Management device and management method

Abstract

To improve the availability of a grid computing system.SOLUTION: Internet attribute information including an internet service provider and a network path is obtained about each vehicle. Each vehicle is grouped so that vehicles for which at least one of information included in the internet attribute information is different belong to different groups, thereby specifying a plurality of vehicle groups. When a job assigned to one grip group is copied and subjected to computing in the other grip group, the copied job is assigned to a grid group composed of computing devices belonging to a vehicle group different from a vehicle group to which each computing device composing the one grip group belongs.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The technology disclosed herein belongs to the technical field of a management device and a management method for managing grid computing. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, vehicles have been equipped with computing devices with relatively high computing power for electronic control. Effective utilization of the computing devices installed in vehicles has been studied by connecting the computing devices of these vehicles via communication to perform grid computing.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that in a distributed processing system consisting of a base station and an on-board terminal that can connect to each other via wireless communication, the base station has a resource information storage means that stores resource information, which is information about the computational resources of the on-board terminal, and a processing allocation means that, based on the resource information, identifies the on-board terminal that will execute the requested processing and causes the identified on-board terminal to execute the processing.

[0004] Furthermore, in Patent Document 1, distributed processing of jobs is performed using on-board terminals of vehicles that are within the communication range of a base station. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-087273 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] In order to improve the probability of completing job processing and obtaining calculation results, it is necessary to take measures against system failures and improve availability. To address this issue, typical cloud services employ measures such as locating servers as computing resources on different continents and having each server process the same job.

[0007] Improved availability is also required for grid computing that uses in-vehicle computing devices. However, as in Patent Document 1, grid computing that simply uses the computing devices of vehicles within the communication range of a base station cannot improve availability, and if a system failure occurs in the base station, the results of job processing cannot be obtained.

[0008] The technology disclosed herein has been made in view of the above points, and its purpose is to improve the availability of grid computing systems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the technique disclosed herein is directed to a management device for a grid group that can be used for grid computing processing in which each arithmetic device mounted on a plurality of vehicles performs arithmetic processing as a computation node, and the device includes a communication unit that can communicate with an in-vehicle communication unit mounted on each of the vehicles via the Internet, and a control unit, and the control unit performs an information acquisition process to acquire, for each of the vehicles, Internet attribute information that is attribute information including an Internet service provider via which communication between the communication unit and each of the in-vehicle communication units is passed and a network route from the Internet service provider, and compares the acquired Internet attribute information to determine whether the Internet attribute information is a network route from the Internet service provider to the vehicle. The control unit is configured to be able to execute a group identification process that groups the vehicles and identifies multiple vehicle groups so that vehicles having all the same attribute information of the information belong to the same group, while vehicles having at least one of the attribute information included in the Internet attribute information that is different belong to different groups, and further, when the control unit duplicates the job assigned to one grid group and performs calculation processing on another grid group, it selects as the other grid group a grid group composed of each calculation device that belongs to a vehicle group different from the vehicle group to which each calculation device that constitutes the one grid group belongs, and assigns the duplicated job.

[0010] With this configuration, by acquiring the internet attribute information of each vehicle and ensuring that at least one piece of attribute information differs between vehicle groups, even if a network failure occurs between one vehicle group and the management device, it is possible to ensure that the network failure does not occur in other vehicle groups. Therefore, by ensuring that the vehicle groups to which the computing devices that make up the grid groups belong differ between grid groups, availability can be improved.

[0011] Furthermore, because vehicles are mobile, when a grid group is formed using the vehicle's computing device, the Internet attribute information of the vehicle that has the computing device changes dynamically. In other words, the vehicle group to which the vehicle that has the computing device belongs changes dynamically. Therefore, at the time of assigning a job, the job can be processed by a grid group consisting of each computing device of a vehicle group that is expected to have high availability.

[0012] Therefore, the availability of the grid computing system can be improved.

[0013] In one embodiment of the management device, the internet attribute information includes information indicating a location of each of the vehicles.

[0014] This configuration makes it possible to exclude from job allocation grids made up of computing devices of vehicle groups in areas where natural disasters such as typhoons and earthquakes are expected, thereby improving the availability of the grid computing system.

[0015] In the embodiment, the internet attribute information may include information indicating a time zone where each of the vehicles is located.

[0016] That is, when the locations of vehicles are different across countries or even continents, the time zones where the vehicles are located are different. Furthermore, vehicles are more likely to move during the day than at night. When a vehicle moves, the vehicle group to which the vehicle belongs changes, and the vehicle's computing device may become disconnected from the grid group, making it difficult to continue processing jobs. For this reason, availability is higher at night than during the day. Therefore, by identifying vehicle groups taking time zones into consideration, the availability of the grid computing system can be further improved.

[0017] In the management device, the control unit may be configured to execute the information acquisition process and the group identification process more frequently during the day than at night.

[0018] As mentioned above, vehicles are more likely to move during the day than at night, and therefore their Internet attribute information is more likely to change during the day. Therefore, by monitoring vehicles more frequently during the day, the vehicle group to which each vehicle belongs can be detected with high accuracy. This can further improve the availability of the grid computing system.

[0019] In the management device, the control unit may set a priority for the attribute information among the Internet attribute information that should be made different between the grid groups, and the higher the availability requirement level for the job, the higher the priority of the attribute information that is made different between the grid groups, and the attribute information of the Internet service provider may have a higher priority than the attribute information of the network route.

[0020] That is, even if the Internet service provider is the same, the network routes may be different. Therefore, if an Internet problem occurs with the Internet service provider, a problem will occur with all the network routes. On the other hand, if the Internet service provider is different, the network routes will necessarily be different. In this case, even if an Internet problem occurs with one Internet service provider, the Internet problem will not occur with the other Internet service provider and network route. In other words, since availability is higher when the service provider is different, by giving a higher priority to the attribute information of the Internet service provider than the attribute information of the network route, it is possible to select an appropriate grid group according to the availability requirement level of the job. This can further improve the availability of the grid computing system.

