KR101594456B1 - Accessory for smart phone - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a smartphone accessory, and more particularly, to a new smartphone accessory that is inserted into an earphone jack of a smartphone and adjusted by a smartphone.
An accessory to be inserted into the earphone jack according to the present invention includes a body constituting an external appearance of an accessory and a control unit for sending a first signal to a smartphone for sending a first signal distinguishable from a signal generated upon insertion of the earphone; An earphone insertion port at one side of the body; And a plug inserted into an earphone terminal existing on the other side of the body; .

Description

Smartphone accessories {ACCESSORY FOR SMART PHONE}

The present invention relates to a smartphone accessory, and more particularly, to a new smartphone accessory that is inserted into an earphone jack of a smartphone and adjusted by a smartphone.

Conventional mobile phones have a through-hole through which a ring can be inserted into the main body, and a variety of accessories can be connected by attaching a line to the through-hole. However, in terms of design, a smartphone has no through hole in the main body. Accordingly, accessories to be inserted into an earphone jack of a smartphone are being developed.

Korean Utility Model Registration Open Publication No. 20-2013-0004151 discloses a smartphone earphone jack cover with an ornamental insert inserted into the earphone jack of a smartphone.

Korean Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2013-0103854 discloses a light emitting ear cap accessory using an earphone terminal power source. The ornaments and sculptures of the accessories are devices for enhancing the functions of the accessories by scattering or condensing light, and are devices for emitting and receiving alarms by the incoming signals of smart phones or mobile phones, It is an accessory.

However, when a conductive plug is inserted into the earphone jack, most smartphones recognize the accessory as an earphone and automatically switch to the earphone call mode so that the phone speaker is not operated. Therefore, in order to operate the phone speaker, This inconveniences the user to disconnect the inserted accessory and then put it back in. This is a major obstacle to the development of an accessory to be inserted into an earphone jack.

In addition, there is a problem that when the accessories are inserted into the earphone jack of the smartphone, the earphone can not be used. Considering that most users use earphones to listen to music or broadcast even at normal times, this is also a major factor in deteriorating the user experience of the accessories that are inserted into earphone jacks.

A problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a new smartphone accessory capable of operating a phone speaker when an accessory is inserted into the earphone jack of the smartphone.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a new smartphone accessory capable of using an earphone while an accessory is inserted into the earphone jack of the smartphone.

Another problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a program capable of adjusting an accessory inserted in an earphone jack of a smartphone and controlling the operation of the smartphone according to the type of the accessory.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for preventing a mix of an accessory inserted in an earphone jack of a smartphone with another voice signal outputted through an earphone terminal when the accessory is adjusted through an earphone terminal.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an accessory to be inserted into an earphone jack of a smartphone according to the present invention includes a body constituting an external appearance of an accessory, A control unit; An earphone insertion port at one side of the body; And a plug inserted into an earphone terminal existing on the other side of the body; .

In the present invention, the body of the accessory may have various shapes, and it is preferable that the shape of the accessory is a specific character. In the practice of the present invention, the character may be a functional accessory in which a part of the body can operate, for example, a blinking eye, a body can be vibrated, and a bulb decorated with characters is operated. A small electric magnet and a power supply circuit may be included for the operation and vibration of the character, flicker of the bulb, and the like.

In the present invention, the controller may be installed inside the accessory body, and uses the power of the smart phone as a power source. In the practice of the invention, the smartphone is powered through the earphone plug of the accessory inserted into the earphone terminal of the smartphone.

In the present invention, when the earphone plug is inserted into the earphone jack of the smartphone, the controller transmits a first signal so that the smartphone can distinguish the insertion of the accessory and the insertion of the earphone. The first signal may be, for example, a hook signal. The hook signal may be generated by a hook circuit provided in the control unit, and the hook circuit may transmit a signal when power is supplied through the earphone jack.

The control unit transmits a second signal different from the first signal depending on whether or not a plug of the earphone is inserted into the earphone insertion port of the accessory. The second signal may be a second hook signal. The second hook signal may be a substitute for the transmission of the first hook signal and may be transmitted together with the first signal.

In the present invention, the control unit receives a control signal for controlling the operation of the accessory through the earphone jack of the smartphone. The operation signal may be input together with a voice signal output through an earphone jack of a smartphone. The control unit separates the voice signal of the smartphone from the control signal for controlling the operation of the body part, transmits the voice signal to the earphone through the earphone insertion port, and operates the body using the control signal.

In the present invention, the control signal may be introduced into an acoustic signal of a different wavelength band, preferably an ultrasonic signal, so as to prevent the control signal from being mixed with a voice signal of a smartphone. The term " ultrasonic signal " means a signal including the frequency of the ultrasonic wave region.

