JP7079193B2 - Cryptocurrency mining system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a virtual currency mining system in which a plurality of members share arithmetic processing for mining virtual currency.

As one of the methods for implementing virtual currency mining, there is a method called pool mining (for example, Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2). In this method, mining is performed in a group consisting of multiple members, and the reward is distributed among the members. In this method, the rewards distributed are the benefits of performing mining for the members.

https://hakaisha.net/articles/423 "What is the mechanism of pool mining? I will also introduce shares and recommended mining pools." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mining_pool "Mining pool"

However, the above-mentioned conventional technique has the following problems. As a member, power must be consumed because the arithmetic processing device is operated in order to carry out mining. Since the power consumed is a cost factor, the net merit as a member is reduced accordingly. Since the unit cost of electricity is not always constant, if the mining is left to the discretion of each member, the electricity cost may exceed the mining reward.

The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the above-mentioned conventional techniques. In other words, the issue is to provide a virtual currency mining system that can carry out pool mining while suppressing the collapse of power costs among members. Even more preferably, it also seeks to provide a cryptocurrency mining system that allows intensive mining to be performed when the power cost is lower.

In the virtual currency mining system according to one aspect of the present invention, the administrator has each member have a mining arithmetic processing device to perform mining in the name of the administrator, and the administrator's management server performs mining arithmetic processing for each member. It is a system that monitors the operation status of the device and determines the amount of consideration to be returned to each member. The mining arithmetic processing device of each member is a mining unit that executes mining and a mining unit. It has a power consumption acquisition unit that acquires the power consumption value that indicates the power consumption associated with the execution of, and a transmission unit that transmits the acquired power consumption value to the management server. The management server performs mining operations for each member. A receiving unit that receives the transmission contents from the transmitting unit of the processing device, and a power reduction unit that calculates the consideration reduction value for each member by multiplying the power consumption value received by the receiving unit by a predetermined unit price coefficient. The member data storage unit that accumulates and stores the value reduction value for each member and the cumulative value of the consideration reduction value for each member stored in the member data storage unit at a predetermined timing are stored at that timing. It is configured to have a return amount determination unit that determines the consideration return amount to each member of the above and resets the cumulative value.

In the virtual currency mining system in the above aspect, pool mining is performed by the mining arithmetic processing device of each member. Here, in this system, each member's mining arithmetic processing device has a power consumption acquisition unit, and the power consumption value associated with the execution of mining in the arithmetic processing unit is acquired. The acquired power consumption value is transmitted to the management server by the transmitter. On the management server side, the receiving unit receives the transmission contents from the member side. Then, the power reduction unit calculates the consideration reduction value for each member by multiplying the received power consumption value by a predetermined unit price coefficient. The obtained consideration reduction value is accumulated and stored in the member data storage unit for each member. Then, at a predetermined timing, the return amount determination unit determines the cumulative value of the consideration return value for each member as the consideration return amount to each member at that timing. At this time, the cumulative value on the member data storage unit is reset. As a result, it is possible to efficiently perform mining as a whole system while giving each member a consideration reduction value commensurate with the power consumption.

Here, the fact that mining by each member is performed in the name of the administrator means that at least a part of the virtual currency obtained by mining belongs to the administrator. However, the manager himself does not necessarily have to be the operator of the mining pool. The management server also does not have to be a mining pool server. Even if the management server is not a mining pool server, the management server monitors the operating status of each member's mining arithmetic processing device and determines the amount of consideration returned to each member. Each member may participate in a different mining pool. At least a portion of the revenue from each mining pool needs to belong to the manager.

In the virtual currency mining system of the above aspect, each member's mining arithmetic processing device has a hash rate calculation unit that calculates a hash rate when mining is executed in the arithmetic processing unit, and each member's transmission unit. Is configured to send the calculated hash rate to the management server as well. It is desirable to have a coefficient determination unit that determines that the higher the value and the lower the value. Alternatively, instead of the coefficient determination unit, it may have a hash rate reduction unit that calculates the consideration reduction value for each member by multiplying the hash rate value received by the reception unit by a predetermined adjustment coefficient. By doing so, not only the power consumption but also the hash rate in the arithmetic processing unit is reflected in the consideration reduction amount. As a result, more efficient mining is performed.

