Sensing apparatus for user terminal using camera, sensing method for the same and controlling method for the same

Abstract

Provided is a sensing apparatus for a user terminal including a camera, including: an image analyzing unit analyzing an image variable of an object taken by the camera; and a touch determining unit determining whether the object touches the user terminal and an intensity of the touch according to the image variable analyzed by the image analyzing unit. According to the present disclosure, without adding additional hardware devices or changing hardware devices, the touch pressure, rotational angle, and the like of the object regarding the user terminal may be sensed by using the camera already provided in the user terminal.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A sensing apparatus for a user terminal including a camera, comprising:
 an image analyzing unit analyzing an image variable of an object taken by the camera; and   a touch determining unit determining whether the object touches the user terminal and an intensity of the touch according to the image variable analyzed by the image analyzing unit.   
     
     
         2 . The sensing apparatus for a user terminal including a camera of  claim 1 , wherein the object is an input unit of the user terminal, and the input unit of the user terminal comes into contact with the camera. 
     
     
         3 . The sensing apparatus for a user terminal including a camera of  claim 1 , wherein the image variable is a variable which varies with the intensity of the touch between the object and the camera. 
     
     
         4 . The sensing apparatus for a user terminal including a camera of  claim 1 , wherein the image variable is a variable which varies with a transmittance of light being transmitted through the object and received by the camera. 
     
     
         5 . The sensing apparatus for a user terminal including a camera of  claim 4 , wherein the variable is one of luminance, a luminance distribution, a color tone, an amount of a specific color, a distribution of a specific color, illuminance, and light intensity of an image of the object taken by the camera. 
     
     
         6 . The sensing apparatus for a user terminal including a camera of  claim 5 , wherein, in a case where image variable analyzed by the image analyzing unit shows a pattern in which the light transmitted through the object and received by the camera is increased, the touch determining unit determines that the intensity of the touch of the object on the user terminal is high. 
     
     
         7 . The sensing apparatus for a user terminal including a camera of  claim 6 , wherein the variable is the luminance of the image, and the touch determining unit determines that the intensity of the touch of the object on the user terminal is higher as the luminance of the image is higher. 
     
     
         8 . The sensing apparatus for a user terminal including a camera of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a rotation determining unit determining a degree of rotation of the object taken by the camera according to the image variable analyzed by the image analyzing unit.   
     
     
         9 . The sensing apparatus for a user terminal including a camera of  claim 8 , wherein the rotation determining unit determines a rotational angle of the object according to a direction pattern of the image variable analyzed by the image analyzing unit. 
     
     
         10 . The sensing apparatus for a user terminal including a camera of  claim 1 , wherein the image analyzing unit analyzes the image variables for the entire image or a part of pixels thereof. 
     
     
         11 . The sensing apparatus for a user terminal including a camera of  claim 8 , wherein the image variable is a variable which varies with a transmittance of light being transmitted through the object and received by the camera. 
     
     
         12 . A sensing method for a user terminal including a camera, comprising:
 analyzing an image variable of an object taken by the camera; and   determining an intensity of a touch of the object on the user terminal according to the analyzed image variable.   
     
     
         13 . The sensing method for a user terminal including a camera of  claim 12 , wherein the object comes into contact with the camera, and the image variable is a variable which varies with a transmittance of light transmitted through the object. 
     
     
         14 . The sensing method for a user terminal including a camera of  claim 13 , wherein the image variable is one of luminance, a luminance distribution, a color tone, an amount of a specific color, a distribution of a specific color, illuminance, and light intensity of the image taken of the object. 
     
     
         15 . The sensing method for a user terminal including a camera of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 determining a rotational angle of the object according to a direction pattern of the analyzed image variable.   
     
     
         16 . The sensing method for a user terminal including a camera of  claim 12 , wherein the image variable is a variable which varies with the intensity of the touch between the object and the camera. 
     
     
         17 . A controlling method for a user terminal including a camera, comprising:
 analyzing an image variable of an object taken by the camera;   determining an intensity of a touch of the object on the user terminal according to the analyzed image variable; and   executing a control command for the user terminal corresponding to the analyzed intensity of the touch.   
     
     
         18 . The controlling method for a user terminal including a camera of  claim 17 , wherein the object comes into contact with the camera, and the image variable is a variable which varies with a transmittance of light transmitted through the object. 
     
     
         19 . The controlling method for a user terminal including a camera of  claim 18 , wherein the image variable is one of luminance, a luminance distribution, a color tone, an amount of a specific color, a distribution of a specific color, illuminance, and light intensity of the image taken of the object. 
     
     
         20 . The controlling method for a user terminal including a camera of  claim 17 , wherein the image variable is a variable which varies with the intensity of the touch between the object and the camera.