Patent ID: 7630802

Claim:
An information management and monitoring system for monitoring components on a vehicle during operation of the vehicle on a road, comprising: a monitoring system arranged on the vehicle and including a plurality of sensors for monitoring components of the vehicle during operation of the components; a processing module arranged on the vehicle, said module being coupled to said monitoring system and arranged to receive and process data about the monitored components from said monitoring system, said module being arranged to derive information from the data about the monitored components provided by said sensors of said monitoring system to determine whether any of the monitored components are operating in a non-optimal manner or to forecast failure of any of the monitored components; at least one remote entity interested in the operation or failure of any of the monitored components; a wireless communication system arranged on the vehicle and coupled to said module for enabling wireless communications of derived information from said module to said at least one entity during operation of the vehicle, including information about the presence and identity of any non-optimally operating component or component forecast to fail, said wireless communication system being arranged to automatically initiate the wireless communications with said at least one remote entity whenever said module determines that any of the monitored components are operating in a non-optimal manner or failure of any of the monitored components is forecast; and a notification system that notifies an occupant of the vehicle about the presence and identity of any non-optimally operating component or component forecast to fail.