MOBILE TERMINAL AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

• US 20130176250A1
• Filed: 12/26/2012
• Published: 07/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: LEE, Kunwoo, CHOI, Woong, LEE, Eunju, PARK, Junghoon
• Application Number:
  US13/727,326
• Publication Number:
  US 20130176250A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0339 Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/23 Construction or mounting of dials or of equivalent devices; Means for facilitating the use thereof by improving visibility H04M1/22
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera constructional features concerning the integration of cameras in portable phones H04M1/0264
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/027 by controlling a display operation or backlight unit
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A mobile terminal and a control method of the mobile terminal are disclosed. A mobile terminal and a control method of the mobile terminal of the present invention comprises a first camera; a touchpad; and a controller, if a touch input of a user is obtained through the touchpad, configured to carry out operation based on a gaze direction of the user obtained through the first camera. According to the present invention, operability for the mobile terminal is improved by controlling the mobile terminal based on a touch input through a touchpad and a gaze direction of the user.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a first camera;

a touchpad; and

a controller, if a touch input of a user is obtained through the touchpad, configured to carry out operation based on a gaze direction of the user obtained through the first camera.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising a display, wherein the touchpad is disposed in a bezel area outside of the display.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 2, wherein the touchpad indicates position of the obtained touch input or further comprises a lighting unit for indicating a position requiring the touch input.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein a gaze direction of the user is determined by including the user'"'"'s facial movements obtained through the first camera.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller, if the touch input is obtained, is configured to carry out the operation by actually displaying an item corresponding to the gaze direction in a center region of a display.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller, if the touch input is obtained, is configured to carry out the operation by scrolling an item displayed in a display along a direction corresponding to the gaze direction.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the touch input is a dragging touch input against the touchpad and the controller is configured to change size of an item displayed in a display along a direction of the dragging touch input and display the size-changed item.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising a posture detection sensor configured to detect movement of the mobile terminal in three-dimensional space and the controller, if the touch input is obtained, is configured to change size of an item displayed in a display based on the movement obtained and display the size-changed item.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller, if the touch input is obtained, if configured to magnify an item displayed at a position corresponding to the gaze direction and displays the magnified item.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising a second camera configured to capture images along a direction different from the first camera and the controller, if the touch input is obtained, is configured to establish focus of the second camera based on an item at a position corresponding to the gaze direction from among a plurality of items included in an image captured through the second camera.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller, if the touch input is obtained, is configured to activate a display selectively in case the gaze direction is pointed toward the display.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the controller configured to play a video displayed in the display in case the gaze direction is pointed toward the display and stop playing the video in case the gaze direction is pointed toward outside of the display.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to deactivate the display in case the gaze direction is pointed toward outside of the display and activate the display by not going through a lock state of the mobile terminal in case the gaze direction is pointed again toward the display.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller, if the touch input is obtained, is configured to carry out the operation by selecting an item corresponding to the gaze direction.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 15, wherein the controller is so characterized that the touch input controls operation of the selected item based on at least one of a dragging direction and dragging speed.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein the controller is configure to change the scrolling speed according to a contact area of the obtained touch input.

17. A control method of a mobile terminal, comprising:

obtaining a touch input of a user through a touchpad;

obtaining a gaze direction of the user through a first camera; and

carrying out operation based on at least one of the obtained touch input and the obtained gaze direction.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the obtaining the gaze direction comprises:

obtaining an eye image of the user;

obtaining a center of pupil calculated from the obtained image; and

determining the gaze direction based on at least one of the user'"'"'s facial movements and the center of the pupil.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the carrying out the operation actually displays an item corresponding to the gaze direction in a center region of a display.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the carrying out the operation scrolls an item displayed in a display along a direction corresponding to the gaze direction.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the carrying out the operation changes size of an item displayed in a display according to a dragging direction of the touch input and displays the size-changed item.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the carrying out the operation changes size of an item displayed in a display based on movement of the mobile terminal obtained through a posture detection sensor and displays the size-changed item.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the carrying out the operation magnifies an item displayed at a position corresponding to the gaze direction and displays the magnified item in a display.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the carrying out the operation activates the display selectively in case the gaze direction is pointed toward a display.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein the carrying out the operation carries out the operation by selecting an item corresponding to the gaze direction.