Information processing device

Abstract

The purpose is to effectively utilize surplus electricity generated in excess of electricity demand. [Solution] The information processing device has a control unit that performs the following: determines whether the vehicle is located in the power supply area of ​​one of several power plants that generate electricity using renewable energy; determines which of the one or more computing devices located within the determined power supply area will perform a predetermined task requested by the vehicle; and, if there is a first power plant where surplus power is predicted to occur, instructs the first computing device located in the first area that receives power from the first power plant to perform the vehicle's target task, which should be performed by the target computing device located in the second area that receives power from the second power plant where surplus power is predicted to occur, instead of the target computing device, during the time when surplus power occurs in the first area.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus that determines an arithmetic device to execute a task.

Background Art

[0002] There is a technique for planning execution of power-consuming processing in accordance with fluctuations in power demand. Regarding this, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a power management system that creates a storage battery control plan including schedule information of the charge-discharge state of a storage battery corresponding to a predicted power demand value for a predetermined day predicted based on past power demand results, and controls the charge-discharge state of the storage battery on the predetermined day.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The present disclosure aims to effectively utilize surplus power generated in excess of power demand.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure is The control unit performs the following actions: determine whether the vehicle is located within the power supply area of ​​one of several power plants that generate electricity using renewable energy; determine which of the one or more computing devices located within the determined power supply area will perform a predetermined task requested by the vehicle; predict that surplus power will be generated because the amount of electricity that each of the several power plants can generate exceeds the amount of electricity required by consumers receiving power from the power plants; and, if there is a first power plant where surplus power is predicted to be generated, instruct a first computing device located within the first area receiving power from the first power plant to perform the vehicle's target task, which would normally be performed by the target computing device located within the second area receiving power from a second power plant where surplus power is predicted not to be generated, in the first area during the time period when the surplus power is generated, instead of the target computing device. It is an information processing device.

[0006] Other embodiments include an information processing method executed by the information processing device, a program for causing a computer to execute the information processing method, or a computer-readable storage medium that non-temporarily stores the program. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The information processing device described herein can effectively utilize surplus electricity generated in excess of electricity demand. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] A diagram showing a network configuration including a server device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] A diagram illustrating the components of a server device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] A flowchart of the surplus power generation prediction process performed by the server device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4]A flowchart illustrating the process of determining the computing unit that will execute the task performed by the server device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] A flowchart illustrating the process of changing the arithmetic unit that performs the task executed by the server device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] A flowchart illustrating the process by which a server device according to the first embodiment determines the computing device when there are multiple surplus power plants. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] (overview) There is a need to effectively utilize surplus electricity generated in renewable energy power plants, depending on the weather.

[0010] In this regard, there are conventional technologies for planning the processes to be carried out in accordance with predicted power demand. For example, conventional power management systems can control the charging and discharging states of batteries by creating a battery control plan that includes scheduled information on the charging and discharging states of batteries corresponding to predicted power demand values.

[0011] Specifically, conventional power management systems create a battery control plan that includes schedule information for the charging and discharging timing of the battery for the following day, based on predicted power generation figures for the next day and power consumer settings. The power management system then controls the charging and discharging of the battery based on a comparison between the State of Charge (SOC) shown in the battery control plan and the current remaining charge of the battery (current SOC).

[0012] However, there is room for improvement in conventional power management systems. For example, conventional power management systems create battery control plans based on forecasts of future power generation and electricity demand, but they do not consider control methods that effectively utilize surplus power generated when power generation exceeds electricity demand. Specifically, even when surplus power is generated in conventional power management systems, the batteries are only charged within the range of electricity demand that does not take surplus power into account. However, in order to effectively utilize surplus power, it is desirable that some processing that can be carried out with the surplus power is performed in the area where the surplus power is generated when the surplus power is generated. For example, processing tasks that occurred in areas without surplus power in an area with surplus power can lead to the effective consumption of surplus power. Therefore, it is desirable that the information processing device can have the computing unit in the area with surplus power process tasks that occurred in areas without surplus power.

