JP6520693B2 - Calculation resource provision method and calculation resource provision system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a computing resource providing method and system for receiving and executing a task execution request from a user terminal.
Related

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, vehicles are equipped with highly functional calculation processing devices, storage devices, wireless communication devices, and sensors. By providing such computing resources to other vehicles and devices other than vehicles, the vehicle network system can be utilized as an ICT base (large CPU, storage, etc.).

  It is assumed that the execution of the calculation task is requested from such a portable information terminal (user terminal) such as a smartphone to such a vehicle network (Non-Patent Document 1). By requesting the vehicle network to execute the calculation task, the portable information terminal can achieve effects such as reduction of power consumption and acquisition of calculation results more quickly.

  Since the vehicle travels at high speed, the period during which the vehicle and the user terminal can communicate is relatively short. Non-Patent Document 2 proposes performing the process described below in consideration of the fact that the communicable period with the user terminal is limited. That is, the terminal that has received the task execution request executes the task only while existing within the communication range of the user terminal, and when moving out of the range, it is appropriate (the task can be executed and the user terminal Pass the calculation task to another terminal that can communicate. At this time, if there is no appropriate other terminal, an intermediate result is returned to the user terminal.

RIVA, Oriana, et al. Context-aware migratory services in ad hoc networks. Mobile Computing, IEEE Transactions on, 2007, 6.12: 1313-1328. HANDOREAN, Radu, et al. Context aware session management for services in ad hoc networks. In: Services Computing, 2005 IEEE International Conference on IEEE. 2005. p. 113-120.

  In Non-Patent Document 2, when determining an information processing terminal that requests a calculation task, the determination is made in consideration of only the information of each information processing terminal. That is, when determining the commission terminal of the calculation task, it is not possible to consider the transition destination of the task when the commission terminal moves out of the communication range of the user terminal. If the consignment terminal can not find the transition destination, the halfway result and the task are returned to the user terminal. Therefore, when the information processing terminal appears intermittently in the vicinity of the user terminal, task consignment processing and communication processing therefor occur each time, and power consumption increases more than the user terminal executes the task by itself. And the task completion time may be delayed. Thus, according to Non-Patent Document 2, the user terminal can not appropriately determine whether the calculation task should be delegated to another terminal or whether it should be performed by itself.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a calculation resource providing method and system capable of appropriately determining whether it is advantageous for a user terminal to consign a calculation task to a vehicle.

In order to achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, in a vehicle system including a plurality of on-board terminals, a vehicle group including a plurality of vehicles capable of direct or indirect communication is formed, Information on computing resources (computing resources) that can be provided as a group is provided to the user terminal. Thus, the user terminal can grasp available computing resources in the medium to long term, and can appropriately determine whether or not to consign computing tasks.

  More specifically, one aspect of the present invention is a calculation resource providing method in a vehicle system which comprises a plurality of in-vehicle terminals and receives and executes a task execution request from a user terminal. It includes a formation management step, a vehicle group resource information generation step, and an execution request reception step.

  In the notification step, information (vehicle information) including information on resources that each vehicle can provide is exchanged between the on-vehicle terminals. It is preferable that the vehicle information transmitted by each on-vehicle terminal includes at least information on resources that can be provided by the host vehicle, and also includes information on resources that can be provided by vehicles in the vehicle group that the host vehicle knows. The information related to the calculation resource corresponds to, for example, a function that can be provided by the on-vehicle terminal, an operation speed, and an available storage capacity. The vehicle information preferably includes information such as a vehicle identifier, a position, a moving speed, a destination, and a planned travel route, in addition to the above information.

  In the vehicle group formation management step, each on-vehicle terminal performs formation and management of a vehicle group based on vehicle information known by the host vehicle and vehicle information transmitted from other vehicles. The group of vehicles is preferably formed of at least a part of vehicles that can communicate with the vehicle directly or indirectly (multi-hop) via other vehicles. The vehicle group may be formed of all vehicles capable of direct or indirect communication, or may be formed of a part of them, for example, vehicles behind the host vehicle. When forming a group of vehicles, any information contained in the vehicle information can be taken into account. For example, when the destination and the moving speed are included in the vehicle information, a period in which communication with the host vehicle is communicable may be predicted, and a vehicle having the predetermined period or more may be included in the vehicle group. In the vehicle group formation management step, it is also preferable to further acquire information on each of the vehicles constituting the vehicle group. For example, based on the vehicle information, the position of each vehicle, the moving speed of the entire vehicle group, the identifier of the rearmost vehicle in the vehicle group, and the like can be acquired as information on the vehicle group.

  In the vehicle group resource information generation step, vehicle group resource information is generated. The vehicle group resource information includes information on the time when the vehicle group can communicate with the user terminal and the calculation resource that the vehicle group can provide within the time. The time when the vehicle group can communicate with the user terminal may be expressed as the time when any vehicle in the vehicle group can communicate with the user terminal, and the time when each vehicle can communicate with the user terminal is not necessarily You do not have to ask for it. In addition, the calculation resources that can be provided by the vehicle group may be represented as the calculation resources that can be provided by the vehicle group as a whole. The information on computing resources that can be provided includes, for example, information on the types of tasks that can be supported, the amount of computation per unit time, and available storage capacity.

  In the execution request receiving step, the in-vehicle terminal receives from the user terminal an execution request for a task that matches the vehicle group resource information. A task that matches the vehicle group resource information means a task that is determined based on the vehicle group resource information that the execution in the vehicle system is appropriate. The subject that makes this determination may be a user terminal or an on-vehicle terminal. For example, the in-vehicle terminal transmits the vehicle group resource information to the user terminal, and the user terminal determines whether the execution request for the task to the vehicle system is appropriate based on the vehicle group resource information, and the task having the appropriate execution request Can be transmitted to the in-vehicle terminal, and the in-vehicle terminal can acquire the execution request from the user terminal. Alternatively, if the user terminal notifies the in-vehicle terminal of the requirements required to execute the task, and if the in-vehicle terminal satisfies the requirement based on the vehicle group resource information, the task is performed. The execution request can also be received from the user terminal.

  According to such a configuration, the user terminal can comprehend the computational resources that the vehicle group as a whole can provide, not the individual on-board terminals. That is, the user terminal can appropriately determine whether to execute the task in its own device or to request the vehicle group (vehicle-mounted terminal) to execute the task in consideration of available computing resources in the medium to long term It will be. As a result, unnecessary connection to the on-vehicle terminal can be reduced, and an increase in unnecessary load on the user terminal can be avoided.

