User terminal device for calculating carbon emissions on basis of usage time, and control method therefor

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a user terminal device for calculating carbon emissions on the basis of usage time, and a control method therefor. The control method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises the steps of: identifying the usage time of the user terminal device; calculating carbon emissions of the user terminal device during a predetermined period on the basis of the identified usage time; and displaying, on a display, a user interface (UI) for indicating the calculated carbon emissions.

Description

User terminal device for calculating carbon emissions based on usage time and a control method thereof

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a user terminal device that calculates carbon emissions based on usage time and a method for controlling the same. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a user terminal device that calculates carbon emissions per application executed on the user terminal device and a method for controlling the same that induces the user to reduce carbon emissions.

[0002] Recently, the increase in carbon emissions has emerged as a serious social issue worldwide. Along with industrial development, the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, particularly carbon dioxide, has continuously risen. This rapid increase in carbon dioxide has led to various social and environmental problems, including global warming, ecosystem destruction, sea level rise, and extreme climate change. To address these issues, governments and companies around the world are continuing their efforts to reduce carbon emissions, and various regulations and policies are being introduced.

[0003] A representative system among these is the carbon emissions trading system. This is a market-based mechanism that sets a certain limit on carbon emissions for each company or country and regulates the purchase of additional emission allowances if these limits are exceeded. Through this system, companies seek technological developments and management strategies to reduce carbon emissions, and are strengthening their efforts to reduce carbon emissions in order to cut costs. The carbon emissions trading system serves as a crucial factor in enhancing environmental competitiveness among companies and has established itself as an integral part of the response to climate change.

[0004] With the recent surge in the use of personal electronic devices such as smartphones, interest in their environmental impact is growing. Smartphones emit significant amounts of carbon during their manufacturing, distribution, use, and disposal processes; in particular, the electricity consumed during use and the energy consumption of the data centers supporting them act as major sources of carbon emissions. In this context, there is a growing need for the development of technologies to measure and manage carbon emissions associated with smartphone use.

[0005] The present disclosure is devised in response to the aforementioned background technology and aims to provide a user terminal device that calculates carbon emissions based on usage time and a method for controlling the user terminal device.

[0006] However, the problems to be solved in this disclosure are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned problems may be clearly understood based on the description below.

[0007] A method for controlling a user terminal device that calculates carbon emissions based on usage time according to an embodiment of the present disclosure for realizing the aforementioned objectives includes the steps of: identifying the usage time of the user terminal device; calculating carbon emissions of the user terminal device during a preset period based on the identified usage time; and displaying a User Interface (UI) that indicates the calculated carbon emissions through a display.

[0008] Alternatively, the method may include the step of identifying the calculated carbon emissions relative to a first reference carbon emissions applied during the aforementioned preset period, and the step of calculating a reward corresponding to the calculated carbon emissions relative to the first reference carbon emissions if the calculated carbon emissions relative to the first reference carbon emissions are less than a reference value.

[0009] Alternatively, the method may include the steps of changing the first reference carbon emission to a second reference carbon emission that is smaller than the first reference carbon emission if the calculated carbon emission is greater than or equal to the reference value, and applying the second reference carbon emission to the next cycle.

[0010] Alternatively, the identifying step may include identifying the usage time of each of a plurality of applications installed on the user terminal device during a preset period, and the calculating step may include calculating the total carbon emissions of the user terminal device during the preset period and the carbon emissions corresponding to the use of each application based on the identified usage time of each of the plurality of applications.

[0011] Alternatively, the method may include the step of selecting a management application among the plurality of applications based on the usage time of each of the plurality of applications, and the step of managing the use of the selected management application during the next cycle.

[0012] Alternatively, the step of calculating the total carbon emissions and the carbon emissions resulting from the use of each application may calculate the carbon emissions resulting from the use of each application by applying a weight calculated according to the environment of the data center corresponding to each application to the usage time of each application.

[0013] Alternatively, the method may include the steps of generating challenge content for reducing carbon emissions of the user terminal device and sharing the generated challenge content with a plurality of other users through a communication interface, and the display step may include identifying a ranking of carbon emissions between the user who shared the challenge content and a plurality of other users at a preset period based on the calculated carbon emissions, and displaying the identified ranking through the display.

[0014] Alternatively, the method may include a step of calculating a reward based on the final ranking of the user's carbon emissions when the challenge content is completed.

[0015] Alternatively, the method may include the steps of: generating challenge content for reducing carbon emissions of the user terminal device; sharing the generated challenge content with a plurality of other users through a communication interface; identifying the carbon emissions of the plurality of users sharing the generated challenge content and setting a reference carbon emission amount for the plurality of users; selecting a user of interest among the plurality of users based on the reference carbon emission amount; and determining a reference carbon emission amount for the plurality of users during the next cycle based on the carbon emissions of the plurality of users, wherein a reference carbon emission amount different from the determined reference carbon emission amount is applied to the selected user of interest.