In the virtual currency mining system of any of the above embodiments, each member can further receive power from both the private power generation power source and the commercial power system, and each member's mining arithmetic processing device has its own commercial power. In advance, the power receiving status acquisition unit that acquires at least the amount of power generated from the amount of power received from the grid and the amount of power generated by the private power generation, and the amount of power received from the commercial power system are excessive with respect to the amount of power generated by the private power generation. If the computing power of the overpowering determination unit that determines whether or not it is in the specified overpowering status and the computing power of the arithmetic processing unit is determined to be in the overpowering status, it is not determined that it is in the overpowering status. It is desirable to have a capacity adjustment unit that is lower than the case. As a result, mining will be carried out intensively when the power cost is lower. Therefore, it is possible to perform mining while making effective use of the electric power of the private power generation power source, which has a low electric power cost.

Alternatively, instead of each member's mining arithmetic processing device having an overpower receiving determination unit, the transmitting unit of each member is configured to transmit the amount of power received and the amount of power generation to the management server. An overpower receiving determination unit that individually determines for each member whether or not the amount of power received by the receiving unit is excessive with respect to the amount of power generation received by the receiving unit, and each member. The capacity adjustment unit of each member so that the calculation capacity of the member's calculation processing unit is lower when it is determined that the member is in an overpower reception status than when it is not determined to be in an overpower reception status. It may have an ability indicating unit for instructing. That is, the overpower reception status determination function may be on either the member side or the management server side.

In the virtual currency mining system of any of the above embodiments, each member's mining arithmetic processing device also has a timing unit for acquiring the mining time, which is the length of time for mining in the arithmetic processing unit. The transmission unit of each member is configured to transmit the acquired mining time to the management server, and the management server performs mining arithmetic processing for each member based on the mining time received by the reception unit. It is desirable to have an abnormality determination unit that determines whether or not the device is in a predetermined abnormal situation indicating that the device is not operating normally. This makes it possible to monitor the operating status of each member's mining arithmetic processing device on the management server side and grasp whether or not there is an abnormal status. If there is an abnormal situation, it will be possible to deal with it as an administrator.

According to this configuration, a virtual currency mining system that can perform pool mining while suppressing the collapse of power costs among members is provided. Furthermore, it is also possible to provide a virtual currency mining system that intensively performs mining in a time zone when the power cost is lower.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the whole structure of the mining system which concerns on embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the functional composition of the member who participates in a mining system which concerns on embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the arithmetic processing apparatus which concerns on embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the management server which concerns on embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the control content in the 1st use example. It is a flowchart which shows the control content in the 2nd use example. It is a flowchart which shows the control content in the 3rd use example. It is a schematic diagram which shows the contents (received data) of the database held by a management server. It is a schematic diagram which shows the contents (calculation data) of the database held by a management server. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the management server which concerns on a modification. It is a schematic diagram which shows the contents (received data) of the database held by the management server which concerns on a modification.

Hereinafter, embodiments embodying the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. This embodiment embodies the present invention as a system for performing pool mining with the overall configuration shown in FIG. The mining system 21 shown in FIG. 1 is composed of a management server 20 and a plurality of members 22. The management server 20 is managed by the administrator 15. The management server 20 and each member 22 can communicate with each other via the public line 13. Each member 22 can also join the blockchain network 14 via the public line 13.

FIG. 2 shows the functional configuration of each member 22 in participating in the mining system 21 of this embodiment. The member 22 in FIG. 2 is a general house having a power source unit 2 and a power consuming device group 3. The power consumption device group 3 includes an arithmetic processing device 1. The power source unit 2 is a portion that supplies electric power E to the power consuming equipment group 3. The power source unit 2 not only purchases power from the commercial power system 4, but also generates power in-house. As the equipment for the private power generation, the power source unit 2 has a solar power generation device 5 and a gas cogeneration device (hereinafter, “CGS”) 6. The CGS 6 is a device that uses gas fuel to generate electricity and supply hot water.

