), Integrated Services Digital Broadcast-Terrestrial (ISDB-T), and the like. In addition, the broadcast receiving module 111 may be configured to be suitable for all broadcasting systems that provide broadcasting signals, as well as the digital broadcasting system. The broadcast signal and / or broadcast related information received through the broadcast receiving module 111 may be stored in the memory 160.

The mobile communication module 113 transmits and receives a radio signal 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 according to a voice call signal, a video call signal, or a text / multimedia message transmission / reception.

The wireless Internet module 115 is a module for wireless Internet access, and the wireless Internet module 115 can be built in or externally attached to the mobile terminal 100. WLAN (Wi-Fi), Wibro (Wireless broadband), Wimax (World Interoperability for Microwave Access), HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) and the like can be used as wireless Internet technologies.

The short-range communication module 117 refers to a module for short-range communication. Bluetooth, radio frequency identification (RFID), infrared data association (IrDA), ultra wideband (UWB), ZigBee, and Near Field Communication (NFC) may be used as the short distance communication technology.

A GPS (Global Position System) module 119 receives position information from a plurality of GPS satellites.

The A / V (Audio / Video) input unit 120 is for inputting an audio signal or a video signal, and may include a camera 121 and a microphone 123. The camera 121 processes image frames such as still images or moving images obtained by the image sensor in the video communication mode or the photographing mode. Then, the processed image frame can be displayed on the display unit 151. [

The image frame processed by the camera 121 may be stored in the memory 160 or transmitted to the outside through the wireless communication unit 110. [ The camera 121 may be equipped with two or more cameras according to the configuration of the terminal.

The microphone 123 receives an external sound signal by 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 113 and output when the voice data is in the call mode. The microphone 123 may be a variety of noise reduction algorithms for eliminating noise generated in receiving an external sound signal.

The user input unit 130 generates key input data that the user inputs to control the operation of the terminal. The user input unit 130 may include a key pad, a dome switch, and a touch pad (static / static) capable of receiving commands or information by a user's pressing or touching operation. The user input unit 130 may be a jog wheel for rotating the key, a jog type or a joystick, or a finger mouse. Particularly, when the touch pad has a mutual layer structure with the display unit 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, Thereby generating a sensing signal. 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. In addition, a sensing function related to whether or not the power supply unit 190 is powered on, whether the interface unit 170 is coupled to an external device, and the like can be handled.

The sensing unit 140 may include a proximity sensor 141, a pressure sensor 143, a motion sensor 145, and the like. The proximity sensor 141 can detect an object approaching the mobile terminal 100 or the presence or absence of an object in the vicinity of the mobile terminal 100 without mechanical contact. The proximity sensor 141 can detect a nearby object by using a change in the alternating magnetic field or a change in the static magnetic field, or a rate of change in capacitance. The proximity sensor 141 may be equipped with two or more sensors according to the configuration.

The pressure sensor 143 can detect whether or not pressure is applied to the mobile terminal 100, the magnitude of the pressure, and the like. The pressure sensor 143 may be installed at a portion where the pressure of the mobile terminal 100 is required according to the use environment. When the pressure sensor 143 is installed on the display unit 151, the touch input through the display unit 151 and the pressure applied by the touch input The pressure touch input can be identified. Also, the magnitude of the pressure applied to the display unit 151 at the time of the pressure touch input can be determined according to the signal output from the pressure sensor 143. [

The motion sensor 145 senses the position or movement of the mobile terminal 100 using an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, or the like. An acceleration sensor that can be used for the motion sensor 145 is a device that converts an acceleration change in one direction into an electric signal and is widely used along with the development of MEMS (micro-electromechanical systems) technology.

The acceleration sensor measures the acceleration of a small value built in the airbag system of an automobile and recognizes the minute motion of the human hand and measures the acceleration of a large value used as an input means such as a game There are various kinds. Acceleration sensors are usually constructed by mounting two or three axes in one package. Depending on the usage environment, only one axis of Z axis is required. Therefore, when the acceleration sensor in the X-axis direction or the Y-axis direction is used instead of the Z-axis direction for some reason, the acceleration sensor may be mounted on the main substrate by using a separate piece substrate.

The gyro sensor is a sensor for measuring the angular velocity, and it can sense the direction of rotation with respect to the reference direction.

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 unit 151, an audio output module 153, an alarm unit 155, and a haptic module 157.