  The computing resource providing method in the present invention may further include the following determination steps, transfer steps, and execution steps.

  In the determination step, the on-board terminal that has received the task execution request from the user terminal determines the on-board terminal to execute the task based on the vehicle group resource information. This determination can be performed by selecting one or more in-vehicle terminals capable of executing the task from among the in-vehicle terminals in the vehicle group. At the time of determination, it is also preferable to consider other factors such as selecting an in-vehicle terminal that can finish processing the earliest, or selecting an in-vehicle terminal that can finish processing by the requested time limit. If the requested task can be divided, it may be divided and executed by a plurality of on-vehicle terminals. In addition, the same task may be performed by a plurality of on-vehicle terminals.

  In the transfer step, the in-vehicle terminal that receives the task execution request from the user terminal transfers the task to the in-vehicle terminal determined in the determination step. When direct communication with the destination vehicle terminal can not be performed, relay (multi-hop communication) in the vehicle system is performed.

  In the execution step, the in-vehicle terminal to which the task has been transferred executes the task. When the execution of the task is completed, the on-board terminal executing the task transmits the calculation result to the user terminal. The transmission of the calculation result to the user terminal may be performed by direct communication or may be performed via another in-vehicle terminal in the vehicle group. The transmission of the calculation result to the user terminal is preferably performed immediately after the task is completed, but may be performed after a predetermined time. For example, if it is predicted that the on-board terminal executing the task can not directly communicate with the user terminal when the task execution is completed, then it can directly communicate with the user terminal The calculation result may be sent to the user terminal after waiting for

  According to such a configuration, the user terminal can grasp the entire vehicle group as one entity, and it is not necessary to grasp information on individual in-vehicle terminals constituting the vehicle group. That is, since the user terminal does not need to be involved in the task transfer between the in-vehicle terminals, the processing amount and the power consumption performed by the user terminal can be reduced.

  The calculation resource providing method according to the present invention comprises the steps of: periodically calculating information on the time during which the user terminal and the vehicle group can continuously communicate after receiving the task execution request from the user terminal; It is preferable that the on-vehicle terminal executing the task transmit the result of the task directly or indirectly to the user terminal if it is predicted that the task will not be completed in time. The calculation of the information regarding the communicable time and the prediction of whether or not the task is completed within the time may be performed by the on-vehicle terminal executing the task, or may be performed by another on-vehicle terminal in the vehicle group Good. The prediction of whether or not the task is completed in time can be performed, for example, based on the remaining amount of calculation, the communicable time and the amount of calculation that can be performed per unit time. Alternatively, when the distance between the user terminal and the rearmost vehicle of the vehicle group becomes equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value, it may be determined that the processing is not completed in time. The predetermined threshold may be a fixed value, or may be a smaller value as the moving speed of the vehicle group is faster.

  According to such a configuration, even when the execution of the task is not completed while the user terminal and the vehicle group can communicate, the result (halfway result) can be transmitted to the user terminal.

  In the present invention, the task requested by the user terminal does not have to be performed by one in-vehicle terminal, and the in-vehicle terminal executing the task may transfer the task to another in-vehicle terminal during execution. For example, when it is determined that another in-vehicle terminal in the vehicle group is suitable for execution of the task based on the vehicle information, the in-vehicle terminal executing the task performs the other task. Can be transported to the Judgment criteria for appropriateness can be determined as appropriate.

  According to such a configuration, when the on-vehicle terminal suitable for executing the task changes, the task can be transferred to cause the on-vehicle terminal to execute the task. That is, an appropriate on-board terminal in the vehicle group can always perform the task.

  Further, in the vehicle group formation management step of the present invention, each in-vehicle terminal travels in the same direction as the host vehicle, is located behind the host vehicle, and can communicate directly or indirectly with a vehicle group. It can be judged that it is included. In this case, a group of vehicles that each of the on-vehicle terminals grasps is composed of different vehicles.

  In this case, whether the other vehicle is positioned forward or backward can be determined based on the position information, but can also be determined as follows. That is, in the notification step, each on-vehicle terminal transmits, as the vehicle information, information on a vehicle for which the host vehicle is determined to belong to the vehicle group and the host vehicle. Moreover, when a vehicle is detected ahead of the own vehicle, the fact that the vehicle was detected ahead is included in the vehicle information and transmitted. In the group formation control step, vehicle information not including the fact that a vehicle is detected forward or information about the vehicle is included, vehicle information including an indication that a vehicle is detected forward and information about the vehicle, and the vehicle A vehicle group is formed and managed using vehicle information of vehicles belonging to the group. In this way, the anteroposterior relationship of the vehicle can be determined by a process simpler than determining the anteroposterior relationship based on the position information.

  In the present invention, the calculation task means any process that can be executed in an information processing apparatus (computer). Therefore, the calculation task includes not only calculation of mathematical expressions but also processing such as acquisition of data from an external device and output / transmission of data to an external device. Also, calculation tasks are also simply referred to as tasks.

  In the present invention, the submission of a calculation task may be performed in any manner. For example, the submission can be binary, source code including an executable scripting language, an intermediate code (also called byte code), an execution command or function name, or a general work order, including data, Parameters, arguments, processing results, etc. may be added and passed.

In the present specification, the on-vehicle terminal means an information processing apparatus (computer) provided in a vehicle or an information processing apparatus carried into the interior of the vehicle. The information processing apparatus is a combination of a general-purpose arithmetic processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a micro processing unit (MPU) and a storage device storing a program, and a programmable integrated circuit (field-programmable gate array) such as an FPGA (field-programmable gate array). Programmable logic device), ASIC
And / or an integrated circuit such as an application specific integrated circuit.

The present invention can also be understood as a computing resource providing method that executes at least a part of the above-described processing. The present invention can be grasped as a computing resource providing system, a vehicle system, or an in-vehicle terminal (in-vehicle communication device) including means for executing at least a part of the above-mentioned processing. Also, the present invention can be regarded as a computer program for causing a computer to execute this method, or a computer readable storage medium storing this computer program non-temporarily. Each of the above means and processes can be combined with one another as much as possible to constitute the present invention.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a calculation resource providing method and system capable of appropriately determining whether it is advantageous for a user terminal to delegate a calculation task to a vehicle.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a calculation system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2A is a block diagram of an on-vehicle terminal, and FIG. 2B is a functional block diagram of the on-vehicle terminal. FIG. 3A is a configuration diagram of a user terminal, and FIG. 3B is a functional block diagram of the user terminal. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the entire process performed by the computing system according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 shows an example of the resource information DB. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of resource information transmission processing. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of resource information reception processing / resource information DB update processing. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining vehicle group formation management processing in a stable vehicle group. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining vehicle group formation management processing in a rear vehicle group when two vehicle groups merge. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a vehicle group formation management process in a front vehicle group when two vehicle groups merge. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the flow of processing from a task execution request to a calculation result according to an operation example in a normal case. FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram according to an operation example in a normal case. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the flow of processing from a task execution request to a calculation result according to an operation example in an exceptional case. FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram according to an operation example in an exceptional case. FIG. 15 is a view for explaining a method of sharing location information of user terminals. FIG. 16 is a flowchart of message transfer processing in a vehicle group.