The ultrasonic signal is composed of a frequency signal of an ultrasonic wave region, specifically a frequency signal of 16 KHz or more and a frequency signal of an audible frequency region, specifically a frequency signal of less than 16 KHz, and the frequency signal of the ultrasonic wave region is interpreted as " 1 " , And the audible frequency signal is a signal interpreted as " 0 ". The ultrasonic signal may be transmitted as a packet, and may include a header area and a signal area for informing of the transmission of the signal. The signal area may be divided into a predetermined sub-area, and the sub-areas may be spaced apart by a predetermined time interval . The ultrasound signals are input into a pair of signals through different channels of the earphone jack, preferably left and right channels connected to left and right speakers.

The control unit separates the voice signal and the ultrasound control signal input through the left and right channels of the earphone terminal by using the reference wavelength of 16 kHz and controls the operation of the accessory according to the control signal.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the control unit includes: a signal transmitting unit for transmitting a hook signal to a smartphone; a receiving unit for receiving a signal transmitted from a smartphone; a signal for separating a voice signal and a control signal from the received signal; An operation unit for controlling the operation of the accessory using the control signal separated from the signal processing unit, and a voice transmission unit for transmitting the separated voice signal to the earphone connected to the accessory.

In the present invention, the insertion port in which the earphone existing in the body of the accessory is inserted may use the same earphone jack as that of the earphone jack, which is preferably installed in a smartphone. The earphone jack is electrically connected to the control unit, and a second signal is generated by inserting the earphone jack.

In the present invention, the plug inserted into the earphone terminal present in the body of the accessory may be a conventional plug inserted into the earphone jack of the smartphone, and may preferably be a cylindrical plug existing at the end of a conventional earphone.

In the present invention, the " smartphone " to which the accessory is coupled is not limited to a smart phone, and includes an earphone jack and a phone speaker into which an earphone is inserted, And is understood to include all mobile devices capable of communicating. Examples include 3G, 4G smartphones, or smart pads and tablets.

In the present invention, the operation of the smartphone, specifically the output operation of voice, is changed according to the presence or absence of the signal output from the accessory and the type of the signal. In the case where there is no signal output from the accessory in the practice of the invention, voice is output to the phone speaker when the plug is not inserted into the earphone jack, and voice is output through the earphone terminal when the plug is inserted into the earphone jack.

If there is a first signal indicating that an accessory has been inserted, even if a plug is inserted into the earphone jack, the smartphone outputs a voice to the phone speaker without outputting voice at the earphone terminal. Also, when there is a second signal indicating that the accessory with the earphone is inserted, no voice is output to the phone speaker, and voice is output to the earphone terminal.

In the present invention, it is preferable that an application program, for example, a basic app, is installed in the smartphone in order to recognize the presence or absence of a signal output from the accessory and change the operation mode of the smartphone.

In the present invention, the basic app can transmit a control signal that can control the operation of the accessory in addition to the recognition of the signal output from the accessory. The operation signal of the smartphone may be transmitted to the controller of the accessory with the ultrasonic signal using the frequency of the non-audible region, preferably the ultrasonic region, in order to avoid interference with the voice signal of the other audible region generated in the smartphone .

In the embodiment of the present invention, the basic application can set the control signals of the driving of the smartphone and the accessory to be interlocked with each other. For example, when receiving a text message or a telephone call, the accessory eye may be moved or a control signal may be sent to cause the LED bulb at the bottom of the mouth to flash.

In the practice of the present invention, it is preferable that the basic application modifies the operation mode of the smartphone and is installed for driving the accessory, and is preferably installed at the kernel end of the smartphone.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the basic app installed in the smartphone into which the accessory is inserted includes a recognizing unit capable of recognizing the first signal and the second signal of the accessory, a setting unit changing a call setting of the smartphone, And an app control unit for transmitting an operation signal to an accessory.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the basic app can stop dispatching a control signal that controls the operation of the accessory when the second signal is recognized in the accessory, i.e., the earphone is inserted into the accessory. When the transmission of the control signal is stopped, only the voice signal is output through the earphone terminal, and the control unit of the accessory functions as a transmission unit for transmitting the input signal to the earphone.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a portable terminal, comprising: a body configuring an appearance of an accessory; a control unit for sending a first signal distinguishable from a signal generated when an earphone is inserted into a smartphone; An earphone insertion port at one side of the body; And a plug inserted into an earphone terminal existing on the other side of the body; And a smartphone in which a program for changing an audio signal transmission mode of the smartphone according to a first signal output from the accessory and transmitting an operation signal of the accessory is installed.
In one aspect, the present invention provides a cosmetic device comprising a body constituting an appearance of an accessory,
An earphone insertion port at one side of the body;
A metal plug inserted into an earphone terminal existing on the other side of the body; And
And a control unit,
The controller transmits the first signal to the smartphone when the accessory into which the earphone is not inserted is inserted into the mobile phone. The smartphone recognizes the first signal and outputs the sound of the smartphone to the speakerphone,
Wherein when the accessory in which the earphone is inserted is inserted into the smartphone, the second signal is transmitted to the smartphone, and the smartphone recognizes the second signal and outputs the sound of the smartphone to the earphone terminal. Lt; / RTI >

According to the present invention, an accessory in which the speaker phone is operated even when the accessory is inserted into the earphone terminal of the smartphone is provided, thereby improving the inconvenience of removing the accessory from the earphone terminal in order to receive the call.