[0013] An information processing device relating to one aspect of this disclosure is: The control unit performs the following actions: determine whether the vehicle is located within the power supply area of ​​one of several power plants that generate electricity using renewable energy; determine which of the one or more computing devices located within the determined power supply area will perform a predetermined task requested by the vehicle; predict that surplus power will be generated because the amount of electricity that each of the several power plants can generate exceeds the amount of electricity required by consumers receiving power from the power plants; and, if there is a first power plant where surplus power is predicted to be generated, instruct a first computing device located within the first area receiving power from the first power plant to perform the vehicle's target task, which would normally be performed by the target computing device located within the second area receiving power from a second power plant where surplus power is predicted not to be generated, in the first area during the time period when the surplus power is generated, instead of the target computing device.

[0014] The target computing device is a computing device that actually processes a predetermined task requested by a vehicle.

[0015] Surplus power refers to the amount of power that exceeds the amount of power predicted to be actually consumed by consumers, out of the amount of power predicted to be generated by a power plant.

[0016] The first power plant is a power plant predicted to generate surplus power. There may be a plurality of first power plants.

[0017] The first area is a predetermined area that receives power supply from the first power plant. When there are a plurality of first power plants, a first area corresponding to each of the plurality of first power plants exists.

[0018] The first computing device is a computing device present in the first area. The first computing device receives power supply from the first power plant.

[0019] The second power plant is a power plant predicted not to generate surplus power. There may be a plurality of second power plants.

[0020] The second area is a predetermined area that receives power supply from the second power plant. When there are a plurality of second power plants, a second area corresponding to each of the plurality of second power plants exists.

[0021] In principle, a task generated in a vehicle is processed by a computing device arranged in the area where the vehicle is located. For example, a task generated by a vehicle present in the first area is processed by a computing device in the first area, and a task generated by a vehicle present in the second area is processed by a computing device in the second area.

[0022] However, in the present application, the control unit causes the computing device present in the first area to execute, in place of the computing device, a task to be processed by the computing device present in the second area, during a time period in which surplus power is predicted to be generated at the first power plant.

[0023] Thus, the information processing device relating to this disclosure can instruct a computing device located in an area where surplus power is generated to perform a task that should be processed by a computing device in an area where no surplus power is generated.

[0024] With this configuration, the information processing device according to this disclosure can perform processing that consumes electricity in areas where surplus electricity is generated. Therefore, the information processing device according to this disclosure can effectively utilize surplus electricity generated in excess of electricity demand.

[0025] Furthermore, if there are multiple first power plants, the control unit may instruct the first computing device located in the area closest to the vehicle's destination among the first areas corresponding to each of the multiple first power plants to perform the target task for the vehicle.

[0026] After a task is processed by a computing unit, the results of the task are transmitted from the computing unit that performed the processing to the vehicle where the task originated. At this time, the shorter the distance between the computing unit that transmits the results and the vehicle that receives the results, the lower the communication costs. For this reason, it is assumed that processing tasks that occur in a vehicle by a computing unit located closer to the vehicle's destination will shorten the distance between the computing unit and the vehicle at the time the task processing results are provided. Therefore, the information processing device according to this disclosure can reduce the communication costs involved in providing task processing results. Accordingly, the information processing device according to this disclosure can instruct a computing unit that can efficiently provide calculation results to a vehicle to execute a task.

[0027] Furthermore, if there are multiple first power plants, the control unit may, depending on the content of the target task, select a predetermined area from the first areas corresponding to each of the multiple first power plants, and instruct the first computing device located in the predetermined area to execute the target task for the vehicle.

[0028] As a result, the information processing device relating to this disclosure can cause a task to be executed by a computing device appropriate to the content of the task.

[0029] Furthermore, the control unit may instruct the first computing device mounted on the second vehicle to execute the target task when the second vehicle, which has the same destination as the first vehicle, is traveling through the first area.