The display unit 151 displays and outputs information processed by the mobile terminal 100. For example, when the mobile terminal 100 is in the call mode, a UI (User Interface) or a GUI (Graphic User Interface) associated with a call is displayed. When the mobile terminal 100 is in the video communication mode or the photographing mode, the photographed or received video can be displayed simultaneously or simultaneously, and the UI or GUI associated therewith is displayed.

Meanwhile, as described above, when the display unit 151 and the touch pad have a mutual layer structure to constitute a touch screen, the display unit 151 may be an input device capable of inputting information by the touch of a user Can be used.

If the display unit 151 is configured as a touch screen, it may include a touch screen panel, a touch screen panel controller, and the like. In this case, the touch screen panel is a transparent panel that is attached to the outside, and can be connected to the internal bus of the mobile terminal 100. The touch screen panel keeps a watch on the contact result, and if there is a touch input, sends the corresponding signals to the touch screen panel controller. The touch screen panel controller processes the signals, and then transmits corresponding data to the controller 180 so that the controller 180 can determine whether the touch input has been made and which area of the touch screen has been touched.

Also, the display unit 151 may be formed of an e-paper. Electronic paper (e-Paper) is a kind of reflective display, and has excellent visual characteristics such as high resolution, wide viewing angle and bright white background as conventional paper and ink. The electronic paper (e-paper) can be implemented on any substrate such as plastic, metal, paper, and the image is retained even after the power is turned off, and the battery life of the mobile terminal 100 is maintained for a long time . As the electronic paper, a hemispherical twist ball filled with a static charge, an electrophoresis method, a microcapsule, or the like can be used.

In addition, the display unit 151 may be a liquid crystal display, a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display, an organic light-emitting diode, a flexible display, a three- (3D display). In addition, there may be two or more display units 151 according to the embodiment of the mobile terminal 100. For example, the mobile terminal 100 may include an external display unit (not shown) and an internal display unit (not shown) at the same time.

Hereinafter, in the embodiment of the present invention, it is preferable that the display unit 151 comprises a touch screen. The touch screen may include a touch type electrostatic capacitive type, a resistive overlay type using a change in resistance value of a conductor resistive film according to a touch, an infrared beam type, a surface acoustic wave type, An integral strain gauge method, a piezo electric method, or the like.

The audio output module 153 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, In addition, the sound output module 153 outputs sound signals related to functions performed in the mobile terminal 100, for example, call signal reception tones, message reception tones, and the like. The sound output module 153 may include a speaker, a buzzer, and the like.

The alarm unit 155 outputs a signal for notifying the occurrence of an event of the mobile terminal 100. Examples of events that occur in the mobile terminal 100 include call signal reception, message reception, and key signal input. The alarm unit 155 outputs a signal for notifying the 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. The alarm unit 155 can output a signal to notify when a call signal is received or a message is received. Also, when the key signal is inputted, the alarm unit 155 can output the signal as the feedback to the key signal input. The user can recognize the occurrence of an event through the signal output by the alarm unit 155. A signal for notifying the occurrence of an event in the mobile terminal 100 may also be output through the display unit 151 or the sound output module 153. [

The haptic module 157 generates various tactile effects that the user can feel. A typical example of the haptic effect generated by the haptic module 157 is a vibration effect. When the haptic module 157 generates vibration with a haptic effect, the intensity and pattern of the vibration generated by the haptic module 157 can be converted, and the different vibrations can be synthesized and output or sequentially output.

In addition to the vibration, the haptic module 157 may be provided with a function of stimulating by a pin arrangement vertically moving with respect to the contact skin surface, an effect of stimulating air through the injection or suction force of the air through the injection port or the suction port, The effect of stimulation through contact of the electrode (eletrode), the effect of stimulation by the electrostatic force, and the effect of reproducing the cool / warm using the device capable of endothermic or exothermic can be generated. The haptic module 157 can be implemented not only to transmit the tactile effect through direct contact but also to feel the tactile effect through the muscular sense of the user's finger or arm. The haptic module 157 may include two or more haptic modules 157 according to the configuration of the mobile terminal 100.

The memory 160 may store a program for processing and controlling the control unit 180 and may store a function for temporarily storing input or output data (e.g., a phone book, a message, a still image, .

In particular, in the present embodiment, the memory unit 160 stores information on sound patterns of acoustic signals classified in advance using predetermined learning models, information on preset control commands corresponding to the sound patterns, Up table or the like.

