Abstract: One method of adjusting a focal length of a camera obtains a captured image of the camera by an application server, where a user can log onto the application server and decides if there is a need to adjust the focal length of the camera again. Another method obtains a captured image of the camera by an application server, determines if a quality of the captured image is acceptable by the application server, and sends the determination results to a mobile device. The focal length of the camera is adjusted again by checking the determination result on the mobile device.

Abstract: A video recorder includes a sound occurrence detection system to detect a sound occurrence in an area. A detection method can detect the sound occurrence by using the video recorder. The detection method establishes relationships between rotation angles of the video recorder and sound output orientations of a sound source in the area. Furthermore, the detection method determines a rotation angle according to the relationships once the sound occurrence occurs, and rotates the video recorder according to the rotation angle, to record videos and sounds of a sound source that causes the sound occurrence.

Abstract: An alarm system and method for warning of emergencies are provided. The method predefines a sign language list, and stores the sign language list in a storage device of a terminal device connected to at least one video camera. The method can control the video camera to capture sign images of a person when the person warns of an emergency using sign language, and combine the sign images to create a combined image. In addition, the method analyzes each of the sign images of the combined image to generate a group of sign numbers according to the sign language list stored in the storage device, generates a sign event according to the group of sign numbers, and responds to the sign event using a corresponding alarm.

Abstract: A personal water safety device includes a barrel portion, and a base part. The base part connects two portions of a swimming goggle frame. The barrel portion includes a button, and a cylinder connected to the button via a spring. The base part includes a timer connected to the cylinder, and an alarm electrically connected to the timer. Water enters the cylinder when the button is pressed, and the timer measures an elapsed time when electrical conductivity of interior of the cylinder is in a predetermined range. The alarm generates an alarm when the measured time exceeds a predetermined time limit.

Abstract: A personal water safety device includes at least three base stations, at least one water sensing device, and an alarm apparatus. The at least one water sensing device wirelessly communicates with each of the at least three base stations. The alarm apparatus wirelessly communicates with each of the at least three base stations. Each water sensing device is worn by a swimmer and is triggered to measure elapsed time when the swimmer submerges in water, and transmits the measured time to the at least three base stations. The alarm apparatus receives the measured time transmitted from each of the at least three base stations, and generates an alarm when the measured time of one of the at least water sensing device exceeds a predetermined time limit.

Abstract: A personal water safety device includes at least two sonar receivers, at least one water sensing device, and an alarm apparatus. The at least one water sensing device communicates with each of the at least two sonar receivers via sound waves. The alarm apparatus wirelessly communicates with each of the at least two sonar receivers. Each water sensing device is worn by a swimmer and is triggered to measure an elapsed time when the swimmer submerges in water, and transmits the measured time and a corresponding identification number to the at least two sonar receivers via the sound waves. The alarm apparatus receives the measured time and the corresponding identification number transmitted from each of the at least two sonar receivers, and generates an alarm when the measured time of one of the at least water sensing device exceeds a predetermined time limit.

Abstract: A method can control a pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) camera to monitor an area. The method sets a monitoring path for the PTZ camera, captures a plurality of navigation images of the monitored area at different positions of the monitoring path, and obtains position information of each of the navigation images based upon an image space coordinate system. The method further sets a sequence of the navigation images, and sets a directional control icon for each of the navigation images according to the set sequence and the position information. According to the movement direction pointed by the directional control icon of each of the captured image, the PTZ camera can move along the monitoring path to capture a video stream of the monitored area.

Abstract: One method of adjusting a focal length of a camera obtains a captured image of the camera by an application server, where a user can log onto the application server and decides if there is a need to adjust the focal length of the camera again. Another method obtains a captured image of the camera by an application server, determines if a quality of the captured image is acceptable by the application server, and sends the determination results to a mobile device. The focal length of the camera is adjusted again by checking the determination result on the mobile device.