[0030] As a result, the information processing device according to this disclosure can have a computing device that is likely to arrive at a location close to the vehicle to which the calculation results will be provided execute the task. Therefore, it can be expected that the distance between the computing device and the vehicle at the time the task processing results are provided to the vehicle will be shortened. Thus, the information processing device according to this disclosure can reduce the communication costs involved in the provision of task processing results by the computing device.

[0031] Furthermore, the control unit may predict whether the surplus power will be generated at any of the multiple power plants based on information regarding future weather conditions in the area surrounding each of the multiple power plants.

[0032] As a result, the information processing device relating to this disclosure can accurately predict the generation of surplus power.

[0033] The following describes specific embodiments of this disclosure with reference to the drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the hardware configurations, module configurations, functional configurations, etc., described in each embodiment are not intended to limit the technical scope of the disclosure to those configurations alone.

[0034] (First embodiment) [Overview of processes performed by the server device] An overview of the processing performed by the server device according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 1. Figure 1 is a diagram showing a network configuration including the server device 100 according to the first embodiment. An information processing device according to one aspect of this disclosure is implemented as a server device 100.

[0035] The server device 100 is an information processing device that assigns tasks generated in vehicle 10 to the appropriate computing device 200. Vehicles 10a and 10b shown in Figure 1 are collectively referred to as vehicle 10. Computing devices 200a and 200b shown in Figure 1 are collectively referred to as computing device 200. Power plants 20a and 20b shown in Figure 1 are collectively referred to as power plant 20.

[0036] Power plant 20 is a power plant that generates electricity using renewable energy. Power plant 20 supplies electricity to consumers 30 located in the area to which power plant 20 supplies electricity (hereinafter referred to as the electricity supply area) via the electricity supply network 40a or 40b. Consumers 30a and 30b are collectively referred to as consumer 30.

[0037] The server device 100 communicates with the power plant 20 via a communication network 50a or 50b through a wide-area network. The server device 100 also communicates with the customer 30 via a communication network 60a or 60b through a wide-area network.

[0038] Furthermore, the server device 100 communicates with the vehicle 10 via a wide-area network communication network 70a or 70b.

[0039] The computing device 200 is an information processing device equipped with a processor and memory. The computing device 200 exists separately from the server device 100. There may be multiple computing devices 200, and one shall be present in each power supply area of ​​each power plant 20. The computing device 200 may be fixed in place or mounted on a vehicle 10a. In addition, the computing device 200 may be mounted on a vehicle other than vehicle 10a.

[0040] Furthermore, the computing unit 200 receives power from the power plant 20. For example, computing unit 200a receives power from power plant 20a, and computing unit 200b receives power from power plant 20b.

[0041] The computing unit 200 processes tasks that occur in the target vehicle 10, based on the power supply area in which the vehicle is located. For example, computing unit 200a processes tasks that occur in vehicle 10a, and computing unit 200b processes tasks that occur in vehicle 10b.

[0042] The server device 100 communicates with the computing device 200 via a wide-area network and transmits tasks received from the vehicle 10 to the computing device 200.

[0043] Now, consider, for example, a scenario where a task occurs in vehicle 10b located in an area that receives power from power plant 20b, which does not generate surplus power.

[0044] If a task arises in vehicle 10b located in the power supply area of ​​power plant 20b where no surplus power is generated, the task can be executed by a computing device 200a located in the power supply area of ​​power plant 20a where surplus power is generated, thereby allowing the surplus power to be effectively utilized.

[0045] [Server configuration] Next, the hardware and software configuration of the system including the server device 100 will be described. Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the components of the server device 100 according to the first embodiment.

[0046] The server device 100 can be configured as a computer having a processor (CPU, GPU, etc.), main memory (RAM, ROM, etc.), and auxiliary storage (EPROM, hard disk drive, removable media, etc.). The auxiliary storage contains an operating system (OS), various programs, various tables, etc., and by executing the programs stored therein, various functions (software modules) that match a predetermined purpose, as described later, can be realized. However, some or all of the functions may be realized as hardware modules by hardware circuits such as ASICs and FPGAs.

