JP7182502B2 - Communication device and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to communication devices and programs.

A communication device capable of accessing a wireless network through cellular communication, WiFi (registered trademark) communication, or the like is known, such as an in-vehicle communication device mounted on an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or the like (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Their numbers are growing.
[Prior art documents]
[Patent Literature]
[Patent Document 1] JP 2017-207984 A

It is desirable to provide a technology that can effectively utilize the computational resources of multiple communication devices.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a communication device that continues to operate even after a user's operation involving turning off the communication device, and that turns off based on a signal from a server. The communication device may include a signal transmission unit that transmits a signal to the server indicating that participation in grid computing managed by the server is possible in response to a user operation.

The communication device may include a CPU and a memory, and the signal transmission unit may transmit the signal including at least one of capability value information of the CPU and capability value information of the memory to the server. The communication device transmits a result report indicating a processing result of the communication device in the grid computing in which the communication device participates in response to the signal transmitted by the signal transmission unit, to the server before the communication device is turned off. You may have a department. The communication device sends a result report indicating the processing result of the communication device in the grid computing in which the communication device participates in response to the signal transmitted by the signal transmission unit after the communication device is turned on after the communication device is turned off. A report transmission unit for transmitting to the server may be provided.

The communication device may be an in-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle, and the user operation may be an engine-off operation or a power-off operation of the vehicle. The vehicle may have a battery, and the signal transmission section may transmit the signal including remaining battery level information of the battery to the server.

The communication device may include a schedule information acquisition unit that acquires schedule information indicating a period during which the communication device can participate in the grid computing, and the signal transmission unit sends the signal including the schedule information to the server. can be sent to The schedule information acquisition unit may generate the schedule information based on the vehicle usage history. The schedule information acquisition unit identifies a period during which the vehicle is not used based on the history of use of the vehicle, and sets the identified period as a period during which the communication device can participate in the grid computing. can be generated.

The signal transmission unit may transmit the signal to the server when the vehicle is in a charging state when the user operation is performed. The signal transmission unit may transmit the signal to the server when the vehicle becomes charged before a predetermined time elapses after the user's operation. After participating in the grid computing by the signal, if the vehicle becomes ready to run before the grid computing ends, the signal transmission unit requests to stop participating in the grid computing. You can send it to the server.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program for causing a computer to function as the communication device.

It should be noted that the above summary of the invention does not list all the necessary features of the invention. Subcombinations of these feature groups can also be inventions.

An example system 10 is shown schematically. An example of the flow of processing by the in-vehicle device 310 is shown schematically. An example of the flow of processing by the in-vehicle device 310 is shown schematically. An example of the flow of processing by the in-vehicle device 310 is shown schematically. An example of a functional configuration of an in-vehicle device 310 is shown schematically. An example of the flow of processing by the management server 100 is shown schematically. An example of the flow of processing by the management server 100 is shown schematically. An example of the functional configuration of the management server 100 is shown schematically. An example of the hardware configuration of the computer 1200 which functions as the management server 100 or the vehicle-mounted apparatus 310 is shown schematically.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Also, not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential for the solution of the invention.

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an example system 10 . The system 10 includes a management server 100 and multiple communication devices. The communication device according to the present embodiment may continue to operate even after a user operation involving turning off the communication device, and may turn off the operation based on an instruction from the management server 100 . The instruction from the management server 100 may be any signal that is predetermined as an instruction to turn off the operation.

FIG. 1 illustrates a plurality of in-vehicle devices 310 as the plurality of communication devices. The in-vehicle device 310 is mounted in a vehicle 300 having a battery 302, such as a HV (Hybrid Vehicle), a PHEV/PHV (Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle), an EV (Electric Vehicle), or the like. In-vehicle device 310 may be installed in a so-called gasoline vehicle, FCV (Fuel Cell Vehicle), or the like.

The in-vehicle device 310 continues to operate even after the user turns off the engine of the vehicle 300 or turns off the power of the vehicle 300 , and turns off the operation based on an instruction from the management server 100 . The user's operation to turn off the engine of the vehicle 300 and the user's operation to turn off the power of the vehicle 300 are examples of user operations that involve turning off the in-vehicle device 310 .

The in-vehicle device 310 has a wireless communication function and communicates with the management server 100 via the network 20 . The in-vehicle device 310 performs wireless communication by a cellular communication method such as a 3G (3rd Generation) communication method, a LTE (Long Term Evolution) communication method, a 5G (5th Generation) communication method, and a communication method after the 6G (6th Generation) communication method. may have a function. Also, the in-vehicle device 310 may have a wireless communication function based on the WiFi communication method. Network 20 includes cellular networks and the Internet. The management server 100 may be located on the Internet, or may be located on a cellular communication network.