Abstract: An alarm system and method for warning of emergencies are provided. The method predefines a sign language list, and stores the sign language list in a storage device of a terminal device connected to at least one video camera. The method can control the video camera to capture sign images of a person when the person warns of an emergency using sign language, and combine the sign images to create a combined image. In addition, the method analyzes each of the sign images of the combined image to generate a group of sign numbers according to the sign language list stored in the storage device, generates a sign event according to the group of sign numbers, and responds to the sign event using a corresponding alarm.

Abstract: A video recorder includes a sound occurrence detection system to detect a sound occurrence in an area. A detection method can detect the sound occurrence by using the video recorder. The detection method establishes relationships between rotation angles of the video recorder and sound output orientations of a sound source in the area. Furthermore, the detection method determines a rotation angle according to the relationships once the sound occurrence occurs, and rotates the video recorder according to the rotation angle, to record videos and sounds of a sound source that causes the sound occurrence.

Abstract: A personal water safety device includes at least two sonar receivers, at least one water sensing device, and an alarm apparatus. The at least one water sensing device communicates with each of the at least two sonar receivers via sound waves. The alarm apparatus wirelessly communicates with each of the at least two sonar receivers. Each water sensing device is worn by a swimmer and is triggered to measure an elapsed time when the swimmer submerges in water, and transmits the measured time and a corresponding identification number to the at least two sonar receivers via the sound waves. The alarm apparatus receives the measured time and the corresponding identification number transmitted from each of the at least two sonar receivers, and generates an alarm when the measured time of one of the at least water sensing device exceeds a predetermined time limit.

Abstract: A personal water safety device includes at least three base stations, at least one water sensing device, and an alarm apparatus. The at least one water sensing device wirelessly communicates with each of the at least three base stations. The alarm apparatus wirelessly communicates with each of the at least three base stations. Each water sensing device is worn by a swimmer and is triggered to measure elapsed time when the swimmer submerges in water, and transmits the measured time to the at least three base stations. The alarm apparatus receives the measured time transmitted from each of the at least three base stations, and generates an alarm when the measured time of one of the at least water sensing device exceeds a predetermined time limit.

Abstract: A personal water safety device includes a barrel portion, and a base part. The base part connects two portions of a swimming goggle frame. The barrel portion includes a button, and a cylinder connected to the button via a spring. The base part includes a timer connected to the cylinder, and an alarm electrically connected to the timer. Water enters the cylinder when the button is pressed, and the timer measures an elapsed time when electrical conductivity of interior of the cylinder is in a predetermined range. The alarm generates an alarm when the measured time exceeds a predetermined time limit.

Abstract: A panoramic camera, a system, and a method for monitoring target places using the panoramic camera are provided. The system includes a network access server (NAS) connected to the panoramic camera, a video decoder, a computer workstation, and a monitor screen. The panoramic camera captures digital images of a target place from different viewing angles, combines the digital images to create a panoramic image of the target place, encodes and compresses the panoramic image to generate an encoded panoramic image, and transmits the encoded panoramic image to the NAS through a network. When the target place needs to be monitored, the computer workstation obtains the encoded panoramic image from the NAS through a hub. The video decoder decodes the encoded panoramic image to retrieve the panoramic image of the target place. The monitor screen displays the panoramic image to a user for viewing and monitoring the target place.

Abstract: A method for processing images of a scene captured by a plurality of video cameras divides a coordinate plane of a scene into a plurality of partitions according to predetermined division points, and identifies information of the images. The method further distinguishes unusable areas of each image according to the information of the image and the division of the coordinate plane of the scene, and marks a character into each pixel point of the unusable areas of each image. The method further compresses each image by deleting the pixel points marked by the character to generate a compressed image, and integrates all compressed images to generate a panoramic image of the scene.

Abstract: A system is disclosed for estimating a sum of absolute differences (SAD) between a macro block of a current frame and a candidate block of a reference block. The macro block includes a number of sub macro blocks of pixels. A number of sample pixels are selected from each of the number of sub macro blocks. A reference pixel corresponding to each of the sample pixels is found in the candidate block. The system obtains a sub SAD by multiplying an average of the absolute differences between pixel values of the selected pixels of each of the plurality of sub macro blocks and corresponding relative pixels of the candidate block by a corresponding pixel number. The SAD is obtained by adding all of the sub SADs together.