Apparatus and method for providing augmented reality information

• US 8,736,636 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2010
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MEC Resources, LLC (Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation, North Dakota)
• Original Assignee: Pantech Corporation (Ideahub, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kang, Young-Jo
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Xiao
• Assistant Examiner(s): BUTTRAM, ALAN T
• Application Number:
  US12/869,179
• Publication Number:
  US 20110187745A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,370 Days
• Field of Search: 345629-633, 455/414.1, 455446-449, 382/181
• US Class Current: 345/633
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases

Abstract

A system and method for providing augmented reality (AR) information to a mobile communication terminal in a mobile communication system is provided. If the mobile communication terminal is determined to have entered a service cell providing AR information, the mobile communication terminal transmits an AR information request including position information to a server. Upon receiving the AR information request signal, the server determines AR information including at least one tag pattern provided in the service cell and information associated with the tag pattern and transmits the AR information to the mobile communication terminal.

Claims

1. A method for providing augmented reality (AR) information, the method comprising:

sending an AR information request comprising position information from a mobile communication terminal based on a determination that the mobile communication terminal has entered a service cell;

receiving the AR information in the service cell in the mobile communication terminal; and

storing the received AR information in the mobile communication terminal,

wherein an amount of AR information available in a plurality of service cells in a service area is determined and the AR information is managed in each service cell, and

wherein the layout of the plurality of service cells in the service area is divided according to the amount of the AR information available in each of the service cells.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after the receiving of the AR information, outputting a notification message indicating that the AR information has been received.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after the storing of the AR information, outputting a notification message indicating that the AR information has been received.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining if the mobile communication terminal has entered the service cell.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the mobile communication terminal determines that the mobile communication terminal has entered the service cell according to the position information or identification information of the service cell.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a tag pattern;

determining if a same tag pattern as the detected tag pattern is stored in the mobile communication terminal; and

outputting AR information corresponding to the tag pattern if the same tag pattern as the detected tag pattern is stored in the mobile communication terminal.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising deleting the stored AR information if the mobile communication terminal is determined to have exited from the service cell.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the mobile communication terminal determines that the mobile communication terminal has exited the service cell according to received position information.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the AR information request comprises identification information of the mobile communication terminal or user information of a user, and the AR information corresponds to the identification information of the mobile communication terminal or the user information of the user.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the user information of the user comprises a point of interest.

11. A method for providing augmented reality (AR) information, the method comprising:

receiving an AR information request comprising position information from a mobile communication terminal indicating that the mobile communication terminal has entered a service cell;

determining AR information in the service cell in which the mobile communication terminal is located;

transmitting the AR information to the mobile communication terminal;

determining an amount of AR information available in a plurality of service cells in a service area; and

managing the AR information in each service cell,

wherein the layout of the plurality of service cells in the service area is divided according to the amount of the AR information available in each of the service cells.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the AR information request further comprises identification information of the mobile communication terminal or user information of a user.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the determining of the AR information comprises:

selecting tag patterns according to the identification information of the mobile communication terminal or the user information of the user from tag patterns available in the service cell; and

selecting information according to the user information or external environment information from among at least information associated with each of the tag patterns.

14. A mobile communication terminal, comprising:

a memory to store information; and

a control unit to generate an augmented reality (AR) information request comprising position information of the mobile communication terminal if the mobile communication terminal is determined to have entered a service cell in which AR information is available, to receive the AR information in response to the AR information request, and to store the received AR information in the memory,

wherein an amount of AR information available in a plurality of service cells in a service area is determined, and the AR information is managed in each service cell, and

wherein the layout of the plurality of service cells in the service area is divided according to the amount of the AR information available in each of the service cells.

15. The mobile communication terminal of claim 14, further comprising:

a camera to capture a tag pattern; and

an output unit to output internal data,

wherein the control unit determines if the captured tag pattern is the same as a tag pattern of the received AR information stored in the memory, and outputs AR information associated with the tag pattern according to the determination.

