Method and computing device for distributed computing in motor vehicles

Abstract

A calculation method for a motor vehicle, the calculation method comprising: - reading (10) a task (210) to be solved by means of a computer into a vehicle-internal computer (110), wherein the task (210) to be solved is provided by a vehicle-external server (200), - checking (20) whether the computer (110) has sufficient computing capacity to perform the task to be solved (210), - further checking (30) whether the motor vehicle has a sufficient amount of electrical energy to perform the task to be solved (210), - if the check and further checks show that the task to be solved (210) can be carried out, - performing (40) the task to be solved (210) on the computer (110), and - Sending (50) the result of the execution (40) of the task to be solved (210) to the server (200) external to the motor vehicle, wherein the task to be solved (210) on the computer (110) is secured against unauthorized access in such a way that reading of the task to be solved (210) and / or the result of the execution (40) of the task to be solved (210) from the computer (110) is only possible as a sending (50) to the server (200) external to the motor vehicle.

Description

The present invention relates to a method of computing a motor vehicle and to apparatuses relating to the method.Currently, in current models of BMW vehicles such as cars and motor cycles, very powerful computers are already installed, such as, for example, twice a head unit, one being provided for the front seats and one for the rear seats, and some others.The trend is also currently foreseeable that these control units will become even more powerful in the future, will have more memory and will, of all prospects, also provide more power / memory in order, for example, to be able to serve any desired number of buyable apps in addition to the basic functionality.Cloud-based services for motor vehicles are also currently available, wherein a "cloud" functions as a "central start point" for Internet-based services, and especially also for vehicle-based services in the vehicle sector. Here, the cloud operator usually provides a virtual server farm which functions as a data storage unit and which carries out data processing for vehicle-based services.By way of example, it is evident in the control units of the motor vehicles that their resources, such as computing power and memory, are usually well utilized only when the user interacts with them. The remaining time remains unused. Even if a motor vehicle is in a rest state, i.e. parks, for example, and in particular in the case of an electric vehicle which is connected to the power supply, these control units are normally shut down or in the standby mode in order to consume no or only minimal power.US 2002 / 0 188 384 A1 discloses a method and an apparatus for distributing calculations to data processing systems of motor vehicles. Further disclosed are computer-implemented instructions for distributed computing in vehicle data processing systems. In this case, a monitoring of available processing resources is carried out in the data processing system of the respective motor vehicle. In response to the detected resource states, processing of a work unit is initiated to determine a result. The result is transmitted to a destination data system at a remote location.U.S. Pat. No. 6,725,250 B1 discloses a global network computer system in which at least one personal computer is connected to a network. Such a personal computer can also be operated in a vehicle. Further, for enhancing security, it is disclosed that a master controller, which cannot be directly controlled by the network, controls the other components of the personal computer when not used by the network.DE 10 2012 008 978 A1 discloses a method for carrying out at least one calculation process in a motor vehicle having an electric motor. Outside the operation of the vehicle, in particular during charging, computing-intensive computing processes can combine the computing power of various motor vehicles located in the charging process by establishing a communication link that makes it possible to connect the various computing devices to form a computing cluster.DE 101 62 853 C1 discloses that a motor vehicle control system comprises a plurality of control units which are connected to one another via a bus system. In this case, a plurality of functions can be swapped out from one control unit to one or more other, different ones.It would therefore be desirable to provide a possibility which can access the computing power not used in motor vehicles.It is the object of the invention to propose a possibility which avoids or at least reduces at least part of the disadvantages known in the prior art.The object is achieved according to the invention by means of a method according to the main claim and by means of apparatuses according to subordinate claims.The subject matter of the main claim relates to a computing method for a motor vehicle, the computing method comprising: reading a task to be solved by means of a computer into a computer internal to the motor vehicle, wherein the task to be solved is provided by a server external to the motor vehicle. checking whether the computer has sufficient computing capacity to perform the task to be solved. Further checking whether the motor vehicle has a sufficient amount of electrical energy to carry out the task to be solved. If the checking and the further checking result in that the task to be solved can be performed: performing the task to be solved on the program.computer and sending the result of the execution of the task to be solved to the server external to the motor vehicle. The object to be solved is secured on the computer against unauthorized access in such a way that a reading out of the object to be solved and / or of the result of the execution of the object to be solved from the computer is made possible only as a transmission to the server external to the motor vehicle.Thus, even after the motor vehicle has been stopped, the data associated with the task to be solved can be correspondingly securely secured against unauthorized access by third parties.The method steps can be carried out automatically.An in-vehicle computer in the sense of the invention can be a control device of a motor vehicle, which has a computing unit such as a central processing unit "CPU". This preferably means a device in a motor vehicle which can automatically solve complex mathematical tasks.An object to be solved in the sense of the invention can be a problem to be solved mathematically, such as a complex numerical calculation for an optimization task and the like. In particular, the object to be solved may be a partial problem of a larger object, which can be solved by means of distributed computing.An off-board server in the sense of the invention can be a server that