Patent Publication Number: US-2005130705-A1

Title: Hybrid mobile terminal and method for controlling the same

Description:
PRIORITY  
      This application claims priority to an application entitled “HYBRID MOBILE TERMINAL FOR CONTROLLING DISPLAY AND METHOD FOR THE SAME”, filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Dec. 10, 2003 and assigned Serial No. 2003-89736, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates generally to a hybrid mobile terminal, and more particularly to a hybrid mobile terminal and method for controlling a display thereof.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      Conventionally, a hybrid mobile terminal, sometimes called a Smart phone, has been comprised of a mobile phone section for executing a communication function and a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) section for executing a computing function.  
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating a conventional hybrid mobile terminal. Referring to  FIG. 1 , a conventional hybrid mobile terminal includes a display  1  for displaying a variety of operation states, a PDA module  2  for executing common PDA functions, a mobile phone module  3  for executing wireless communication functions, and a power-supply module  4  for providing a power-supply voltage to each of the above modules  1 ,  2 , and  3 . For the convenience of description, a key entry unit, a speaker, and a microphone commonly contained in a general mobile terminal are not illustrated in  FIG. 1 .  
      The aforementioned hybrid mobile terminal performs PDA functions and mobile phone functions using a single mobile terminal, such that it can provide users with more convenient services. Additionally, the conventional hybrid mobile terminal can control the PDA module and the mobile phone module to selectively enter a sleep mode, such that it can implement a power-saving function.  
      Commonly, the hybrid mobile terminal can be configured in the form of a bar type or a flip type. There has recently been developed a new hybrid mobile terminal including two displays. Similar to a mobile terminal having typical two displays, the aforementioned hybrid mobile terminal including two displays controls either one of two displays (e.g., an external display) to continuously display specific display information to be frequently checked by users, for example, an icon indicating antenna reception sensitivity, a time readout, time indication data for indicating the remaining battery charge, etc.  
      The external display of the aforementioned two displays contained in the hybrid mobile terminal is controlled by a mobile phone. More specifically, although an OS (Operating System) of the PDA module of the hybrid mobile terminal enters a sleep mode to increase a remaining battery power in an embedded system, the external display can display a variety of information provided from the mobile phone module in the sleep mode.  
      The external display has a disadvantage in that it can display only information associated with the mobile phone module upon receiving a control signal from the mobile phone module. That is, if the external display is controlled by the PDA module, it is unable to display any information in the sleep mode of the PDA module.  
      Therefore, if the external display is controlled by the PDA module when the conventional hybrid mobile terminal includes two displays, the external display can display information received from a User Interface (UI) of the PDA module, but the PDA module must be woken up from the sleep mode when information displayed on the external display is updated during the sleep mode of the PDA module, resulting in increased battery consumption. Further, if the hybrid mobile terminal including two displays controls the external display using the mobile phone module, the external display is unable to display information received from the User Interface of the PDA module, and can only display information associated with the mobile phone module.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      Therefore, the present invention has been designed in view of the above and other problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a hybrid mobile terminal for displaying information on a display, and a method for controlling the same.  
      In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the above and other objects can be accomplished by a hybrid mobile terminal that integrates a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) module including a display, with a mobile phone module. The hybrid mobile terminal includes the mobile phone module for including display data in an indicator of an interrupt signal when the display data occurs in the display of the PDA module, and transmitting the interrupt signal including the display data to the PDA module. Additionally, the hybrid mobile terminal includes the PDA module for analyzing the indicator contained in the interrupt signal, determining whether the analyzed interrupt signal is an interrupt signal for displaying data on the display, and displaying display data on the display according to indicator contents if the analyzed interrupt signal is the interrupt signal for displaying data on the display.  
      In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling a display for use in a hybrid mobile terminal in which a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) module including a display is integrated with a mobile phone module. The method includes adding display data in an indicator of an interrupt signal when the display data occurs in the display of the PDA module, and transmitting the interrupt signal including the display data to the PDA module, analyzing the indicator contained in the interrupt signal when the PDA module receives the interrupt signal from the mobile phone module in a sleep mode, and determining whether the analyzed interrupt signal is an interrupt signal for displaying data on the display, and displaying display data on the display according to indicator contents if the analyzed interrupt signal is the interrupt signal for displaying data on the display. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating a conventional hybrid mobile terminal;  
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating a hybrid mobile terminal in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
       FIG. 3  is a flow chart illustrating a procedure for controlling a display included in the hybrid mobile terminal in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and  
       FIG. 4  is a conceptual diagram illustrating a procedure for operating a hybrid mobile terminal in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail herein below with reference to the annexed drawings. In the drawings, the same or similar elements are denoted by the same reference numerals even though they are depicted in different drawings. Additionally, in the following description, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted when it may obscure the subject matter of the present invention.  