[0016] A user terminal device for calculating carbon emissions based on usage time according to one embodiment of the present disclosure for realizing the aforementioned task comprises a display, a memory storing at least one instruction, and at least one processor that, by executing the at least one instruction, identifies the usage time of the user terminal device during a preset period, calculates carbon emissions of the user terminal device during the preset period based on the identified usage time, and displays a UI corresponding to the calculated carbon emissions through the display.

[0017] A computer program stored on a computer-readable storage medium according to one embodiment of the present disclosure for realizing the aforementioned objectives, wherein the computer program, when executed on one or more processors, performs an operation to control a user terminal device that calculates carbon emissions based on usage time, and the operation includes the steps of identifying the usage time of the user terminal device, calculating carbon emissions of the user terminal device for a preset period based on the identified usage time, and displaying a UI (User Interface) that indicates the calculated carbon emissions through a display.

[0018] Through a user terminal device and a control method thereof that calculate carbon emissions based on usage time according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the amount of carbon generated by the use of the user terminal device can be reduced. In particular, carbon emissions can be reduced by monitoring the carbon emissions of the user terminal device and inducing the user to appropriately adjust the use of the user terminal device.

[0019] FIG. 1 is an exemplary diagram showing a user terminal device that calculates carbon emissions based on usage time according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a user terminal device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] FIG. 3 is a flowchart schematically illustrating a control method for a user terminal device that calculates carbon emissions based on usage time according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for calculating a reward by calculating carbon emissions relative to a reference carbon emissions according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] FIG. 5 is an example diagram illustrating a method for setting a reference carbon emission amount and a method for calculating a reward based on the carbon emission amount relative to the reference carbon emission amount according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] FIG. 6 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a method for calculating carbon emissions for a plurality of applications according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] FIG. 7 is an example illustration of challenge content for reducing carbon emissions according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] FIG. 8 is a detailed configuration diagram of a user terminal device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] Embodiments of the present disclosure are described below with reference to the attached drawings so that those skilled in the art (hereinafter, those skilled in the art) can easily implement them. The embodiments presented in the present disclosure are provided to enable those skilled in the art to use or implement the contents of the present disclosure. Accordingly, various modifications to the embodiments of the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art. That is, the present disclosure may be embodied in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments below.

[0028] Throughout the specification of the present disclosure, identical or similar reference numerals refer to identical or similar components. Additionally, to clearly explain the present disclosure, reference numerals in the drawings that are unrelated to the description of the present disclosure may be omitted.

[0029] The term “or” as used in this disclosure is intended to mean an implicit “or” rather than an exclusive “or.” That is, unless otherwise specified in this disclosure or its meaning is not clear from the context, “X uses A or B” should be understood to mean one of the natural implicit substitutions. For example, unless otherwise specified in this disclosure or its meaning is not clear from the context, “X uses A or B” may be interpreted as X using A, X using B, or X using both A and B.

[0030] The term “and / or” as used in this disclosure should be understood to refer to and include all possible combinations of one or more of the enumerated related concepts.

[0031] The terms “comprising” and / or “comprising” as used in this disclosure should be understood to mean the presence of certain features and / or components. However, the terms “comprising” and / or “comprising” should be understood not to exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, other components and / or combinations thereof.

[0032] Where not otherwise specified in the present disclosure or where it is not clear from the context that the singular form indicates, the singular should generally be interpreted as including “one or more.”

[0033] The term “the N (N is a natural number)” used in this disclosure may be understood as an expression used to distinguish the components of this disclosure from one another according to certain criteria, such as functional perspectives, structural perspectives, or convenience of explanation. For example, components performing different functional roles in this disclosure may be distinguished as a first component or a second component. However, components that are substantially identical within the technical scope of this disclosure but need to be distinguished for the convenience of explanation may also be distinguished as a first component or a second component.

[0034] The term “acquisition” as used in this disclosure may be understood to mean not only receiving data through a wired or wireless communication network with an external device or system, but also generating data in an on-device form.

[0035] Meanwhile, the terms "module" or "unit" used in this disclosure may be understood as referring to an independent functional unit that processes computing resources, such as a computer-related entity, firmware, software or a part thereof, hardware or a part thereof, or a combination of software and hardware. In this case, "module" or "unit" may be a unit composed of a single element, or a unit expressed as a combination or set of multiple elements. For example, in a narrow sense, "module" or "unit" may refer to a hardware element of a computing device or a set thereof, an application program that performs a specific function of software, a procedure implemented through software execution, or a set of instructions for program execution. Furthermore, in a broad sense, "module" or "unit" may refer to the computing device itself that constitutes the system, or an application executed on the computing device. However, since the above-described concept is merely an example, the concepts of "module" or "part" may be defined in various ways within the scope understandable to those skilled in the art based on the contents of this disclosure.

