Abstract:
A photographing method is disclosed that uses a mobile communication terminal having a camera, with the method including steps of entering a remote-control photographing mode, receiving a predetermined call, determining whether or not a telephone number of the predetermined call corresponds to a telephone number stored in a memory, and operating the camera to take a photograph when the telephone number of the predetermined call corresponds to the telephone number stored in the memory. The photographing is carried out by remote-controlling the camera accommodated in the mobile communication terminal.

Description:
PRIORITY  
         [0001]    This application claims priority to an application entitled “Mobile Communication Terminal Having Remote-controlled Camera and Photographing Method By Using The Same” filed in the Korean Industrial Property Office on Mar. 18, 2003 and assigned Serial No. 2003-16816, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0003]    The present invention relates to a mobile communication terminal, and more particularly to a mobile communication terminal having a camera.  
           [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0005]    Presently, mobile communication terminals have been equipped with a high-speed data transmitting function as well as a voice communication function. For example, if an IMT-2000 mobile communication network is realized, high-speed data communication as well as voice communication will be attained by using a mobile communication terminal. In addition, a camera or a TV receiver can be added to the mobile communication terminal to display a moving picture. A mobile communication terminal equipped with the camera can display the moving picture and a still picture by taking a photograph of an object, and can also transmit a photographed image to other mobile communication terminals.  
           [0006]    However, when taking a photograph by using the camera of the mobile communication terminal, a user must manually push a button on the camera body to activate a camera shutter. Therefore, if a user wants to take a photograph of himself/herself by using the camera of the mobile communication terminal, the user will have to stretch and extend his/her hand that is gripping the mobile communication terminal to a proper camera range and push the camera shutter activation button. Accordingly, although the user can take a photograph of his or her face or other body part, it is impossible to photograph the user&#39;s entire body when the user takes a photograph of himself/herself using the camera of the mobile communication terminal.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a mobile communication terminal capable of taking a photograph by using a remote-controlled camera equipped therein and a photographing method by using the same.  
           [0008]    In order to accomplish this object, there is provided a method for taking a photograph by using a mobile communication terminal having a camera. The method comprises the steps of inputting a remote-control photographing mode of the camera, receiving a predetermined call, determining whether or not a telephone number of the predetermined call corresponds to a telephone number stored in a memory, and operating the camera to take a photograph when the telephone number of the predetermined call corresponds to the telephone number stored in the memory.  
           [0009]    According to another aspect of the present invention, in order to accomplish the above object, there is provided a mobile communication terminal having a camera. The mobile communication terminal comprises a storing section for storing telephone numbers assigned to remote-control the camera, and a control section for operating the camera to take a photograph when a remote-control photographing mode is selected if a telephone number of a call received in the mobile communication terminal matches with the telephone number assigned to remote-control the camera. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    The above object and other features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a mobile communication terminal according to one embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing various components of the mobile communication terminal shown in FIG. 1;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIGS. 3A to  3 D are views showing remote-control setting screens of the mobile communication terminal; and  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing a photographing method using a mobile communication terminal according to one embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0015]    Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description of the present invention, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components. A detailed description of known functions and configurations is omitted to avoid making the subject matter of the present invention unclear.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a mobile communication terminal  1  according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the mobile communication terminal  1  mainly includes a body  2  having a key input section  14 , a folder  3  equipped with a display section  19 , a rotation hinge section  4  for connecting the body  2  to the folder  3 , and a camera module  17  installed in the rotation hinge section  4 . According to the present invention, the key input section  14  includes a camera remote-control key  5  for selecting a remote-controlled photographing mode of the camera module  17 .  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 2 is a block view showing an internal structure of the mobile communication terminal  1  shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the mobile communication terminal  1  has an RF section  11  for receiving/transmitting a wireless signal through an antenna, a data processing section  13  connected to the RF section  11  so as to process voice signals or data signals transmitted from the RF section  11 , an audio processing section  12  for processing voice signals outputted from the data processing section  13 , a memory  16 , the camera module  17 , an image processing section  18  for processing image signals of the camera module  17 , the display section  19  for displaying the image signal outputted from the image processing section  18 , and a control section  15  for controlling the operation of the mobile communication terminal  1 .  
         [0018]    The RF section  11  performs a wireless communication function of the mobile communication terminal  1 . The RF section  11  includes an RF transmitter for increasing and amplifying frequencies of transmitted signals, and an RF receiver for lowering and low-noise amplifying frequencies of the received signals. The data processing section  13  has a modulator for coding and modulating transmitted signals and a demodulator for decoding and demodulating received signals. That is, the data processing section  13  includes a MODEM and a CODEC. The CODEC has a data CODEC for processing packet data and an audio CODEC for processing audio signals, such as voice.  
         [0019]    The camera module  17  photographs objects and is controlled by the control section  15 , and outputs an image signal to the image processing section  18  of the photographed object.  
         [0020]    The image processing section  18  generates screen data for displaying image signals generated from the camera module  17 .  
         [0021]    The display section  19  displays the image signal generated from the image processing section  18  on a screen and displays user data outputted from the control section  15 . The display section  19  includes an LCD. When the LCD is formed as a touch screen, the display section  19  can be operated as an input section.  
