APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING PORTABLE TERMINAL

• US 20120088489A1
• Filed: 12/15/2011
• Published: 04/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: SHIM, Jung-hyun, KIM, Hyun-jin, PARK, Joon-ah, CHANG, Wook, KIM, Kee-eung, LEE, Ho-yeal, LEE, Hyun-jeon, CHUNG, Seung-nyang, CHO, Sung-jung
• Granted Patent: US 9,454,223 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72448 with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10

Abstract

Provided is an apparatus and method for controlling a portable terminal. The apparatus includes a contact sensing unit which senses an area of an external surface of the portable terminal contacted by a user as the user holds the portable terminal, a recognizing unit which recognizes a function mode of the portable terminal based on information about the contacted area sensed by the contact sensing unit, and a control unit which changes the portable terminal to a function mode recognized by the recognizing unit. Since a function mode of the portable terminal is controlled according to the way a user holds the portable terminal, convenience of changing a function mode of the portable terminal is provided through a single manipulation.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling a portable terminal, the apparatus comprising:

a contact sensing unit which senses specific and discrete areas contacted by a user when the user holds the portable terminal in both one and two hands;

a recognizing unit which recognizes a mode of the portable terminal based on a pattern of the sensed contact areas; and

a control unit which sets the portable terminal into the recognized mode.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the contact sensing unit comprises:

one or more contact sensors which output signals indicating whether the user contacts the contact sensors; and

a contact signal processor which combines the signals output from the contact sensors and generates information about the pattern.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the contact sensors are mounted on an external surface of the portable terminal.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the contact sensors are contact-type sensors that determine a contact has occurred when there is a direct contact by the user or contactless sensors that determine a contact has occurred when the user is within a predetermined distance of the contact sensors without directly contacting the contact sensors.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a motion sensing unit which senses a rotation angle of the portable terminal with respect to a predetermined reference axis that is preset in the portable terminal or an angle of the predetermined reference axis with respect to the gravity direction as the user holds the portable terminal, wherein the recognizing unit additionally uses information sensed by the motion sensing unit to recognize the mode of the portable terminal.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the recognizing unit comprises:

a storing unit which stores a recognition model that is used to recognize the mode of the portable terminal;

a determining unit which compares the information sensed and determined by the contact sensing unit and the motion sensing unit with the recognition model stored in the storing unit and determines the mode to be recognized; and

an updating unit which updates the recognition model according to whether the mode determined by the determining unit is a mode desired by the user.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the motion sensing unit comprises an inertial sensor or an acceleration sensor to sense the motion of the portable terminal.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an external device sensing unit which senses attachment or detachment of an external device of the portable terminal,

wherein the recognizing unit additionally uses information sensed by the external device sensing unit as information for recognizing the mode of the portable terminal.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the external device is any of an earphone, a headphone, secure digital (SD) card or multi media card (MMC).

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mode of the portable terminal is any of SMS (Short Message Service) mode, MP3 mode, camera mode, left-hand call mode or right-hand call mode.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pattern substantially covers at least one specific area exists on each side of the portable terminal.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the contact sensing unit determines areas not contacted by the user when the user holds the portable terminal.

13. A method for controlling a portable terminal, the method comprising:

sensing specific and discrete areas contacted by a user when the user holds the portable terminal in both one and two hands;

recognizing a mode of the portable terminal based on a pattern of the sensed contact areas; and

setting the portable terminal into the recognized mode.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the sensing comprises:

outputting signals from one or more contact sensors; and

combining the signals output from the contact sensors and generates information about the pattern.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more contact sensors are mounted on an external surface of the portable terminal.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more contact sensors are contact-type sensors that determine a contact has occurred when there is a direct contact by the user or contactless sensors that determine a contact has occurred when the user is within a predetermined distance of the contact sensors without directly contacting the contact sensors.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising sensing a rotation angle of the portable terminal with respect to a predetermined reference axis that is preset in the portable terminal or an angle of the predetermined reference axis with respect to the gravity direction as the user holds the portable terminal and additionally using the sensed angle to recognize the mode of the portable terminal.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the recognizing comprises:

storing a recognition model that is used to recognize the mode of the portable terminal;

comparing the sensed angle with the stored recognition model and determining the mode to be recognized; and

updating the recognition model according to whether the determined mode is a mode desired by the user.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising sensing attachment or detachment of an external device of the portable terminal and additionally using the sensed attachment or detachment to recognize the mode of the portable terminal.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the external device is any of an earphone, a headphone, secure digital (SD) card or multi media card (MMC).

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the mode of the portable terminal is any of SMS (Short Message Service) mode, MP3 mode, camera mode, left-hand call mode or right-hand call mode.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein the pattern substantially covers at least one specific area exists on each side of the portable terminal.

23. The method of claim 13, further comprises determining areas not contacted by the user when the user holds the portable terminal.