[0021] The technology disclosed herein also relates to a grid computing management method. Specifically, the method includes the steps of: acquiring, for each vehicle, internet attribute information including internet service providers (ISPs) used in communications between the management device and the on-board communication units of the vehicles and network routes from the internet service providers; comparing the acquired internet attribute information to identify multiple vehicle groups by dividing the vehicles into groups such that vehicles with the same internet attribute information belong to the same group, while vehicles with different information included in at least one of the internet attribute information belong to different groups; and, when duplicating the job assigned to one grid group and performing computation on another grid group, selecting, as the other grid group, grid groups made up of arithmetic devices belonging to vehicle groups different from the vehicle group to which the arithmetic devices constituting the one grid group belong, and allocating the duplicated job to the other grid group.

[0022] Even in this configuration, the vehicle groups to which the computing devices that make up the grid groups belong can be made different between the grid groups, thereby improving the availability of the grid computing system. [Effects of the Invention]

[0023] As described above, the technology disclosed herein can improve the availability of a grid computing system. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a system including a management device according to an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 2]FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram for explaining grid computing. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a vehicle. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a user terminal. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a client server. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the management server. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing operations of the management server from when it accepts a job until the arithmetic processing of the job is completed. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an image of the job reception screen. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the processing operation of the management server when identifying a grid group. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the internet attribute information. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between vehicle groups. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the processing operation of the management server in matching between grid groups and jobs. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a table showing an example of information to be considered when selecting a grid group according to the availability requirement level. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0026] [Embodiment 1] (Grid Computing System Configuration) FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the configuration of a grid computing system 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as system 1) including a vehicle 10 having a computing device 105 according to a first embodiment. The system 1 includes a plurality of vehicles 10, a plurality of user terminals 20, a client server 30, and a management server 50. These components are capable of communicating with each other via a communication network 5. Each of the plurality of vehicles 10 is equipped with a computing device 105. As will be described in detail later, the communication network 5 includes a plurality of Internet service providers (hereinafter simply referred to as providers). The management server 50 and the communication unit 103 of each vehicle 10 are communicatively connected via each provider. The providers include not only providers in Japan but also providers from around the world.

[0027] (Grid Computing) As shown in Fig. 2, in the system 1 of the first embodiment, grid computing is configured by the computing devices 105 mounted on each vehicle 10. In grid computing, grid computing processing is performed in which job data is processed by an available computing device 105 among the multiple computing devices 105. In other words, each available computing device 105 corresponds to a computing resource that performs grid computing processing, i.e., a grid group. Hereinafter, the computing devices 105 that configure grid computing may be collectively referred to as a grid group GC.

[0028] When the vehicle 10 needs the computing power of the arithmetic device 105, the arithmetic device 105 enters an operating state and uses the computing power of the arithmetic device 105. For example, when the vehicle 10 is traveling, the computing power of the arithmetic device 105 is required for traveling control of the vehicle 10, and the arithmetic device 105 enters an operating state.

[0029] On the other hand, when the computing power of the arithmetic device 105 is no longer needed in the vehicle 10, the arithmetic device 105 is put into a non-operating state, and the computing power of the arithmetic device 105 is not used. For example, when the vehicle 10 is stopped and the ignition is turned off or the power is turned off, the computing power of the arithmetic device 105 is no longer needed, and the arithmetic device 105 is put into a non-operating state.

[0030] Here, when the computing power of the computing device 105 is not needed in the vehicle 10, that is, when the computing device 105 is not in operation, the computing power of the computing device 105 is provided for grid computing processing, thereby making it possible to effectively utilize the computing power of the computing device 105. Basically, the computing device 105 is used as a grid group GC for grid computing processing when the vehicle 10 is stopped, that is, when the computing power of the computing device 105 is not being used for driving control.

[0031] (Vehicle configuration) The vehicle 10 is a vehicle owned by a user. The user drives the vehicle 10. In this example, the vehicle 10 is a four-wheeled automobile. The vehicle 10 is also equipped with a battery (not shown). Power from the battery is supplied to on-board devices such as the computing device 105. Examples of such vehicles 10 include electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 3, the vehicle 10 includes an actuator 11, a sensor 12, an input unit 101, an output unit 102, a communication unit 103, a storage unit 104, and a computing device 105.

[0033] The actuators 11 include drive system actuators, steering system actuators, braking system actuators, etc. Examples of drive system actuators include an engine, a transmission, and a motor. Examples of braking system actuators include a brake. Examples of steering system actuators include a steering wheel.

[0034] The sensor 12 acquires various types of information used to control the vehicle 10. Examples of the sensor 12 include an exterior camera that captures images outside the vehicle, an interior camera that captures images inside the vehicle, radar that detects objects outside the vehicle, a vehicle speed sensor, an acceleration sensor, a yaw rate sensor, an accelerator opening sensor, a steering sensor, a key detection sensor, and an ignition sensor.

[0035] The input unit 101 inputs information and data. Examples of the input unit 101 include a navigation system that inputs information according to an operation when operated, a camera that inputs an image showing information, and a microphone that inputs audio showing information. The information and data input to the input unit 101 are sent to the calculation device 105.

[0036] The output unit 102 outputs information and data. Examples of the output unit 102 include a display unit that outputs an image representing information, and a speaker that outputs sound representing information.

[0037] The communication unit 103 transmits and receives information and data. The information and data received by the communication unit 103 is sent to the arithmetic unit 105. That is, the arithmetic unit 105 communicates with the management server 50 and the like via the communication unit 103. The communication unit 103 is configured by, for example, a wireless communication device.

[0038] The storage unit 104 stores information and data.

[0039] The arithmetic device 105 controls each part of the vehicle 10. In this example, the control unit 106 controls the actuator 11 in accordance with various information obtained by the sensor 12. The arithmetic device 105 communicates with external devices (such as components of the system 1) via the communication unit 103. The arithmetic device 105 updates the information and data stored in the memory unit 104 as appropriate, based on the information and data input to the input unit 101 and the information and data received via the communication unit 103.

[0040] The control unit 106 includes a processor, a memory, etc. Examples of the processor include a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), etc. The memory stores a program for operating the processor, information and data indicating the processing results of the processor, etc.

[0041] The number of processors constituting the control unit 106 may be one or more. The processor constituting the control unit 106 may be either a CPU or a GPU, or both a CPU and a GPU. In this example, the control unit 106 has both a CPU and a GPU. For example, the control unit 106 is composed of one or more ECUs (Electronic Control Units).