[0036] As used in this disclosure, the term "model" may be understood as a system implemented using mathematical concepts and language to solve a specific problem, a set of software units to solve a specific problem, or an abstract model regarding a processing process to solve a specific problem. For example, a neural network "model" may refer to an overall system implemented as a neural network that possesses problem-solving capabilities through learning. In this case, the neural network may possess problem-solving capabilities by optimizing parameters connecting nodes or neurons through learning. A neural network "model" may include a single neural network or a set of neural networks composed of multiple neural networks.

[0037] The term "data" as used in this disclosure may include "images," signals, etc. The term "image" as used in this disclosure may refer to multidimensional data composed of discrete image elements. In other words, "image" may be understood as a term referring to a digital representation of an object visible to the human eye. For example, "image" may refer to multidimensional data composed of elements corresponding to pixels in a two-dimensional image. "Image" may refer to multidimensional data composed of elements corresponding to voxels in a three-dimensional image.

[0038] The explanation of the foregoing terms is intended to aid in understanding the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be noted that unless a foregoing term is explicitly stated as a matter limiting the content of the present disclosure, it is not to be used in the sense of limiting the technical concept of the content of the present disclosure.

[0039] FIG. 1 is an exemplary diagram showing a user terminal device (100) that calculates carbon emissions based on usage time according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0040] Referring to FIG. 1, a user terminal device (100) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may be a hardware device or part of a hardware device that performs comprehensive processing and computation of data, or it may be a software-based computing environment connected to a communication network. For example, the user terminal device (100) may be a server that performs intensive data processing functions and is an entity that shares resources, or it may be a client that shares resources through interaction with the server. Additionally, the user terminal device (100) may be a cloud system in which a plurality of servers and clients interact to comprehensively process data. Since the above description is merely one example regarding the type of user terminal device (100), the type of user terminal device (100) may be configured in various ways within a range understandable to those skilled in the art based on the contents of the present disclosure.

[0041] For example, the user terminal device (100) can be implemented as various electronic devices such as a desktop, laptop, smartphone, or server, and for convenience of explanation of the present disclosure, the user terminal device (100) will be described as a smartphone.

[0042] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the user terminal device (100) can calculate the carbon emissions of the user terminal device (100) based on the user's usage time of the user terminal device (100).

[0043] Here, carbon emissions may be the amount of carbon generated as the user uses the user terminal device (100).

[0044] The carbon emissions of the user terminal device (100) can be calculated based on the amount of carbon emitted from the data center (200) associated with the use of the user terminal device (100) while the user is using the user terminal device (100). For example, while the user terminal device (100) is running a specific application (or program) installed on the user terminal device (100), carbon may be emitted from the data center (200) (or server) of the specific application. In particular, while running the specific application, the user terminal device (100) repeatedly sends a query containing various request information to the data center (200) of the specific application. The data center (200) may emit carbon by consuming power while performing operations based on the received query. Therefore, the user terminal device (100) can identify the amount of carbon emitted from the data center (200) as the carbon emissions of the user terminal device (100).

[0045] To this end, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a user terminal device (100) can identify carbon emissions based on the user's usage time of the user terminal device (100). That is, the user terminal device (100) can identify carbon emissions corresponding to the usage time by determining that carbon emissions occurred at a data center (200) linked to the user terminal device (100) while the user is using the user terminal device (100).

[0046] In particular, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the user terminal device (100) can calculate carbon emissions for each application executed by the user. That is, the user terminal device (100) can identify the usage time of a plurality of applications executed by the user and then calculate carbon emissions for each application based on the usage time of each identified application.

[0047] Meanwhile, even if different applications are used for the same amount of time, the carbon emissions of each data center (200) may differ. Specifically, while each application is being executed, the user terminal device (100) communicates with the data center (200) of each application. At this time, the amount of carbon emitted from each data center (200) may differ depending on the environment of the data center (200). The environment of the data center (200) may include a data transmission path according to data routing, a power supply method of the data center (200), the efficiency of the cooling system of the data center (200), and an operation method of the data center (200). Accordingly, the user terminal device (100) may apply a weight that takes into account the environment of the data center (200) of each application when calculating the carbon emissions for each application.

[0048] Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 1, the user terminal device (100) can periodically determine the user's usage time of the user terminal device (100) to calculate carbon emissions and display content including a UI (User Interface) that can monitor the calculated carbon emissions. In particular, if the carbon emissions are excessive, the user terminal device (100) can output information to induce the user to reduce carbon emissions. This information can be output in various forms such as text, images, and sounds.

[0049] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure related thereto will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 7. The description of the present disclosure described above may be applied in the same way below.

[0050] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a user terminal device (100) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0051] Referring to FIG. 2, a user terminal device (100) includes a display (110), a memory (120), and one or more processors (130) (hereinafter, processors (130)). However, since FIG. 2 is merely an example, the user terminal device (100) may include other configurations for implementing a computing environment. Additionally, only some of the disclosed configurations may be included in the user terminal device (100).

