Patent Abstract:
A portable device and method thereof are disclosed. The method includes recognizing a mode of the portable terminal; monitoring a sensitivity corresponding to an antenna of the portable terminal; sensing a movement corresponding to the portable terminal; invoking an application when both of following conditions occur: a degradation of the sensitivity is determined; and the movement exceeding a predetermined displacement is determined.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to a portable terminal, and more particularly to an application determination method for a portable terminal. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Portable terminals such as smart phones and tablet PCs are required to provide more intelligent user interface control as technologies advance. Various sensors and devices have been incorporated into the smart portable terminals to provide increased user-friendly device control features. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A method performed by a portable terminal is provided. The method comprises: recognizing a mode of the portable terminal; monitoring a sensitivity corresponding to an antenna of the portable terminal; sensing a movement corresponding to the portable terminal; invoking an application when both of following conditions occur: a degradation of the sensitivity is determined; and the movement exceeding a predetermined displacement is determined. 
     A portable terminal is disclosed, comprising a housing, an antenna, a modem, a sensor and a processor. The antenna is disposed inside the housing. The modem, connecting to the antenna, is configured to establish a wireless communication through the antenna. The sensor is configured to sense a movement corresponding to the portable terminal. The processor, connecting to the modem and the sensor, is configured to recognize a mode of the portable terminal, monitor a sensitivity corresponding to the antenna and invoke an application when a degradation of the sensitivity is determined and when the movement exceeding a predetermined displacement is determined. 
     A method performed by a portable terminal is described. The method comprises: determining, by a controller, first and second antenna sensitivities for a first antenna and second antenna on the portable terminal, respectively; and determining, by the controller, a position of a blocking object on the portable terminal based on the first antenna sensitivity and second antenna sensitivity; wherein the first and second antennas are located at a first portion and a second portion of the portable terminal respectively. 
     A detailed description is given in the following embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention can be more fully understood by reading the subsequent detailed description and examples with references made to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a smart phone  1  according to an embodiment of the invention where selected components are shown thereon; 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram of a handhold device  2  according to an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a flowchart of a unlock method  3  according to an embodiment of the invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a flowchart of a phone call method  4  according to an embodiment of the invention; and 
         FIG. 5  is a flowchart of a phone application determination method  5  according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a flowchart of a control method  6  according to an embodiment of the invention 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Several exemplary embodiments of the invention are described with reference to  FIGS. 1 through 5 . It is to be understood that the following disclosure provides various different embodiments as examples for implementing different features of the invention. Specific examples of components and arrangements are described in the following to simplify the present disclosure. These are, of course, merely examples and are not intended to be limiting. In addition, the present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/or letters in the various examples. This repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationship between the various described embodiments and/or configurations. 
       FIG. 1  is a smart phone  1  according to an embodiment of the invention, having a phone application determination method, where selected components are shown thereon. The smart phone  1  includes a first antenna ant 1 , a second antenna ant 2 , a proximity sensor  10 , and an accelerometric sensor  12 . The first antenna ant 1  and second antennas ant 2 , positioned on an upper half section and a lower half section of the phone body, respectively, transmit and receive Radio Frequency (RF) signals for a wireless communication. When a user holds the smart phone  1 , the user&#39;s hand may cover the position(s) of the antenna(s) where the RF signals are picked up, resulting in a reduced received signal strength and decreased antenna sensitivity. Consequently, the smart phone  1  can determine that the position of the hand on the phone body by detecting the antenna which exhibits a reduced received signal strength or decreased antenna sensitivity by a certain signal level. Further, the smart phone  1  is also equipped with various sensors for determining surrounding objects and motion thereof. For example, the proximity sensor  10  can determine that the presence of a nearby object and the accelerometric sensor  12  can detect a motion of the phone body. Based on the determined information of the hand position, the body motion and the nearby object, the smart phone  1  can automatically launch various phone functions and applications, such as a screen unlock, screen rotation, answering the phone, or other user defined functions. 