[0042] In this example, the storage unit 104 stores vehicle information D11, vehicle state information D12, driving history information D13, arithmetic unit information D14, and operation history information D15.

[0043] <Vehicle Information> The vehicle information D11 is information related to the vehicle 10. For example, the vehicle information D11 includes a vehicle ID set for the vehicle 10, a user ID set for the user who owns the vehicle 10, vehicle performance information indicating the performance of the vehicle, etc. The vehicle ID is an example of vehicle identification information that identifies the vehicle 10. The user ID is an example of user identification information that identifies the user.

[0044] <Vehicle status information> Vehicle status information D12 indicates the status of vehicle 10. For example, vehicle status information D12 includes vehicle location information, vehicle communication information, vehicle power source information, vehicle battery remaining capacity information, vehicle charging information, etc. Vehicle location information indicates the location (latitude and longitude) of vehicle 10. Vehicle location information can be acquired, for example, by GPS (Global Positioning System). Vehicle communication information indicates the communication status of vehicle 10. Vehicle power source information indicates the power source status of vehicle 10. 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 capacity information indicates the remaining capacity of a battery (not shown) installed in vehicle 10. Vehicle charging information indicates whether vehicle 10 is being charged at a charging facility (not shown) that can charge the battery of vehicle 10.

[0045] <Driving history information> The driving history information D13 is information that indicates the driving history of the vehicle 10. For example, the driving history information D13 indicates the driving route of the vehicle 10 in association with time.

[0046] <Calculation device information> The arithmetic unit information D14 is information related to the arithmetic unit 105 mounted on the vehicle 10. For example, the arithmetic unit information D14 includes an arithmetic unit ID set in the arithmetic unit 105, arithmetic unit performance information indicating the performance of the arithmetic unit 105, etc. The arithmetic unit ID is an example of arithmetic unit identification information for identifying the arithmetic unit 105. The performance of the arithmetic unit 105 indicated in the arithmetic unit performance information includes a calculation capacity indicating the calculation capacity (specifically, the maximum calculation capacity) of the arithmetic unit 105, the ratio of the CPU to the GPU in the arithmetic unit 105, etc. The calculation capacity of the arithmetic unit 105 is the amount of data that the arithmetic unit 105 can calculate (process) per unit time.

[0047] <Operation history information> The operation history information D15 is information related to the operation state of the arithmetic device 105. For example, the operation history information D15 is information indicating the operation state and the non-operation state for each time period of a day, with the operation state being when the arithmetic device 105 is used for driving control and the non-operation state being when the arithmetic device 105 is not used for driving control. The operation history information D15 may indicate the operation state and the non-operation state of the vehicle 10 separately for weekdays and holidays, or separately for each day of the week. Whether the arithmetic device 105 is in the operation state or the non-operation state may be determined based on, for example, the on / off state of the ignition or the power supply, or the on / off state of the parking lock, as described above.

[0048] (User terminal configuration) The user terminal 20 is a terminal device owned by a user. The user operates the user terminal 20 to use various functions. The user can also carry the user terminal 20. Examples of such user terminals 20 include smartphones, tablets, and laptop-type personal computers.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 4, the user terminal 20 includes an input unit 201, an output unit 202, a communication unit 203, a storage unit 204, and a control unit 205.

[0050] The input unit 201 inputs information and data. Examples of the input unit 201 include an operation unit that is operated to input information corresponding to the operation, a camera that inputs an image showing information, and a microphone that inputs audio showing information. For example, a user can operate the operation unit to access the navigation system of the vehicle 10 and thereby register a reservation for a destination. The information input to the input unit 101 is sent to the calculation device 105.

[0051] The output unit 202 outputs information and data. Examples of the output unit 202 include a display unit that outputs an image representing information, and a speaker that outputs sound representing information.

[0052] The communication unit 203 transmits and receives information and data. The information and data received by the communication unit 303 are sent to the control unit 205.

[0053] The storage unit 204 stores information and data.

[0054] The control unit 205 controls each unit of the user terminal 20. The control unit 205 has a processor, a memory, etc. The memory stores a program for operating the processor, information and data indicating the processing results of the processor, etc.

[0055] In this example, the storage unit 204 stores terminal information D21, terminal state information D22, and schedule information D23.

[0056] <Device Information> The terminal information D21 is information related to the user terminal 20. For example, the terminal information D21 includes a user terminal ID set in the user terminal 20, user terminal performance information indicating the performance of the user terminal 20, etc. The user terminal ID is an example of user terminal identification information that identifies the user terminal 20.

[0057] <Device status information> The terminal status information D22 is information indicating the status of the user terminal 20. The terminal status information D22 includes user terminal communication status information indicating the communication status of the user terminal 20, etc.

[0058] <Schedule Information> The schedule information D23 indicates the behavior history and behavior schedule of the user who owns the user terminal 20. The schedule information D23 can be acquired by a schedule function installed in the user terminal 20. Specifically, when a user uses the schedule function to input his or her own behavior history and behavior schedule into the user terminal 20, the schedule information D23 indicating the behavior history and behavior schedule of the user is obtained.

[0059] (Client-server configuration) The client server 30 is owned by a client, who requests the calculation of job data. Examples of such clients include companies, research institutes, and educational institutions.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 5, the client server 30 includes an input unit 301, an output unit 302, a communication unit 303, a storage unit 304, and a control unit 305.

[0061] The input unit 301 inputs information and data. Examples of the input unit 301 include an operation unit that is operated to input information corresponding to the operation, a camera that inputs an image representing information, and a microphone that inputs audio representing information. The information and data input to the input unit 301 is sent to the control unit 305.

[0062] The output unit 302 outputs information and data. Examples of the output unit 302 include a display unit that outputs an image representing information, and a speaker that outputs sound representing information.

[0063] The communication unit 303 transmits and receives information and data. The information and data received by the communication unit 303 are sent to the control unit 305.

[0064] The storage unit 304 stores information and data.

[0065] The control unit 305 controls each unit of the client server 30. The control unit 305 has a processor, a memory, etc. The memory stores a program for operating the processor, information and data indicating the processing results of the processor, etc.

[0066] In this example, the storage unit 304 stores client information D31 and job data D1.