The management server 100 manages grid computing via the network 20 . In the example shown in FIG. 1 , the management server 100 may receive a signal (sometimes referred to as a participation possible signal) indicating that participation in grid computing is possible from the in-vehicle device 310 . The management server 100 determines whether or not the processing capacity of at least one of the plurality of processing devices 200 is insufficient based on the usage status of the computing resources of the plurality of processing devices 200. If so, an instruction to participate in grid computing may be transmitted to the in-vehicle device 310 as a response to the participation possible signal from the in-vehicle device 310 .

The participation instruction may include identification information that identifies the processing device 200 that lacks processing power. The identification information may be any information as long as the processing device 200 can be identified. Examples of identification information include an ID assigned to each of the plurality of processing devices 200 by the management server 100, an IP address assigned to the processing device 200, and the like.

The in-vehicle device 310 identifies the processing device 200 to which the processing capability is to be provided by the identification information included in the participation instruction. Then, the in-vehicle device 310 executes processing according to instructions from the processing device 200 . This processing may be referred to as grid processing. The in-vehicle device 310 may use power stored in the battery 302 to perform grid processing.

The in-vehicle device 310 may transmit a joinable signal to the management server 100 in response to the user turning off the engine or powering off the vehicle 300 . As a result, the joinable signal is transmitted to the management server 100 at a timing when there is a high probability that the vehicle 300 will not be used for a while thereafter. For example, at the timing when the user parks the vehicle 300 in the parking lot of his/her home and turns off the engine or power, the in-vehicle device 310 transmits a participation enable signal to the management server 100 .

Although the in-vehicle device 310 has relatively high processing power, it may not be effectively used when the vehicle 300 is not in use. According to the in-vehicle device 310 according to the present embodiment, the participation possible signal is transmitted when the vehicle 300 is not in use, so the computational resources of the in-vehicle device 310 can be effectively utilized.

The in-vehicle device 310 detects that the vehicle 300 is connected to the charger 30 and charged before a predetermined time elapses after the user turns off the engine or powers off the vehicle 300 . You may make it transmit a participation possible signal to the management server 100 on condition. As a result, grid processing can be performed while power is being supplied, and, for example, it is possible to prevent the battery 302 from running out of power while grid processing is being performed. In an environment where charging is automatically started when the vehicle 300 is parked, such as a parking lot equipped with wireless charging equipment, it is possible to detect that the vehicle 300 is in a charging state when a user operation is performed. As a condition, a joinable signal may be sent to the management server 100 .

FIG. 2 schematically shows an example of the flow of processing by the in-vehicle device 310. As shown in FIG. Here, an example of the flow of processing from a user operation involving turning off the in-vehicle device 310 to turning off the in-vehicle device 310 will be described. The processing shown in FIG. 2 is started in response to the in-vehicle device 310 detecting a user operation. Each process shown in FIG. 2 is executed mainly by a control unit provided in the in-vehicle device 310 .

In step (the step may be abbreviated as S) 102 , a joinable signal is transmitted to the management server 100 . In S104, it is determined whether or not a participation instruction has been received in response to the participation possible signal transmitted in S102.

If the in-vehicle device 310 does not receive a participation instruction from the management server 100 until a predetermined time elapses after transmitting the participation possible signal, the in-vehicle apparatus 310 may determine that the participation instruction has not been received. Further, the in-vehicle device 310 may determine that the participation instruction has not been received when a signal indicating that participation is not required is received from the management server 100 . If the participation instruction has been received, the process proceeds to S106; if not, the process proceeds to S112.

In S106, grid processing is executed. In S108, it is determined whether or not the grid processing has ended. For example, the grid processing is terminated when an instruction to terminate the grid processing is given by the target of the processing capacity.

At S<b>110 , a result report indicating the processing result of the grid processing is transmitted to the management server 100 . At S112, the operation is turned off. Then, the process ends.

FIG. 3 schematically shows an example of the flow of processing by the in-vehicle device 310. As shown in FIG. Here, an example of the flow of processing from a user operation involving turning off the in-vehicle device 310 to turning off the in-vehicle device 310 will be described. The processing shown in FIG. 3 is started in response to the in-vehicle device 310 detecting a user operation. Each process shown in FIG. 3 is executed mainly by a control unit provided in the in-vehicle device 310 .

In S202, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time has passed since the user's operation. The predetermined time may be set in advance or may be settable by the user. If the predetermined time has passed, the process proceeds to S216; otherwise, the process proceeds to S204. In S204, it is determined whether the vehicle 300 is in a charging state. If it is in the charging state, the process proceeds to S206, and if it is not in the charging state, the process returns to S202.

In S<b>206 , a joinable signal is transmitted to the management server 100 . In S208, it is determined whether or not a participation instruction has been received in response to the participation possible signal transmitted in S206.