[0052] The display (110) can display various images. Here, the images include both still images and videos. In particular, the display (110) can display information regarding carbon emissions. For example, the display (110) can display UI and content regarding carbon emissions calculated periodically, and the UI regarding carbon emissions may include graphic objects representing carbon emissions calculated for each period.

[0053] The display (110) can be implemented as various types of displays (110), such as LCD (Liquid Crystal Display Panel), LED (Light Emitting Diodes), OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diodes), LCoS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon), DLP (Digital Light Processing), etc. Additionally, the display (110) may also include a driving circuit, a backlight unit, etc., which can be implemented in forms such as a-si TFT, LTPS (low temperature poly silicon) TFT, OTFT (organic TFT), etc.

[0054] Meanwhile, the display (110) may be implemented as a touch screen by combining it with a touch panel, and in this case, the display (110) can perform the function of an output interface that outputs an image through the touch screen, as well as the function of an input interface that receives touch input from a user.

[0055] A memory (120) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may be understood as a unit comprising hardware and / or software for storing and managing data processed by a user terminal device (100). That is, the memory (120) may store data of any form generated or determined by a processor (130) and data of any form received by the user terminal device (100). For example, the memory (120) may include at least one type of storage medium among a flash memory type (120), a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card type memory (120), RAM (random access memory), SRAM (static random access memory), ROM (read-only memory), EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read-only memory), PROM (programmable read-only memory), magnetic memory (120), a magnetic disk, and an optical disk. Additionally, the memory (120) may include a database system that controls and manages data in a predetermined system. Since the above-described type of memory (120) is merely an example, the type of memory (120) may be configured in various ways within a range understandable to those skilled in the art based on the contents of this disclosure.

[0056] The memory (120) can structure and organize data, combinations of data, and program code executable by the processor (130) that are necessary for the processor (130) to perform calculations. For example, the memory (120) can store program code that calculates carbon emissions based on usage time and generates UI and content based on the calculated carbon emissions, and processed data generated as the program code is executed.

[0057] A processor (130) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may be understood as a constituent unit comprising hardware and / or software for performing computing operations. For example, the processor (130) may read a computer program and perform data processing for machine learning. The processor (130) may process computational processes such as processing input data for machine learning, extracting features for machine learning, and calculating errors based on backpropagation. A processor (130) for performing such data processing may include a central processing unit (CPU), a general purpose graphics processing unit (GPGPU), a tensor processing unit (TPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a field programmable gate array (FPGA). Since the above-described types of processors (130) are merely examples, the types of processors (130) may be configured in various ways within a range understandable to those skilled in the art based on the contents of the present disclosure.

[0058] FIG. 3 is a flowchart schematically illustrating a control method of a user terminal device (100) that calculates carbon emissions based on usage time according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0059] Referring to FIG. 3, the processor (130) identifies the usage time of the user terminal device (100) (S310).

[0060] Specifically, the processor (130) can identify the usage time of the user's user terminal device (100) during a preset time. In particular, the processor (130) can periodically identify the usage time of the user's user terminal device (100).

[0061] Here, the usage time of the user terminal device (100) may be the usage time of an application that interacts with an external electronic device (i.e., a data center (200) or a server) among a plurality of applications (or programs) installed on the user terminal device (100). In particular, the processor (130) may identify the accumulated time of foreground execution, in which an application is displayed and executed on the display (110) of the user terminal device (100) rather than background execution of the application, as the usage time.

[0062] For example, the processor (130) can identify the usage time of the user's user terminal device (100) based on a usage analysis report of the user terminal device (100) that is periodically generated. The usage analysis report is Apple ® Google's Screen Time feature ® It can be provided by digital well-being features, etc.

[0063] And, based on the identified usage time, the processor (130) can calculate the carbon emissions of the user terminal device (100) corresponding to the usage time during a preset period (S320). As described above, the processor (130) can estimate and identify the amount of carbon emitted from the data center (200) of the application executed on the user terminal device (100) as the carbon emissions of the user terminal device (100) as the carbon emissions of the user terminal device (100).

[0064] At this time, the processor (130) may calculate the carbon emissions of the user terminal device (100) at the same interval as the period in which the usage analysis report of the user terminal device (100) is generated and provided, or may calculate the carbon emissions of the user terminal device (100) corresponding to the accumulated usage time after accumulating and summing the usage time of the user terminal device (100) through the usage analysis report of the user terminal device (100) provided periodically.

[0065] Meanwhile, the processor (130) can display a UI (User Interface) indicating the carbon emissions calculated through the display (110) (S330).

[0066] Specifically, the processor (130) can display UI and content related to carbon emissions through the display (110). Here, the UI may include graphic objects representing the calculated carbon emissions, specifically the carbon emissions calculated in the previous cycle, and through this, the user can check the change in carbon emissions resulting from the use of the user terminal device (100). In addition, the processor (130) can display UI on the display (110) that represents various information, such as reference carbon emissions and carbon emission graphs.

