Patent Publication Number: US-2013252571-A1

Title: Speech recognition based emergency situation alert service in mobile terminal

Description:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY 
     This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) of a Korean patent application filed on Mar. 20, 2012 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office and assigned Serial No. 10-2012-0028099, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates generally to mobile communication terminals and more particularly, to a method for handling an emergency situation employing a mobile terminal. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     In recent years, with the significant advances of information, communication and semiconductor technologies, the supply and use of all types of mobile terminals including cell phones, smart phones, tablet PCs, etc., have rapidly increased. In particular, recent mobile terminals have developed to a mobile convergence stage in which numerous functions and services beyond the traditional calling function are now performed. 
     The mobile terminal may have an SOS function in which an emergency SOS message is transmitted to another designated mobile terminal, e.g., as Short Message Service (SMS) message. The SOS message is transmitted when a user continuously presses a specific key of the mobile terminal multiple times (e.g., four times) to report a user&#39;s emergency situation to third parties. Accordingly, to activate the SOS function of the related art, a user in an emergency situation directly operates a terminal to report an emergency situation to others. However, under certain emergency conditions, it may be difficult or impossible for the user to do so. For example, if a home is invaded or if a person is assaulted in a dark environment, immediate access to the mobile terminal to initiate the SOS commands may not be possible. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure provides a way to report a user&#39;s emergency situation to a third party using an audio recognition function included in a mobile terminal. 
     The present disclosure further provides a method and apparatus for recording an emergency situation and using the recorded emergency situation as evidence data with respect to the emergency situation. 
     In accordance with an aspect, a method of detecting an emergency situation and reporting the emergency to a third party is performed in a mobile terminal having a speech recognition function. Speech received from a microphone is recognized. It is then determined whether a current situation is emergent based on the recognized speech. When an emergency is detected, it is reported via a radio frequency communication unit to a preset external device. Automatic recording and transmission thereof may be performed for a predetermined time interval in some embodiments. 
     In accordance with another aspect, a mobile terminal includes: a microphone; an audio processor converting speech input from the microphone into speech data; a radio frequency communication unit transmitting information associated with the speech data to an external device; and a controller recognizing the speech data from the audio processor, determining whether a current situation is emergent based on the recognition information, and controlling the radio frequency unit to report an emergency situation to the external device when the current situation is emergent. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a mobile terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a controller according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a flowchart illustrating environment setting of an emergency situation alert service according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  shows example screens for setting an environment of a mobile terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a flowchart illustrating a method of recognizing a speech inputted from a microphone in a mobile terminal to provide an emergency situation alert service according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is a flowchart illustrating a method of reporting an emergency situation alert according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 7  is a flowchart illustrating a method of reporting an emergency situation alert according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 8  is a flowchart illustrating a method of reporting an emergency situation alert according to still another exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 9  is a flowchart illustrating a method of reporting an emergency situation alert according to yet another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     A method and apparatus for detecting and reporting an emergency situation in a mobile terminal according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the accompanying drawings in detail. The same reference numbers are used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. Detailed descriptions of well-known functions and structures incorporated herein may be omitted to avoid obscuring the subject matter of the present invention. 
     A mobile terminal according to the present invention may include a configuration which recognizes speech from audio data input from a microphone, analyzes the recognized speech, and provides an emergency situation alert service to the user according to the analysis result. For example, the emergency situation alert service may be a service which records speech and transmits a recorded speech file to a designated external device. The alert service may automatically request connection of a call (e.g., voice call or video call) to the designated external device. In addition, the emergency situation alert service may be configured to output an emergency situation alarm sound through a speaker with a maximum output. 
     Herein, the terms “emergent” and “an emergency” are used interchangeably. When a situation is deemed to be emergent, this is indicative of an emergency, which warrants the issuance of an alert to a third party external device. 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a mobile terminal,  100 , according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Mobile terminal  100  may include a touch screen having a touch screen panel  110  and a display unit  120 , a key input unit  130 , a memory  140 , a radio frequency (RF) communication unit  150 , an audio processor  160 , a speaker SPK, a microphone MIC, a vibration motor  170 , a sensor  180 , and a controller  190 . 