[0047] The server device 100 is configured to include a control unit 110, a storage unit 120, and a communication unit 130.

[0048] The control unit 110 is a computing unit that realizes various functions of the server device 100 by executing a predetermined program. The control unit 110 can be realized by a hardware processor such as a CPU. The control unit 110 also utilizes RAM, ROM (Read It may be configured to include (Only Memory), cache memory, etc.

[0049] In this embodiment, the control unit 110 of the server device 100 is configured with five software modules: a first acquisition unit 111, a prediction unit 112, a second acquisition unit 113, a determination unit 114, and an instruction unit 115. Each software module may be implemented by the control unit 110 (CPU, etc.) executing a program stored in the storage unit 120. The information processing performed by the software modules is synonymous with the information processing performed by the control unit 110 (CPU, etc.).

[0050] The first acquisition unit 111 acquires power generation information from the power plant 20. The power generation information is a predicted value for the amount of electricity generated by the power plant 20 for each time period.

[0051] Furthermore, the first acquisition unit 111 acquires demand information from an external device. The demand information is a time-based forecast of the amount of electricity required by consumers 30 located in the area where the power plant 20 supplies power (power supply area). The power supply area is the area where each power plant 20, the consumers 30 connected to the power grid, and the computing unit 200 are located.

[0052] The prediction unit 112 compares power generation information for a predetermined time period with demand information for the same time period to predict power plants that will generate surplus power (the first power plant). The prediction unit 112 predicts that a power plant in which the power generation amount indicated by the power generation information exceeds the amount of electricity indicated by the demand information during certain time periods will be the first power plant. In addition, the prediction unit 112 identifies the time periods in which surplus power is predicted to be generated at the first power plant. Based on the predictions made by the prediction unit 112, two types of power plants are defined: power plants that generate surplus power and power plants that do not generate surplus power. Here, power plants that generate surplus power are defined as the first power plant, and power plants that do not generate surplus power are defined as the second power plant.

[0053] The second acquisition unit 113 acquires task information from the vehicle 10. The second acquisition unit 113 may also acquire data necessary to perform the task indicated by the task information from the vehicle 10 or an external device, along with the task information.

[0054] The decision unit 114 determines which computing device will execute the task generated in vehicle 10. The decision unit 114 determines which computing device will execute the task generated in vehicle 10b, which is a task that will be processed by computing device 200b located in an area receiving power from the second power plant where no surplus power is generated. The decision unit 114 determines which computing device will execute the task generated in vehicle 10b, which is computing device 200a located in an area receiving power from the first power plant where surplus power is generated.

[0055] The instruction unit 115 transmits an instruction to the arithmetic unit determined by the decision unit 114 to execute the task. The instruction unit 115 transmits instructions to each arithmetic unit via the communication unit 130 (described later).

[0056] The memory unit 120 is a means for storing information and is composed of storage media such as RAM, magnetic disks, and flash memory. The memory unit 120 stores programs executed by the control unit 110, data used by those programs, and so on.

[0057] The communication unit 130 is a wireless communication interface for connecting the server device 100 to an external network. The communication unit 130 is configured to communicate with external devices via, for example, a wireless LAN or a cellular communication network such as 3G, 4G, or 5G.

[0058] Note that the configuration shown in Figure 2 is just one example, and all or part of the illustrated functions may be performed using specially designed circuits. Furthermore, program storage and execution may be performed using combinations of main memory and auxiliary memory other than those shown.

[0059] [Server device processing] Next, a process performed by a server device 100 according to one aspect of this disclosure will be described. Here, a process in which the server device 100 predicts that surplus power will be generated at the power plant 20 will be described. Figure 3 is a flowchart of the surplus power generation prediction process performed by the server device 100 according to the first embodiment.

[0060] The server device 100 starts processing step S10 at predetermined time intervals. For example, the server device 100 may start processing step S10 every hour.