  In the following, in order to simplify the description, the on-vehicle terminal and the vehicle are used interchangeably as they are not distinguished. For example, it may be expressed that a vehicle performs processing that a vehicle-mounted terminal mounted in the vehicle performs processing. Alternatively, the position of the vehicle or the movement route may be expressed as the position of the on-vehicle terminal or the movement route. Also, the same reference numeral may be used for a vehicle and an on-vehicle terminal mounted on the vehicle.

<Overview>
FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the system outline of the calculation system according to the present embodiment. The calculation system according to the present embodiment includes a user terminal 200 used by a user and a plurality of in-vehicle terminals 100 mounted on a vehicle, and the user terminal 200 consigns execution of a calculation task to the in-vehicle terminal 100.

  In the present embodiment, a plurality of in-vehicle terminals 100 form a vehicle group 10, and from the user terminal 200, the vehicle group 10 can be grasped as one calculation resource. For example, the user terminal 200 does not need to be involved in the transfer of the calculation task in the vehicle group 10 after the user terminal 200 requests a certain vehicle in the vehicle group 10 to execute the task. The calculation task commissioned from the user terminal is executed by one or more of the on-vehicle terminals 100 in the vehicle group 10, and the calculation result is transmitted from the on-vehicle terminal 100 to the user terminal.

  Thus, from the vehicles 100 constituting the vehicle group 10, it is provided while the vehicle group 10 can communicate with the user terminal 200 as a whole so that the vehicle group 10 can be recognized as one calculation resource for the user terminal 200. It is necessary to provide information on possible computing resources. A method of generating and notifying information (referred to as vehicle group resource information) related to calculation resources of the entire vehicle group will be described in detail below.

<Configuration>
FIG. 2A is a diagram showing a device configuration of the on-vehicle terminal 100 in the present embodiment. The on-vehicle terminal 100 includes an arithmetic device 101, a storage device 102, a GPS device 103, an input / output device 104, a wireless communication device 105, and a plurality of sensors 106.

  The arithmetic device 101 includes a processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a micro processing unit (MPU), and provides a predetermined function by executing a program stored in the storage device 102. The storage device 102 includes a main storage device such as RAM (Random Access Memory), and an auxiliary storage device such as a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, and the like. The GPS device 103 receives GPS satellite signals from a GPS receiver (not shown), and acquires position information of the vehicle 100. The input / output device 104 is an input device such as a keyboard, various pointing devices (mouse, touch pad, touch panel, pen tablet, etc.) and a microphone, and an output such as a display device (liquid crystal display, CRT display, projector, etc.) and an audio output device Includes the device. The wireless communication device 105 is a wireless communication device capable of communicating with the other vehicle 100 and the user terminal 200. The communication method of wireless communication may be arbitrary. Moreover, the communication between vehicles and the communication with a user terminal may be the same system, and may be different systems, respectively. The sensor 106 is a sensor for acquiring information on the inside and the outside of the vehicle 100, and, for example, a camera outside the vehicle (including a visible light camera, an infrared camera, and a stereo camera), a ranging radar (millimeter wave radar, ultrasonic waves Radar), a vehicle speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, etc. are included.

  FIG. 2B is a functional block diagram showing a functional configuration of the on-vehicle terminal 100. As shown in FIG. The following functions are realized by the arithmetic device 101 of the vehicle 100 executing the program stored in the storage device 102. That is, the on-vehicle terminal 100 includes a vehicle information acquisition unit 11, a resource information reception unit 12, a resource information update unit 13, a resource information DB 14, a resource information transmission unit 15, a task execution request reception unit 16, a task execution control unit 17, and task transfer. The functions of the unit 18, the task execution unit 19, the execution result transmission unit 20 and the like are provided. The details of each of these functions will be described later in conjunction with the description of the processing content.

  FIG. 3A is a diagram showing a device configuration of the user terminal 200 in the present embodiment. The user terminal 200 includes an arithmetic device 201, a storage device 202, a GPS device 203, an input / output device 204, and a wireless communication device 205. Since each element is basically the same as that in the on-vehicle terminal 100, the detailed description will be omitted.

  FIG. 3B is a functional block diagram showing a functional configuration of the user terminal 200. As shown in FIG. The following functions are realized by the arithmetic device 201 of the user terminal 200 executing a program stored in the storage device 202. That is, the user terminal 200 provides functions such as the resource information receiving unit 21, the task execution control unit 22, the task execution request transmitting unit 23, the position information transmitting unit 24, the execution result receiving unit 25, and the task execution unit 26. The details of each of these functions will be described later in conjunction with the description of the processing content.

<Processing content>
[Overall processing]
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an outline of the entire process performed by the calculation system according to the present embodiment. In this flowchart, processing executed by the user terminal 200 and the vehicle system is described. The processing indicated to be performed by the vehicle system includes processing independently performed by at least a part of the vehicles 100 in the vehicle system and processing performed cooperatively by a plurality of vehicles 100 in the vehicle system.

  In step S401, resource information is exchanged between vehicles, and formation and maintenance management of a vehicle group are performed. In the present embodiment, each vehicle periodically broadcasts information on resources that can be provided by the own vehicle and the vehicles included in the same vehicle group. In the present embodiment, each vehicle is located behind the host vehicle, and it is determined that vehicles that can be directly communicated or can be communicated via the relay vehicle are included in the same vehicle group as the host vehicle and the vehicle group is determined. Form. Therefore, the component vehicles of the vehicle group which each vehicle grasps differ respectively. The process of this step will be described in detail later with reference to FIGS.

  As a result of the process of step S401, the resource information DB 14 stores information on the vehicles constituting the vehicle group. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the resource information DB 14. FIG. 5 is an example of the resource information DB 14 of a vehicle whose identification ID is C001 (hereinafter, may be expressed as a vehicle C001). In this example, the case where the vehicle C001 forms a vehicle group with the vehicle A001 and the vehicle B001 is shown.