The power source unit 2 is further provided with a power receiving power meter 7, a photovoltaic power generation meter 8, and a CGS power meter 9. The power receiving power meter 7 outputs the power value purchased from the commercial power system 4. The photovoltaic power generation meter 8 outputs the power value generated by the photovoltaic power generation device 5. The CGS power meter 9 outputs the power value generated by the CGS 6. Of these, the output value of the power receiving power meter 7 may be negative. This is when the generated power of the photovoltaic power generation device 5 and the CGS 6 (mainly the photovoltaic power generation device 5) exceeds the total power demand of the power consuming equipment group 3 and becomes a reverse power flow state.

Subsequently, the arithmetic processing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the arithmetic processing apparatus 1 includes an arithmetic processing unit 10, a power value acquisition unit 11, a capacity setting unit 12, an overpower reception determination unit 16, a hash rate calculation unit 18, a timekeeping unit 19, and a transmission / reception unit 17. It is provided. The arithmetic processing device 1 basically belongs to the administrator 15 and is lent to each member 22.

The arithmetic processing unit 10 is a portion that executes arithmetic processing in the arithmetic processing apparatus 1. The arithmetic processing unit 10 generally includes a CPU (Central Processing unit) and a GPU (Graphics Processing unit), and in this embodiment, the arithmetic functions of both are used. However, even if it has only one of them, it is sufficient if it has sufficient computing power. The arithmetic processing unit 10 in the present embodiment can adjust the arithmetic capacity.

The electric power value acquisition unit 11 is a unit that acquires values related to the electric power purchase status and the power generation status from the electric power source unit 2. Specifically, each output value is acquired from the power receiving power meter 7, the photovoltaic power generation power meter 8, and the CGS power meter 9. The power value acquisition unit 11 also acquires the power consumption value due to the arithmetic processing in the arithmetic processing unit 10. The capacity setting unit 12 is a unit for setting the calculation capacity of the calculation processing unit 10. That is, the arithmetic capacity of the arithmetic processing unit 10 is set by adjusting the operating frequency of the arithmetic processing unit 10 or the voltage applied to the arithmetic processing unit 10 as the operating voltage. Details will be described later. Of course, the arithmetic processing device 1 also operates with the electric power E supplied from the electric power source unit 2.

The overpower receiving determination unit 16 is a part that determines whether or not the power supply status of the member 22 to the power consuming device group 3 is the overpower receiving status. The overpowered state means a situation in which the degree of occupancy of the power purchased from the commercial power system 4 (output value of the power receiving power meter 7) in the power E is higher than the predetermined judgment standard. This is a situation where the cost of electric power E is high. This is because the low-cost privately generated power generated by the photovoltaic power generation device 5 and the CGS 6 has not been fully utilized. On the other hand, the situation in which the self-generated power (the total of the output values of the photovoltaic power generation meter 8 and the CGS power meter 9) occupies a high degree in the power E in light of the above-mentioned determination criteria is not an overpower receiving situation. The criteria for determining whether or not there is an overpower reception status are set in advance. The details will be described later.

The hash rate calculation unit 18 is a unit for calculating the hash rate in the arithmetic processing unit 10. The hash rate is an index showing the calculation speed of mining processing. The higher the hash rate, the higher the efficiency of mining. Hash rate is a well-known concept, and its calculation method is also well-known. The timekeeping unit 19 is a timer that measures the time when the arithmetic processing unit 10 performs mining processing. That is, the timekeeping unit 19 measures the mining time, which is the elapsed time from the time when the arithmetic processing unit 10 starts the mining process to the time when the mining process ends.