[0061] First, in step S10, the first acquisition unit 111 acquires power generation information and power demand information. The first acquisition unit 111 may acquire power generation information from the power plant 20. Alternatively, the first acquisition unit 111 may acquire power demand from an external device.

[0062] The power generation information is a time-series forecast of the amount of electricity generated by the power plant 20. The forecast of power generation for each power plant 20 may be calculated based on information regarding the future weather in the area surrounding each power plant 20. This information may, for example, represent the amount of cloud cover in the area surrounding each power plant 20 for a predetermined time period. Alternatively, this information may represent the weather in the area surrounding each power plant 20 for a predetermined time period using words indicating predetermined categories such as "clear skies," "sunny," "cloudy," "rainy," or "snowy." For example, the more cloud cover there is in the area surrounding each power plant 20 during a predetermined time period, the lower the estimated power generation amount of the power plant 20 during that time period may be. Also, for example, if the weather around the power plant 20 is clear during the predicted time period, the estimated power generation amount during that time period may be higher than the predetermined value, and if the weather around the power plant 20 is rainy, the estimated power generation amount during that time period may be lower than the predetermined value.

[0063] The demand information is a time-based forecast of the amount of electricity required (electricity demand) by consumers 30 located in the area supplied by the power plant 20 (electricity supply area). The demand information may be calculated based on the flow of people in the electricity supply area during the forecast time period, or based on the amount of information processing planned in the electricity supply area during the forecast time period, or a combination of both. For example, the more people there are in the electricity supply area during a given time period, the higher the estimated electricity demand may be.

[0064] Next, in step S11, the prediction unit 112 predicts the power plants 20 that will generate surplus power. The prediction unit 112 compares the amount of electricity indicated by the demand information with the amount of electricity generated indicated by the power generation information. The prediction unit 112 then predicts the first power plant 20, which is the power plant 20 where the amount of electricity generated indicated by the power generation information exceeds the amount of electricity indicated by the demand information (i.e., surplus power is generated). The prediction unit 112 also identifies the time period during which surplus power will be generated at the first power plant.

[0065] Next, we will describe the process by which the server device 100 determines which computing device will execute the tasks generated in the vehicle 10 in response to the generation of surplus power. Figure 4 is a flowchart of the process by which the server device 100 determines which computing device 200 will execute the tasks to be performed according to the first embodiment.

[0066] First, in step S20, the second acquisition unit 113 acquires task information indicating that a task has occurred in vehicle 10. Specifically, the second acquisition unit 113 communicates with multiple vehicles 10 via the communication unit 130 over a wide-area network and acquires task information from the vehicle 10b in which the task has occurred. Alternatively, the second acquisition unit 113 may communicate via the wide-area network with an external device that has collected task information from the multiple vehicles 10b in which the task has occurred and acquire task information from the external device.

[0067] Next, in step S21, the determination unit 114 determines whether the vehicle 10 uses renewable energy. The determination unit 114 determines whether the device is located within the power supply area of ​​one of the multiple power plants that generate electricity using renewable energy. This step results in a positive determination if the determination unit 114 determines that the device is located within the power supply area of ​​one of the multiple power plants that generate electricity using renewable energy.

[0068] If this step results in a positive outcome, the process proceeds to step S22.

[0069] If this step results in a negative outcome, the process terminates.

[0070] Next, in step S22, the determination unit 114 determines a target computing device from among one or more computing devices located within the determined power supply area, which is a computing device that performs a predetermined task requested by the vehicle 10.

[0071] The processes from step S20 onward may be executed periodically at predetermined time intervals. For example, the processes from step S20 onward may be repeated every 5 minutes.

[0072] Next, we will describe the process of changing the arithmetic unit determined in step S22 of Figure 4 when surplus power is generated. Figure 5 is a flowchart of the process of changing the arithmetic unit that executes the task performed by the server device according to the first embodiment. The process described in Figure 5 is executed each time the target arithmetic unit is determined in step S22 of Figure 4.