If the in-vehicle device 310 does not receive a participation instruction from the management server 100 until a predetermined time elapses after transmitting the participation possible signal, the in-vehicle apparatus 310 may determine that the participation instruction has not been received. Further, the in-vehicle device 310 may determine that the participation instruction has not been received when a signal indicating that participation is not required is received from the management server 100 . If the participation instruction has been received, the process proceeds to S210; otherwise, the process proceeds to S216.

In S210, grid processing is performed. In S212, it is determined whether or not the grid processing has ended. For example, the grid processing is terminated when an instruction to terminate the grid processing is given by the target of the processing capacity.

In S214, a result report indicating the processing result of the grid processing is transmitted to the management server 100. FIG. At S216, the operation is turned off. Then, the process ends.

In the process shown in FIG. 3 , the participation possible signal is transmitted to the management server 100 when the vehicle 300 is charged before a predetermined time elapses from the user's operation. Accordingly, when the user turns off the engine or turns off the power of the vehicle 300, gets off the vehicle 300, inserts the power plug into the vehicle 300, and starts charging the vehicle 300, the participation possible signal is transmitted. can be done.

FIG. 4 schematically shows an example of the flow of processing by the in-vehicle device 310. As shown in FIG. The process shown in FIG. 4 is started when the in-vehicle device 310 detects a user operation. Here, points different from FIG. 3 will be mainly described.

In S302, it is determined whether the vehicle 300 is in a charging state. If it is in the charging state, proceed to S304; if not in the charging state, proceed to S314. In S<b>304 , a joinable signal is transmitted to the management server 100 . In S306, it is determined whether or not a participation instruction has been received in response to the participation possible signal transmitted in S304. If the participation instruction has been received, the process proceeds to S308; otherwise, the process proceeds to S314.

In S308, grid processing is executed. In S310, it is determined whether the grid processing has ended. In S312, a result report indicating the processing result of the grid processing is transmitted to the management server 100. FIG. At S314, the operation is turned off. Then, the process ends.

FIG. 5 schematically shows an example of the functional configuration of the in-vehicle device 310. As shown in FIG. The in-vehicle device 310 includes a user operation detection unit 312, a signal processing unit 314, a grid processing execution unit 316, an operation control unit 318, a report transmission unit 320, an information acquisition unit 322, a usage history storage unit 324, and a schedule information acquisition unit 326. Prepare. It should be noted that it is not essential that the in-vehicle device 310 has all of these configurations.

The user operation detection unit 312 detects a user operation that causes the operation of the in-vehicle device 310 to be turned off. The user operation detection unit 312 detects, for example, an engine-off operation of the vehicle 300 in which the in-vehicle device 310 is mounted. Also, the user operation detection unit 312 detects, for example, a power-off operation of the vehicle 300 in which the in-vehicle device 310 is mounted.

When the user operation detection unit 312 detects a user operation, the signal processing unit 314 transmits to the management server 100 a signal indicating that participation in grid computing is possible. The signal processing unit 314 may transmit a joinable signal to the management server 100 via the network 20 by wireless communication. The signal processor 314 may be an example of a signal transmitter.

The signal processing unit 314 determines whether or not a participation instruction has been received for the transmitted participation possible signal. If the signal processing unit 314 does not receive a participation instruction from the management server 100 within a predetermined period of time after transmitting the participation available signal, the signal processing unit 314 may determine that the participation instruction has not been received. . Further, the signal processing unit 314 may determine that the participation instruction has not been received when a signal indicating that participation is unnecessary has been received from the management server 100 .

The grid processing execution unit 316 executes grid processing in the grid computing joined by the joinable signal transmitted by the signal processing unit 314 . The grid processing execution unit 316 provides computational resources such as a CPU and memory to the processing device 200 identified by the identification information included in the participation instruction transmitted by the management server 100, for example. The grid processing execution unit 316 may execute processing instructed by the processing device 200 and transmit processing results to the processing device 200 .

When the participation instruction is received from the management server 100 when the signal processing unit 314 has transmitted a participation-enabled signal to the management server 100, the operation control unit 318 detects that the grid processing by the grid processing execution unit 316 has ended. , the operation of the in-vehicle device 310 is turned off. The operation control unit 318 turns off the operation of the in-vehicle device 310 when the signal processing unit 314 transmits the participation possible signal to the management server 100 and the participation instruction is not received.

The report transmission unit 320 transmits a result report indicating the processing result of grid processing by the grid processing execution unit 316 to the management server 100 . A result report shows the content of the grid processing which the vehicle-mounted apparatus 310 performed, for example. For example, the result report includes at least one of the total execution time of the process, the amount of data processed, the type of target process, the amount of CPU usage, and the amount of memory usage.

