Patent ID: 7106180

Claim:
An alarm system for a vehicle operable to produce at least one audible alarm sound signal for warning and/or alerting at least one human and/or animal in a path of the vehicle, comprising: a directional sound source comprising an array of acoustic transducers configured to produce the audible alarm sound signal propagating in a predetermined direction, the audible alarm sound signal having a corresponding wavelength, wherein the directional sound source is dimensionally larger than the wavelength of the audible alarm sound signal in the predetermined direction for which directivity is desired, thereby allowing the audible alarm sound signal to be produced as a narrow beam of audible sound, and the system further including an activation unit configured to activate the directional sound source for subsequent production of the audible alarm sound signal for warning and/or alerting the at least one human and/or animal in the vehicle path, and wherein the activation unit is operable by a human operator.