[0067] Meanwhile, various information may be provided in content related to carbon emissions. For example, challenge content may be provided in which multiple users, including the user, compete to reduce carbon emissions by sharing.

[0068] Meanwhile, if the carbon emissions increase compared to the previous cycle, the processor (130) may output a text or voice message requesting the user to reduce carbon emissions.

[0069] Alternatively, the processor (130) may set a reference carbon emission amount for the next cycle based on the calculated carbon emission amount, or set a carbon emission target amount based on user input. At this time, the processor (130) may manage or restrict the use of the user's user terminal device (100) if the user's usage time of the user terminal device (100) exceeds the time corresponding to the reference carbon emission amount, or if the calculated carbon emission amount exceeds the reference carbon emission amount. For example, the processor (130) may restrict the use of the user terminal device (100) by adjusting the brightness of the display (110) device or switching the mode of the user terminal device (100).

[0070] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for calculating a reward by calculating carbon emissions relative to a reference carbon emissions according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0071] FIG. 5 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a method for setting a reference carbon emission amount and a method for calculating a reward based on the carbon emission amount relative to the reference carbon emission amount according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Since S410, S420, and S450 shown in FIG. 4 correspond to S310, S320, and S330 shown in FIG. 3, a detailed description is omitted.

[0072] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor (130) can identify the carbon emissions calculated relative to the reference carbon emissions applied during a preset period (S430). The reference carbon emissions may be a value set to induce a reduction in carbon emissions of the user terminal device (100). That is, by setting the reference carbon emissions and calculating the carbon emissions relative to the reference carbon emissions, the processor (130) enables the user to recognize how much carbon has been emitted relative to the reference carbon emissions, and ultimately induces the user to reduce carbon emissions resulting from the use of the user terminal device (100).

[0073] Meanwhile, the baseline carbon emissions may be a fixed value, or they may be maintained or updated based on the carbon emissions of each cycle.

[0074] Meanwhile, the reference carbon emissions may be applied for a preset period, but may also be applied for multiple periods. For example, the processor (130) may set the reference carbon emissions for one week, but may calculate the carbon emissions on a daily basis to calculate the accumulated carbon emissions and the remaining carbon emissions based on the reference carbon emissions. However, for the convenience of explaining the present disclosure, it is described below that the reference carbon emissions are applied and updated at the same period as the period in which the carbon emissions are calculated.

[0075] Meanwhile, if the carbon emissions calculated relative to the reference carbon emissions are less than the reference value, the processor (130) can calculate a reward corresponding to the calculated carbon emissions (S440). Specifically, the processor (130) can determine whether the carbon emissions calculated relative to the reference carbon emissions are less than the reference value. Here, the reference value can be set at a certain ratio to the reference carbon emissions. And, if the processor (130) determines that the carbon emissions calculated relative to the reference carbon emissions are less than the reference value, it can calculate a reward corresponding to the carbon emissions calculated relative to the reference carbon emissions.

[0076] On the other hand, if the processor (130) determines that the calculated carbon emissions relative to the reference carbon emissions are greater than or equal to the reference value, it may not calculate a reward and may restrict or manage the use of the user terminal device (100) during the next cycle. Since the above description applies equally to this, a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0077] For example, the processor (130) can calculate a reward by multiplying the basic reward by the reciprocal of the calculated carbon emissions relative to the standard carbon emissions. More specifically, when the standard carbon emissions applied during a pre-set period (1 week) are 1 kg, the carbon emissions calculated based on usage time are 0.5 kg, and the basic reward is 100 won, the processor (130) can calculate 200 won as a reward for the user's reduction in carbon emissions.

[0078] Meanwhile, the processor (130) may request the allocation of rewards from an external server linked to the user terminal device (100) after calculating the rewards. The rewards allocated to the user in this way can be exchanged with other users, and the user can use the rewards to purchase goods on the platform.

[0079] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor (130) may change the reference carbon emissions if the carbon emissions calculated relative to the reference carbon emissions are greater than or equal to a reference value. In particular, the processor (130) may apply a reference carbon emissions (hereinafter referred to as the second reference carbon emissions) having a value smaller than the reference carbon emissions applied in the previous cycle (hereinafter referred to as the first reference carbon emissions) in the next cycle. On the other hand, if the carbon emissions calculated relative to the first reference carbon emissions are less than the reference value, the processor (130) may apply a reference carbon emissions (hereinafter referred to as the third reference carbon emissions) having a value greater than or equal to the first reference carbon emissions in the next cycle. At this time, the degree of change in the reference carbon emissions may be determined based on the carbon emissions calculated relative to the reference carbon emissions.