         [0022]    The memory  16  stores data generated from the mobile communication terminal  1 , such as image data including short message service (SMS) data, still pictures and moving pictures. According to the present invention, at least one CID (caller ID) is stored in the memory  16  in order to photograph an object by remote-controlling the camera module  17 . The CID means a telephone number of an outgoing telephone call.  
         [0023]    The key input section  14  has keys for inputting numeric and character information and various functional keys for setting various functions. In addition, the key input section  14  is provided with the camera remote-control key  5  for selecting a remote-control mode of the camera module  17 .  
         [0024]    The control section  15  displays a remote-control setting screen  30  (shown in FIG. 3A) when the user inputs a signal by selecting the camera remote-control key  5 .  
         [0025]    The remote-control setting screen  30  shown in FIG. 3A includes a first menu  31  for registering a remote-control CID, and a second menu  32  for determining acceptance or rejection of a non-assigned CID. If the user selects the first menu  31  for registering the CID, a CID registering and setting screen  40  is displayed in the display section  19  as shown in FIG. 3B.  
         [0026]    Referring to FIG. 3B, the CID registering and setting screen  40  includes a CID list  41  representing registered CIDs, and a CID adding icon  42  for adding CIDs. When the user inputs a new CID through the key input section  14  after selecting the CID adding icon  42 , the control section  15  stores the new CID in the memory  16 . Then, if the user selects a certain CID in the CID list  41  of the CID registering and setting screen  40 , a CID selecting screen  50  is provided, requesting the user to use the selected CID and displaying the selected CID in the display section as shown in FIG. 3C. The CID selecting screen  50  includes an on-icon  51  and an off-icon  52  for selecting “ON” or “OFF” of the camera module  17  when the selected CID is received in the mobile communication terminal  1 .  
         [0027]    On the other hand, if the user selects the second menu  32  in the remote-control setting screen  30  for determining acceptance or rejection of the non-assigned CID, a selection screen  60  is displayed in the display section  19  so that the user can select cut-off a call from the non-assigned CID, or can select release of the remote-control photographing mode to receive the call from the non-assigned CID.  
         [0028]    Information selected by the user in the remote-control setting screen  30 , CID registering and setting screen  40 , CID selecting screen  50  and selection screen  60  is stored in the memory  16  by the control section  15 . Thus, when a call having a CID assigned for the remote-control photographing is received in the mobile communication terminal  1 , the control section  15  controls the camera module  17  in such a manner that the camera module  17  automatically takes a photograph.  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing a photographing method using the mobile communication terminal  1  according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, if the user selects the camera remote-control key  5  of the key input section  14 , the control section  15  enters the remote-control photographing mode (Step  100 ).  
         [0030]    If the remote-control photographing mode is selected, the control section  15  causes the remote-control setting screen  30  to be displayed in the display section  19 , as shown in FIG. 3A, for setting the CID or determining acceptance or rejection of the non-assigned CID (Step  101 ).  
         [0031]    If the user selects the first menu  31  of the remote-control setting screen  30  for setting of the CID, the CID registering and setting screen  40 , as shown in FIG. 3B, is displayed in the display section  19  so that the user inputs the CID assigned for remote-controlling the camera module  17  of the mobile communication terminal  1  (Step  102 ). Then, the control section  15  stores the CID inputted through the key input section  14  in the memory  16  (Step  103 ).  
         [0032]    If the user selects the second menu  32  in the remote-control setting screen  30  for determining acceptance or rejection of, the non-assigned CID (Step  104 ), the selection screen  60 , as shown in FIG. 3D, is displayed in the display section  19 . Acceptance or rejection of the non-assigned CID selected by the user is stored in the memory  16  (Step  105 ).  
         [0033]    After setting the CID or determining acceptance or rejection of the non-assigned CID, a terminal  1  awaits receipt of a call generated from a predetermined mobile communication terminal, so that the mobile communication terminal  1  receives the call having a predetermined CID (Step  106 ).  
         [0034]    At this time, the control section  15  detects the call having the predetermined CID and determines whether or not the predetermined CID contained in the incoming call exists in the memory  16  (Step  107 ). If the predetermined CID matches with the CID stored in the memory  16 , the control section  108  operates a camera shutter to take a photograph (Step  108 ). If the predetermined CID is not coincident with the CID stored in the memory  16 , the control section  15  checks acceptance or rejection of the non-assigned CID selected by the user in step  105 .  
         [0035]    If rejection of the non-assigned CID is selected by the user in step  105 , the control section  15  cuts off the call having the non-assigned CID, and, if acceptance of the non-assigned CID is selected, the control section  15  releases the remote-control photographing mode of the camera module  17  so as to normally receive the call.  
         [0036]    Accordingly, predetermined CIDs are stored in the memory of the mobile communication terminal having the camera module and the camera module is automatically operated when the call is received in the mobile communication terminal from a transmitter having the CID stored in the memory, so that the camera module can take a photograph without manually handling the camera module.  
         [0037]    Although it is not described in the above embodiment in detail, the present invention can also use a call-back number included in a message of a SMS (short message service) as a CID for remote-controlling the camera module of the mobile communication terminal. That is, when the message of the SMS transmitted from a mobile communication terminal of a transmitter having an assigned CID is received in the mobile communication terminal or a receiver, the camera module is automatically operated.  
         [0038]    While the present invention has been shown and described with reference to certain preferred 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 invention as defined by the appended claims.