Description:FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 OF 1970)
&
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
[Refer Section 10, Rule 13]

TITLE OF INVENTION
A Stray Animal Warning System for a Vehicle and a Method thereof

APPLICANT
TVS MOTOR COMPANY LIMITED, an Indian company, having its address at “Chaitanya”, No.12 Khader Nawaz Khan Road, Nungambakkam, Chennai 600 006, Tamil Nadu, India.

PREAMBLE TO THE DESCRIPTION
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[001] The present invention generally relates to a stray animal warning system in a vehicle to alert and warn stray animals in a path of the vehicle and induce the stray animals to to exit from the path of the vehicle and a method thereof.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[002] Stray animals roaming on and around vicinity of roads is a cause of traffic blocks and many automobile accidents. Conventionally, users of vehicles have employed stock horns and lights of the vehicle to scare the stray animals off the road. More often than not, manual use of the horn and flickering of lights may fail to scare away the stary animals from the road in time to avoid accidents. Further, use of horn and flickering of lights in close proximity may cause panic to the stray animals and cause them to run across the road and into a path of other vehicles. The stray animals are also likely to get threatened or irritated by incessant use of horn and may even attack the vehicle. Collision with the stray animals will cause both animal and human casualties and also damages the vehicle. Further, the use of horns and lights to scare away stray animals is also a source of noise pollution. Also, existing horns and lights of the vehicle that require human intervention for use may affect concentration of an operator of the vehicle and may lead to other accidents.
[003] Modern day internal combustion engine vehicles operate without producing much engine noise and electric vehicles operate silently without generating any considerable noise. Thus, stray animals on the road are very likely to be unaware of the approaching vehicle. Due to lack of engine noise, the stray animals may also ignore the vehicle and not budge from the road. Further, different animals are sensitive and respond differently to different types of sounds. The monotonous sound of the horn of the vehicle will not be effective on all types of stray animals.
[004] Thus, there is a need in the art for a stray animal warning system in a vehicle and a method thereof which addresses at least the aforementioned problems and limitations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[005] In one aspect, the present invention is directed to a stray animal warning system in a vehicle. The stray animal warning system includes a camera unit, a speaker unit, and a control unit. The camera unit is mounted on the vehicle and adapted to record images of potential obstructions in a path of the vehicle. The speaker unit is mounted on the vehicle and adapted to emit sounds at different frequencies. The control unit is mounted on the vehicle and is in communication with the camera unit and the speaker unit. The control unit is adapted to receive the images recorded by the camera unit and determine a stray animal and type of the stray animal from the potential obstructions in the path of the vehicle based on the images received from the camera unit. The control unit is further adapted to determine a first frequency of sound from a database which can induce the stray animal to exit from the path of the vehicle and generate and communicate a first signal to the speaker unit to control the sound to be emitted by the speaker unit based on the determined first frequency to induce the stray animal to exit from the path of the vehicle. The first frequency is dependent on the type of stray animal.
[006] In an embodiment, the control unit has a machine learning model for determination of the stray animal and type of the stray animal from the potential obstructions. In an embodiment, the machine learning model is trained based on different attributes of the stray animal like at least one of posture, size, and variant of the stray animal. In another embodiment, the machine learning model generates a confidence score of identification based on the images received from the camera unit. In an embodiment, determination of the stray animal and type of the stray animal from the potential obstructions in the path of the vehicle is successful if the confidence score of identification is greater than a predefined threshold value.
[007] In another embodiment, the control unit is adapted to determine the stray animal and type of the stray animal from the potential obstructions in the path of the vehicle when the potential obstruction in the path of the vehicle is at a predetermined distance from the vehicle.
[008] In an embodiment, the control unit is adapted to vary one or more acoustic parameters of the sound to be emitted by the speaker unit based on type of the stray animal. The one or more acoustic parameters are a frequency, a tone, a pitch, and a loudness of the sound. The acoustic parameters of the sound are stored in the database. In another embodiment, the control unit is adapted to determine said acoustic parameters from the database and generate and communicate a second signal to the speaker unit to control the sound to be emitted by the speaker unit based on said acoustic parameters determined, to induce the stray animal to exit from the path of the vehicle.
[009] In another embodiment, the control unit is adapted to generate and communicate a third signal to flicker one or more lights of the vehicle at a second frequency to induce the stray animal to exit from the path of the vehicle. In an embodiment, the second frequency at which the one or more lights of the vehicle are flickered is dependent on the type of stray animal and is determined from the database.
[010] In an embodiment, the database is at least one of a local database and a cloud based database. In an embodiment, a classification of stray animals based on different attributes of the stray animals, the acoustic parameters and the first frequency of the sound to be emitted by the speaker unit, and the second frequency at which the one or more lights of the vehicle are flickered are stored in one of the local database and the cloud based database.
[011] In another embodiment, the control unit is adapted to import from the cloud based database to the local database, the classification of stray animals based on different attributes of the stray animals, the first frequency and the acoustic parameters of the sound to be emitted by the speaker unit and the second frequency at which the one or more lights of the vehicle are flickered, based on the type of stray animals with a probability to be encountered in a selected terrain of navigation of the vehicle.
[012] In an embodiment, the camera unit and the speaker unit are disposed at a front portion of the vehicle.