For example, the report transmission unit 320 transmits the result report to the management server 100 after the grid processing execution unit 316 finishes the grid processing until the operation control unit 318 turns off the operation of the in-vehicle device 310 . The report transmission unit 320 may transmit the result report to the management server 100 after the operation of the in-vehicle device 310 is turned off by the operation control unit 318 and after the operation of the in-vehicle device 310 is turned on.

When the vehicle 300 becomes ready to run after participating in the grid computing by the participation enable signal transmitted to the management server 100 but before the grid computing ends, the grid processing execution unit 316 stops the grid processing. You can The drivable state may be, for example, a state in which the engine of vehicle 300 is turned on or a state in which the power of vehicle 300 is turned on. As a result, for example, even though the vehicle 300 has started running, the grid processing execution unit 316 continues the grid processing, which increases the processing load of the in-vehicle device 310 and hinders the running of the vehicle 300. You can prevent it from being lost.

Further, when the vehicle 300 becomes ready to run after participating in the grid computing by means of the joinable signal transmitted to the management server 100 but before the grid computing ends, the grid processing execution unit 316 performs the grid Before stopping the processing, the signal processing unit 314 may transmit a request to stop participating in grid computing to the management server 100 . As a result, the management server 100 can be notified in advance of the suspension of the grid processing, and the management server 100 can be given time to prepare the alternative in-vehicle device 310 .

The information acquisition unit 322 acquires various types of information. The information acquisition unit 322 may acquire information on the in-vehicle device 310 . The information acquisition unit 322 acquires, for example, capacity value information of the CPU of the in-vehicle device 310 . Also, the information acquisition unit 322 acquires, for example, capacity value information of the memory of the in-vehicle device 310 . In addition, the information acquisition unit 322 acquires, for example, processing capacity information indicating the processing capacity that the in-vehicle device 310 can provide. The processing capacity information may be capacity value information of the CPU of the in-vehicle device 310 . Also, the processing capacity information may be capacity value information of the memory of the in-vehicle device 310 . Further, for example, when the in-vehicle device 310 cannot provide the entire area of the memory but can provide only a part of the area, the processing capability information is information indicating the part of the area of the memory that can be provided. There may be.

Further, the information acquisition unit 322 may acquire information on the vehicle 300 in which the in-vehicle device 310 is mounted. The information acquisition unit 322 acquires remaining battery level information of the battery 302 of the vehicle 300, for example. Information acquisition unit 322 also acquires, for example, state-of-charge information indicating whether vehicle 300 is in a state of charge.

The signal processing unit 314 may include the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 322 in the participation possible signal and transmit the signal to the management server 100 . The signal processing unit 314 performs at least one of performance value information of the CPU of the in-vehicle device 310, performance value information of the memory of the in-vehicle device 310, processing capacity information, remaining battery information of the battery 302 of the vehicle 300, and charge state information. may be included in the joinable signal.

The signal processing unit 314 may transmit the joinable signal to the management server 100 when the user operation detection unit 312 detects the user operation and the vehicle 300 is in the charging state. Further, the signal processing unit 314 outputs a participation possible signal to the management server 100 when the vehicle 300 becomes charged before a predetermined time has elapsed since the user operation detection unit 312 detected the user operation. may be sent to

The usage history storage unit 324 stores the usage history of the vehicle 300 in which the in-vehicle device 310 is mounted. The usage history may include information on the period during which vehicle 300 was used. The usage history may include information on periods during which vehicle 300 was not used.

The schedule information acquisition unit 326 acquires schedule information indicating a period during which the in-vehicle device 310 can participate in grid computing. The schedule information acquisition unit 326 acquires, for example, schedule information input by the user.

Schedule information acquisition unit 326 may generate schedule information based on the usage history of vehicle 300 stored in usage history storage unit 324 . For example, the schedule information acquisition unit 326 specifies a period during which the vehicle 300 is not used based on the usage history of the vehicle 300, and schedules the specified period as a period during which the in-vehicle device 310 can participate in grid computing. Generate information. As a specific example, for example, if the vehicle 300 tends not to be used between 20:00 and 8:00 on weekdays, the schedule information acquisition unit 326 generates schedule information indicating the period from 20:00 to 8:00. The signal processing unit 314 may transmit a participation request including the schedule information acquired by the schedule information acquisition unit 326 to the management server 100 .

FIG. 6 schematically shows an example of the flow of processing by the management server 100. As shown in FIG. Here, the flow of processing of the participation possible signal received from the in-vehicle device 310 by the management server 100 will be described. Each process shown in FIG. 6 is executed mainly by a control unit provided in the management server 100 .

In S<b>402 , a participation-enabled signal is received from the in-vehicle device 310 . In S<b>404 , based on the usage status of the computational resources of the plurality of processing units 200 , the lack of processing capacity of the plurality of processing units 200 is determined.

