Patent ID: 7082359

Claim:
An information management and monitoring system for monitoring components on a vehicle during operation of the vehicle on a road, comprising: a vehicle monitoring system arranged on the vehicle and including a plurality of sensors for monitoring components of the vehicle during operation of the components; a diagnostic module arranged on the vehicle, said diagnostic module being coupled to said vehicle monitoring system and arranged to receive and process data about the monitored components from said vehicle monitoring system, said diagnostic module being arranged to derive diagnostic data from the data about the monitored components provided by said sensors of said vehicle monitoring system to determine whether any of the monitored components are operating in a non-optimal manner; at least one remote service center each for servicing at least one of the monitored components to fix or replace the monitored component when said diagnostic module on the vehicle determines that the monitored component is not operating optimally; and a wireless communication system arranged on the vehicle and coupled to said diagnostic module for enabling wireless communications of derived diagnostic data from said diagnostic module to said remote service center during operation of the vehicle on the road, including data about the presence and identity of any non-optimally operating component, such that said remote service center receives data about the monitored components of the vehicle prior to the vehicle being brought to said remote service center to enable preparation for the fixing or replacement of the non-optimally operating monitored component.