[013] In an embodiment, the first frequency of sound emitted by the speaker unit is in an ultrasonic range.
[014] In an embodiment, the stray animal warning system is communicatively coupled to an Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) of the vehicle. The ADAS is adapted to perform prevention of acceleration and automatic braking of the vehicle when the stray animal obstructs the path of the vehicle.
[015] In an embodiment, the stray animal warning system includes a Human Machine Interface (HMI) configured to alert an operator of the vehicle regarding presence of the stray animal in the path of the vehicle.
[016] In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a method for detection and warning stray animals by a stray animal warning system in a vehicle. The method includes the step of receiving by a control unit mounted on the vehicle, images recorded by a camera unit mounted on the vehicle, of potential obstructions in a path of the vehicle. The method further includes the steps of determining by the control unit, a stray animal and type of the stray animal from the potential obstructions in a path of the vehicle based on the images received from the camera unit, determining by the control unit, a first frequency of sound from the database which can induce the stray animal to exit from the path of the vehicle, and generating and communicating by the control unit, a first signal to a speaker unit to control the sound to be emitted by the speaker unit based on the determined first frequency to induce the stray animal to exit from the path of the vehicle. The first frequency is dependent on the type of stray animal.
[017] In an embodiment, the method includes the step of generating by a machine learning model of the control unit, a confidence score of identification based on the images received from the camera unit. The determination of the stray animal and type of the stray animal from the potential obstructions in the path of the vehicle is successful if the confidence score of identification is greater than a predefined threshold value.
[018] In another embodiment, the method includes the step of determining by the control unit, one or more acoustic parameters of the sound to be emitted by the speaker unit from the database which can induce the stray animal to exit from the path of the vehicle. The one or more acoustic parameters are a frequency, a tone, a pitch, and a loudness of the sound and said acoustic parameters of the sound are stored in the database. In yet another embodiment, the method includes the steps of generating and communicating by the control unit, a second signal to the speaker unit to control the sound to be emitted by the speaker unit based on said acoustic parameters determined, to induce the stray animal to exit from the path of the vehicle.
[019] In another embodiment, the method includes the step of generating and communicating by the control unit, a third signal to flicker one or more lights of the vehicle at a second frequency to induce the stray animal to exit from the path of the vehicle. The second frequency is determined from the database depending on the type of the stray animal.
[020] In an embodiment, the method includes the step of importing by the control unit from a cloud based database to a local database of the vehicle, a classification of stray animals based on different attributes of the stray animals, the first frequency and the acoustic parameters of the sound to be emitted by the speaker unit, and the second frequency at which the one or more lights of the vehicle are flickered, based on the type of stray animals with a probability to be encountered in a selected terrain of navigation of the vehicle.
[021] In an embodiment, the method includes the step of alerting an operator of the vehicle by the control unit, regarding presence of the stray animal in the path of the vehicle via a Human Machine Interface (HMI) of the vehicle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[022] Reference will be made to embodiments of the invention, examples of which may be illustrated in accompanying figures. These figures are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Although the invention is generally described in context of these embodiments, it should be understood that it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to these particular embodiments.
Figure 1 illustrates a schematic view of an exemplary scenario with vehicles and stray animals in a path of the vehicles, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary stray animal warning system and other auxiliary systems, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 illustrates a block diagram of the stray animal warning system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 illustrates a method for detection and warning stray animals by a stray animal warning system in a vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 5 illustrates the method for detection and warning stray animals by a stray animal warning system in a vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 6 illustrates the schematic for detection and warning stray animals by a stray animal warning system in a vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[023] Various features and embodiments of the present invention here will be discernible from the following further description thereof, set out hereunder. It is contemplated that the disclosure in the present invention may be applied to any type of stray animal warning system capable of accommodating the present subject matter without defeating the scope of the present invention.
[024] The present invention generally relates to a stray animal warning system 100 in a vehicle 10 to alert and warn stray animals 20 in a path of the vehicle 10 and induce the stray animals 20 to to exit from the path of the vehicle 10 and a method 400 thereof.
[025] Figure 1 illustrates a schematic view of an exemplary scenario with vehicles 10 and stray animals 20 in a path of the vehicles 10, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. The vehicle 10 can be a four-wheeler, three-wheeler or a two-wheeler or any other vehicle capable of accommodating the present subject matter without defeating the scope of the present invention. The stray animal 20 can be any animal loitering on and around a road or a path of the vehicle 10. The stray animal 20 may vary depending on the terrain and path the vehicle 10 travels on. For e.g., for city roads, the stray animal 20 may be cattle, dogs, cats, etc. and for highways or forest roads, additional animals like deer, bison, elephant, etc. may also stray onto the path of the vehicle 10. The vehicle 10 includes a camera unit 110 and the camera unit 110 is adapted to record images of potential obstructions in a path of the vehicle 10. The potential obstructions in the path of the vehicle 10 may include pits, animals, trees, barricades, speed breakers, etc., and also includes stray animals 20. In an embodiment, the camera unit 110 is disposed at a front portion of the vehicle 10. The vehicle 10 also includes a speaker unit 120 mounted on the vehicle 10 which can emit sounds at different frequencies. In an embodiment, the speaker unit 120 is disposed at a front portion of the vehicle 10.