In S406, it is determined whether or not the processing capacity of at least one of the plurality of processing devices 200 is insufficient. If it is determined that there is a shortage, the process proceeds to S408, and if it is determined that there is no shortage, the process proceeds to S410.

In S408, a participation instruction is transmitted to the in-vehicle device 310 as a response to the participation possible signal received in S402. In S410, a participation unacceptable signal is transmitted to the in-vehicle device 310 as a response to the joinable signal received in S402. Then, the process ends.

FIG. 7 schematically shows an example of the flow of processing by the management server 100. As shown in FIG. Here, the flow of processing by the management server 100 for participation possible signals received from the plurality of in-vehicle devices 310 will be described. Each process shown in FIG. 7 is executed mainly by a control unit provided in the management server 100 .

In S<b>502 , a participation-enabled signal is received from the in-vehicle device 310 . At S504, the joinable signal received at S502 is stored. In S506, it is determined whether or not a predetermined time has passed. The predetermined time may be set in advance, or may be set by the operator of the management server 100 or the like. If it is determined that the period has elapsed, the process proceeds to S508.

In S<b>508 , based on the usage status of the computational resources of the plurality of processing units 200 , the lack of processing capacity of the plurality of processing units 200 is determined. In S510, it is determined whether or not the processing capacity of at least one of the plurality of processing devices 200 is insufficient. If it is determined that there is a shortage, the process proceeds to S512, and if it is determined that there is no shortage, the process proceeds to S516.

In S512, the in-vehicle device 310 to participate in the grid computing is determined from among the plurality of in-vehicle devices 310 that have transmitted the participation possible signal. In S514, a response is transmitted to the plurality of vehicle-mounted devices 310 that have transmitted the joinable signal. The vehicle 300 transmits a participation instruction to the in-vehicle device 310 determined to participate in the grid computing in S512, and transmits a no-participation signal to the other in-vehicle devices 310 . In S516, a participation unacceptable signal is transmitted to all of the plurality of in-vehicle devices 310 that have transmitted a participation available signal. Then, the process ends.

FIG. 8 schematically shows an example of the functional configuration of the management server 100. As shown in FIG. The management server 100 includes a usage status acquisition unit 102 , a signal reception unit 104 , a signal storage unit 106 , a state determination unit 108 , a response transmission unit 110 , a device determination unit 112 and a report reception unit 114 . Note that it is not essential for the management server 100 to have all of these configurations.

The usage status acquisition unit 102 acquires the usage status of each computational resource of the plurality of processing devices 200 . The usage status acquisition unit 102 may periodically or intermittently receive usage statuses of computational resources from each of the plurality of processing devices 200 . In addition, the usage status acquisition unit 102 requests the plurality of processing devices 200 in response to an inquiry from the state determination unit 108, which will be described later. may be received.

The signal receiving unit 104 receives a participation-enabled signal for grid computing. The signal receiving unit 104 receives a joinable signal from the in-vehicle device 310, for example. The signal storage unit 106 stores the joinable signal received by the signal reception unit 104 .

The state determination unit 108 determines the insufficient state of the processing capacity of each of the plurality of processing devices 200 based on the usage states of the computational resources of the plurality of processing devices 200 acquired by the usage state acquisition unit 102 . For example, when the CPU usage rate of the processing device 200 is higher than a predetermined threshold value, the state determination unit 108 determines that the processing capacity is insufficient. Moreover, the state determination unit 108 determines that the processing capacity is insufficient, for example, when the memory usage rate of the processing device 200 is higher than a predetermined threshold value.

When the state determination unit 108 determines that at least one of the plurality of processing devices 200 has insufficient processing capacity, the response transmission unit 110 sends the in-vehicle device 310 to the grid computing as a response to the participation possible signal. send join instructions. The response transmission unit 110 may transmit to the in-vehicle device 310 a participation instruction including identification information for identifying a processing device 200 having insufficient processing capability among the plurality of processing devices 200 .

The response transmission unit 110 may transmit to the in-vehicle device 310 a participation instruction including processing capacity information indicating the processing capacity to be provided to the processing device 200 having insufficient processing capacity. The processing power to be provided to the processing device 200 that lacks the processing power may be the desired processing power to be provided to the processing device 200 . For example, when requesting the processing device 200 to provide a memory area of 1 GB, the response transmission unit 110 transmits a participation instruction including processing capacity information indicating a memory area of 1 GB to the in-vehicle device 310 .

The participation possible signal received by the signal receiving unit 104 may include processing capacity information indicating the processing capacity that the in-vehicle device 310 can provide. 310, the participation instruction may be transmitted to the in-vehicle device 310 that can provide higher processing power than the processing power required by the processing device 200 that lacks the processing power.