In addition, since the earphone can be inserted into the accessory, it is possible to listen to music, play games, and receive a call with the earphone while the accessory is installed.

1 is a front and a side view of an accessory according to the present invention.
2 is a front view of the body portion of an accessory according to the present invention.
3 is a view showing a state in which an accessory according to the present invention is attached to a smartphone;
4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control unit according to the present invention.
5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a basic app according to the present invention.
6 is a view showing an app control screen for controlling the operation of the smartphone accessory according to the present invention.
7 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure when the accessory according to the present invention is inserted into a smartphone.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure when the accessory according to the present invention is connected to a smartphone with an earphone inserted.
9 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure when the accessory according to the present invention is connected to a smartphone without an earphone being inserted.
10 is a view showing obtaining a digital signal from an ultrasonic analog signal transmitted through an earphone terminal.
11 is a diagram showing a configuration of an ultrasonic signal.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to examples. The following examples are intended to illustrate but not limit the invention. It should be noted that the following embodiments are only described for understanding the operation according to the present invention, and the description of the other parts is omitted so as not to disturb the gist.

As shown in FIG. 1, the character-type smartphone accessory 100 according to the present invention can be inserted into a earphone terminal of a smartphone protruding from a lower portion of a character body 110 and a character- And an earphone insertion port 130 formed at one side of the character body portion 110. [ Inside the character body 110, a control unit (not shown) is installed to operate each part of the character body and send a signal to the smartphone.

The character-shaped body 110 may be formed using plastic, and may have various shapes such as an animal, a person, and an object. Preferably, a character of a game embedded in a smart phone may be used. The earphone insertion port 130 and the plug 120 each use a conventional quadrupole earphone arm. The earphone plug 120 is inserted into the earphone jack of the smartphone and supplies power to the control unit.

As shown in FIG. 2, the character-type smartphone accessory 100 is a robot-type character-type accessory capable of electrical and mechanical reaction by an operation control signal of a control unit. In the character body portion 110, the ear 111 can be repeatedly folded back and forth, and the eye 112 is operated such that the eyelids are flicking in both eyes, It is turned on or off by LED bulb.

A small electromagnet and devices capable of moving the ear 111 and the eye 112 are built in the inside of the body, and a switch capable of turning on or off the LED bulb is built in.

As shown in FIG. 3, the smartphone 200 is formed with an earphone jack 220 into which a plug of an earphone can be inserted. The earphone plug 120 at the lower end of the accessory 100 is inserted and coupled to the earphone jack 220 of the smartphone 200. A plug of the earphone 300 is inserted into one side of the accessory 100 so that the earphone 300 is connected to the smartphone 200 via the accessory 100. [

In the accessory 100, an earphone plug 120 is connected to a PCB substrate to transmit signals and supply power, and a micro control unit (MCU) is integrally mounted to process control signals.

4, when the accessory 100 is inserted into the earphone jack 220 of the smartphone 200, the control unit 140 transmits a hook signal for transmitting a hook signal to the smartphone 200, A signal processor 143 for processing a control signal by separating a control signal and a voice signal from the received signal, a signal processor 143 for processing the control signal, An operation unit 144 for receiving the signal and controlling the operation of each part of the accessory, and a voice transmission unit 145 for transmitting the voice signal to the earphone connected to the accessory.

5, a basic application 250 is installed at the kernel end of the smartphone 200. The basic app 250 is used to distinguish the insertion of the character-type smartphone accessory 100 from the insertion of the earphone A recognition unit 251 for recognizing a first signal or a second signal transmitted from the accessory 100; a setting unit 252 for changing a communication setting of the smartphone; and a transmission unit And an app control unit 253.

The basic application 250 is downloaded from the Android or Apple app service and installed in the kernel terminal of the smart phone 200 and controls the motion of the accessory using the telephone / text / other notification signal of the smart phone. You can control the movement of each part of the accessory through the button.

6, the application control unit 253 for controlling the operation of the character-type smartphone accessory 100 includes an ear operation control unit 261, an eye operation control unit And an LED operation control unit 264. The telephone reception notification control unit 265, the text reception notification control unit 266, the missed call notification control unit 267, the SNS reception notification control unit 264 268), so that it is possible to define and control the movement of the mechanism according to each controlled state at the lower end.