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 , And a ROM. ≪ / RTI > In addition, the mobile terminal 100 may operate a web storage for storing the memory 150 on the Internet.

The interface unit 170 serves as an interface with all external devices connected to the mobile terminal 100. Examples of the external device connected to the mobile terminal 100 include a wired / wireless headset, an external charger, a wired / wireless data port, a memory card, a SIM (Subscriber Identification Module) card, a UIM , An audio input / output (I / O) terminal, a video I / O (input / output) terminal, and an ear microphone. The interface unit 170 may receive data from the external device or supply power to the respective components in the mobile terminal 100 and may transmit data in the mobile terminal 100 to the external device .

The interface unit 170 may be a path through which the power from the cradle connected to the mobile terminal 100 is connected to the cradle when the mobile terminal 100 is connected to the cradle, And may be a passage to be transmitted to the terminal 100.

The acoustic signal analyzer 183 detects an acoustic signal input through the ear microphone 200 connected to the interface unit 170 and analyzes a sound pattern of the detected acoustic signal. At this time, the sound signal analyzer 183 may analyze a sound pattern of an artificial sound signal using a support vector machine (SVM) algorithm.

The SVM algorithm, which is in the spotlight in recent pattern classification, is a statistical learning theory developed by Vladimir Naumovich Vapnik in 1995. It uses the probability distribution obtained in the learning process for learning diagnosis of category and learning data, (VC) theory (Vapnik-Chervonenkis theory) by classifying new data according to this function.

Since the SVM algorithm is based on a clear theoretical basis, it is easy to interpret the results, shows high performance at the artificial neural network level in real applications, and can perform classed learning quickly with only a small amount of learning data. Can be used. For example, SVM algorithm was initially used for binary classification, but now it has been successfully applied in various fields such as bioinformatics, speech recognition, character recognition, handwriting recognition, face and object recognition.

In this embodiment, this SVM algorithm can be used to classify the sound pattern of an artificial sound signal input through the ear microphone. That is, the acoustic signal analyzer 183 detects the characteristics of the acoustic signal input through the microphone 221, performs clustering and training based on the detected characteristics, (I.e., an SVM model) capable of distinguishing between the learning models. At this time, the characteristics of the sound that can be used to generate the learning model may be factors such as the twelfth Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficient (MFCC), Sound Pressure Level (SPL), and Peak detection.

The acoustic signal analyzer 183 stores information on the sound patterns classified through the learned SVM model in advance in a memory or the like. The acoustic signal analyzer 183 determines the sound pattern of the acoustic signal input through the ear microphone 200 using the learned SVM model.

In the present embodiment, the sound signal analyzer 183 analyzes the sound pattern using the SVM algorithm. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is possible to use a decision tree, a neural network, You can also analyze the sound pattern. It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the acoustic signal analyzer 183 may be formed as a separate module, but it is not limited thereto and may be integrally formed in the controller 180.

The controller 180 typically controls the operation of the respective units to control the overall operation of the mobile terminal 100. For example, voice communication, data communication, video communication, and the like.

In particular, in this embodiment, the control unit 180 determines whether or not the ear microphone 200 is mounted according to a sensing signal input from the interface unit 170, reads the signal input from the microphone 200, So that the operation is performed.

In addition, when the ear microphone 200 is mounted, the controller 180 limits the operations of the speaker and the microphone of the mobile terminal, and then inputs and outputs the audio signal through the microphone 200. Then, in the call mode, the control unit 180 starts the call according to the operation of the button unit provided in the ear microphone 200, or terminates the call in progress.

Based on the information on the sound pattern of the sound signal provided from the sound signal analyzer 183 and the lookup table information provided from the memory 160, the controller 180 controls the operation of the sound signal And a predetermined operation is performed in accordance with the determined control command.

In addition, the control unit 180 may include a multimedia playback module 181 for multimedia playback. The multimedia playback module 181 may be configured in hardware in the controller 180 or separately from software in the controller 180. [

The power supply unit 190 receives external power and internal power under the control of the controller 180 and supplies power necessary for operation of the respective components.

The mobile terminal 100 having such a configuration can be configured to be operable in a communication system capable of transmitting data through a frame or a packet, including a wired / wireless communication system and a satellite-based communication system. have.

