DESC:FORM 2

THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENT RULES, 2003

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See Section 10 and Rule 13)

Title of invention:
A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ALERTING AND CONTROLLING IN-VEHICLE ENVIRONMENT

Applicant:
Tata Motors Limited
A company Incorporated in India under the Companies Act, 1956
Having address:
Bombay House, 24 Homi Mody Street, Hutatma Chowk,
Mumbai - 400001, Maharashtra, India

The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS AND PRIORITY
[001] The present application claims priority from Indian provisional application numbered 202121015300 dated 31/03/2021.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[002] The present subject matter described herein, in general, relates to a vehicle safety system and more particularly a system and method for alerting and controlling in-vehicle environment.
BACKGROUND
[003] In modern days a personal vehicle has occupied a prominent part in human life. A person spends a significant time in automotive vehicles. Therefore, it is very important to provide a healthy and safe environment inside the vehicle in a driving or non-driving condition. There are certain situations where the vehicle is parked and is exposed to different environments and before the user enters the car there is no information available as to what’s the kind of condition inside. This can be in terms of air quality, temperature, humidity, foul smell etc. Sometimes in driving condition as well, the user may be imposed to some unwanted in-vehicle environmental parameters.
[004] In an example, a kid is left alone inside the car and the vehicle is locked for many reasons such as parents moving out for a small work, or the kid is sleeping inside the car. This poses a threat to the kid and there has to be a system which can alert the user regarding the activities of the child and also check the temperature, air quality, Oxygen levels and other parameters to ensure there is no risk of suffocation to the kid. There is a need for sending an alert in case the kid is moving inside the locked vehicle and might get himself into some accidental condition.
[005] In another example, a user entering the vehicle which was parked for a long time, can lead to unpleasant environment inside the car something the customer is unaware of, a situation which can be obnoxious for the user e.g. – the customers enters and the seats are really hot, bad smell in the air, oxygen levels are low etc.
[006] Therefore, a system and method is required which can alert the user of the in-vehicle environment and also can control some of the parameters required for safety of an occupant.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
[007] It is a main object of the present invention to enable safety of an occupant inside the vehicle cabin.

[008] It is an object of the present invention to send an alert to a user device for to update about in-vehicle environment.

