Abstract:
A method and an apparatus for preventing the loss of an electronic device are provided. The method includes establishing a communication link between a first electronic device and a second electronic device through activation of wireless communication at the first electronic device, collecting, upon detection of movement of the first electronic device, sensing information of the first electronic device, receiving sensing information from the second electronic device through the communication link, comparing the sensing information of the first electronic device with the sensing information of the second electronic device, and checking whether a loss incident has occurred on the basis of the comparison result.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) 
     This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) of a Korean patent application filed on Mar. 10, 2014 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office and assigned Serial No. 10-2014-0027592, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for preventing the loss of an electronic device. 
     BACKGROUND 
     In recent years, electronic devices have evolved into a variety of mobile devices (such as smartphones and tablet computers that may be carried by users) and wearable devices (such as wristwatches and eyeglasses that may be worn by users). In particular, wearable devices have been made smaller, lighter and more stylish so as to be worn by users at all times. 
     Meanwhile, when an electronic device detects motion in a particular direction, it may determine that a loss incident has occurred and report a loss notification to the user. 
     The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present disclosure. 
     SUMMARY 
     However, as the criterion for directions may frequently change according to the orientation of an electronic device being carried by the user, a loss notification may be falsely issued when no loss incident has occurred. 
     Aspects of the present disclosure are to address at least the above-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a method and apparatus for preventing the loss of an electronic device wherein pieces of sensing information related to motion obtained from a first electronic device and a second electronic device connected through a communication link are compared to determine and report the occurrence of a loss incident. 
     In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, a method of loss prevention for electronic devices is provided. The method includes establishing a communication link between a first electronic device and a second electronic device through activation of wireless communication at the first electronic device, collecting, upon detection of movement of the first electronic device, sensing information of the first electronic device, receiving sensing information from the second electronic device through the communication link, comparing the sensing information of the first electronic device with the sensing information of the second electronic device, and checking whether a loss incident has occurred on the basis of the comparison result. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a method of loss prevention for electronic devices is provided. The method includes establishing a communication link between a first electronic device and a second electronic device through activation of wireless communication at the second electronic device, collecting, upon detection of movement of the second electronic device, sensing information of the second electronic device, sending the collected sensing information to the first electronic device through the communication link, receiving loss information from the first electronic device, and generating, upon reception of the loss information, a loss notification. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device supporting loss prevention is provided. The electronic device includes a sensor unit configured to sense motion of the electronic device, a communication unit configured to send and receive sensing information related to motion, and a control unit configured to control a process of establishing a communication link with a second electronic device through activation of wireless communication, collecting, upon detection of movement of the electronic device, sensing information of the electronic device, receiving sensing information from the second electronic device through the communication link, comparing the sensing information of the electronic device with the sensing information of the second electronic device, and checking whether a loss incident has occurred on the basis of the comparison result. 
     In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device supporting loss prevention is provided. The electronic device includes a sensor unit configured to sense motion of the electronic device, a communication unit configured to send and receive sensing information related to motion, and a control unit configured to control a process of establishing a communication link with a second electronic device through activation of wireless communication, collecting, upon detection of movement of the electronic device, sensing information of the electronic device, sending the collected sensing information to the second electronic device through the communication link, and generating, upon reception of loss information from the second electronic device, a loss notification. 
     Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses various embodiments of the present disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certain embodiments of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an electronic device having touch capabilities according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram of a first electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 3  is a flowchart of a loss prevention method for a first electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 4  is a block diagram of a second electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 5  is a flowchart of a loss prevention method for a second electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates signal exchange between a first electronic device and a second electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 7  is a block diagram of a first electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 8  is a flowchart of a loss prevention method for a first electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 9  is a block diagram of a second electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 10  is a flowchart of a loss prevention method for a second electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 11  illustrates signal exchange between a first electronic device and a second electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 12  illustrates signal patterns based on sensing information used to determine the occurrence of a loss incident according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and 
         FIG. 13  illustrates signal exchange between a first electronic device and a second electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     Throughout the drawings, it should be noted that like reference numbers are used to depict the same or similar elements, features, and structures. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of various embodiments of the present disclosure as defined by the claims and their equivalents. It includes various specific details to assist understanding but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the various embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions may be omitted for clarity and conciseness. 
     The terms and words used in the following description and claims are not limited to the bibliographical meanings, but, are merely used by the inventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of various embodiments of the present disclosure is provided for illustration purpose only and not for the purpose of limiting the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. 
     It is to be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a component surface” includes reference to one or more of such surfaces. 
     It will be understood that the terms “comprising”, “including”, “having” and variants thereof, when used in this description, specify the presence of stated features, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, operations, elements, components, and/or combinations thereof. 
     Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary, “or” refers to an inclusive or and not to an exclusive or. For example, a condition A or B may be satisfied by any one of the following: A is true (or present) and B is false (or absent), A is false (or absent) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present). 
     The terms first, second, third and the like in the description are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a sequential or chronological order. For example, a first electronic device and a second electronic device may be used to refer to different user equipments (UEs). It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances. 
     Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the disclosure belongs. The meaning of specific terms or words used in the specification and the claims should not be limited to the literal or commonly employed sense, but should be construed in accordance with the spirit of the present disclosure. 