The device determination unit 112 refers to a plurality of participation possible signals stored in the signal storage unit 106, and instructs the plurality of in-vehicle devices 310 that have transmitted the participation possible signals to participate in the grid computing. to decide. The response transmission unit 110 may transmit a participation instruction to the in-vehicle device 310 determined by the device determination unit 112 as a response to the participation possible signal.

For example, the device determining unit 112 refers to processing capacity information indicating the processing capacity that the in-vehicle device 310 can provide, which is included in the plurality of participation available signals, and determines the processing capacity that can be provided among the plurality of in-vehicle devices 310. Priority is given to the higher in-vehicle device 310 to determine the communication device to instruct participation in the grid computing. As a specific example, the device determining unit 112 determines communication devices to be instructed to participate in grid computing in descending order of processing capacity that can be provided.

The device determining unit 112 performs communication instructing participation in grid computing by giving priority to the in-vehicle device 310 having a shorter communication distance with the processing device 200 to which the processing capacity is to be provided among the plurality of in-vehicle devices 310 . Equipment may be determined. As a specific example, the device determination unit 112 determines communication devices to instruct participation in grid computing in order of shortest communication distance. For example, the device determination unit 112 transmits identification information of the processing device 200 to which the processing capability is to be provided to each of the plurality of in-vehicle devices 310, and determines the communication time between the in-vehicle device 310 and the processing device 200. The communication time may be measured and received from the in-vehicle device 310 as the communication distance.

The device determination unit 112 instructs the plurality of in-vehicle devices 310 to participate in grid computing based on the plurality of schedule information when schedule information is included in each of the plurality of joinable signals. 310 may be determined. For example, the device determination unit 112 gives priority to the in-vehicle device 310 that can participate in the grid computing for a longer period of time, and determines the communication device to instruct to participate in the grid computing. As a specific example, the device determination unit 112 determines communication devices to instruct participation in grid computing in descending order of the period during which participation in grid computing is possible. In addition, the device determining unit 112 gives priority to the in-vehicle device 310 that can participate in the grid computing during the period in which the processing device 200 to which the processing capacity is to be provided desires the provision of the processing capacity, and participates in the grid computing. determines a communication device to instruct participation in the

The device determining unit 112 communicates to instruct participation in grid computing from the plurality of in-vehicle devices 310 based on the remaining battery information when each of the plurality of participation possible signals includes remaining battery information. Equipment may be determined. For example, the device determining unit 112 determines a communication device to instruct participation in grid computing, giving priority to the in-vehicle device 310 of the vehicle 300 with a larger remaining battery level. As a specific example, the device determining unit 112 determines communication devices to be instructed to participate in grid computing in descending order of remaining battery power.

The device determination unit 112 selects a communication device for instructing participation in grid computing from the plurality of in-vehicle devices 310 based on the charging state information when the charging state information is included in each of the plurality of participation possible signals. may decide. For example, the device determination unit 112 determines a communication device to instruct participation in grid computing from among the plurality of in-vehicle devices 310 in which the vehicle 300 is in a charged state.

The device determination unit 112 may combine a plurality of pieces of information from among the plurality of pieces of information described above to determine a communication device to instruct participation in grid computing. For example, the device determination unit 112 combines a plurality of the processing capacity information, the communication distance with the processing device 200 to which the processing capacity is to be provided, the schedule information, the remaining battery level information, and the charging state information to perform grid computing. Determines the communication device to instruct participation in.

The report receiver 114 receives the result report transmitted by the in-vehicle device 310 . For example, based on the result report received by the report receiving unit 114, the management server 100 derives an incentive to be given to the in-vehicle device 310 that has transmitted the result report. For example, the management server 100 derives more incentives as the total time of executing the process is longer. Also, for example, the management server 100 derives more incentives as the amount of processed data increases. Also, for example, the management server 100 derives a greater incentive as the amount of CPU usage and memory usage increases. Also, for example, the management server 100 selects a preset incentive for each type of target process.

FIG. 9 schematically shows an example of a hardware configuration of a computer 1200 functioning as the in-vehicle device 310 or the management server 100. As shown in FIG. Programs installed on the computer 1200 cause the computer 1200 to act as one or more "parts" of the apparatus of the above embodiments, or cause the computer 1200 to operate or perform operations associated with the apparatus of the above embodiments. Multiple "units" can be executed and/or the computer 1200 can be caused to execute the processes or steps of the processes according to the above embodiments. Such programs may be executed by CPU 1212 to cause computer 1200 to perform certain operations associated with some or all of the blocks in the flowcharts and block diagrams described herein.

Computer 1200 according to this embodiment includes CPU 1212 , RAM 1214 , and graphics controller 1216 , which are interconnected by host controller 1210 . Computer 1200 also includes input/output units such as communication interface 1222 , storage device 1224 , DVD drive 1226 , and IC card drive, which are connected to host controller 1210 via input/output controller 1220 . DVD drive 1226 may be a DVD-ROM drive, a DVD-RAM drive, and the like. Storage devices 1224 may be hard disk drives, solid state drives, and the like. Computer 1200 also includes legacy input/output units such as ROM 1230 and touch panel, which are connected to input/output controller 1220 via input/output chip 1240 .