16. The mobile communication terminal of claim 14, wherein the control unit deletes the AR information stored in the memory if the mobile communication terminal is determined to have exited the service cell.

17. The mobile communication terminal of claim 14, wherein the AR information request comprises identification information of the mobile communication terminal or user information of a user.

18. The mobile communication terminal of claim 17, wherein the user information of the user comprises a point of interest.

19. A server to provide augmented reality (AR) information to a mobile communication terminal, the server comprising:

a database to store at least one tag pattern available in a service cell and information associated with the at least one tag pattern, and to store user information; and

a control unit to classify interest groups based on the stored user information, and to extract the AR information according to the interest groups and the service cell in response to an AR information request indicating that a mobile communication terminal has entered the service cell, the AR information comprising the at least one tag pattern and the information associated with the at least one tag pattern, to determine an amount of AR information available in a plurality of service cells in a service area, and to manage the AR information in each service cell,

wherein the layout of the plurality of service cells in the service area is divided according to the amount of the AR information available in each of the service cells.

20. The server of claim 19, wherein the AR information request further comprises identification information of the mobile communication terminal or a point of interest of a user.

21. The server of claim 20,

wherein the database further comprises a point of interest of a user corresponding to identification information of the mobile communication terminal, tag pattern classification information based on the point of interest, and external environment information, and

wherein the control unit selects tag patterns according to the identification information of the mobile communication terminal or according to the point of interest of the user from among tag patterns available in the service cell in the database, and selects information according to the point of interest or external environment information from among at least information associated with each of the tag patterns.

22. A mobile communication system, comprising:

a server to store augmented reality (AR) information, the AR information comprising at least one tag pattern available in a service cell and information associated with the at least one tag pattern, to determine an amount of AR information available in a plurality of service cells in a service area, and to manage the AR information in each service cell; and

a mobile communication terminal to receive and to store the AR information from the server based upon entry of the mobile communication terminal into the service cell,

wherein the layout of the plurality of service cells in the service area is divided according to the amount of the AR information available in each of the service cells.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the mobile communication terminal captures a tag pattern in the service cell, determines if the captured tag pattern is the same as the tag pattern of the stored AR information, and displays the stored AR information according to the determination.

24. The system of claim 22, further comprising:

a positioning device to provide position information of the mobile communication terminal.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the mobile communication terminal sends an AR information request to the server, the AR information request comprising the position information.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein the server selects the AR information received by the mobile communication terminal according to identification information of the mobile communication terminal or user information of a user.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the server selects the AR information received by the mobile communication terminal in response to an AR information request received from the mobile communication terminal, the AR information request comprising the identification information of the mobile communication terminal or the user information of the user.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the server stores the identification information of the mobile communication terminal or the user information of the user.

29. The system of claim 22, wherein the mobile communication terminal deletes previously stored AR information upon entry of the mobile communication terminal into the service cell.

30. A method for providing augmented reality (AR) information, the method comprising:

sending an AR information request comprising position information from a mobile communication terminal based on a determination that the mobile communication terminal has entered a service cell;

receiving the AR information request in a server;

determining AR information comprising at least one tag pattern and information associated with the at least one tag pattern, the at least one tag pattern being available in the service cell in which the mobile communication terminal is located according to the position information;

transmitting, from the server to the mobile communication terminal, the determined AR information; and

storing the received AR information in the mobile communication terminal,

determining an amount of AR information available in a plurality of service cells in a service area, and

managing the AR information in each service cell,

wherein the layout of the plurality of service cells in the service area is divided according to the amount of the AR information available in each of the service cells.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

determining if the mobile communication terminal has entered the service cell,

wherein the AR information request is sent if the mobile communication terminal is determined to have entered the service cell.

32. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

capturing a tag pattern in the service cell with the mobile communication terminal;

determining if the captured tag pattern is the same as the tag pattern of the stored AR information; and

displaying the stored AR information according to the determination.