[0067] <Client Information> The client information D31 is information about the client. The client information D31 includes a client ID set for the client, a client-server ID set for the client server 30 owned by the client, a person in charge's name, address, telephone number, etc. The client ID is an example of client identification information that identifies the client. The client-server ID is an example of client-server identification information that identifies the client server 30.

[0068] <Job Data> The job data D1 is data corresponding to a job and is processed to execute the job.

[0069] The 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 tend to require complex calculations with many conditional branches, such as simulation calculations. Job data D1 of the GPU-based calculation type tend to require a huge amount of simple calculations, such as image processing and machine learning.

[0070] Furthermore, the job data D1 can be classified according to the processing conditions of the job. Examples of processing conditions include processing conditions that require constant communication and processing conditions that do not require constant communication. Job data D1 with processing conditions that require constant communication requires that the computing resources (i.e., each computing device 105) be able to communicate at all times in the grid computing process. Job data D1 with processing conditions that do not require constant communication does not require that the computing resources be able to communicate at all times in the grid computing process.

[0071] Note that job information related to a job may be stored in the storage unit 304. The job information includes job name information indicating the name of the job, job content information explaining the content of the job, job data information regarding job data corresponding to the job, job deadline information indicating the deadline for the job, etc. The job data information indicates the calculation type, processing conditions, required calculation capacity, importance of the job, etc. of the job data.

[0072] (Administration Server Configuration) The management server 50 manages the operation of the system 1, which is configured as a grid computing system. The management server 50 is owned by the operator that operates the system 1.

[0073] 6, the management server 50 includes an input unit 501, an output unit 502, a communication unit 503, a storage unit 504, and a control unit 505. The configurations of the input unit 501, output unit 502, communication unit 503, storage unit 504, and control unit 505 of the management server 50 are the same as the configurations of the input unit 301, output unit 302, communication unit 303, storage unit 304, and control unit 305 of the client server 30.

[0074] In this example, the memory unit 504 stores a user table D51, a computing device table D52, a client table D53, a job table D54, a resource table D55, a matching table D56, internet attribute information D8, job data D1, and calculation result data D2.

[0075] <User table> The user table D51 is a table for managing users. For each user, the user table D51 registers a user ID set for the user, a vehicle ID set for the vehicle 10 owned by the user, a calculation device ID set for the calculation device 105 owned by the user, a user terminal ID set for the user terminal 20 owned by the user, and the like.

[0076] <Calculation Unit Table> The arithmetic device table D52 is a table for managing the arithmetic devices 105. In the arithmetic device table D52, for each arithmetic device 105, a arithmetic device ID set in the arithmetic device 105, a user ID set for the user who owns the arithmetic device 105, a vehicle ID set for the vehicle 10 in which the arithmetic device 105 is installed, etc. are registered.

[0077] Furthermore, the arithmetic device table D52 registers, for each arithmetic device 105, the performance of each arithmetic device 105 (such as computing capacity and the ratio of CPU to GPU), the operating status of each arithmetic device 105 (operating history and operation schedule), etc. In other words, the arithmetic device table D52 includes operating status information D5 indicating the operating status of each of the multiple arithmetic devices 105, and performance information D6 indicating the performance of each of the multiple arithmetic devices 105. The performance information D6 includes computing capacity information D7 indicating the computing capacity of each of the multiple arithmetic devices 105.

[0078] The management server 50 communicates with each vehicle 10 to periodically acquire information about these arithmetic units 105 and updates the arithmetic unit table D52.

[0079] <Client Table> The client table D53 is a table for managing clients. For each client, the client table D53 registers a client ID set for that client, a client server ID set for the client server 30 owned by the client, the name, address, and telephone number of the person in charge of that client. The client table D53 records the usage history of grid computing for each client.

[0080] <Job Table> The job table D54 is a table for managing jobs requested by clients. For each job, the job table D54 registers the reception number set for that job, the client ID set for the client that requested the job, the name and content of the job, etc. The job table D54 also registers for each job the calculation type and processing conditions of the job data corresponding to that job, the required calculation capacity that is the calculation capacity required to calculate the job data, the delivery date set for that job, the availability request level for that job, etc.

[0081] <Resource Table> The resource table D55 is a table for managing the computing capacity in grid computing processing. In the resource table D55, for each computing device 105, the computing device ID set for that computing device 105 is registered.

[0082] Matching Table The matching table D56 is a table for managing the results of matching processing between jobs and grid groups GC. For each job, the matching table D56 registers the reception number set for that job, the job data corresponding to that job, and the arithmetic device ID set for each arithmetic device 105 that constitutes the grid group GC that is assigned to that job data by the matching processing.

[0083] Availability Table The availability table D57 is a table for selecting a grid group GC to which the job data D1 is allocated according to the availability requirement level of the job. The availability table D57 will be described in detail later.

[0084] <Job Data> The job data D1 stored in the storage unit 504 is the accepted job data D1. This job data D1 is the job data before being distributed into partial job data for distributed processing.

[0085] <Calculation result data> The calculation result data D2 stored in the storage unit 504 is calculation result information calculated by grid computing processing, and indicates the results of the calculation.

[0086] <Internet attribute information> The internet attribute information D8 stored in the storage unit 504 is information relating to the communication network between the management server 50 and the vehicles 10 having the arithmetic devices 105 that make up the grid group GC. The storage unit 504 stores the internet attribute information D8 for each vehicle 10. The detailed contents of the internet attribute information D8 will be described later.

[0087] (Job processing using grid computing) Next, job calculation processing using grid computing will be described with reference to FIG.

[0088] First, in step S1, the control unit 505 identifies a grid group GC on which grid computing processing is to be performed. Details of the process by which the control unit 505 identifies a grid group GC will be described later.

[0089] Next, in step S2, the control unit 505 accepts the job. Specifically, in response to an operation by the client's staff member, the client server 30 transmits a job request application to the management server 50. In response to the application, the control unit 505 of the management server 50 performs the following process.

[0090] The control unit 505 requests the client server 30 to transmit information required to accept the job (specifically, client information related to the client requesting the job and job information related to the job). In this example, the control unit 505 transmits image data of the job acceptance screen to the client server 30. The control unit 305 of the client server 30 reproduces the image of the job acceptance screen from the image data, and causes the output unit 302 (display unit) to output (display) the image.

