Mobile terminal and control method thereof

• US 9,575,589 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2013
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Jeon, Taeyoung, Na, Sungchae
• Primary Examiner(s): Lao, Lun-Yi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hegarty, Kelly B
• Application Number:
  US13/861,144
• Publication Number:
  US 20130285951A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,412 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 178 1805- 1807
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• 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 2200/1637 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 2203/011 Emotion or mood input determined on the basis of sensed human body parameters such as pulse, heart rate or beat, temperature of skin, facial expressions, iris, voice pitch, brain activity patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A mobile terminal including a display unit, a sensing unit configured to acquire one or more pieces of first external state information, a wireless communication unit configured to acquire one or more pieces of second external state information, and a controller configured to change the input mode of the mobile terminal to at least one of a touch input mode with respect to a touch input corresponding to a touch operation performed on the display unit and a non-touch input mode with respect to a non-touch input that does no involves a touch operation performed on the display unit according to at least one of the first external state information and the second external state information, and to change a display screen of the display unit based on the input according to the changed input mode.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a touch screen;

a sensing unit configured to acquire one or more pieces of first external state information when the mobile terminal is in an activated condition or an inactivated condition;

a wireless communication unit configured to acquire one or more pieces of second external state information; and

a controller configured to;

set a first menu (M1) for enabling a non-touch mode, a second menu (M3) for setting a combination of information to convert into the non-touch mode, a third menu (M8) for selecting a display form of application icons in the non-touch mode, and a fourth menu (M9) for selecting a selsction method for a specific application,

identify the combination of the first external state information and the second external state information, the first external state information indicating an external temperature and a motion of gripping the mobile terminal, and the second external state information indicating a current location of the mobile terminal,

determine the combination is satisfied with the set first menu when the external temperature is lower than a reference value, the motion of gripping is detected, and the current location is outside,

change an input mode of the mobile terminal from a touch input mode to the non-touch input mode, the touch input mode indicating a touch input corresponding to a touch operation performed on the touch screen and the non-touch input mode indicating a non-touch input that does not involve a touch operation performed on the mobile terminal when the combination is satisfied with the set first menu, and

change the display form of the touch screen and the selection method for the specific application, based on the set third menu and the set fourth menu when the input mode is changed into the non-touch input mode,

wherein the display form indicates that icons are arranged in a circle such that a position of a selection indicator (SI) is changed to select a specific icon by tilting on the display unit, and

wherein the selection method for the specific application indicates that the selection indicator (SI) selects the specific icon.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first external state information and the second external state information include at least one of an ambient temperature of the mobile terminal, a temperature of the mobile terminal, shaking of the mobile terminal, a posture of the mobile terminal when gripped, an orientation of the mobile terminal, information about whether an external object approaches the mobile terminal, an increase/decrease in the pressure applied to the mobile terminal, an ambient humidity of the mobile terminal, an image of surroundings of the mobile terminal, location of the mobile terminal, and time when the mobile terminal is used.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the non-touch input corresponds to at least one of a specific motion applied to the mobile terminal, a specific pressure applied to the mobile terminal, voice of a user of the mobile terminal, blowing of the user of the mobile terminal, a gesture of the user of the mobile terminal, tilting of the mobile terminal, and a direction of the eyes of the user of the mobile terminal toward a specific point of the mobile terminal.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to provide a screen to select the first external state information and the second external state information by selecting the second menu (M3).

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to provide a screen to select the arrangement form of application icons in the non-touch mode by selecting the third menu (M8).

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to select the execution condition of the specific application by selecting the fourth menu (M10).

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the icons corresponds to at least one application icon corresponding to at least one of a temperature, a motion of the mobile terminal, or a location.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to change sizes of the icons in the non-touch input mode to be larger than sizes of icons in the touch input mode.