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram of a handhold device  2  according to an embodiment of the invention, comprising the proximity sensor  10 , the accelerometric sensor  12 , controller  20 , transceiver  22 , the first antenna ant 1  and the second antenna ant 2 . The handhold device  2  may be a personal electronic device such as a smart phone or a tablet PC. The first and second antennas ant 1  and ant  2  are coupled to a modem  200  through transceiver(s), which in conjunction with the proximity sensor  10  and the accelerometric sensor  12  are further coupled to the controller  20 . The controller  20  collects position and motion information from the proximity sensor  10 , accelerometric sensor  12 , and antennas ant 1  and ant 2 , and initiates an application service based on the collected information. 
     Specifically, the antennas ant 1  and ant 2  can be utilized to determine how the handhold device is held by detecting the location where the antenna signal is reduced. The smart phone  1  employs two or more antennas located on various parts of the phone body for various telecommunication technologies or spatial diversity schemes. The controller  20  can determine whether the antenna signals are obstructed according to the received signal strength or the antenna sensitivity. When the received signal strength or antenna sensitivity is attenuated or reduced, the controller  20  can determine that the corresponding antenna has been blocked. For instance, when the controller  20  can detect that the antenna sensitivity of one of the antennas ant 1  and ant 2  has been reduced by 5 dB, a conclusion may be determined that the portable terminal  2  is being held by one hand. In another example, the controller  20  can detect antenna sensitivities for both antennas are reduced. 
     The antenna sensitivity may be expressed by a Signal Noise Ratio (SNR) for a received signal picked up by the designated antenna. The antenna sensitivity may also be expressed by a data error rate such as a Bit Error Rate (BER) or a Packet Error Rate (PER) for received data picked up by the designated antenna. 
     The received signal strength may be expressed by a received signal strength indicator (RSSI), milliwatts (mW), decibel-milliwatts (dBm), or a percentage representation. The signal strength refers to the magnitude of the electric field at a reference point that is a significant distance from the transmitting antenna. It may also be referred to as received signal level or field strength. Typically, it is expressed in voltageper length or signal power received by a reference antenna. The RSSI metrics can be mapped to the antenna sensitivity threshold expressed in absolute dBm values according to a built-in lookup table in the controller  20 . The higher the antenna sensitivity of the portable terminal  2 , the greater the effective coverage range that can be experienced. 
     The multiple antennas may be adopted for a plurality telecommunication technologies such as Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) technology, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) technology, Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution (EDGE) technology, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) technology, Code Division Multiple Access 2000 (CDMA 2000) technology, Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA) technology, wireless local area network (WLAN) technology, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) technology, Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology, and others. The multiple antennas may also be utilized in the portable terminal  2  for the spatial diversity scheme, in which the multiple antennas with the same characteristics are physically separated from one another, allowing multiple users to share a limited communication spectrum and reduce co-channel interference or transmit/receive interference. 
     In transmission, the antennas ant 1  and ant 2  obtain the RF signals S 1  and S 2 , respectively, from the air, from which signal strengths are measured and from which baseband signals are converted into by the transceiver  22 . The transceiver  22  may include a power detector or a signal strength indicator processor (not shown) for determining the signal strength of the received RF signal which is subsequently outputted to the controller  20  for conversion into the antenna sensitivity. When the signal strength or the antenna sensitivity is reduced by the predetermined signal level from a previous measurement, the controller  20  can determine that the user has grabbed the portable terminal  2 . The predetermined signal level may be a value such as 6 dB or a range such as 5 to 10 dB. 
     The proximity sensor  10  may be a reflective or a capacitive type of sensor able to detect the presence of nearby objects without any physical contact. The reflective type of the proximity sensor  10  can emit a beam of infrared and detect changes of reflection by its light sensor. The capacitive type of the proximity sensor  10  may be a capacitive photoelectric sensor suitable for a non-metallic target, outputting an electrical change as a result of a non-metal object approaching the sensor  10 . The proximity sensor  10  may be positioned near the top front part of the portable terminal  2 . When the user brings the portable terminal  2  close to the ear, the proximity sensor  10  can sense the user&#39;s presence. 
     The accelerometer  12  is embedded in the center of the portable terminal  2  to measure acceleration relative to freefall and motion in three dimensions. In some embodiments, the acceleration is measured in terms of g-force. 