     The touch screen panel  110  may be integrated with the display unit  120 , and generates and transfers a signal (e.g., touch event) to the controller  190  in response to a user gesture input to the touch screen panel  110 . The controller  190  may detect a user gesture from a touch event received from the touch screen panel  110  to control the foregoing constituent elements. The user gesture may be classified into a touch and a tough gesture. Here, the touch gesture may include tap, double tap, long tap, drag, drag &amp; drop, and flick. Here, the touch is an operation where a user contacts one point of a screen using a touch means (e.g., finger or stylus pen). A tap is an operation where the user releases the touch means in a corresponding point without a motion of the touch means after touching one point. A double tap is an operation where a user consecutively taps one point twice. A long tap is an operation where a finger is released from a corresponding point without a motion of the touch means after touching one point for a duration longer than the tap. A drag is an operation that moves the touch means across the screen surface while touch contact is maintained. A drag &amp; drop is an operation that releases a touch means over a displayed second object after a drag in order to “drop” a first object therein. A flick is an operation that releases a touch means after moving at high speed like flipping. A touch signifies a state contacted on the touch screen, and a touch gesture signifies a continuous motion from an initial touch to a release. 
     A resistive type, a capacitive type, and an electromagnetic induction type are applicable to the touch screen panel  110 . 
     Although not shown, the touch screen panel  110  includes a controller. The controller receives a touch event from the touch screen panel  110 , and analog to digital (AD)-converts and transfers the received touch event to the controller  190 . The controller  190  detects a touch gesture from the transferred touch event. That is, the controller  190  may detect a touched point, a moving distance of touch, a motion direction of the touch, and speed of the touch. The controller may be mechanically located between the touch screen panel  110  and the controller  190 , or be provided inside the controller  190 . 
     The display unit  120  converts image data inputted from the controller  190  into an analog signal, and displays the analog signal under the control of the controller  190 . That is, the display unit  112  may provide various screens according to use of the portable terminal, for example, a lock screen, a home screen, an application (hereinafter referred to as ‘App’) execution screen, a menu screen, a keypad screen, a message creation screen, and an Internet screen. A lock screen presents an image displayed when the terminal is in a “locked” state. When a specific touch event for releasing the locking occurs, the controller  190  may convert the displayed image from a lock screen into a home screen or an App execution screen. The home screen may be defined as an image including a plurality of App icons corresponding to a plurality of Apps, respectively. When one is selected from a plurality of App icons by a user, the controller  190  may execute a corresponding App, for example, an electronic book App and convert the home screen into an execution screen. 
     The display unit  120  may be configured in the form of a flat panel display such as a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), an Organic Light Emitted Diode (OLED), and an Active Matrix Organic Light Emitted Diode (AMOLED). 
     The key input unit  130  may include a plurality of input keys and function keys for receiving numeric or character information and setting various functions. The function keys may include arrow keys, side keys, and hot keys set such that a specific function is performed. 
     The key input unit  130  generates and transfers a key signal associated with user setting and function control of the mobile terminal  100  to the controller  190 . The key signal may be classified into an on/off signal, a volume control signal, and a screen on/off signal. The controller  190  controls the foregoing constituent elements in response to the key signal. The key input unit  130  may include a QWERTY keypad, a 3*4 keypad, a 4*3 keypad having a plurality of keys. 
     When the touch panel  110  of the portable terminal is supported in the form of a full touch screen, the key input unit  130  may include only at least one side key for screen on/off and portable terminal on/off, which is provided in a side of a case of the mobile terminal  100 . 
     The key input unit  130  may include a service on/off button  131  for setting the activation of an emergency situation alert service as a dedicated button. The service on/off button  131  may be a non-dedicated button. For example, the dedicated button could be the volume key, which when pressed a predetermined number of successive times, causes activation of the alert service. For instance, if the user presses a volume key four times, the controller  190  may detect the input information and activate the emergency situation alert service. A user might selectively activate the service when she senses a probability of danger, e.g., prior to entering a perceived dangerous setting, or prior to sleeping alone. Alternatively, she may activate the service at all times. The alert service activation may be designed to be terminated with the same or similar key sequence as that used to activate it, or with a different key/sequence. In certain embodiments, the alert service can be activated by selecting a virtual key or a dedicated icon on the touch screen. In another variant, the alert service may be automatically activated at a preset time. For example, a setting may allow the alert service to be automatically activated from midnight to six a.m., where the setting may be for a single night, or on a daily basis. When the alert service use is not necessary, the automatic activation function may be turned-off by the user. 