The CPU 1212 operates according to programs stored in the ROM 1230 and RAM 1214, thereby controlling each unit. Graphics controller 1216 retrieves image data generated by CPU 1212 into a frame buffer or the like provided in RAM 1214 or itself, and causes the image data to be displayed on display device 1218 . Computer 1200 may not include display device 1218, in which case graphics controller 1216 causes image data to be displayed on an external display device.

Communication interface 1222 communicates with other electronic devices over a wireless communication network. Storage device 1224 stores programs and data used by CPU 1212 within computer 1200 . DVD drive 1226 reads programs or data from DVD-ROM 1227 or the like and provides them to storage device 1224 . The IC card drive reads programs and data from IC cards and/or writes programs and data to IC cards.

ROM 1230 stores therein programs that are dependent on the hardware of computer 1200, such as a boot program that is executed by computer 1200 upon activation. Input/output chip 1240 may also connect various input/output units to input/output controller 1220, such as via USB ports.

The program is provided by a computer-readable storage medium such as DVD-ROM 1227 or IC card. The program is read from a computer-readable storage medium, installed in storage device 1224 , RAM 1214 , or ROM 1230 , which are also examples of computer-readable storage media, and executed by CPU 1212 . The information processing described within these programs is read by computer 1200 to provide coordination between the programs and the various types of hardware resources described above. An apparatus or method may be configured by implementing information operations or processing according to the use of computer 1200 .

For example, when communication is performed between the computer 1200 and an external device, the CPU 1212 executes a communication program loaded into the RAM 1214 and sends communication processing to the communication interface 1222 based on the processing described in the communication program. you can command. Under the control of the CPU 1212, the communication interface 1222 reads transmission data stored in a transmission buffer area provided in a recording medium such as a RAM 1214, a storage device 1224, a DVD-ROM 1227, or an IC card, and transmits the read transmission data. Data is transmitted to the network, or received data received from the network is written in a receive buffer area or the like provided on the recording medium.

In addition, the CPU 1212 causes the RAM 1214 to read all or necessary portions of files or databases stored in external recording media such as the storage device 1224, DVD drive 1226 (DVD-ROM 1227), IC card, etc. Various types of processing may be performed on the data. CPU 1212 may then write back the processed data to an external recording medium.

Various types of information, such as various types of programs, data, tables, and databases, may be stored on recording media and subjected to information processing. CPU 1212 performs various types of operations on data read from RAM 1214, information processing, conditional decisions, conditional branching, unconditional branching, and information retrieval, which are described throughout this disclosure and are specified by instruction sequences of programs. Various types of processing may be performed, including /replace, etc., and the results written back to RAM 1214 . In addition, the CPU 1212 may search for information in a file in a recording medium, a database, or the like. For example, when a plurality of entries each having an attribute value of a first attribute associated with an attribute value of a second attribute are stored in the recording medium, the CPU 1212 selects the first attribute from among the plurality of entries. search for an entry that matches the specified condition of the attribute value of the attribute, read the attribute value of the second attribute stored in the entry, and thereby determine the first attribute that satisfies the predetermined condition An attribute value of the associated second attribute may be obtained.

The programs or software modules described above may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium on or near computer 1200 . Also, a recording medium such as a hard disk or RAM provided in a server system connected to a dedicated communication network or the Internet can be used as a computer-readable storage medium, whereby the program can be transferred to the computer 1200 via the network. offer.

The blocks in the flowcharts and block diagrams in the above embodiments may represent steps in the process in which the operations are performed or "portions" of devices responsible for performing the operations. Certain steps and "sections" may be provided with dedicated circuitry, programmable circuitry provided with computer readable instructions stored on a computer readable storage medium, and/or computer readable instructions provided with computer readable instructions stored on a computer readable storage medium. It may be implemented by a processor. Dedicated circuitry may include digital and/or analog hardware circuitry, and may include integrated circuits (ICs) and/or discrete circuitry. Programmable circuits, such as Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Programmable Logic Arrays (PLAs), etc., perform AND, OR, EXCLUSIVE OR, NOT AND, NOT OR, and other logical operations. , flip-flops, registers, and memory elements.

A computer-readable storage medium may comprise any tangible device capable of storing instructions to be executed by a suitable device, such that a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon may be illustrated in flowchart or block diagram form. It will comprise an article of manufacture containing instructions that can be executed to create means for performing specified operations. Examples of computer-readable storage media may include electronic storage media, magnetic storage media, optical storage media, electromagnetic storage media, semiconductor storage media, and the like. More specific examples of computer readable storage media include floppy disks, diskettes, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM or flash memory) , electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), static random access memory (SRAM), compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disc (DVD), Blu-ray disc, memory stick , integrated circuit cards, and the like.

