JP7679754B2 - Temperature control system for mobile vehicles - Google Patents

Description

The technology disclosed herein relates to a temperature control system for a mobile object equipped with computing resources used in grid computing.

Patent Document 1 discloses a cooling system for cooling a power conversion device mounted on an electric vehicle. The power conversion device includes a power semiconductor device and an electric component. The cooling system includes a water-cooling mechanism that cools the power semiconductor device by circulating cooling water, and an air-cooling mechanism that cools the power conversion device by blowing cooling air.

JP 2013-84648 A

However, control devices that control various parts of a vehicle may be used as computational resources in grid computing. In this case, computational resources may be added to the control device to improve the calculation capacity of the control device. Hereinafter, the control device may be referred to as the first computational device, and the computational resource added to the control device may be referred to as the second computational device.

The second calculation device is powered by a battery installed in the vehicle. In addition, since the second calculation device is used as a calculation resource for grid computing, the processing power required is higher and the range of operable temperatures is narrower than that required for normal control devices. For this reason, it is necessary to keep the second calculation device within an operable temperature range while suppressing the amount of power consumed by the battery.

The technology disclosed here has been developed in light of these issues, and its purpose is to keep the second computing device within an operable temperature range while minimizing battery power consumption.

In order to solve the above problem, the technology disclosed herein is directed to a temperature control system for a mobile body equipped with a computing device used as a computing resource in grid computing, the computing device comprising a first computing device that controls the operation of the mobile body, and a second computing device that is added to the first computing device, the mobile body comprises a water-cooling mechanism that water-cools the second computing device, and an air-cooling mechanism that air-cools the second computing device, and the first computing device drives at least one of the water-cooling mechanism and the air-cooling mechanism so that the internal temperature of the second computing device reaches a target temperature set within the operable range of the two computing devices and the power consumption of the water-cooling mechanism and the air-cooling mechanism is reduced.

According to the above aspect, the first computing device drives at least one of the water-cooling mechanism and the air-cooling mechanism so that the internal temperature of the second computing device reaches a target temperature set within the operable temperature range of the second computing device and the power consumption of the water-cooling mechanism and the air-cooling mechanism is reduced. This makes it possible to keep the temperature of the second computing device within the operable range while suppressing the amount of power consumption of the battery.

As described above, the technology disclosed herein makes it possible to secure additional computing resources according to the operating status of grid computing processing without arranging for additional mobile objects.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a system according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining grid computing. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a vehicle. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a user terminal. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a client server. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a facility server. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a management server. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a registration form for a client to request a job from an operating server. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing information transmitted between a facility terminal, a vehicle, a client terminal, and a management server. FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation of a management system. FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a grid organization. FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a grid organization. 1 is a flow chart illustrating an example process for organizing a grid. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a job reception process. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a matching process. 1 is a flow chart illustrating a grid computing process. FIG. 2 is a side view of a vehicle showing a heating and cooling system of the temperature control system. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a communication system of the temperature control system. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the temperature control system.

Below, exemplary embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the same or equivalent parts in the drawings will be given the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations may be omitted.

<Embodiment>
(Grid Computing System)
1 illustrates an example of the configuration of a grid computing system 1 (hereinafter, simply referred to as “system 1”) according to an embodiment. A temperature control system for a vehicle (moving object) according to this embodiment is configured as a part of the grid computing system 1.

The system 1 includes a plurality of vehicles 10, a plurality of user terminals 20, and a client terminal 3.
The vehicle 10 includes a vehicle control unit 103, a facility terminal 40, and a management server 50. These components are capable of communicating with each other via a communication network 5. Each of the plurality of vehicles 10 is equipped with a computing device 105.

[Grid Computing]
As shown in FIG. 2, in the system 1 of the embodiment, grid computing (hereinafter, also referred to simply as "grid G") is formed by a plurality of computing devices 105, and grid computing processing is performed in which an available computing device 105 among the plurality of computing devices 105 processes job data.

When the vehicle 10 requires the computing power of the arithmetic device 105, the arithmetic device 105 enters an operating state, and the computing power of the arithmetic device 105 is used. For example, when the vehicle 10 is traveling, the computing power of the arithmetic device 105 is required for the traveling control of the vehicle 10, and the arithmetic device 105 enters an operating state.

On the other hand, when the computing power of the arithmetic device 105 is no longer needed in the vehicle 10, the arithmetic device 105 is stopped and the computing power of the arithmetic device 105 is no longer used. For example, when the vehicle 10 is stopped and the power supply of the vehicle 10 is turned off, the computing power of the arithmetic device 105 is no longer needed and the arithmetic device 105 is stopped.

〔vehicle〕
The vehicle 10 is owned by a user. The user drives the vehicle 10. In this example, the vehicle 10 is a four-wheeled automobile. The vehicle 10 is also equipped with a battery (not shown). Power from the battery is supplied to on-board devices such as the computing device 105. Examples of such a vehicle 10 include an electric vehicle and a plug-in hybrid vehicle.

As shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle 10 includes an actuator 11, a sensor 12, an input unit 101, an output unit 102, a communication unit 103, a memory unit 104, and a computing device (processor) 105.

The actuator 11 includes a drive system actuator, a steering system actuator, a braking system actuator, etc. Examples of drive system actuators include an engine, a transmission, and a motor. An example of a braking system actuator is a brake. An example of a steering system actuator is a steering wheel.

The sensor 12 acquires various types of information used to control the vehicle 10. Examples of the sensor 12 include an exterior camera that captures images outside the vehicle, an interior camera that captures images inside the vehicle, a radar that detects objects outside the vehicle, a vehicle speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, a yaw rate sensor, an accelerator opening sensor, a steering sensor, and a brake oil pressure sensor.

The sensors 12 also include sensors that detect temperature information of various parts of the vehicle 10. For example, the sensors 12 include a refrigerant temperature sensor 607, a solar radiation sensor 611, and an interior temperature sensor 612, which will be described later.

The input unit 101 inputs information and data. Examples of the input unit 101 include an operation unit that is operated to input information corresponding to the operation, a camera that inputs an image showing information, and a microphone that inputs sound showing information. The information and data input to the input unit 101 is sent to the calculation device 105.

The output unit 102 outputs information and data. Examples of the output unit 102 include a display unit that outputs an image showing information, and a speaker that outputs sound showing information.

The communication unit 103 transmits and receives information and data. The information and data received by the communication unit 103 is sent to the computing device 105.

The storage unit 104 stores information and data. The specific configuration of the storage unit 104 is not particularly limited. For example, the storage unit 104 may be realized by a memory built into a chip, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), or an optical disc such as a DVD or BD. In this disclosure, the storage area mounted on the vehicle 10 and capable of storing and accumulating data is collectively referred to as storage 108. In other words, the storage unit 104 is realized by a portion of the storage area of the storage 108.

In this example, the storage unit 104 stores vehicle information D10. The vehicle information D10 includes vehicle identification information D11, vehicle state information D12, vehicle driving information D13, resource information D14, operation history information D15, and operation schedule information D16.

<Vehicle Identification Information>
The vehicle identification information D11 is information for identifying each vehicle 10. Specifically, the vehicle identification information D11 includes vehicle identification information for identifying the vehicle 10, user identification information for identifying the user who owns the vehicle 10, and grade information of the vehicle 10 indicating the performance of the vehicle 10 (including the performance of the vehicle's drive system and the state of options).