     The memory  140  may store an Operating System (OS) of the portable terminal, an App and various data used in embodiments of the present invention. The memory  140  may primarily include a data region and a program area. 
     The data area of the memory  140  may store data, namely, a contact point, an image, a document, video, messages, mail, music, a sound effect generated from the mobile terminal  100  or downloaded from an external source according to use of the mobile terminal  100 . The data area may store the screen data for screens the display unit  112  displays. The menu screen may include a screen switch key (e.g., a return key for returning to a previous screen) for switching the screen and a control key for controlling a currently executed App. The data area may store data which the user copies from messages, photographs, web pages, or documents for copy &amp; paste. 
     The data area of the memory  140  may store various preset values (e.g., screen brightness, vibration during the occurrence of touch, automatic rotation of a screen) for operating the mobile terminal. Particularly, the data area may store various preset values (e.g., recording time, a phone number of mobile terminal to which a message is transmitted, presence of automatic performing of an emergency situation alert service, SOS scheme) for setting an environment of the emergency situation alert service. The data area of the memory  140  may store emergency situation pattern information  141  with which the controller  190  compares recognized speech information. 
     The emergency situation pattern information  141  may include speech characteristic information (e.g., tone, frequency, etc.) associated with characteristics of a speech. That is, the speech characteristic information may be used as information for determining whether the recognized speech is a speech of a specific person. Here, the specific person may be a user or family as a person set by the user. The controller  190  detects speech characteristic information from speech data input from the audio processor  160 , and stores the detected speech characteristic information as the emergency situation pattern information  141 . 
     The emergency situation pattern information  141  may include word information, i.e., information for determining whether contents of the recognized speech are a specific word. The specific word may be information stored in the memory  140  by the user, for example, “help”. The controller  190  converts speech data input from the audio processor  160  into a text, and compares the converted text with the word information to determine the emergency situation. Pattern information for phrases, screeches, etc. may be similarly stored and compared. 
     The emergency situation pattern information  141  may include magnitude information, for example, decibel information of a sound. The decibel information may be information set by the user, for example, 90 dB. The controller  190  detects decibel information from speech data input from the audio processor  160 . When the detected decibel is greater than the set decibel, the controller  190  may determine a current situation as an emergent situation. 
     The program area of the memory  140  may store an Operating System (OS) and various Apps for booting the portable terminal and operating the foregoing constituent elements. In detail, the program area may store a web browser for accessing an Internet, an MP3 player for playing a sound source, and a camera App for capturing, displaying, and storing a subject image. In particular, the program area may store a Speech To Text (STT) conversion program  142  converting speech data into a text. 
     The RF communication unit  150  performs speech call, video call, or data communication under the control of the controller  190 . For these functions, the RF communication unit  150  may include an RF transmitter for up-converting a frequency of a transmitted signal and amplifying the converted signal, and an RF receiver for low-noise-amplifying a frequency of a received signal and down-converting the amplified signal. Any of a number of communication protocols can be used to convey normal communication signals, as well as the RF signals of the emergency alert service. For instance, the RF communication unit  150  may include a mobile communication module (e.g., 3 rd -generation mobile communication module, 3.5-generation mobile communication module, 4 th - or 5 th -generation mobile communication module, etc.), and a digital broadcasting module (e.g., DMB module). The RF communication unit  150  may further include a near field communication module. The near field communication module performs a function of connecting the mobile terminal  100  to an external device in a wired or wireless scheme. The near field communication module may include a Zigbee module, a Wi-Fi module, or a Bluetooth module. 