     The electronic device according to the present disclosure may be a device having a communication function. For example, the electronic device may be one of a smartphone, a tablet personal computer, a mobile phone, a video phone, an e-book reader, a desktop personal computer, a laptop personal computer, a netbook computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable multimedia player (PMP), a moving picture experts group (MPEG) audio layer 3 (MP3) player, a mobile medical appliance, a camera, and a wearable device (e.g., electronic eyeglasses, a head-mounted device (HMD), electronic clothing, electronic bracelet, electronic necklace, electronic appcessory, electronic tattoo, or smartwatch). 
     In various embodiments of the present disclosure, pieces of motion information collected respectively from a wearable device and a mobile device may be compared to determine whether a loss incident has occurred. The motion of the wearable device worn by the user may conform to the motion of the user. The motion of the mobile device is analyzed when the wearable device is worn by the user. Motion data of the wearable device may be compared with motion data of the mobile device to determine whether a loss incident has occurred. More specifically, signal patterns of a gyro sensor module and an acceleration sensor module in the wearable device may be compared respectively with signal patterns of a gyro sensor module and an acceleration sensor module in the mobile device. When signals of the wearable device change independently, or when signals of the wearable device change in a pattern similar to those of the mobile device, it may be determined that a loss incident has not occurred. When independent motion-related signals are detected from the mobile device while the wearable device is being worn, it may be determined that the motion is caused by a third person other than the owner and a loss notification may be issued. In addition, when short-range communication between the two devices is not possible, an “out of short-range communication range” indication may be provided to the two devices. 
     Additionally, “sensing information” may indicate signal information generated by at least one of a geomagnetic sensor and an acceleration sensor according to motion of an electronic device. 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an electronic device having touch capabilities according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     In an embodiment, a first electronic device  101  and a second electronic device  102  have the same configuration as the electronic device of  FIG. 1 . Therefore, the description of a configuration of an electronic device may be applied to the first electronic device  101  and the second electronic device  102 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the electronic device of the present disclosure may include a communication unit  110 , a storage unit  120 , a touchscreen  130 , a sensor unit  140 , and a control unit  150 . 
     The communication unit  110  performs voice, video or data communication with an external device. In various embodiments, the communication may be performed directly or through a network. The communication unit  110  may include a radio frequency transmitter for upconverting the frequency of a signal to be transmitted and amplifying the signal, and a radio frequency receiver for low-noise amplifying a received signal and downconverting the frequency of the received signal. The communication unit  110  may include a modulator and demodulator to perform modulation and demodulation in accordance with code division multiple access (CDMA), wideband CDMA (WCDMA), long term evolution (LTE), wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), wireless-broadband (WiBro), bluetooth (BT), near field communication (NFC), infrared data association (IrDA), radio frequency identification (RFID) and ultrasonic communication. The communication unit  110  may include a mobile communication module, Internet communication module, and/or short-range communication module. 
     For example, the communication unit  110  may send and receive sensing information regarding motion of the electronic device and loss information thereof to and from another electronic device. 
     The storage unit  120  may include a program area to store executable programs of the electronic device, and a data area to store data generated during program execution. 
     The touchscreen  130  may include a display unit  131  and a touch panel  132  as a single entity. The display unit  131  may display various screens in the course of operating the electronic device under control of the control unit  150 . The display unit  131  may be realized using liquid crystal display (LCD) elements, organic light-emitting diodes (OLED), an active-matrix OLED (AMOLED), a flexible display, a bended display, and a three dimensional display. The display unit  131  may be configured to be flexible, transparent or wearable. The touch panel  132  may be a composite touch panel composed of a hand touch panel to sense hand gestures and a pen touch panel to sense pen gestures. 
     The sensor unit  140  is configured to collect sensing information related to state changes of the electronic device. For example, the sensor unit  140  may include an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor and a geomagnetic sensor, and may further include at least one of a proximity sensor, a Global Positioning System (GPS) module, a camera module, a motion sensor, a gravity sensor, and a dynamic vision sensor. 
     In one embodiment, the sensor unit  140  may collect sensing information regarding motion of the electronic device and forward the same to the control unit  150 . 
     The control unit  150  controls the overall operation of the electronic device, controls signal exchange between internal components thereof, performs data processing, and controls a supply of power from a battery to the internal components. 
     In one embodiment, the control unit  150  may establish a wireless communication link with a second electronic device. After establishment of the wireless communication link, the control unit  150  may collect sensing information regarding motion of the electronic device. When sensing information regarding motion of the second electronic device is received from the second electronic device, the control unit  150  may compare the sensing information collected from the electronic device with that received from the second electronic device. If the collected sensing information and the received sensing information exhibit a similar signal pattern, the control unit  150  may not issue a loss notification. If the collected sensing information and the received sensing information exhibit different signal patterns, the control unit  150  may issue a loss notification. 
     The electronic device may further include supplementary components, such as a GPS receiver to receive position information, a broadcast reception module to receive broadcasts, and an input unit supporting hard key based input. Such supplementary components will not be described or shown in further detail. 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, one of the first electronic device  101  and the second electronic device  102  may include a comparator. The electronic device having the comparator determines occurrence of a loss incident and sends loss information to the other electronic device. In the following description with reference to  FIGS. 2 to 6 , it is assumed that the second electronic device  102  includes a comparator and sends loss information to the first electronic device  101 . 
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram of a first electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , the first electronic device  101  may include a gyro sensor module  210 , a gyro signal processor  215 , an acceleration sensor module  220 , an acceleration signal processor  225 , a memory unit  230 , and a communication unit  240 . 
