Apparatus and method for displaying a position of mobile terminal

• US 8,965,400 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2012
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kang, Jiyoung, Kim, Kyunghwa, Kim, Heewoon
• Primary Examiner(s): Cumming, William D
• Application Number:
  US13/673,018
• Publication Number:
  US 20130157697A1
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/456.3, 455/457, 455/466, 370/328
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A method and apparatus for displaying a location of a portable terminal of another subscriber'"'"'s by the calling party'"'"'s portable terminal. This display occurs during a call without switching displayed screen windows or applications. The method includes a first portable terminal performing a call mode; driving a camera upon receiving location information of the other subscriber'"'"'s terminal in the call mode to display an image photographed by the camera; and analyzing location information detected by a location detection unit and the received location information of a second portable terminal of another subscriber to calculate a distance between two terminals and displaying a location of the other subscriber'"'"'s terminal on the displayed image when a direction of the calling party'"'"'s terminal detected by a direction detection unit aligns with a direction of the other subscriber'"'"'s terminal.

Claims

1. A portable terminal that detects and displays a location of a second portable terminal during a wireless call therebetween, the portable terminal being a first portable comprising:

a display unit;

a communication unit;

a location detection unit configured to detect a first location of the first portable terminal;

a direction detection unit configured to detect a direction of the first portable terminal relative to the second portable terminal during a call between the first portable terminal and the second portable terminal;

a camera configured to photograph an image;

a controller configured to receive location information of the second portable terminal while the first portable terminal is engaged in a call mode with the second portable terminal, configured to operate the camera upon receiving the location information of the second portable terminal to display an image photographed by the camera on the display, configured to analyze the first location information detected by the location detection unit of the first portable terminal and the received location information of the second portable terminal to calculate a distance between the first portable terminal and the second portable terminal, and configured to display the location of the second portable terminal on the displayed image when a direction of the first portable terminal detected by the direction detection unit aligns with the location of the second portable terminal; and

wherein the display unit is configured to display a location of the second portable terminal on the image photographed by the camera, according to control of the controller.

2. The portable terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller of the first portable terminal detects latitude and longitude information of the second portable terminal in response to a location information request from the first portable terminal, which receives the location information transmitted by the second portable terminal.

3. The portable terminal of claim 2, wherein the first portable terminal upon activation of a “

share my location menu”

, the controller controls the transmission of location information that is transmitted by the first portable terminal.

4. The portable terminal of claim 2, wherein the controller drives a rear side camera upon receiving the location information of the second portable terminal and displays an image photographed by the rear side camera on the display unit.

5. The portable terminal of claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to analyze the received location information of the second portable terminal and the detected location information of the second portable terminal to identify the distance between the first portable terminal and the second portable terminal and a direction of the second portable terminal, and when the direction detected by the direction detection unit aligns with a direction in which the first terminal is located, the controller displays the location of the second portable terminal on the image photographed by the camera.

6. The portable terminal of claim 5, wherein the location information received from the second portable terminal includes altitude information of a height of the second portable terminal and the controller displays the location of the second portable terminal on the image photographed by the camera in consideration of the altitude information.

7. The portable terminal of claim 5, wherein the location information received from the second portable terminal further comprises additional information related to a place in which the second portable terminal is located, and the controller displays the location of the second portable terminal along with the additional information on the image photographed by the camera.

8. The portable terminal of claim 5, wherein the call mode is a video call mode and the display unit displays an image of another subscriber of the second portable terminal and an image of a calling party of the first portable terminal in a first area and a second area, respectively wherein the second area is smaller than the first area.

9. The portable terminal of claim 8, wherein the controller displays an image from the camera and the location of the second portable terminal in the first area and displays direction information in the second area.

10. The portable terminal of claim 8, wherein the controller displays an image from the camera and the location of the second portable terminal in the first area and displays the image of said another subscriber in the second area.

11. The portable terminal of claim 8, further comprising:

a memory configured to store a map data, wherein the controller displays the map data and the location of the second portable terminal in the first area.

12. A method of displaying a location of a second portable terminal in a calling party'"'"'s first portable terminal while the first portable terminal and the second portable terminal are engaged in a call, the method comprising:

performing by the first portable terminal a call mode;

driving by a controller a camera upon the first portable terminal receiving location information of the second portable terminal in the call mode to display an image photographed by the camera; and

analyzing by the controller location information of the first portable detected by a location detection unit and the received location information of the second portable terminal to calculate a distance between two terminals and displaying a location of the second portable terminal on the displayed image when a direction of the first portable terminal detected by a direction detection unit aligns with a direction of the second portable terminal.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

detecting, by the first portable terminal, latitude and longitude information of the second portable terminal when transmission of location information is received by the first portable terminal and transmitting the location information to the second portable terminal.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the driving the camera by the controller to display the photographed image comprises:

driving a rear side camera and controlling display of an image photographed by the rear side camera on the display unit.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the displaying by the first portable terminal the location of the second portable terminal comprises:

analyzing by the controller the received location information of the second portable terminal and the detected location information of the second portable terminal to identify the distance between the first and second portable terminals and a direction of the second portable terminal; and

when the direction detected by the direction detection unit aligns with a direction in which the terminal is located, displaying the location of the second portable terminal on the image photographed by the camera.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the location information received from the second portable terminal includes altitude information and the displaying the location of the second portable terminal comprises:

displaying by the display unit the location of the second portable terminal on the image photographed by the camera in consideration of the altitude information.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the location information received from the second portable terminal further comprises additional information related to a place in which the second portable terminal is located, and wherein the displaying the location of the second terminal comprises:

displaying the location of the portable terminal along with the additional information on the image photographed by the camera.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the call mode is a video call mode and the display unit displays an image of a second subscriber of the second portable terminal and an image of first subscriber in a first portable terminal in a first area and a second area that is relatively smaller than the first area, respectively.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the displaying the location of the second portable terminal comprises:

displaying an image from the camera and the location of the second portable terminal in the first area and displaying direction information in the second area.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the displaying the location of the second portable terminal comprises:

displaying an image from the camera and the location of the second portable terminal in the first area and displaying the image of the second portable terminal in the second area.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

a memory configured to store a map data, wherein the displaying the location of the second portable terminal comprises;

displaying the map data and the location of the second portable terminal in the first area.