  In the identification ID 501, the identification ID of the vehicles constituting the vehicle group is stored. The resource information 502 stores information on resources that each vehicle can provide. In this example, it is assumed that the functions that can be provided by each vehicle are common but the available memory capacity is different. Therefore, the resource information 502 stores information on the available memory capacity. . The number of hops 503 represents the number of hops from the leading vehicle of the vehicle group. In the present embodiment, since each vehicle independently defines the vehicle group so that the own vehicle is the leading vehicle of the vehicle group, the number of hops 503 is from the own vehicle (vehicle possessed by the resource information DB 14) It is also understood that it represents the number of hops. The distance information 504 stores the distance between each vehicle and the preceding vehicle. Since no leading vehicle is present in the leading vehicle of the vehicle group, the distance information 504 for the leading vehicle is blank. The last vehicle 505 stores the identification ID of the last vehicle of the vehicle group.

  Note that although the resource information exchange and vehicle group formation management processing in step S401 is described as being performed only once in the flowchart, it is actually repeatedly executed, and the information on the vehicle group is kept up-to-date.

  In step S402, the vehicle system transmits resource information to the user terminal 200. Specifically, the resource information transmission unit 15 of each vehicle 100 transmits (for example, broadcast transmission) resource information on a group of vehicles known to the host vehicle so that the user terminal 200 can receive the resource information. The resource information (also referred to as vehicle group resource information) for the vehicle group includes the time during which the vehicle group can communicate with the user terminal 200 and information regarding the computational resources that the vehicle group can provide within the communicable time.

  The resource information transmission unit 15 generates the vehicle group resource information transmitted in step S402 with reference to the resource information DB 14. The time when the vehicle group can communicate with the user terminal is the distance obtained by adding the wireless communicable distance to the distance from the own vehicle (vehicle leading vehicle) to the rearmost vehicle of the vehicle group obtained based on the distance information 504 And the average moving speed of Information on computational resources that can be provided by the fleet can be determined from resource information 502.

In step S403, the resource information receiving unit 21 of the user terminal 200 receives the vehicle group resource information transmitted from the vehicle system, and based on the information, the task execution control unit 22 determines whether the vehicle system should be requested to perform a calculation task. Will judge. This determination criterion may be determined as appropriate. For example, if it can be determined that the vehicle system can complete the execution of the task (and the transmission of the result) while it can communicate with the vehicle system, it can be determined that the vehicle system is requested to execute the calculation task. If the calculation task is to be outsourced to the vehicle system, the process proceeds to step S404. If not, the task is executed in the user terminal 200 (task execution unit 26).

  In step S404, the task execution request transmission unit 23 of the user terminal 200 transmits a calculation task execution request to the vehicle system. The submission of the calculation task includes, for example, source code of the calculation task. In addition to the source code, intermediate code or binary may represent the calculation task.

  As described later, the user terminal 200 acquires the task ID of the calculation task from the vehicle system when requesting the calculation system to the vehicle system. The user terminal 200 periodically transmits the position information of the own device and the task ID from the position information transmitting unit 24 after the task execution request (S404) and until the reception of the task result (S410). This position information is used in the vehicle system to calculate the time during which the user terminal 200 and the vehicle system can communicate.

  In step S405, the vehicle system receives an execution request for a calculation task from the user terminal 200. Specifically, a vehicle 100 in the vehicle system that can directly communicate with the user terminal 200 receives this execution request. The vehicle 100 receives the task execution request from the user terminal 200 by the task execution request reception unit 16, determines the vehicle on which the request task is to be executed by the task execution control unit 17, and the task transfer unit 18 Send request task. The task execution vehicle is determined based on the vehicle group resource information DB 14.

  In step S406, the vehicle that has received the calculation task in step S405 executes this task by the task execution unit 19. When the task execution control unit 17 determines that another vehicle is more suitable for task execution during execution of the calculation task, the task transfer unit 18 transfers the task to the vehicle. You may go (step S407).

  In step S408, the task execution control unit 17 determines whether execution of the calculation task has been completed, or whether communication between the user terminal 200 and the vehicle group is predicted to be disconnected in the near future. If it is determined that execution of the calculation task is not complete and communication with the user terminal 200 is also maintained, the process returns to step S406. On the other hand, if the execution of the calculation task is completed or it is predicted that the communication between the user terminal 200 and the vehicle group will be disconnected in the near future, the process proceeds to step S409.

  In step S409, the calculation result or the halfway result is transmitted from the vehicle system to the user terminal 200. Specifically, a vehicle 100 capable of directly communicating with the user terminal 200 is determined by the execution result transmission unit 20, and the calculation result or the halfway result is transmitted to the user terminal 200 via the vehicle 100. In step S410, the execution result receiving unit 25 of the user terminal 200 receives the calculation result or the halfway result from the vehicle system.

  The processes of the above-described steps S402 to S410 will be described in more detail later with reference to FIGS.

[Resource information (vehicle information) exchange and vehicle group formation management processing]
The vehicle information exchange and vehicle group formation management processing in step S401 will be described in more detail. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing for transmitting resource information. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing for receiving resource information and performing formation management of a vehicle group (updating of the resource information DB 14) based on the received resource information.

  The resource information transmission process shown in FIG. 6 is executed periodically (for example, every 100 milliseconds) in each vehicle. In step S601, the vehicle information acquisition unit 11 acquires sensor information from the sensor group 106. The sensor information to be acquired includes the front camera image, the distance to the vehicle ahead (object), the position, the speed, and the like. Although not explicitly shown in the flowchart, when the sensor information is acquired, the resource information updating unit 13 updates the information on the own vehicle in the resource information DB 14.

  In step S602, the resource information transmission unit 15 generates a resource information notification packet for vehicles with reference to the resource information DB. In the present embodiment, vehicle information on each vehicle in the vehicle group included in the resource information DB 14 is included in the resource information notification packet. Also, the resource information notification packet includes a new detection flag (details will be described later) indicating whether a vehicle has been newly detected ahead. The initial value of the new detection flag is off. It is also preferable to include information other than that shown in FIG. 5 in the resource information notification packet. For example, it is preferable to include information such as the position of the vehicle, the moving speed, the destination, and the planned travel route.

  In step S603, the resource information transmission unit 15 determines whether a new vehicle has been detected ahead based on sensor information or the like. The presence or absence of a forward vehicle can be determined from a camera image, a distance sensor, and the like. If it is determined that the preceding vehicle is not present until then, it can be determined that the preceding vehicle is newly detected.