     When the first electronic device  101  is configured to support screen rotation, the gyro sensor module  210  may be activated to sense angular velocity. Angular velocity information collected by the gyro sensor module  210  may be forwarded to the gyro signal processor  215 . The angular velocity information may include information on rotation along at least one of the x-axis, y-axis and z-axis. Sensing information collected by the gyro sensor module  210  may include information on the angular velocity about at least one of the x-axis, y-axis and z-axis. 
     The gyro signal processor  215  may receive sensing information collected by the gyro sensor module  210  and forward the same to the memory unit  230 . 
     The acceleration sensor module  220  may sense acceleration due to motion (such as rotation) of the first electronic device  101 . Acceleration information collected by the acceleration sensor module  220  may be forwarded to the acceleration signal processor  225 . 
     The acceleration signal processor  225  may receive sensing information related to acceleration collected by the acceleration sensor module  220  and forward the same to the memory unit  230 . 
     The memory unit  230  may store sensing information of the first electronic device  101  collected by the gyro sensor module  210  and/or the acceleration sensor module  220 . 
     The communication unit  240  may send sensing information of the first electronic device  101  collected by the gyro sensor module  210  and/or the acceleration sensor module  220  to the second electronic device  102 . In addition, the communication unit  240  may receive loss information from the second electronic device  102 . 
       FIG. 3  is a flowchart of a loss prevention method for a first electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , at operation  301 , the control unit  150  of the first electronic device  101  activates wireless communication and establishes a communication link with another electronic device. Here, it is assumed that the communication link is established between the first electronic device  101  and the second electronic device  102 . After establishment of the communication link, the control unit  150  checks whether motion of the first electronic device  101  is detected at operation  303 . If motion of the first electronic device  101  is detected, the control unit  150  controls the sensor unit  140  to collect sensing information of the first electronic device  101  at operation  305 . Here, the sensing information may be collected by an acceleration sensor and/or a geomagnetic sensor sensing motion of the first electronic device  101 . For example, the control unit  150  may collect acceleration sensor signal information through the acceleration sensor according to motion of the first electronic device  101  and store the same in the storage unit  120 . The control unit  150  may also collect geomagnetic sensor signal information through the geomagnetic sensor according to motion of the first electronic device  101  and store the same in the storage unit  120 . 
     At operation  307 , the control unit  150  sends the sensing information collected from the first electronic device  101  through the communication link to the second electronic device  102 . Thereafter, the control unit  150  checks whether loss information is received from the second electronic device  102  at operation  309 . If loss information is not received, the procedure returns to operation  303 . If loss information is received from the second electronic device  102 , the control unit  150  issues a loss notification at operation  311 . Here, the loss notification may be issued using vibration or sound, and the loss notification may be displayed together with information tracking the movement path of the lost electronic device on the display unit  131 . 
     At operation  313 , the control unit  150  checks whether a termination command is issued. Here, the termination command may correspond to release of the communication link due to deactivation of wireless communication. If a termination command is issued, the procedure ends. If a termination command is not issued, the procedure returns to operation  303  and motion sensing is continued. 
       FIG. 4  is a block diagram of a second electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , the second electronic device  102  may include a gyro sensor module  410 , a gyro signal processor  415 , an acceleration sensor module  420 , an acceleration signal processor  425 , a memory unit  430 , a comparator  440 , and a communication unit  450 . 
     When the second electronic device  102  is configured to support screen rotation, the gyro sensor module  410  may be activated to sense the angular velocity. Angular velocity information collected by the gyro sensor module  410  may be forwarded to the gyro signal processor  415 . The angular velocity information may include information on rotation along at least one of the x-axis, y-axis and z-axis. Sensing information collected by the gyro sensor module  410  may include information on the angular velocity about at least one of the x-axis, y-axis and z-axis. 
     The gyro signal processor  415  may receive sensing information collected by the gyro sensor module  410  and forward the same to the memory unit  430 . 
     The acceleration sensor module  420  may sense acceleration due to motion (such as rotation) of the second electronic device  102 . Acceleration information collected by the acceleration sensor module  420  may be forwarded to the acceleration signal processor  425 . 
     The acceleration signal processor  425  may receive sensing information related to acceleration collected by the acceleration sensor module  420  and forward the same to the memory unit  430 . 
     The memory unit  430  may store sensing information of the second electronic device  102  collected by the gyro sensor module  410  and/or the acceleration sensor module  420 . 
     The comparator  440  may analyze sensing information collected by the gyro sensor module  410  and/or the acceleration sensor module  420  to identify signal patterns for determining occurrence of a loss incident. For example, the comparator  440  may compare sensing information of the second electronic device  102  stored in the memory unit  430  with sensing information received from the first electronic device  101 . 
     The communication unit  450  may receive sensing information of the first electronic device  101  therefrom. In addition, when the result of comparison by the comparator  440  indicates occurrence of a loss incident, the communication unit  450  may send loss information to the first electronic device  101 . 
       FIG. 5  is a flowchart of a loss prevention method for a second electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , the control unit  150  of the second electronic device  102  activates wireless communication and establishes a communication link with another electronic device at operation  501 . Here, it is assumed that the communication link is established between the first electronic device  101  and the second electronic device  102 . After establishment of the communication link, the control unit  150  checks whether motion of the second electronic device  102  is detected at operation  503 . If motion of the second electronic device  102  is detected, the control unit  150  controls the sensor unit  140  to collect sensing information of the second electronic device  102  at operation  505 . Here, the sensing information may be collected by an acceleration sensor and/or a geomagnetic sensor sensing motion of the second electronic device  102 . For example, the control unit  150  may collect acceleration sensor signal information through the acceleration sensor according to motion of the second electronic device  102  and store the same in the storage unit  120 . The control unit  150  may also collect geomagnetic sensor signal information through the geomagnetic sensor according to motion of the second electronic device  102  and store the same in the storage unit  120 . 
