Mobile terminal and operation control method thereof

• US 9,049,600 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2014
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Jungsu, Choi, Jinwook, Lee, Seungwon, Baek, Seungcheon
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, John J
• Application Number:
  US14/444,536
• Publication Number:
  US 20140333566A1
• Time in Patent Office: 309 Days
• Field of Search: 455/566, 455/550.1, 455/556.1, 455/569.1, 455/90.1, 455/411, 455/418, 455/67.11, 455/556.2, 340/571
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/005 Input arrangements through a video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/027 by controlling a display operation or backlight unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Discussed is a mobile terminal, including a touch screen configured to display visual information, a camera unit configured to detect user'"'"'s gaze information and a controller configured to execute an application in response to a user input, wherein an execution screen of the application is displayed on the touch screen, detect the user'"'"'s gaze information, and stop displaying the execution screen of the application based on an elapsed time from when the user'"'"'s gaze information is not detected, wherein the elapsed time is varied based on a type of the application.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a touch screen configured to display visual information;

a camera unit configured to detect a user'"'"'s gaze information; and

a controller configured to;

execute an application in response to a user input, wherein an execution screen of the application is displayed on the touch screen,

detect the user'"'"'s gaze information, and

stop displaying the execution screen of the application based on an elapsed time from when the user'"'"'s gaze information is not detected,

wherein the elapsed time is varied based on a type of the application, the elapsed time is a first time when the application is a first application, and the elapsed time is a second time when the application is a second application, and

wherein the first application is a content-based application including a video player and the second application is another application different from the content-based application including the video player.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal displays a preset screen when the display of the execution screen of the application is stopped based on the elapsed time from when the user'"'"'s gaze information is not detected.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 2, wherein the preset screen is a black screen.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the touch screen is changed to a power saving mode when the display of the execution screen of the application is stopped.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the second application is a messaging service-based application including a text messaging application.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 5, wherein the first time of the first application is longer than the second time of the second application.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first time of the first application is longer than the second time of the second application.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to detect an eye'"'"'s shape, and determine whether the user'"'"'s gaze information is detected or not according to a state of eyes open or closed, and a direction of gaze.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the elapsed time is further changeable depending on a type of parameter.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein the type of parameter comprises information on type of application divided by a different function provided by the same application.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 10, wherein the type of parameter identifies whether or not the video player is playing.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the second application is a search-based application including a web browsing application.

13. A method of controlling a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

executing an application in response to a user input;

displaying an execution screen of the application on a touch screen;

detecting, through a camera unit, a user'"'"'s gaze information; and

stopping a display of the execution screen of the application based on an elapsed time from when the user'"'"'s gaze information is not detected,

wherein the elapsed time is varied based on a type of the application, the elapsed time is a first time when the application is a first application, and the elapsed time is a second time when the application is a second application, and

wherein the first application is a content-based application including a video player and the second application is another application different from the content-based application including the video player.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the mobile terminal displays a preset screen when the display of the execution screen of the application is stopped based on the elapsed time from when the user'"'"'s gaze information is not detected.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the preset screen is a black screen.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the touch screen is changed to a power saving mode when the display of the application is stopped.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the second application is a messaging service-based application including a text messaging application.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first time of the first application is longer than the second time of the second application.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the first time of the first application is longer than the second time of the second application.

20. The method of claim 13, the method further comprising:

detecting an eye'"'"'s shape; and

determining whether the user'"'"'s gaze information is detected or not according to a state of eyes open or closed, and a direction of gaze.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the elapsed time is further changeable depending on a type of parameter.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the type of parameter comprises information on the type of application divided by a different function provided by the same application.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the type of parameter identifies whether or not the video player is playing.

24. The method of claim 13, wherein the second application is a search-based application including a web browsing application.