[026] Figure 2 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary stray animal warning system 100 and other auxiliary systems, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. The stray animal warning system 100 on the vehicle 10 includes the camera unit 110 and the speaker unit 120. The stray animal warning system 100 also includes a control unit 130 which is mounted on the vehicle 10. The control unit 130 is in communication with the camera unit 110 and the speaker unit 120. The stray animal warning system 100 further includes a local database 160 on the vehicle 10 for data storage and retrieval. The control unit 130 is also in communication with a remote cloud based database 200 for data storage and retrieval.
[027] Figure 3 illustrates a block diagram of the stray animal warning system 100, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. On vehicle ignition, the control unit 130 starts to receive the images recorded by the camera unit 110. The control unit 130, based on the identification of the potential obstructions and the identification of the stray animals 20 from the potential obstructions in accordance with the method illustrated in Figures 4 to 6 alerts and warns the stray animals 20 in the path of the vehicle 10 and induces the stray animals 20 to to exit from the path of the vehicle 10 using the speaker unit 120. In the illustrated embodiment, the speaker unit 120 is an ultrasonic sound emitter. The ultrasonic sound emitter includes a combination of a digital potentiometer 122, a resistor 124, a capacitor 126, a timer 128, and a piezoelectric ultrasonic tweeter 125. The ultrasonic sound emitter can be of any type known in the art. The stray animal warning system 100 also includes a relay 140 through which electric power is supplied to the ultrasonic sound emitter.
[028] Figure 4 illustrates a method 400 for detection and warning stray animals 20 by a stray animal warning system 100 in a vehicle 10, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. At step 404, the control unit 130 receives the images recorded by a camera unit 110. The images are indicative of the potential obstructions in the path of the vehicle 10. At step 408, the control unit 130 determines a stray animal 20 and type of the stray animal 20 from the potential obstructions in a path of the vehicle 10 from the images received from the camera unit 110. At step 410, the control unit 130 determines a first frequency of sound from the database 160, 200 which can induce the stray animal 20 to exit from the path of the vehicle 10. The database can be the local database 160 or the cloud based database 200. The first frequency of sound thus determined from the database 160, 200 is dependent on the type of stray animal 20, i.e., there is a specific sound tailored for a specific type of stray animal 20. At step 412, the control unit 130 generates and communicates a first signal to a speaker unit 120 to control the sound to be emitted by the speaker unit 120. When the speaker unit 120 emits sound at the determined first frequency, the stray animal 20 is induced to exit from the path of the vehicle 10. In an embodiment, the first frequency of sound emitted by the speaker unit 120 is in an ultrasonic range. Since ultrasonic sound is not audible to humans and is specifically tailored to suit different type of animals, discomfiture of humans under honking of horns on the road is reduced.
[029] In an embodiment, the control unit 130 includes a machine learning model for determination of the stray animal 20 and type of the stray animal 20 from the potential obstructions. The machine learning model is trained based on different attributes of the stray animal 20. The different attributes of the stray animal 20 includes at least one of posture, size, and variant of the stray animal 20. The machine learning model is trained on first detection and identification of type of the stray animal 20. For detection and identification of type of the stray animal 20, the machine learning model is trained on all different attributes of the stray animal 20, including postures, sizes, variants of the animals, etc. At step 414, the machine learning model of the control unit 130 generates a confidence score of identification of the stray animal and the type of stray animal from the images received from the camera unit 110. In the illustrated embodiment, determination of the stray animal 20 and type of the stray animal 20 from the potential obstructions in the path of the vehicle 10 is successful if the confidence score of identification is greater than a predefined threshold value. In an embodiment, greater the confidence score of identification, greater is the chance that the stray animal 20 will enter the path of the vehicle 10 and cause a collision. In another embodiment, the machine learning model is trained such that the confidence score of identification is greater than the threshold value if there is a high probability that the stray animal 20 standing at a side of the road will enter the path of the vehicle 10. If the confidence score of identification in real time is lesser than the predefined threshold value, the sound to chase away the stray animals 20 is not generated by the speaker unit 120. In real time, the trained machine learning model receives the images recorded by the camera unit 110 and detects the stray animal 20 and type of the stray animal 20 from the images. In an embodiment, there is no comparison with between images recorded by the camera unit 110 and images of the stray animals 20 stored in the database 160, 200 in real time. However, in testing phase of the machine learning model, there is comparison of the images recorded by the camera unit 110 with the images of the stray animals 20 stored in the database 160, 200. Further, for classification of the stray animals 20 into different types of stray animals 20 in real time, the trained machine learning model may compare one or more different attributes of the stray animals 20 that are imported from the cloud based database 200 and stored in the local database 160 with the images recorded by the camera unit 110 and classify a specific type of stray animal 20 along with the corresponding sound to be emitted by the speaker unit 120.