2 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of a mobile terminal and an ear microphone according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, a mobile terminal and an ear microphone according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Hereinafter, for convenience of description, a bar type mobile terminal having a front touch screen among various types of mobile terminals such as a folder type, a bar type, a swing type, a slider type, etc. will be described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to the bar-type mobile terminal but can be applied to all types of mobile terminals including the above-mentioned types.

Referring to FIG. 2, the case constituting the appearance of the mobile terminal 100 is formed by the front case 100-1 and the rear case 100-2. Various electronic components are incorporated in the space formed by the front case 100-1 and the rear case 100-2.

The display unit 151, the first sound output module 153a, the first camera 121a, and the first through third user input units 130a, 130b, and 130c are connected to the main body, specifically, the front case 100-1 . A fourth user input unit 130d and a microphone 123 may be disposed on a side surface of the rear case 100-2.

The display unit 151 may be constructed such that the touch pad is overlapped with the layer structure so that the display unit 151 operates as a touch screen so that information can be input by a user's touch.

The first acoustic output module 153a may be implemented in the form of a receiver or a speaker. The first camera 121a may be implemented in a form suitable for capturing an image or a moving image of a user. The microphone 123 may be implemented in a form suitable for receiving a user's voice, other sounds, and the like.

The first to fourth user input units 130a, 130b, 130c and 130d may be collectively referred to as a user input unit 130 and may be employed in any manner as long as the user operates in a tactile manner with a tactile impression have.

For example, the user input unit 130 may be embodied as a dome switch or a touch pad capable of receiving a command or information by a user's pressing or touching operation, or may be a wheel, a jog type or a joystick Or the like.

In a functional aspect, the first user input unit 130a is a menu key for inputting a command for calling a menu related to an application currently being executed, and the second user input unit 130b is a home key, The third user input unit 130c is for inputting a command for canceling the currently executing application as a back key. The fourth user input unit 130d may operate as a key for inputting a selection of an operation mode or the like or as a hot-key for activating a special function in the mobile terminal 100. [

A second camera (not shown) may be additionally mounted on the rear surface of the rear case 100-2. On the side surface of the rear case 100-2, fifth and sixth user inputs (not shown) (Not shown) may be disposed on the upper surface of the display unit 100-2.

The second camera (not shown) has a photographing direction substantially opposite to that of the first camera 121a, and may have different pixels from the first camera 121a. A flash (not shown) and a mirror (not shown) may be additionally disposed adjacent to the second camera (not shown). In addition, another camera may be installed adjacent to the second camera (not shown) to use it for shooting a three-dimensional stereoscopic image.

The flash illuminates the subject when the subject is photographed by the second camera. The mirror enables the user to illuminate the user's own face or the like when the user intends to take a picture of himself / herself (self-photographing) using the second camera.

A second sound output module (not shown) may be further disposed in the rear case 100-2. The second sound output module may implement the stereo function together with the first sound output module 153a, and may be used for talking in the speakerphone mode.

An antenna for receiving broadcast signals (not shown) may be disposed in one area of the front case 100-1 and the rear case 100-2 in addition to the antenna for communication. The antenna may be installed to be capable of being drawn out from the rear case 100-2.

A power supply unit (not shown) for supplying power to the mobile terminal 100 may be mounted on the rear case 100-2. The power supply unit is, for example, a rechargeable battery, and can be detachably coupled to the rear case 100-2 for charging or the like.

In the present embodiment, the second camera or the like is disposed in the rear case 100-2, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Also, the first camera 121a may be rotatably formed so that the second camera can be photographed up to the photographing direction, even if the second camera is not separately provided.

The interface unit (not shown) has a plurality of contact terminals. When the microphone 200 is inserted and connected, the interface unit detects whether the ear microphone 200 is connected through any one of a plurality of contact terminals.

The microphone 200 is configured to be inserted into or detached from an interface unit (not shown), and data is input / output to a mobile terminal through connection with the interface unit. The ear microphone 200 includes a connection part (or a jack plug) 210 to be inserted into an interface part, a control box 220 for controlling the operation of the mobile terminal, and a speaker 230 to which a sound signal is input .

The overall configuration of the mobile terminal 100 and the ear microphone 200 according to the present invention has been described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. Hereinafter, a configuration of an ear microphone according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

3 is a perspective view illustrating the construction of an ear microphone according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3, the ear microphone 200 includes a connection unit 210, a control box 220, a speaker 230, and a cable 240.