     The controller  20  may make use of the signal strengths, the proximity status SP, and/or the motion information SG acquired from the antennas ant 1  and ant 2 , the proximity sensor  10 , and the accelerometric sensor  12 , to determine a software application or function to be launched thereon, as described in methods  3 ,  4  and  5 , thereby providing various user interface controls. 
       FIG. 3  is a flowchart of a unlock method  3  according to an embodiment of the invention, incorporating the portable terminal  2  in  FIG. 2 . The unlock method  3  describes a procedure based on which the portable terminal  2  can perform a screen unlock operation. 
     Upon start up, all the parameters and circuits associated with the unlock method  3  are initialized and the portable terminal  2  is locked (S 300 ). For example, the predetermined signal level is set to 5 dB. The portable terminal  2  can be automatically locked after a timeout time has elapsed to protect the portable terminal  2  from unauthorized uses and prevent unwanted input detection. Next, the first and second antennas ant 1  and ant 2  can receive first and second RF signals S 1  and S 2  from the air interface, from which pilot signals are extracted and the signal strengths are measured for the pilot signals by the transceiver  22 . Further, the transceiver  22  can convert the received RF signals S 1  or S 2  into the baseband signal. The measured signal strengths are sent to the controller  20  to determine the corresponding antenna sensitivities Sant 1  and Sant 2  (S 302 ). In some embodiments, the controller  20  can determine that the antenna sensitivities Sant 1  and Sant 2  by mapping the measured signal strengths for the signals S 1  and S 2  in a lookup table to find the corresponding antenna sensitivities Sant 1  and Sant 2 , which can be subsequently stored in a local memory unit (not shown). The controller  20  can further determine whether the antenna sensitivities Sant 1  or Sant 2  were attenuated by comparing the present antenna sensitivities with the previous antenna sensitivities and determining whether the present and previous antenna sensitivities are different by substantially the predetermined signal level Satt (S 304 ). In some embodiments, the controller  20  can determine that the antenna sensitivities Sant 1  or Sant 2  are attenuated when the difference of the present and previous antenna sensitivities exceeds the predetermined signal level Satt. When they do not, the unlock method  3  returns to step S 302  for determining the next antenna sensitivities. When they do, the controller  20  can determine how the portable terminal  2  is held based on the antenna sensitivities Sant 1  and Sant 2  (S 306 ). More specifically, the controller  20  can determine that the user may have covered the device body with the hand at the position where the attenuated antenna signal is detected. For example, when only one of the antennas ant 1  and ant 2  shows reduced antenna sensitivity, the controller  20  can determine that the user may be holding the portable terminal  2  with a single hand. When both of the antennas ant 1  and ant 2  show reduced antenna sensitivities, the controller  20  can determine that the user may be holding the portable terminal  2  with two hands. The controller  20  can also determine whether the portable terminal  2  is in any kind of motion based on the acceleration information detected by the accelerometric sensor  12  (S 308 ). When a motion is detected by the accelerometric sensor  12 , the controller  20  can confirm that the user has grabbed the handhold device  2 , and thus, the portable terminal  2  is unlocked automatically (S 310 ). Moreover, the controller  20  can determine a screen orientation based on the determined hand position and display a screen according to the screen orientation (S 312 ). For example, the controller  20  can determine that the portable terminal is being held by a single-hand and display the screen in a portrait view, and determine the portable terminal  2  is being held with two hands and the display the screen in a landscape view. The unlock method  3  is then completed and exited (S 314 ). 
       FIG. 4  is a flowchart of a phone call method  4  according to an embodiment of the invention, incorporating the portable terminal  2  in  FIG. 2 . The call method  4  discloses a procedure based on which the portable terminal  2  can perform a call answering operation. 