     At operation  507 , the control unit  150  checks whether sensing information of the first electronic device  101  is received through the communication link. If sensing information of the first electronic device  101  is received, the control unit  150  compares the received sensing information of the first electronic device  101  with the collected sensing information of the second electronic device  102  at operation  509 . Here, detected signal patterns reflecting motion of the first electronic device  101  are compared with those reflecting motion of the second electronic device  102  to thereby identify occurrence of a loss incident. 
     At operation  511 , the control unit  150  checks whether the received sensing information of the first electronic device  101  is similar to the collected sensing information of the second electronic device  102 . If the received sensing information is not similar to the collected sensing information, the control unit  150  issues a loss notification and sends loss information to the first electronic device  101  at operation  513 . At operation  515 , the control unit  150  checks whether a termination command is issued. Here, the termination command may correspond to release of the communication link due to deactivation of wireless communication. If a termination command is issued, the procedure ends. If a termination command is not issued, the procedure returns to operation  503  and motion sensing is continued. 
     If motion of the second electronic device  102  is not detected at operation  503 , the procedure proceeds to operation  515  at which the control unit  150  checks whether a termination command is issued. In the above description, the control unit  150  is depicted as determining whether to terminate the procedure. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. 
     To sum up, sensing information of the first electronic device  101  is compared with that of the second electronic device  102 . If the two pieces of the sensing information show a similar signal pattern, it may be determined that a loss incident has not occurred. If the two pieces of the sensing information show different signal patterns, it may be determined that a loss incident has occurred, and a loss notification may be issued. Here, the loss notification may be issued using vibration or sound, and the loss notification may be displayed together with information tracking the movement path of the lost electronic device on the display unit  131 . 
       FIG. 6  illustrates signal exchange between a first electronic device and a second electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , the first electronic device  101  activates wireless communication at operation  601 . At operation  603 , the second electronic device  102  activates wireless communication. At operation  605 , a communication link is established between the first electronic device  101  and the second electronic device  102 . Thereafter, at operation  607 , the first electronic device  101  checks whether motion thereof is detected. If motion of the first electronic device  101  is detected, the first electronic device  101  collects sensing information according to motion at operation  609 . At operation  611 , the second electronic device  102  checks whether motion thereof is detected. If motion of the second electronic device  102  is detected, the second electronic device  102  collects sensing information according to motion at operation  613 . 
     At operation  615 , the first electronic device  101  sends the collected sensing information to the second electronic device  102 . Upon reception of the sensing information, the second electronic device  102  compares the received sensing information of the first electronic device  101  with the collected sensing information of the second electronic device  102  at operation  617 . At operation  619 , the second electronic device  102  checks whether the received sensing information of the first electronic device  101  shows a signal pattern similar to that of the collected sensing information of the second electronic device  102 . If the received sensing information shows a signal pattern similar to that of the collected sensing information, the second electronic device  102  returns to operation  611 . If the received sensing information shows a signal pattern dissimilar to that of the collected sensing information, the second electronic device  102  issues a loss notification at operation  621 . At operation  623 , the second electronic device  102  sends loss information to the first electronic device  101 . Upon reception of the loss information, the first electronic device  101  issues a loss notification at operation  625 . Following operation  625 , the first electronic device  101  checks whether a termination command is issued at operation  627 . Here, the termination command may correspond to release of the communication link due to deactivation of wireless communication. If a termination command is issued, the procedure ends. If a termination command is not issued, the procedure returns to operation  605 . Similarly, following operation  621 , the second electronic device  102  checks whether a termination command is issued at operation  629 . Here, the termination command may correspond to release of the communication link due to deactivation of wireless communication. If a termination command is issued, the procedure ends. If a termination command is not issued, the procedure returns to operation  605 . In the above description, both of the first electronic device  101  and the second electronic device  102  are described as generating a loss notification. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, only the electronic device worn by the user such as a wearable device may issue a loss notification. 
     In another embodiment, each of the first electronic device  101  and the second electronic device  102  may include a comparator, and one electronic device may determine occurrence of a loss incident, issue a loss notification, and send loss information to the other electronic device. In the following description with reference to  FIGS. 7 to 11 , it is assumed that the first electronic device  101  and the second electronic device  102  both include a comparator and exchange loss information each other. 
       FIG. 7  is a block diagram of a first electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 7 , the first electronic device  101  may include a gyro sensor module  710 , a gyro signal processor  715 , an acceleration sensor module  720 , an acceleration signal processor  725 , a memory unit  730 , a comparator  740 , and a communication unit  750 . 
     When the first electronic device  101  is configured to support screen rotation, the gyro sensor module  710  may be activated to sense the angular velocity. Angular velocity information collected by the gyro sensor module  710  may be forwarded to the gyro signal processor  715 . The angular velocity information may include information on rotation along at least one of the x-axis, y-axis and z-axis. Sensing information collected by the gyro sensor module  710  may include information on the angular velocity about at least one of the x-axis, y-axis and z-axis. 
     The gyro signal processor  715  may receive sensing information collected by the gyro sensor module  710  and forward the same to the memory unit  730 . 
     The acceleration sensor module  720  may sense acceleration due to motion (such as rotation) of the first electronic device  101 . Acceleration information collected by the acceleration sensor module  720  may be forwarded to the acceleration signal processor  725 . 
