JP7782206B2 - Grid computing management method and grid computing system - Google Patents

Description

The technology disclosed herein belongs to the technical field of grid computing management methods and grid computing systems.

Patent Document 1 discloses technology related to a grid computing system that uses computational resources installed in a vehicle. In Patent Document 1, when the processing capacity of at least one of multiple processing devices is insufficient, a management server sends an instruction to the vehicle to participate in grid computing.

Patent Document 2 discloses technology for managing the content of services provided to vehicle users for each user. In Patent Document 2, when a vehicle user uses a service, license information associated with both the vehicle ID assigned to the vehicle and the user ID assigned to the user is read from a storage unit, and the content of the service provided to the vehicle user is managed via a service management unit.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-160661 JP 2019-109816 A

When grid computing calculations (hereinafter also referred to as "grid computing") are performed using the vehicle's computing resources while the vehicle is not in operation, the objective quality of each computing resource in the grid computing is required. However, if grid computing calculations are performed under circumstances that go against the wishes of the vehicle's main user (e.g., the vehicle owner), there is a risk that the objective quality of the computing resources will not be ensured.

The technology disclosed here has been developed in light of these points, and aims to ensure the objective quality of computing resources in grid computing by allowing grid computing to be performed under the management of the primary user even when a driver other than the primary user is using the vehicle.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a first aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a grid computing management method that utilizes computational resources installed in a vehicle, wherein the vehicle is provided with a sensor that recognizes the driver, a parking detection unit that detects the parking state of the vehicle, and a lock detection unit that detects the door lock state of the vehicle, and the method includes a registration process for registering a primary user who is the primary user of the vehicle and the primary user's contact information, an authentication process for determining whether the driver is the primary user based on input information from the sensor, and a front door lock detection process for detecting whether the vehicle is parked after the vehicle changes from a running state to a parked state and the parking detection unit detects that the vehicle has parked and confirms that the driver has dismounted. When the lock detection unit detects that the vehicle's doors are locked, and the authentication process determines that the driver driving immediately before parking is the primary user, the vehicle automatically starts grid computing calculations using the computational resources; and when the authentication process determines that the driver driving immediately before parking is other than the primary user, the vehicle starts grid computing calculations using the computational resources on the condition that approval information indicating approval for the start of the grid computing process is received from the primary user's contact information registered in the registration process.

According to the first aspect, if the driver immediately before parking the vehicle is other than the primary user, the condition for starting grid computation is the receipt of approval information from the primary user's contact information. This allows grid computation to be performed under the management of the primary user even when a driver other than the primary user uses the vehicle, ensuring a safe environment for computation and ensuring the objective quality of computational resources in grid computation. Furthermore, if the driver driving immediately before parking is determined to be the primary user, grid computation begins automatically without contacting the primary user, enabling seamless computation to be achieved while ensuring the objective quality of computational resources.

In addition, even if a driver other than the primary user uses the vehicle, calculations can be performed in a safe environment, minimizing opportunity loss in performing grid calculations.

In addition, as a second aspect of the present disclosure, a grid computing system is provided that includes a vehicle equipped with computational resources and a management device that manages grid computing utilizing the vehicle's computational resources. The management device includes a communication unit that communicates with the vehicle and a memory unit that registers a primary user who is the primary user of the vehicle and the primary user's contact information. The vehicle includes a communication unit that communicates with the management device, a sensor that recognizes the driver of the vehicle, an authentication unit that authenticates whether the driver is the primary user based on input information from the sensor, a parking detection unit that detects the parking status of the vehicle, and a lock detection unit that detects the door lock status of the vehicle. When the vehicle changes from a driving state to a parked state, the parking detection unit detects that the vehicle has been parked, and the lock detection unit detects that the vehicle's doors are locked after the driver has exited the vehicle, if the authentication unit determines that the driver in the previous drive was the primary user, the vehicle automatically starts grid computing calculations using the computational resources; and if the authentication unit determines that the driver in the previous drive was someone other than the primary user, the vehicle starts grid computing calculations using the computational resources on the condition that approval information approving the primary user's start of the grid computing process is received from the management device.