[030] In an embodiment, the control unit 130 initiates the process of determination of the stray animal 20 and type of the stray animal 20 from the potential obstructions in the path of the vehicle 10, when the potential obstruction in the path of the vehicle 10 is at a predetermined distance from the vehicle 10. In an exemplary embodiment, the control unit 130 initiates the process of determination of the stray animal 20 and type of the stray animal 20 from the potential obstructions when the obstruction is in a range of 50 to 100 metres from the vehicle. This ensures that at an optimum level of energy usage the maximum efficacy of alerting and warning the stray animal 20 is achieved and false alarm is also avoided. In another embodiment, one or more lights 150 (shown in Figure 2) of the vehicle 10 is flickered to scare the stray animals 20 off the path of the vehicle 10. The one or more lights 150 may be headlamps or hazard lamps of the vehicle 10. At step 422, the control unit 130 generates and communicates a third signal to flicker the one or more lights 150 of the vehicle 10 at a second frequency to induce the stray animal 20 to exit from the path of the vehicle 10. The second frequency is determined from the database 160, 200 depending on the type of the stray animal 20.
[031] In yet another embodiment, the vehicle 10 includes a Human Machine Interface (HMI) 240 (shown in Figure 2) which is adapted to alert an operator of the vehicle 10 regarding presence of the stray animal 20 in the path of the vehicle. In a further embodiment, the stray animal warning system 100 is communicatively coupled to an Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) 220 (shown in Figure 2) of the vehicle 10. The ADAS 220 performs prevention of acceleration and automatic braking of the vehicle 10 when the stray animal 20 obstructs the path of the vehicle 10. As illustrated in Figure 4, at step 416, the control unit 130 alerts an operator of the vehicle 10 regarding presence of the stray animal 20 in the path of the vehicle 10 via the Human Machine Interface (HMI) 240. Thus, the operator of the vehicle 10 would be well aware of the approaching obstruction caused by the stray animals 20 on the road, even before the ADAS 220 performs prevention of acceleration and automatic braking of the vehicle 10.
[032] Figure 5 illustrates the method 400 for detection and warning stray animals 20 by a stray animal warning system 100 in a vehicle 10, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. In a further embodiment, the control unit 130 is adapted to vary one or more acoustic parameters of the sound to be emitted by the speaker unit 120 based on type of the stray animal 20, i.e., the acoustic parameters are also tailored depending on type of the stray animal 20. The one or more acoustic parameters are a frequency, a tone, a pitch, and a loudness of the sound. The said acoustic parameters of the sound are stored in the database 160, 200 and accessed by the control unit 130 as required. At step 418, the control unit 130 determines one or more acoustic parameters of the sound to be emitted by the speaker unit 120 from the database 160, 200, which can induce the stray animal 20 to exit from the path of the vehicle 10. A varied combination of different acoustic parameters may be used for different types of stray animals 20. At step 420, the control unit 130 generates and communicates a second signal to the speaker unit 120 to control the sound to be emitted by the speaker unit based on said acoustic parameters determined, to induce the stray animal 20 to exit from the path of the vehicle 10.
[033] In an embodiment, the database in which information regarding the stray animals 20 is stored is at least one of the local database 160 or the cloud based database 200. A classification of stray animals 20 based on different attributes of the stray animals 20, the acoustic parameters and the first frequency of the sound to be emitted by the speaker unit 120, and the second frequency at which the one or more lights 150 of the vehicle 10 are flickered are stored in either the local database 160 or the cloud based database 200.
[034] Figure 6 illustrates the schematic and the method 400 for detection and warning stray animals 20 by a stray animal warning system 100 in a vehicle 10, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. At step 424, the control unit 130 verifies whether a specific terrain for navigation of the vehicle has been chosen. The terrain for navigation can be city roads, highway roads or forest roads. If a specific terrain for navigation is chosen, at step 424, the control unit 130 imports a classification of stray animals 20 based on different attributes of the stray animals 20, the first frequency and the acoustic parameters of the sound to be emitted by the speaker unit 120, and the second frequency at which the one or more lights 150 of the vehicle 10 are flickered from the cloud based database 200 to the local database 160 based on the type of stray animals 20 with a probability to be encountered in the selected terrain of navigation of the vehicle 10. Since the local database 160 allows for faster data recalling by the control unit 130, download of information about stray animals 20 that are likely to be encountered on the chosen terrain would enable to system 100 to have faster response times.
[035] Advantageously, the present claimed invention provides a stray animal warning system in a vehicle to alert and warn stray animals in a path of the vehicle and induce the stray animals to to exit from the path of the vehicle and a method thereof. By real-time detection and alerting of stray animals with a system on board the vehicle, accidents due to presence of stray animals in the path of the vehicle can be avoided. Injury to human and animal life and damage to vehicle under collision with the stray animals can be achieved by warning the animals to clear off the road in a timely manner. The claimed configurations of the system and the method for alerting and warning stray animals in the path of the vehicle and inducing the stray animals to to exit from the path of the vehicle as discussed above are not routine, conventional, or well understood in the art, as the claimed configurations of the system and the method disclosed herein enable the following solutions to the existing problems in conventional technologies. The stray animal warning system and the method thereof can be employed in any kind of automobile, and is especially effective for electric vehicles that have no engine sound. The system can also be linked with the ADAS of the vehicle so that during encounter of the stray animal in the path of the vehicle, input for activating auto braking of the vehicle to slow down the vehicle can be accomplished automatically. Since the system is capable of generating and using ultrasounds which are audible only to the stray animals and not to humans, any sound pollution associated with regular automotive horns is avoided. Stray animals can be effectively scared off the road using specific sounds audible to only those animals. Manual interference is not necessary for the system to work, and thus the operator of the vehicle can give his full attention to the road without getting distracted by stray animals. Furthermore, modular installation of the system on existing vehicles using existing hardware is possible and the system can be powered by existing battery hardware of the vehicle.
[036] While the present invention has been described with respect to certain embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modification may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