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating a hybrid mobile terminal in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Referring to  FIG. 2 , the hybrid mobile terminal includes a PDA module  60  for controlling a PDA function and a mobile phone module  70  for controlling a mobile phone function. The PDA module  60  is connected to the mobile phone module  70  over an I 2 C bus. As is known in the art, the I 2 C bus is a synchronous bi-directional two-wire bus including a data signal line  30  and an interrupt signal line  40 . In the present invention, the PDA module  60  and the mobile phone module  70  have individual unique addresses. The PDA module  60  and the mobile phone each can act as a receiver and a transmitter.  
      The PDA module  60  includes a first display controller  12  and a first display  14  for displaying various data upon receiving a control signal from the first display controller  12 . The PDA module  60  also includes a second display controller  16  and a second display  18  for displaying various data upon receiving a control signal from the second display controller  16 . A PDA controller  10  provides the first and second display controllers  12  and  16  with various display data, such that the display data can be displayed on the first and second displays  14  and  18 .  
      For example, the first display  14  and the second display  18  can be an internal display and an external display, respectively, for use in a folder-type hybrid mobile terminal. As such, the second display  18  displays a variety of information received from the mobile phone module  70 , for example, antenna reception intensity, a remaining battery power of the hybrid mobile terminal, time data, etc. Additionally, the second display  18  may display a Short Message Service (SMS) message of the mobile phone module  70 , a caller phone number, etc. The first display  14  and the second display  18  are implemented in the PDA module  60 , such that the PDA controller  10  can display data received from the user interface  50  of the PDA module  60  on the displays  14  and  18 .  
      The mobile phone  70  includes a mobile phone controller  20 , a baseband processor  22 , and an RF (Radio Frequency) module  24 . The mobile phone controller  20  performs overall control operations of the mobile phone module  70 . The RF module  24  transmits/receives an RF signal to/from a base station over an antenna, converts the received RF signal into an IF (Intermediate Frequency) signal, and outputs the IF signal to the baseband processor  22 . The RF module  24  converts the IF signal received from the baseband processor  22  into the RF signal, and transmits the RF signal. The baseband processor  22  is preferably a BAA (Baseband Analog ASIC) that interfaces the mobile phone controller  20  with the RF module  24 , converts a digital baseband signal received from the controller  20  into an analog IF signal, transmits the analog IF signal to the RF module  24 , converts the analog IF signal received from the RF module  24  into the baseband digital signal, and transmits the baseband digital signal to the controller  20 . The data signal line  30  for transmitting/receiving a data signal and the interrupt signal line  40  for transmitting/receiving an interrupt signal are positioned between the PDA module  60  and the mobile phone module  70 . Preferably, the data signal line  30  and the interrupt signal line  40  are physically implemented in the form of a single line. However, the data signal line  30  and the interrupt signal line  40  can also be implemented in the form of separate lines, respectively, if needed.  
      A power mode of the hybrid mobile terminal is classified into a full-on mode, a doze mode, and a sleep mode. During the full-on mode, all the internal units of the hybrid mobile terminal are operated at the highest processor speed. During the doze mode, core function units other than a memory controller, an RTC (Real Time Clock), PLL (Phase Locked Loop), and display controllers  12  and  16  are disabled, such that a communication processor module enters a low power standby mode. In the doze mode, a low frequency state can be established. During the sleep mode, all the functions other than the RTC and PLL are interrupted. In this case, the PLL is in an active mode such that the hybrid mobile terminal can be restarted.  
      If the PDA module  60  enters the full-on mode in the hybrid mobile terminal, data to be displayed on the second display  18  can be transmitted from the mobile phone module  70  to the PDA module  60  according to a predetermined protocol stack between the PDA module  60  and the mobile phone module  70 .  
       FIG. 4  is a conceptual diagram illustrating an operating process during which the PDA is operated at a full-on state in the sleep mode. The sleep mode  200  and the full-on mode are the same as described above. In the interrupt analysis mode  210  of  FIG. 4 , only the PDA controller  10  is woken up when an interrupt signal occurs in the sleep mode of the PDA module  60 , such that it can analyze a current interrupt. If it is determined that the current interrupt signal is an interrupt signal for displaying data on the display, the PDA controller  10  transmits display data commanded by an indicator of the interrupt signal to the display, such that the display data is displayed on the display. During the interrupt analysis mode  210 , all the units including the display are not operated in the same manner as in the sleep mode from the viewpoint of the user. The interrupt analysis mode  210  is a first mode during which the operating system (OS) is not driven, a second mode close to the sleep mode, and other modes similar to the first and second modes.  