is located anywhere outside the motor vehicle. In particular, this server is not located in the motor vehicle in which the motor vehicle internal computer to be used is located. Such a server may also be a server farm and / or a cloud.The teaching according to the invention achieves the advantage that it is thereby possible to use computing potentials which would otherwise be broken down.The subject matter of an independent claim relates to a computing device for a motor vehicle, the computing device having: a receiving device which is configured to receive a task to be solved from a server external to the motor vehicle. A computer configured to perform the task to be solved. And a transmitting device which is configured to transmit a result of performing the task to be solved to the vehicle-external server. In this case, the computing device is configured to execute a computing method according to the invention.The teaching according to the invention achieves the advantage that it is thereby possible to use computing potentials which would otherwise be broken down.The subject matter of a further subordinate claim relates to a motor vehicle, having a computing device according to the invention.The subject matter of a further independent claim relates to a computer program product for a computing device according to the invention, which can be operated according to a computing method according to the invention.The subject matter of a further independent claim relates to a data carrier having a computer program product according to the invention.Before embodiments of the invention are described in more detail below, it is to be initially stated that the invention is not restricted to the described components or the described method steps. Furthermore, the terminology used is not restrictive, but rather merely has an exemplary character. Insofar as the singular is used in the description and the claims, the plural is included in each case, as long as the context does not explicitly exclude this. Any method steps can be carried out automatically, unless the context explicitly excludes this.Further exemplary embodiments of the method according to the invention are explained below.According to a first exemplary embodiment, the computing method further comprises checking whether the computer has sufficient computing capacity to perform the task to be solved comprising: if the computer requires otherwise required computing capacity, interrupting the execution of the task to be solved. And once the computer again has a free computing capacity, resume performing the task to be solved.This embodiment has the advantage that the motor vehicle internal computing power is used only when it is not required.According to a further exemplary embodiment, the computing method further comprises the further checking whether the motor vehicle has a sufficient amount of electrical energy to carry out the task to be solved comprising: taking into account a sufficient amount of electrical energy to be able to continue to operate the motor vehicle correctly after carrying out the task to be solved.This embodiment has the advantage that it is possible to prevent the motor vehicle from being no longer operational or operable by using the computing resources of the motor vehicle.According to a further exemplary embodiment, the computing method further comprises obtaining a user clearance of a motor vehicle user in order to authorize the execution of the task to be solved on the computer.This embodiment has the advantage that the motor vehicle user himself can determine whether he wishes to provide computing power and thus also under what conditions he wishes to do this.According to a further exemplary embodiment, the computing method further comprises the object to be solved being secured on the computer against unauthorized access in such a way that a reading out of the object to be solved and / or of the result of the execution of the object to be solved from the computer is possible only by means of a corresponding authorization.This embodiment has the advantage that the protection of the data for the task to be solved can be extensively protected.The invention thus makes it possible, by virtue of the skillful combination of cloud-based services, the available computing power in the vehicles and the use of distributed algorithms for distributing computing power or even storage in a large style, to realize novel services by means of a fleet of vehicles, by means of which even a monetary added value can be generated. This is explained below by way of example on the subject "Bitcoins".Mining, i.e. generating, bitcoins requires complex computing operations, which must subsequently be appropriately validated in a peer-to-peer network. Currently powerful and special hardware is used for this purpose. An exemplary embodiment of the present invention allows the current BMW® backend, such as the connected Drive® backend, to function as a coordinating master, which allocates such costly computing operations to individual vehicles currently available online. In contrast to existing services, an enormous fleet of vehicles of potentially millions of vehicles is available at a stroke. These vehicles can perform the appropriate calculations assigned by the master, i.e. the external server, during travel and or in the idle state. These calculations can be carried out in the vehicles when their control units, i.e. computers internal to the motor vehicle, are currently not used and thus use the available electrical energy for this purpose to calculate in advance at idle, i.e. in the "idle mode". In vehicles with internal combustion engines, this electrical energy is always available via the alternator, so that little to no additional fuel has to be used for the calculations. In the case of vehicles with an electric drive, this method can be used, for example, when the electric vehicle is connected to a corresponding charger, such as the domestic power outlet. In this case, the control units can remain switched on and perform the corresponding calculations. As an example variant of this, it is conceivable that the calculation can be coupled to the current price of electricity: if, for example, there is a reduced night current in a household and if the current resolution of the bitcoins generated, for example, would exceed the electricity costs, then the control device would be started up in order to carry out the required calculations for generating the monetary reciprocal value. After execution, the result can be sent back to the vehicle-external server, such as a BMW® backend, and can be processed there accordingly and be tempered to the vehicle / vehicle owner / driver.In general, this invention is a distributed platform that provides resources for computing authenticated and / or confidential distributed services. This can also be referred to as a "web of vehicles". The