The transmission / reception unit 17 is a part that exchanges data with the public line 13. The purpose is to send data to the management server 20, receive commands from the management server 20, and access the blockchain network 14. The data transmitted from the transmission / reception unit 17 to the management server 20 includes the power consumption value, the hash rate, and the mining time in the arithmetic processing unit 10 in addition to the identification information of the member 22 itself. The transmission / reception unit 17 acquires these data from the power value acquisition unit 11, the hash rate calculation unit 18, and the timekeeping unit 19 and transmits them to the management server 20.

Next, the management server 20 on the administrator 15 side will be described. The management server 20 is configured as shown in FIG. The management server 20 of FIG. 4 is provided with a transmission / reception unit 24, a return unit 25, a database 23, a return amount determination unit 26, a coefficient determination unit 27, and an abnormality determination unit 28.

The transmission / reception unit 24 is a unit that transmits / receives data to / from the arithmetic processing device 1 of the member 22 via the public line 13. In the transmission / reception unit 24 of this embodiment, reception is the main. The breakdown of the data to be received is the above-mentioned data transmitted from the transmission / reception unit 17 on the arithmetic processing apparatus 1 side. Although only one arithmetic processing apparatus 1 is shown in FIG. 4, there are actually arithmetic processing apparatus 1 for the number of members 22. The reduction unit 25 is a unit that calculates the reduction value each time based on the data received from the arithmetic processing device 1 of the member 22. The reduction unit 25 is provided with a power reduction unit 29 and a hash rate reduction unit 30. The calculation is based on the power consumption value and the hash rate, respectively.

The database 23 is a part that stores various data related to the member 22 for each member. The database 23 also stores the return value for each member calculated by the return unit 25. The return amount determination unit 26 is a part that determines the actual consideration return amount to each member 22 at an appropriate timing based on the return value stored in the database 23. The coefficient determination unit 27 is a unit for determining the unit price coefficient required for calculating the reduction value in the reduction unit 25. The unit price coefficient is determined in advance prior to the calculation of the reduction value. The abnormality determination unit 28 is a unit that determines whether or not any abnormality has occurred in the arithmetic processing apparatus 1 based on the data received from the arithmetic processing apparatus 1 of the member 22. Mining time data is used for this determination.

Subsequently, the operation of the mining system 21 of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described. The operation of the mining system 21 of this embodiment is a return of consideration to the member 22 by pool mining, and is divided into an operation of the arithmetic processing device 1 of the member 22 and an operation of the management server 20 of the administrator 15. Hereinafter, they will be described in order.

First, the operation of the arithmetic processing apparatus 1 will be described. To put it simply, the operation of the arithmetic processing device 1 is to execute mining and report the execution status to the management server 20. The arithmetic processing device 1 is connected to the public line 13. The arithmetic processing device 1 can further participate in the blockchain network 14 via the public line 13. As a result, the arithmetic processing apparatus 1 can perform mining of virtual currency by the arithmetic processing unit 10. The mining of each member 22 by the arithmetic processing device 1 is performed in the name of the administrator 15, and the obtained virtual currency belongs to the administrator 15. The consideration is returned to the member 22 of the arithmetic processing apparatus 1 that has executed the mining. This gives each member 22 an incentive to carry out mining and encourages them to carry out mining as much as possible. The mining calculation content itself is known.

The mining in the arithmetic processing apparatus 1 is not performed while the member 22 directly operates the arithmetic processing apparatus 1, but is performed by internal autonomy. It should be noted that the arithmetic processing device 1 in this embodiment is dedicated to mining, and another arithmetic processing is not performed by the operation of the member 22. Then, when the mining is executed, the arithmetic capacity of the arithmetic processing unit 10 is set according to the situation of the power source unit 2. In other words, the execution of mining is suppressed when the power cost is high, and the mining is intensively executed when the power cost is low. As a result, the net profit obtained by subtracting the power cost required for mining from the consideration return amount obtained by mining is made as large as possible. The situation where the power cost is high is the above-mentioned overpower receiving situation, and the situation where the power cost is low is the situation where the overpowering situation is not.