     To process output sound, the audio processor  160  receives audio data such as a speech from the controller  190 , D/A-converts the received audio data into an analog signal, and outputs the analog signal to the SPK. To process audio input, audio processor  160  A/D-converts an audio input such as a speech input from the microphone MIC into a digital signal (also referred to herein as speech data) and transfers the digital signal to the controller  190 . Particularly, the audio processor  160  according to the present invention may provide feedback (e.g., sound effect or speech) associated with activation or termination of the emergency situation alert service through the speaker under control of the controller  190 . For example, if a service on/off button  131  is pressed, a speech including “emergency situation alert service starts” may be outputted. If the service on/off button  13  is again pressed, a speech including “emergency situation alert service is terminated” may be outputted. 
     The vibration motor  170  performs vibration under a control of the controller  190 . Particularly, the vibration motor  170  in certain embodiments of the present invention provides feedback associated with activation or termination of the emergency situation alert service under the control of the controller  190 . That is, when the emergency situation alert service is activated or terminated, the vibration motor  170  may be designed to vibrate. 
     The sensor  180  may detect at least one of various changes such as orientation variation (using a gyroscope), illumination variation, and acceleration variation of the mobile terminal  100 , and transfers an electric signal indicative of the changes to the controller  190 . 
     The controller  190  may control internal operations of the mobile terminal in response to the detection information input from the sensor  180 . For example, the controller  170  may detect a display mode of the mobile terminal  100  as one of a landscape mode and a portrait mode based on the detected orientation information. 
     The controller  190  performs a function of controlling an overall operation of the mobile terminal  100  and signal flow between internal constituent elements of the mobile terminal  100 , and processing data. The controller  190  controls power supply from a battery to internal constituent elements. The controller  190  executes various applications stored in the program area. 
     When an emergency situation alert service is in an activation mode, the controller  190  drives a microphone MIC. The audio processor  160  transfers audio data such as the speech input from the microphone MIC to the controller  190 . 
     The controller  190  may include constituent elements as shown in  FIG. 2  which recognizes speech from the audio data, analyzes the recognized speech, and provides the emergency situation alert service to the user according to the analysis result. 
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a controller according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As shown, controller  190  may include a speech characteristic information detector (hereinafter referred to as “detector”)  210  and an emergency situation alert service reporting unit (hereinafter referred to as “reporting unit”)  220 . 
     The detector  210  receives audio data from the audio processor  160 . Detector  210  detects speech characteristic information (e.g., tone, frequency, decibel) associated with characteristics of speech from the received audio data. 
     The reporting unit  220  compares the detected speech characteristic information with the emergency situation pattern information  141  stored in the memory  140 . Reporting unit  220  determines whether a current situation is emergent based on the comparison result. Some examples of pre-designated emergent situations determinable by the reporting unit  220  are: i) the magnitude of the received speech is greater than a preset decibel; ii) the received speech is associated with a specific word (e.g., “help”); or, iii) the received speech is that of a person for which no setting has been established (i.e., speech of a person unknown to the user). 
     When the current situation is deemed emergent, the reporting unit  220  may record the received speech in a preset time unit (e.g., for 3 minutes). The reporting unit  220  may control the RF communication unit  150  to transmit a file thus recorded for three minutes to a designated external device. For example, the record file and the transmitted record file may be later used as evidence of a criminal incident. 
     When the current situation is emergent, the reporting unit  220  may automatically initiate a call (speech or video call) connection to a designated external device. Accordingly, a third party user, that is, a receiver of the external device, is alerted of an emergency situation associated with the mobile terminal  100  by reproducing a received record file or by answering the call. In certain embodiments, the alert reporting the emergency can additionally or alternatively be sent to the third party external device as a text message. 
     Meanwhile, the controller  190  may further include a text converter  230  converting the received speech data into a text and transferring the converted text to the service providing unit  220 . The reporting unit  220  may compare the transferred text with emergency situation pattern information  141 , that is, character characteristic information stored in the memory  140  to determine the emergency situation. 
     In recent years, speech recognition technology has rapidly been developed. As described above, in addition to a technique of converting speech into text or detecting speech characteristic information such as tone or frequency from the speech, techniques exist for recognizing a specific keyword (e.g., help) or a context (meaning of sentence) in speech. Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention may include various other configurations for providing an emergency situation alert service. For instance, the controller  190  may include a context recognizer recognizing a context of received speech data. The context recognizer may recognize an emergency situation as a recognition result of “Oh, come on, please. Don&#39;t do this to me”, and in response may execute the emergency situation alert service. 