[0091] 8, the job reception screen is a screen for inputting information required to receive a job. The job reception screen has a client name input field R101 for inputting the client name, a person in charge name input field R102 for inputting the name of the person in charge of the client, an address input field R104 for inputting the client's address, a job name input field R111 for inputting the name of the job, a job content input field R112 for inputting a description of the job content, a calculation type input field R113 for inputting the calculation type of the job data corresponding to the job, a processing condition input field R114 for inputting the processing conditions of the job data, a required calculation amount input field R115 for inputting the required calculation amount of the job data, a deadline input field R116 for inputting the deadline of the job, an availability requirement level input field R117, and a register button B100.

[0092] The person in charge of the client operates the input unit 301 of the client server 30 to input the necessary information into the job reception screen. This inputs client information about the client requesting the job and job information about the job. Then, after completing input of this information, the person in charge of the client operates the input unit 301 of the client server 30 to press the registration button B100 on the job reception screen. When the registration button B100 is pressed, the control unit 305 of the client server 30 transmits the information input into the job reception screen (client information and job information) to the management server 50. The control unit 505 of the management server 50 receives the client information and job information and updates the client table D53 and the job table D54.

[0093] Next, in step S3, the control unit 505 matches each grid group GC with the job. The control unit 505 checks the job data information and causes each computing device 105 that configures a grid group GC suitable for executing the job to execute the job. The control unit 505 updates the matching table D56 and stores the results of this matching. The process by which the control unit 505 matches a grid group GC with a job will be described in detail later.

[0094] Next, in step S4, the control unit 505 causes each of the allocated arithmetic units 105 to execute arithmetic processing of the job data.

[0095] Next, in step S5, the control unit 505 determines whether or not all of the arithmetic devices 105 to which the job data D1 has been distributed have completed their calculations. If all of the arithmetic devices 105 have completed their calculations, the control unit 505 proceeds to step S6, and if at least some of the arithmetic devices 105 have not completed their calculations, the control unit 505 returns to step S4 and continues the calculation of the job.

[0096] Then, in step S6, the operator of the system 1 grants a reward to the user who provided the computing power of the computing device 105 for the grid computing process. Examples of the reward granted to the user include points that can be used in the system 1, virtual currency, and product discount benefits. For example, the control unit 505 of the management server 50 performs a process for granting a reward to the user who provided the computing power of the computing device 105 for the grid computing process. Examples of the process for granting a reward include a process for registering in the user table D51 a "user ID" set for the user and "points" (or virtual currency) that can be used in the system 1, and a process for transmitting information indicating a product discount benefit to the user terminal 20 owned by the user.

[0097] Furthermore, a reward may be given by the client to a user who has provided the computing power of the computing device 105 for grid computing processing. For example, the control unit 305 of the client server 30 may execute processing for giving a reward to a user who has provided the computing power of the computing device 105 for grid computing processing.

[0098] In order to improve the probability of completing the job processing and obtaining the calculation results in the system 1, it is necessary to take measures against system failures and improve the availability of the system 1. In grid computing processing, the Internet is used for communication, so measures against network failures are particularly necessary. To improve the availability of the system 1, for example, in a typical cloud service, servers serving as computing resources are installed on multiple continents (such as Eurasia and North America), and the same job is executed on each server. In contrast, in grid computing processing in which the computing device 105 of the vehicle 10 is used as a grid group GC, the vehicle 10 moves, and therefore, unlike the cloud service described above, the Internet environment of the vehicle 10 changes dynamically. Therefore, in this embodiment, the mobility of the vehicle 10 is utilized to improve the availability of the system 1. Specifically, a grid group GC is appropriately identified based on the Internet attribute information D8 of the vehicle 10, and the same job is assigned to multiple grid groups GC having different Internet attribute information D8.

[0099] The following describes in detail how the control unit 505 identifies the grid group GC and matches the grid group GC with the job.

[0100] (Identifying grid groups) In this embodiment, the control unit 505 acquires the internet attribute information D8 for each vehicle 10, and divides the vehicles 10 into a plurality of vehicle groups based on the internet attribute information D8. Specifically, the control unit 505 identifies the grid group GC according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0101] First, in step S11, the control unit 505 acquires the internet attribute information D8 of the vehicle 10 for each vehicle 10.

[0102] 10 shows an example of the internet attribute information D8. The internet attribute information D8 includes vehicle ID information D81, location information D82, provider information D83, network route information D84, time zone information D85 at the location, power company information D86, etc. The vehicle ID information D81 is the same as the vehicle ID recorded in the user table D51 and is used to identify the vehicle 10.

[0103] The location information D82 is information indicating the location of the vehicle 10. The control unit 505 acquires the location information D82 from the position of the vehicle 10 stored in the vehicle state information D12. In other words, the location indicated by this location information D82 corresponds to the location stored in the vehicle state information D12. The location information D82 indicates not only the latitude and longitude of the location of the vehicle 10, but also the country or region identified from the latitude and longitude. In other words, the location information D82 records information such as XX prefecture in Japan, XX state in the United States, or △△ province in China as the location of the vehicle 10.

[0104] The provider information D83 is information about providers that are passed through on the communication path between the management server 50 and the vehicle 10 (strictly speaking, the communication unit 103). In IP communication from the vehicle 10 to the management server 50, the control unit 505 identifies the providers that are passed through by checking the IP address assigned to the vehicle 10.

[0105] The network path information D84 is information indicating a network path between the provider and the vehicle 10. The control unit 505 identifies the network path by checking how the communication network 5 is hopped between the management server 50 and the vehicle 10, for example, using a Tracert command or a Traceroute command.

[0106] The time period information D85 is information indicating the time period at the location indicated by the location information D82. The time period information D85 is not information indicating a specific time, but information indicating, for example, which of the three time periods, morning, afternoon, or night, the current time period is. The time period information D85 is automatically determined in accordance with the location information D82 in relation to the time difference. The time periods are not limited to three, and may be divided into four, for example, morning, afternoon, night, and late night.

[0107] The electric power company information D86 is information indicating an electric power company that supplies electric power when charging the vehicle 10. The control unit 505 identifies the electric power company from, for example, the location indicated by the location information D82.

