KR101244885B1 - Antitheft portable terminal and method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a portable terminal having an anti-theft function and a method for preventing theft thereof.
A portable terminal having an anti-theft function according to the present invention includes an azimuth sensor for measuring a position using an azimuth angle; A motion detector detecting a movement of the terminal based on the position measured by the azimuth sensor; A controller for determining that the terminal is out of the occupancy range of the user when the terminal does not move for a set time, and generating an alarm signal when the terminal is moved out of the user occupancy range; And a speaker configured to receive an alarm signal and output an alarm sound.
The anti-theft method of a terminal according to the present invention comprises a first step of detecting the movement of the terminal using a motion detection unit mounted on the portable terminal; A second step of determining that the terminal is out of the occupancy range of the user when the terminal does not move for a set time; A third step of detecting a movement of the terminal by using the motion detector in a state where the terminal is out of a user's occupation range; And a fourth step of outputting an alarm sound through the speaker of the terminal when there is movement of the terminal in the third step.

Description

Anti-theft portable terminal and its anti-theft method {Antitheft Portable Terminal and Method}

The present invention relates to a portable terminal having an anti-theft function capable of preventing the terminal outside the user's possession range from being controlled by another person and a method for preventing theft thereof.

With the development of semiconductor and IT technologies, electronic products are becoming smaller, and portable terminals including voice / video calls and multimedia functions and entertainment functions are increasing.

For example, mobile phones include a variety of additional functions beyond simple calls, and in particular, the spread of smart phones, in which the platform is installed and the use of applications is enhanced. In addition, tablet PC (Tablet Personal Computer) is more portable than the existing netbook (netbook), and has the advantage that can easily utilize a variety of applications, such as smart phones.

These latest personal digital assistants have a tendency for users to carry them all the time due to the increased usage and easy portability. As the carrying amount increases, the risk of loss and theft of the terminal increases.

In particular, if the terminal is lost or not lost, even if the terminal is left out of the user's control, it is very likely to be stolen by another person.

The terminal of the lost personal information device is not only expensive equipment, but also stores personal information and important data in many cases, so the problem caused by theft is inevitably greater.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a portable terminal having an anti-theft function capable of preventing theft of the portable terminal and a method for preventing theft thereof.

In order to solve the above problems, a portable terminal having an anti-theft function according to the present invention comprises an azimuth sensor for measuring a position using an azimuth; A motion detector detecting a movement of the terminal based on the position measured by the azimuth sensor; A controller for determining that the terminal is out of the occupancy range of the user when the terminal does not move for a set time, and generating an alarm signal when the terminal is moved out of the user occupancy range; And a speaker configured to receive an alarm signal and output an alarm sound.

In this case, the motion detection unit may determine whether the terminal is moved by comparing the difference between the current position of the terminal measured after calculating the reference position and the reference position of the terminal.

The azimuth sensor may use a geomagnetic sensor.

The control unit includes a security mode for determining whether the terminal is within the occupancy range of the user; Anti-theft mode for detecting the movement of the terminal when the terminal is out of the occupancy range of the user; And a normal mode for stopping the operation of the security mode or the anti-theft mode by the release command of the user.

The control unit includes a mode setting unit for receiving a user command for setting the security mode and the normal mode; And a data processor configured to control the mode setting unit to set the anti-theft mode when the movement of the terminal is detected in the security mode state, and generate an alarm signal when the movement of the terminal is detected in the anti-theft mode. .

The mode setting unit and the data processing unit are software linked to the platform installed in the portable terminal, and operate in the background state of the terminal.

The anti-theft method of a terminal according to the present invention comprises a first step of detecting the movement of the terminal using a motion detection unit mounted on the portable terminal; A second step of determining that the terminal is out of the occupancy range of the user when the terminal does not move for a set time; A third step of detecting a movement of the terminal by using the motion detector in a state where the terminal is out of a user's occupation range; And a fourth step of outputting an alarm sound through the speaker of the terminal when there is movement of the terminal in the third step.

The determining of the movement of the terminal in the second and fourth steps may include calculating a reference position at an arbitrary time point through a motion detection unit; Calculating a current position after a predetermined time elapses at any time; Calculating a difference between the reference position and the current position; And determining that the terminal is moved when the difference between the reference position and the current position is greater than or equal to the threshold value.

The reference position and the current position may use the average reference position and the average current position, which are average values of the positions measured two or more times within a predetermined time range.

In addition, determining whether the terminal is moving and generating an alarm signal for outputting an alarm sound is implemented as an application program. The application program operates in a background state of the terminal and is separated from the operation of other programs.