       FIG. 3  is a flowchart illustrating environment setting of an emergency situation alert service according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The controller  190  may first control display unit  120  to display a home screen ( 301 ). The home screen includes an icon corresponding to environment setting. A user may touch the icon ( 302 ) whereby the controller  190  detects user selection of the icon corresponding to the environment setting from the home screen ( 302 ). The controller  190  then controls a display unit  120  to display an environment setting screen for setting an alert condition environment of the mobile terminal  100  ( 303 ). The controller  190  sets an environment of the emergency situation alert service ( 304 ). That is, in a displayed state of the environment setting screen, the user may operate a touch screen panel  110  to set an alert condition environment of the mobile terminal, particularly, an environment of the emergency situation alert service. The set information is stored in the memory  140  of the mobile terminal. The set information stored in the memory  140  may be used when the emergency situation alert service is activated. 
       FIG. 4  shows example screens for setting an environment of a mobile terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Referring to example screen (a), the controller  120  may display an environment setting screen  400 . Various items are included in the environment setting screen  400  according to performance capability and functions of the mobile terminal  100 . For example, the environment setting screen  400  may include items such as a wireless network  410 , a location service  420 , a sound  430 , a display  440 , a security  450 , and an emergency situation alert service  460 . The user may select the alert service menu item  460  via touch input. Then, the controller  190  controls the display unit  120  to display an environment setting screen of the emergency situation alert service, as shown in example screen (b). 
     Referring to example screen (b), the display unit  120  may display an environment setting screen of the emergency situation alert service under control of the controller  190 . Various selectable items are includable in the environment setting screen (b), such as a recording time  461 , a decibel  462 , a speech record  463 , a receiver  464 , automatic/manual  465 , and SOS scheme  466 . The recording time  461  is an item for setting a time unit (e.g., for 30 seconds) for recording sound when the current situation is deemed an emergency. If the 30 seconds unit is set, the controller  190  generates a recording file having a length of 30 seconds. The decibel item  462  determines the magnitude of a speech for determining that the current situation is an emergency. When a decibel of the received speech exceeds a preset decibel, for example, 90 dB, the controller  190  may determine that the current situation is emergent. The speech record item  463  is an item for generating the emergency situation pattern information  141 . If the speech record  463  is selected, the controller  190  drives the microphone MIC and prompts the user to speak. The controller  190  detects speech characteristic information (e.g., tone, frequency, etc.) from the user&#39;s speech received by the MIC in response to the prompt and converted to speech data by the audio processor  160 . Controller  190  stores the detected speech characteristic information in the memory  140  as at least one emergency situation pattern information  141 . 
     The receiver item  464  is an item for designating at least one receiver to receive an alert of the emergency situation. Information of a designated receiver may include an e-mail and one or more phone numbers. When the user does not separately set a receiver, the receiver may be set to an emergency rescue center (e.g., “911”) set by a manufacturer. The automatic/manual item  465  is an item for setting whether the emergency situation alert service is automatically executed. For example, when the emergency situation alert service is automatically executed, the emergency situation alert service may be activated for a predetermined daily time interval, e.g., from midnight to 6 a.m. Here, the activation time may be set by the user. The SOS scheme item  466  is an item for setting an emergency situation alert service method in which an SOS message is sent in response to the emergent situation. For example, the user may set both an SOS message and a call connection to a designated party as an emergency situation alert service method. The SOS scheme  466  may be set by the manufacturer so that the user cannot change the recipients of the SOS message. 