[0080] Referring to FIG. 5, for example, the processor (130) can determine the carbon emissions applied to the next cycle based on the carbon emissions calculated in the previous cycle. For example, the processor (130) can determine the average value of the carbon emissions calculated in the previous cycle as the reference carbon emissions for the next cycle. Specifically, in the third cycle, the average value of the carbon emissions of the first and second cycles can be set as the reference carbon emissions, and in the fourth cycle, the average value of the carbon emissions of the second and third cycles can be set as the reference carbon emissions. At this time, the reference carbon emissions applied to the fifth cycle may change according to the carbon emissions calculated in the fourth cycle relative to the reference carbon emissions applied in the fourth cycle. In particular, if the processor (130) confirms that the carbon emissions calculated relative to the reference carbon emissions are greater than or equal to the reference value, the processor (130) can determine the reference carbon emissions applied to the fifth cycle by applying weights to the carbon emissions calculated in the third and fourth cycles. Meanwhile, in the case of the second cycle, the reference carbon emissions can be determined solely by the carbon emissions calculated in the first cycle.

[0081] In addition, unlike the example described above, the processor (130) can determine the carbon emissions calculated in the previous cycle (the third cycle in FIG. 5) as the reference carbon emissions for the next cycle (the fourth cycle in FIG. 5), and the processor (130) can appropriately adjust the reference carbon emissions based on the carbon emissions calculated for each cycle.

[0082] FIG. 6 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a method for calculating carbon emissions for a plurality of applications according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0083] Meanwhile, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor (130) can identify the usage time for each of a plurality of applications installed on the user terminal device (100) during a preset period. Then, based on the identified usage time for each of the plurality of applications, the processor (130) can calculate the total carbon emissions of the user terminal device (100) during the preset period and the carbon emissions corresponding to the use of each application. At this time, the processor (130) can display a UI on the display (110) that indicates the carbon emissions corresponding to the use of each application along with the total carbon emissions.

[0084] Specifically, referring to FIG. 6, the processor (130) can accumulate and calculate the foreground execution time of a plurality of applications installed on a user terminal device (100) during a preset period. Then, the processor (130) can identify the accumulated time for each application as the usage time of each application and determine the carbon emissions resulting from the use of each application corresponding to the usage time of each application.

[0085] At this time, the processor (130) can calculate the carbon emissions resulting from the use of each application by applying a weight calculated according to the environment of the data center (200-1 to 200-3) corresponding to each application to the usage time of each application.

[0086] As described above, the amount of carbon emitted from each application's data center (200-1 to 200-3) may vary depending on the environment of the data center (200-1 to 200-3). That is, even if different applications are used for the same amount of time, the carbon emissions from each data center (200-1 to 200-3) may vary. This occurs because the environment of the data center (200-1 to 200-3) differs in terms of data transmission paths according to data routing, power supply methods of the data center (200-1 to 200-3), efficiency of the cooling system of the data center (200-1 to 200-3), and operation methods of the data center (200-1 to 200-3). The processor (130) can calculate carbon emissions resulting from the use of each application by determining a weight corresponding to each application considering the environment of the data center (200-1 to 200-3) of each application, and then applying the determined weight to the usage time of each application. To this end, the memory (120) may store environmental information of the data center (200-1 to 200-3) of each application and weight information corresponding to each application. Referring to FIG. 5, the processor (130) can identify carbon emission information for each application, identify the environment of the data center (200-1 to 200-3) of each application, and then calculate a weight corresponding to each application.

[0087] Referring to FIG. 6, although the first and third applications are used for the same 48 hours during a week, the carbon emissions resulting from the execution of the first and third applications may be calculated differently by the processor (130) applying a weight (1.3) to the usage time of the first application, taking into account the environment of the data center (200-1 to 200-3) of the first application.

[0088] The weights applied to the usage time of each application can be obtained through a neural network model. The neural network model can be trained to output weights corresponding to each application based on the number of queries transmitted to the data center (200-1 to 200-3), the type of query, and environmental information of the data center (200) while each application is running. To this end, the neural network model can be trained in advance using the number of queries transmitted during a preset time, the type of query, and environmental information of the data center (200) as training data. As an example, the neural network model may be a Multilayer Perceptron (MLP), a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), a Recurrent Neural Network (RNN), etc.

[0089] Referring to FIG. 6, the processor (130) can display a UI on the display (110) that shows the total carbon emissions and the ratio of carbon emissions for each application to the total carbon emissions.

[0090] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor (130) can select a management application among a plurality of applications based on the usage time of each of a plurality of applications, and manage the use of the selected management application during the next cycle.

[0091] For example, the processor (130) may select an application as a managed application if its carbon emissions are above a reference value (a second reference value) or if the ratio of carbon emissions to total carbon emissions is above a reference ratio. That is, the processor (130) may select an application as a managed application (i.e., a managed application) if its usage time is excessively long compared to other applications or if the carbon emissions calculated considering the environment of the data center (200) are excessively high. In this case, regarding the managed application, the processor (130) may manage or restrict the user's use of the managed application during the next cycle. In particular, a separate usage limit time may be set only for the managed application, and if the usage limit time is exceeded, the processor may stop the execution of the managed application or adjust the brightness of the display (110) to induce a reduction in carbon emissions.

