KR20130025498A - Mobile terminal and control method therof - Google Patents

Abstract

A mobile terminal and a control method thereof are disclosed. The mobile terminal of the present invention and a control method thereof include at least one camera; A flash located adjacent to at least one of said at least one camera; And a controller for selectively emitting the flash based on the recognized state of the subject in the object recognition mode for the subject. According to the present invention, the flash can be selectively emitted according to the state of the subject in the object recognition mode, thereby improving the quality of the captured image.

Description

MOBILE TERMINAL AND CONTROL METHOD THEROF}

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to a mobile terminal device capable of selectively flashing a flash according to a state of an object in an object recognition mode and improving a quality of a photographed image, and a control method thereof. It is about.

A terminal such as a personal computer, a notebook computer, or a mobile phone has various functions, for example, a multimedia device having a complex function such as photographing or photographing of a moving picture, reproduction of music or a moving picture file, (Multimedia player).

The terminal can move It may be divided into a mobile terminal and a stationary terminal, depending on whether it is present. The mobile terminal can be divided into a handheld terminal and a vehicle mount terminal according to whether the user can directly carry the mobile terminal.

In order to support and enhance the functionality of the terminal, it is contemplated to improve the structural and / or software portion of the terminal.

Recently, a variety of terminals including mobile terminals provide a complex and various functions, and the menu structure is also becoming complicated. In addition, a function of displaying various digital documents including a web page is added to a mobile terminal.

The mobile terminal may include a camera. The camera may be provided at the front and / or rear of the mobile terminal. The camera located at the front of the mobile terminal may be used when taking an image of the mobile terminal user, and the camera located at the rear may be used when taking an external image.

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal and a control method thereof capable of improving the quality of a photographed image by selectively flashing the flash according to the state of the subject in the object recognition mode.

Mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention for realizing the above object, at least one camera; A flash located adjacent to at least one of said at least one camera; And a controller for selectively emitting the flash based on the recognized state of the subject in the object recognition mode for the subject.

The controller may determine a state of the subject based on a distance between the subject and the camera.

The controller may allow the amount of light emitted by the flash to increase in proportion to the distance from the subject.

The state of the subject may be determined based on a position of an external light source with respect to the subject.

The controller may emit the flash when the external light source is at a position of counterlight with respect to at least a part of the subject.

The controller may determine the state of the subject through a plurality of preliminary emission using the flash.

The apparatus may further include a memory. The controller may photograph the subject and store the photographed object in the memory while at least one preliminary light is emitted.

The subject may include visual information including at least one of a character, a barcode, and a pattern obtainable by photographing by the camera, and the controller may acquire and store data included in the photographed visual information.

If the controller cannot identify at least some of the data included in the captured visual information, the controller may retake the subject at least once by changing the light emission of the flash.

The controller may extract the data by changing a state of an image corresponding to the at least part when at least some of the data included in the captured visual information cannot be identified.

The subject includes visual information including at least one of a character, a barcode, and a pattern obtainable by photographing by the camera, and the controller is included in the visual information of the subject in a process of selectively emitting the flash. When the condition for identifying data is satisfied, the subject may be photographed and stored in a memory.

The battery may further include a battery, and the controller may emit the flash when the amount of charge of the battery is greater than or equal to a preset range.

The subject includes visual information including at least one of a character, a barcode, and a pattern obtainable by photographing by the camera, and the controller cannot identify at least some of data included in the captured visual information. In this case, a photographing state capable of identifying at least some data which cannot be identified may be guided.

The at least one camera includes an image sensor for picking up an image of the subject, and the control unit divides the image sensor into a plurality of areas, and identifies the data for each of the plurality of areas. It is possible to determine whether to identify the data according to the availability.

In addition, the control method of the mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention for realizing the above object, starting the object recognition mode; Selectively flashing the flash based on the recognized state of the subject; And storing an image of the subject photographed by the camera while the flash is emitted.

The light emission through the flash may be performed based on at least one of a distance from the subject, a position of an external light source with respect to the subject, and a state of the subject determined through a plurality of preliminary light emission using the flash.

The subject may include visual information including at least one of a character, a barcode, and a pattern obtainable by photographing by the camera.

The mobile terminal and a control method thereof according to the present invention have an effect of improving the quality of the photographed image by selectively flashing the flash according to the state of the subject in the object recognition mode.

1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2A is a front perspective view of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2B is a rear perspective view of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 and 4 illustrate a process of displaying data included in a barcode using a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a diagram illustrating a process of scanning a QR code using a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 and 8 are diagrams illustrating a bar code scanning state according to the distance of the mobile terminal of FIG. 6.
9 to 12 are diagrams illustrating one state of a subject that may occur during a scan operation of the mobile terminal of FIG. 6.
FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an auto focusing process of the mobile terminal of FIG. 6.
FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating the amount of light emitted according to a distance from a subject of the mobile terminal of FIG. 6.
FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a light emission amount according to a position of an external light source of the mobile terminal of FIG. 6.
FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a light emission amount according to test light emission of the mobile terminal of FIG. 6.
FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a process in the case where an optical character recognition (OCR) of the mobile terminal of FIG. 6 fails.
FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an image capturing time point of the mobile terminal of FIG. 6.
19 is a view illustrating a light emitting state of a flash according to the battery capacity of the mobile terminal of FIG. 6.
20 and 21 illustrate an indicator display process according to the state of the subject of the mobile terminal of FIG. 6.
FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating a process of displaying a guide line according to a state of a subject of FIG. 6, FIG.

The above objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and similarities. Like reference numerals designate like elements throughout the specification. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail since they would obscure the invention in unnecessary detail. In addition, the numbers (eg, first, second, etc.) used in the description process of the present specification are merely identification symbols for distinguishing one component from another component.

Hereinafter, a mobile terminal related to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The suffix "module" and " part "for the components used in the following description are given or mixed in consideration of ease of specification, and do not have their own meaning or role.

The mobile terminal described in this specification may include a mobile phone, a smart phone, a laptop computer, a digital broadcasting terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), a PMP (Portable Multimedia Player), and navigation. However, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the configuration according to the embodiments described herein may also be applied to fixed terminals such as digital TVs, desktop computers, etc., except when applicable only to mobile terminals.