further particular point is that this is a "delay tolerant network", in which the individual vehicles are mobile and are not necessarily permanently online. Also, vehicles may unreasonably lose their data inventory, for example after scrapping. Therefore, appropriate algorithm measures have to be provided for the respective services in order to handle them. Depending on the service, it may be necessary, for example, to replicate data / computing tasks multiple times, so that the calculation / data storage can be called up at any time.The overall task can be planned on the server external to the motor vehicle, split into individual components and distributed to corresponding vehicles. The distribution can optionally be redundant. In this case, the standards with regard to authentication, authorization and, if appropriate, anonymousization can be observed. Corresponding cost aspects can also be taken into account for this purpose, such as, for example, a "reward" proposed by the server external to the motor vehicle, which can then accumulate for the calculation in the vehicles for the period of the calculation. It is also possible to obtain the agreement of the motor vehicle user whether he would like to provide his vehicle or his computer for a calculation corresponding to the compensation. The calculation can also take into account further boundary conditions, such as current electricity costs for charging in electric vehicles. It is likewise conceivable for the vehicle to adapt accordingly to "adjacent" vehicles via direct car-to-car communication in a local environment similar to a web of trust in order to validate and certify results mutually, for example.After the vehicle has completed the calculation, the results are sent back to the server external to the motor vehicle, collected there and merged and used accordingly. In the case of Bitcoins, this would be the "market" to the current heading. Subsequently, the obtained or agreed monetary counter value for the use of the computing power can be credited to the user of the motor vehicle or the vehicle owner.The realization of such value-added services results in a classic win-win situation: the operator of the server external to the motor vehicle can implement and sell corresponding complex services accordingly without the need to acquire and maintain expensive hardware for this purpose. The vehicle user or the vehicle owner has the advantage that he likewise receives a reward by providing the resources, which will also be receiving him to provide these resources in a dregn manner.The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the figures. In these show: FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a proposed method according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention; FIG. 2 shows a schematic illustration of a proposed method according to a further exemplary embodiment of the invention; and FIG. 3 shows a schematic illustration of a proposed device according to a further exemplary embodiment of the invention.FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a proposed method according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.FIG. 1 shows a computing method for a motor vehicle, the computing method having: reading 10 a task 210 to be solved by means of a computer into a computer 110 inside the motor vehicle, the task 210 to be solved being provided by a server 200 outside the motor vehicle. Check 20 whether computer 110 has sufficient computational capacity to perform task 210 to be solved. Further checking 30 whether the motor vehicle has a sufficient amount of electrical energy to carry out the task 210 to be solved. And if the checking and the further checking result in the task 210 to be solved being able to be carried out: carrying out 40 the task 210 to be solved on the computer 110 and sending 50 the result of carrying out 40 the task 210 to be solved to the server 200 external to the motor vehicle.FIG. 2 shows a schematic illustration of a proposed method according to a further exemplary embodiment of the invention.FIG. 2 shows a schematic illustration of a method extended compared to the method from FIG. 1. The above with respect to FIG. 1 correspondingly continues for FIG. 2.As can be seen from FIG. 2, the computing method furthermore comprises checking 20 whether the computer 110 has a sufficient computing capacity to perform the task 210 to be solved comprising: if the computer 110 requires a computing capacity required otherwise, interrupting 22 the execution 40 of the task 210 to be solved. And once the computer 110 again has a free computing capacity, resume 24 execution 40 of the task 210 to be solved.Furthermore, the calculation method of FIG. 2 comprises the further checking 30 whether the motor vehicle has a sufficient amount of electrical energy to perform the task 210 to be solved comprising taking into account 32 a sufficient amount of electrical energy to be able to continue to operate the motor vehicle properly after performing 40 the task 210 to be solved.In addition, the computing method of FIG. 2 comprises obtaining 60 a user clearance of a motor vehicle user in order to authorize the execution 40 of the task 210 to be solved on the computer 110.FIG. 3 shows a schematic representation of a proposed device according to a further exemplary embodiment of the invention.FIG. 3 shows a schematic representation of a computing device 100 for a motor vehicle, the computing device having: a receiving device 120 which is configured to receive a task 210 to be solved from a server 200 external to the motor vehicle. A computer 110 configured to perform the task 210 to be solved. And a transmitting device 130, which is configured to transmit a result of the execution 40 of the task 210 to be solved to the vehicle-external server 200. In this case, the computing device 100 is configured to execute a computing method according to the invention.The inventive idea can be summarized as follows. An apparatus and a method in this respect are provided, whereby it can be possible to make use of unused computing resources in motor vehicles, in that the computers internal to the motor vehicle can be used for distributed computing of tasks to be solved.List of reference characters10 Reading in a task to be solved 20 Checking whether the computer has a sufficient computing capacity 22 Interrupting the execution of the task to be solved 24 Resuming the execution of the task to be solved 30 Further checking whether the motor vehicle has a sufficient amount of electrical energy to perform the task to be solved 32 Taking into account a sufficient amount of electrical energy 40 Performing the task to be solved 50 Transmitting the result of the execution of the task to be solved to the server 60 Obtaining a user clearance 100 Computing device 110 Computer 120 Receiving device 130 Transmitting device 200 Server to be solved 210

