Electronic device and control method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9892313-B2
Application number	US-201314906160-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 3, 2013
Priority date	Jul 26, 2013
Publication date	Feb 13, 2018
Grant date	Feb 13, 2018

Abstract

Disclosed are a central control device capable of identifying a user and a control method thereof. According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device including: an electronic device body; an output unit disposed in the body and configured to output information; a sensing unit configured to sense a user's approach to the body; and a controller configured to identify the user whose approach has been sensed, and output information related to the identified user in a different manner according to a distance between the body and the user.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
an electronic device body;
an output unit disposed in the body and configured to output information;
a sensor configured to sense a user's approach to the body; and
a controller configured to:
identify the user whose approach has been sensed, and
output information related to the identified user in a different manner according to a distance between the body and the user.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the output unit comprises a display unit and a speaker, and
when the distance between the user and the body is equal to or longer than a reference distance, the controller outputs the related information by using the speaker, and
when the distance between the user and the body is shorter than the reference distance, the controller outputs the related information by using at least one of the speaker and the display.

3. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein when the user moves from a position within the distance between the user and the body which is equal to or longer than the reference distance to a position within the distance between the user and the body which is shorter than the reference distance, the information, which has been output through the speaker, is output through the display unit or is output through both the speaker and the display unit.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the output unit comprises a display unit, and information output to the display unit varies according to the distance between the user and the body.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a wireless device disposed in the electronic device body and configured to receive information from at least one mobile terminal,
wherein the information related to the identified user comprises information received from a mobile terminal of the identified user.

6. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the output unit comprises a display unit configured to output visual information, and the controller also outputs information received from a mobile terminal of at least one different user, rather than the identified user, to the display unit.

7. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein the information received from the mobile terminal of the identified user and the mobile terminal of the at least one different user is schedule information stored in each of the mobile terminals.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a camera configured to receive an image of a user's face to identify the user through face recognition,
wherein when information reserved by a second user, different from a first user, to be output to the first user exists, the controller controls the output unit to output the reserved information in response to the reception of the image of the first user's face through the camera.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the output unit comprises a display unit configured to output visual information, and when an approach of a user, different from the identified user, is sensed while the information related to the identified user is being output to the display unit, the controller controls the display unit to output information related to the different user.

10. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein when the different user's approach is sensed, the controller divides the display unit into a plurality of regions and continuously outputs the information related to the identified user to a first region among the plurality of regions and outputs the information related to the different user to a second region different from the first region among the plurality of regions.

11. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the controller controls the information related to the different user to be output in a different manner according to an attribute of the information output to the display unit before the different user's approach is sensed, and when the information output to the display unit before the different user's approach is sensed corresponds to a first attribute, the controller divides the display unit into the plurality of regions and outputs the information related to the different user to the second region, and when the information output to the display unit before the different user's approach is sensed corresponds to a second attribute different from the first attribute, the controller restrains the display unit from being divided into the plurality of regions and outputs a graphic image indicating that the different user has been identified.

12. The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the display unit comprises a main region and a sub-region surrounding the main region, and the information related to the identified user is output to the main region and the graphic image indicating that the different user has been identified is output to the sub-region.

13. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a memory configured to store priority information,
wherein when a plurality of users have been identified, the controller outputs information related to a user having high priority among the plurality of users on the basis of the priority information stored in the memory.

14. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a wireless device disposed in the electronic device body and configured to receive/transmit information from/to at least one different electronic device for communication with the at least one different electronic device,
wherein when information indicating that the user has been identified is received from any one of the at least one different electronic device, the controller transmits the information, which has been output through the output unit, to the at least one different electronic device so that the information can be output from the at least one different electronic device.

15. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a microphone configured to receive a voice,
wherein the output unit comprises a display unit configured to recognize a touch applied thereto, and
wherein when a distance between the user and the body is equal to or longer than the reference distance, the controller executes a voice recognition function to receive a user's voice control command through the microphone, and when a distance between the user and the body is shorter than the reference distance, the controller outputs at least one visual key to the display unit to receive a control command through the user's touch with respect to the display unit.

16. The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein although the user moves from a position within the distance between the user and the body which is equal to or longer than the reference distance to a position within the distance between the user and the body which is shorter than the reference distance, the controller performs a function according to the user's voice control command input through the microphone.

17. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the sensor comprises a wireless device that can recognize an electronic device different from the electronic device, and senses the user's approach as the different electronic device is recognized through the wireless device.

18. A method for controlling an electronic device including an electronic device body and an output unit disposed in the body and configured to output information, the method comprising:
sensing a user's approach to the body;
identifying the user whose approach has been sensed; and
outputting information related to the identified user in a different man

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Lee Sanghyuck
• Lee Chulbae

Classifications

• G06F3/01 Primary

  Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer (G06F3/16 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F1/16

  Constructional details or arrangements · CPC title

• G09G2354/00

  Aspects of interface with display user · CPC title

• G06F3/167

  Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback · CPC title

• H04N5/225

  Electricity · mapped topic