As described above, the criteria for determining whether or not there is an overpower reception status are predetermined in the overpower reception determination unit 16, but there are a plurality of ways of determining the criteria, and any of them may be used. The determination criteria that can be set in the overpower receiving determination unit 16 of this embodiment are as follows.

The first is that the amount of private power generation is large. This is because it is not necessary to purchase electric power from the commercial electric power system 4 to consume the electric power generated by the private power generation in the electric power consuming device group 3. Specifically, a reference value is set for the total value of the output value of the photovoltaic power generation meter 8 and the output value of the CGS power meter 9. When the total value exceeds the reference value, it means that there is no overpower reception status. When the total value is less than or equal to the reference value, it means that the power is overpowered. Of the private power generation, the amount of power generated by the photovoltaic power generation device 5 is limited in the time zone that can be obtained in a day and is also affected by the weather of the day. Therefore, the amount of power generated by the photovoltaic power generation device 5 cannot be known without actually looking at the output value of the photovoltaic power generation meter 8.

Second, the power purchased from the commercial power system 4 itself can also be used as a criterion. Of course, small is a requirement to indicate that there is no overpower reception. It should be noted that the fact that the purchased power is small also means that there is a high possibility that the unit price of the grid power is low, such as in the midnight charge zone. The purchased power from the commercial power system 4 appears as a positive output value of the received power meter 7. Of course, specifically, the standard value is set in advance for this as well. When the purchased power does not reach the standard value, it means that the power is not over-received. When the purchased power is equal to or higher than the standard value, it means that the power is over-received.

As a compromise between these, it can also be determined by the composition ratio of the purchased power and the privately generated power in the power E. For example, if the ratio of the purchased power is 60% or more, the overpowered state is set, and if not, the overpowered state is not set. Alternatively, it can be determined by the difference obtained by subtracting the privately generated power from the purchased power. For example, if the difference is 250 W or more, the overpowered status can be determined, and if not, the overpowered status can be determined.

Thirdly, the back tide power to the commercial power system 4 is large. When the reverse tide power to the commercial power system 4 is large, even if the power consumption in the power consuming device group 3 is increased, the decrease in the reverse tide power has priority. Therefore, unless the reverse tide power becomes zero, the power purchase from the commercial power system 4 does not increase. In particular, when the purchase price by the reverse tide power company (operator of commercial power system 4) is declining, the merit of reverse tide of the excess power generation of private power generation is small, so it was consumed as much as possible. It's better. The power generation source of the reverse tide power may be either the solar power generation device 5 or the CGS 6, but it is mainly the solar power generation device 5. This is because it is difficult to intentionally reduce the amount of power generated by the photovoltaic power generation device 5 under a large amount of power generation.

The reverse tide power to the commercial power system 4 appears as a negative output value of the power receiving power meter 7. Therefore, when the output value of the received power meter 7 is negative and its absolute value is large, it is when the reverse tide power is large. Specifically, after all, a reference value is set in advance for the value of reverse tide power. According to this standard, when the reverse tide power exceeds the standard value, it means that there is no overpower reception status.

Fourth, the amount of power generated by the CGS 6 is smaller than the maximum amount of power generated. When the power generation amount of the CGS 6 has a surplus capacity, even if the power consumption of the power consuming device group 3 is increased, it can be dealt with by increasing the power generation amount of the CGS 6. Therefore, the power purchase from the commercial power system 4 does not increase within the range of the power generation capacity of the CGS 6. In general, the gas cost for operating the CGS 6 is lower than the power purchase cost from the commercial power system 4, so that the merit of utilizing the power generation capacity of the CGS 6 is great.