     Upon start up, all the parameters and circuits associated with the call method  4  are initialized (S 400 ). For example, the predetermined signal level is set to 5 dB. Next, the first and second antennas ant 1  and ant 2  can receive an incoming call notification on the first and second RF signals S 1  and S 2  (S 402 ), from which the pilot signals are extracted and the signal strengths are measured for the pilot signals by the modem  22 . The controller  20  can initiate a ring tone upon receiving the incoming call notification. Further, the transceiver can convert the received RF signals S 1  or S 2  into the baseband signal. The measured signal strengths are sent to the controller  20  to determine the corresponding antenna sensitivities Sant 1  and Sant 2  (S 404 ). In some embodiments, the controller  20  can determine the antenna sensitivities Sant 1  and Sant 2  by mapping the measured signal strengths for the signals S 1  and S 2  in a lookup table to find the corresponding antenna sensitivities Sant 1  and Sant 2 , which can be subsequently stored in the local memory unit (not shown). The controller  20  can further determine whether the antenna sensitivities Sant 1  or Sant 2  are attenuated by comparing the present antenna sensitivities and previous antenna sensitivities and determine whether the present and previous antenna sensitivities are different by the predetermined signal level Satt (S 406 ). In some embodiments, the controller  20  can determine that the antenna sensitivities Sant 1  or Sant 2  are attenuated when the difference of the present and previous antenna sensitivities exceeds the predetermined signal level Satt. When they do not, the call method  4  returns to step S 404  for determining the next antenna sensitivities. When they do, the controller  20  can further determine whether the portable terminal has been brought near to the face of the user for answering the call by detecting the motion and the nearby object information from the proximity sensor  10  then the accelerometric sensor  12  (S 408 ). When it hasn&#39;t, the call method  4  again returns to step S 404  for determining the next antenna sensitivities. When both events occur, the motion and the nearby object are detected, the controller  20  can automatically initiate a call answering procedure on the portable terminal  2  for answering an incoming call, so that the user can answer the call directly without further action (S 410 ). The call method  4  is then completed and exited (S 412 ). 
       FIG. 5  is a flowchart of an application determination method  5  according to an embodiment of the invention, incorporating the portable terminal  2  in  FIG. 2 . 
     Upon start up, all the parameters and circuits associated with the application determination method  5  are initialized (S 500 ). The first and second antennas ant 1  and ant 2  may receive the first and second RF signals S 1  and S 2  (S 502 ), from which the pilot signals are extracted and the signal strengths are measured for the pilot signals by the transceiver  22 . The controller  20  can initiate a ring tone upon receiving the incoming call notification. Further, the transceiver  22  can convert the received RF signals S 1  or S 2  into the baseband signal. The measured signal strengths are sent to the controller  20  to determine the corresponding antenna sensitivities Sant 1  and Sant 2  (S 504 ). In some embodiments, the controller  20  can determine the antenna sensitivities Sant 1  and Sant 2  by mapping the measured signal strengths for the signals S 1  and S 2  in a lookup table to find the corresponding antenna sensitivities Sant 1  and Sant 2 , which can be subsequently stored in the local memory unit (not shown). The controller  20  can further determines whether the antenna sensitivities Sant 1  or Sant 2  are attenuated by comparing the present antenna sensitivities and previous antenna sensitivities and determining whether the present and previous antenna sensitivities are different by the predetermined signal level Satt ( 506 ). In some embodiments, the controller  20  can determine that the antenna sensitivities Sant 1  or Sant 2  are attenuated when the difference of the present and previous antenna sensitivities exceeds the predetermined signal level Satt. When they do not, the application determination method  5  returns to step S 404  for determining the next antenna sensitivities. When they do, the controller  20  can determine how the portable terminal  2  is being held based on the antenna sensitivities Sant 1  and Sant 2  ( 508 ). For details for determining the hand held position, reference may be found in the preceding discussion for the method  3 . The controller  20  can then determine whether an auxiliary signal has been detected by a sensor on the portable terminal (S 510 ). The sensor may be the proximity sensor  10 , the accelerometric sensor  12 , a gyroscopic sensor, or other smart phone sensors. The controller  20  can automatically initiate a phone application on the portable terminal  2  according to the hand position information and the auxiliary signal (S 512 ). The application determination method is then completed and exited (S 514 ). 