List of Reference Numerals:
10 - vehicle
20 - stray animal
100 - stray animal warning system
110 - camera unit
120 - speaker unit
122 - digital potentiometer
124 - resistor
125 - piezoelectric ultrasonic tweeter
126 - capacitor
128 - timer
130 - control unit
140 - relay
150 - one or more lights of the vehicle
160 - local database
200 - cloud based database
220 - Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS)
240 - Human Machine Interface (HMI)
, Claims:WE CLAIM:
1. A stray animal warning system (100) in a vehicle (10), the stray animal warning system (100) comprising:
a camera unit (110) mounted on the vehicle (10) and configured to record images of potential obstructions in a path of the vehicle (10);
a speaker unit (120) mounted on the vehicle (10) and configured to emit sounds at different frequencies; and
a control unit (130) mounted on the vehicle (10) and in communication with the camera unit (110) and the speaker unit (120), the control unit (130) configured to:
receive the images recorded by the camera unit (110);
determine a stray animal (20) and type of the stray animal (20) from the potential obstructions in the path of the vehicle (10) based on the images received from the camera unit (110);
determine a first frequency of sound from a database (160, 200) which can induce the stray animal (20) to exit from the path of the vehicle (10), the first frequency being dependent on the type of stray animal (20); and
generate and communicate a first signal to the speaker unit (120) to control the sound to be emitted by the speaker unit (120) based on the determined first frequency to induce the stray animal (20) to exit from the path of the vehicle (10).