The connection unit 210 of the microphone 200 includes at least one contact terminal and is configured to be inserted into or detached from the interface unit 170 of the mobile terminal 100. The contact terminal of the connection unit 210 is connected to the contact terminal of the interface unit 170 so that predetermined data is input / output between the microphone 200 and the mobile terminal 100.

The speaker 230 of the microphone 200 converts the electric signal applied from the mobile terminal 100 into a sound signal and outputs the sound signal. Accordingly, the user can listen to the voice signal of the other party on the call or the multimedia signal of the multimedia being reproduced through the speaker 230 of the ear microphone 200.

The control box 220 of the microphone 200 generates a control signal for controlling the operation of the mobile terminal 100 in response to a user input, converts the generated control signal into an electrical signal, Role. The control box 220 includes a microphone 221, a sound generating section 223, and a button section 225. In addition, the control box 220 may further include a volume control unit (not shown) for controlling the volume of sound outputted through the speaker 230 of the ear microphone.

The microphone 221 is disposed on at least one side of the control box 220 and converts a voice signal input from a user of the mobile terminal or an acoustic signal input from the sound generating unit 223 into an electrical signal and outputs the electrical signal.

The voice signal input through the microphone 221 of the ear microphone 200 is input to the mobile terminal 100 through the connection unit 210 of the ear microphone 200 And then transmitted to the external terminal through the wireless communication unit 110 of the mobile terminal.

The acoustic signal input through the microphone 221 of the ear microphone 200 is provided to the mobile terminal 100 through the connection unit 210 of the ear microphone 200, And the sound pattern is analyzed through the sound signal analyzer 183 to control the operation of the mobile terminal.

In the present embodiment, one microphone is located at the center of one side of the control box 220, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Therefore, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the number and position of the microphones can be changed according to the configuration of the sound generation unit 223 formed in the control box 220. [

The button unit 225 is disposed on one side of the control box 220 to apply different key input signals to the mobile terminal 100 according to the operation mode of the mobile terminal 100. At this time, the button unit 225 may include a push button or a touch button.

When the operation mode of the mobile terminal is the communication mode, the button unit 225 plays a role of applying a key input signal to the mobile terminal 100 for starting or ending the communication with the counterpart terminal.

If the operation mode of the mobile terminal is the non-call mode, the button unit 225 functions to apply a key input signal for activating the microphone 221 of the ear microphone 200 to the mobile terminal 100 do. That is, when the mobile terminal is in the non-communication mode, always performing the sound analysis by providing the external sound signal inputted through the ear microphone 200 to the mobile terminal 100 may cause unnecessary consumption of the battery, It is possible to reduce the consumption of the battery by activating the ear microphone 200 only when the button unit 225 is operated.

If the button unit 225 of the ear microphone 200 is operated in the non-communication mode of the mobile terminal, the microphone 221 of the ear microphone 200 is operated only for a predetermined time period in order to receive the external sound signal. Can be activated. During the activation time, if the acoustic signal input through the microphone 221 is a predetermined acoustic signal (i.e., an acoustic signal having a predetermined sound pattern), the microphone 221 The activation time can be extended by a predetermined time.

The sound generating unit 223 generates sound signals according to the input pattern of the user and controls the various operations of the mobile terminal 100. The sound generating unit 223 is provided on at least one surface of the control box 220 and is configured to generate sound signals of different sound patterns according to the user's input.

4, the sound generating unit 223 of the ear microphone 200 may include a plurality of regions located in the up / down / left / right directions with respect to the center of one surface of the control box 200, 223_A to 223_D. At this time, the plurality of regions are configured to be distinguished from each other by using different materials (or materials) and grooves / projections of different patterns.

More specifically, referring to FIG. 4A, the sound generating unit 223 generates four sound signals by using four different areas 223_A, 223_B, 223_C, and 224_D as different materials And grooves or protrusions of the same pattern can be formed in the respective regions. At this time, the material forming each region of the sound generating unit 223 may be various materials such as metal, plastic, ceramic, wood, rubber, and paper. In addition, each region of the sound generating section 223 may not be provided with grooves or protrusions, and may be composed of different materials. Accordingly, when the user of the mobile terminal rubs each region using a finger or rubbes across the second region in the first region, different fricatives (i.e., artificial sound signals) are generated. In addition, even when the user slightly tapes or bit areas formed of different materials using a finger or the like, different sound signals are generated.

