Abstract: A data integration apparatus for use in a sensor network system is provided. The sensor network system includes a sensor network and an application server. The data integration apparatus receives text commands associated with access of the sensor network from the application server, and accomplishes the operations of the tabled data provided by the network node of the sensor network by using the text commands and the hardware configurations of the sensor network cooperatively.

Abstract: An energy management method is provided. The energy management method comprises the steps of retrieving load information from at least one load and retrieving energy-supplying information from an energy supply system having a grid power source, a renewable energy generation module and an energy storage module to instantly calculate first and second energy thresholds. When an energy production of the renewable energy generation module is smaller than the second energy threshold, the grid power source or the energy storage module is controlled to supply energy to the load. When the energy production is between the first and the second energy thresholds, the renewable energy generation module is controlled to supply energy to the load. When the energy production is larger than the first energy threshold, the renewable energy generation module is controlled to supply energy to the load and charge the energy storage module.

Abstract: A data integration apparatus for use in a sensor network system is provided. The sensor network system includes a sensor network and an application server. The data integration apparatus receives text commands associated with access of the sensor network from the application server, and accomplishes the operations of the tabled data provided by the network node of the sensor network by using the text commands and the hardware configurations of the sensor network cooperatively.

Abstract: An energy management method is provided. The energy management method comprises the steps of retrieving load information from at least one load and retrieving energy-supplying information from an energy supply system having a grid power source, a renewable energy generation module and an energy storage module to instantly calculate first and second energy thresholds. When an energy production of the renewable energy generation module is smaller than the second energy threshold, the grid power source or the energy storage module is controlled to supply energy to the load. When the energy production is between the first and the second energy thresholds, the renewable energy generation module is controlled to supply energy to the load. When the energy production is larger than the first energy threshold, the renewable energy generation module is controlled to supply energy to the load and charge the energy storage module.

Abstract: Block noises at block boundaries are removed, but when a contour line in the original image matches a block boundary, the degree of block noise removal is adjusted and image quality is improved. An adaptive filter has a step of calculating the weight of pixels near the block boundary by a high-pass filter, and a step of determining an adjusted value for the pixels near the block boundary based on the weight. The pixel values near the block boundary are adjusted and block noises are removed. A low-pass filter is applied to pixels near the block boundary to determine a filtered value. The adjusted values of the pixels near the block boundary are determined by obtaining a weighted sum of the original pixel value and the filtered value.

Abstract: An apparatus for improving image sharpness includes a pixel detector that labels each of pixels in an image as one of an edge/texture type and a non-edge/texture type, a pixel type determiner that classifies each of the pixels that are labeled as the edge/texture type as one of a border point type pixel, a transition point type pixel, and a peak point type pixel, and a filter. The filter includes a shrinking/expanding filter and a high boost filter, the shrinking/expanding filter filtering the border point type pixels, and the high boost filter subsequently filtering the peak point type pixels and then filtering the transition point type pixels.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for estimating temperature are provided for estimating a temperature of a test point in a space with an air conditioner. In the method, a first and a second sensor device are deployed in the space, wherein the second sensor device is deployed at the test point. Then, state parameters and temperature transformation functions are defined according to temperatures detected by the first and the second sensor devices and a state of the air conditioner during a predetermined time period. After the second sensor device is removed, a current state of the air conditioner is determined by reference temperatures detected by the first sensor device and the state parameters. One of the temperature transformation functions is selected according to the current state, and a current temperature of the test point is estimated by using the selected temperature transformation function and the reference temperatures.

Abstract: In a method, apparatus and integrated circuit for improving image sharpness, the method includes the following steps: (a) labeling each of pixels in an image as one of an edge/texture type and a non-edge/texture type; (b) classifying each of the pixels that are labeled as the edge/texture type into one of a border point type, a transition point type, and a peak point type; and (c) using a shrinking/expanding filter to filter the pixels of the border point type, and subsequently using a high boost filter to first filter the pixels of the peak point type and then filter the pixels of the transition point type to sharpen the image.

Abstract: An image processing method, and an apparatus and an integrated circuit for implementing the method are adapted for use in a liquid crystal display. The method includes the steps of: determining which blocks in a decoded current frame are noisy blocks; finding, in a processed reference frame, a most similar reference block for each noisy block and generating a block velocity for each noisy block; and processing pixels that are in the noisy blocks having block velocities smaller than a liquid crystal response rate of the liquid crystal display, and that are not covered by after-images. The present invention utilizes the characteristics of liquid crystals to increase processing speed.

Abstract: Image ringing noise is reduced by calculating a line spread function value of each pixel's luminance in an input image, dividing the input image into a plurality of blocks, and calculating an average value and a maximum value of the line spread function values for all pixels in each block. Based on the average value and the maximum value of the line spread function values of each block, whether a block is an interfered flat block or a non-interfered block is determined and the pixels in the interfered flat block are set as noisy pixels. Whether each pixel in the non-interfered block is an edge pixel or a non-edge pixel is determined and the non-edge pixels in the non-interfered block are set as noisy pixels. The noisy pixels thus set are smoothed, and the smoothed pixels are combined with the edge pixels for output as an output image.