<Vehicle status information>
The vehicle status information D12 is information indicating the status of the vehicle 10. For example, the vehicle status information D12 includes vehicle position information, vehicle communication information, vehicle power information, vehicle battery remaining information, vehicle charging information, etc. The vehicle position information indicates the position (latitude and longitude) of the vehicle 10. For example, the vehicle position information can be acquired by a GPS (Global Positioning System). The vehicle communication information indicates the communication state of the vehicle 10. The vehicle power information indicates the state of the power supply of the vehicle 10. For example, the vehicle power information indicates whether the ignition power supply is on or off, the accessory power supply is on or off, etc. The vehicle battery remaining information indicates the remaining charge of a battery (not shown) installed in the vehicle 10. The vehicle charging information indicates whether the vehicle 10 is being charged in a charging facility (not shown).

<Vehicle driving information>
The vehicle driving information D13 is information indicating a driving history of the vehicle 10. For example, the vehicle driving information D13 indicates the position of the vehicle 10 in association with time. Note that in addition to the driving history information, driving schedule information indicating a future driving schedule of the vehicle 10 may be included.

<Resource Information>
The resource information D14 is information relating to the computational resources 109 (including the CPU 106, the GPU 107, and the storage 108, which will be described later).

The resource information D14 includes, for example, a calculation device ID set for the calculation device 105 (including the CPU 106 and the GPU 107), a vehicle ID set for the vehicle 10 in which the calculation device 105 is mounted, and calculation device performance information indicating the performance of the calculation device 105. The calculation device ID may be set for each of the CPU 106 and the GPU 107, for example. The calculation device performance information includes, for example, performance information for each of the CPU 106 and the GPU 107.

The resource information D14 includes, for example, information about the storage 108 that can be allocated to grid computing processing, such as storage capacity values, storage types (HDD, SSD, flash memory, etc.), write speeds/read speeds for each storage 108, and error rates. Resource information about the storage 108 may also include the storage capacity values installed in the entire vehicle and the current free space values.

The arithmetic device ID is an example of arithmetic device identification information that identifies the arithmetic device 105. The performance of the arithmetic device 105 indicated in the arithmetic device performance information includes a computational capacity indicating the computational capacity of the arithmetic device 105 (specifically, the maximum computational capacity), the ratio of the CPU 106 to the GPU 107 in the arithmetic device 105, and the like. The computational capacity of the arithmetic device 105 is the amount of data that the arithmetic device 105 can calculate per unit time.

<Operation history information>
The operation history information D15 is information indicating the operation history of the arithmetic device 105. For example, the operation history information D15 indicates the utilization rate of the computing capacity of the arithmetic device 105 and/or the amount of job processing in association with time. The operation history information D15 includes a normal operation history and a grid operation history. The normal operation history is information indicating the history of the operation of the arithmetic device 105 for user use, such as the running of a vehicle, the provision of services such as car navigation and music playback, etc. The grid operation history is information indicating the history of the operation of the arithmetic device 105 to execute grid computing processing.

<Operation schedule information>
The operation schedule information D16 is information indicating an operation schedule of the arithmetic device 105. Specifically, the operation schedule information D16 indicates usage history information indicating the past usage status of the arithmetic device 105, usage schedule information indicating the future usage status of the arithmetic device 105, and the like.

The computing device 105 controls each part of the vehicle 10. In this example, the computing device 105 controls the actuator 11 in response to various information obtained by the sensor 12.

The computing device 105 has a processor, a memory, etc. Examples of the processor include a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The memory stores programs for operating the processor, information and data indicating the processing results of the processor, etc.

The number of processors mounted on the arithmetic device 105 may be one or more. The processors mounted on the arithmetic device 105 may be only one of the CPU 106 and the GPU 107, or may be both the CPU 106 and the GPU 107. In this example, the arithmetic device 105 has both the CPU 106 and the GPU 107. For example, the arithmetic device 105 is composed of one or more ECUs (Electronic Control Units).

The computing device 105 includes at least one of the CPU 106 and the GPU 107. In this disclosure, resources available for calculation and processing of grid computing are referred to as "computational resources 109". The computational resources 109 include some or all of the CPU 106, the GPU 107, and the storage 108 mounted on the vehicle 10. For example, in FIG. 12 described later, the master vehicle CM is equipped with three CPUs 106, one GPU 107, and one storage 108 as computational resources. Similarly, the vehicle C1 is equipped with one CPU 106, two GPUs 107, and one storage 108, the vehicle C2 is equipped with two CPUs 106, one GPU 107, and one storage 108, and the vehicle C3 is equipped with one CPU 106, one GPU 107, and two storages 108. In addition, some of the CPU 106, GPU 107, and storage 108 mounted on the vehicle 10 may be used as the computational resources 109. That is, for example, the CPU 106, GPU 107, and storage unit 104 may include those that cannot be used as computational resources 109 or those whose use is restricted.

The computational resource 109 includes an ECU 110 and a micro-processing unit (MPU) 111, which will be described later. The ECU 110 corresponds to a first computation device, and the MPU 111 corresponds to a second computation device. The ECU 110 is a computational resource that mainly operates to control each part of the vehicle 10. The MPU 111 is a computational resource that is mainly used to perform calculations and processing of grid computing. As will be described in detail later, the MPU 111 is a computational resource that is added to the ECU 110 in order to improve the calculation and processing capacity of the ECU 110. For this reason, when the vehicle 10 is not running, etc., the ECU 110 is hardly operating, so there is no need to control the internal temperature of the ECU 110. However, when the MPU 111 is performing calculations and processing of grid computing, there is a need to control the internal temperature of the MPU 111.

In addition, for example, time periods during which use as a computational resource 109 is permitted may be separated from time periods during which use as a computational resource 109 is restricted. That is, a single CPU 106 may be counted as a computational resource 109 during one time period and not be counted as a computational resource 109 during another time period. The same applies to the GPU 107 and storage 108.

In addition, when the CPU 106 is implemented with a single or multiple cores, some of the multiple cores may be counted as the computational resources 109, and the remaining cores may not be counted as the computational resources 109. The same applies to the GPU 107. Similarly, a portion of the memory area of the storage 108 may be counted as the computational resources 109, and the remaining memory area may not be counted as the computational resources 109.

[User terminal]
The user terminal 20 is owned by a user. The user operates the user terminal 20 to use various functions. The user can also carry the user terminal 20. Examples of such user terminals 20 include smartphones, tablets, and notebook personal computers.

As shown in FIG. 4, the user terminal 20 includes an input unit 201, an output unit 202, a communication unit 203, a memory unit 204, and a control unit 205.

The input unit 201 inputs information and data. Examples of the input unit 201 include an operation unit that is operated to input information corresponding to the operation, a camera that inputs an image showing information, and a microphone that inputs sound showing information. The information input to the input unit 101 is sent to the calculation device 105.

The output unit 202 outputs information and data. Examples of the output unit 202 include a display unit that outputs an image showing information, and a speaker that outputs sound showing information.

The communication unit 203 transmits and receives information and data. Information and data received by the communication unit 303 is sent to the control unit 205.

The control unit 205 controls each part of the user terminal 20. The control unit 205 has a processor, a memory, etc. The memory stores programs for operating the processor, information and data indicating the processing results of the processor, etc.