  If a forward vehicle is newly detected, the process proceeds to step S604, and a new detection flag included in the resource information notification packet is set to on. If a preceding vehicle is not newly detected, the new detection flag remains off.

  In step S605, the resource information transmission unit 15 transmits the generated resource information notification packet to the other vehicle via the wireless communication device 105. In the present embodiment, the resource information notification packet is broadcasted on a channel for inter-vehicle communication.

  The above-described resource information transmission processing (and processing for receiving the transmitted resource information notification packet) addressed to the other vehicle corresponds to the step of exchanging vehicle information in the present invention.

  The resource information reception process and the vehicle group formation management process shown in FIG. 7 are executed each time a resource information packet is received in each vehicle. However, the vehicle group formation management process may be performed at the same interval as the transmission interval.

  In step S701, the resource information receiving unit 12 receives resource information notification packets from other vehicles. In the following steps S702 to S704, the resource information updating unit 13 determines whether the received resource information notification packet is a notification packet from a vehicle in the same vehicle group (that is, a vehicle behind). The following process is performed on a notification packet from a vehicle traveling in the same direction as the host vehicle, and a notification packet from a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction to the host vehicle is not processed ((1) ignore).

In step S702, the resource information updating unit 13 determines whether the notification packet includes information on the subject vehicle, that is, whether the identification ID of the subject vehicle is included. When the information on the own vehicle is included (S702-YES), it can be determined that the transmission source vehicle of the notification packet is the vehicle ahead, so the resource information DB 14 is not updated based on this notification packet (S706) ).

  In step S703, the resource information updating unit 13 determines whether the new detection flag in the notification packet is on. If the information packet is not included in the notification packet and the new detection flag is on (S702-NO and S703-YES), it can be determined that the notification is from the rear vehicle group, so the resource information update unit 13 updates the resource information DB 14 based on the notification packet (S705). Since the notification packet contains information on new vehicles (vehicles not registered in the resource information DB 14), information on these vehicles is registered in the resource information DB 14.

  In step S704, the resource information updating unit 13 determines whether or not the notification packet includes information on vehicles in the same vehicle group (vehicles registered in the resource information DB 14). When the information packet is not included in the notification packet and the information regarding vehicles in the same vehicle group is not included in the notification packet (S702-NO and S703-NO and S704-NO) regardless of whether the new detection flag is off Since it can be determined that the notification is from a vehicle in the vehicle group, the resource information updating unit 13 does not update the resource information DB 14 based on the notification packet (S706). Conversely, if the notification packet includes information on vehicles in the same vehicle group (S702-NO and S703-NO and S704-YES), it is assumed that the notification is from a vehicle (rear vehicle) in the same vehicle group. Since it can be determined, the resource information update unit 13 updates the resource information DB 14 based on the notification packet (S705).

  The above update process of the resource information DB 14 based on the resource information notification packet from the other vehicle corresponds to the vehicle group formation management step in the present invention.

  The resource information exchange process and the vehicle group formation management process described above will be further described with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10 showing specific operation examples.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining processing in a steady state of a vehicle group consisting of three vehicles A001, B001 and C001. Reference numerals 801, 802, and 803 denote the contents of the resource information DB 14 of the vehicles A001, B001, and C001, respectively. Each vehicle determines that a host vehicle and a vehicle behind the host vehicle form a vehicle group. Therefore, vehicle A001 is determined to be a single vehicle group, vehicle B001 is determined to be a vehicle group formed from vehicles A001 and B001, and vehicle C001 is a vehicle group formed from vehicles A001, B001 and C001. Deciding.

  Reference numeral 804 denotes the contents of the resource information notification packet transmitted by the vehicle B 001. The notification packet is generated based on the content 802 of the vehicle group resource information DB 14 of the vehicle B 001.

  The vehicle A 001 can determine that the notification packet 804 from the vehicle B 001 is a notification from the forward vehicle, and does not update the resource information DB 14 based on the notification packet 804. The fact that the vehicle B 001 is a forward vehicle of the vehicle A 001 can be determined from the fact that the notification packet includes the identification ID of the vehicle (S 702 -YES).

The vehicle C 001 can determine that the notification packet from the vehicle B 001 is a notification of a rear vehicle, and updates the resource information DB 14 based on the notification packet 804. If the vehicle B001 is a rear vehicle of the vehicle C001, this notification packet does not include the identification ID of the own vehicle (S702-NO), the new detection flag is off (S703-NO), and within the same vehicle group It can be determined from the fact that the information on the vehicle (one of the vehicles A001, B001, C001) is included (S704-YES).

  FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the processing in the rear vehicle group GB in a situation in which the vehicle group GB consisting of three vehicles A001, B001, C001 has caught up with the front vehicle group GF (the last vehicle is the vehicle D001). It is. Reference numerals 901 and 902 denote the contents of the resource information notification packet of the vehicles C001 and D001, respectively (this can also be said to be the contents of the resource information DB 14).

  The vehicle C 001 detects a new vehicle ahead from the front camera, radar or the like (S 603 -YES), so the new detection flag is set on in the resource information notification packet 901. The vehicles B 001 and C 001 that have received the notification packet 901 from the vehicle C 001 do not update the resource information DB 14 based on the notification packet 901 because the notification packet 901 includes the identification ID of the own vehicle (S 702 -YES).

  The vehicle C001 that has received the notification packet 902 from the vehicle D001 does not include the identification ID of its own vehicle in the notification packet 902 (S702-NO), but does not include information on vehicles in the same vehicle group (S704-NO) Thus, it can be determined that the vehicle D 001 is a forward vehicle, and the resource information DB 14 is not updated based on the notification packet 902.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the processing in the front vehicle group GF in a situation where the rear vehicle group GB has caught up with the front vehicle group GF consisting of three vehicles D001, E001, F001. Reference numerals 1001, 1002 and 1003 denote the contents of the resource information notification packet of the vehicles C001, D001 and E001, respectively (this can be said to be the contents of the resource information DB 14).

  The vehicle D 001 receives, from the vehicle C 001, the notification packet 1001 in which the new detection flag is set to on. Since the notification packet 1001 does not include the identification ID of the own vehicle (S702-NO) and the new detection flag is on (S703-YES), this notification notifies the new detection from the following vehicle It can be determined that Therefore, the vehicle D 001 performs the process of updating the resource information DB 14 based on the notification packet 1001. By updating, the resource information DB 14 of the vehicle D 001 further includes the vehicles A 001, B 001, and C 001 in the notification packet 1001 from the state (symbol 902 in FIG. 9) including only information related to the vehicle D 001 (symbol 1002 in FIG. 10). It becomes.