1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The mobile terminal 100 includes a wireless communication unit 110, an audio / video input unit 120, a user input unit 130, a sensing unit 140, an output unit 150, a memory unit 160, An interface unit 170, a control unit 180, a power supply unit 190, and the like. The components shown in Fig. 1 are not essential, and a mobile terminal having more or fewer components may be implemented.

Hereinafter, the components will be described in order.

The wireless communication unit 110 may include one or more modules for enabling wireless communication between the mobile terminal 100 and the wireless communication system or between the mobile terminal 100 and the network in which the mobile terminal 100 is located. For example, the wireless communication unit 110 may include a broadcast receiving module 111, a mobile communication module 112, a wireless Internet module 113, a short range communication module 114, and a location information module 115 .

The broadcast receiving module 111 receives a broadcast signal and / or broadcast related information from an external broadcast management server through a broadcast channel.

The broadcast channel may include a satellite channel and a terrestrial channel. The broadcast management server may refer to a server for generating and transmitting broadcast signals and / or broadcast related information, or a server for receiving broadcast signals and / or broadcast related information generated by the broadcast management server and transmitting the generated broadcast signals and / or broadcast related information. The broadcast signal may include a TV broadcast signal, a radio broadcast signal, a data broadcast signal, and a broadcast signal in which a data broadcast signal is combined with a TV broadcast signal or a radio broadcast signal.

The broadcast-related information may refer to a broadcast channel, a broadcast program, or information related to a broadcast service provider. The broadcast related information may also be provided through a mobile communication network. In this case, it may be received by the mobile communication module 112.

The broadcast related information may exist in various forms. For example, an EPG (Electronic Program Guide) of a DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) or an ESG (Electronic Service Guide) of a DVBH (Digital Video BroadcastHandheld).

The broadcast receiving module 111 receives broadcast signals using various broadcasting systems. In particular, the broadcast receiving module 111 may be a digital multimedia broadcasting broadcasting (DMBT), a digital multimedia broadcasting satellite (DMBS), a media forward link only (MediaFLO), a digital video broadcasting ), And ISDBT (Integrated Services Digital Broadcast Terrestrial). Of course, the broadcast receiving module 111 may be adapted to other broadcasting systems that provide broadcast signals as well as the digital broadcasting system described above.

The broadcast signal and / or broadcast related information received through the broadcast receiving module 111 may be stored in the memory unit 160.

The mobile communication module 112 transmits and receives radio signals to at least one of a base station, an external terminal, and a server on a mobile communication network. The wireless signal may include various types of data depending on a voice call signal, a video call signal or a text / multimedia message transmission / reception.

The wireless Internet module 113 refers to a module for wireless Internet access, and the wireless Internet module 113 can be embedded in the mobile terminal 100 or externally. WLAN (WiFi), Wibro (Wireless broadband), Wimax (World Interoperability for Microwave Access), HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) and the like can be used as wireless Internet technologies.

The short range communication module 114 refers to a module for short range communication. Bluetooth, radio frequency identification (RFID), infrared data association (IrDA), ultra wideband (UWB), ZigBee, and the like can be used as the short distance communication technology.

The location information module 115 is a module for confirming or obtaining the location of the mobile terminal. A typical example of the location information module is a GPS (Global Position System) module. According to the current technology, the GPS module 115 calculates information on a distance (distance) from three or more satellites to one point (entity), information on the time when the distance information is measured, , Three-dimensional position information according to latitude, longitude, and altitude of one point (individual) in one hour can be calculated. Further, a method of calculating position and time information using three satellites and correcting the error of the calculated position and time information using another satellite is also used. The GPS module 115 continues to calculate the current position in real time and uses it to calculate speed information.

Referring to FIG. 1, an A / V (Audio / Video) input unit 120 is for inputting an audio signal or a video signal, and may include a camera 121 and a microphone 122. The camera 121 processes image frames such as still images or moving images obtained by the image sensor in the video call mode or the photographing mode. The processed image frame can be displayed on the display unit 151. [

The image frame processed by the camera 121 may be stored in the memory unit 160 or may be transmitted to the outside through the wireless communication unit 110. [ The camera 121 may be equipped with two or more cameras according to the configuration of the terminal.

The microphone 122 receives an external sound signal through a microphone in a communication mode, a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, or the like, and processes it as electrical voice data. The processed voice data can be converted into a form that can be transmitted to the mobile communication base station through the mobile communication module 112 when the voice data is in the call mode, and output. Various noise reduction algorithms may be implemented in the microphone 122 to remove noise generated in receiving an external sound signal.

The user input unit 130 generates input data for a user to control the operation of the terminal. The user input unit 130 may include a key pad dome switch, a touch pad (static pressure / capacitance), a jog wheel, a jog switch, and the like.

The sensing unit 140 senses the current state of the mobile terminal 100 such as the open / close state of the mobile terminal 100, the position of the mobile terminal 100, the presence or absence of user contact, the orientation of the mobile terminal, And generates a sensing signal for controlling the operation of the mobile terminal 100. For example, when the mobile terminal 100 is in the form of a slide phone, it may sense whether the slide phone is opened or closed. In addition, it may be responsible for a sensing function related to whether the power supply unit 190 is powered on, whether the interface unit 170 is connected to an external device, and the like. Meanwhile, the sensing unit 140 may include an attitude sensor 141 and / or a proximity sensor.

The output unit 150 is for generating output related to the visual, auditory or tactile sense and includes a display unit 151, an audio output module 152, an alarm unit 153, and a haptic module 154 .

The display unit 151 displays and outputs information processed by the mobile terminal 100. For example, when the mobile terminal is in the call mode, a UI (User Interface) or a GUI (Graphic User Interface) associated with a call is displayed. When the mobile terminal 100 is in the video communication mode or the photographing mode, the photographed and / or received video or UI and GUI are displayed.

The display unit 151 may be a liquid crystal display, a thin film transistor liquid crystal display, an organic light emitting diode, a flexible display, a 3D display And may include at least one.