The storage unit 204 stores information and data. In this example, the storage unit 204 stores terminal information D21, terminal status information D22, and schedule information D23.

<Device Information>
The terminal information D21 is information related to the user terminal 20. For example, the terminal information D21 includes a user terminal ID set in the user terminal 20, user terminal performance information indicating the performance of the user terminal 20, etc. The user terminal ID is an example of user terminal identification information that identifies the user terminal 20.

<Device status information>
The terminal status information D22 is information indicating the status of the user terminal 20. The terminal status information D22 includes user terminal position information indicating the position of the user terminal 20, user terminal communication status information indicating the communication status of the user terminal 20, and the like.

<Schedule Information>
The schedule information D23 indicates the behavior history and behavior schedule of the user who owns the user terminal 20. For example, the schedule information D23 indicates the user's location and the stay period (or the planned stay period) in association with each other. The schedule information D23 can be acquired by a schedule function installed in the user terminal 20. Specifically, the user inputs his/her own behavior history and behavior schedule into the user terminal 20 using the schedule function, whereby the schedule information D23 indicating the user's behavior history and behavior schedule is obtained.

[Client Server]
The client terminal 30 is owned by a client. The client requests the calculation of job data. Examples of such clients include companies, research institutes, and educational institutions.

As shown in FIG. 5, the client terminal 30 includes an input unit 301, an output unit 302, a communication unit 303, a memory unit 304, and a control unit 305.

The input unit 301 inputs information and data. Examples of the input unit 301 include an operation unit that is operated to input information corresponding to the operation, a camera that inputs an image showing information, and a microphone that inputs sound showing information. The information and data input to the input unit 301 is sent to the control unit 305.

The output unit 302 outputs information and data. Examples of the output unit 302 include a display unit that outputs an image showing information, and a speaker that outputs sound showing information.

The communication unit 303 transmits and receives information and data. The information and data received by the communication unit 303 is sent to the control unit 305.

The control unit 305 controls each part of the client terminal 30. The control unit 305 has a processor, a memory, etc. The memory stores a program for operating the processor, information and data indicating the processing results of the processor, etc.

The storage unit 304 stores information and data. In this example, the storage unit 304 stores client information D31 and job data D1.

Client Information
The client information D31 is information about a client. The client information D31 includes a client ID set in the client, a client terminal ID set in the client terminal 30 owned by the client, a person in charge name, address, telephone number, etc. The client ID is an example of client identification information that identifies a client. The client server ID is an example of client identification information that identifies the client terminal 30.

<Job Data>
The job data D1 is data corresponding to a job, and is data to be processed for carrying out the job.

The job data D1 can be classified by calculation type. Examples of calculation types include CPU-based calculation type and GPU-based calculation type. Job data D1 of the CPU-based calculation type tends to require complex calculations with many conditional branches, such as simulation calculations. Job data D1 of the GPU-based calculation type tends to require a huge amount of simple calculations, such as image processing and machine learning.

Job data D1 can also be classified according to processing conditions. Examples of processing conditions include processing conditions that require constant communication and processing conditions that do not require constant communication. Job data D1 with processing conditions that require constant communication requires that the computing device 105 is always able to communicate in grid computing processing. Job data D1 with processing conditions that do not require constant communication does not require that the computing device 105 is always able to communicate in grid computing processing.

<Job Information>
The storage unit 304 may store job information related to a job. The job information includes job name information indicating the name of the job, job content information explaining the content of the job, job data information related to the job data corresponding to the job, job delivery date information indicating the delivery date of the job, etc. The job data information indicates the calculation type, processing conditions, necessary calculation capacity, etc. of the job data.

[Facility terminal]
The facility terminal 40 is owned by a facility. A user visits the facility. A user can make a reservation to visit the facility. Examples of such facilities include a retail store, a stadium, a theater, a supermarket, a restaurant, and a hotel.

In this example, the facility is a dealership or repair shop that is configured to perform vehicle maintenance, and the facility terminal 40 is a terminal provided at the dealership or repair shop. Instead of the facility terminal 40, a facility server provided at the facility may be used. Even in this case, the block configuration, etc. may be the same as that of the facility terminal 40.

As shown in FIG. 6, the facility terminal 40 includes an input unit 401, an output unit 402, a communication unit 403, a memory unit 404, and a control unit 405. The configurations of the input unit 401, output unit 402, communication unit 403, memory unit 404, and control unit 405 of the facility terminal 40 are similar to the configurations of the input unit 301, output unit 302, communication unit 303, memory unit 304, and control unit 305 of the client terminal 30.

In this example, the memory unit 404 stores facility information D41, facility usage information D42, and computing resource expansion information D43.

Facility Information
The facility information D41 is information related to a facility. The facility information D41 includes a facility ID set for the facility, a facility terminal ID set for the facility terminal 40 owned by the facility, facility location information indicating the location (latitude and longitude) of the facility, the name of a person in charge, an address, a telephone number, etc. The facility terminal ID is an example of facility identification information for identifying the facility terminal 40.

<Facility Usage Information>
The facility usage information D42 includes usage history information of facilities such as dealerships and repair shops, maintenance information, and reservation information for the facilities. The maintenance information includes schedule information for maintenance of each vehicle, the type of maintenance, the contents of maintenance to be performed, inquiry information about maintenance, and information to be communicated during maintenance. The facility usage information D42 also includes the user's reservation date and time of visit and the purpose of the visit to the facility, including the expansion and replacement of computational resources. If the purpose of the visit includes "expansion and replacement of computational resources," the user facility usage information is associated with the expansion information D43 of the computational resources 109, which will be described later. The facility usage information D42 may also include information that associates the user who visits the facility with the period of stay (or the planned period of stay).

<Information on expansion of computing resources>
The expansion information D43 of the computing resource 109 is information in which the vehicle identification information D11 of the vehicle to be expanded and the information of the computing resource 109 to be expanded or replaced are associated with each other.

The form of expansion of the computing resource 109 is not particularly limited. For example, an all-in-one MPU (Micro-processing unit) in which the CPU 106, the GPU 107, and the storage 108 are implemented may be used.
) board, or may be a standalone board specialized for the computing resources (one or more of the CPU 106, the GPU 107, and the storage 108) to be added.

The information on the computational resource 109 to be added or replaced is, for example, the name and identification code of the board as described above, and is registered in a format that is easy to understand for users of the facility terminal 40 and workers who will be adding the board (computational resource), etc.

[Management Server]
The management server 50 manages the operation of the grid computing. In other words, a management system that manages the grid computing utilizing the computing resources 109 mounted on each of the multiple vehicles 10 includes the management server 50. The management server 50 is owned by the operator that operates the system 1.

As shown in FIG. 7, the management server 50 includes an input unit 501, an output unit 502, a communication unit 503, a memory unit 504, and a control unit 505. The configurations of the input unit 501, output unit 502, and communication unit 503 of the management server 50 are similar to the configurations of the input unit 301, output unit 302, and communication unit 303 of the client terminal 30. The memory unit 504 and the control unit 505 are examples of components of a management system that manages grid computing.