       FIG. 5  is a flowchart illustrating a method of recognizing speech inputted from a microphone in a mobile terminal to provide an emergency situation alert service according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , if the user presses an emergency alert service on/off button  131  to activate the alert service, the controller  190  detects this input and activates the emergency situation alert service ( 501 ). That is, the controller  190  drives the MIC and the audio processor  160  ( 501 ) to a state ready to receive audio input. For example, the emergency situation alert service may be automatically activated at a preset time as described above (e.g., midnight). The audio processor  160  transfers speech data to the controller  190 . The controller  190  detects speech characteristic information (e.g., tone, frequency, decibel, etc.) associated with characteristics of the speech from the received audio data ( 502 ). The controller  190  determines whether a current situation is emergent based on the detected speech characteristic information. When the current situation is emergent, the controller  190  controls the RF communication unit  150  to report an emergency situation to a preset external device ( 503 ). When the user selects termination of the emergency situation alert service, the controller  190  terminates the emergency situation alert service ( 504 ), and no longer performs the necessary speech recognition processing, etc. For example, the emergency situation alert service may be automatically terminated at a predefined time (e.g., 6 a.m.). 
     Various schemes may be employed for reporting the emergency at step  503 . Several embodiments will be described with reference to  FIGS. 6 to 9 . 
       FIG. 6  is a flowchart illustrating a method of reporting an emergency situation to according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , the controller  190  compares the detected speech characteristic information with the emergency situation pattern information  141  to determine whether a current situation is emergent ( 601 ). For example, as mentioned earlier, in one option, the user may designate an emergent situation as one in which speech of a person other than at least one predetermined person is recognized. In this scenario, as a comparison result, frequency information and tone information thereof are different from that stored for the predetermined person(s). That is, the received speech is detected to be speech of a person other than a speech of a user registered in the mobile terminal  100 . 
     When the detected speech characteristic information is different from the emergency situation pattern information, the controller  190  records speech data input from the audio processor  160  ( 602 ). For example, the recorded time unit may be three minutes. The time unit may be set by a manufacturer or a user. The controller  190  controls the RF communication unit  150  to transmit a record file to the external device ( 603 ). For example, the RF communication unit  150  may transmit the record file to the external device in the form of a Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) message. 
     The controller  190  determines whether the emergency situation is terminated ( 604 ). For example, a ‘emergency situation termination’ button displayed on the touch screen is selected, the controller  190  terminates the emergency situation. That is, the controller  190  stops recording and transmission of the speech. When the ‘emergency situation termination’ button displayed on the touch screen is not selected, the controller  190  may repeat steps  602  and  603 . 
       FIG. 7  is a flowchart illustrating a method of reporting an emergency situation alert according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, an emergency situation is pre-designated to correspond to the detection of a non-registered voice, as in the embodiment of  FIG. 6 . Controller  190  first compares the detected speech characteristic information with the emergency situation pattern information  141  to determine whether the detected speech characteristic information matches the emergency situation pattern information  141  ( 701 ). For example, if frequency information and tone information thereof are different from each other, a mismatch is detected. 
     When a mismatch is detected, the controller  190  controls the RF communication unit  150  to transmit a signal for call connection to the external device so that a call (voice or video) with the external device is attempted ( 702 ). When call connection is achieved between two devices, the other party may recognize a situation of the user through a prepared speech message at the mobile terminal  100  retrieved from memory by controller  190 , or through the received speech or video captured at the scene. The external device may be an emergency rescue center (e.g., a “911” center). The external device may be a terminal which the user separately sets. When the call connection is achieved between two devices, the controller  190  may be configured to not drive the speaker SPK. This option prevents speech from the other party from being leaked through the speaker SPK, thereby preventing a criminal from learning that others have been alerted. For the same reason, the controller  190  may avoid driving the display unit  120 . 
     The controller  190  determines whether the emergency situation is terminated ( 703 ). For example, when the user presses a volume button of the key input unit  130 , the controller  190  terminates an emergency situation and normally operates the mobile terminal  100  (for example, operates the speaker SPK and the display unit  120 ). When the emergency situation is not terminated, for example, when call connection with the external device is not achieved, the controller  190  may return to step  702  and again perform the call. If a key signal for terminating the emergency situation is not generated at step  703 , the controller  190  may return to step  702  and again perform the call. 