According to the second aspect, as with the first aspect, calculations are performed in a safe environment, ensuring the objective quality of the calculations. Furthermore, because grid calculations are started automatically without contacting the primary user, seamless calculations can be achieved while ensuring the objective quality of calculation resources. Furthermore, even when a driver other than the primary user uses the vehicle, calculations can be performed in a safe environment, minimizing opportunity loss in the execution of grid calculations.

As described above, the technology disclosed herein allows grid computing operations to be performed under the management of the primary user, allowing operations to be performed in a safer environment and ensuring the objective quality of computing resources in grid computing.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a system according to an embodiment. Conceptual diagram to explain grid computing A block diagram illustrating the configuration of a vehicle Block diagram illustrating a client-server configuration Block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a management server 1 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of a grid computing system. 1 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of a grid computing system. 1 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of a grid computing system. A flowchart showing an example of a flow for determining a grid start condition.

Embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Identical or equivalent parts in the drawings will be designated by the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations may be omitted. Furthermore, the following embodiments will focus on configurations that are highly relevant to the contents of this disclosure. Note that the following embodiments are illustrative, and there is no intention to limit the contents of this disclosure by the presence or absence of descriptions or the numerical values used as examples.

First Embodiment
(Grid Computing System)
FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the configuration of a grid computing system 1 (hereinafter also simply referred to as "system 1") according to an embodiment.

This system 1 includes multiple vehicles 10, multiple client terminals 30, and a management server 50. These components can communicate with each other via a communication network 6. Each of the multiple vehicles 10 is equipped with a computing device 102. The management server 50 is an example of a management device.

[Grid Computing]
As shown in Figure 2, in the system 1 of the embodiment, grid computing (hereinafter also simply referred to as "grid G") is configured using multiple computing devices 102, and grid computing is performed in which an available computing device 102 among the multiple computing devices 102 executes computations on job data D1 of an application job (hereinafter also simply referred to as "job").

When the vehicle 10 is moving, the computing power of the arithmetic device 102 is required to control the driving of the vehicle 10, and the arithmetic device 102 is in an operating state. On the other hand, for example, when the vehicle 10 is parked and the power of the vehicle 10 is turned off, the computing power of the arithmetic device 102 is essentially unnecessary for controlling the driving of the vehicle. Therefore, the above grid calculation is performed when the vehicle 10 is not in operation (for example, when it is parked).

〔vehicle〕
A battery (not shown) is mounted on the vehicle 10. Power from the battery is supplied to on-board devices such as the computing device 102. 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 a communication unit 101, a computing device (processor) 102, a memory unit 103, an occupant sensor 111, a driving operation sensor 112, a vehicle state sensor 113, and a position sensor 114. In the following description, the occupant sensor 111, the driving operation sensor 112, the vehicle state sensor 113, and the position sensor 114 may be collectively referred to as the sensor group 110.

-Communications Department-
The communication unit 101 transmits and receives information and data to and from the management server 50 via the communication network 6. The information and data received by the communication unit 101 is sent to the calculation device 102.

-Arithmetic device-
The arithmetic device 102 controls each part of the vehicle 10. In this example, the arithmetic device 102 controls each actuator (not shown) in accordance with various information obtained from the sensor group 110. Note that the arithmetic device 102 may include, in addition to a arithmetic device used to control the vehicle 10, a arithmetic device dedicated to grid computing, i.e., a arithmetic device not involved in the control of the vehicle 10.

The computing device 102 has one or more processors and one or more memories. The computing devices 102 may be located in one place within the vehicle, or may be distributed throughout the vehicle. Examples of processors 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.

In this disclosure, for convenience of explanation, resources available for grid computing calculations and processing within the computing device 102 will be referred to as "computing resources."

The computing resources may also be resources used to control the vehicle 10, or a CPU or GPU dedicated to grid computing that is not used to control the vehicle may be used.

Furthermore, for example, there may be separate time periods during which use as a computing resource is permitted and time periods during which use as a computing resource is restricted. In other words, a single CPU may be counted as a computing resource during certain time periods, but not during other time periods. The same applies to GPUs.

