MOBILE TERMINAL

• US 20140022369A1
• Filed: 07/17/2013
• Published: 01/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: KWON, Hyuntaek
• Granted Patent: US 9,378,635 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/77
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72418 for supporting emergency services
• 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

Abstract

A mobile terminal is disclosed. The mobile terminal may display, on a display unit, a captured front side image together with an execution screen of an application in execution, may analyze the captured front side image, and if a front side dangerous situation is sensed, may change a display state of the display unit to thereby send a warning message to the user.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a sensing means configured to sense a user walking;

a rear camera configured to capture a front side image while the user is walking;

an output unit including a display unit, wherein the display unit is configured to display the captured front side image together with an execution screen of an application in execution; and

a controller configured to analyze the captured front side image, to change a display state of a screen of the display unit when a front side dangerous situation is sensed, and to send a warning message to the user.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the sensing means is configured to further sense a standing angle of the mobile terminal with respect to a ground, and wherein the controller is configured to output a guiding message through the output unit if the sensed standing angle is smaller than a threshold angle, wherein the guiding message instructs the standing angle to be increased.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the sensing means is configured to further sense a standing angle of the mobile terminal with respect to a ground, and wherein if the sensed standing angle is smaller than a threshold angle, the controller is configured to control the display unit so that the screen of the display unit is displayed while rotated frontward with respect to a horizontal axis of a lower end portion of the screen.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the sensing means is configured to further sense a standing angle of the mobile terminal with respect to a ground, and wherein if the sensed standing angle is smaller than a threshold angle, the controller is configured to refer to a captured front side image stored in a memory to sense a front side dangerous situation.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the sensing means is configured to further sense a standing angle of the mobile terminal with respect to a ground, and wherein if the sensed standing angle is smaller than a threshold angle, the controller is configured to refer to map data previously stored in a memory to sense a front side dangerous situation.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein when a front side dangerous situation is sensed, the controller is configured to send a warning message to the user by changing a display state of the captured front side image.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to display the captured front side image, with the captured front side image overlapping the execution screen of the application in execution, and wherein if a front side dangerous situation is sensed, the controller is configured to increase a degree of transparency of the execution screen of the application in execution and to decrease a degree of transparency of the captured front side image.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to further determine a degree of danger of the sensed front side dangerous situation and to change a display state of a screen of the display unit in consideration of the degree of danger of the sensed front side dangerous situation.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein the controller is configured to change a degree of transparency of the captured front side image or to change the type of at least one of the separate alert sound and the separate alert image depending on the degree of danger of the sensed front side dangerous situation.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein when a front side dangerous situation is sensed, the controller is configured to control the rear camera and the display unit so that a front side dangerous situation is magnified and displayed on the captured front side image.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein if a front side dangerous situation is sensed, the controller is configured to control the rear camera so that the sensed front side dangerous situation is focused.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein if a front side dangerous situation is sensed, the controller is configured to output at least one of a separate alert sound and a separate alert image through the output unit.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising a front camera configured to capture the user'"'"'s image while the user is walking, wherein the controller is configured to analyze the captured user'"'"'s image and to control a sensing sensitivity of a front side dangerous situation based on the user'"'"'s eyeing position.

14. A mobile terminal comprising:

a sensing means configured to sense a user walking;

an input unit including a rear camera configured to capture a front side image while the user is walking;

an output unit including a display unit configured to display an execution screen of an application in execution; and

a controller configured to analyze the captured front side image to sense a front side dangerous situation, to determine a degree of danger of the sensed front side dangerous situation, and to control at least one of an execution state of the application in execution, an activation state of the input unit, and an activation state of the output unit if the degree of danger of the sensed front side dangerous situation is higher than a predetermined level, to thereby send a warning message to the user.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein if the degree of danger of the sensed front side dangerous situation is higher than the predetermined level, the controller is configured to temporarily stop the application in execution, and if the degree of danger of the sensed front side dangerous situation is lower than the predetermined level, the controller is configured to resume the execution of the application in execution.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein if the degree of danger of the sensed front side dangerous situation is higher than the predetermined level, the controller is configured to inactivate an input function through the input unit, and if the degree of danger of the sensed front side dangerous situation is lower than the predetermined level, the controller is configured to reactivate the data input function through the input unit.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein if the degree of danger of the sensed front side dangerous situation is higher than the predetermined level, the controller is configured to inactivate at least one of an image output function and a sound output function of the output unit, and if the degree of danger of the sensed front side dangerous situation is lower than the predetermined level, the controller is configured to reactivate the inactivated at least one output function.

18. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein the controller is configured to further display the captured front side image on the display unit, wherein if the degree of danger of the sensed front side dangerous situation is higher than a predetermined level, the controller is configured to change a display state of a screen of the display unit to send a warning message to the user, and wherein what is changed of the display state of the screen of the display unit is determined depending on the degree of danger of the sensed front side dangerous situation.

19. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein the sensing means is configured to further sense a standing angle of the mobile terminal with respect to a ground, and wherein the controller is configured to output a guiding message through the output unit if the sensed standing angle is smaller than a threshold angle, wherein the guiding message instructs the standing angle to be increased.

20. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein the sensing means is configured to further sense a standing angle of the mobile terminal with respect to a ground, and wherein if the sensed standing angle is smaller than a threshold angle, the controller is configured to control the display unit so that the screen of the display unit is displayed while rotated frontward with respect to a horizontal axis of a lower end portion of the screen.

21. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein the sensing means is configured to further sense a standing angle of the mobile terminal with respect to a ground, and wherein if the sensed standing angle is smaller than a threshold angle, the controller is configured to refer to a captured front side image stored in a memory or map data previously stored in the memory to sense a front side dangerous situation.