[0108] The location information D82, provider information D83, network path information D84, and power company information D86 also include past performance information. This past performance information is, for example, information about past natural disasters in the location indicated by the location information D82, or information about past system failures of the provider indicated by the provider information D83. This past performance information is the same if the location, provider, network path, and power company indicated by each of the information D82 to D84, D86 are the same.

[0109] 9, after acquiring the network attribute information D8, in S12 the control unit 505 divides the vehicles 10 into groups based on the internet attribute information D8. The control unit 505 divides the vehicles 10 into groups so that vehicles 10 having all the same attribute information in the internet attribute information D8 belong to the same group, and vehicles 10 having different at least one piece of attribute information included in the internet attribute information D8 belong to different groups, thereby identifying a plurality of vehicle groups.

[0110] Then, in step S13, the control unit 505 identifies the grid group GC. The control unit 505 identifies the grid group GC such that, in each grid group GC, the vehicle groups to which the calculation devices 105 that make up the grid group GC belong are the same. More specifically, the control unit 505 identifies the grid group GC such that, within the same grid group GC, the vehicle groups to which the calculation devices 105 belong are the same, and between different grid groups GC, the vehicle groups to which the calculation devices 105 belong are different. Note that, in this specification, the "vehicle group to which the calculation device 105 belongs" refers to the vehicle group to which the vehicle 10 having the calculation device 105 belongs.

[0111] After step S13, the process returns.

[0112] Fig. 11 schematically shows grid groups GC identified according to the above-mentioned flowchart by the control unit 505. In Fig. 11, GC1 to GC4 indicate different grid groups GC, P1 to P5 indicate different providers, and Power A to Power C indicate different power companies.

[0113] As shown in FIG. 11 , the vehicle group to which each arithmetic device 105 constituting the first grid group GC1 belongs is located in the United States and communicates with the management server 50 via the first provider P1 and the third provider P3. Each vehicle 10 having each arithmetic device 105 in the first grid group GC1 is supplied with power from electric power company A. The vehicle group to which each arithmetic device 105 constituting the second grid group GC2 belongs is located in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, and communicates with the management server 50 via the second provider P2 and the fourth provider P4. Each vehicle 10 having each arithmetic device 105 in the second grid group GC2 is supplied with power from electric power company B. The vehicle group to which each arithmetic device 105 constituting the third grid group GC3 belongs is located in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, and communicates with the management server 50 via the second provider P2 and the fourth provider P4. Each vehicle 10 having each arithmetic device 105 in the third grid group GC3 is supplied with power from electric power company B. The vehicle group to which each arithmetic device 105 constituting the fourth grid group GC4 belongs is located in Hokkaido, Japan, and communicates with the management server 50 via the second provider P2 and the fifth provider P5. Each vehicle 10 having each arithmetic device 105 in the fourth grid group GC4 is supplied with power from electric power company C. Note that the vehicle group to which each arithmetic device 105 in the second grid group GC2 belongs and the vehicle group to which each arithmetic device 105 in the third grid group GC3 belongs have the same location and provider, and only the network route is different.

[0114] In this way, the control unit 505 divides the vehicles 10 into groups, so that each grid group GC can be configured with the arithmetic devices 105 that belong to vehicle groups with different internet attribute information.

[0115] The control unit 505 identifies the grid group GC according to the flowchart at a predetermined frequency (for example, about 10 times a day). At this time, when the vehicle 10 moves and identifies the grid group GC at a certain first timing, the calculation device 105 may belong to the vehicle group of the third grid group GC3, but when the grid group GC is identified at a subsequent second timing, the calculation device 105 may belong to the vehicle group of the second grid group GC2. In this case, the control unit 505 identifies the calculation device 105 as constituting the third grid group GC3 at the first timing, and as constituting the second grid group GC2 at the second timing. In this way, the control unit 505 dynamically identifies grid groups GC in accordance with changes in the internet attribute information accompanying the movement of the vehicle 10.

[0116] The control unit 505 identifies grid groups GC more frequently during the day than at night. This is because vehicles 10 generally move more frequently during the day than at night. Because the time period differs depending on the location of the computing device 105 due to time differences, the control unit 505 obtains information related to the time period from the internet attribute information D8 and then adjusts the frequency with which it identifies grid groups GC.

[0117] (Matching grids and jobs) The control unit 505 adjusts the grid group GC to which the job is allocated according to the availability requirement level of the job. Specifically, the control unit 505 identifies the grid group GC according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0118] First, in step S31, the control unit 505 analyzes the availability requirement level of the job. The availability requirement level is basically the availability requirement level set by the client at the time of acceptance. The control unit 505 may reset the availability requirement level based on the required computational volume and delivery date of the job. The control unit 505 determines the availability requirement level for each job and updates the job table D54. The availability requirement level is divided into seven levels, for example, as shown in FIG. 13.

[0119] Next, in step S32, the control unit 505 determines whether or not it is necessary to duplicate the job and perform calculation processing on multiple grid groups GC. If the result is YES, meaning that it is necessary to duplicate the job, the control unit 505 proceeds to step S33, but if the result is NO, meaning that it is not necessary to duplicate the job, the control unit 505 proceeds to step S35.

[0120] In step S33, the control unit 505 selects grid groups GC to which the job data D1 is to be allocated, taking into consideration the availability requirement level of the job. The control unit 505 determines the number of grid groups GC to which the job data D1 is to be allocated, and selects the determined number of grid groups GC. Because the control unit 505 identifies grid groups GC by dividing into vehicle groups as described above, when selecting one grid group GC and another grid group GC, the control unit 505 selects, as the other grid group GC, a grid group GC made up of each arithmetic device 105 that belongs to a vehicle group different from the vehicle group to which each arithmetic device 105 that makes up the one grid group GC belongs.

[0121] The control unit 505 selects a grid group GC to which the job data D1 is assigned based on the availability table D57 shown in Fig. 13. The larger the number in the availability table D57, the higher the availability requirement level. Note that the "continent" in the availability table D57 refers to the Eurasian continent or the North American continent, and is information identified from the location information D82.