Furthermore, if a CPU is implemented with a single or multiple cores, some of the multiple cores may be counted as computing resources, and the remaining cores may not be counted as computing resources. The same applies to GPUs.

-Occupant sensor-
The occupant sensor 111 acquires information necessary for authenticating the driver. The occupant sensor 111 is not particularly limited, but may include, for example, an in-vehicle camera (not shown) installed in a position where it can capture an image of the driver's face. The image captured by the in-vehicle camera is transmitted to the arithmetic device 102. The arithmetic device 102 extracts the facial image of the driver and identifies the driver.

The method for identifying the driver is not particularly limited, but deep learning technology can be used, for example. When using deep learning, the extracted facial image and information about the identified driver are provided as input to a human model. The human model is, for example, a trained model generated by deep learning.

The occupant sensor 111 may be a biometric information sensor such as an iris recognition sensor, fingerprint sensor, voiceprint sensor, or body measurement sensor. The driver may also be identified by combining images from an in-vehicle camera with information acquired by the above sensors.

The authentication unit that authenticates the driver can be realized, for example, by an occupant sensor and the computing device 102. Note that information acquired by the occupant sensor 111 may be sent to the management server 50, and some or all of the functions of the computing device 102 may be realized by the control unit 502 of the management server 50. However, more secure processing can be achieved by completing the functions of the authentication unit within the vehicle.

- Driving operation sensor -
The driving operation sensor 112 detects the driving operation of the driver. Examples of the driving operation sensor 112 include an accelerator position sensor, a shift sensor, a brake sensor, and a steering angle sensor. The detection signal from the driving operation sensor 112 is transmitted to the arithmetic unit 102. A parking detection unit that detects the parking state can be realized by the driving operation sensor 112 and the arithmetic unit 102. For example, when a brake sensor detects that the parking brake is applied and a shift sensor detects that the shift lever is set to park, the arithmetic unit 102 determines that the vehicle 10 is in a parked state. Note that the arithmetic unit 102 may detect the parking state based on composite information, such as detection information from a position sensor 114 and a vehicle state sensor 113 (described later) in addition to the driving operation sensor 112.

- Vehicle condition sensor -
The vehicle state sensor 113 acquires the state of the vehicle 10. The vehicle state sensor 113 is composed of, for example, a vehicle speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, a yaw rate sensor, etc. A detection signal from the driving operation sensor 112 is transmitted to the arithmetic device 102. As described above, the vehicle state sensor 113 may constitute part of the parking detection unit.

The vehicle state sensor 113 includes a sensor that detects the door lock state of the vehicle 10. Specifically, the vehicle state sensor 113 includes a lid sensor that detects the open/closed state of the doors, the locked state of the doors provided on the vehicle, the open/closed state of the hood, and the position of the lift gate and the open/closed state of the trunk. The lid sensor is an example of a lock detection unit that detects the door lock state.

Note that the specific form of the lock detection unit is not limited to the lid sensor described above. For example, if a door lock actuator is activated based on a locking signal from a keyless entry device or immobilizer authentication device, it may be determined that the vehicle's doors are locked based on the activation of that actuator.

- Position sensor -
The position sensor 114 uses a Global Positioning System (GPS) to detect the position (vehicle position information) of the vehicle 10. The information acquired by the driving operation sensor 112 is transmitted to the computing device 102.

As mentioned above, the vehicle state sensor 113 may constitute part of the parking detection unit. Specifically, for example, the computing device 102 may determine that the vehicle is parked if the location where the vehicle is confirmed to be parked by a driving operation sensor or the like is a parking area such as a parking lot, and may not determine that the vehicle is parked if the parking area is a no-parking area such as an intersection.

-Storage part-
The storage unit 103 stores various types of information and data. The specific configuration of the storage unit 103 is not particularly limited. For example, the storage unit 103 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 a BD.

In this example, the storage unit 103 stores vehicle information D10 and user information D20. The vehicle information D10 includes basic vehicle information D11, vehicle condition information D13, and operation information D15.

<Vehicle basic information>
The vehicle basic information D11 includes vehicle identification information and resource information.

Vehicle identification information includes information for identifying the vehicle, such as the VIN.