Claims

A computing method for a motor vehicle, the computing method comprising: - reading (10) a task (210) to be solved by means of a computer into an in-vehicle computer (110), wherein the task (210) to be solved is provided by an in-vehicle server (200), - checking (20) whether the computer (110) has a sufficient computing capacity to perform the task (210) to be solved, - further checking (30) whether the motor vehicle has a sufficient amount of electrical energy to perform the task (210) to be solved, - if the checking and the further checking result in the task (210) to be solved being able to be performed, - performing (40) the task (210) to be solved on the computer (110), and - transmitting (50) the result of the execution (40) of the task (210) to be solved to the server (200) external to the motor vehicle, wherein the task (210) to be solved is secured on the computer (110) against unauthorized access in such a way that a reading out of the task (210) to be solved and / or of the result of the execution (40) of the task (210) to be solved from the computer (110) is made possible only as a transmission (50) to the server (200) external to the motor vehicle.The computing method according to claim 1, wherein checking (20) whether the computer (110) has sufficient computing capacity to perform the task (210) to be solved comprises: - if the computer (110) requires otherwise required computing capacity: - interrupting (22) the execution (40) of the task (210) to be solved, and - once the computer (110) has again free computing capacity: - resuming (24) the execution (40) of the task (210) to be solved.The computing method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the further checking (30) whether the motor vehicle has a sufficient amount of electrical energy to perform the task (210) to be solved comprises: - considering (32) a sufficient amount of electrical energy to be able to continue to operate the motor vehicle properly after performing (40) the task (210) to be solved.The computing method according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising: - obtaining (60) a user clearance of a motor vehicle user to authorize the performing (40) of the task (210) to be solved on the computer (110).The computing method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the task to be solved (210) is secured on the computer (40) against unauthorized access such that a reading of the task to be solved (210) and / or the result of the execution (40) of the task to be solved (210) from the computer (110) is possible only by means of a corresponding authorization.A computing device (100) for a motor vehicle, the computing device comprising: - a receiving device (120) which is configured to receive a task to be solved (210) from a server (200) external to the motor vehicle, - a computer (110) which is configured to perform the task to be solved (210), and - a transmitting device (130) which is configured to transmit a result of performing (40) the task to be solved (210) to the server (200) external to the motor vehicle, and wherein the computing device (100) is configured to perform a computing method according to any one of the preceding claims.A motor vehicle comprising a computing device according to claim 6.A computer program product for a computing device according to claim 6, operable according to a computing method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.A data carrier comprising a computer program product according to claim 8.

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