Some of these displays may be transparent or light transmissive so that they can be seen through. This may be referred to as a transparent display. A typical example of the transparent display is a transparent LCD or the like. The rear structure of the display unit 151 may also be of a light transmission type. With this structure, the user can see an object located behind the terminal body through the area occupied by the display unit 151 of the terminal body.

There may be two or more display units 151 according to the embodiment of the mobile terminal 100. For example, in the mobile terminal 100, a plurality of display portions may be spaced apart from one another, or may be disposed integrally with one another, and may be disposed on different surfaces, respectively.

When the display unit 151 and a sensor for detecting a touch operation (hereinafter, referred to as a touch sensor) form a mutual layer structure (hereinafter, abbreviated as “touch screen”), the display unit 151 is an output device. It can also be used as an input device. The touch sensor may have the form of, for example, a touch film, a touch sheet, a touch pad, or the like.

The touch sensor may be configured to convert a change in a pressure applied to a specific portion of the display unit 151 or a capacitance generated in a specific portion of the display unit 151 into an electrical input signal. The touch sensor can be configured to detect not only the position and area to be touched but also the pressure at the time of touch.

If there is a touch input to the touch sensor, the corresponding signal (s) is sent to the touch controller. The touch controller processes the signal (s) and transmits the corresponding data to the controller 180. As a result, the controller 180 can know which area of the display unit 151 is touched.

Referring to FIG. 1, a proximity sensor may be disposed in an inner region of the mobile terminal or in the vicinity of the touch screen, which is enclosed by the touch screen. The proximity sensor refers to a sensor that detects the presence or absence of an object approaching a predetermined detection surface or a nearby object without mechanical contact using the force of an electromagnetic field or infrared rays. The proximity sensor has a longer life span than the contact sensor and its utilization is also high.

Examples of the proximity sensor include a transmission type photoelectric sensor, a direct reflection type photoelectric sensor, a mirror reflection type photoelectric sensor, a high frequency oscillation type proximity sensor, a capacitive proximity sensor, a magnetic proximity sensor, and an infrared proximity sensor.

And to detect the proximity of the pointer by the change of the electric field along the proximity of the pointer when the touch screen is electrostatic. In this case, the touch screen (touch sensor) may be classified as a proximity sensor.

Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the act of allowing the pointer to be recognized without being in contact with the touch screen so that the pointer is located on the touch screen is referred to as a "proximity touch", and the touch The act of actually touching the pointer on the screen is called "contact touch." The position where the pointer is proximately touched on the touch screen means a position where the pointer is vertically corresponding to the touch screen when the pointer is touched.

The proximity sensor detects a proximity touch and a proximity touch pattern (e.g., a proximity touch distance, a proximity touch direction, a proximity touch speed, a proximity touch time, a proximity touch position, a proximity touch movement state, and the like). Information corresponding to the detected proximity touch operation and the proximity touch pattern may be output on the touch screen.

The audio output module 152 may output audio data received from the wireless communication unit 110 or stored in the memory unit 160 in a call signal reception mode, a call mode or a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, a broadcast reception mode, The sound output module 152 outputs an acoustic signal related to a function (e.g., a call signal reception sound, a message reception sound, etc.) performed in the mobile terminal 100. The audio output module 152 may include a receiver, a speaker, a buzzer, and the like.

The alarm unit 153 outputs a signal for notifying the occurrence of an event of the mobile terminal 100. Examples of events that occur in the mobile terminal include call signal reception, message reception, key signal input, touch input, and the like. The alarm unit 153 may output a signal for notifying the occurrence of an event in a form other than the video signal or the audio signal, for example, vibration. The video signal or the audio signal can also be output through the display unit 151 or the audio output module 152.

The haptic module 154 generates various tactile effects that the user can feel. A typical example of the haptic effect generated by the haptic module 154 is vibration. The intensity and pattern of vibration generated by the haptic module 154 can be controlled. For example, different vibrations may be synthesized and output or sequentially output.

In addition to the vibration, the haptic module 154 may be configured to perform various functions such as an effect of stimulation by a pin arrangement vertically moving with respect to a contact skin surface, an effect of stimulation by air spraying force or suction force through a jet opening or a suction opening, A variety of tactile effects such as an effect of stimulation through contact of an electrode, an effect of stimulation by an electrostatic force, and an effect of reproducing a cold sensation using a heat absorbing or exothermic element can be generated.

The haptic module 154 may not only deliver the haptic effect through direct contact, but also implement the haptic effect through the muscle sense of the user's finger or arm. The haptic module 154 may include two or more haptic modules 154 according to the configuration of the portable terminal 100.

The memory unit 160 may store a program for the operation of the controller 180 and temporarily store input / output data (e.g., a phone book, a message, a still image, a moving picture, etc.). The memory unit 160 may store data related to vibration and sound of various patterns outputted when a touch is input on the touch screen.

The memory unit 160 may be a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card type memory (for example, SD or XD memory) At least one of a random access memory (RAM), a static random access memory (SRAM), a read only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a programmable read- Lt; / RTI > type of storage medium. The mobile terminal 100 may operate in association with a web storage that performs a storage function of the memory unit 160 on the Internet.

The interface unit 170 serves as a path for communication with all external devices connected to the mobile terminal 100. The interface unit 170 receives data from an external device or receives power from the external device to transfer the data to each component in the mobile terminal 100 or to transmit data in the mobile terminal 100 to an external device. For example, a wired / wireless headset port, an external charger port, a wired / wireless data port, a memory card port, a port for connecting a device having an identification module, an audio I / O port, A video input / output (I / O) port, an earphone port, and the like may be included in the interface unit 170.

The identification module is a chip for storing various information for authenticating the use right of the mobile terminal 100 and includes a user identification module (UIM), a subscriber identity module (SIM), a general user authentication module A Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), and the like. Devices with identification modules (hereinafter referred to as "identification devices") can be manufactured in a smart card format. Accordingly, the identification device can be connected to the terminal 100 through the port.