Resource information is information related to computational resources (such as CPUs and GPUs). Resource information includes, for example, a computational resource ID assigned to each computational resource and performance information indicating the performance of each computational resource. Computational resource performance includes the computational capacity of the computational resource (specifically, maximum computational capacity), the ratio of CPUs to GPUs in the computational resource, and so on. The computational capacity of a computational resource is, for example, the amount of data that each computational resource can calculate per unit time.

<Vehicle status information>
The vehicle state information D13 is information indicating the state of the vehicle 10, and includes, for example, vehicle position information, vehicle communication information, vehicle power source information, and the like.

Vehicle position information indicates the position (latitude and longitude) of the vehicle 10. For example, the vehicle position information is obtained by the position sensor 114.

The vehicle communication information includes information indicating the communication status between the vehicle 10 and the communication network 6, and information about the communication bandwidth between the vehicle 10 and the management server 50. The vehicle communication information is updated, for example, at predetermined intervals.

Vehicle power source information includes information indicating the power source status of the vehicle 10, vehicle battery remaining charge information, vehicle charging information, etc. For example, vehicle power source information indicates whether the ignition power is on or off, whether the accessory power is on or off, etc. Vehicle battery remaining charge information indicates the remaining charge of a battery (not shown) installed in the vehicle 10. Vehicle charging information indicates whether the vehicle 10 is being charged at a charging facility (not shown).

<Operation information>
The operation information D15 includes, for example, vehicle driving information indicating the driving history of the vehicle 10, operation history information indicating the operation history of the calculation device 102, and operation schedule information indicating the operation schedule of the calculation device 102.

Vehicle driving information, for example, indicates the position of the vehicle 10 in association with the time. In addition to driving history information, driving schedule information indicating future driving schedules for the vehicle 10 may also be included.

Operation history information indicates, for example, the utilization rate of the computing resources of the computing device 102 and/or the amount of job processing performed, in association with time. Operation history information includes normal operation history and grid operation history. Normal operation history is information indicating the history of operation of the computing device 102 for user use, such as providing services such as vehicle driving, car navigation, and music playback. Grid operation history is information indicating the history of operation of the computing device 102 to perform grid computing processing.

Operation plan information indicates, for example, planned usage information that indicates the future usage status of the computing device 102.

<User Information>
The user information D20 includes main user information D21 and secondary user information D22.

The primary user information D21 is information about the primary user, who is the main user registered for the vehicle 10. The primary user information D21 includes information for identifying the primary user. Information for identifying the primary user includes, for example, a photograph of the primary user taken in advance, and the primary user's iris information, fingerprint information, and/or voiceprint information that has been registered in advance. The primary user information D21 is updated when the primary user changes. For example, it is updated when the owner of the vehicle 10 changes, or when the driver in the case of a commercial vehicle changes. The primary user's contact information (for example, the email address of the terminal device 40 owned by the primary user) may also be registered as the primary user information D21.

Secondary user information D22 is information about users (referred to as "secondary users") other than the primary user registered to the vehicle 10 who may drive the vehicle. Secondary user information D22 includes information for identifying the secondary user. Information for identifying the secondary user includes, for example, a pre-taken photograph of the secondary user, and pre-registered iris information, fingerprint information, and/or voiceprint information of the secondary user. Secondary user information D22 can be updated by adding or deleting information. For example, the owner of the vehicle 10 can add or delete family members or friends as secondary users, and in the case of a commercial vehicle, employees who may drive the vehicle can be registered as secondary users. The secondary user information D22 may also include the secondary user's contact information (for example, the email address of the terminal device 40 owned by the secondary user).

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

As shown in FIG. 4, the client terminal 30 includes a communication unit 301, a memory unit 303, and a control unit 302.

-Communications Department-
The communication unit 301 is connected to the management server 50 so as to be capable of two-way communication, and transmits and receives information and data therebetween. The information and data received by the communication unit 301 are sent to the control unit 302.

-Arithmetic section-
The control unit 302 controls each unit of the client terminal 30. The control unit 302 has one or more processors, one or more memories, etc. The memories store programs for operating the processors, information and data indicating the processing results of the processors, etc.