  After updating the resource information DB 14 of the vehicle D 001, the vehicle D 001 transmits a resource information notification packet 1002 to surrounding vehicles. The vehicle E001 having received the notification packet 1002 does not include the identification ID of the own vehicle in the notification packet 1002 (S702-NO), and information on vehicles in the same vehicle group (any of vehicles D001, E001, F001) Since it is included (S704-YES), it can be determined that the notification is from a rear vehicle in the same vehicle group. Therefore, the vehicle E 001 performs update processing of the resource information DB 14 based on the notification packet 1002. By updating, the resource information DB 14 of the vehicle E 001 changes from a state including only information related to the vehicles D 001 and E 001 to a state further including the vehicles A 001, B 001, and C 001 in the notification packet 1002 (reference numeral 1003 in FIG. 10).

  As described above, when the last vehicle D001 of the vehicle group GF can communicate with another vehicle group GB, the resource information DB 14 of each vehicle in the front vehicle group GF is sequentially updated. Thus, the vehicle group GF and the vehicle group GB can be merged.

[Task execution request reception processing ~ execution result transmission processing]
The processes in steps S402 to S410 will be described in more detail below.

  First, with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12, an operation example of a normal case in which execution of a task can be completed within a communicable time with a user terminal will be described. FIG. 11A is a diagram for explaining processing from reception of a task execution request from a user terminal to transmission of a task to a task execution vehicle. FIG. 11B is a diagram for explaining processing until the task execution vehicle transmits the task execution result to the user terminal. FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of the operation in the normal case.

  First, each vehicle in the vehicle system exchanges vehicle information between the vehicles (S 1202), and updates the resource information DB 14 based on the vehicle information to keep the information on the vehicles in the vehicle group up-to-date . Then, the vehicle A that can communicate with the user terminal UT transmits vehicle group resource information to the user terminal UT (S1204). The vehicle group resource information is generated on the basis of the resource information DB 14 and includes information on the time when the vehicle group can communicate with the user terminal UT, and information on calculation resources that can be provided by the vehicle group within the communicable time. In this embodiment, each vehicle in the vehicle group periodically broadcasts the vehicle group resource information, but when the connection with the user terminal UT is completed or when there is a request from the user terminal UT, the vehicle group resource information is You may make it transmit.

  The user terminal UT that has received the vehicle group resource information determines whether to request the vehicle group for a task scheduled to be executed (S1206). Specifically, it is determined whether the vehicle group can complete the task within the communicable period. If it is determined that the task should be requested to the vehicle group, the user terminal UT makes a task execution request to the vehicle group (vehicle A) as follows. That is, the user terminal UT transmits a request to perform a task to the vehicle A (S1208), and the vehicle A transmits a task ID to the user terminal UT in response (S1210). The user terminal UT transmits the calculation task to the vehicle A together with the task ID (S1212).

  When the vehicle A receives the task execution request from the user terminal UT, the vehicle A determines which vehicle in the vehicle group is appropriate to execute the task (S1214). The determination criterion is arbitrary. For example, it may be possible to select a vehicle that can complete the processing the fastest, or select a vehicle that can perform the highest quality processing. In the present example, description will be given assuming that the vehicle L is selected as the task execution vehicle. Then, the vehicle A transmits (transfers) the requested task to the vehicle L together with the task ID (S1216). When the vehicle A can not directly communicate with the vehicle L, relay is performed in the vehicle group to perform multi-hop communication. When receiving the task, the vehicle L starts its execution (S1218).

  After requesting the vehicle group to execute the task, the user terminal UT periodically transmits its own position information to the vehicle group (S1220, 1222). The position information of the user terminal UT is transmitted together with the task ID, so that it can be grasped which task is the position information of the user terminal that has requested the task. The position information of the user terminal is received by a vehicle in the group of vehicles that can communicate with the user terminal UT, and is transmitted to another vehicle in the group of vehicles. In this way, the position information of the user terminal UT is transferred within the vehicle group and received by all vehicles. Further, the position information of the user terminal UT may be transmitted by being included in resource information exchanged between vehicles in step S1202, or may be transmitted as another message.

FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining the process of sharing the position information of the user terminal UT in the vehicle group. The vehicles (vehicles B and C in FIG. 15) having received the position information from the user terminal UT transmit user terminal information notification. The user terminal information notification includes position information of the user terminal UT, a vehicle capable of directly communicating with the user terminal UT, and the number of hops from the last vehicle of the vehicle. In FIG. 15, two vehicles of vehicles B and C can directly communicate with the user terminal UT. First, the vehicles B and C transmit user terminal information 1501 and 1502, respectively. Each vehicle updates user terminal information based on this notification, and transmits it to surrounding vehicles. Thereby, user terminal information can be shared by all vehicles in the vehicle group. In the example of FIG. 15, each vehicle holds the user terminal information 1503.

  When the execution of the task in the vehicle L is completed (S1224), the vehicle L transmits the calculation result to the user terminal UT. For this purpose, the vehicle L first determines a vehicle that can directly communicate with the user terminal UT (S1226). As described above, since the vehicles in the vehicle group grasp the vehicles in direct communication with the user terminal UT, the calculation results of the task via the vehicles capable of direct communication with the user terminal UT Are transmitted to the user terminal UT (S1228).

  A process of periodically confirming whether the task can be completed while communicating with the user terminal UT is performed during execution of the task in the vehicle L is performed, but since the process is described below, the description is omitted here.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, an operation example of an exceptional case in which execution of a task can not be completed within a communicable time with a user terminal will be described. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a process from when the task execution vehicle receives a task to when it sends an intermediate result of the task to the user terminal. FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of the operation in the exceptional case.

  The process in which the user terminal UT requests the task to the vehicle group and the task is transmitted to the task execution vehicle, and the process in which the user terminal UT transmits the position information after the task request (S1402 to S1422) are steps S1202 in FIG. The description is omitted because it is similar to.

  A process after the vehicle L acquires a task request and executes the task will be described. In parallel with the execution of the task, the vehicle L confirms based on the position information of the user terminal UT whether or not the execution of the task can be completed during a period in which the vehicle group can communicate with the user terminal UT. . Specifically, the user terminal can obtain the user terminal UT that can directly communicate with the user terminal UT that can be grasped based on the position information of the user terminal (FIG. 15) and the distance between each vehicle in the vehicle group (distance information in FIG. 5 etc.) The distance between the vehicle that can directly communicate with the UT and the last vehicle in the vehicle group is known. From this distance and the moving speed of the vehicle group, the time in which the user terminal UT can communicate with the vehicle group can be grasped. In addition, it is also preferable to appropriately adjust such as adding a wireless communication distance (distance reached by radio waves) to a distance between vehicles or multiplying a safety factor.