When the mobile terminal 100 is connected to an external cradle, the interface unit may be a path through which power from the cradle is supplied to the mobile terminal 100, or various command signals input by the user to the cradle may be transmitted It can be a passage to be transmitted to the terminal. Various command signals or power input from the cradle may be operated as signals for recognizing that the mobile terminal is correctly mounted on the cradle.

The control unit 180 typically controls the overall operation of the mobile terminal. For example, voice communication, data communication, video communication, and the like. The control unit 180 may include a multimedia module 181 for multimedia playback. The multimedia module 181 may be implemented in the control unit 180 or may be implemented separately from the control unit 180. [

The controller 180 may perform a pattern recognition process for recognizing handwriting input or drawing input performed on the touch screen as characters and images, respectively.

The power supply unit 190 receives an external power source and an internal power source under the control of the controller 180 to supply power for operation of each component.

The various embodiments described herein may be embodied in a recording medium readable by a computer or similar device using, for example, software, hardware, or a combination thereof.

According to a hardware implementation, the embodiments described herein may be implemented as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays May be implemented using at least one of processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, and electrical units for performing functions. In some cases such embodiments may be implemented using a controller 180 < / RTI >

According to a software implementation, embodiments such as procedures or functions may be implemented with separate software modules that perform at least one function or operation. The software code may be implemented by a software application written in a suitable programming language. Also, the software codes may be stored in the memory unit 160 and executed by the control unit 180. [

2A is a perspective view of an example of a mobile terminal or a mobile terminal according to the present invention.

The disclosed mobile terminal 100 has a bar-shaped terminal body. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and can be applied to various structures such as a slide type, a folder type, a swing type, and a swivel type in which two or more bodies are relatively movably coupled.

The body includes a case (a casing, a housing, a cover, and the like) which forms an appearance. In this embodiment, the case may be divided into a front case 101 and a rear case 102. [ A variety of electronic components are embedded in the space formed between the front case 101 and the rear case 102. At least one intermediate case may be additionally disposed between the front case 101 and the rear case 102. [

The cases may be formed by injecting synthetic resin or may be formed of a metal material, for example, a metal material such as stainless steel (STS) or titanium (Ti).

The display unit 151, the sound output unit 152, the camera 121, the user input units 130/131 and 132, the microphone 122, the interface 170, and the like may be disposed in the front body 101 have.

The display unit 151 occupies most of the main surface of the front case 101. A sound output unit 152 and a camera 121 are disposed in an area adjacent to one end of both ends of the display unit 151 and a user input unit 131 and a microphone 122 are disposed in an area adjacent to the other end. The user input unit 132, the interface 170, and the like are disposed on the side surfaces of the front case 101 and the rear case 102.

The user input unit 130 is operated to receive a command for controlling the operation of the portable terminal 100 and may include a plurality of operation units 131 and 132.

The manipulation units 131 and 132 may also be collectively referred to as manipulating portions, and may be employed in any manner as long as the user operates the tactile manner with a tactile feeling.

The contents input by the manipulation units 131 and 132 may be variously set. For example, the first operation unit 131 receives commands such as start, end, scroll, and the like, and the second operation unit 132 controls the size of the sound output from the sound output unit 152 or the size of the sound output from the display unit 151 To the touch recognition mode of the touch screen.

FIG. 2B is a rear perspective view of the portable terminal shown in FIG. 2A.

Referring to FIG. 2B, a camera 121 'may be further mounted on the rear surface of the terminal body, that is, the rear case 102. The camera 121 'may have a photographing direction substantially opposite to the camera 121 (see FIG. 2A), and may be a camera having different pixels from the camera 121.

For example, the camera 121 may have a low pixel so that the face of the user can be photographed and transmitted to the other party in case of a video call or the like, and the camera 121 ' It is preferable to have a large number of pixels. The cameras 121 and 121 'may be installed in the terminal body such that they can be rotated or popped up.

A flash 123 and a mirror 124 are further disposed adjacent to the camera 121 '. The flash 123 illuminates the subject when the subject is photographed by the camera 121 '. The mirror 124 allows the user to illuminate the user's own face or the like when the user intends to shoot himself / herself (self-photographing) using the camera 121 '.

An acoustic output 152 'may be additionally disposed on the rear surface of the terminal body. The sound output unit 152 'may implement the stereo function together with the sound output unit 152 (see FIG. 2A), and may be used for the implementation of the speakerphone mode during a call.

In addition to the antenna for a call or the like, a broadcast signal reception antenna 124 may be additionally disposed on the side of the terminal body. The antenna 124 constituting a part of the broadcast receiving module 111 (see FIG. 1) may be installed to be able to be drawn out from the terminal body.

A power supply unit 190 for supplying power to the portable terminal 100 is mounted on the terminal body. The power supply unit 190 may be embedded in the terminal body or may be directly detachable from the outside of the terminal body.

The rear case 102 may further include a touch pad 135 for sensing a touch. The touch pad 135 may also be of a light transmission type like the display unit 151. [ In this case, if the display unit 151 is configured to output time information on both sides, the time information can be recognized through the touch pad 135 as well. The information output on both sides may be all controlled by the touch pad 135. [ Alternatively, a display may be additionally mounted on the touch pad 135, and a touch screen may be disposed on the rear case 102.

The touch pad 135 operates in association with the display unit 151 of the front case 101. The touch pad 135 may be disposed parallel to the rear of the display unit 151. The touch pad 135 may have a size equal to or smaller than that of the display unit 151.

2C and 2D illustrate various embodiments of the mobile terminal 100 and the display unit 151.

The display unit 151 may include a first display unit in which display panels are physically divided and a second display unit. In a folding or sliding type mobile terminal in which two bodies are fastened by a hinge or a slide, a first display portion (or a main display portion) may be formed on an inner surface or an outer surface of either body, Or the auxiliary display portion, the external display portion) may be formed on the inner surface or the outer surface of the other body. The secondary display unit is a display unit separate from the mobile terminal, and is detachably connected to the mobile terminal body through an interface means to display data from the mobile terminal 100.

In addition, the display unit 151 may include a first display unit and a second display unit that are logically divided in the display panel as shown in FIG. 2C.