-Storage part-
The storage unit 303 stores information and data. In this example, the storage unit 303 stores client information D31 and job data D1.

<Client Information>
The client information D31 is information about the client, and includes a client ID set for the client, a client terminal ID set for the client terminal 30 owned by the client, a person in charge's name, address, telephone number, etc.

<Job Data>
The job data D1 is data corresponding to a job and is processed to execute the job.

Job data D1 can be classified by calculation type. Examples of calculation types include CPU-based calculation types and GPU-based calculation types. 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 Information>
Job information D32 relating to the job is stored in association with the job data D1. The job information D32 includes, for example, job name information, job content information, job data calculation type, processing conditions, required calculation capacity, and job delivery date information.

[Management Server]
The management server 50 manages the operation of grid computing. In other words, the system 1 includes the management server 50. The management server 50 is owned by the operator that operates the system 1.

As shown in FIG. 5, the management server 50 includes a communication unit 501, a control unit 502, and a storage unit 503. The management server 50 includes one or more processors and one or more memories.

-Communications Department-
The communication unit 501 is connected to the vehicle 10 and the client terminal 30 so as to be able to perform two-way communication, and transmits and receives information and data therebetween. The information and data received by the communication unit 501 are sent to the control unit 502.

-Storage part-
Various types of information and data are stored in the storage unit 503. There are no particular limitations on the specific configuration of the storage unit 503. For example, the storage unit 503 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 503 stores a vehicle information table D51, a job table D53, a matching table D55, a user table D56, job data D1, and calculation result data D2.

<Vehicle Information Table>
The vehicle information table D51 is a table for managing vehicle information, and stores, for example, a list of vehicle information D10 for each vehicle.

<Job Table>
The job table D53 is a table for managing jobs requested by clients. For each job, the job table D53 registers the reception number assigned to the job, the client ID assigned to the client that requested the job, the name and content of the job, and the like. The job table D53 also registers, for each job, the calculation type and processing conditions of the job data D1 corresponding to the job, the required computing power required to calculate the job data D1, the delivery date assigned to the job, and the like. In the job table D53, each piece of job data D1 is linked so that it is clear which client requested the job.

Matching Table
The matching table D55 is a table for managing the results of matching in the matching process. For each job, the matching table D55 registers the reception number set for that job, the job data ID set in the job data D1 corresponding to that job, the vehicle identification information of the vehicle assigned to that job data by the matching process, and the like.

<User table>
The user table D56 is a table for managing the primary user and secondary users of each vehicle 10. For example, the user table D56 stores a list of vehicle identification information for each vehicle, linked to the primary user identification information and secondary user identification information for each vehicle. The primary user identification information and secondary user identification information may take any form, but may be, for example, an identification ID assigned to each user or the name of each user. The user table also stores contact information for the primary user and secondary users.

When implementing part of the authentication unit's functions in the management server 50, it is necessary to store information equivalent to user information D20 (information necessary to identify the primary user based on data such as photographs and biometric information received from the vehicle) in the memory unit 503.

<Job Data>
The job data D1 stored in the storage unit 503 is data of a job accepted from the client terminal 30 in a job acceptance process, which will be described later.

<Calculation result data>
The calculation result data D2 stored in the storage unit 503 is data of the calculation result of a job executed in each vehicle 10 by grid computing processing, which will be described later.

-Control section-
In this example, the control unit 502 has the function of executing a series of controls and processes related to the operation and management of grid computing. For example, it executes the controls and processes in the flow charts of Figures 7A and 7B described below. Note that in the following explanation, for the sake of convenience, the operations and processes are described with the management server 50 as the main body, but the control unit 502 may contribute to the processing and control.

The control unit 502 stores information and data received from the client terminal 30 in the storage unit 503. For example, when the control unit 502 receives job data D1 from the client terminal 30, it saves the job data D1 in the storage unit 503. Furthermore, when the control unit 502 receives job information D32 from the client terminal 30, it registers it in the job table D53 in the storage unit 503.