The mobile terminal having an anti-theft function and the anti-theft method thereof according to the present invention can prevent the terminal from being dominated by another person by outputting an alarm sound when there is a movement of the terminal out of the occupied state of the user.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a portable terminal having an anti-theft function according to the present invention.
2 is a flow chart showing a method for preventing theft of a mobile terminal according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention in which the above object can be specifically realized are described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In describing the embodiments, the same name and symbol are used for the same configuration, and additional description thereof will be omitted.

The mobile terminal (hereinafter referred to as 'terminal') 100 including the anti-theft function of the present invention may basically be a mobile phone providing a mobile communication service by accessing a mobile communication network, and providing a platform for utilizing software. It may be a PC. Therefore, what is shown and described in the configuration of the terminal 100 presented in the present invention including FIG. 1, the terminal 100 of the present invention in a configuration separate from the configuration for providing a mobile communication service in the existing mobile phone, etc. It may be included in, or may correspond to the same configuration in the hardware and to perform other functions.

Referring to FIG. 1, the terminal 100 of the present invention includes an azimuth sensor 110, a motion detector 121, a counter 30, a controller 120, and a speaker 50.

The azimuth sensor 110 is used to calculate the position of the terminal 100 and may use a geomagnetic sensor. That is, the azimuth sensor 110 may measure the absolute position of the azimuth sensor 110 rather than the relative position.

The motion detector 121 measures the position of the terminal 100 based on the signal detected by the azimuth sensor 110. The motion detector 121 calculates a difference in the position of the terminal 100 calculated at predetermined time intervals, and provides the data processing unit 125 as a basis for determining whether the terminal 100 has moved before and after a predetermined time. To provide.

The audio processor 130 processes the alarm sound and other audio signals about theft and outputs the same through the speaker SPK.

The controller 120 determines an operation mode for preventing theft of the terminal 100 together with the control of the overall operation of the terminal 100, and generates a signal for generating an alarm. The controller 120 collectively refers to a functional configuration implemented by a processor chip which is basically hardware owned by a known terminal 100 and a program operated by the chip.

As mentioned above, since the description of the general functions of the terminal 100 is omitted in the description of the embodiment of the present invention, the controller 120 associated with the technical features of the present invention will be described below.

The control unit 120 includes a mode setting unit 123 and a data processing unit 125 to implement an anti-theft function.

The mode setting unit 123 sets a function of the terminal 100 for the anti-theft function. For the anti-theft function, the control unit 120 may be divided into three types of [normal mode], [protection mode] and [anti-theft mode].

[Normal mode] means a state in which the anti-theft function is not performed.

[Protect mode] is to start a function for theft prevention. After the protection mode is set and started, a process of determining whether the terminal 100 leaves the occupancy range of the user is performed.

In the [anti-theft mode], when it is determined that the terminal 100 is out of the user's occupation range in the state of [protection mode], the terminal 100 monitors the terminal 100 so as not to be controlled by another's hand.

The data processing unit 125 controls the mode setting unit 123 to set the [anti-theft mode] when the terminal 100 determines that the user is out of the occupied state in the [protection mode]. In addition, the data processor 125 outputs an alarm sound through the speaker 50 when the terminal 100 moves in the [theft prevention mode].

The mode setting unit 123 and the data processing unit 125 may be at least one application program installed in the terminal 100 as software written in a program language capable of being interpreted by a computer and processing the designated series of instructions. have.

First Embodiment

2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for preventing theft according to the present invention. Referring to FIG. 2, a first embodiment of a method for preventing theft of a terminal according to the present invention will be described.

First, the mode setting unit 123 receives an input of a user's control command and starts an operation. That is, the anti-theft function of the terminal 100 is activated by selecting the operation of the [security mode].

[Security mode] is for determining whether the terminal 100 is out of the control range of the user. As can be seen in the procedure described below, the terminal 100 determines that the user is out of the control range if there is no change of position during the set time in the [security mode] state.

And [Security Mode] can work even in "back ground" state. Thus, since the anti-theft function operates in the "background" state, the user can use other functions of the terminal even when the anti-theft function is performed.

And, in order to determine the change in the position of the terminal 100, the reference position is first calculated. In order to measure the position of the terminal 100 including the reference position, an azimuth sensor such as a geomagnetic sensor may be used. As described above, the absolute position of the terminal 100 can be calculated by using the azimuth sensor. In the case of using the acceleration sensor built in the conventional terminal, the position change can be detected only at the moment when the terminal is moved, and in order to identify the position change, the time interval for measuring the position must be set very short. However, since the terminal 100 of the present invention measures the absolute position, even if the position is not measured at the moment when the movement occurs, the terminal 100 may detect the movement of the terminal 100 once the position change occurs.

