Mobile terminal and method for controlling the same in consideration of communication environment

• US 8,977,318 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2012
• Issued: 03/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Yu, Yong Jun, Baek, Ii Seob
• Primary Examiner(s): Islam, Mohammad
• Application Number:
  US13/370,937
• Publication Number:
  US 20120206556A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,124 Days
• Field of Search: 455/269, 455/566, 341/20
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/245 with means for shaping the antenna pattern, e.g. in order to protect user against rf exposure
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/00 Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers subscriber services or facilities provided at exchanges H04M3/00; prepayment telephone coin boxes H04M17/00; current supply arrangements H04M19/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/288 taking into account the usage mode, e.g. hands-free, data transmission, telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/38 TPC being performed in particular situations

Abstract

A mobile terminal and a method for controlling the same in consideration of communication environment are provided. The mobile terminal includes a grip sensor unit for generating sensing signals corresponding to user grip, a control unit for identifying a grip pattern on the basis of sensing signals from the grip sensor unit, for extracting communication control information associated with the identified grip pattern, and for performing at least one of power control and antenna tuning control; and a communication means to which power control and antenna tuning are applied under control of the control unit.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal controllable according to a communication environment, the mobile terminal comprising:

a grip sensor unit configured to generate sensing signals corresponding to user grip;

a control unit configured to identify a grip pattern based on sensing signals from the grip sensor unit, to extract communication control information associated with the identified grip pattern, and to perform at least one of power control and antenna tuning control;

a communication means to which the power control and the antenna tuning are applied under control of the control unit; and

an antenna bandwidth adjuster configured to compensate for a resonance frequency response of the communication means according to antenna tuning control information.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising a storage unit configured to store a control table that contains reference grip patterns and at least one of power control information and the antenna tuning control information associated with the reference grip patterns.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 2, wherein the control unit comprises:

a sensor signal collector configured to collect grip sensor signals from the grip sensor unit;

a pattern identifier configured to identify the grip pattern from the collected grip sensor signals, and to extract a reference grip pattern matching the identified grip pattern; and

an antenna control part configured to receive at least one of the power control information and the antenna tuning control information associated with the extracted reference grip pattern from the pattern identifier, and to control the communication means according to the at least one of the power control information and the antenna tuning control information.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 3, wherein the control unit further comprises a timer configured to determine whether the identified grip pattern does not change for a preset time.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 3, wherein the antenna control part comprises at least one of:

an antenna power adjuster configured to decrease at least one of power fed to the communication means and transmit power output thereof or to increase reduced power thereto according to the power control information.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the communication means comprises:

a communication unit configured to amplify and to modulate a signal to be sent or a received signal;

an antenna configured to radiate a signal to be sent and to receive a signal; and

an antenna controller including one or more circuit elements connected to the antenna, and configured to compensate for the resonance frequency response of the antenna.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the grip sensor unit comprises multiple grip sensors installed at two or more of an upper side, lower side, left side and right side of a case of the mobile terminal.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein the control unit is configured to determine the grip pattern, from among a grip with both hands, a grip with one hand and a grip with one hand contacting one side, based on sensing signals from the grip sensor unit, and to control the communication means according to at least one of power control information and the antenna tuning control information associated with the determined grip pattern.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein, when the identified grip pattern corresponds to a grip with one hand (fingers contacting two sides), the control unit is configured to determine that the grip pattern is related to a voice call, and to control an operation to decrease at least one of supply of power to the communication means and transmit power output thereof and to perform antenna tuning to compensate for radiation performance as to the grip.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein the grip sensor unit further comprises at least one grip sensor installed at a back side of the case.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 10, wherein, when the identified grip pattern corresponds to a grip with one hand (fingers contacting two sides and a palm contacting the back side), the control unit is configured to determine that the grip pattern is related to a video call, and to control an operation to perform antenna tuning to compensate for radiation performance as to the grip.

12. A method for controlling a mobile terminal according to a communication environment, the method comprising:

generating sensing signals corresponding to grip on the mobile terminal;

identifying a grip pattern based on the sensing signals;

extracting control information for a communication means associated with the identified grip pattern;

performing at least one of power control and antenna tuning control with respect to the communication means; and

compensating for a resonance frequency response of the communication means according to antenna tuning control information.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the extracting of the control information comprises reading a control table from a storage unit, and wherein the control table contains reference grip patterns and at least one of power control information and the antenna tuning control information associated with the reference grip patterns.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the extracting of the control information further comprises:

finding a reference grip pattern that is similar to the identified grip pattern within a given error margin or is most similar thereto from the control table; and

extracting at least one of the power control information and the antenna tuning control information associated with the found reference grip pattern.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the identifying of the grip pattern further comprises:

starting a timer; and

treating, when the identified grip pattern does not change before an expiration of the timer, the identified grip pattern as valid.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the identifying of the grip pattern further comprises treating, when the identified grip pattern changes before the expiration of the timer, the identified grip pattern as invalid.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the identifying of the grip pattern further comprises resetting and restarting the timer.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the performing of the at least one of the power control and the antenna tuning control comprises at least one of:

decreasing at least one of power fed to the communication means and transmit power output thereof or increasing at least one of reduced power thereto and reduced transmit power output thereof according to power control information.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the performing of the at least one of the power control and the antenna tuning control comprises:

determining, when the identified grip pattern corresponds to a grip with one hand (fingers contacting two sides of the mobile terminal), that the grip pattern is related to a voice call; and

controlling an operation to decrease at least one of supply of power to the communication means and transmit power output thereof and to perform antenna tuning to compensate for radiation performance as to the grip.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the performing of the at least one of the power control and the antenna tuning control comprises:

determining, when the identified grip pattern corresponds to a grip with one hand (fingers contacting two sides and/or a palm contacting a back side), that the grip pattern is related to one of a video call, message composition and Web browsing; and

controlling an operation to sustain existing supply of power and to perform antenna tuning to compensate for radiation performance as to the grip.

21. A mobile terminal controllable according to a communication environment, the mobile terminal comprising:

a detector configured to collect characteristics of antenna radiation according to a user grip;

a control unit configured to identify a preset pattern matching a radiation pattern detected by the detector, and to perform at least one of transmit power adjustment and antenna tuning according to settings associated with the identified pattern;

a communication means to which the power adjustment and the antenna tuning are applied under control of the control unit;

a storage unit configured to store information regarding mappings between preset patterns and values for the power adjustment and the antenna tuning of the communication means; and

an antenna bandwidth adjuster configured to compensate for a resonance frequency response of the communication means according to antenna tuning control information.