The control unit 502 stores information and/or data received from each vehicle 10 and/or the primary user's terminal device 40 in the memory unit 503. For example, when the control unit 502 receives vehicle information D10 (including vehicle driving information and resource information) from a vehicle 10, it registers the information in the vehicle information table D51 in the memory unit 503. Furthermore, when the control unit 502 receives notification of the addition/deletion of a secondary user from the primary user's terminal device 40, it updates the user information in the user table D56.

[Grid Computing System Operation]
An example of the operation of the grid computing system will be described below with reference to the flowcharts of Figures 6 to 8. Figure 6 is a flowchart that mainly describes the operation of the vehicle and the control and processing within the vehicle. Figure 7 (Figures 7A and 7B) is a flowchart that describes the same operation as Figure 6 from the perspective of cooperation between the vehicle and the management device, and cooperation between the management device and the terminal device owned by the main user. In Figures 6 and 7, the same processes are assigned the same symbols. Figure 8 also shows an example of a determination flow for grid start conditions.

--Step S11 (S41, S51)--
In step S11, the primary user is registered in the vehicle 10. This registration method is not particularly limited. For example, the primary user's information may be registered while the vehicle is stopped or moving using the occupant sensor 111 installed in the vehicle cabin, or may be registered using the terminal device 40 owned by the primary user. In addition to the primary user, secondary users may also be registered. The primary user's registration information is stored in the memory unit 103 as user information D20. The primary user's contact information may also be registered in the vehicle 10. The registration method is not particularly limited, and a conventionally known method may be used.

Also, as shown in FIG. 7, the primary user of vehicle 10 is registered with the management server 50 from terminal device 40 along with their contact information. In this example, as shown in FIG. 1, vehicle owner P11 uses terminal device 41 to register himself as primary user P11 with the management server 50 for his vehicle 11. Also, vehicle owner P21 uses terminal device 42 to register himself as primary user P21 and another person as secondary user P22 with the management server 50 for his vehicle 12. Each terminal device 41, 42 sends information necessary for management in user table D56 to the management server 50 based on the input information of each primary user P11, P21.

The processing here corresponds to the registration process of registering the main user and the main user's contact information.

--Steps S12 and S13--
In step S12, the ignition power of vehicle 10 is turned on (in the case of an electric vehicle, the drive power is turned on), and vehicle 10 begins to travel. In the next step S13, the calculation device 102 recognizes the driver of vehicle 10 while it is traveling, based on input information from the sensor group 110, from the time the vehicle starts traveling until it is parked. In this example, primary user P11 is driving vehicle 11, and secondary user P22 is driving vehicle 12. In this case, primary user P11 is recognized as the driver of vehicle 11, and secondary user P22 is recognized as the driver of vehicle 12.

This processing corresponds to the authentication process that determines whether the driver is the primary user based on input information from the sensor.

--Step S14--
In step S14, for example, when the vehicle 10 enters a parking area in a parking lot, the ignition power is turned off (or the drive power is turned off in the case of an electric vehicle), and the vehicle changes from a traveling state to a parked state. Then, the parking detection unit (for example, the driving operation sensor 112 and the vehicle state sensor 113) detects that the vehicle is parked, and the flow proceeds to the next step S15.

--Step S15--
In step S15, the arithmetic device 102 determines whether a grid start condition is satisfied. Specifically, for example, the grid start condition is set such that, in a state where the parking detection unit detects that the vehicle is parked, after it is confirmed that the driver has exited the vehicle, the lock detection unit detects that the vehicle doors are locked.

Figure 8 shows an example of a determination flow for grid start conditions. In the example of Figure 8, the computing device 102 performs the determinations of steps S151 to S154 in parallel. In step S151, the lid sensor is used to determine whether the door is open or closed. In step S152, the lid sensor is used to determine whether the door is locked. In step S153, the lid sensor is used to determine whether the hood is open or closed. In step S154, the lid sensor is used to determine the position of the lift gate and whether the trunk is open or closed.

