Terminal and control method thereof

• US 9,134,952 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2014
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Jinhee, Yeo, Junhee, Lee, Kiho, Park, Jinyung, Kim, Minjung, Lee, Doyoung, Kim, Younghyun, Yi, Eunhee
• Primary Examiner(s): BAKER, MATTHEW H
• Application Number:
  US14/155,982
• Publication Number:
  US 20140303971A1
• Time in Patent Office: 608 Days
• Field of Search: 381/104, 381/108, 704/225
• 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 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/605 involving control of the receiver volume to provide a dual operational mode at close or far distance from the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 with voice recognition means

Abstract

This specification provides a terminal including a microphone that is configured to receive a user'"'"'s voice input for controlling an operation of the terminal, an analyzing unit that is configured to sense a degree of proximity between the user'"'"'s mouth and the microphone while the voice is input, an output unit that is configured to output at least one of visible data and audible data based on the voice, and a controller that is configured to restrict the output of the audible data when the degree of proximity is smaller than a preset range and a volume of the voice is below a preset reference volume.

Claims

1. A terminal comprising:

a main body;

a microphone disposed on a portion of a terminal and configured to receive a user'"'"'s voice input for controlling an operation of the terminal when a program for recognizing the user'"'"'s voice is activated;

an analyzing unit configured to analyze an attribute of the input voice;

a controller configured to generate visible data and audible data based on the received user'"'"'s voice, the audible data corresponding to a sound signal generated by converting at least part of the visible data into a generated voice;

a display unit configured to display the visible data on an area apart from the microphone; and

a sensing unit configured to sense a degree of proximity between the user'"'"'s mouth and the microphone while the user'"'"'s voice is input and sense a movement and rotation of the main body while the user'"'"'s voice is input;

wherein the controller is further configured to restrict the output of the audible data and control the display unit to display the visible data on another area closest to the microphone, when the degree of proximity is smaller than a preset range and a volume of the input voice is below a preset reference volume and when the movement and rotation of the main body is sensed, and

wherein the display unit is further configured to output previously generated visible data on a position changing away from the microphone in response to the input voice.

2. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the analyzing unit sorts the input voice based on a preset criterion, and

wherein the controller controls the output unit to restrict the output of the audible data when the input voice includes a preset attribute.

3. The terminal of claim 2, wherein the controller restricts the output of the audible data when the input voice is sorted as whispering including a rustling sound.

4. The terminal of claim 3, wherein the analyzing unit analyzes at least one of a nuance, speed, strength and degree of echo corresponding to the attribute of the input voice, and

wherein the input voice is sorted based on the present criterion to restrict the output of the audible data.

5. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller analyzes an external environment of the terminal based on an external sound input through the microphone, and restricts the output of the audible data based on the external environment.

6. The terminal of claim 5, wherein the controller controls the output unit to restrict the output of the audible data when a difference between a volume of the external sound and the volume of the input voice is below the reference volume.

7. The terminal of claim 5, wherein the controller controls the output unit to restrict the output of the audible data when the volume of the external sound is below the reference volume.

8. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the sensing unit further comprises a gyro sensor configured to sense movement and rotation of a main body of the terminal while the user'"'"'s voice is input.

9. The terminal of claim 8, wherein the controller controls the output unit to adjust a volume of the audible data when the movement and rotation of the main body of the terminal is sensed by the gyro sensor.

10. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller controls the output unit to adjust a volume of the audible data to correspond to the volume of the input voice.

11. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller executes an operation based on the input voice, and controls the output unit to output text corresponding to the audible data while the output of the audible data is restricted.

12. The terminal of claim 11, wherein the output unit further outputs visible data corresponding to the audible data together with the text.

13. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller controls the output unit to output a notification sound indicating that an operation has been executed when the output of the audible data is restricted.

14. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller controls the output unit to output audible data indicating that an operation has been executed when the output of the audible data is restricted.

15. The terminal of claim 1, further comprising:

a face recognition unit configured to sense a user'"'"'s face,

wherein the controller controls the output unit based on the input voice when the user'"'"'s face is sensed as a front face by the face recognition unit, and

ignores the input voice when the user'"'"'s face is not sensed as the front face.

16. A method of controlling a terminal having a main body, a microphone disposed on a portion of the terminal body and a display unit, the method comprising:

receiving a user'"'"'s voice input through the microphone when a program of recognizing a user'"'"'s voice is activated;

analyzing an attribute of the input voice;

generating visible data and audible data based on the received user'"'"'s voice, the audible data corresponding to a sound signal generated by converting at least part of the visible data into a generated voice;

displaying the visible data on an area apart from the microphone;

sensing a degree of proximity between the user'"'"'s mouth and the microphone while the user'"'"'s voice is input and sensing a movement and rotation of the main body while the user'"'"'s voice is input;

restricting an output of the audible data and displaying the visible data on another area closest to the microphone when the degree of proximity is smaller than a preset range and a volume of the input voice is below a preset reference volume while the voice is input and when the movement and rotation of the main body is sensed; and

outputting previously generated visible data on a position changing away from the microphone in response to the input voice.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the analyzing of the attribute of the voice comprises:

determining whether or not the input voice is sorted as whispering including a rustling sound.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

restricting the output of the audible data when the input voice is sorted as the whispering.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

outputting text corresponding to the audible data when the output of the audible data is restricted.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

outputting a notification sound indicating an execution of an operation when the output of the audible data is restricted.