     The acceleration signal processor  725  may receive sensing information related to acceleration collected by the acceleration sensor module  720  and forward the same to the memory unit  730 . 
     The memory unit  730  may store sensing information of the first electronic device  101  collected by the gyro sensor module  710  and/or the acceleration sensor module  720 . 
     The comparator  740  may analyze sensing information collected by the gyro sensor module  710  and/or the acceleration sensor module  720  to identify signal patterns for determining occurrence of a loss incident. For example, the comparator  740  may compare sensing information of the first electronic device  101  stored in the memory unit  430  with sensing information received from the second electronic device  102 . 
     The communication unit  750  may send sensing information of the first electronic device  101  collected by the gyro sensor module  710  and/or the acceleration sensor module  720  to the second electronic device  102 . The communication unit  750  may receive sensing information of the second electronic device  102  therefrom. In addition, when the result of comparison by the comparator  740  indicates occurrence of a loss incident, the communication unit  750  may send loss information to the second electronic device  102 . 
       FIG. 8  is a flowchart of a loss prevention method for a first electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 8 , the control unit  150  of the first electronic device  101  activates wireless communication and establishes a communication link with another electronic device at operation  801 . Here, it is assumed that the communication link is established between the first electronic device  101  and the second electronic device  102 . After establishment of the communication link, the control unit  150  checks whether motion of the first electronic device  101  is detected at operation  803 . If motion of the first electronic device  101  is detected, the control unit  150  controls the sensor unit  140  to collect sensing information of the first electronic device  101  at operation  805 . Here, the sensing information may be collected by an acceleration sensor and/or a geomagnetic sensor sensing motion of the first electronic device  101 . For example, the control unit  150  may collect acceleration sensor signal information through the acceleration sensor according to motion of the first electronic device  101  and store the same in the storage unit  120 . The control unit  150  may also collect geomagnetic sensor signal information through the geomagnetic sensor according to motion of the first electronic device  101  and store the same in the storage unit  120 . 
     At operation  807 , the control unit  150  checks whether sensing information of the second electronic device  102  is received through the communication link. If sensing information of the second electronic device  102  is received, the control unit  150  compares the received sensing information of the second electronic device  102  with the collected sensing information of the first electronic device  101  at operation  809 . Here, detected signal patterns reflecting motion of the first electronic device  101  are compared with those reflecting motion of the second electronic device  102  to thereby identify occurrence of a loss incident. At operation  811 , the control unit  150  checks whether the received sensing information of the second electronic device  102  is similar to the collected sensing information of the first electronic device  101 . If the received sensing information is dissimilar to the collected sensing information, the control unit  150  issues a loss notification and sends loss information to the second electronic device  102  at operation  813 . Here, the loss notification may be issued using vibration or sound, and the loss notification may be displayed together with information tracking the movement path of the lost electronic device on the display unit  131 . 
     At operation  815 , the control unit  150  checks whether a termination command is issued. Here, the termination command may correspond to release of the communication link due to deactivation of wireless communication. If a termination command is issued, the procedure ends. If a termination command is not issued, the procedure returns to operation  803  and motion sensing is continued. 
       FIG. 9  is a block diagram of a second electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 9 , the second electronic device  102  may include a gyro sensor module  910 , a gyro signal processor  915 , an acceleration sensor module  920 , an acceleration signal processor  925 , a memory unit  930 , a comparator  940 , and a communication unit  950 . 
     When the second electronic device  102  is configured to support screen rotation, the gyro sensor module  910  may be activated to sense the angular velocity. Angular velocity information collected by the gyro sensor module  910  may be forwarded to the gyro signal processor  915 . The angular velocity information may include information on rotation along at least one of the x-axis, y-axis and z-axis. Sensing information collected by the gyro sensor module  910  may include information on the angular velocity about at least one of the x-axis, y-axis and z-axis. 
     The gyro signal processor  915  may receive sensing information collected by the gyro sensor module  910  and forward the same to the memory unit  930 . 
     The acceleration sensor module  920  may sense acceleration due to motion (such as rotation) of the second electronic device  102 . Acceleration information collected by the acceleration sensor module  920  may be forwarded to the acceleration signal processor  925 . 
     The acceleration signal processor  925  may receive sensing information related to acceleration collected by the acceleration sensor module  920  and forward the same to the memory unit  930 . 
     The memory unit  930  may store sensing information of the second electronic device  102  collected by the gyro sensor module  910  and/or the acceleration sensor module  920 . 
     The comparator  940  may analyze sensing information collected by the gyro sensor module  910  and/or the acceleration sensor module  920  to identify signal patterns for determining occurrence of a loss incident. For example, the comparator  940  may compare sensing information of the second electronic device  102  stored in the memory unit  430  with sensing information received from the first electronic device  101 . 
     The communication unit  950  may send sensing information of the second electronic device  102  collected by the gyro sensor module  910  and/or the acceleration sensor module  920  to the first electronic device  101 . The communication unit  950  may receive sensing information of the first electronic device  101  therefrom. In addition, when the result of comparison by the comparator  940  indicates occurrence of a loss incident, the communication unit  950  may send loss information to the first electronic device  101 . 