  If the time required to complete the task execution (more precisely, transmission of the calculation result to the user terminal) is less than or equal to the time at which the user terminal UT can communicate with the vehicle group (S1424) And send the result to the user terminal UT. Specifically, a vehicle that can directly communicate with the user terminal UT is determined (S1426), and the calculation result of the task is transmitted to the user terminal UT via the vehicle (S1428).

[Message transfer process]
Hereinafter, the message transfer process in the vehicle group will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, the vehicle group does not include vehicles ahead of the host vehicle. Therefore, the resource information DB 14 of each vehicle has no information on the preceding vehicle, and does not know what kind of vehicle is present in the front. However, in the case of transmitting tasks and calculation results between vehicles, it is necessary to carry out message transfer processing to forward vehicles. In the present embodiment, a processing method is adopted that can appropriately route messages between vehicles without knowing the presence of a preceding vehicle.

In step S1601, the vehicle receives a message. This message includes the identification ID of the source vehicle and the identification ID of the destination vehicle. If the destination ID is the identification ID of the own vehicle (S1602-YES), transfer of the message is unnecessary, and the own vehicle processes this message (S1603). Specifically, if the message is a task execution request, this task is executed, and if it is a transmission message of the calculation result to the user terminal, it is transmitted to the user terminal.

  If the own vehicle is not the destination, it is determined whether the transmission source identification ID is a vehicle in the vehicle group (S1604) and whether the destination identification ID is a vehicle in the vehicle group (S1605, 1606) Do. The vehicles in the vehicle group are vehicles stored in the resource information DB 14. In the present embodiment, the vehicles in the vehicle group are vehicles behind the host vehicle.

  The message needs to be forwarded if the source is a forward vehicle and the destination is a backward vehicle (S1604-NO and S1606-YES), and if the source is a backward vehicle and the destination is a forward vehicle (S1604- YES and S1605-NO). Therefore, if these determination results are obtained, the process proceeds to step S1607 to transfer the message.

  Conversely, if both the source and destination are forward vehicles (S1604-NO and S1606-NO), or if both source and destination are backward vehicles (S1604-YES and S1606-YES), message transfer Is unnecessary. Therefore, if these determination results are obtained, the process proceeds to step S1608 and the message is not transferred.

<Benefit of this embodiment>
According to the present embodiment, the user terminal can grasp a group of vehicles as one integrated computing resource, and after requesting the group of vehicles to execute a task, the group of vehicles other than periodically transmitting position information There is no need to communicate with In addition, since the resource information that the vehicle group can provide as a whole can be grasped by the vehicle group resource information from the vehicle group, the vehicle group can calculate while the user terminal can communicate even if the user terminal does not know the information on individual vehicles. It can be determined whether it is possible. Further, formation and management of a group of vehicles and management of resource information can be performed by simple processing in a vehicle.

<Modification>
The above description exemplifies the present invention, and does not limit the present invention. The present invention can be variously modified within the scope of the technical idea.

[Modification 1]
In the above description, the vehicle group is described as being composed of each vehicle and vehicles behind it. However, the method of forming the vehicle group may be arbitrary. For example, the vehicle group may be configured from vehicles that can communicate by relay regardless of the positional relationship. In addition, it is preferable to form a group of vehicles from vehicles determined to continue to be able to communicate with each other for a long time (a threshold time or more) without including all vehicles that can be communicated by relaying in the group of vehicles. The time that can be communicated can be determined, for example, from the relative speed of the vehicle, the planned travel route, and the like. Besides, it is also possible to predict future behavior of the vehicle from past history data and the current situation, and to determine the communicable time based on the prediction.

  In addition, when the forward vehicle is included in the vehicle group, resource information and the like of the vehicle located ahead of the host vehicle can be grasped, so that a vehicle ahead of the host vehicle can be selected as the task execution vehicle. In addition, it is possible to grasp whether each vehicle is positioned forward or backward of the host vehicle, and when providing vehicle group resource information to the user terminal, it is possible to provide resource information of a rear vehicle. The same processing as that of this embodiment can be realized.

  In addition, if the vehicle located in front is also grasped, the transfer processing of the message in the vehicle group becomes easy.

[Modification 2]
Vehicles that perform tasks within the fleet may change over time. In the above description of the operation example, only the vehicle determined first is performing the task, but after receiving the task, if it is determined that it is more appropriate to perform the task on another vehicle, Tasks may be transferred between vehicles in a group. This determination can be made based on the resource information of each vehicle in the vehicle group and the positional relationship with the user terminal. The determination criterion may be arbitrary. For example, when a vehicle capable of higher speed processing or higher quality processing appears, it can be determined that the vehicle is more appropriate. Alternatively, the task execution vehicle may be set to be located behind the user terminal as the condition of the task execution vehicle, and the task may be transferred to the rear vehicle when the task execution vehicle passes the user terminal.

  Also, one task may be performed by a plurality of vehicles. For example, one task may be divided into a plurality of subtasks, and each subtask may be executed by different vehicles. As a result, load distribution in the vehicle group and speeding up of processing can be achieved. Alternatively, one task (or subtask) may be simultaneously executed by a plurality of vehicles. This makes it possible to obtain processing results more reliably.

[Modification 3]
The method of transmitting the resource information of the vehicle group to the user terminal is arbitrary. As long as the user terminal can grasp how many calculations can be performed by the vehicle group within the time when it can communicate with the vehicle group, the method of transmitting the vehicle group resource information may be performed in any manner. As one example, the user terminal may receive the vehicle information transmitted by the vehicle based on the resource information DB, and analyze the vehicle information to obtain the above information.

  Moreover, the method of requesting the task from the user terminal to the vehicle group is also arbitrary. In the above description, the vehicle group resource information is transmitted from the vehicle group to the user terminal, and the user terminal determines whether to request the vehicle group to execute the task. However, the user terminal may notify the requirements needed to perform the task, and determine if the vehicles in the fleet meet this requirement. Finally, based on the resource information of the vehicle group managed by the vehicle, it may be determined that the user terminal requests the vehicle group to execute the task.