       FIG. 8  is a flowchart illustrating a method of reporting an emergency situation alert according to still another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the controller  190  converts speech data received from the audio processor  160  into text ( 801 ). The controller  190  compares the converted text with the emergency situation pattern information  141 , that is, character information to determine whether a current situation is emergent ( 802 ). When the converted text is the same as the emergency situation pattern information  141 , the controller  190  determines that the current situation is emergent. For example, the converted text may be the word “help” uttered at least once. The controller  190  records the speech data input from the audio processor  160  in predetermined time units, e.g., three minutes ( 803 ). The recorded time unit may be set by a manufacturer or the user. It is noted, even though recording for the predetermined time duration of up to several minutes, a call to the external device alerting the other party of the emergency can be designed to occur immediately upon detection of the emergency via the speech recognition. That is, the emergency reporting call can be made well prior to expiration of the predetermined time period for recording. 
     The controller  190  controls the RF communication unit  150  to transmit a record file to an external device ( 804 ). For example, the RF communication unit  150  may transmit the record file to the external device in the form of an MMS message. 
     The controller  190  determines whether the emergency situation is terminated ( 805 ). For example, when a ‘emergency situation termination’ displayed on the touch screen is selected, the controller  190  terminates the emergency situation. That is, the controller  190  stops speech record and transmission. When a ‘emergency situation termination’ displayed on the touch screen is not selected, the controller  190  may repeatedly perform steps  803  and  804 . 
       FIG. 9  is a flowchart illustrating a method of reporting an emergency situation alert according to yet another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
     The controller  190  determines whether a decibel of the detected speech is equal to or greater than a preset decibel (e.g., 90 dB) ( 901 ). 
     When the decibel of the detected speech is equal to or greater than 90 dB, the controller  190  records the speech data input from the audio processor  160 , for example, for 3 minutes ( 902 ). The recorded time unit may be set by a manufacturer or a user. The controller  190  controls the RF communication unit  150  to transmit the record file to the external device ( 903 ). For example, the RF communication unit  150  may transmit the record file to the external device in the form of an MMS message. 
     The controller  190  determines whether the emergency situation is terminated ( 904 ). For example, when a ‘emergency situation terminated button displayed on the touch screen is selected, the controller  190  terminates the emergency situation. That is, the controller  190  stops the recording and transmission of the speech. When a ‘emergency situation terminated button displayed on the touch screen is not selected, the controller  190  may repeatedly perform steps  902  and  903 . 
     The mobile terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention may include various types of devices supporting a speech recognition function. For example, the mobile terminal may be a smart phone, a Portable Multimedia Player (PMP), a digital broadcasting player, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a music player (e.g., MP3 player), a portable game terminal, a tablet PC, or a Notebook PC. 
     Since the structural elements can be variously changed according to a convergence trend of a digital device, other elements are includable but not described herein. The mobile terminal according to the present invention may further include constituent elements which are not mentioned such as a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiving module. The configuration of the exemplary mobile terminal  100  of the present invention may be varied by alternative specific constructions in the foregoing arrangements. 
     According to the method of serving an emergency situation alert of the mobile terminal and an apparatus thereof according to embodiments of the present invention, an emergency situation of a user can be recognized using a speech recognition function included in a mobile terminal, and automatically reported to outside parties. In addition, the present invention may record the emergency situation and use the recorded data as evidence data with respect thereto. 
     The foregoing method for serving an emergency situation alert of the present invention may be implemented in an executable program command form by various computer means and be recorded in a computer readable recording medium. In this case, the computer readable recording medium may include a program command, a data file, and a data structure individually or a combination thereof. In the meantime, the program command recorded in a recording medium may be specially designed or configured for the present invention or be known to a person having ordinary skill in a computer software field to be used. The computer readable recording medium includes Magnetic Media such as hard disk, floppy disk, or magnetic tape, Optical Media such as Compact Disc Read Only Memory (CD-ROM) or Digital Versatile Disc (DVD), Magneto-Optical Media such as floptical disk, and a hardware device such as ROM. RAM, flash memory storing and executing program commands. Further, the program command ma include a machine language code created by a complier and a high-level language code executable by a computer using an interpreter. The foregoing hardware device may be configured to be operated as at least one software module to perform an operation of the present invention. 
     Although exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail hereinabove, it should be clearly understood that many variations and modifications of the basic inventive concepts herein taught which may appear to those skilled in the present art will still fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention, as defined in the appended claims.