4 (b), the sound generator 223 may be formed of the same material for all four regions, and protrusions of different patterns may be formed in the respective regions. At this time, by forming at least one of the size, shape, spacing and arrangement pattern of the projections, different patterns can be implemented in each region.

That is, the protrusions of the first size and the first distance are formed in the first area 223_A of the sound generation unit 223, the protrusions of the first size and the second distance are formed in the second area 223_B, 3 region 223_C, and a protrusion having a second size and a second space are formed in the fourth region 223_D. At this time, the protrusions have a first size larger than the second size, and the protrusions have a larger first interval than the second spacing. Accordingly, when the user rubs each region using a finger or the like, or rubs across regions from one region to another, different fricatives are generated.

Referring to FIG. 4C, the sound generating unit 223 may include all four regions of the same material, and form grooves of different patterns in the respective regions. At this time, by forming at least one of the groove size, the shape, the interval between the grooves, and the arrangement pattern differently, different patterns can be implemented in the respective regions.

That is, grooves of a first size and a first interval are formed in the first area 223_A of the sound generation unit 223, grooves of a first size and a second interval are formed in the B area 223_B, Grooves having a second size and a first gap are formed in the second region 223_C, and grooves having a second size and a second gap are formed in the D region 223_D. At this time, the grooves have a first size larger than the second size, and the grooves have a first gap larger than the second gap. Accordingly, when the user rubs each region using a finger or the like, or rubs across regions from one region to another, different fricatives are generated.

4D, the sound generating unit 223 includes first and second regions 223_A and 223_B as a first material, and protrusions having different patterns are formed in the respective regions can do. In addition, the sound generating unit 223 may include the third and fourth regions 223_C and 223_D as the second material different from the first material, and form grooves of different patterns in the respective regions. Accordingly, when the user rubs each region using a finger or the like, or rubs across regions from one region to another, different fricatives are generated.

In addition, by using a combination of different materials and different patterns in each area of the sound generating section 223, various types of sound generating sections capable of generating different sound signals can be constructed.

In the example of FIG. 4, a plurality of regions constituting the sound generating unit 223 are formed to be spaced apart from each other, but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, as shown in FIG. 5 (a), the respective regions of the sound generating unit 223 may not be separated from each other, but may be integrally connected. It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the shape of the integrally connected sound generating section 223 is not limited to the shape shown in Fig. 5 (i.e., a rectangular shape), and may be configured in other shapes.

4, a plurality of regions constituting the sound generating unit 223 are formed in a cross (+) shape in the up / down / left / right directions with respect to the center of one surface of the control box 220 But the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), a plurality of regions constituting the sound generating section 223 may be arranged in a line in the up / down direction. Although not shown in the figure, the plurality of regions may be arranged in a row in the left / right direction, or may be arranged in various other forms.

In the embodiment of FIG. 4, a plurality of areas constituting the sound generating unit 223 are formed on one surface of the control box 220, but the present invention is not limited thereto. 5 (c), a plurality of areas (E area, F area, G area) constituting the sound generation part 223 are provided on one side of the control box 200 as well as on the other side, More kinds of frictional sounds can be generated.

4 and 5 illustrate the construction of the sound generator 223 according to the present invention by forming different materials and patterns in a plurality of areas, but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is, any configuration can be employed in the sound generating unit 223 if different sound signals can be regularly generated.

For example, a plurality of button portions may be formed on one surface of the control box 220, and different sound signals may be generated according to the operation. That is, different sound signals can be generated according to the structure of the physical contact formed inside each button unit. At this time, the plurality of button units are physically / structurally shaped buttons for generating an artificial sound, not a button electrically connected to the connection unit 210 of the ear microphone 200.

The various sound signals generated through the sound generation unit 223 serve as control signals for controlling various operations of the mobile terminal. Accordingly, the acoustic signal is input to the acoustic signal analyzer 183 of the mobile terminal 100 through the microphone 221 of the ear microphone 200. The sound signal analyzing unit 183 analyzes the sound pattern of the inputted sound signal, determines which sound signal is generated from the user through an operation input, and outputs information about the sound pattern to the controller 180 to provide.

As described above, the ear microphone according to the embodiment of the present invention can easily perform various operations of the mobile terminal based on the sound signal generated through the sound generator, without needing to add electrical control buttons to the small size control box Control.