[009] It is another object of the present invention to enable controlling in-vehicle environment to prevent any hazardous condition for occupants inside the vehicle.
SUMMARY
[0010] Before the present system and method are described, it is to be understood that this application is not limited to the particular machine or apparatus, and methodologies described, as there can be multiple possible embodiments that are not expressly illustrated in the present disclosures. It is also to be understood that the terminology used in the description is for the purpose of describing the particular versions or embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present application. This summary is provided to introduce aspects related to a system and method for alerting and controlling in-vehicle environment. This summary is not intended to identify essential features of the proposed subject matter nor is it intended for use in determining or limiting the scope of the proposed subject matter.
[0011] In one embodiment of the present subject matter, a system for alerting and controlling in-vehicle environment is disclosed. The system is configured with a plurality of sensors to detect various parameters of in-vehicle environment. The plurality of sensors may include but not limited to a sound sensor, an air quality sensor, an oxygen level sensor, a gesture sensor and a temperature sensor. The system is further configured with a control unit to receive and process data from the plurality of sensors. The system is also configured with an alert module for sending an alert to a user device located remotely or to an alerting device located inside the vehicle, based on a command from the control unit. Furthermore, the system is configured with a control module which may operate some predefined features of the vehicle including opening/closing of windows, operating an air conditioner, operating a mist sprayer and locking/unlocking the vehicle.
[0012] In another embodiment, a method of alerting and controlling in-vehicle environment of the vehicle is disclosed. The method comprises steps of: detecting in-vehicle environment parameters by the plurality of sensors, processing the data from the plurality of sensors by the control unit, alerting the user by the alert module based on the command from the control unit, rectifying the in-vehicle conditions by the control module based on the command from the control unit.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of embodiments, is better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawing. For the purpose of illustrating the disclosure, example constructions of the disclosure are shown in the present document, however, the disclosure is not limited to the specific methods and apparatus disclosed in the document and the drawing.
[0014] Figure 1 illustrates a system for alerting and controlling in-vehicle environment, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
[0015] Figure 2 illustrates a method for alerting and controlling in-vehicle environment, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
[0016] The figure depicts various embodiments of the present disclosure for purposes of illustration only. One skilled in the art will readily recognise from the following discussion that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] Some embodiments of this disclosure, illustrating all its features, will now be discussed in detail. The words "comprising", “having”, and "including," and other forms thereof, are intended to be equivalent in meaning and be open ended in that an item or items following any one of these words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item or items, or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items. Although any system and method similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of embodiments of the present disclosure, the exemplary, systems and methods are now described. The disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the disclosure, which may be embodied in various forms.
[0018] Various modifications to the embodiment will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art and the generic principles herein may be applied to other embodiments. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments illustrated, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features described herein.
[0019] The present subject matter particularly discloses a system and method for alerting and controlling in-vehicle environment. The system is configured for detecting various parameters related to in-vehicle environment. A control unit is configured to process data of these parameters and provides an alert to the user. In another embodiment the control unit is also configured to rectify the conditions of the vehicle automatically or based on a command from the user.
[0020] Referring to figure 1, a system 100 for alerting and controlling in-vehicle environment is illustrated. The system 100 is configured with a plurality of sensors 110 to detect various parameters of in-vehicle environment. The plurality of sensors 110 may include but limited to a sound sensor 111, air quality sensor 112, oxygen level sensor 113, gesture sensor 114 and temperature sensor 115. The system100 is further configured with a control unit 105 to receive and process data from plurality of sensors 110. The system 100 is also configured with an alerting module 120 for sending an alert to a user device 124 located remotely or to an alerting device 122 located inside the vehicle based on a command from the control unit 105. The aforementioned system 100 may be designed to focus on a child safety in case the child is left alone inside the vehicle for certain reasons. However, the system 100 is not restricted to a child safety system.
[0021] The above-mentioned sound sensor 111 is configured to detect any unwanted noise or disturbance occurring inside the vehicle cabin. According to one of the embodiments, if a child is left alone inside the vehicle and the child is crying or asking for help, then the sound sensor 111 may capture the voice of the child. The air quality sensor 112 is configured to detect quality of air, foul smell, humidity level and pollutant level inside the vehicle cabin. The oxygen level sensor 113 is configured to detect level of oxygen in the air inside the vehicle cabin. The gesture sensor 114 is configured to detect movement of occupants inside the vehicle cabin. Further the temperature sensor 115 detects the temperature inside the cabin. The alert module 120 sends alert to the user based on the sensor data processed by the control unit 105. The sensor data from above-mentioned sensors may be collected by the control unit 105 and if there is some unwanted environment inside the vehicle cabin like poor air quality, low oxygen level, high temperature or in some cases the child is moving inside the vehicle or creating some noise, then the control unit 105 is configured to alert the user about the vehicle cabin condition and controls some predefined functions of the vehicle. Further, the control unit 105 detects the unwanted cabin environment based on