In the next step S155, the calculation device 102 determines the door lock status of the vehicle 10 based on the determination results of steps S151 to S154. For example, if the passenger compartment is closed and the doors are locked, the calculation device 102 determines that the door lock status determination result is OK, i.e., that the grid start condition is met. In this example, the calculation device 102 determines that the grid start condition is met if it detects that all doors are closed in step S151, all doors are locked in step S152, the hood is closed in step S153, and the lift gate is in the closed position and the trunk is closed in step S154. If the determination result in step S155 is OK, the flow proceeds to the next step S16 (see Figure 6).

--Steps S16 to S20--
Returning to FIG. 6, in step S16, the computing device 102 determines whether permission to use the computing resources for grid computing has been obtained.

<Processing when the driver is the primary user>
7A shows an example of the operation when the driver is the primary user, i.e., when the driver is determined to be the primary user in step S13. The operation up to step S16 in FIG. 7A is the same as that in FIG. 6. Here, the explanation will be given using the vehicle 11 driven by the primary user P11.

In S16, the computing device 102 of vehicle 11 (hereinafter simply referred to as computing device 102) recognizes the driver in the previous trip, i.e., the driver in step S13, as primary user P11, and therefore automatically starts grid computing processing using computing resources (step S20). Step S20 in Figure 6 corresponds to steps S21 to S25 in Figure 7A.

In step S21, the computing device 102 requests the management server 50 to transmit job data D1 to be used in grid computing.

In step S54, the control unit 502 of the management server 50, which has received the transmission request from the computing device 102, transmits job data D1 for the requested application job to the vehicle 11.

In step S22, the calculation device 102 receives job data D1 from the management server 50. Thereafter, the calculation device 102 starts grid calculation using the job data D1 (step S23). When the grid calculation is completed (step S24), the calculation device 102 transmits the calculation results to the management server 50 (step S25). When the calculation results from the calculation device 102 are received by the management server 50, the series of processes ends (step S55). Note that if there is sufficient parking time, the process of step S20 may be repeated.

<Processing when the driver is not the primary user>
7B shows an example of the operation when the driver is other than the primary user, i.e., when the driver is determined to be other than the primary user in step S13. The operation up to step S16 in FIG. 7B is the same as that in FIG. 6. Here, the explanation will be given using the vehicle 12 driven by secondary user P22. Note that step S20 in FIG. 6 corresponds to steps S22 to S25 in FIG. 7B.

In S16, the calculation device 102 of the vehicle 12 (hereinafter simply referred to as the calculation device 102) recognizes that the driver in the previous trip, i.e., the driver in step S13, is not the primary user P21. Therefore, grid calculation is not automatically started in the vehicle 12.

In this case, in step S17 of FIG. 6, the computing device 102 sends an inquiry request to the management server 50 to the primary user P21 regarding starting grid computing. In the next step S18, it is determined whether or not permission for use has been granted by the primary user P21.

Returning to FIG. 7B, in step S52, when the management server 50 receives the above inquiry request from the vehicle 12, it references the user table D56 in the memory unit 503 and sends a confirmation to the primary user's contact point (here, terminal device 42) asking whether it is okay to perform grid calculations on the vehicle 12. When sending this confirmation, it may also notify the primary user of driver information from the most recent trip, in this example, that the driver is secondary user P22. In this way, by notifying the primary user P21 of the driver information from the most recent trip, it is possible to provide the primary user P21 with information to help him or her decide whether or not to approve the grid calculations.

In step S42, when the terminal device 42 receives the above confirmation message from the management server 50, it displays the message on the display screen and accepts the primary user P21's response operation. When the terminal device 42 acquires the response operation information from the primary user P21, it transmits the primary user P21's response result to the terminal device 42.

In step S53, when the management server 50 receives the response result of the primary user P21 from the terminal device 42, it transmits the content to the vehicle 12. Figure 7B shows an example in which the primary user P21 has authorized grid calculations on the vehicle 12.

In the next step S54, the control unit 502 of the management server 50 transmits job data D1 for the requested application job to the vehicle 12. Note that, as in the case of FIG. 7A, the management server 50 may transmit the job data D1 to the vehicle 12 after receiving a transmission request from the vehicle 12. The subsequent processing of steps S22 to S25 and step S55 is the same as in the case of FIG. 7A.