After calculating the reference position, the counter 30 is reset and counting is started. At this time, the counting time means a "setting time" for recalculating the position of the terminal 100 to determine whether the terminal 100 is out of the user's occupation range. That is, in the operation of the anti-theft function of the present invention, if the terminal 100 does not move during the "set time", the terminal 100 determines that the user is out of the controllable range.

Therefore, if the setting time is increased, the time for determining whether the terminal 100 is out of the control range of the user is delayed. If the setting time is short, the control range is made even if the actual terminal 100 is within the control range of the user. It can be judged as out of. That is, the setting time may be arbitrarily set by the user between 10 minutes and 1 hour in consideration of such factors. (S203, S204, S205)

After the "setting time" has elapsed, the current position is calculated to determine a change in the position of the terminal 100. (S206)

The motion detector 121 compares the reference position with the current position. That is, the terminal 100 compares whether there is a change in position after the "setting time" at the time when the terminal operates in the [security mode].

The motion detector 121 may compare the reference position and the current position by using a difference between corresponding variables as shown in Equation 1 below. For example, when the reference position is (x0, y0, z0) and the current position is (x1, y1, z1), the absolute value of the difference (d) between the reference position and the current position is expressed by Equation 1 below. It can be calculated using.

Using Equation 1, the difference between the reference position and the current position can be calculated. If the reference position and the current position are exactly the same, the 'd' value will be '0'. As the difference between the reference position and the current position increases, the value of 'd' has a larger value (S207).

The data processor 125 determines whether the current position is changed by using the difference d between the reference position and the current position calculated by the motion detector 121, and according to the result, the mode of the mode setting unit 123 is determined. Reset it.

In calculation, it should be determined that the current position has changed from the reference position unless the value of 'd' is '0', but in this case, the error of the azimuth sensor 110 may be affected by external factors such as magnetism. have. Accordingly, the threshold value, which is a reference for determining the position change, is set in advance, and the data processor 125 determines that the position of the terminal 100 has changed when the difference between the two azimuth angles is greater than or equal to a specific threshold value.

At this time, if the reference position and the current position is not the same, the terminal 100 is considered to be continuously occupied by the user and maintains the [security mode]. Therefore, the process of continuously detecting the position change of the terminal 100 every "set time" is repeated. That is, if the current position has changed from the reference position, the current position is selected as the reference position and is repeated from step S202.

If the reference position and the current position is the same after the "set time", the terminal 100 is considered to be left out of the occupancy range of the user [theft prevention mode] is activated (S208).

The anti-theft mode considers that the terminal 100 is out of the user's occupation range and monitors the terminal 100 being controlled by another person.

That is, the motion detector 121 continuously recalculates the current position and calculates a difference between the reference position and the current position. At this time, the reference position means the current position calculated in step S206. Since the anti-theft mode is activated because it is determined that there is no change of position after the [security mode] is activated, the reference position set in step S202 may be used as it is, but the step S206 indicating the most recent position. Use the current position calculated in the reference position.

In addition, the operation of comparing the difference between the reference position and the current position to detect the motion in the [anti-theft mode] is to be performed every short unit time interval. This is because the position change of the terminal 100 in the [anti-theft mode] is regarded as being controlled by another person, so as to grasp the position change close to real time. For example, in [theft prevention mode], the current position can be recalculated every few seconds and compared with the reference position. (S209, S210)

The motion detector 121 calculates the difference between the reference position and the current position in this manner, and the data processor 125 generates an alarm signal when the position of the terminal 100 changes in the [anti-theft mode]. That is, it is determined that the change in the position of the terminal 100 means that the terminal 100 leaves the original place by the hand of another person, and outputs an alarm sound through the speaker 50 of the terminal 100. (S211 )

The release of the anti-theft function is performed by inputting a release command through the mode setting unit 123. The release command uses a method such as a password. When the release command is input as described above, the anti-theft function and the alarm sound are stopped. (S212, S213)

As described above, the method for preventing theft of a mobile terminal according to the present invention determines that the terminal 100 is out of possession of the user when there is no position change for a predetermined time, and generates an alarm when the position changes in this state. An alarm is generated when trying to take this terminal 100. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the loss and theft of the terminal 100.

The above-described anti-theft method has been described as an embodiment in which a release command is input in a state where an alarm sound is output. However, the release command may be entered at any stage before the alarm tone is generated. If a release command is input in the [Security Mode] or [Anti-Theft Mode] state, the state is maintained in the [Normal Mode] state at which the anti-theft function is stopped at that moment.

Second Embodiment

In the above-described embodiment, the process of determining the position change in the state of [security mode] calculates the reference position and calculates the current position after the "set time" to determine whether there is a position change.