The computer readable instructions may be assembler instructions, Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state setting data, or object oriented programming such as Smalltalk, JAVA, C++, etc. language, and any combination of one or more programming languages, including conventional procedural programming languages, such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages. good.

Computer readable instructions are used to produce means for a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, or programmable circuits to perform the operations specified in the flowchart or block diagrams. A general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processor, locally or over a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, etc., to execute such computer readable instructions. It may be provided in the processor of the device or in a programmable circuit. Examples of processors include computer processors, processing units, microprocessors, digital signal processors, controllers, microcontrollers, and the like.

Although the present invention has been described above using the embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be made to the above embodiments. It is clear from the description of the scope of the claims that forms with such modifications or improvements can also be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

The execution order of each process such as actions, procedures, steps, and stages in the devices, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, the specification, and the drawings is etc., and it should be noted that they can be implemented in any order unless the output of the previous process is used in the subsequent process. Regarding the operation flow in the claims, the specification, and the drawings, even if the description is made using "first," "next," etc. for convenience, it means that it is essential to carry out in this order. not a thing

10 system, 20 network, 30 charger, 100 management server, 102 usage acquisition unit, 104 signal reception unit, 106 signal storage unit, 108 state determination unit, 110 response transmission unit, 112 device determination unit, 114 report reception unit, 200 processing device 300 vehicle 302 battery 310 in-vehicle device 312 user operation detection unit 314 signal processing unit 316 grid processing execution unit 318 operation control unit 320 report transmission unit 322 information acquisition unit 324 usage history storage Unit, 326 Schedule Information Acquisition Unit, 1200 Computer, 1210 Host Controller, 1212 CPU, 1214 RAM, 1216 Graphic Controller, 1218 Display Device, 1220 Input/Output Controller, 1222 Communication Interface, 1224 Storage Device, 1226 DVD Drive, 1227 DVD-ROM , 1230 ROM, 1240 input/output chip

Claims (11)

A communication device that is mounted on a vehicle having a battery, continues to operate even after a user turns off the engine of the vehicle or turns off the power of the vehicle , and turns off the operation based on an instruction from a server,
a user operation detection unit that detects an engine-off operation of the vehicle or a power-off operation of the vehicle by the user;
When the user operation detection unit detects an engine-off operation of the vehicle or a power-off operation of the vehicle, the participation enable signal indicating that participation in the grid computing managed by the server is possible is generated. a signal transmission unit for transmitting to a server ;
a grid processing execution unit that executes grid processing in the grid computing joined by the joinable signal transmitted by the signal transmission unit;
with
The grid processing execution unit stops the grid processing when the vehicle becomes ready to run after participating in the grid computing by the joinable signal but before the grid computing ends.
Communication device. After participating in the grid computing by the participation possible signal, the signal transmission unit is in a case where the vehicle becomes ready to run before the grid computing ends, and the grid processing execution unit performs the 2. The communication device according to claim 1, transmitting a request to stop participation in said grid computing to said server before stopping grid processing. The signal transmission unit detects that the vehicle is connected to the charger before a predetermined time elapses after the user operation detection unit detects an operation to turn off the engine of the vehicle or an operation to turn off the power of the vehicle. 3. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the participation possible signal is transmitted to the server on condition that the device is in a charged state. Equipped with a CPU and memory,
4. The communication according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said signal transmission unit transmits said joinable signal including at least one of capability value information of said CPU and capability value information of said memory to said server. Device. a report transmission unit configured to transmit to the server, before the operation of the communication device is turned off, a result report indicating a processing result of the communication device in the grid computing that has participated in the participation possible signal transmitted by the signal transmission unit. 5. A communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 . A result report indicating a processing result of the communication device in the grid computing that has participated in the participation possible signal transmitted by the signal transmission unit is sent to the server after the communication device is turned on after the communication device is turned off. 5. A communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , comprising a report transmitter for transmitting. 7. The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein said signal transmission unit transmits said participation possible signal including remaining battery level information of said battery to said server. a schedule information acquisition unit that acquires schedule information indicating a period during which the communication device can participate in the grid computing;
The communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the signal transmission unit transmits the joinable signal including the schedule information to the server. 9. The communication device according to claim 8 , wherein said schedule information acquisition unit generates said schedule information based on a usage history of said vehicle. The schedule information acquisition unit specifies a period during which the vehicle is not used based on the vehicle usage history, and sets the specified period as a period during which the communication device can participate in the grid computing. 10. The communication device of claim 9 , which generates a . A program for causing a computer to function as the communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 10 .

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