In this example, the control unit 505 has the function of executing a series of controls and processes related to the operation and management of grid computing. More specifically, it executes the controls and processes to realize the flow of the arrows shown in FIG. 9, and the controls and processes in the flow diagrams of FIG. 10 and subsequent figures. Note that in the following explanation, for the sake of convenience, the management server 50 is described as the main body, but the control and control may be realized by the control unit 505 contributing to the processing and control. For example, the control unit 505 is configured to mainly execute the "extraction process", "guidance process", "update process", "computational capacity estimation process", "job estimation process", and "decision process" described below. Each process will be explained in detail later with reference to drawings such as flow charts.

The control unit 505 includes a processor, a memory, and the like. Examples of the processor include a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The memory stores a program for operating the processor, information and data indicating the processing results of the processor, and the like. The number of processors for realizing the control unit 505 may be one or more.

The storage unit 504 stores information and data. The specific configuration of the storage unit 104 is not particularly limited. For example, it may be realized by a memory built into a chip, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), or an optical disc such as a DVD or BD.

In this example, the memory unit 504 stores various data such as a user table D51, a computational resource table D52, a client table D53, a job table D54, a grid table D55, a matching table D56, job data D1, calculation result data D2, and job trend information D9.

<User table>
The user table D51 is a table for managing users. In the user table D51, for each user, a user ID set for the user, a vehicle ID (e.g., VIN) set for the vehicle 10 owned by the user (hereinafter also referred to as the owned vehicle), a computation resource ID set for the computation resource 109 owned by the user, a user terminal ID set for the user terminal 20 owned by the user, etc. are registered. Furthermore, the user table D51 may register the usage history information of the dealer or repair shop, maintenance information D4 including maintenance due date information D3 such as the next maintenance due date or regular maintenance due date of the owned vehicle, grade information of the owned vehicle, information on whether or not computation resources can be added to the owned vehicle, etc.

<Computational Resource Table>
The computational resource table D52 is a table for managing the computational resources 109. In the computational resource table D52, for each computational resource 109, a computational resource ID set for the computational resource 109, a user ID set for the user who owns the computational resource 109, a vehicle ID set for the vehicle 10 on which the computational resource 109 is mounted, and the like are registered.

The computational resource table D52 also registers, for each computational resource 109, the type of computational resource 109, the specifications of the computational resource 109 (computational power, storage capacity, etc.), the operation status of the computational resource 109 (operation history and operation schedule), etc. In other words, the computational resource table D52 includes operation status information D5 indicating the operation status of each of the multiple computational resources 109, and computational resource information D6 indicating the performance of each of the multiple computational resources 109.

When the computational resource 109 is a CPU 106 or a GPU 107, the computational resource information D6 includes computational capacity information D7 indicating the computational capacity of each of the computational resources 109. The computational capacity here includes changes in computational capacity over time. In other words, the computational capacity information D7 includes the computational capacity that can be exerted in a specified period of time, taking into account changes in computational capacity over time.

Furthermore, when the computational resource 109 is storage 108, storage performance information D8 is included that indicates the performance of storage 108, such as storage capacity, data write/read speed, error rate, etc. The storage performance here includes changes in storage performance over time. In other words, the storage performance information D8 includes the storage performance that can be exhibited in a specified period of time, taking into account changes in performance over time.

Client Table
The client table D53 is a table for managing clients. For each client, the client table D53 registers a client ID set for that client, a client terminal ID set for the client terminal 30 owned by the client, the name, address, and telephone number of the person in charge of the client.

<Job Table>
The job table D54 is a table for managing jobs requested by clients. For each job, the reception number set for that job, the client ID set for the client who requested the job, the name and contents of the job, etc. are registered in the job table D54. In addition, for each job, the job table D54 registers the calculation type and processing conditions of the job data corresponding to that job, the required calculation capacity which is the calculation capacity required for the calculation of the job data, the delivery date set for that job, etc.

Grid Table
The grid table D55 is a table for managing the grids G and the computing power of each grid G in grid computing processing.

In the grid table D55, for each grid G, a grid ID for identifying the grid G, vehicle identification information D11 of the vehicles that make up the grid G, and the computational capacity of the computational resources 109 that make up the grid G are registered. The computational capacity here includes the basic performance (computational specifications) that is the premise of the calculation, as well as the predicted results of changes in computational capacity over time.

In other words, the grid table D55 registers executable job information D59, which is an approximate prediction value of jobs that are expected to be able to be processed on the grid G in a given period in grid computing processing.

In addition, other vehicle information D10 (e.g., resource information D14) may be registered in the grid table D55 in association with the vehicle identification information D11.

Matching Table
The matching table D56 is a table for managing the results of a matching process described later. For each job, the matching table D56 registers the reception number set for that job, the job data ID set in the job data D1 corresponding to that job, the grid ID of the grid G assigned to that job data by the matching process, and the like.

<Job Data>
The job data D1 stored in the storage unit 504 is job data D1 accepted by a job acceptance process, which will be described later.

<Calculation result data>
The calculation result data D2 stored in the storage unit 504 is data of the calculation result of a job executed by grid computing processing, which will be described later.

[Grid Computing System Operation]
Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram showing information transmitted between the facility terminal, the vehicle, the client terminal, and the management server, while Fig. 10 is a flow diagram showing an example of the operation of the management system.

<Step S1>
In step S<b>1 , the management server 50 estimates the computing capacity of each vehicle 10 .

First, the management server 50 requests each vehicle 10 to send the latest vehicle information D10. Each vehicle 10 that receives a request from the management server 50 to send vehicle information D10 sends participant information to the management server 50. The vehicle information D10 sent at this time may be a part of the vehicle information D10, or all of the vehicle information D10. The transmitted vehicle information D10 includes vehicle identification information D11 and resource information D14. The management server 50 registers the vehicle information D10 received from each vehicle 10 in the computational resource table D52. Note that for vehicles 10 whose vehicle information D10 is already registered in the management server 50, the vehicle 10 may send necessary information from among the difference information with the registered registration information to the management server 50.

Next, the management server 50 executes a computational capacity estimation process to estimate computational resource information D6, for example, by referring to the vehicle information D10 registered in the computational resource table D52. The computational resource information D6 includes computational capacity information D7 and storage performance information D8 of each vehicle.

In the computational capacity estimation process, the information referenced by the management server 50 is, for example, the vehicle status of each vehicle 10, the amount of computation available on the computational resources 109, the type of computation that can be handled by the computational resources 109, or the available computation time. With regard to the available computation time, for example, a specific schedule may be received from the vehicle 10, or the past usage trends of the vehicle 10 and the computation device 105 of the vehicle 10 stored in the memory unit 504 may be analyzed to predict a schedule of the time period during which the computation device 105 can be used as a computational resource. Note that when information equivalent to computational resource information D6 is received from each vehicle 10, that information may be used.

The management server 50 registers the acquired or predicted computational resource information D6 in the computational resource table D52.

The management server 50 links the estimated computational resource information D6 to the vehicle identification information D11 of each vehicle 10 and registers it in the computational resource table D52.

<Step S2>
In step S2, the management server 50 executes a grid organizing process for organizing a grid G for executing grid computing processes.

The grid organization process is described below with reference to Figure 13.

--Step S21--
First, the management server 50 configures each grid G. The grid G is configured based on the computational resources 109 (also simply referred to as the “computational resources 109”) available for grid computing processing among the computational devices 105 and the storages 108 mounted on each vehicle 10.