As for the amount of power generated by CGS6, a reference value is set in advance in the same manner as in each of the above-mentioned methods. However, the direction is the opposite. When the amount of power generated by CGS 6 does not reach the reference value, it means that the power is not over-received. When the amount of power generated by CGS6 is equal to or higher than the reference value, it means that the power is overpowered. Specifically, it is determined by the ratio (for example, 80%) to the maximum power generation amount of CGS6 or the difference (for example, 50W). In addition to the fact that the amount of power generated by the CGS 6 is sufficient, a condition may be added that the hot water storage tank of the CGS 6 is not full. As a result, the effect of reducing the power cost can be further enhanced.

The capacity setting unit 12 basically increases the calculation capacity of the calculation processing unit 10 when the overpower receiving condition set as described above is not obtained. On the contrary, when the power is over-received, the computing power is reduced. Then, the calculation of the calculation processing unit 10 is naturally performed within the range of the set calculation capacity. As a result, the mining calculation is concentrated in the time zone when the power cost is low, and is suppressed in the time zone when the power cost is high. As a result, the power cost generated by executing the mining operation is suppressed. Note that suppressing the execution of mining operations may include stopping the execution. The "reference values" under each of the above conditions are independent of each other.

The computing power may be set using only one of the various overpowering conditions listed above, but two or more may be used. It may be different depending on the member 22. Hereinafter, three actual usage examples of the overpower receiving situation will be described.

[First usage example: The amount of power generated by CGS 6 and the reverse tide power to the commercial power system 4 are used]
In this usage example, the output values of the power receiving power meter 7 and the CGS power meter 9 are used as the determination criteria. The content of the control in this usage example is shown in FIG. In the flow of FIG. 5, first, the output values of the CGS power meter 9 and the received power meter 7 are acquired (S1). Next, it is determined whether or not the power generation amount of the CGS 6 (output value of the CGS power meter 9) is less than the reference value (S2). If the determination in S2 is No, it is determined whether or not the received power from the commercial power system 4 (output value of the received power meter 7) is negative (S3). If the determination of S3 is Yes, it means that the tide is currently in a reverse tide state. Therefore, it is determined whether or not the reverse power (absolute value of the negative output value of the received power meter 7) is equal to or less than the reference value (S4).

In the above, when the determination of S2 is Yes, or when the determination of S4 is No, the computing power is increased (S5). This is because it is judged that the situation is not overpowered by at least one of the two types of judgment criteria, and the mining calculation should be performed intensively. On the other hand, if the determination in S3 is No, the computing power is reduced (S6). This is because both of the two types of judgment criteria are overpowered, and the execution of mining operations should be suppressed. If the determination in S4 is Yes, the computing power is left as it is (S7).

[Second usage example: The power purchased from the commercial power system 4 is also used for the first usage example]
Also in this usage example, the output values of the power receiving power meter 7 and the CGS power meter 9 are used as the determination criteria. The content of the control in this usage example is shown in FIG. The flow of FIG. 6 is obtained by adding the steps of S8 to S10 to the portion of (S3: No) → (S6) in the above-mentioned flow of FIG. Therefore, the same parts as in FIG. 5 will not be described repeatedly, and only the added parts will be described here. In this usage example, two levels, an upper limit value and a normal value smaller than the upper limit value, are preset as reference values for the power purchased from the commercial power system 4.

If the determination in S3 is No, it means that the power is currently being purchased from the commercial power system 4 instead of the reverse tide state. This purchased power is for satisfying the power demand of the entire power consuming device group 3 in FIG. 2, but the purchased power includes the power demand of the arithmetic processing device 1. In this case, in the flow of FIG. 6, it is determined whether or not the positive purchased power (the output value of the received power meter 7 itself) is less than the upper limit value, instead of immediately heading to S6 (S8). If the determination in S8 is Yes, it is further determined whether or not the purchased power is less than the normal value (S9).

In the above, if the determination in S8 is No, the computing power is set to zero (S10). That is, the mining operation is stopped. This is because the purchased power is over-received as large as the upper limit or more, and there is a possibility that the regulated current value according to the contract with the electric power company may be exceeded. Therefore, the calculation is stopped in order to reduce the purchased power as much as possible and to prevent the power interruption damage caused by exceeding the regulated current value from occurring in the calculation processing device 1. Also, in this situation, the low-cost power generation capacity of the solar power generation devices 5 and CGS6 is already used to the maximum, so a large amount of power purchased from the commercial power system 4, which is the most costly power, is used. Is. Therefore, it is not necessary to force the mining operation.