[0122] The control unit 505 sets priorities for attribute information in the internet attribute information D8 that should be different between grid groups GC, and also sets attribute information with higher priorities to be different between grid groups GC as the availability requirement level of the job increases. The priorities are highest in the following order: network path information D84, provider information D83, and continent (location information D82). For example, when the availability requirement level is level 7 or 6, the continents on which the computing devices 105 (i.e., grid groups GC) are located must be different between grid groups GC. In this case, the control unit 505 allocates job data to the first grid group GC1 and the second grid group GC2 shown in FIG. 11. When the availability requirement level is level 5 or 4, the continents on which the grid groups GC are located may be the same, but the providers must be different. In this case, the control unit 505 allocates job data to the second grid group GC2 and the fourth grid group GC4 shown in FIG. 11. When the availability requirement level is level 3 or 2, the continent of location and provider may be the same between grid groups GC, but the network routes must be different. In this case, the control unit 505 allocates job data to the second grid group GC2 and the third grid group GC3 shown in Fig. 11. When the availability requirement level is level 1, there are no particular restrictions, and the control unit 505 can select any grid group GC.

[0123] Furthermore, when the availability requirement level is relatively high, the control unit 505 takes into account past performance information. For example, when the availability requirement level is level 7, the control unit 505 excludes from the candidates grid groups GC that are located on continents where large earthquakes have occurred in the past or continents where typhoons are approaching. On the other hand, when the availability requirement level is level 6, the control unit 505 selects any grid group GC as long as the continent on which the computing device 105 is located is different, without taking into account past performance information. Also, for example, when the availability requirement level is level 5, the control unit 505 excludes from the candidates grid groups GC that are routed through a provider where a system failure recently occurred, when selecting a grid group GC. On the other hand, when the availability requirement level is level 4, the control unit 505 does not take into account past performance information, but selects any grid group GC as long as the provider information D83 differs between the vehicle groups to which each grid group GC belongs.

[0124] Note that even when the availability requirement level of a job is low, the attribute information with a high priority may differ. For example, when the availability requirement level is level 2, the provider information D83 may differ between the vehicle groups to which the calculation devices 105 of the selected grid groups GC belong. In other words, as long as the availability requirement level of the job is satisfied, the attribute information with any priority may differ between the vehicle groups.

[0125] 12, after selecting the grid group GC to which the job data D1 is to be assigned, in step S34, the control unit 505 copies the job data D1 and assigns the job data D1 to each grid group GC selected in step S33. As a result, the same job is processed by grid computing using multiple grid groups GC.

[0126] In step S35, the control unit 505 arbitrarily selects a grid group GC and assigns the job data D1 to it.

[0127] After steps S34 and S35, the process returns.

[0128] In this way, when a job assigned to one grid group GC is duplicated and processed in another grid group GC, by selecting a grid group GC made up of calculation devices 105 that belong to a vehicle group different from the vehicle group to which the calculation devices 105 that make up the one grid group GC belong as the other grid group GC and assigning the duplicated job, even if an internet failure occurs in one grid group GC, calculation can continue in the other grid group GC, thereby improving the availability of the system 1.

[0129] When selecting a grid group GC, the time zone of the location of the grid group GC may be further taken into consideration. Specifically, the control unit 505 may preferentially select a grid group GC where the time zone of the location is night. As described above, the vehicle 10 is less likely to move at night compared to morning or afternoon, and the calculation capacity of the grid group GC is more likely to be maintained. For this reason, the availability of the grid group GC is higher when the time zone of the location of the grid group GC is night compared to when the time zone of the location of the grid group GC is morning or afternoon.

[0130] Furthermore, when selecting a grid group GC, the electric power company that supplies power to the grid group GC may also be taken into consideration. That is, the power of the battery mounted on the vehicle 10 is used for calculations in the calculation device 105. Therefore, in a state where charging is not possible, the calculation capacity is limited. Therefore, by taking into consideration whether the electric power company can stably supply power, it is possible to further improve the availability of the grid group GC.

[0131] Therefore, in this embodiment, the management server 50 includes a communication unit 503 that can communicate with each of the multiple arithmetic devices 105 via the Internet, and a control unit 505 that performs control related to grid computing. The control unit 505 is configured to perform an information acquisition process (step S11) of acquiring, for each vehicle 10, internet attribute information D8, which is attribute information including the internet service provider through which communication between the communication unit 503 and the communication unit 103 of each vehicle 10 passes and the network route from the internet service provider, and a group identification process (step S12) of comparing the acquired internet attribute information D8 and grouping each vehicle 10 so that vehicles 10 having all the same attribute information in the internet attribute information D8 belong to the same group, while vehicles 10 having at least one different piece of attribute information included in the internet attribute information D8 belong to different groups, thereby identifying multiple vehicle groups.Furthermore, when the control unit 505 duplicates a job assigned to one grid group GC and performs calculation processing on another grid group GC, it selects as the other grid group GC a grid group GC composed of each calculation device 105 belonging to a vehicle group different from the vehicle group to which each calculation device 105 constituting the one grid group GC belongs, and assigns the duplicated job (steps S13, S33, S34). As a result, even if a network failure occurs between one of the selected grid groups GC and the management server 50, the other grid groups GC can be kept in a state where the network failure does not occur. Furthermore, since the vehicle group to which the calculation device 105 belongs changes dynamically as the vehicle 10 moves, the grid group GC is dynamically identified. Therefore, at the time of allocating job data D1, the job can be processed by a grid group GC made up of calculation devices 105 that belong to a vehicle group that is expected to have high availability. As a result, the availability of the grid computing system 1 can be improved.

[0132] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the internet attribute information D8 includes the location of each vehicle 10. This allows the grid group GC made up of the computing devices 105 that belong to a vehicle group in an area where natural disasters such as typhoons and earthquakes are expected to occur to be excluded from the allocation destinations of the job data D1, thereby further improving the availability of the grid computing system 1.

[0133] In particular, in this embodiment, the internet attribute information D8 includes the time zone of the location of each vehicle 10. This makes it easier to select, as an allocation destination for the job data D1, a grid group GC made up of computing devices belonging to a vehicle group in which the time zone of the location value of the vehicle 10 is a time zone in which the movement of the vehicle 10 is low. As a result, the availability of the grid computing system 1 can be further improved.

[0134] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control unit 505 sets priorities for attribute information that should be different between grid groups GC among the internet attribute information D8, and the higher the availability requirement level for a job, the higher the priority of attribute information that is set to be different between grid groups GC. This makes it easier to prevent a network problem that occurs in one grid group GC from affecting other grid groups GC, thereby further improving the availability of the grid computing system 1.