The method of constructing the grid G is not particularly limited, but for example, the grid G may be constructed with vehicles that are likely to be parked in a specific area at a specific time. In this case, for example, the grid G may be constructed based on the location of the user's home, or if the user commutes by car, the grid G may be constructed at the user's workplace or sales office. In addition, for example, the grid G may be constructed with vehicles that have a complementary relationship in terms of computational resources 109.

Furthermore, for example, the management server 50 may configure the grid G according to the requested job, the job that is likely to be requested, the difficulty of the job to be handled, etc., such as configuring the grid G so that a job specialized for use by the GPU 107 can be executed.

The management server 50 may also adopt a method of configuring the grid G in which multiple grid candidates are created in advance and the grid G is finally determined depending on the job. In that case, the grid G is organized or reorganized between steps S3 and S6.

Furthermore, the management server 50 may dissolve the grid G once after the grid computing process described below is completed, and then reassemble a new grid G. In other words, the grid G may be reconstructed in the loop process of steps S3 to S8 described below. Note that, for the sake of convenience, in the following explanation, it is assumed that the grid G organized in step S2 is maintained, and the process from step S3 onwards is carried out.

Figure 11 shows an example in which multiple vehicles are grouped together to form grids GA, GB, GC, ..., GX.

The management server 50 may configure the grid G according to the tendency or type of job requested from the client terminal 30, which will be described later. The number and combination of vehicles 10 that configure the grid G may also be changed as appropriate according to the requested job.

Also, as shown in FIG. 12, the management server 50 may determine a master vehicle CM from among the vehicles 10 constituting the grid G, which will manage jobs assigned to the grid G. The management server 50 may basically exchange data with the master vehicle CM. In this case, the master vehicle CM has a management function for managing other vehicles 10 (e.g., vehicles C1 to C3 in FIG. 12) belonging to the same grid, and a function as a relay device between the other vehicles (e.g., vehicles C1 to C3 in FIG. 12) and the management server 50. The method of selecting the master vehicle CM is not particularly limited, but may be selected based on, for example, the participation rate of the grid computing process and the performance of the onboard computing resources 109.

--Step S22--
Next, the management server 50 executes a process of estimating the computational capacity and storage performance of each grid G.

Specifically, the management server 50 refers to the computational resource table D52 of each vehicle 10 that constitutes the grid G, and estimates the computational capacity and storage performance of the grid G based on the computational resource information D6 of each vehicle 10.

--Step S23--
When the management server 50 organizes the grid G in step S21, the management server 50 associates a grid ID for identifying the grid G with the vehicle information D10 of each vehicle 10 and registers them in the grid table D55. At that time, the management server 50 associates and registers the computational capacity and storage performance of the grid G estimated in step S22.

<Step S3>
In step S3, the management server 50 executes a job reception process. The job reception process will be described below with reference to FIG.

In the job reception process, the management server 50 performs the following process each time job data D1 (job request) is received from the client terminal 30.

--Step S31--
First, the management server 50 accepts a job request from a client. Specifically, the client terminal 30 responds to an operation by a person in charge of the client and transmits a job request application to the management server 50. In response to the application, the management server 50 performs the following processes.

The management server 50 requests the client terminal 30 to transmit information required for accepting a job (specifically, client information D31 related to the client requesting the job and job information related to the job). In this example, the management server 50 transmits image data of a job acceptance screen to the client terminal 30. The client terminal 30 reproduces an image of the job acceptance screen from the image data, and outputs (displays) the image on the output unit 302 (display unit).

Figure 8 shows an example of a registration form R10 for a client to request a job from the management server 50. This registration form R10 is displayed, for example, in a format that can be inputted into the display unit of a computer owned by the client. The input information of the registration form R10 includes information required when the management server 50 matches a grid G (also simply called "grid G") consisting of multiple vehicles with a job.

In the registration form R10, for example, as an overview of the company (corresponding to the client), there is an input field R101 for the company name, an input field R102 for the name of the person in charge, an input field R103 for the company address, and an input field R104 for the telephone number. In the registration form R10, for example, as an overview of the job, there is an input field R111 for the job name, an input field R112 for the job content, an input field R113 for the job calculation type, an input field R114 for the job execution conditions, an input field R115 for the job's required calculation capacity, and a deadline R116 for the calculation results. As the job content, for example, the purpose of the job and the importance of the job to the client are input. As the calculation type of the job, for example, information such as CPU system or GPU system is input, similar to the "calculation type" in the above-mentioned calculation capacity information. As the job execution conditions, for example, the presence or absence of constant communication with the client terminal 30 and the recommended communication capacity are input. As the required computing power for a job, for example, the computing power required to execute the job is input in units of FLOPS, similar to the "computing power" in the computing power information described above. As the due date of the calculation results, a date and time are input. Note that information other than the above may also be input into registration form R10. For example, registration form R10 may have a field for inputting the data format of the calculation results desired by the client. Registration form R10 may also have a field for attaching the program required to execute the job.

The client staff operates the input unit 301 (operation unit) of the client terminal 30 to input the necessary information into the job reception screen. This inputs client information about the client requesting the job and job information about the job. Then, once input of this information is complete, the client staff operates the input unit 301 (operation unit) of the client terminal 30 to press the registration button B100 on the job reception screen. When the registration button B100 is pressed, the client terminal 30 sends the information (client information and job information) input into the job reception screen to the management server 50. The management server 50 receives the client information and job information.

Next, the management server 50 requests the client terminal 30 to transmit job data D1 corresponding to the requested job. In response to the request, the client terminal 30 transmits job data D1 corresponding to the requested job to the management server 50. The management server 50 receives the job data D1.

--Step S32--
Next, the management server 50 analyzes the job data D1 received in step S31. Specifically, the management server 50 analyzes the calculation type, processing conditions, required calculation capacity, etc. of the job data D1. The management server 50 estimates the tendency of jobs requested from client terminals based on the analysis results of the calculation type, processing conditions, required calculation capacity, etc. of the job data D1. The estimated job tendency is stored in the storage unit 504 as job tendency information D9.

If necessary, the management server 50 may modify the job information received in step S31 based on the results of the analysis of the job data D1.

--Step S33--
Next, the management server 50 associates the client information and job information received in step S31 with each other, registers them in the job table D54, and updates the job table D54. Furthermore, the management server 50 stores the job data D1 received in step S31 in the storage unit 504 in a form that can be referenced based on the corresponding client information and job information. When the updating of the job table D54 and the storage of the job data D1 are completed, the job reception process is completed.

Note that since it is sufficient for the job data D1 to be available before the grid computing process, for example, the job data D1 may be received after the matching process described below is completed. This can avoid unnecessary data transmission and reception in the event of poor matching.

<Step S4>
In step S4, the management server 50 executes a matching process, which will be described below with reference to FIG.

--Step S41--
First, the management server 50 compares the estimated computing power with the computing power required for the accepted job. The management server 50 not only compares simple processing power, but also compares the time period during which the job can be provided with the deadline for the job, and compares the communication status of the location where the job can be provided with whether or not continuous communication is required for the job.

--Step S42--
Next, the management server 50 determines whether or not any of the currently registered jobs is executable with the estimated computing power. If an executable job is present (YES in S42), the flow proceeds to step S43. On the other hand, if no job is executable with the estimated computing power (NO in S42), the flow proceeds to step S44.