2. The stray animal warning system (100) in the vehicle (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit (130) comprising a machine learning model for determination of the stray animal (20) and type of the stray animal (20) from the potential obstructions.

3. The stray animal warning system (100) in the vehicle (10) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the machine learning model is trained based on different attributes of the stray animal (20), the different attributes of the stray animal (20) being at least one of posture, size, and variant of the stray animal (20).

4. The stray animal warning system (100) in the vehicle (10) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the machine learning model generates a confidence score of identification based on the images received from the camera unit (110).

5. The stray animal warning system (100) in the vehicle (10) as claimed in claim 4, wherein determination of the stray animal (20) and type of the stray animal (20) from the potential obstructions in the path of the vehicle (10) is successful if the confidence score of identification is greater than a predefined threshold value.

6. The stray animal warning system (100) in the vehicle (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit (130) being configured to determine the stray animal (20) and type of the stray animal (20) from the potential obstructions in the path of the vehicle (10) when the potential obstruction in the path of the vehicle (10) is at a predetermined distance from the vehicle (10).

7. The stray animal warning system (100) in the vehicle (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit (130) being configured to vary one or more acoustic parameters of the sound to be emitted by the speaker unit (120) based on type of the stray animal (20), the one or more acoustic parameters being a frequency, a tone, a pitch, and a loudness of the sound and said acoustic parameters of the sound being stored in the database (160, 200).

8. The stray animal warning system (100) in the vehicle (10) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the control unit (130) being configured to: determine said acoustic parameters from the database (160, 200); and generate and communicate a second signal to the speaker unit (120) to control the sound to be emitted by the speaker unit based on said acoustic parameters determined, to induce the stray animal (20) to exit from the path of the vehicle (10).

9. The stray animal warning system (100) in the vehicle (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit (130) being configured to generate and communicate a third signal to flicker one or more lights (150) of the vehicle (10) at a second frequency to induce the stray animal (20) to exit from the path of the vehicle (10).

10. The stray animal warning system (100) in the vehicle (10) as claimed in claim 9, wherein the second frequency at which the one or more lights (150) of the vehicle (10) are flickered is dependent on the type of stray animal (20) and is determined from the database (160, 200).

11. The stray animal warning system (100) in the vehicle (10) as claimed in claims 7 and 10 wherein the database being at least one of a local database (160) and a cloud based database (200).

12. The stray animal warning system (100) in the vehicle (10) as claimed in claim 11, wherein a classification of stray animals (20) based on different attributes of the stray animals (20), the acoustic parameters and the first frequency of the sound to be emitted by the speaker unit (120), and the second frequency at which the one or more lights (150) of the vehicle (10) are flickered are stored in one of the local database (160) and the cloud based database (200).