[0092] FIG. 7 is an example illustration of challenge content for reducing carbon emissions according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0093] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor (130) generates challenge content for reducing carbon emissions of the user terminal device (100) and can share the generated challenge content with a plurality of other users through a communication interface (840).

[0094] After generating challenge content, the processor (130) can transmit information requesting acceptance of sharing the challenge content to multiple other users (i.e., other users' terminal devices) registered with a server device (e.g., a platform server) linked to the user terminal device (100). Then, if multiple other users accept the received challenge content by sharing it, the processor (130) can share the generated challenge content with the user and multiple other users. Here, the challenge content may be content that competes to emit less carbon during a preset time (hereinafter referred to as the first challenge content). Meanwhile, payment of a predetermined reward may be required for the creation and application of the first challenge content. Additionally, the first challenge content may aim to reduce the usage time of a specific application and reduce the amount of carbon generated by running the specific application.

[0095] At this time, the processor (130) can identify the ranking of carbon emissions between the user who shared the challenge content and multiple other users at each preset cycle based on the calculated carbon emissions, and display the identified ranking through the display (110).

[0096] The processor (130) can determine the ranking of carbon emissions by aggregating the carbon emissions of a user calculated during a preset period and the carbon emissions of multiple other users. The processor (130) can update the ranking of carbon emissions at each preset period.

[0097] Meanwhile, the processor (130) can calculate a reward based on the final ranking of the user's carbon emissions when the period set for the first challenge content ends. In particular, while the first challenge content is in progress, the processor (130) can calculate a reward based on the carbon emissions calculated relative to the standard carbon emissions at each pre-set period, as well as calculate an additional reward based on the ranking of the first challenge content. Accordingly, the processor (130) can receive the calculated reward from a server device linked with the user terminal device (100).

[0098] Additionally, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor (130) may generate another challenge content (hereinafter referred to as the second challenge content) for reducing carbon emissions of the user terminal device (100) and share the generated second challenge content with a plurality of other users through a communication interface (840). The second challenge content may be content in which the user forms a team with a plurality of other users and competes with other teams to emit less carbon. At this time, the processor (130) may determine a plurality of other users who form a team with the user among the plurality of users sharing the second challenge content, either by the user's choice or randomly.

[0099] At this time, the processor (130) can identify the carbon emissions of multiple users sharing the generated second challenge content, set a standard carbon emission for the multiple users, and select a user of interest among the multiple users based on the standard carbon emission. That is, the processor (130) can set the same standard carbon emission for the same team and then select a user of interest within the team based on the standard carbon emission and the calculated carbon emission. In particular, the processor (130) can select a user with a higher carbon emission than other users as a user of interest.

[0100] And, the processor (130) determines a standard carbon emission for multiple users during the next cycle based on the carbon emissions of multiple users, but may apply a standard carbon emission different from the determined standard carbon emission to selected users of interest. That is, the processor (130) may apply a smaller standard carbon emission to users of interest to induce users of interest to emit less carbon than other users in the same team.

[0101] Meanwhile, it goes without saying that users can create multiple challenge contents and proceed with them simultaneously.

[0102] FIG. 8 is a detailed configuration diagram of a user terminal device (100) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0103] Referring to FIG. 8, the user terminal device (100) includes a display (810), memory (820), a communication interface (840), one or more sensors (850), a camera (860), a speaker (870), and one or more processors (830). Any configuration shown in FIG. 8 that overlaps with the configuration shown in FIG. 2 will be omitted from the description.

[0104] The communication interface (840) is configured for the user terminal device (100) to communicate with an external device, and the user terminal device (100) can transmit and receive various information through the communication interface (840). For example, the user terminal device (100) can transmit challenge content information to other users through the communication interface (840), or receive environment information of the data center (200) from the data center (200) of a plurality of applications (or from a server device). The communication interface (840) can perform data transmission and reception using wired or wireless communication systems such as a local area network (LAN), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), long term evolution (LTE), wireless broadband internet (WiBro), 5th generation mobile communication (5G), ultra-wide-band wireless communication (Ultra wide-band), ZigBee, radio frequency (RF) communication, wireless LAN, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), near field communication (NFC), or Bluetooth. Since the communication systems described above are merely examples, wired or wireless communication systems for data transmission and reception of the communication interface (840) can be applied in various ways other than the examples described above.

[0105] The communication interface (840) can receive data necessary for the processor (130) to perform calculations through wired or wireless communication with any system or any client. Additionally, the communication interface (840) can transmit data generated through the calculations of the processor (130) through wired or wireless communication with any system or any client. For example, the communication interface (840) can receive medical data through communication with a database within a hospital environment, a cloud server performing tasks such as standardization of medical data, or a computing device. The communication interface (840) can transmit output data of a neural network model, intermediate data derived during the calculation process of the processor (130), processed data, etc., through communication with the aforementioned database, server, or computing device.