[0073] First, in step S30, the determination unit 114 determines whether or not there is a power plant (the first power plant) that generates surplus power during the current time period, based on the prediction made by the prediction unit 112 in step S11 as explained in Figure 3. In this step, if the determination unit 114 determines that there is a first power plant during the current time period, the determination is positive.

[0074] If this step results in a positive outcome, the process proceeds to step S31.

[0075] If this step results in a negative outcome, the process proceeds to step S33.

[0076] If the process proceeds to step S31, the determination unit 114 determines whether the task indicated by the task information received in step S20 is a task that occurred in vehicle 10b located in an area where no surplus power is generated. In this step, if the determination unit 114 determines that the task indicated by the task information received in step S20 is a task that occurred in vehicle 10b located in an area where no surplus power is generated, the determination is affirmative.

[0077] If this step results in a positive outcome, the process proceeds to step S32.

[0078] If this step results in a negative outcome, the process proceeds to step S33.

[0079] If the process transitions to step S32, the decision unit 114 determines which computing device 200 located in the area receiving power from the first power plant will execute the task in place of the target computing device. In other words, the decision unit 114 changes the computing device that executes the task generated in vehicle 10b from the target computing device to one of the computing devices located in the area receiving power from the first power plant (first area). The specific method for determining which computing device will execute the task will be described later. The decision unit 114 can determine a computing device that operates using the power of the first power plant, which has surplus power, as the computing device that will process the task that the target computing device, which operates using the power of a power plant that does not have surplus power, was processing.

[0080] If the process transitions to step S33, the decision unit 114 decides to have the task executed by the target computing device determined in step S22. The decision unit 114 decides to have the task executed by the target computing device located in the same area as the vehicle 10b, which reduces communication costs with the vehicle 10b.

[0081] Next, in step S34, the instruction unit 115 sends an instruction to the arithmetic unit 200, which was determined by the determination unit 114 in step S32 or step S33, to execute the task. The instruction unit 115 communicates with the arithmetic unit 200 via a wide area network through the communication unit 130 and sends the instruction.

[0082] The instruction unit 115 may also send an instruction to the arithmetic unit determined by the decision unit 114, stating that it will not execute any tasks in the vehicle 10 that require a fast response, and will only execute tasks that do not require a fast response.

[0083] Next, an example of a specific method by which the server device 100 determines which computing device will execute a task will be described. Figure 6 is a flowchart of the process by which the server device 100 according to the first embodiment determines which computing device 200 to execute when there are multiple surplus power plants. The process of step S40 described in Figure 6 is executed after the determination of YES is made in step S31 of the process described in Figure 5.

[0084] First, in step S40, the determination unit 114 determines whether there are multiple power plants (first power plants) that generate surplus power. This step results in a positive determination if the determination unit 114 determines that there are multiple first power plants.

[0085] If the result in this step is positive, the process proceeds to step S41.

[0086] If the result in this step is negative, the process proceeds to step S42.

[0087] If the process transitions to step S41, the decision unit 114 determines that the computing device located in the area closest to the vehicle 10's destination, among the multiple areas receiving power from each of the multiple first power plants, will be the computing device to process the tasks generated in the vehicle 10. For example, the second acquisition unit 113 may acquire information indicating the destination of the vehicle 10b along with the task information, and the decision unit 114 may perform the above operation based on the information indicating the destination of the vehicle 10.

[0088] If the process transitions to step S42, the decision unit 114 determines that one of the computing devices located in the power supply area of ​​the first power plant will be the computing device to process the task generated in the vehicle 10. After step S41 or step S42, the process transitions to step S34 as described in Figure 5. The instruction unit 115 sends an instruction to the computing device 200 determined by the decision unit 114 in step S41 or step S42 to execute the task.

[0089] As described above, in this embodiment, when there is a power plant that generates surplus power, the server device 100 causes the computing device located in the power supply area of ​​the power plant that generates surplus power to execute tasks generated in the vehicle 10 located in the power supply area of ​​a power plant that does not generate surplus power. This allows the server device 100 to effectively utilize surplus power generated in excess of the power demand.

