Mobile terminal and operating method thereof

• US 8,619,152 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2010
• Issued: 12/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Minho
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, LUONG TRUNG
• Application Number:
  US12/907,240
• Publication Number:
  US 20110273575A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,169 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection

Abstract

A mobile terminal and an operating method thereof are provided. The mobile terminal includes a camera module; a display module configured to display a preview image provided by the camera module; a wireless communication unit configured to wirelessly communicate with an external device; and a controller configured to obtain location information of the mobile terminal through wireless communication with the external device and obtain object information of a first object displayed in the preview image based on the location information, wherein, if there exists object information of a second object that is overlapped by the first object, the controller displays an notification indicator indicating the existence of the object information of the second object on the display module. Therefore, it is possible to provide information of a wider area than that displayed in a preview image.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a camera module;

a display module configured to display a preview image provided by the camera module;

a wireless communication unit configured to wirelessly communicate with an external device; and

a controller configured to obtain location information of the mobile terminal through wireless communication with the external device and obtain object information of a first object displayed in the preview image based on the location information, wherein when there exists object information of a second object that is overlapped by the first object, the controller displays a notification indicator indicating existence of the object information of the second object on the display module,

wherein the controller detects the first object using at least one of location info nation and direction information of the camera module and results of a shape recognition operation on the preview image, and the controller determines existence of the object information of the second object based on the location information of the camera module.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller displays a location indicator indicating a position of the second object on the display module.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller displays the object information of the second object on the display module.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 3, wherein when a command to display the object information of the second object is detected, the controller displays the object information of the second object on the display module.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 3, wherein the controller makes the object information of the first object disappear when displaying the object information of the second object.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 3, wherein the controller displays the object information of the second object instead of an image corresponding to the first object.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller incorporates the notification indicator into the object information of the second object.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller incorporates the notification indicator into the object information of the first object.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein the display module includes a touch screen and the controller displays the object information of the second object when an area on the touch screen where the first object or the object information of the first object is displayed is touched.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising a memory configured to include an object information database, wherein the controller obtains the object information of the second object from the object information database.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication unit is configured to communicate with an external device having an object information database, wherein the controller obtains the object information of the second object from the object information database through the wireless communication unit.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein, in the object information database, object information and position information of each object is stored in connection with each other.

13. An operating method of a mobile terminal comprising:

displaying, on a display module, a preview image provided by a camera module;

obtaining position information of the mobile terminal;

detecting a first object displayed in the preview image using at least one of location information and direction information of the camera module and results of a shape recognition operation on the preview image;

determining whether there exists object information of a second object that is overlapped by the first object, based on the location information of the camera module; and

when there exists the object information of the second object that is overlapped by the first object displayed in the preview image, displaying a notification indicator indicating existence of the object information of the second object on the preview image.

14. The operating method of claim 13, wherein the displaying of the notification indicator comprises displaying a position indicator indicating a position of the second object.

15. The operating method of claim 13, wherein the displaying of the notification indicator comprises making the notification indicator disappear and displaying the object information of the second object in response to receipt of a command to display the object information of the second object.

16. The operating method of claim 15, wherein the displaying of the notification indicator comprises displaying the object information of the second object when an area on a touch screen where the first object or object information of the first object is displayed is touched.

17. The operating method of claim 13, further comprising incorporating the notification indicator into object information of the first object and displaying the object information of the first object.