--Step S43--
The management server 50 determines, from among the executable jobs, the job to be actually calculated on the grid G. If there is one job, the job is assigned to the target grid G. On the other hand, if there are multiple executable jobs, the job to be assigned to the target grid G is determined based on a predetermined priority order. The method of assigning the priority order here can be set arbitrarily and is not particularly limited. For example, the priority order can be set based on the deadline or execution schedule, such as giving a higher priority to a job with an approaching deadline. In addition, the priority order can be set based on the particularity of the job, such as whether or not the job can be executed on another grid G, or the difficulty of the job.

--Step S44--
In step S42, the management server 50 analyzes the reason why there are no jobs that can be executed with the estimated computational capacity of the target grid G. Specifically, the management server 50 refers to the job tendency information D9 in the storage unit 504, and extracts the computational resources that are insufficient among the computational resources 109 of the target grid G from the tendency of the jobs requested by the client terminals 30.

In other words, the management server 50 monitors the supply-demand balance between jobs (demand) requested by clients and the computing power (supply) of the target grid G. Then, based on the monitoring results, future demand trends are predicted, and based on the prediction results, computational resources 109 that are insufficient in the target grid G or computational resources 109 that are insufficient or likely to be insufficient when organizing the grid G in step S2 are extracted. After the computational resources 109 are extracted,
The flow proceeds to step S45.

Note that, in the target vehicle extraction process of step S45 described below, if information on the computational resources 109 that is insufficient or likely to be insufficient is not used, step S44 may be omitted. In that case, after a NO determination is made in step S42, the process proceeds to step S45.

--Step S45--
The management server 50 refers to the resource information D14 and operation history information D15 stored in the memory unit 504 and performs an extraction process to extract target vehicles 10 (hereinafter simply referred to as target vehicles 10) that are targets for augmenting the computational resources 109 from among the vehicles 10 that constitute the target grid G.

The method of extracting the target vehicles 10 is not particularly limited, but for example, the computational resources to be augmented are identified based on the job trends registered in the job trend information D9 and the estimated computational capacity of the target grid G, and a vehicle with the computational resources that can be augmented is extracted as the target vehicle 10. This makes it possible to augment the computational resources 109 in accordance with the trends of the requested job, thereby achieving the effect of further increasing the job matching rate.

In addition, for example, a vehicle 10 for which the computational resources 109 determined to be insufficient in step S44 can be augmented may be set as the target vehicle 10. This allows the computational resources 109 that are actually insufficient to be targeted for augmentation, i.e., the computational resources 109 can be augmented in accordance with the immediate actual demand.

For example, the management server 50 may refer to the maintenance due date information D3 in the user table D51 and set a high priority for vehicles 10 in the target grid G whose maintenance due date is coming up in the above-mentioned extraction process. By allowing the user to set the expansion to coincide with the maintenance due date, the user can make the expansion to coincide with the scheduled maintenance. This can encourage users to make expansions.

For example, when a master vehicle CM is designated, the master vehicle CM or a vehicle 10 that is planned to become the master vehicle may be set as the target vehicle 10. As described above, the master vehicle CM performs grid computing processing on its own vehicle, and also manages other vehicles 10 belonging to the same target grid G and functions as a relay device between the other vehicles 10 and the management server 50. Therefore, by enhancing the computational resources 109 of the master vehicle CM, it is possible to not only improve its capabilities as a terminal that performs grid computing processing, but also contribute to improving the performance and stability of the grid G.

After the extraction process in step S45, the flow proceeds to step S46.

--Step S46--
The management server 50 executes a guidance process to send a notification regarding the expansion of the computing resources 109 to the owner of the target vehicle 10 .

Specifically, the management server 50 presents to the user terminal 20 information on how to increase the computational resources 109 and rewards for increasing the computational resources 109.

The information on adding computational resources 109 includes, for example, reservation information for dealerships and repair shops (such as submitting a reservation form), entry information (entry date and time, facility name, facility address, etc.), etc.

In conjunction with the notification regarding the expansion of the computational resources 109, the management server 50 may inform the owner of the target vehicle 10 of additional functions and services that will become available when using the vehicle 10 by increasing the computational resources 109.

For example, enhancing the computing device 105 (CPU 106, GPU 107 and/or storage 108) directly leads to improved vehicle performance when grid computing processing is not being performed, i.e., in everyday driving situations. Therefore, by making it possible to inform the owner of the target vehicle of additional functions and services that can be obtained by enhancing the computing resources, it is possible to increase the user's motivation to add more.

--Step S47--
In step S47, it is determined whether or not the addition information has been received from the facility terminal 40 to the management server 50. The following describes the flow of operations until the addition information is received from the facility terminal 40 to the management server 50.

After the guidance process in step S46, the user terminal 20 transmits to the management server 50 a message indicating that the user intends to add equipment. The management server 50 then transmits to the facility terminal 40 the reservation information for the target vehicle 10 and the addition information D43, which is information about the computing resources 109 (e.g., MPU board) to be added to the target vehicle 10.

When the facility terminal 40 receives the expansion information D43, it registers it in the storage unit 404. Then, when the user actually visits the facility, the facility staff carries out the expansion work based on the storage reservation information and the expansion information D43. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, at the facility, an old MPU-A1 is replaced with a new MPU-A2, and a new MPU-A3 is added to an available slot, etc.

When the expansion work of the computational resources 109 is completed, the information is registered in the facility terminal 40 and transmitted to the management server 50.

When the management server 50 receives the expansion information, the result of step S47 is YES, and the flow proceeds to the next step S48.

On the other hand, if the user has not yet entered inventory or if the request for expansion has been declined, the result of step S47 is NO. In that case, for example, the process returns to step S41 to match the new job with grid G, or returns to step S2 to rearrange grid G.

[Grid Computing Processing]
Next, the grid computing process in step S5 will be described with reference to Fig. 16. In the grid computing process, the job data D1 is processed by an available computing device 105 among the multiple computing devices 105. After completing the matching process in step S4, the management server 50 performs the following processes.

<Step S51>
First, the management server 50 refers to the matching table D56 and distributes the job data D1 to be subjected to the grid computing process to the computational resources 109 allocated to the job data D1 in the matching process. Specifically, the management server 50 transmits a part of the job data D1 to each of the computational resources 109 allocated to the job data D1. As a result, the job data D1 is processed in parallel by the computational resources 109 (CPU 106, GPU 107) allocated to the job data D1.

<Step S52>
Next, when each of the computational resources 109 (CPU 106, GPU 107) completes the calculation of the data (part of the job data D1) transmitted to that computational resource 109, it transmits the partial calculation result data obtained by the calculation to the management server 50. The management server 50 receives the partial calculation result data transmitted from the computational resources 109, and stores the partial calculation result data in the storage unit 504.

<Step S53>
The management server 50 determines whether or not all of the arithmetic devices 105 to which the job data D1 has been distributed in step S51 have completed the calculation. If all of the arithmetic devices 105 have completed the calculation, the process of step S54 is performed, and if not, the process of step S52 is performed.

<Step S54>
When all of the computing devices 105 have completed the calculations, the management server 50 generates calculation result data D2 (calculation result data D2 indicating the result of the calculation of the job data D1) corresponding to the job data D1 that is the target of the grid computing process by combining the partial calculation result data stored in the storage unit 504. Then, the management server 50 transmits the calculation result data D2 corresponding to the job data D1 that is the target of the grid computing process to the client terminal 30 of the client that requested the calculation of the job data D1.