       FIG. 10  is a flowchart of a loss prevention method for a second electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 10 , the control unit  150  of the second electronic device  102  activates wireless communication and establishes a communication link with another electronic device at operation  1001 . Here, it is assumed that the communication link is established between the first electronic device  101  and the second electronic device  102 . After establishment of the communication link, the control unit  150  checks whether motion of the second electronic device  102  is detected at operation  1003 . If motion of the second electronic device  102  is detected, the control unit  150  controls the sensor unit  140  to collect sensing information of the second electronic device  102  at operation  1005 . Here, the sensing information may be collected by an acceleration sensor and/or a geomagnetic sensor sensing motion of the second electronic device  102 . For example, the control unit  150  may collect acceleration sensor signal information through the acceleration sensor according to motion of the second electronic device  102  and store the same in the storage unit  120 . The control unit  150  may also collect geomagnetic sensor signal information through the geomagnetic sensor according to motion of the second electronic device  102  and store the same in the storage unit  120 . 
     At operation  1007 , the control unit  150  checks whether sensing information of the first electronic device  101  is received through the communication link. If sensing information of the first electronic device  101  is received, the control unit  150  compares the received sensing information of the first electronic device  101  with the collected sensing information of the second electronic device  102  at operation  1009 . At operation  1011 , the control unit  150  checks whether the received sensing information of the first electronic device  101  is similar to the collected sensing information of the second electronic device  102 . If the received sensing information is dissimilar to the collected sensing information, the control unit  150  issues a loss notification and sends loss information to the first electronic device  101  at operation  1013 . Here, the loss notification may be issued using vibration or sound, and the loss notification may be displayed together with information tracking the movement path of the lost electronic device on the display unit  131 . 
     At operation  1015 , the control unit  150  checks whether a termination command is issued. Here, the termination command may correspond to release of the communication link due to deactivation of wireless communication. If a termination command is issued, the procedure ends. If a termination command is not issued, the procedure returns to operation  1003  and motion sensing is continued. 
       FIG. 11  illustrates signal exchange between a first electronic device and a second electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 11 , the first electronic device  101  activates wireless communication at operation  1101 . At operation  1103 , the second electronic device  102  activates wireless communication. At operation  1105 , a communication link is established between the first electronic device  101  and the second electronic device  102 . At operation  1107 , the first electronic device  101  checks whether motion thereof is detected. If motion of the first electronic device  101  is detected, the first electronic device  101  collects sensing information according to motion at operation  1109 . At operation  1111 , the second electronic device  102  checks whether motion thereof is detected. If motion of the second electronic device  102  is detected, the second electronic device  102  collects sensing information according to motion at operation  1113 . At operation  1115 , the first electronic device  101  sends the sensing information thereof to the second electronic device  102 . At operation  1117 , the second electronic device  102  sends the sensing information thereof to the first electronic device  101 . The sensing information is illustrated as sent and received in sequence at operation  1115  and operation  1117 . However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the sensing information may be sent and received in parallel. 
     At operation  1119 , the first electronic device  101  compares the received sensing information of the second electronic device  102  with the collected sensing information of the first electronic device  101 . Here, detected signal patterns reflecting motion of the first electronic device  101  are compared with those reflecting motion of the second electronic device  102  to thereby identify occurrence of a loss incident. At operation  1121 , the first electronic device  101  checks whether the received sensing information of the second electronic device  102  shows a signal pattern similar to that of the collected sensing information of the first electronic device  101 . If the received sensing information shows a signal pattern similar to that of the collected sensing information, the first electronic device  101  returns to operation  1105 . If the received sensing information shows a signal pattern dissimilar to that of the collected sensing information, the first electronic device  101  issues a loss notification at operation  1123 . At operation  1131 , the first electronic device  101  sends loss information to the second electronic device  102 . 
     At operation  1125 , the second electronic device  102  compares the received sensing information of the first electronic device  101  with the collected sensing information of the second electronic device  102 . At operation  1127 , the second electronic device  102  checks whether the received sensing information of the first electronic device  101  shows a signal pattern similar to that of the collected sensing information of the second electronic device  102 . If the received sensing information shows a signal pattern similar to that of the collected sensing information, the second electronic device  102  returns to operation  1111 . If the received sensing information shows a signal pattern dissimilar to that of the collected sensing information, the second electronic device  102  issues a loss notification at operation  1129 . At operation  1133 , the second electronic device  102  sends loss information to the first electronic device  101 . 
     Following operation  1133 , the first electronic device  101  checks whether a termination command is issued at operation  1135 . Here, the termination command may correspond to release of the communication link due to deactivation of wireless communication. If a termination command is issued, the procedure ends. If a termination command is not issued, the procedure returns to operation  1105 . Similarly, following operation  1131 , the second electronic device  102  checks whether a termination command is issued at operation  1137 . Here, the termination command may correspond to release of the communication link due to deactivation of wireless communication. If a termination command is issued, the procedure ends. If a termination command is not issued, the procedure returns to operation  1105 . 
     As another embodiment, in the following description with reference to  FIGS. 12 and 13 , it is assumed that the first electronic device  101  is a wearable device and the second electronic device  102  is a mobile device. It is also assumed that whether the mobile device is lost is checked when the wearable device is worn by the user.  FIG. 12  illustrates signal patterns according to motion of the wearable device and mobile device, which may be used for determining occurrence of a loss incident. To check occurrence of a loss incident, sensing information of one electronic device collected by the acceleration sensor module and/or the gyro sensor module is compared with sensing information of another electronic device collected by the acceleration sensor module and/or the gyro sensor module. For example, sensing information of the wearable device due to motion is compared with sensing information of the mobile device due to motion. If the two pieces of sensing information show a similar signal pattern, it may be determined that a loss incident has not occurred. And, if the two pieces of sensing information show different signal patterns, it may be determined that a loss incident has occurred and a loss notification may be issued. 