7 to 9 show an operation process in the smartphone 200 according to the insertion of the accessory 100 into the smartphone 200. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 7, in the smartphone 200, sound is basically transmitted to the phone speaker unless the plug 120 of the accessory is inserted into the earphone jack 220. When the plug 120 of the accessory is inserted into the earphone jack 220 of the smartphone, power is supplied from the smartphone 200 to the accessory 100 so that the hook circuit built into the accessory 100 is operated, .

When a signal indicating that the conductive plug is inserted into the earphone jack 220 flows in the smartphone 200 having the basic app 250 installed therein, the basic app 250 recognizes the presence of a hook signal transmitted from the accessory 120 do. If there is no hook signal indicating the connection of the accessory 100, it is recognized that the earphone is connected to the earphone jack, and the sound is transmitted to the earphone terminal. When the hook signal indicating the connection of the accessory 100 is recognized, the control signal is transmitted to the accessory 100 through the earphone terminal 220.

It is also checked whether the kind of the hook signal is the second hook signal in which the earphone 300 is connected to the accessory 100 or the first hook signal in which the earphone 300 is not connected to the accessory 100 In the case of the first hook signal, the control signal is output to the earphone terminal while the sound is outputted to the speakerphone. In the case of the second hook signal, the control signal is output through the earphone terminal together with the sound and control signal.

As shown in FIG. 8, in the smartphone 200, sound is basically transmitted to the speaker unless the plug is inserted into the earphone jack 220. When a plug is inserted into the earphone jack 220, the presence of a hook signal transmitted from the accessory 100 is recognized. If there is no hook signal indicating the connection of the accessory, it is recognized that the earphone is connected to the earphone jack, and the sound is output to the earphone.

If the hook signal indicating the connection of the accessory is recognized, it is determined whether the hook signal is the second hook signal in which the earphone is connected to the accessory or the first hook signal in which the earphone 300 is not connected to the accessory. In the case of the first hook signal, the sound is outputted to the speaker phone, and in the case of the second hook signal in which the earphone 300 is connected, the sound signal and the control signal are outputted together through the earphone terminal.

When the acoustic signal and the control signal are input from the smartphone to the accessory through the earphone terminal, when the signal is an ultrasonic wave, that is, when the frequency is lower than 16 kHz, it is determined as an acoustic signal and transmitted to the earphone connected to the accessory. In the case of a frequency of kHz or more, it is judged as a control signal, and the control signal is translated and used to operate the device of the accessory.

As shown in Fig. 9, in a smartphone, sound is basically transmitted to a speaker unless a plug is inserted into an earphone jack. When the plug is inserted into the earphone jack, the presence of the hook signal transmitted from the accessory is recognized. If there is no hook signal indicating the connection of the accessory, it is recognized that the earphone is connected to the earphone jack, and the sound is output to the earphone. When the hook signal indicating the connection of the accessory is recognized, the hook signal determines whether the accessory is a hook signal with the earphone connected or a hook signal with the earphone not connected to the accessory.

If the hook signal is not connected to the accessory, the sound is output to the speaker phone. If it is a hook signal with the earphone connected, it is judged that the earphone is inserted in the accessory. Stop. Only the sound signal is input to the accessory from the smartphone, and the input sound signal is directly connected to the earphone.

100: Accessories
110:
120: Earphone plug
130: Earphone insertion port
200: Smartphone
220: Earphone jack
250: Native app

Claims (8)

A body constituting an appearance of the accessory,
An earphone insertion port at one side of the body;
A metal plug inserted into an earphone terminal existing on the other side of the body; And
And a control unit,
The controller transmits the first signal to the smartphone when the accessory in which the earphone is not inserted is inserted into the smartphone, the smartphone recognizes the first signal and outputs the sound of the smartphone to the speakerphone,
When the accessory in which the earphone is inserted is inserted into the smartphone, the second signal is transmitted to the smartphone, and the smartphone recognizes the second signal and outputs the sound of the smartphone to the earphone terminal,
Here, the control unit controls the operation of the accessory according to the control signal received from the smartphone,
Wherein the control signal comprises an ultrasonic signal,
Wherein the smartphone is provided with a basic app for recognizing presence / absence of a signal output from an accessory and changing a voice output operation mode of the smartphone. delete delete delete delete A smartphone, characterized in that the accessory according to claim 1 is attached. delete 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the smartphone is provided with a basic app for recognizing presence / absence of a signal output from an accessory and changing a voice output operation mode of the smartphone, and transmitting a control signal including an ultrasonic signal to the accessory And transmits the data to the smartphone.

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