However, after calculating the reference position, the terminal 100 may be moved to the original position again, and the current position calculated after the "setting time" may be the same as the reference position.

Alternatively, as mentioned above, it is necessary to register the "setting time" too short to prevent excessively frequent changes to the [anti-theft mode], and to reset the reference position by capturing as soon as possible the current position.

Therefore, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, the current position can be calculated at least once before the "set time" elapses, and the calculated current position can be compared with the reference position.

If the current position is changed from the standard position, the current position is reselected as the standard position and the subsequent operation is repeated again.

If the current position has not changed from the reference position, after the "setting time" has elapsed, the current position is again calculated and compared with the reference position, and the procedure according to the result of the comparison proceeds as in the first embodiment.

Third Embodiment

According to the present invention, the process of resetting the mode in the [security mode] and the deeming of the terminal 100 as the occupied state by another person in the [anti-theft mode] are determined based on the movement of the terminal 100.

In the first and second embodiments, the change of the position of the terminal 100 is determined by comparing the reference position with the current position.

In the third embodiment, the average value of the position may be used to reduce the misjudgment in the process of comparing the reference position and the current position to determine whether to move.

That is, the calculation of the reference position is calculated as the average reference position obtained as the average of the positions calculated through several measurements during the unit time. The current position is calculated as the average current position, which is obtained as the average of the position calculated through several measurements during the unit time.

In the third embodiment, the change of the position is determined using the average reference position and the average current position.

In the case of using the measurement of the reference position and the current position once, it may be judged that there is a movement even when there is no movement due to a large error caused by external interference in any one measurement value. However, using the average of the measurement several times, the average reference position and the average current position can reflect the error around the azimuth sensor 110, it is possible to more accurately detect the position change of the terminal 100.

It is to be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in many other forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, Accordingly, the above-described embodiments are to be considered illustrative and not restrictive, and all embodiments within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (10)

An azimuth sensor for measuring a position using an azimuth angle;
A motion detector for detecting a movement of the terminal based on the position measured by the azimuth sensor;
A control unit for determining that the terminal is out of the occupancy range of the user when the terminal does not move for a set time, and generating an alarm signal when the terminal is moved out of the occupancy range of the user; And
And a speaker configured to receive the alarm signal and output an alarm sound.
The motion detecting unit compares the difference between the reference position of the terminal and the current position measured after the set time at the time when the reference position is measured, and determines whether the terminal moves. .
delete The method of claim 1,
The azimuth sensor is a portable terminal having an anti-theft function, characterized in that for measuring the absolute position of the terminal using a geomagnetic sensor.
The method of claim 1,
The control unit
A security mode for determining whether the terminal is within the occupancy range of the user;
An anti-theft mode for detecting a movement of the terminal when the terminal is out of the user's occupation range; And
And a normal mode for stopping the operation of the security mode or the anti-theft mode by a release command of the user.
The method of claim 4, wherein
The control unit
A mode setting unit which receives a command of the user for setting the security mode and the general mode; And
When the movement of the terminal is detected in the security mode state, the mode setting unit is controlled to set the anti-theft mode, and when the movement of the terminal is detected in the anti-theft mode data processing unit for generating the alarm signal Portable terminal having an anti-theft function, comprising a.
The method of claim 5, wherein
The mode setting unit and the data processing unit are software linked to a platform installed in the portable terminal, the portable terminal having an anti-theft function, characterized in that operating in the background of the terminal.
A first step of detecting a movement of the terminal by using a motion detection unit mounted in the portable terminal;
A second step of determining that the terminal is out of a user's occupation range when the terminal does not move for a set time;
A third step of detecting a movement of the terminal by using the movement detecting unit when the terminal is out of the occupation range of the user; And
And a fourth step of outputting an alarm sound through the speaker of the terminal when there is movement of the terminal in the third step.
The determining of the movement of the terminal in the second and fourth steps
Calculating a reference position at an arbitrary time point through the motion detection unit;
Calculating a current position after a predetermined time elapses at the arbitrary time point;
Calculating a difference between the reference position and the current position; And
And determining that the terminal is moved when the difference between the reference position and the current position is greater than or equal to a threshold value.
delete The method of claim 7, wherein
The reference position and the current position
The anti-theft method of a portable terminal, characterized by using the average reference position and the average current position that is the average value for the position measured more than two times within a certain time range.
The method of claim 7, wherein
The method of determining the movement of the terminal and generating an alarm signal for outputting the alarm sound is separated from the operation of other programs by operating in the background state in the terminal, characterized in that the anti-theft method of a portable terminal.

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