       FIG. 12  illustrates signal patterns based on sensing information used to determine occurrence of a loss incident according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
       FIG. 12  shows some sensor signal patterns indicating a situation where the wearable device is worn by the user and the mobile device is owned by the user. For example, owing to movement of the wearable device, the acceleration sensor module may produce a signal pattern as indicated by &lt;a&gt; and the gyro sensor module may produce a signal pattern as indicated by &lt;b&gt;. Owing to movement of the mobile device, the acceleration sensor module may produce a signal pattern as indicated by &lt;c&gt; and the gyro sensor module may produce a signal pattern as indicated by &lt;d&gt;. To determine whether the mobile device is lost, signal patterns &lt;a&gt; and &lt;c&gt; of the acceleration sensor modules may be compared and signal patterns &lt;b&gt; and &lt;d&gt; of the gyro sensor modules may be compared. This comparison may indicate that the acceleration sensor modules of the wearable device and the mobile device produce similar signal patterns and the gyro sensor modules of the wearable device and the mobile device produce similar signal patterns. As such, when sensing information shows a similar signal pattern, it may be determined that the mobile device is owned by the user. In other words, when sensing information of the wearable device due to motion (e.g., signals produced by the acceleration sensor module and gyro sensor module) shows a signal pattern similar to that of sensing information of the mobile device due to motion (e.g., signals produced by the acceleration sensor module and gyro sensor module), it can be determined that the mobile device is owned by the user and a loss notification may not be issued. 
     Signal patterns &lt;a&gt; and &lt;b&gt; may be generated, for example, when the user walks while wearing the wearable device. Similarly, signal patterns &lt;c&gt; and &lt;d&gt; may be generated, for example, when the user walks while carrying the mobile device. 
     As another example of a situation where the wearable device is worn by the user and the mobile device is owned by the user, owing to movement of the wearable device, the acceleration sensor module may produce a signal pattern as indicated by &lt;e&gt; and the gyro sensor module may produce a signal pattern as indicated by &lt;f. Owing to non-movement of the mobile device, the acceleration sensor module may produce a signal pattern as indicated by &lt;g&gt; and the gyro sensor module may produce a signal pattern as indicated by &lt;h&gt;. To determine whether the mobile device is lost, signal patterns &lt;e&gt; and &lt;g&gt; of the acceleration sensor modules may be compared and signal patterns &lt;f&gt; and &lt;h&gt; of the gyro sensor modules may be compared. When signal patterns indicate that the mobile device is not in motion while the wearable device is in motion, it may be determined that the mobile device is not lost. For example, as the wearable device is worn by the user, sensing information of the wearable device may show a signal pattern denoting movement caused by the user. When the mobile device is not in use, sensing information of the mobile device may show a signal pattern denoting non-movement. In such a case, it can be determined that a loss incident has not occurred and a loss notification may be not issued. 
     Signal patterns &lt;e&gt; and &lt;f&gt; may be generated, for example, when the user is wearing the wearable device. Signal patterns &lt;g&gt; and &lt;h&gt; may be generated, for example, when the mobile device is placed on a table and is not in use. In addition, the mobile device may be separated by some distance from the wearable device. 
     In addition,  FIG. 12  shows some sensor signal patterns indicating a situation where the wearable device is worn by the user and the mobile device is lost. For example, owing to movement of the wearable device, the acceleration sensor module may produce a signal pattern as indicated by &lt;i&gt; and the gyro sensor module may produce a signal pattern as indicated by &lt;j&gt;. Owing to movement of the mobile device, the acceleration sensor module may produce a signal pattern as indicated by &lt;k&gt; and the gyro sensor module may produce a signal pattern as indicated by &lt;l&gt;. To determine whether the mobile device is lost, signal patterns &lt;i&gt; and &lt;k&gt; of the acceleration sensor modules may be compared and signal patterns &lt;j&gt; and &lt;l&gt; of the gyro sensor modules may be compared. This comparison may indicate that the acceleration sensor modules of the wearable device and the mobile device produce dissimilar signal patterns; and the gyro sensor modules of the wearable device and the mobile device produce dissimilar signal patterns. As such, when sensing information shows dissimilar signal patterns, it may be determined that the mobile device is lost. Specifically, it can be seen that signal patterns &lt;k&gt; and &lt;l&gt; of the mobile device are different from signal patterns &lt;i&gt; and &lt;j&gt; of the wearable device and vary independently of the signal patterns &lt;i&gt; and &lt;j&gt;. Here, signal patterns of the mobile device may be regarded as varying independently of signal patterns of the wearable device when signal values of the mobile device change abruptly in terms of direction, distance or axis in comparison with signal values of the wearable device (e.g., signal values greater than a preset threshold, or signal values reversed with respect to at least one of the x-axis, y-axis and z-axis). In other words, when sensing information of the wearable device due to motion (e.g., signals produced by the acceleration sensor module and gyro sensor module) shows a signal pattern dissimilar to that of sensing information of the mobile device due to motion (e.g., signals produced by the acceleration sensor module and gyro sensor module), it can be determined that the mobile device is lost and a loss notification may be issued. 