6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6, when the microphone 200 is mounted on the mobile terminal 100, the control unit 180 controls the operation of the earphone 200 according to a signal input from the interface unit 170 of the mobile terminal 100 (S610). At this time, the controller 180 restricts the operation of the speaker 153 and the microphone 123 of the mobile terminal 100, and then inputs and outputs voice and / or sound signals through the microphone 200.

When the button unit 225 of the ear microphone 200 is operated, the control unit 180 receives the key input signal of the ear microphone 200 through the interface unit 170 in step S615. In response to receiving the key input signal, the controller 180 determines whether the current operation mode of the mobile terminal 100 is the communication mode (S620).

If it is determined in operation S625 that the operation mode of the mobile terminal 100 is the call mode, the controller 180 determines whether the call mode is the call reception mode or the busy mode.

If it is determined in step 625 that the communication mode of the mobile terminal is the call receiving mode, the control unit 180 recognizes the key input signal received from the ear microphone 200 as a call connection signal, (S630). Then, the control unit 180 activates the ear microphone 200, and performs communication with the other party through the activated ear microphone 200. If it is determined in step 625 that the communication mode of the mobile terminal is the busy mode, the control unit 180 recognizes the key input signal received from the ear microphone 200 as a call termination signal, The call is terminated (S635).

If it is determined in operation 620 that the operation mode of the mobile terminal is not the talk mode, the controller 180 controls the microphone 180 to receive the sound signal corresponding to the predetermined control command through the microphone 200, Then, the microphone 200 is activated for a predetermined time (S640).

If the user of the mobile terminal 100 generates an artificial sound signal through the sound generator 223 of the ear microphone 200 during the activation period, the controller 180 outputs the sound signal to the microphone And then provides it to the acoustic signal analyzer 183 of the mobile terminal 100 (S645).

The controller 180 controls the acoustic signal analyzer 183 to detect the external acoustic signal input through the ear microphone 200 and to analyze the sound pattern of the detected external acoustic signal at operation S650. At this time, the acoustic signal analyzer 183 determines the sound pattern of the external acoustic signal using the SVM learning model.

The control unit 180 determines whether the sound input through the microphone 200 is an acoustic signal based on the information about the sound pattern of the acoustic signal provided from the acoustic signal analyzer 183 and the lookup table information provided from the memory 160, Determines a predetermined control command corresponding to the sound pattern of the signal, and causes the predetermined operation to be performed according to the determined control command (S660). At this time, the memory unit 160 stores information on the sound patterns of the sound signals classified through the SVM learning model and information on the control commands previously set corresponding to the sound patterns, .

Sound pattern
Control command Watch broadcasting
Application Multimedia Playback
Application The first sound pattern (region A -> region B) volume up volume up The second sound pattern (region B -> region A) Volume down Volume down Third sound pattern (C region - > D region) recording Start playback Fourth sound pattern (D area - > C area) Sleep reservation Pause The fifth sound pattern (area A) Move to next channel Move next playlist The sixth sound pattern (region B) Move previous channel Move previous playlist Seventh sound pattern (C region) View channel Fast forward The eighth sound pattern (D area) Screen capture Rewind

Table 1 shows an example of control commands corresponding to the sound patterns of the acoustic signals inputted through the ear microphone when the operation mode of the mobile terminal is the specific application execution mode. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the mobile terminal is in the state of executing the broadcast viewing application.

Referring to Table 1, when the sound pattern of the acoustic signal input through the ear microphone 200 is a sound pattern of the acoustic signal generated when the first sound pattern is touched in the B region direction from the A region, The controller 180 performs a 'volume up' operation which is a preset operation corresponding to the sound pattern. If the sound pattern of the input sound signal is a second sound pattern (i.e., a sound pattern of an acoustic signal generated when the user touches the area B in the direction of the area A), the controller 180 controls the sound pattern corresponding to the sound pattern And performs a " volume down " operation which is a preset operation. When the user of the mobile terminal repeatedly inputs the sound signal corresponding to the first or second sound pattern, the control unit 180 continuously outputs the volume up or volume down operation by the number of times input through the ear microphone 200 .