     Although the embodiments illustrated in the unlock method  3 , the call method  4 , and the application determination method  5  employ the antenna sensitivities to determine signal blockage for the antennas ant 1  and ant 2 , those with ordinary skills in the art should recognize that other signal strength associated parameters may be utilized in place of the antenna sensitivities. Further, more than two antennas occupied on various parts of the portable terminal  2  may be incorporated to determine the hand positions or gestures for the user interface control on the portable terminal  2 . 
     The unlock method  3 , the call method  4 , and the application determination method  5  offer convenient methods for various user interface controls by detecting the locations of antennas with attenuated antenna signals. 
       FIG. 6  is a flowchart of a control method  6  according to an embodiment of the invention, incorporating the portable terminal  2  in  FIG. 2 . 
     Upon start up, all the parameters and circuits associated with the control method  6  are initialized (S 600 ). The first or second antennas ant 1  and ant 2  may receive the first or second RF signals S 1  and S 2  indicating an incoming call from a communication service network, thereby the controller  20  can recognize an incoming call mode based on the received signals S 1  or S 2  (S 602 ), The controller  20  can determine the first sensitivity Sant 1  and the second sensitivity Sant 2  corresponding to the first and second antennas ant 1  and ant 2  based on the signals and data monitored by the corresponding antennas ant 1  and ant 2  (S 604 ). Concurrently, the accelerometric sensor  12  can continuously or regularly sense the movement of the portable terminal  2  (S 606 ). Based on the monitored the first sensitivity Sant 1  or the second sensitivity Sant 2 , the controller  20  can determine whether the current first sensitivity Sant 1  or the second sensitivity Sant 2  is degraded, attenuated or reduced with respect to the previous first sensitivity Sant 1  or the previous second sensitivity Sant 2  (S 608 ). When the first sensitivity Sant 1  or the second sensitivity Sant 2  are substantially unchanged, or the changes are less than a predetermined sensitivity threshold (first threshold), e.g., 5 dB, the controller  20  can determine that the first sensitivity Sant 1  or the second sensitivity Sant 2  is not degraded, attenuated or reduced and the control method  6  can return to Step S 604  for continuing monitoring the sensitivities. When the first sensitivity Sant 1  or the second sensitivity Sant 2  exceeds the predetermined sensitivity threshold, the controller  20  can determine that the first sensitivity Sant 1  or the second sensitivity Sant 2  is degraded, attenuated or reduced, and carry on to determine whether the movement of the portable terminal  2  has exceeds a predetermined displacement (S 610 ). When the movement of the portable terminal  2  is within the predetermined displacement, e.g., 5 cm, the controller  20  can determine that portable terminal  2  remains at substantially the same position, and the control method  6  can return to Step S 606  for continuing sensing the movement of the portable terminal  2 . When the movement of the portable terminal  2  exceeds the predetermined displacement, the controller  20  can determine that portable terminal  2  is moved or picked up by the user purposely. In response, the controller  20  can invoke a corresponding application program such as initiating a ring tone, decreasing a ring tone, or unlocking a display screen for the portable terminal  2 . (S 612 ). After the application program are invoked and completed, the control method  6  are completed and exited. 
     Methods and systems of the present disclosure, or certain aspects or portions of embodiments thereof, may take the form of a program code (i.e., instructions) embodied in media, such as floppy diskettes, CD-ROMS, hard drives, firmware, or any other machine-readable storage medium, wherein, when the program code is loaded into and executed by a machine, such as a computer, the machine becomes an apparatus for practicing embodiments of the disclosure. The methods and apparatus of the present disclosure may also be embodied in the form of a program code transmitted over some transmission medium, such as electrical wiring or cabling, through fiber optics, or via any other form of transmission, wherein, when the program code is received and loaded into and executed by a machine, such as a computer, the machine becomes an apparatus for practicing and embodiment of the disclosure. When implemented on a general-purpose processor, the program code combines with the processor to provide a unique apparatus that operates analogously to specific logic circuits. 
     While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of the preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. For example, modem  202  can comprise a single modem  202  or multiple modems while each modem can pair with a single transceiver  22  or multiple transceivers (not shown). The controller  20  shown in  FIG. 2  can be a processor, an application processor, or any other means can execute the function described previously. To the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements (as would be apparent to those skilled in the art). Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.

Technology Classification (CPC): 7