Abstract: An image processing method for improving image quality by appropriately detecting ringing artifacts and reducing only the detected ringing artifacts, is an image processing method which includes: selecting, from among a plurality of pixels included in an input image, a candidate for a noise pixel included in the ringing artifacts, using luminance values of the plurality of pixels; judging whether or not the candidate selected in the selecting is the noise pixel based on whether or not a chrominance value of the candidate is included in a chrominance range corresponding to a comparison target region which is a part of the input image; and filtering the noise pixel which has been judged in the judging.

Abstract: A hand-off monitoring method is provided for monitoring a space divided into several monitoring regions. Each of the monitoring regions is monitored by a surveillance camera. The hand-off monitoring method comprises receiving a warning signal from a location and identifying a first surveillance camera related to the location according to the warning signal. Then, an object triggering the warning signal is identified according to a video signal provided by the first surveillance camera. A moving path of the object is predicted according to a non-linear movement prediction model. Then, a control operation is performed, according to the moving path, to control the surveillance cameras in the monitoring regions where the moving path passes so as to hand-off monitor the object.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for estimating temperature are provided for estimating a temperature of a test point in a space with an air conditioner. In the method, a first and a second sensor device are deployed in the space, wherein the second sensor device is deployed at the test point. Then, state parameters and temperature transformation functions are defined according to temperatures detected by the first and the second sensor devices and a state of the air conditioner during a predetermined time period. After the second sensor device is removed, a current state of the air conditioner is determined by reference temperatures detected by the first sensor device and the state parameters. One of the temperature transformation functions is selected according to the current state, and a current temperature of the test point is estimated by using the selected temperature transformation function and the reference temperatures.

Abstract: A hand-off monitoring method is provided for monitoring a space divided into several monitoring regions. Each of the monitoring regions is monitored by a surveillance camera. The hand-off monitoring method comprises receiving a warning signal from a location and identifying a first surveillance camera related to the location according to the warning signal. Then, an object triggering the warning signal is identified according to a video signal provided by the first surveillance camera. A moving path of the object is predicted according to a non-linear movement prediction model. Then, a control operation is performed, according to the moving path, to control the surveillance cameras in the monitoring regions where the moving path passes so as to hand-off monitor the object.

Abstract: Block noises at block boundaries are removed, but when a contour line in the original image matches a block boundary, the degree of block noise removal is adjusted and image quality is improved. An adaptive filter has a step of calculating the weight of pixels near the block boundary by a high-pass filter, and a step of determining an adjusted value for the pixels near the block boundary based on the weight. The pixel values near the block boundary are adjusted and block noises are removed. A low-pass filter is applied to pixels near the block boundary to determine a filtered value. The adjusted values of the pixels near the block boundary are determined by obtaining a weighted sum of the original pixel value and the filtered value.

Abstract: In a method, apparatus and integrated circuit for improving image sharpness, the method includes the following steps: (a) labeling each of pixels in an image as one of an edge/texture type and a non-edge/texture type; (b) classifying each of the pixels that are labeled as the edge/texture type into one of a border point type, a transition point type, and a peak point type; and (c) using a shrinking/expanding filter to filter the pixels of the border point type, and subsequently using a high boost filter to first filter the pixels of the peak point type and then filter the pixels of the transition point type to sharpen the image.

Abstract: An image processing method, and an apparatus and an integrated circuit for implementing the method are adapted for use in a liquid crystal display. The method includes the steps of: determining which blocks in a decoded current frame are noisy blocks; finding, in a processed reference frame, a most similar reference block for each noisy block and generating a block velocity for each noisy block; and processing pixels that are in the noisy blocks having block velocities smaller than a liquid crystal response rate of the liquid crystal display, and that are not covered by after-images. The present invention utilizes the characteristics of liquid crystals to increase processing speed.

Abstract: A method for reducing image ringing noise includes: (a) calculating a line spread function value of each pixel's luminance in an input image; (b) dividing the input image into a plurality of blocks, and calculating an average value and a maximum value of the line spread function values for all the pixels in each of the blocks; (c) based on the average value and the maximum value of the line spread function values for of each of the blocks, determining whether each of the blocks is an interfered flat block or a non-interfered block; (d) setting the pixels in the interfered flat block as a noisy pixels; (e) determining whether each pixel in the non-interfered block is an edge pixel or a non-edge pixel, and setting each the non-edge pixels in the non-interfered block as a noisy pixels; and (f) performing smoothing on each of the noisy pixels thus set, and combining smoothed pixels with the edge pixels for output as an output image.

Abstract: An image processing method for improving image quality by appropriately detecting ringing artifacts and reducing only the detected ringing artifacts, is an image processing method which includes: selecting, from among a plurality of pixels included in an input image, a candidate for a noise pixel included in the ringing artifacts, using luminance values of the plurality of pixels; judging whether or not the candidate selected in the selecting is the noise pixel based on whether or not a chrominance value of the candidate is included in a chrominance range corresponding to a comparison target region which is a part of the input image; and filtering the noise pixel which has been judged in the judging.