If the sound pattern of the acoustic signal inputted through the ear microphone 200 is a sound pattern of the acoustic signal generated when the third sound pattern touches the D region direction from the C region, A sound pattern of the sound signal generated when the sound pattern of the inputted sound signal is touched in the direction of the C region in the D region, Pattern), a 'sleeping reservation' operation is performed, which is a preset operation corresponding to the sound pattern.

If the sound signal input through the ear microphone 200 is a fifth sound pattern (i.e., a sound pattern of an acoustic signal generated when the A region is touched), the controller 180 sets the sound pattern in advance When the sound pattern of the inputted sound signal is the sixth sound pattern (i.e., the sound pattern of the sound signal generated when the B area is touched), the sound pattern And performs a 'previous channel shift' operation, which is a preset operation.

If the sound signal input through the ear microphone 200 is a seventh sound pattern (i.e., a sound pattern of an acoustic signal generated when the user touches the C region), the controller 180 sets the sound pattern When the sound pattern of the inputted sound signal is the eighth sound pattern (i.e., the sound pattern of the sound signal generated when the user touches the D area) And performs a 'screen capture' operation corresponding to a preset operation.

In Table 1, the contents of controlling the operation of the mobile terminal by using the eight sound patterns are described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. It will thus be apparent to those skilled in the art that additional sound patterns and corresponding control commands can be set in addition to the eight sound patterns described above.

Also, as shown in Table 1, it is possible to set different types of control commands corresponding to respective sound patterns, depending on the type of execution application of the mobile terminal. That is, when the mobile terminal is executing the multimedia playback application, the control unit may control the volume up, volume down, start of playback, Stop, '' move next playlist, '' move previous playlist, '' fast forward, 'or' rewind. '

As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, various operations of the mobile terminal can be easily controlled according to a sound pattern of an artificial sound signal inputted through a microphone.

Meanwhile, the present invention may be configured in the same manner as the sound generating unit provided in the ear microphone in one area of the front case 100-1 or the rear case 100-2 of the mobile terminal. At this time, it is preferable that the sound generator is disposed in a region (or position) adjacent to the microphone 123 of the mobile terminal. Accordingly, in a state in which the microphone 200 is not mounted on the mobile terminal, the user can control the operation of the mobile terminal through the operation of the user input unit, It is easy to control.

In addition, the present invention can be implemented as a code that can be read by a processor on a recording medium readable by a processor included in the mobile terminal. The processor-readable recording medium includes all kinds of recording apparatuses in which data that can be read by the processor is stored. Examples of the recording medium readable by the processor include a ROM, a RAM, a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, an optical data storage device, and the like, and also a carrier wave such as transmission over the Internet. In addition, the processor readable recording medium may be distributed over networked computer systems so that code readable by the processor in a distributed manner can be stored and executed.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, but, on the contrary, It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

100: mobile terminal 200: ear microphone
110: wireless communication unit 120: A / V input unit
130: user input unit 140: sensing unit
150: output unit 151: display unit
160: memory 170: interface section
180: control unit 183: acoustic signal analysis unit

Claims (8)

An interface unit to which a microphone is inserted and to which a signal is transmitted and received with the ear microphone;
An acoustic signal analyzer for detecting an acoustic signal inputted through the ear microphone and determining a sound pattern of the detected acoustic signal; And
And a control unit for performing a control operation corresponding to the sound pattern of the sound signal. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the acoustic signal analyzing unit analyzes a sound pattern of the acoustic signal using a support vector machine (SVM) model. 3. The method of claim 2,
Further comprising a memory for storing information on sound patterns of the sound signals pre-classified through the SVM model and information on predetermined control commands corresponding to the sound patterns. A connection unit inserted into the interface unit of the mobile terminal and transmitting and receiving signals to and from the mobile terminal;
A speaker for converting an electric signal applied from the mobile terminal into an acoustic signal and outputting the acoustic signal; And
And a control box for generating a plurality of sound signals for controlling the operation of the mobile terminal, converting the generated sound signals into electrical signals, and providing the sound signals to the mobile terminal. 5. The control box according to claim 4,
A sound generating unit generating different sound signals according to a user's input pattern; And
And at least one microphone for receiving a sound signal generated by the sound generating unit. 5. The control box according to claim 4,
And a button portion for activating the operation of the ear microphone for a predetermined time. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the sound generating unit is provided on at least one surface of the control box and is configured to generate acoustic signals of different sound patterns according to a user's input. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the sound generating unit includes a plurality of areas configured to be differentiated using at least one of different materials and patterns.

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