     As another example of a situation where the wearable device is worn by the user and the mobile device is lost, owing to non-movement of the wearable device, the acceleration sensor module may produce a signal pattern as indicated by &lt;m&gt; and the gyro sensor module may produce a signal pattern as indicated by &lt;n&gt;. Owing to movement of the mobile device, the acceleration sensor module may produce a signal pattern as indicated by &lt;o&gt; and the gyro sensor module may produce a signal pattern as indicated by &lt;p&gt;. To determine whether the mobile device is lost, signal patterns &lt;m&gt; and &lt;o&gt; of the acceleration sensor modules may be compared and signal patterns &lt;n&gt; and &lt;p&gt; of the gyro sensor modules may be compared. When signal patterns indicate that the wearable device is not in motion while the mobile device is in motion, it may be determined that the mobile device is lost. For example, it can be seen that signal patterns &lt;o&gt; and &lt;p&gt; of the mobile device are different from signal patterns &lt;m&gt; and &lt;n&gt; of the wearable device and vary independently of the signal patterns &lt;m&gt; and &lt;n&gt;. Here, signal patterns of the mobile device may be regarded as varying independently of signal patterns of the wearable device when signal values of the mobile device change abruptly in terms of direction, distance or axis in comparison with signal values of the wearable device (e.g., signal values greater than a preset threshold, or signal values reversed with respect to at least one of the x-axis, y-axis and z-axis). In other words, when sensing information of the wearable device (e.g., signals produced by the acceleration sensor module and gyro sensor module) indicates non-movement and sensing information of the mobile device (e.g., signals produced by the acceleration sensor module and gyro sensor module) indicates movement, it can be determined that the mobile device is lost and a loss notification may be issued. 
       FIG. 13  illustrates signal exchange between a first electronic device and a second electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     In the following description with reference to  FIG. 13 , it is assumed that the first electronic device  101  is a wearable device  1301  and the second electronic device  102  is a mobile device  1302 . It is also assumed that Bluetooth communication is used to establish a communication link between the wearable device  1301  and the mobile device  1302 , and the wearable device  1301  checks occurrence of a loss incident and sends loss information to the mobile device  1302 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 13 , the wearable device  1301  activates Bluetooth communication at operation  1311 . At operation  1313 , the mobile device  1302  activates Bluetooth communication. At operation  1315 , a Bluetooth communication link is established between the wearable device  1301  and the mobile device  1302 . Thereafter, at operation  1317 , the wearable device  1301  checks whether motion thereof is detected. If motion of the wearable device  1301  is detected, the wearable device  1301  collects sensing information according to motion at operation  1321 . Here, the sensing information may be collected by the acceleration sensor module and/or the gyro sensor module (i.e., sensor unit  140 ) sensing motion of the wearable device  1301 . 
     At operation  1319 , the mobile device  1302  checks whether motion thereof is detected. If motion of the mobile device  1302  is detected, the mobile device  1302  collects sensing information according to motion at operation  1323 . Here, the sensing information may be collected by the acceleration sensor module and/or the gyro sensor module (i.e., sensor unit  140 ) sensing motion of the mobile device  1302 . 
     At operation  1325 , the mobile device  1302  sends the sensing information collected by the acceleration sensor module and/or the gyro sensor module to the wearable device  1301 . At operation  1327 , the wearable device  1301  compares the received acceleration sensor signal information of the mobile device  1302  with the collected acceleration sensor signal information of the wearable device  1301 . At operation  1329 , the wearable device  1301  compares the received gyro sensor signal information of the mobile device  1302  with the collected gyro sensor signal information of the wearable device  1301 . Here, acceleration sensor signals of the devices are compared first and then gyro sensor signals are compared. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, gyro sensor signals may be compared first and then acceleration sensor signals may be compared. Or, comparison between acceleration sensor signals and comparison between gyro sensor signals may be performed at the same time. Comparison operations may be conducted through comparison between signal patterns produced by the wearable device  1301  and the mobile device  1302  as described before in connection with  FIG. 12 . 
     At operation  1331 , the wearable device  1301  checks whether at least one of the gyro sensor signal and the acceleration sensor signal of the mobile device  1302  shows a signal pattern varying independently of signal patterns of the wearable device  1301 . Here, a signal pattern of the mobile device may be regarded as varying independently of signal patterns of the wearable device when signal values of the mobile device change abruptly in terms of direction, distance or axis in comparison with signal values of the wearable device (e.g., signal values of the mobile device are greater than those of the wearable device by more than a preset threshold, or signal values reversed with respect to at least one of the x-axis, y-axis and z-axis). If a signal pattern varying independently is present, the wearable device  1301  issues a loss notification at operation  1333 . At operation  1335 , the wearable device  1301  sends loss information to the mobile device  1302 . Upon reception of the loss information, the mobile device  1302  issues a loss notification at operation  1337 . 
     Following operation  1333 , the wearable device  101  checks whether a termination command is issued at operation  1339 . Here, the termination command may correspond to release of the communication link due to deactivation of wireless communication. If a termination command is issued, the procedure ends. If a termination command is not issued, the procedure returns to operation  1315 . Similarly, following operation  1337 , the mobile device  1302  checks whether a termination command is issued at operation  1341 . Here, the termination command may correspond to release of the communication link due to deactivation of wireless communication. If a termination command is issued, the procedure ends. If a termination command is not issued, the procedure returns to operation  1315 . 
     In a feature of the present disclosure, to determine and report occurrence of a loss incident, pieces of sensing information related to motion obtained from a first electronic device and a second electronic device connected through a communication link are compared. Hence, more reliable loss detection and reporting are possible, contributing to prevention of the loss of electronic devices. 
     While the present disclosure has been shown and described with reference to various embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.