[0106] One or more sensors (850) (hereinafter, sensors (850)) can detect and obtain various information about the user terminal device (100) and the surroundings of the user terminal device (100). For example, the sensors (850) include a temperature sensor and can detect temperature changes of the user terminal device (100) during the execution of an application and calculate weights based on temperature changes. Alternatively, the sensors (850) may be implemented as a Time of Flying (ToF) sensor, a Lidar sensor, etc., to obtain information about objects around the user terminal device (100).

[0107] The camera (860) captures objects around the user terminal device (100) to obtain an image of the objects. To this end, the camera may be implemented with an image sensor having a CMOS structure (CIS, CMOS Image Sensor), an image sensor having a CCD structure (Charge Coupled Device), etc. However, it is not limited thereto, and the camera (860) may be implemented as a camera module of various resolutions capable of capturing a subject. Meanwhile, the camera may be implemented as a depth camera (e.g., IR depth camera, etc.), a stereo camera, or an RGB camera, etc.

[0108] The speaker (870) is configured to output various audio data, for which various processing operations such as decoding, amplification, and noise filtering have been performed by an audio processing unit (not shown). The speaker (870) can output various notification sounds or voice messages. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, if the carbon emissions calculated relative to the reference carbon emissions are greater than or equal to the reference value, the user terminal device (100) can output a voice message through the speaker recommending that the user reduce the usage time of the user terminal device (100).

[0109] The various embodiments of the present disclosure described above may be combined with additional embodiments and modified to the extent understandable to those skilled in the art in light of the detailed description above. The embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrative in all respects and should be understood as not restrictive. For example, each component described as a single unit may be implemented in a distributed manner, and components described as distributed may likewise be implemented in a combined form. Accordingly, all modifications or variations derived from the meaning, scope, and equivalents of the claims of the present disclosure should be interpreted as being included within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a user terminal device that calculates carbon emissions based on usage time, A step of identifying the usage time of a user terminal device; Based on the identified usage time, a step of calculating the carbon emissions of the user terminal device corresponding to the identified usage time during a preset period; and A step comprising: displaying a UI (User Interface) indicating the calculated carbon emissions through a display; Control method.

2. In Paragraph 1, A step of identifying the calculated carbon emissions relative to the first reference carbon emissions applied during the aforementioned preset period; and If the calculated carbon emission amount relative to the first reference carbon emission amount is less than the reference value, the method comprises the step of calculating and compensating a reward corresponding to the calculated carbon emission amount. Control method.

3. In Paragraph 2, If the calculated carbon emission amount relative to the first reference carbon emission amount is greater than or equal to the reference value, a second reference carbon emission amount smaller than the first reference carbon emission amount is applied to the next cycle; comprising Control method.

4. In Paragraph 1, The above identification step is, The method includes the step of identifying the usage time for each of a plurality of applications installed on the user terminal device during a preset period; and The above-mentioned calculation step is, A step of calculating the total carbon emissions of the user terminal device during the preset period and the carbon emissions corresponding to the use of each application based on the usage time of the plurality of applications identified above; comprising Control method.

5. In Paragraph 4, A step of selecting a management application among a plurality of applications based on the usage time for each of the plurality of applications; and A step of managing the use of the above-mentioned selected management application during the next cycle; including, Control method.

6. In Paragraph 4, The step of calculating the total carbon emissions and carbon emissions resulting from the use of each application is as follows: Calculating carbon emissions resulting from the use of each application by applying a weight calculated according to the environment of the data center corresponding to each application to the usage time of each of the above applications. Control method.

7. In Paragraph 1, A step of generating challenge content for reducing carbon emissions of the user terminal device; and The method includes the step of sharing the generated challenge content with multiple other users through a communication interface; The step indicated above is, Based on the above-determined carbon emissions, the method comprises the step of identifying a ranking of carbon emissions between the user who shared the challenge content and a plurality of other users at each preset period, and displaying the identified ranking through the display. Control method.

8. In Paragraph 7, When the challenge content is terminated, the method comprises the step of calculating a reward based on the final ranking regarding the user's carbon emissions; Control method.

9. In Paragraph 1, A step of generating challenge content for reducing carbon emissions of the user terminal device; A step of sharing the generated challenge content with multiple other users through a communication interface; A step of identifying the carbon emissions of multiple users sharing the challenge content generated above, and setting a reference carbon emission amount for the multiple users; and A step of selecting a user of interest among the plurality of users based on the above standard carbon emissions; and A step comprising determining a reference carbon emission amount for the plurality of users during the next cycle based on the carbon emission amount of the plurality of users, wherein a reference carbon emission amount different from the determined reference carbon emission amount is applied to the selected user of interest; Control method.

10. In a user terminal device that calculates carbon emissions based on usage time, display; Memory storing at least one instruction; and By executing at least one instruction, the system includes at least one processor that identifies the usage time of a user terminal device during a preset period, calculates the carbon emissions of the user terminal device during the preset period based on the identified usage time, and displays a UI corresponding to the calculated carbon emissions through the display. User terminal device.

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