9. A method for controlling a mobile terminal including a touch screen, comprising:

acquiring one or more pieces of first external state information through a sensing unit of the mobile terminal when the mobile terminal is in an activated condition or an inactivated condition;

acquiring one or more pieces of second external state information through a wireless communication unit of the mobile terminal;

setting a first menu (M1) for enabling a non-touch mode, a second menu (M3) for setting a combination of information to convert into the non-touch mode, a third menu (M8) for selecting a display form of application icons in the non-touch mode, and a fourth menu (M9) for selecting a selection method for a specific application;

identifying the combination of the first external state information and the second external state information, the first external state information indicating an external temperature and a motion of gripping the mobile terminal, and the second external state information indicating a current location of the mobile terminal;

determining that the combination is satisfied with the set first menu;

determining the combination is satisfied with the set first menu when the external temperature is lower than a reference value, the motion of gripping is detected, and the current location is outside;

changing an input mode of the mobile terminal from a touch input mode to the non-touch input mode, the touch input mode indicating a touch input corresponding to a touch operation performed on the touch screen and the non-touch input mode indicating a non-touch input that does not involve a touch operation performed on the mobile terminal when the combination is satisfied with the set first menu; and

changing the display form of the touch screen and the selection method for the specific application based on the set third menu and the set fourth menu when the input mode is changed into the non-touch input mode,

wherein the display form indicates that icons are arranged in a circle such that a position of a selection indicator (SI) is changed to select a specific icon by tilting on the display unit, and

wherein the selection method for the specific application indicates that the selection indicator (SI) selects the specific icon.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of pieces of the first external state information and the second external state information includes an ambient temperature of the mobile terminal.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising changing the touch input mode or the non-touch input mode when at least one of the first external state information and the second external state information changes.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising displaying, on the touch screen, a screen different from a screen displayed in the touch input mode when the input mode of the mobile terminal changes to the non-touch input mode.

13. A mobile terminal comprising:

a touch screen;

a sensing unit configured to acquire one or more pieces of external state information when the mobile terminal is in an activated condition or an inactivated condition; and

a controller configured to;

set a first menu (M1) for enabling a non-touch mode, a second menu (M3) for setting a combination of information to convert into the non-touch mode, a third menu (M8) for selecting a display form of application icons in the non-touch mode, and a fourth menu (M9) for selecting a selection method for a specific application,

identify the combination of the first external state information, the first external state information indicating an external temperature and a motion of gripping the mobile terminal,

determine the combination is satisfied with the set first menu when the external temperature is lower than a reference value, and the motion of gripping is detected,

change an input mode of the mobile terminal from a touch input mode to the non-touch input mode, the touch input mode indicating a touch input corresponding to a touch operation performed on the touch screen and the non-touch input mode indicating a non-touch input that does not involve a touch operation performed on the mobile terminal when the combination is satisfied with the set first menu, and

change the display form of the display unit and the selection method for the specific application based on the set third menu and the set fourth menu when the input mode is changed into the non-touch input mode,

wherein the display form indicates that icons are arranged in a circle such that a position of a selection indicator (SI) is changed to select a specific icon by tilting on the display unit, and

wherein the selection method for the specific application indicates that the selection indicator (SI) selects the specific icon.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein the sensing unit comprises at least one of a posture detection sensor, a pressure sensor, a humidity sensor and a temperature sensor.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein the plurality of pieces of the external state information includes an ambient temperature of the mobile terminal and a posture of the mobile terminal.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein the external state information includes at least one of an ambient temperature of the mobile terminal, a temperature of the mobile terminal, shaking of the mobile terminal, a posture of the mobile terminal when gripped, an orientation of the mobile terminal, information about whether an external object approaches the mobile terminal, an increase/decrease in the pressure applied to the mobile terminal, an ambient humidity of the mobile terminal, an image of surroundings of the mobile terminal, location of the mobile terminal, and time when the mobile terminal is used.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein the external state information includes a variation in temperature in different regions of the mobile terminal.