      If the PDA module  60  enters the sleep mode  200 , the mobile phone module  70  transmits data to be displayed on the second display  18  of the PDA module  60  to the PDA module  60  using an interrupt signal. More specifically, if the mobile phone module  70  transmits information to the PDA module  60  during the sleep mode of the PDA module  60  using a predetermined protocol established between the PDA module  60  and the mobile phone module  70 , the PDA module  60  must enter the full-on mode  220 . Data transmission/reception sections contained in the PDA module  60  must be switched on when the PDA module  60  establishes data communication with the mobile phone module  70  using a predetermined protocol. If the data transmission/reception sections contained in the PDA module  60  are switched on, then the PDA module  60  enters the full-on mode.  
      According to the present invention, if the mobile phone module  70  transmits data to be displayed on the second display  18  to the PDA module  60  during the sleep mode of the PDA module  60 , this display data is included in an interrupt signal. If the mobile phone module  70  transmits the display data that is included in an interrupt signal to the PDA module  60 , the PDA module  60  does not enter the full-on mode, and is able to display the display data provided from the mobile phone module  70  on the second display  18 . More specifically, when the interrupt signal is generated during the sleep mode of the PDA module  60 , the PDA module  60  analyzes a corresponding interrupt signal, and determines whether the corresponding interrupt signal includes display data for the second display  18 . If the PDA module  60  determines that the corresponding interrupt includes display data for the second display  18 , it displays included display data on the second display  18 , and re-enters the sleep mode  200 . In this case, the display data included in the interrupt signal may be represented by a predetermined indicator. The mobile phone module  70  can transmit display data for the second display  18  to the PDA module  60  using the reserved indicator.  
      The display data displayed on the second display  18  may be a variety of data, for example, antenna reception sensitivity, remaining battery power, time data, the presence or absence of received SMS message, the presence or absence of a telephone message received in the user&#39;s absence, etc. Accordingly, display information displayed on the second display  18  can be represented by 1 or 2 bits. According to the present invention, the mobile phone module  70  transmits the information denoted by 1 or 2 bits to the PDA module  60  using the indicator included in the interrupt signal.  
      If the mobile phone module  70  transmits display data to be displayed on the second display  18  according to a communication protocol established between the PDA module  60  and the mobile phone module  70 , the PDA module  60  must control units for conducting communication protocol related operations to wake up until reaching a specific module for analyzing the communication protocol, resulting in increased battery consumption. The mobile phone module  70  of the present invention does not transmit display data contents to be displayed on the second display  18  using the communication protocol established between the PDA module  60  and the mobile phone module  70 , and informs the PDA module  60  of the display data contents at a signal transmission area for a flow-control function in the same way as in the interrupt signal during the sleep mode. The PDA module  60  does not enter the full-on mode  200 , rather, it determines the display data contents, updates the display data of the second display  18 , and re-enters the sleep mode, resulting in reduced battery consumption. Operations of the PDA module will hereinafter be described with reference to  FIG. 3 .  
       FIG. 3  is a flow chart illustrating a procedure for controlling a display using the PDA module in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Referring to  FIG. 3 , the PDA module  60  enters the sleep mode at step  100 . The PDA module  60  may automatically enter the sleep mode when a user does not use the PDA module  60 , or may also enter the sleep mode upon receiving a control signal from the user. The PDA controller  10  of the PDA module  60  receives the interrupt signal at step  110 . The PDA controller  10  analyzes the indicator contained in the interrupt signal at step  120 , and determines whether an interrupt signal for a data display function is established at step  130 . If display data to be displayed on the second display  16  is included in the interrupt signal, the PDA controller  10  displays the display data on the display at step  150 .  
      However, if it is determined that the interrupt signal for the data display function is not established at step  130 , the PDA controller  10  enters the full-on mode at step  140 .  
      As is apparent from the description above, if a PDA module enters a sleep mode, when a hybrid mobile terminal transmits display data received from a mobile phone module to a display controlled by the PDA module using an interrupt signal, the PDA module recognizes display data contained in the interrupt signal, and displays the recognized display data on the display. Therefore, the PDA module can update the display data of the display without entering the full-on mode. Because the PDA module does not enter the full-on mode, battery consumption is reduced.  
      Although the aforementioned preferred embodiment of the present invention uses an interrupt signal indicator to transmit display data for illustrative purposes, it should be noted that the interrupt signal indicator can also transmit sound data such as an alarm sound.  
      Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions, and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.