[0135] In particular, in this embodiment, the priority of the provider information D83 is set higher than the priority of the network path information D84. That is, if only the network path is different, the provider may be the same. In this case, if only the network path is different, an Internet failure at the provider may prevent the job's computation processing from continuing even in the replication destination grid group. On the other hand, if the provider is different, the network path is necessarily different. Therefore, even if an Internet failure occurs at one provider, the Internet failure will not occur in the provider and network path through which the replication destination grid group passes. In other words, using different providers increases availability. Therefore, by setting the priority of the provider information D83 higher than the network path information D84, an appropriate grid group GC can be selected according to the availability requirement level of the job. This further improves the availability of the grid computing system 1.

[0136] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the location information D82 of the vehicle 10, particularly the information on the continent where the vehicle 10 is located, is given a higher priority than the priority of the provider information D83. That is, even if the providers passed through by each grid group GC are different, the continents where the grid groups GC are located may be the same. Therefore, if a natural disaster occurs on the continent where each grid group GC is located, there is a risk that the job processing will not be able to continue in all of the grid groups GC. On the other hand, if each grid group GC is located on a different continent, the providers passed through by each grid group GC will necessarily be different. Therefore, even if a natural disaster occurs on one continent, the job processing will not be suspended on the continent where the copy destination grid group GC is located due to the natural disaster. In other words, availability is higher when the grid groups GC (i.e., the vehicles 10) are located on different continents. Therefore, by giving a higher priority to the information on the continent where the vehicle 10 is located than the priority of the provider information D83, the availability of the grid computing system 1 can be further improved.

[0137] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control unit 505 executes the information acquisition process and the group identification process more frequently during the day than at night. That is, by increasing the monitoring frequency of the vehicle 10 during the day when the movement of the vehicle 10 is high, it is possible to accurately detect the operation group to which each operation device 105 belongs. This can further improve the availability of the grid computing system 1.

[0138] (Other embodiments) The technology disclosed herein is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be substituted within the scope of the claims.

[0139] For example, in this embodiment, after identifying a grid group GC in advance, a job is accepted and the grid group GC is matched with the job data D1. This is not a limitation; instead, after accepting a job, a grid group GC may be identified according to the job conditions, including the availability requirement level. In this case, when duplicating a job assigned to one grid group GC and performing computational processing on another grid group GC, the control unit 505 identifies a grid group GC so that the other grid group GC is configured with computation devices 105 that belong to a vehicle group different from the vehicle group to which the computation devices 105 that configure the one grid group GC belong, and assigns the duplicated job to the other grid group GC. Even in this case, the control unit 505 ultimately selects another grid group GC configured with the computation devices 105 described above.

[0140] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, an example has been given in which the availability requirement level is set to seven levels. However, the availability requirement level may be set to eight or more levels, or six or fewer levels. When the availability requirement level is set to eight or more levels, for example, the country in which the vehicle 10 is located may be added as a condition, or the region in the same country in which the vehicle 10 is located may be added as a condition. When the availability requirement level is set to six or fewer levels, it is desirable to set it to about five levels, because if the number of levels is too small, the availability may actually decrease.

[0141] The above-described embodiments are merely examples and should not be construed 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 scope of the claims equivalents are within the scope of the present disclosure. [Industrial Applicability]

[0142] The technology disclosed herein is useful for managing a group of grids that can be used for grid computing processing, in which each computing device mounted on a plurality of vehicles performs computation processing as a computation node. [Explanation of symbols]

[0143] 10 vehicles 103 Communication unit (vehicle communication unit) 105 Arithmetic equipment 503 Communications Department 505 Control Unit D8 Internet attribute information GC Grids

Claims

1. A management device for a grid group that can be used for grid computing processing in which each computing device mounted on a plurality of vehicles performs computing processing as a computing node, a communication unit capable of communicating with an in-vehicle communication unit mounted in each of the vehicles via the Internet; a control unit, The control unit an information acquisition process for acquiring, for each vehicle, internet attribute information that is attribute information including an internet service provider via which communication between the communication unit and each of the in-vehicle communication units is passed and a network route from the internet service provider; a group identification process for comparing the acquired internet attribute information and classifying the vehicles into groups so that vehicles having all the same attribute information in the internet attribute information belong to the same group, and vehicles having different at least one of the attribute information included in the internet attribute information belong to different groups, thereby identifying a plurality of vehicle groups; It is configured to be able to execute Furthermore, when the control unit duplicates the job assigned to one grid group and performs calculation processing on another grid group, the control unit selects as the other grid group a grid group composed of calculation devices belonging to a vehicle group different from the vehicle group to which each calculation device constituting the one grid group belongs, and assigns the duplicated job to the management device.

2. 2. The management device according to claim 1, A management device, wherein the internet attribute information includes information indicating the location of each of the vehicles.

3. 3. The management device according to claim 2, A management device characterized in that the internet attribute information includes information indicating the time zone of the location of each of the vehicles.

4. The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, A management device, characterized in that the control unit executes the information acquisition process and the group identification process more frequently during the day than at night.

5. The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the control unit sets priorities for the attribute information among the internet attribute information that should be made different between the grid groups, and the higher the availability requirement level of the job, the higher the priority of the attribute information that is made different between the grid groups; A management device, wherein the attribute information of the internet service provider has a higher priority than the attribute information of the network route.

6. A management method by a management device for a group of grids that can be used for grid computing processing in which each computing device mounted on a plurality of vehicles performs computation processing as a computation node, comprising: an information acquisition step of acquiring, for each vehicle, internet attribute information including an internet service provider via which communication between the management device and the in-vehicle communication unit of each vehicle passes and a network route from the internet service provider; a group identification process for comparing the acquired internet attribute information and classifying the vehicles into groups so that vehicles having all the same internet attribute information belong to the same group, and vehicles having at least one different piece of information included in the internet attribute information belong to different groups, thereby identifying a plurality of vehicle groups; A management method characterized by including a job duplication calculation step of selecting, as the other grid group, a grid group made up of calculation devices belonging to a vehicle group different from the vehicle group to which each calculation device constituting the one grid group belongs, when duplicating the job assigned to one grid group and performing calculation processing on another grid group, and assigning the duplicated job.

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