3 and 4 illustrate a process of displaying data included in a barcode using a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in these figures, the barcode OB attached to a specific product PD may be scanned using the mobile terminal 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3, the specific product PD may be wine or the like. However, the specific product PD is represented by wine in one embodiment, and the product PD may be various.

Using the camera 121 mounted on the mobile terminal 100, a barcode OB attached to a specific product PD may be photographed. The camera 121 for photographing the barcode OB may be a camera 121 'mounted on the rear case 102. That is, it may be the rear camera 121 ′ photographing the opposite direction of the front camera 121. However, hereinafter, unless otherwise noted, the rear camera 121 'will also be represented using the reference numeral 121.

The user may photograph the barcode OB by approaching the barcode OB to the mobile terminal 100. When the barcode OB is photographed, the photographed barcode image CO may be displayed on the display 151. The user can visually check whether the photographing is properly performed while looking at the barcode image CO displayed on the display 151.

As shown in FIG. 4, a bar code image CO may be displayed on the display 151. In addition, the guide line GL may be displayed on the display 151. The guide line GL may enable the user to visually recognize whether the bar code image CO should be photographed at what size and at what position.

The barcode image CO may be changed in color and / or shape at the moment of photographing. For example, it is usually displayed in black, which means that it may be displayed in red at the moment of photographing the barcode image CO. When the color and / or shape of the barcode image CO is changed at the moment of photographing, the user may intuitively recognize the photographing moment. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the camera shake and the like caused by a sudden operation at that moment.

When the photographing of the barcode image CO is performed, a process of decoding the barcode image CO and acquiring data may be performed.

The controller 180 can display the obtained data on the display 151. For example, when the barcode image CO is for a particular wine, it means that information about the particular wine can be displayed. The information on the specific wine may be information included in the barcode image CO itself or information obtained through the wireless communication unit 110 based on information obtained through the barcode image CO.

5 is a diagram illustrating a process of scanning a QR code using a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the drawing, the QR code OB can be photographed using the mobile terminal 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

QR code OB, unlike a bar code may be composed of a two-dimensional grid pattern. The QR code OB may include more information than a barcode and store text data in addition to numbers. The QR code OB may include a quiet zone, a position detection pattern, a timing pattern, an alignment pattern, format information, version information, and a data area for facilitating the expression and reading of data.

The controller 180 may acquire information included in the QR code image CO when the QR code image CO photographed by a user's manipulation is properly positioned inside the guide line GL.

6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the drawing, the controller 180 of the mobile terminal 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may perform step S10 of initiating an object recognition mode.

There may be a plurality of shooting modes using the camera 121. For example, there may be a photographing mode such as a landscape mode for photographing a long-distance scenery, a portrait mode for photographing a person, or an object recognition mode for photographing a close subject. .

The object recognition mode may be a mode for photographing a subject in close proximity as described above. For example, when a bar code, a QR code, a business card, etc. are to be photographed, it means that the photographing may be performed in close proximity to a subject for identification of a bar code, a pattern, a letter, and a number included therein. Switching to the object recognition mode may be automatically performed by an operation of the controller 180 or may be performed by a user's operation.

The controller 180 may control the flash 123 or the like to perform an optimized operation according to the photographing mode. For example, the control operation may be performed such that the flash 123 emits light differently according to the shooting mode, or the flash 123 emits light differently according to the shooting mode. In order to control the flash 123 or the like to be suitable for the object recognition mode, a process of detecting the current state of the subject may be performed.

In operation S20, the sensing of the first state of the subject may be performed.

The first state of the subject may be a distance between the subject and the camera 121. Even when the object recognition mode is automatically switched, there may be a certain range in the distance to the subject where the object recognition may proceed. For example, object recognition may be performed when the distance is between D1 and D2 from the subject.

The distance to the subject may be detected in various ways. For example, it means that the distance to the subject can be detected based on the time when the high frequency or infrared rays emitted toward the subject return, or based on the information acquired from the image being captured. The controller 180 may determine whether the camera 121 is located at which position between the distances D1 to D2.

In operation S30, the sensing of the second state of the subject may be performed.

The second state of the subject may be a brightness of the subject, a position of an external light source, or the like. For example, whether the current brightness of the subject is due to the light generated from the light source around the subject, whether the brightness of the surface of the subject is equal, or which point the external light source is in relation to the subject and the camera 121. It can be whether or not located in.

The current brightness of the subject may affect whether shooting through the camera 121 can be made properly. For example, when the brightness of the subject does not reach the first reference brightness, the captured image may be in a very dark state. If the captured image is too dark, it may not be possible to accurately recognize the characters and / or patterns included in the image. In addition, when the brightness of the subject is higher than the second reference brightness, the captured image may be in a very bright bright state. If the captured image is too bright, it may not be possible to accurately recognize the characters and / or patterns included in the image. The brightness of the subject may be directly detected through an illuminance sensor or may be detected by analyzing an image to be photographed.

Whether the brightness of the subject surface is even may also affect whether shooting through the camera 121 can be appropriately performed. For example, when one area of the subject is very dark and another area is very bright, photographing to correspond to the brightness of a specific area may make it impossible to accurately recognize characters and / or patterns included in the other area. The equality of the brightness of the subject surface may be detected by analyzing the photographed image.

The position of the external light source may also affect whether or not photographing through the camera 121 can be made properly. For example, although the overall brightness by the light emitted from the external light source is appropriate, the external light source may be located where a counterlight phenomenon may occur. When the backlight phenomenon occurs, it may become impossible to accurately recognize the characters and / or patterns included in the photographed image. The position of the external light source may be sensed through the cameras 121 and 121 ′ positioned at the front and the rear of the main body of the mobile terminal 100, or may be sensed through an illumination sensor provided in the mobile terminal 100.

In operation S40, sensing various states of the subject may be used to determine whether the flash 123 should be emitted.

The controller 180 may determine whether the controller 180 is in an appropriate state capable of obtaining information from the image of the subject in consideration of various states of the subject. If the current state, such as the brightness of the subject, is not suitable for capturing the image, the controller 180 may determine the light emission of the flash.

The determining of the amount of light emitted based on the first and second states (S50) and the step of emitting the flash according to the determined amount of light emitted (S60) may be performed.