  Further, in determining the task execution request, it is not always necessary to make all the tasks executed the condition of the request. For example, the user terminal may request the vehicle group to execute the task when it is determined that the calculation of the predetermined amount or more can be executed among the entire processing.

[Modification 4]
The calculation result of the task does not have to be transmitted to the user terminal immediately. If it is determined that the task execution vehicle (vehicle holding the calculation result) can directly communicate with the user terminal, the task execution vehicle may wait until then and may directly transmit the calculation result to the user terminal. This is effective when the requested task does not require real-time performance.

[Modification 5]
In the above description, the time until the communication between the vehicle group and the user terminal is disconnected is determined based on the distance to the rearmost vehicle and the moving speed of the vehicle group. However, it may be determined more simply based on the distance to the last vehicle and the number of hops.

  In addition, it is not necessary for the task execution vehicle to determine whether the calculation task is completed while the user terminal can communicate with the user terminal. Any of the vehicles in the vehicle group may make this determination, and may instruct the task executing vehicle to interrupt the execution of the task and transmit the result to the user terminal as needed.

  Similarly, a vehicle other than the task execution vehicle may determine whether the task execution vehicle should be switched. Further, it may be determined by any vehicle other than the vehicle that has received the request directly from the user terminal, whether the vehicle in the group should execute the task requested from the user terminal.

  Further, the terminal requesting the calculation task to the vehicle group is not limited to a terminal held by the user such as a portable information terminal, but may be an on-vehicle terminal of a vehicle having a periphery.

100: Vehicle (vehicle-mounted in-vehicle terminal)
11: Vehicle information acquisition unit 12: resource information reception unit 13: resource information update unit 14: resource information DB 15: resource information transmission unit 16: task execution request reception unit 17: task execution control unit 18: task transfer unit 19: task Execution unit 20: Execution result transmission unit 200: User terminal 21: Resource information reception unit 22: Task execution control unit 23: Task execution request transmission unit 24: Position information transmission unit 25: Execution result reception unit 26: Task execution unit

Claims (13)

A computing resource providing method for a vehicle system, comprising a plurality of in-vehicle terminals, receiving and executing a task execution request from a user terminal, comprising:
A notification step of exchanging vehicle information, which is information including at least information on calculation resources that can be provided by the vehicle, between the on-vehicle terminals;
A vehicle group formation management step of forming and managing a vehicle group based on vehicle information of the own vehicle and vehicle information transmitted from another vehicle;
Vehicle group resource information generating step of generating vehicle group resource information which is information on a time when the vehicle group can communicate with the user terminal and a calculation resource which can be provided within the time;
An execution request receiving step of receiving from the user terminal an execution request for a task that matches the vehicle group resource information;
Methods of providing computational resources, including: A determination step of determining an on-vehicle terminal to execute the task based on the vehicle group resource information, the on-vehicle terminal having received the task execution request from the user terminal;
A transfer step of transferring the task to the on-vehicle terminal determined in the determination step, the on-vehicle terminal having received the task execution request from the user terminal;
An execution step in which the in-vehicle terminal to which the task has been transferred executes the task;
The computing resource providing method according to claim 1, further comprising: After completion of execution of the task in the execution step, the in-vehicle terminal executing the task further includes transmitting the calculation result of the task to the user terminal.
The method for providing computational resources according to claim 2. Calculating periodically information on a time during which the user terminal and the vehicle group can continue to communicate after the execution request for the task from the user terminal is received;
If it is predicted that the task will not be completed within the communicable time, an on-vehicle terminal executing the task transmits an interim result of the task to the user terminal;
The computing resource providing method according to claim 2, further comprising The transmission of the calculation result of the task or the halfway result to the user terminal is performed through an on-board terminal capable of communicating with the user terminal among the on-board terminals in the vehicle group.
The method for providing computational resources according to claim 3 or 4. If it is determined that another in-vehicle terminal in the vehicle group is suitable for execution of the task based on the vehicle information, the in-vehicle terminal executing the task determines the task as the other in-vehicle terminal. Transfer to on-board terminal,
The computing resource providing method according to any one of claims 2 to 5. The execution request reception step is
Transmitting the vehicle group resource information to the user terminal;
A step of accepting the execution request of a task to be transmitted from the user terminal based on the vehicle group resource information,
The computing resource providing method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising: The execution request reception step is
Obtaining a request for execution of a task from the user terminal;
Determining whether to accept a task execution request from the user terminal based on the vehicle group resource information;
The computing resource providing method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising: In the vehicle group formation management step, it is determined that each vehicle-mounted terminal travels in the same direction as the host vehicle, is located behind the host vehicle, and includes vehicles that can communicate directly or indirectly. Do,
The computing resource providing method according to any one of claims 1 to 8. In the notification step, each on-vehicle terminal transmits vehicle information regarding the vehicle for which the host vehicle is determined to belong to the vehicle group and the host vehicle,
When a vehicle is detected in front of the own vehicle, the vehicle information including the fact that the vehicle is detected in the front is transmitted and transmitted,
In the vehicle group formation management step, vehicle information that does not include information indicating that a vehicle has been detected forward or information about the vehicle itself, vehicle information including information indicating that a vehicle has been detected forward and information about the vehicle, Forming and managing a vehicle group using vehicle information of vehicles belonging to the vehicle group
The computing resource providing method according to claim 9. The method further includes a transfer step of transferring a message in a group of vehicles, wherein the source of the message is a vehicle belonging to the group of vehicles and the destination is a vehicle not belonging to the group of vehicles, or If the source of the message is a vehicle not belonging to the group of vehicles and the destination is a vehicle belonging to the group of vehicles, the message is forwarded; otherwise, the message is not forwarded ,
The computing resource providing method according to claim 10. An on-vehicle terminal in a vehicle system that receives and executes a task execution request from a user terminal,
Transmitting means for transmitting vehicle information, which is information including at least information on calculation resources that can be provided by the vehicle;
Vehicle group formation managing means for forming and managing a vehicle group based on vehicle information of the own vehicle and vehicle information transmitted from another vehicle;
Vehicle group resource information storing means for storing vehicle group resource information which is information on time when the vehicle group can communicate with the user terminal and calculation resources which can be provided within the time;
The vehicle group resource information is notified to the user terminal and a task execution request is received from the user terminal, or the user terminal acquires the requirements for task execution from the user terminal and the user based on the vehicle group resource information An execution request receiving unit that determines whether to accept a task execution request from a terminal;
In-vehicle terminals, including The program for making a vehicle-mounted terminal perform the calculation resource provision method of any one of Claims 1-11 .

Images