MOBILE TERMINAL AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING PLACE RECOGNITION

• US 20150024780A1
• Filed: 07/17/2014
• Published: 01/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Industry Academic Cooperation Foundation, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Industry Academic Cooperation Foundation, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: HONG, Hyun-Su, KANG, Jeong-Gwan, KIM, Nam-Hoon, CHO, Sung-Bae, LEE, Young-Seol, KIM, Yong-Joong, YI, Si-Hyuk
• Granted Patent: US 9,756,475 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A mobile terminal and method for controlling place recognition are provided. The method includes collecting at least one of state information about a mobile terminal and user information stored in the mobile terminal, determining whether a current place of the mobile terminal is a major place that the user has previously visited at least a number of times using the collected information, determining, if it is determined that the current place of the mobile terminal is a major place, whether the current place has been registered using at least one signal received externally, and outputting a result of the determination as to whether the current place has been registered.

Claims

1. A method for controlling place recognition in a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

collecting at least one of state information about the mobile terminal and user information stored in the mobile terminal;

determining whether a current place of the mobile terminal is a major place that a user has previously visited at least a number of times, using the collected information;

determining, if it is determined that the current place of the mobile terminal is a major place, whether the current place has been registered using at least one signal received externally; and

outputting a result of the determination as to whether the current place has been registered.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising outputting, if the current place has been registered, information about the current place.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the information about the current place is stored by inputting of the user and includes at least one of a place name, a building name, and location information.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the information about the current place further includes at least one of a service available to the user in the current place and a distance to an adjacent registered place.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising outputting, if the current place has not been registered, a request prompting input of information about the current place.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the state information about the mobile terminal includes mobile state information about the mobile terminal and information generated by at least one sensor of the mobile terminal.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the mobile state information about the mobile terminal includes at least one of a speed, a direction, an acceleration, and Global Positioning System (GPS) information of the mobile terminal.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the information generated by the at least one sensor of the mobile terminal includes at least one of an illumination, a gravity, a motion, an ambient sound, a wind force, a current time, a remaining battery amount, and a geomagnetic field.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the user information is personal information about a user and includes at least one of a schedule, a text message, a call record, a diary, and schedule management.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination as to whether the current place has been registered comprises comparing a first Identifier (ID) of a signal-transmitting device transmitting the at least one signal, included in the at least one signal with a second ID of a signal-transmitting device transmitting a signal in a registered place, and determining, if the first ID is identical to the second ID, that the current place has been registered.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one signal includes at least one of a Global Positioning System (GPS) signal, a signal received from a Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) Access Point (AP), a Wireless broadband (Wibro) signal, a Bluetooth signal, and a signal received from a Radio Frequency Identifier (RFID) tag, and the at least one signal includes a strength of the signal and an ID of a device that transmits the signal.

12. A mobile terminal for controlling place recognition, the mobile terminal comprising:

a sensor module configured to sense a state of the mobile terminal;

a controller configured to collect at least one of state information representing the sensed state of the mobile terminal and user information stored in the mobile terminal, determine whether a current place of the mobile terminal is a major place that a user has previously visited at least a number of times using the collected information, and determine whether the current place has been registered using at least one signal received externally; and

a touch screen configured to output a result of the determination as to whether the current place has been registered.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein if the current place has been registered, the controller outputs information about the current place on the touch screen.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein the information about the current place is pre-inputted by the user and includes at least one of a place name, a building name, and location information.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein if the current place has not been registered, the controller outputs a request prompting input of information about the current place.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the state information about the mobile terminal includes mobile state information about the mobile terminal and information generated by at least one sensor of the mobile terminal.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the sensor module senses at least one of a speed, a direction, an acceleration, and Global Positioning System (GPS) information of the mobile terminal.

18. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the user information is personal information about a user and includes at least one of a schedule, a text message, a call record, a diary, and schedule management.

19. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the controller compares a first Identifier (ID) of a signal-transmitting device transmitting the at least one signal, included in the at least one signal with a second ID of a signal-transmitting device transmitting a signal in a registered place, and if the first ID is identical to the second ID, determines that the current place has been registered.

20. The mobile terminal of claim 19, wherein the at least one signal includes at least one of a Global Positioning System (GPS) signal, a signal received from a Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) Access Point (AP), a Wireless broadband (Wibro) signal, a Bluetooth signal, and a signal received from a Radio Frequency Identifier (RFID) tag, and the at least one signal includes a strength of the signal and an ID of a device that transmits the signal.