predefined level of air quality, oxygen level and temperature range. The control unit 105 may provide input to the alert module 120 wherein the alert module 120 further comprises an alerting device 122 and a user device 124. Said alerting device 122 may be a voice alerting device and the in-vehicle cabin conditions may be announced by a speaker of the vehicle. According to one of the embodiments, if the child is alone in the vehicle, and the child is crying or asking for the help, simultaneously the control unit 105 detected some unhealthy environment inside the vehicle, then the situation may be alerted through the speaker of the vehicle. Further, the same conditions may be alerted through display or some voice notification on the user device 124. In another embodiment, if the vehicle is parked somewhere for taking a nap during long journey and the occupants are unaware of the vehicle environment like there is low oxygen level or high temperature then the condition may cause suffocation to the occupants and in some cases may lead to death of the occupants. In such scenarios, the disclosed system 100 may work to avoid severity of the condition.
[0022] In an embodiment of the present subject matter, the system 100 is configured with a control module 130 to control some predefined functions. The control module 130 is configured to open windows 132, switch on the air conditioner 134, spraying a fragrance through a mist sprayer 136, operate the vehicle lock 138 etc. to rectify the in-vehicle conditions based on the command from the control unit 105. According to another embodiment, if the oxygen level is lower than the predefined level, the control module 130 may open the windows of the vehicle to a predefined level. If the temperature in the vehicle is higher than the predefined temperature, the control module 130 may switch on the air conditioner. If there is some air quality issue detected in the vehicle, the control module 130 may spray the fragrance. If the vehicle is not locked and the child is inside the vehicle, the control module 130 may lock the vehicle to avoid accident and to keep the child safe inside the vehicle.
[0023] In another embodiment of the present subject matter, as illustrated in figure 2, a method 200 of alerting and controlling in-vehicle environment of a vehicle is disclosed. The method comprises steps of: at 201- detecting in-vehicle environment parameters by plurality of sensors 110, at 202- processing the data from plurality of sensors 110 by a control unit 105, at 203- alerting the user by an alert module 120 based on a command from the control unit 105, at 204- rectifying the in-vehicle conditions by a control module 130 based on a command from the control unit 105. The step 204 of rectifying the in-vehicle conditions comprises: opening windows, switching on the air conditioner, spraying a mist of fragrance, locking or unlocking the vehicle.
[0024] Exemplary embodiments discussed above may provide certain advantages. Though not required to practice aspects of the disclosure, these advantages may include those provided by the following features.
[0025] Some embodiments of the present subject matter enable safety of an occupant inside the vehicle cabin.
[0026] Some embodiments of the present subject matter enable alerting a user device for any change in vehicle environment.
[0027] Some embodiments of the present subject matter enable controlling in-vehicle environment to prevent any hazardous condition for occupants inside the vehicle.
,CLAIMS:
1. A system 100 for alerting and controlling in-vehicle environment comprising:
a plurality of sensors 110 configured to determine in-vehicle environment;
a control unit 105 configured to receive and process data received from the plurality of sensors 110;
an alert module 120 configured to alert a user about the in-vehicle environment based on input from the control unit 105; and
a control module 130 configured to control predefined operations of the vehicle based on input from the control unit 105.
2. The system 100 for alerting and controlling in-vehicle environment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit 105 is configured to process data received from the plurality of sensors 110 and controls the in-vehicle environment based on predefined levels of air quality, oxygen and temperature.
3. The system 100 for alerting and controlling in-vehicle environment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors 110 are configured to be a sound sensor 111, an air quality sensor 112, an oxygen level sensor 113, a gesture sensor 114 and a temperature sensor 115.
4. The system 100 for alerting and controlling in-vehicle environment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit 105 is configured to provide said processed data to the alert module 120 to send alert through an alerting device 122 and a user device 124.
5. The system 100 for alerting and controlling in-vehicle environment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit 105 is configured to provide said processed data to the control module 130 for operating one or more features of opening/closing windows 132 to a predefined level, operating an air conditioner 134, operating a mist sprayer 136 and operating a vehicle lock 138.
6. The system 100 for alerting and controlling in-vehicle environment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit 105 is configured to detect hazardous conditions inside the vehicle, alert the user about the hazardous conditions through the user device 124 and control the opening/closing of windows 132 to a predefined level, operation of an air conditioner 134, spraying mist 136 and locking/unlocking a vehicle lock 138 of the vehicle to avoid risk of suffocation or accident to an occupant of the vehicle.
7. A method 200 of alerting and controlling in-vehicle environment of a vehicle comprising steps of:
detecting in-vehicle environment parameters by a plurality of sensors 110 at 201;
processing the data received from the plurality of sensors 110 by a control unit 105 at 202;
alerting user by an alert module 120 based on a command from the control unit 105 at 203; and
controlling predefined in-vehicle conditions by a control module 130 based on the command from the control unit 105 at 204.
8. The method 200 of alerting and controlling in-vehicle environment of a vehicle as claimed in claim 8, wherein the control module 130 is configured for opening/closing of vehicle windows 132, switching on/off an air conditioner 134, spraying a mist of fragrance 136 and locking/the vehicle 138.
9. The method 200 of alerting and controlling in-vehicle environment of a vehicle as claimed in claim 8, wherein the the control module 130 is configured to open the windows of the vehicle to a predefined level on detecting the lower oxygen level than the predefined level, switch on the air conditioner on detecting higher temperature in the vehicle than the predefined temperature, spray the mist of fragrance on detecting some air quality issue and lock the vehicle on detecting that the vehicle is unlocked the child is inside the vehicle to avoid accident and to keep the child safe inside the vehicle.