On the other hand, if the response received by the management server 50 in step S53 does not permit grid calculations in the vehicle 12, a determination is made in step S18 of FIG. 6 that permission is not granted, and the process ends without grid calculations being performed in the vehicle 12.

[Effects of the embodiment]
As described above, according to the above embodiment, when the driver in the immediately preceding vehicle trip is determined to be the primary user, the vehicle 10 automatically starts grid computation using computational resources. On the other hand, when the driver in the immediately preceding vehicle trip is determined to be other than the primary user, the vehicle 10 starts grid computation on the condition that approval information indicating that the primary user has approved the start of grid computing processing is received from outside.

In this way, by specifying the conditions for starting calculations after parking the vehicle 10, grid calculations can be performed under the management of the primary user even when a driver other than the primary user uses the vehicle. This allows calculations to be performed in a safer environment, ensuring the objective quality of calculation resources in grid calculations. Furthermore, if the driver driving immediately before parking is determined to be the primary user, grid calculations will start automatically without contacting the primary user, thereby achieving seamless calculations while ensuring the objective quality of calculation resources.

In addition, calculations can be performed even when a driver other than the primary user uses the vehicle, minimizing opportunity loss in performing grid calculations.

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 as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims, and all modifications and variations that fall within the equivalent scope of the claims are within the scope of the present disclosure.

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

10 Vehicle 50 Management server (management device)
101 Communication unit 111 Occupant sensor (sensor)
112 driving operation sensor (parking detection unit)
113 Vehicle state sensor (parking detection unit, lock detection unit)
501 Communication unit 503 Storage unit

Claims (3)

A method for managing grid computing utilizing computing resources mounted on a vehicle, comprising:
The vehicle is provided with a sensor that recognizes the driver, a parking detection unit that detects the parking state of the vehicle, and a lock detection unit that detects the door lock state of the vehicle,
a registration step in which a control unit of a management device configured to be able to communicate with the vehicle and managing the grid computing registers, in a storage unit, a main user who is a primary user of the vehicle and contact information of the main user;
an authentication step in which an authentication unit provided in the vehicle or the management device determines whether the driver is the primary user based on input information from the sensor;
When the vehicle changes from a traveling state to a parking state, the parking detection unit detects that the vehicle is parked, and the lock detection unit detects that the door of the vehicle is locked after the driver has exited the vehicle,
When the driver in the immediately preceding trip is determined to be the primary user in the authentication process, the vehicle automatically starts grid computing calculations using the computing resources;
a computing step of, when the authentication step determines that the driver in the immediately preceding trip is other than the primary user, sending an inquiry from the management device to a contact point of the primary user, and the vehicle starting grid computing calculations using the computing resources on condition that approval information indicating that the primary user has approved the start of the grid computing process is received from an external device.
How to manage grid computing. 2. The grid computing management method according to claim 1,
In the registration step, in addition to the main user, a secondary user who is a user of the vehicle other than the main user is registered,
In the calculation step, when making the inquiry, notifying the user that the driver in the immediately preceding trip is the secondary user.
How to manage grid computing. A grid computing system including a vehicle equipped with a computing resource and a management device that manages grid computing utilizing the computing resource of the vehicle,
The management device
a communication unit that communicates with the vehicle;
a storage unit in which a primary user who is a primary user of the vehicle and contact information of the primary user are registered;
The vehicle is
a communication unit that communicates with the management device;
a sensor for recognizing a driver of the vehicle;
an authentication unit that authenticates whether the driver is the primary user based on input information from the sensor;
a parking detection unit that detects the parking state of the vehicle;
a lock detection unit that detects a door lock state of the vehicle,
When the vehicle changes from a traveling state to a parking state, the parking detection unit detects that the vehicle is parked, and the lock detection unit detects that the door of the vehicle is locked after the driver has exited the vehicle,
When the authentication unit determines that the driver in the immediately preceding trip is the primary user, the vehicle automatically starts grid computing calculations using the computing resources;
When the authentication unit determines that the driver in the immediately preceding trip is other than the primary user, the vehicle starts the grid computing calculation using the computing resources on the condition that approval information approving the primary user's start of the grid computing process is received from the management device.
Grid computing system.