The amount of light emitted may refer to the degree of light emitted through the flash 123. Light emitted from the flash 123 may vary depending on the current state of the subject. For example, when the subject is dark, the controller 180 can increase the light emission amount of the flash 123 and vice versa.

When the flash is emitted, a step (S70) of photographing a subject and a step (S80) of acquiring data from visual information of the photographed subject may be performed.

The photographing of the subject may be performed through the camera 121.

The visual information may be at least one of a barcode, a QR code, a character, and a pattern displayed on the subject. The controller 180 may acquire data based on the captured visual information.

As described above, the data may be decoded through the wireless communication unit 110 based on the decoding of the bar code as the visual information and the decoded content.

7 and 8 are diagrams illustrating a bar code scanning state according to the distance of the mobile terminal of FIG. 6.

As shown in these figures, the mobile terminal 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention can scan a barcode using the camera 121.

As shown in FIG. 7, in order to photograph a bar code at a specific position, the user may have the mobile terminals 100a and 100b at an appropriate position. For example, it means that the mobile terminal 100 can be moved to be located at the first position 100a or the second position 100b.

When in the first position 100a, it may be spaced apart from the photographing surface by a distance D1 + D2. When in the second position 100b, it may be spaced apart by a distance D1 from the photographing surface. Due to the large distance from the photographing surface, the first photographing area A1 at the first position 100a may be wider than the second photographing area A2 at the second position 100b.

As shown in FIG. 8, the size of the photographed barcode images CO1 and CO2 may vary according to the separation distance from the photographing surface.

As shown in FIG. 8A, the size of the first barcode image CO1 may be small due to the distance from the photographing surface of the first barcode image CO1 at the first position 100a.

As shown in FIG. 8B, the size of the second barcode image CO2 may be increased due to the distance from the photographing surface of the second barcode image CO2 at the second position 100b.

In acquiring visual information included in the barcode images CO1 and CO2, the first barcode image CO1 may be disadvantageous than the second barcode image CO2. That is, since the shooting distance is far, it means that the image is not clear and the pattern included therein may not be clearly identified. Therefore, in order to obtain visual information from barcode images CO1 and CO2, it is necessary to approach and photograph within a certain distance.

9 to 12 are diagrams illustrating one state of a subject that may occur during a scan operation of the mobile terminal of FIG. 6.

As shown in these figures, when photographing a barcode (OB) that is a subject attached to a product by the mobile terminal 100, the state of the subject may become poor due to the proximity of the mobile terminal 100.

As shown in FIG. 9, in photographing the barcode OB, it may be necessary to approach the mobile terminal to the second position 100b in order to capture a clear image.

When the mobile terminal is positioned at the second position 100b, the dark area SA may be generated in the barcode OB by the external light source B. FIG. That is, a part of the barcode OB becomes a bright area BA under direct influence of the external light source B, and the other part of the bar code OB is a dark area SA in which the external light source B is shielded and covered with a shadow. This means it can be.

As shown in FIG. 10, a second barcode image CO2 may be displayed on the second display 151b at the second position 100b. In the displayed second bar code image CO2, a dark area SA may be generated at a portion of the second barcode image CO2.

When the dark area SA occurs, the recognition rate of the visual information of the portion may be reduced. That is, in the second bar code image CO2, a situation in which a pattern of the corresponding part may not be normally identified may occur.

As shown in FIG. 11, the dark area SA and the bright area BA may occur even in the case of a subject which is a business card OB. For example, the upper side of the business card OB is a normal bright area BA, whereas the lower side of the business card OB may be a dark area SA under the influence of the mobile terminal body.

If a dark area SA occurs in some areas, an optical character reader (OCR) function may be impaired. In other words, it may be impossible to read the character to the entire portion or the whole.

After the OCR process, the information included in the photographed business card OB may be processed. For example, it means that the work name, address, etc. included in the business card OB may be stored in a corresponding field of the corresponding database. However, as shown in the figure, the name and the e-mail address part may not be able to obtain related data because the OCR function is not performed because it was not a normal shooting environment.

As shown in Fig. 12, in order to extract necessary data from visual information using an OCR function or the like, the subject needs to be in a state of constant brightness.

The subject may be in the first brightness state S1. This means that the subject is in an appropriate and uniform brightness state. In the case of the first brightness state S1, data extraction from the photographed subject may be performed smoothly.

The subject may be in the second to third brightness states S2 and S3. This means that the subject is too bright or too dark. If the subject is too bright or dark, extraction of data from the photographed subject may be difficult or impossible. For example, when photographing is performed while an excessive amount of light is irradiated on a subject, it means that the photographing is performed entirely in white, so that identification of patterns, characters, and the like may be impossible.

The fourth brightness state S4 may be a case where the brightness is changed according to the position of the subject. In such a case, some areas of the subject may be in an appropriate brightness state, while others may be too bright and others may be dark. Therefore, shooting of the subject may not be smooth.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an auto focusing process of the mobile terminal of FIG. 6.

As shown in the drawing, in order to automatically find the focus of the camera 121, a method of positioning the lens at a point where a peak value of the focus value (FV) occurs may be applied. For example, it means that the lens can be driven so that a peak value of contrast of a subject photographed by the camera 121 is generated.

In the normal brightness state, the first curve L1 may appear. That is, when the subject is photographed to track the change in the contrast value, it means that a peak value may occur at a specific point. The point where the peak value occurs can be viewed as the point where the camera 121 is focused.

In an abnormal brightness state, the second curve L2 may appear. In other words, it means that there is no change in the contrast value or a gentle peak value may not appear. Since the peak value does not occur, it may be difficult to automatically focus the camera 121.

The controller 180 may determine that the subject is not in a normal brightness state when a contrast change such as the second curve L2 appears. This means that the subject is too bright or too dark.

The control unit 180 of the mobile terminal 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, when the state of the part or all of the subject is poor, as in the case described above is difficult to secure the normal visual information, the flash ( 123) can be used to achieve normal brightness.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating the amount of light emitted according to a distance from a subject of the mobile terminal of FIG. 6.