13. The stray animal warning system (100) in the vehicle (10) as claimed in claim 12, wherein said control unit (130) being configured to import from the cloud based database (200) to the local database (160), the classification of stray animals (20) based on different attributes of the stray animals (20), the first frequency and the acoustic parameters of the sound to be emitted by the speaker unit (120) and the second frequency at which the one or more lights (150) of the vehicle (10) are flickered, based on the type of stray animals (20) with a probability to be encountered in a selected terrain of navigation of the vehicle (10).

14. The stray animal warning system (100) in the vehicle (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the camera unit (110) and the speaker unit (120) are disposed at a front portion of the vehicle (10).

15. The stray animal warning system (100) in the vehicle (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first frequency of sound emitted by the speaker unit (120) is in an ultrasonic range.

16. The stray animal warning system (100) in the vehicle (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stray animal warning system (100) is communicatively coupled to an Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) (220) of the vehicle (10), the ADAS (220) being configured to perform prevention of acceleration and automatic braking of the vehicle (10) when the stray animal (20) obstructs the path of the vehicle (10).

17. The stray animal warning system (100) in the vehicle (10) as claimed in claim 1 comprising a Human Machine Interface (HMI) (240) configured to alert an operator of the vehicle (10) regarding presence of the stray animal (20) in the path of the vehicle (10).

18. A method (400) for detection and warning stray animals by a stray animal warning system (100) in a vehicle (10), the method (400) comprising the steps of:
receiving (404), by a control unit (130) mounted on the vehicle (10), images recorded by a camera unit (110) mounted on the vehicle (10) of potential obstructions in a path of the vehicle (10);
determining (408), by the control unit (130), a stray animal (20) and type of the stray animal (20) from the potential obstructions in a path of the vehicle (10) based on the images received from the camera unit (110);
determining (410), by the control unit (130), a first frequency of sound from a database (160, 200) which can induce the stray animal (20) to exit from the path of the vehicle (10), the first frequency being dependent on the type of stray animal (20);
generating and communicating (412), by the control unit (130), a first signal to a speaker unit (120) to control the sound to be emitted by the speaker unit (120) based on the determined first frequency to induce the stray animal (20) to exit from the path of the vehicle (10).

19. The method (400) as claimed in claim 18 comprising the step of generating (414), by a machine learning model of the control unit (130), a confidence score of identification based on the images received from the camera unit (110), wherein determination of the stray animal (20) and type of the stray animal (20) from the potential obstructions in the path of the vehicle (10) is successful if the confidence score of identification is greater than a predefined threshold value.

20. The method (400) as claimed in claim 18 comprising the step of determining (418), by the control unit (130), one or more acoustic parameters of the sound to be emitted by the speaker unit (120) from the database (160, 200) which can induce the stray animal (20) to exit from the path of the vehicle (10), the one or more acoustic parameters being a frequency, a tone, a pitch, and a loudness of the sound and said acoustic parameters of the sound being stored in the database (160, 200).

21. The method (400) as claimed in claim 20 comprising the steps of generating and communicating (420), by the control unit (130), a second signal to the speaker unit (120) to control the sound to be emitted by the speaker unit based on said acoustic parameters determined, to induce the stray animal (20) to exit from the path of the vehicle (10).

22. The method (400) as claimed in claim 18 comprising the step of generating and communicating (422), by the control unit (130), a third signal to flicker one or more lights (150) of the vehicle (10) at a second frequency to induce the stray animal (20) to exit from the path of the vehicle (10), the second frequency being determined from the database (160, 200) depending on the type of the stray animal (20).

23. The method (400) as claimed in claims 20 and 22 comprising the step of importing (426), by the control unit (130) from a cloud based database (200) to a local database (160) of the vehicle (10), a classification of stray animals (20) based on different attributes of the stray animals (20), the first frequency and the acoustic parameters of the sound to be emitted by the speaker unit (120), and the second frequency at which the one or more lights (150) of the vehicle (10) are flickered, based on the type of stray animals (20) with a probability to be encountered in a selected terrain of navigation of the vehicle (10).

24. The method (400) as claimed in claim 18 comprising the step of alerting (416) an operator of the vehicle (10), by the control unit (130), regarding presence of the stray animal (20) in the path of the vehicle (10) via a Human Machine Interface (HMI) (240) of the vehicle (10).

Dated this 4th day of October 2022

TVS MOTOR COMPANY LIMITED
By their Agent & Attorney

(Nikhil Ranjan)
of Khaitan & Co
Reg No IN/PA-1471