<Step S55>
Next, the user who provided the computing power of the computing device 105 to the grid computing process is given a reward by the operator who operates the system 1. Examples of rewards given to the user include points, virtual currency, and product discount benefits that can be used in the system 1. For example, the management server 50 performs a process for giving a reward to the user who provided the computing power of the computing device 105 to the grid computing process. Examples of the process for giving a reward include a process for registering in the user table D51 a "user ID" set for the user and "points" (or virtual currency) that can be used in the system 1 in association with each other, and a process for transmitting information indicating a product discount benefit to the user terminal 20 owned by the user.

In addition, a reward may be given by the client to a user who has provided the computing power of the computing device 105 to the grid computing process. For example, the client terminal 30 may execute a process for giving a reward to a user who has provided the computing power of the computing device 105 to the grid computing process.

Next, a vehicle temperature control system according to an embodiment will be described. As described above, the vehicle temperature control system according to this embodiment is configured as part of the grid computing system 1.

Figure 17 is a side view of a vehicle for explaining a heating and cooling system of a temperature control system for a vehicle according to an embodiment. As shown in Figure 17, the vehicle 10 is provided with a cooling circuit 600 for cooling and heating each part. The cooling circuit 600 cools the battery 601, inverter 602, motor 603, sub-tank 604, heat exchanger 605, and MPU 111 of the vehicle 10. As shown in Figure 17, the housing in which the MPU 111 is stored is in contact with the housing in which the ECU 110 is stored, and the MPU 111 is cooled via the ECU 110. The refrigerant circuit 600 includes a first cooling circuit that cools the motor 603, heat exchanger 605, inverter 602, and sub-tank 604, and a second cooling circuit that cools the MPU 111 and battery 601. The cooling circuit 600 also includes a pump 606, a refrigerant temperature sensor 607, a heater 608, and a chiller 609. In FIG. 17, the refrigerant temperature sensor 607, heater 608, and chiller 609 are omitted.

The pump 606 circulates the refrigerant (e.g., cooling water) in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 17 and controls the flow rate of the refrigerant circulated in the cooling circuit 600. Specifically, in the first cooling circuit, the pump 606 circulates the refrigerant through the motor 603, the heat exchanger 605, the inverter 602, and the sub-tank 604 in that order. In the second cooling circuit, the pump 606 circulates the refrigerant through the MPU 110 and the battery 601 in that order. The refrigerant temperature sensor 607 detects the temperature of the refrigerant in the cooling circuit 600 and transmits the detected refrigerant temperature to the ECU 110. The heater 608 increases the temperature of the refrigerant in the cooling circuit 600. The chiller 609 decreases the temperature of the refrigerant in the cooling circuit 600.

The vehicle 10 is also equipped with a compressor 610. The compressor 610 blows air onto the MPU 111 to control the internal temperature of the MPU 111. For example, the compressor 610 controls the internal temperature of the MPU 111 by blowing outside air, hot air, or cold air from the vehicle 10 onto the MPU 111.

The pump 606, heater 608, chiller 609, and compressor 610 are connected to the battery 601 and are driven using power supplied from the battery 601.

Figure 18 is a block diagram illustrating a communication configuration in a temperature control system according to an embodiment. As shown in Figure 18, the ECU 110 is configured to be able to communicate with the refrigerant temperature sensor 607, the solar radiation sensor 611, and the indoor temperature sensor 612. The solar radiation sensor 611 detects the amount of solar radiation on the vehicle 10. The indoor temperature sensor 612 detects the indoor temperature of the vehicle 10. The ECU 110 receives the detection results of the refrigerant temperature sensor 607, the solar radiation sensor 611, and the indoor temperature sensor 612.

Here, the ECU 110 communicates with the MPU 111 via the communication network 5. The MPU 111 may be added to the ECU 110 not only by a serviceman but also by the user of the vehicle 10. For this reason, there is a risk that the data in the ECU 110 may be tampered with by changing the internal data of the MPU 111. In order to prevent this tampering of the data in the ECU 110, direct data transmission from the MPU 111 to the ECU 110 is prohibited. For this reason, information such as the internal temperature of the MPU 111 cannot be directly transmitted from the MPU 111 to the ECU 110. Therefore, in this embodiment, the MPU 111 transmits temperature information to the ECU 110 via the communication network 5. Specifically, the MPU 111 is provided with a temperature detection element such as a thermistor, and transmits the detection result of this element as temperature information to the ECU 110. This allows the ECU 110 to grasp the internal temperature of the MPU 111. Although direct data transmission from MPU 111 to ECU 110 is prohibited, direct data transmission from ECU 110 to MPU 111 is not prohibited.

The ECU 110 operates the pump 606, the heater 608, the chiller 609, and the compressor 610 based on the detection results received from the refrigerant temperature sensor 607, the solar radiation sensor 611, and the indoor temperature sensor 612, as well as the temperature information received via the communication network 5. Specifically, the ECU 110 operates the heater 608 or the chiller 609 based on the received information to change the temperature of the refrigerant. The ECU 110 also controls the operation of the pump 606 to control the flow rate of the refrigerant based on the received information. The ECU 110 also controls the operation of the compressor 610 based on the received information to blow outside air, hot air, or cold air from the vehicle 10 to the MPU 111. This allows the ECU 110 to keep the internal temperature of the MPU 111 within an operable range.

[Temperature Control System Operation]
FIG. 19 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of the temperature control system.

--Step S201--
The MPU 111 transmits temperature information indicating the detected internal temperature to the communication network 5 .

--Step S202--
The ECU 110 receives the temperature information transmitted by the MPU 111 via the communication network 5 .

--Step S203--
The ECU 110 receives the detection results of each sensor from each sensor. Specifically, the ECU 110 receives the detection result of the refrigerant temperature from the refrigerant temperature sensor. The ECU 110 also receives the detection result of the amount of solar radiation on the vehicle 10 from the solar radiation sensor 611. The ECU 110 also receives the detection result of the indoor temperature of the vehicle 10 from the indoor temperature sensor 612.

--Step S204--
The ECU 110 determines the internal temperature of the MPU 111 based on the received temperature information and the detection results of each sensor.

--Step S205--
The ECU 110 determines whether the determined internal temperature of the MPU 111 is equal to or higher than the target temperature. For example, if the operable temperature of the MPU 111 is between 10°C and 35°C, the target temperature of the MPU 111 is set to 15°C. If the ECU 110 determines that the internal temperature of the MPU 111 is lower than the first temperature (Yes in step S205), the process ends. If the ECU 110 determines that the internal temperature of the MPU 111 is equal to or higher than the first temperature (No in step S205), the process proceeds to step S206.

--Step S206--
The ECU 110 determines whether the determined internal temperature of the MPU 111 is equal to or higher than a first temperature. For example, the first temperature is 20 degrees, which is a temperature higher than the target temperature of the MPU 111. If the ECU 110 determines that the internal temperature of the MPU 111 is lower than the first temperature (No in step S206), the process proceeds to step S207. If the ECU 110 determines that the internal temperature of the MPU 111 is lower than the first temperature (Yes in step S206), the process proceeds to step S208.

--Step S207--
The ECU 110 drives the compressor 610 to cool the MPU 111 (first mode). Specifically, the ECU 110 drives the compressor 610 to blow outside air from the vehicle 10 to the MPU 111. In this way, the ECU 110 cools the MPU 111.