As shown in the drawing, the controller 180 may adjust the brightness of the flash 123 according to the distance from the subject OB.

If the mobile terminal is located at the first position 100a which is a distance D1 from the subject OB, the controller 180 may cause the flash 123 to emit light at the first brightness 121a. That is, since the object OB is far away from the object OB, more light may be emitted to allow the object OB to be sufficiently illuminated.

If the mobile terminal is located at the second position 100b which is a distance D2 from the subject OB, the controller 180 may cause the flash 123 to emit light at the second brightness 121b. The second brightness 121b may be light that is weaker than the first brightness 121a.

When the mobile terminal is located at the third position 100c which is a distance D3 from the subject OB, the controller 180 may cause the flash 123 to emit light at the third brightness 121c. The third brightness 121c may be light that is weaker than the first and second brightnesses 121a and 121b. Since the state is close to the subject OB, the brightness of the subject OB can be appropriately adjusted even when relatively weak light is emitted.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a light emission amount according to a position of an external light source of the mobile terminal of FIG. 6.

As shown in the drawing, the mobile terminal 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention can provide an appropriate amount of light to the subject OB even when the light sources B1 and B2 are in various states.

The first light source B1 may be present among the light sources B1 and B2. The first light source B1 may be located at the front side of the subject OB and positioned at the rear side of the mobile terminal 100. That is, the first light source B1 may be irradiating light directly to the subject OB. The first light source B1 irradiating light onto the subject OB may have a large amount of light. In this state, when photographing the subject OB, the controller 180 can perform photographing without providing additional light using the flash 123.

The second light source B2 may be located at the side or the rear side of the subject OB. When the second light source B2 having a large amount of light is positioned on the side or the back side of the subject OB, it may be in a backlight state. In this case, the controller 180 can detect the glory state through analysis of an image captured by the camera 121. Therefore, the controller 180 may increase the amount of light of the flash 123 so that the photographing of the subject OB is normally performed. The controller 180 may determine the light amount of the flash 123 based on the distance to the subject OB, the brightness of the second light source B2, and the like.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a light emission amount according to test light emission of the mobile terminal of FIG. 6.

As shown in the drawing, the controller 180 of the mobile terminal 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may determine the amount of light optimized for a subject under object recognition through preliminary light emission several times.

The controller 180 may perform preliminary light emission at points t1, t2, and t3. The preliminary light emission may be performed at regular intervals before the time t4 at which the main shooting for storing the image of the subject OB is performed.

The controller 180 may vary the amount of light of the flash 123 of each preliminary light emission. For example, light may be emitted light at time t1, light at medium brightness at time t2, and light at light time t3. The preliminary light emission is performed, and the controller 180 can determine the state of the subject OB being photographed. For example, at time t1 when the amount of light is weak, the brightness of the photographed subject OB is too dark, at time t3 when the amount of light is strong, the subject OB is too bright, and at time t2 of medium brightness, the brightness of the subject OB is appropriate. It means you can.

Based on the result of the preliminary light emission from t1 to t3, the controller 180 may perform main shooting while performing main light emission at a time t4. The controller 180 may perform the main light emission to the extent that it is determined to be the most appropriate light amount through the preliminary light emission.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a process in the case where an optical character recognition (OCR) of the mobile terminal of FIG. 6 fails.

As shown in the drawing, the controller 180 of the mobile terminal 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may perform a OCR function on the photographed business card image CO to identify a character or the like.

In the process of performing the OCR function, character recognition for the dark area SA may fail.

If the character recognition for the dark area SA fails, the controller 180 may perform at least one of the following cases. For example, the controller 180 may perform photographing on the business card image CO again. In performing the reshooting, the controller 180 may cause the flash 123 to emit light differently than before. For example, it means that the flash 123 can be made stronger or weaker.

The controller 180 may edit the business card image CO. That is, without re-photographing, it is possible to adjust the contrast, color, etc. of the existing business card image (CO) taken so that the characters included in the portion where the character recognition failed can be recognized.

The controller 180 may perform editing by applying an image binarization technique. That is, a pixel having a value lower than a specific threshold is black, and a pixel having a value greater than or equal to a threshold is processed as white. Through the image binarization technique, it is possible to clarify unknown characters and the like. If character recognition is performed through editing without re-taking, additional time for re-taking can be prevented.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an image capturing time point of the mobile terminal of FIG. 6.

As shown in the drawing, the controller 180 of the mobile terminal 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention can adjust a time point at which the image of the subject is captured.

As shown in FIG. 18A, an image of a subject may be photographed at a time t1. An OCR procedure may be performed on an image captured between a time point t1 and a time point t2. If the captured image is poor and the OCR procedure fails, the controller 180 can retake the image at time t2.

As shown in FIG. 18B, the controller 180 can perform the OCR procedure in real time by activating the camera 121 from the time t1. The controller 180 performing the OCR procedure may determine that the OCR procedure is successfully performed at time t2. That is, at time t2, the text included in the subject is recognized successfully. If the OCR procedure is successfully performed, images can be taken and saved at time t2. By performing the OCR procedure in advance and taking and storing the image only when successful, the necessity of re-taking due to the OCR failure may be eliminated as compared to the case where the OCR procedure is performed after the image is taken. Therefore, more effective image capturing can be performed.

19 is a view illustrating a light emitting state of a flash according to the battery capacity of the mobile terminal of FIG. 6.

As shown in the drawing, the controller 180 of the mobile terminal 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may selectively emit the flash 123 according to the battery capacity.

The vertical axis of the illustrated graph corresponds to the charge amount C of the battery of the mobile terminal 100, and the horizontal axis corresponds to the time t.

The charge amount C of the battery may be gradually reduced according to the use of the mobile terminal 100. For example, it may be C2 at time t1 and C1 at time t2.

The controller 180 may prevent the flash 123 from operating if the battery's charge amount C is less than the preset reference. For example, if the charge amount is less than C1, it means that the flash 123 may not be operated. By selectively operating the flash 123 that consumes a lot of battery according to the amount of charge of the battery, the battery may be used more effectively.

20 and 21 illustrate an indicator display process according to the state of the subject of the mobile terminal of FIG. 6.