[0090] (Second Embodiment) In the first embodiment, when there are multiple power plants (first power plants) that generate surplus power, the power supply area of ​​the multiple first power plants is located in the area closest to the destination of the vehicle 10. The computing device was used to process tasks that occurred in vehicle 10. However, the computing device located in the area closest to the destination of vehicle 10 is not necessarily the computing device with performance suitable for the task to be processed. Therefore, in this embodiment, the computing device with the highest suitability for the content of the task is selected from among the computing devices located in the power supply areas of multiple first power plants to process tasks that occurred in vehicle 10.

[0091] The process described here is executed after the result is YES in step S31 of the process described in Figure 5.

[0092] First, the decision unit 114 determines whether or not there are multiple first power plants. This step is considered a positive determination if the decision unit 114 determines that there are multiple first power plants.

[0093] If there are multiple first power plants, the decision unit 114 selects from among the computing devices 200 located in each power supply area of ​​the multiple first power plants the computing device 200 that is most suitable for the content of the task to be used to process the task generated in the vehicle 10.

[0094] The arithmetic unit (ADA) that best suits the task is one that meets the memory capacity or CPU performance required for processing the task. Alternatively, the ADA that best suits the task may be one equipped with a type of memory or CPU suitable for processing the task. If there are multiple ADAs that meet the memory capacity or CPU performance required for processing the task, the ADA with the smallest difference between its memory capacity or CPU performance and the required capacity may be considered the best suit for the task.

[0095] For example, the task information acquired by the second acquisition unit 113 may also include performance information of the required computing device, and the determination unit 114 may perform the above operation based on this performance information.

[0096] After this process, the process proceeds to step S34 as described in Figure 5.

[0097] If there are no multiple first power plants, the decision unit 114 determines that one of the computing devices located in the power supply area of ​​the first power plant will be the computing device that processes the task generated in the vehicle 10. After this process, the process proceeds to step S34 as described in Figure 5.

[0098] Thus, in this embodiment, the server device 100 causes the computing device that best suits the task content among the computing devices located in the power supply area of ​​the power plant where surplus power is generated to execute the task generated in the vehicle 10 located in the power supply area of ​​the power plant where no surplus power is generated.

[0099] (Third embodiment) In the first embodiment, when there are multiple power plants (first power plants) that generate surplus power, the task generated in vehicle 10 is processed by a computing device located in the area closest to the destination of vehicle 10. However, the computing device that executes the task is not necessarily fixed; for example, it may be a computing device installed in a moving vehicle. Generally, processing a task by a computing device located as close as possible to vehicle 10 has the advantage of keeping communication costs, etc., low when transmitting the processing results. However, even if the vehicle equipped with the computing device that processes the task is located close to vehicle 10 at the time the task is ordered to be processed, it is conceivable that by the time the task is completed, it may have moved to a location far from vehicle 10. Therefore, in this embodiment, the task generated in vehicle 10 is processed by a computing device installed in a vehicle having the same destination as vehicle 10.

[0100] The process described below is executed after the result of step S31 of the process described in Figure 5 is YES.

[0101] First, the determination unit 114 determines whether the target computing device is a computing device mounted on a vehicle located in an area that receives power from the first power plant. This step is considered a positive determination if the determination unit 114 determines that the target computing device is a computing device mounted on a vehicle located in an area that receives power from the first power plant.

[0102] If the target computing device is a computing device mounted on a vehicle located within the power supply area of ​​the first power plant, the determination unit 114 operates as follows: The determination unit 114 determines whether the target computing device is a computing device mounted on a vehicle having the same destination as the vehicle 10b where the task occurred. For example, the second acquisition unit 113 acquires information indicating the destination of the vehicle 10b where the task occurred, along with the task information. The second acquisition unit 113 also acquires information indicating the destination of a vehicle from a plurality of vehicles equipped with a candidate computing device to execute the task. The determination unit 114 may then perform the above operation based on the information indicating the destination of vehicle 10b and the information indicating the destination of the vehicle equipped with the candidate computing device to execute the task.