--Step S208--
The ECU 110 determines whether the determined internal temperature of the MPU 111 is equal to or higher than the second temperature. For example, the second temperature is 25 degrees, which is higher than the first temperature. If the ECU 110 determines that the internal temperature of the MPU 111 is lower than the second temperature (No in step S206), the process proceeds to step S209. If the ECU 110 determines that the internal temperature of the MPU 111 is equal to or higher than the first temperature (Yes in step S209), the process proceeds to step S210.

--Step S209--
The ECU 110 drives the pump 606 to cool the MPU 111 (second mode). Specifically, the ECU 110 drives the pump 606 to increase the flow rate of the refrigerant in the cooling circuit 600. In this way, the ECU 110 cools the MPU 111.

--Step S210--
The ECU 110 determines whether the determined internal temperature of the MPU 111 is equal to or higher than a third temperature. For example, the third temperature is 30 degrees, which is higher than the first temperature and the second temperature. If the ECU 110 determines that the internal temperature of the MPU 111 is lower than the third temperature (No in step S210), the process proceeds to step S211. If the ECU 110 determines that the internal temperature of the MPU 111 is equal to or higher than the first temperature (Yes in step S210), the process proceeds to step S212.

--Step S211--
The ECU 110 drives the pump 606 and the chiller 609 to cool the MPU 111 (third mode). Specifically, the ECU 110 drives the pump 606 to increase the flow rate of the refrigerant in the cooling circuit 600. The ECU 110 also drives the chiller 609 to lower the temperature of the refrigerant in the cooling circuit 600. In this way, the ECU 110 cools the MPU 111.

--Step S212--
The ECU 110 drives the pump 606, the chiller 609, and the compressor 610 to cool the MPU 111 (fourth mode). Specifically, the ECU 110 drives the pump 606 to increase the flow rate of the refrigerant in the cooling circuit 600. The ECU 110 also drives the chiller 609 to lower the temperature of the refrigerant in the cooling circuit 600. As a result, the ECU 110 also cools the MPU 111.

Here, in step S211, compared to step S212, ECU 110 does not drive compressor 610. Also, in step S209, compared to step S211, ECU 110 does not drive chiller 609. Also, in step S207, compared to step S209, compressor 610 is driven instead of pump 606. Therefore, it can be seen that the battery power consumption is smaller in the order of step S207, step S209, step S211, and step S212. That is, in this embodiment, ECU 110 cools MPU 111 using a cooling method that consumes less battery power as the difference between the internal temperature of MPU 111 and the target temperature is smaller. Therefore, MPU 111 can be cooled while suppressing the power consumption of MPU.

[Effects of the embodiment]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the arithmetic device 105 includes the ECU 110 (first arithmetic device) and the MPU 111 (second arithmetic device) that is added to the ECU 110. The vehicle 10 includes a pump 606 and a chiller 609 (liquid-cooling mechanism) that liquid-cool the MPU 111, and a compressor 610 (air-cooling mechanism) that air-cools the MPU 111. The ECU 110 drives at least one of the pump 606, the chiller 609, and the compressor 610 so that the internal temperature of the MPU 111 reaches a target temperature set within a range of temperatures at which the MPU 111 can operate, and the power consumption of the pump 606, the chiller 609, and the compressor 610 is reduced. That is, ECU 110 drives at least one of pump 606, chiller 609, and compressor 610 so that the internal temperature of MPU 111 reaches a target temperature set within the operable temperature range of MPU 111 and reduces the power consumption of pump 606, chiller 609, and compressor 610. This makes it possible to keep the temperature of the MPU within the operable range while suppressing the power consumption of the battery.

Other Embodiments
In the above description, the storage unit 504 and the control unit 505 of the management system are integrated into a single management server 50. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the storage unit 504 and the control unit 505 may be distributed among a plurality of management servers 50 (not shown) that communicate with each other via the communication network 5.

In addition, in the above description, the memory unit 504 of the management system may be configured with a single storage device, or may be configured with multiple storage devices. The multiple storage devices may be consolidated into a single management server 50, or may be distributed among multiple management servers 50 (not shown) that communicate with each other via the communication network 5.

In addition, in the above description, the control unit 505 of the management system may be configured as a single control unit, or may be configured as multiple control units. The multiple control units may be consolidated into a single management server 50, or may be distributed among multiple management servers 50 (not shown) that communicate with each other via the communication network 5.

In the above description, the arithmetic device 105 may be configured with a single arithmetic unit, or may be configured with multiple arithmetic units. The multiple arithmetic units may be consolidated into a single management server 50, or may be distributed among multiple management servers 50 (not shown) that communicate with each other via the communication network 5.

In the above description, the calculation device 105 is mounted on a vehicle 10 (specifically, a four-wheeled motor vehicle), but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the calculation device 105 may be mounted on a moving body other than the vehicle 10. Examples of such moving bodies include transportation machinery and mobile information terminals. Examples of transportation machinery include motorcycles, railroad cars, ships, aircraft, drones, etc. A vehicle is one example of transportation machinery. Examples of mobile information terminals include notebook personal computers, tablets, smartphones, etc.

The above embodiments may be combined as appropriate. The above embodiments are essentially preferred examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the technology disclosed herein, its applications, or its uses. In other words, the above embodiments are merely examples and should not be interpreted in a restrictive manner to the scope of this disclosure. The scope of this disclosure is defined by the claims, and all modifications and changes that fall within the scope of the claims are within the scope of this disclosure.

As explained above, the technology disclosed here is useful as a technology for managing grid computing.

10. Vehicles (moving objects)
109 Computing resource 110 ECU (first computing resource)
111 MPU (second computing resource)
600 Cooling circuit 601 Battery 602 Inverter 603 Motor 604 Sub-tank 605 Heat exchanger 606 Pump 607 Coolant temperature sensor 608 Heater 609 Chiller 610 Compressor 611 Solar radiation sensor 612 Indoor temperature sensor

Claims (3)

A temperature control system for a moving object including a computing device used as a computing resource in grid computing,
The computing device includes:
A first arithmetic unit that controls the operation of the moving object;
a second arithmetic unit that is added to the first arithmetic unit,
The moving body is
a water-cooling mechanism for water-cooling the second arithmetic unit;
an air-cooling mechanism for air-cooling the second arithmetic unit;
A temperature control system for a moving body, wherein the first computing device drives at least one of the water-cooling mechanism and the air-cooling mechanism so that the internal temperature of the second computing device becomes a target temperature set within the operating range of the second computing device and so that the power consumption of the water-cooling mechanism and the air-cooling mechanism is reduced. The water cooling mechanism includes:
A cooling circuit;
a chiller that reduces a temperature of a refrigerant in the cooling circuit;
a pump for adjusting a flow rate of the refrigerant in the cooling circuit,
the air-cooling mechanism includes a compressor that blows outside air or cold air to the second arithmetic unit;
The first computing device is
a first mode for driving the compressor;
a second mode of driving the pump;
The temperature control system for a mobile body according to claim 1 , wherein the chiller, the pump and the compressor are operated in either a third mode in which the chiller and the pump are driven, or a fourth mode in which the chiller, the pump and the compressor are driven, respectively. The temperature control system for a mobile body according to claim 2, wherein the first computing device transitions the operation of the chiller, the pump, and the compressor in the order of the first mode, the second mode, the third mode, and the fourth mode as the internal temperature of the second computing device increases.

Images