As shown in these drawings, the controller 180 of the mobile terminal 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may guide the user to capture a more clear subject image CO.

As shown in FIG. 20A, the camera 180 may include an image sensor CCD that picks up an image of a subject. The image of the subject may be projected on the image sensor CCD. An image of the subject projected onto the image sensor CCD may be analyzed and / or stored based on a control signal of the controller 180.

The controller 180 may logically divide the image sensor CCD into a plurality of zones. That is, although not physically partitioned, it means that the image sensor CCD can be logically divided into grids as necessary.

In a state where the image sensor CCD is logically divided, the controller 180 can calculate brightness of each zone. By calculating the brightness of each zone, it is possible to determine whether each zone is a state suitable for recognition of the current character. For example, as shown, it can be determined that the right portion of the barcode image CO is in a dark state.

The actual image of the barcode image CO determined to be in a dark state by the image sensor CCD may be in a state as shown in FIG. 20B. That is, it can be seen that the right part of the barcode image CO is in a darker state than the left part, and the controller 180 analyzes the fact through the analysis of the image sensor CCD as shown in FIG. It can be detected.

As illustrated in FIG. 21A, the controller 180 may display the indicator IC1 on the display 180. The indicator IC1 may indicate a direction in which the mobile terminal 100 should be moved to obtain a clear image. The indicator IC1 may indicate the direction in which the user should move as a display in the left-right direction, the up-down direction, and the front-rear direction.

As shown in (b) of FIG. 21, when the barcode image CO moves in accordance with the indication of the indicator IC1 and the barcode image CO is in an appropriate brightness state, the display of the indicator IC1 indicating the moving direction may disappear. .

FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating a process of displaying a guide line according to a state of a subject of FIG. 6, FIG.

As shown in the drawing, the controller 180 of the mobile terminal 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may change the display of the guide lines GL1 to GL4 according to the state of the photographed barcode image CO. .

As shown in FIG. 22A, the photographing state of the barcode image CO may be good. If the state of the photographed barcode image CO is good, visual information may be smoothly obtained even when the size of the barcode image CO is relatively small.

The controller 180 may change the positions of the guide lines GL1 and GL2 when the current photographing state is good. For example, it may be displayed by changing from the first guideline GL1 state to the second guideline G2 state.

The guidelines GL1 and GL2 are lines for displaying to the user that visual information included in the barcode image CO can be read when the barcode image CO is photographed with a size larger than a predetermined area therein. Can be. Therefore, when the guide lines GL1 and GL2 move from the first guide line GL1 to the second guide line GL2, it means that data can be obtained smoothly even when photographing a subject from a long distance.

As shown in FIG. 22B, the photographing state of the barcode image CO may be poor. For example, the lighting state may not be good, and thus, the captured barcode image CO in the current state may not normally acquire visual information.

The controller 180 may move and display the guide lines GL3 and GL4 from the position of the third guide line GL3 to the position of the fourth guide line GL4. That is, it means that the user is informed that the visual information can be read only when the subject is closer to the subject than the present time.

By changing and displaying the guide lines GL1 to GL4 in accordance with the image state of the subject being photographed, the possibility of failing to obtain visual information can be reduced.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, such modifications or variations are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims.

100: mobile terminal 110: wireless communication unit
140: sensing unit 151: display unit
180:

Claims (17)

At least one camera;
A flash located adjacent to at least one of said at least one camera; And
And a controller configured to selectively emit the flash based on the recognized state of the subject in the object recognition mode for the subject. The method according to claim 1,
The control unit,
And determine a state of the subject based on a distance between the subject and the camera. The method of claim 2,
The control unit,
And the light emission amount of the flash increases in proportion to the distance from the subject. The method according to claim 1,
The control unit,
And determine a state of the subject based on a position of an external light source with respect to the subject. 5. The method of claim 4,
The control unit,
And emit the flash when the external light source is at a counterlight position with respect to at least a portion of the subject. The method according to claim 1,
The control unit,
And a state of the subject is determined through a plurality of pre-flashes using the flash. The method of claim 6,
More memory,
The control unit,
And photographing the subject and storing the object in the memory while at least one preliminary light is emitted from the plurality of preliminary lights. The method according to claim 1,
The subject is,
And visual information including at least one of a character, a barcode, and a pattern obtainable by photographing through the camera,
The control unit,
And obtaining and storing data included in the captured visual information. The method of claim 8,
The control unit,
And when at least some of the data included in the captured visual information cannot be identified, re-photographing the subject at least once by changing the light emission of the flash. The method of claim 8,
The control unit,
And when at least some of the data included in the captured visual information cannot be identified, the data is extracted by changing a state of an image corresponding to the at least part. The method according to claim 1,
The subject includes visual information including at least one of a character, a barcode, and a pattern obtainable by photographing through the camera,
The control unit,
And photographing the subject and storing the subject in a memory when the condition for identifying data included in the visual information of the subject is satisfied in the process of selectively emitting the flash. The method according to claim 1,
Further includes a battery,
The control unit,
And the flash emits light when the amount of charge of the battery is greater than or equal to a preset range. The method according to claim 1,
The subject is,
And visual information including at least one of a character, a barcode, and a pattern obtainable by photographing through the camera,
The control unit,
And when at least some of the data included in the captured visual information cannot be identified, guiding a shooting state capable of identifying the at least some of the data which cannot be identified. The method of claim 13,
The at least one camera,
An image sensor for picking up the image of the subject (image pickup),
The control unit,
The image sensor divides the image sensor into a plurality of areas, and determines whether to identify the data according to whether the data for each of the plurality of areas can be identified. Initiating a thing recognition mode;
Selectively flashing the flash based on the recognized state of the subject; And
And storing an image of the subject taken by the camera while the flash is emitted. The method of claim 15,
Light emission through the flash,
And at least one of a distance from the subject, a position of an external light source with respect to the subject, and a state of the subject determined through a plurality of preliminary emission using the flash. The method of claim 15,
The subject is,
And visual information including at least one of a character, a barcode, and a pattern obtainable by photographing by the camera.

Images