[0103] If the target computing device is installed in a vehicle having the same destination as the vehicle 10b where the task originated, the determination unit 114 determines that the target computing device will be the computing device to execute the task. After this process, the system proceeds to step S34 as described in Figure 5.

[0104] If the target computing device is not installed in a vehicle having the same destination as the vehicle 10b where the task originated, the determination unit 114 selects one computing device from among those located in the area receiving power from the first power plant. After this process, the system proceeds to step S34 as described in Figure 5.

[0105] The types of tasks that the vehicle's onboard computing device could handle include, for example, tasks requiring the collection of information across a wide geographical area, such as searching for specific or unspecified individuals or vehicles.

[0106] Thus, in this embodiment, the server device 100 causes a task generated in a vehicle 10 located in an area where no surplus power is generated to be executed by a computing device installed in a vehicle having the same destination as vehicle 10 located in an area where surplus power is generated.

[0107] (Other variations) The embodiments described above are merely examples, and this disclosure may be modified as appropriate without departing from its essence. For example, the processes and means described in this disclosure can be freely combined and implemented as long as no technical inconsistencies arise.

[0108] The instruction unit 115 may also instruct an external device to propose a route to the vehicle 10 where the task occurred, which passes through a predetermined area around the first power plant during the time period when surplus power is predicted to occur. Alternatively, instead of an external device, the prediction unit 112 may calculate a route that passes through a predetermined area around the first power plant during the time period when surplus power is predicted to occur, and the instruction unit 115 may transmit this route to the vehicle 10.

[0109] This disclosure can also be realized by supplying a computer program implementing the functions described in the above embodiments to a computer, and having one or more processors in the computer read and execute the program. Such a computer program is The data may be provided to the computer by a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium that can be connected to the computer's system bus, or it may be provided to the computer via a network. Non-temporary computer-readable storage mediums include, for example, any type of disk such as magnetic disks (floppy disks, hard disk drives (HDDs), etc.), optical disks (CD-ROMs, DVDs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), EPROM, EEPROM, magnetic cards, flash memory, optical cards, and any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0110] 10, 10a, 10b... Vehicles 100... Server device 110... Control Unit 111...1st acquisition part 112... Prediction Department 113...2nd acquisition part 114···Decision Department 115···Instruction Department 120...Memory Department 130···Ministry of Communications

Claims

1. The process involves determining whether the vehicle is located within the power supply area of ​​one of several power plants that generate electricity using renewable energy, To determine which of the one or more computing devices located within the determined power supply area will perform the predetermined task requested by the vehicle, This involves predicting that surplus electricity will be generated because the amount of electricity that each of the aforementioned power plants can generate exceeds the amount of electricity required by consumers receiving electricity from those power plants, If there is a first power plant where surplus power is predicted to occur, the first computing device located in the first area receiving power from the first power plant is instructed to perform the target task of the vehicle, which would normally be performed by the target computing device located in the second area receiving power from the second power plant where surplus power is predicted to occur, in place of the target computing device, during the time period when the surplus power occurs in the first area. Having a control unit that performs the following: Information processing device.

2. The control unit, If there are multiple first power plants, the first computing device located in the area closest to the vehicle's destination among the first areas corresponding to each of the multiple first power plants is instructed to perform the target task for the vehicle. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The control unit, If there are multiple first power plants, a predetermined area is selected from the first areas corresponding to each of the multiple first power plants according to the content of the target task, and the first computing device located in the predetermined area is instructed to perform the target task on the vehicle. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

4. The control unit, When a second vehicle having the same destination as the aforementioned vehicle is traveling through the first area, the first computing device installed in the second vehicle is instructed to execute the target task. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

5. The control unit, Based on information regarding future weather conditions in the area surrounding each of the aforementioned power plants, predict whether the surplus power will be generated at any of the aforementioned power plants. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

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