If the determination in S9 is No, the calculation is not stopped, but the calculation ability is reduced (S6). In this case, the purchased power is not as high as the upper limit, but it is relatively large as above the normal value, and the power is still over-received. Therefore, the ratio of the most expensive commercial power to the power used is high. Therefore, since the power cost is high, it is not necessary to concentrate the mining calculation. If the determination in S9 is Yes, the computing power is left as it is (S7). Since the amount of power received is less than the normal value, the usage rate of low-cost power generation capacity such as solar power generation devices 5 and CGS6 is sufficiently high, and the power cost is within the allowable range because there is no overpower reception situation. Because it can be said.

[Third usage example: Only the amount of power generated by the photovoltaic power generation device 5 is used]
In this usage example, only the output value of the photovoltaic power generation meter 8 is used as the criterion. The content of the control in this usage example is shown in FIG. In the flow of FIG. 7, first, the output value of the photovoltaic power generation meter 8 is acquired (S11). Next, it is determined whether or not the amount of power generated by the photovoltaic power generation device 5 (output value of the photovoltaic power generation meter 8) is equal to or less than the reference value (S12).

If the determination in S12 is No, the computing power is increased (S13). This is because the zero-cost privately generated power generated by solar power generation can be abundantly obtained, so the mining calculation should be concentrated rather than the overpowered situation. On the other hand, if the determination in S12 is Yes, the computing power is reduced (S4). This is because the self-generated power generated by solar power generation is not abundant, and the power required for executing the mining calculation must be covered by the power received from the commercial power system 4.

Each of the flowcharts shown in the first to third usage examples is repeatedly executed at appropriate time intervals (for example, about 1 minute to 10 minute intervals). As a result, the arithmetic capacity of the arithmetic processing unit 10 is adjusted at any time according to the situation of the power source unit 2 in FIG. 2, and a certain amount of mining processing is executed in total for one day.

In the first usage example (FIG. 5) and the third usage example (FIG. 7) described above, "raise" and "lower" appear in the flowchart regarding the computing power. This can be realized by setting two levels, a high level and a low level, for the calculation capacity of the calculation processing unit 10. For example, it is conceivable that the arithmetic capacity at a high level is the original arithmetic capacity of the arithmetic processing unit 10, and the arithmetic capacity at a low level is about half of that. That is, when these flows end with "raise" (S5, S13), the subsequent computing power is set to a high level, and when these flows end with "lower" (S6, S14), the subsequent computing power is set to a low level. To do.

In the second usage example (FIG. 6), "as is" and "stop" appear further in terms of computing power. This "stop" is to temporarily reduce the computing power to zero as described above. "As is" means that the setting of the computing power is not changed as it is. However, if it has been stopped until then and reaches "as is", the calculation may be restarted with a low level of computing power. Alternatively, a medium-level computing power may be set, and in the case of "as is", the subsequent computing power may be set to the medium-level.

Further, the first usage example and the second usage example described above can be carried out even if the power source unit 2 of FIG. 2 is not provided with the photovoltaic power generation device 5 and the photovoltaic power generation meter 8. be. Further, the above-mentioned third usage example can be carried out even if the CGS 6 and the CGS power meter 9 are not provided in the power source unit 2.

In the arithmetic processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, mining processing is performed while adjusting the arithmetic capacity as described above. At that time, the power consumption value in the arithmetic processing device 1 is acquired by the power value acquisition unit 11. Further, the hash rate in the mining process in the arithmetic processing unit 10 is calculated by the hash rate calculation unit 18. Then, these power consumption value and hash rate data are transmitted from the transmission / reception unit 17 to the management server 20 together with the identification information of the member 22 itself. This transmission is performed at an appropriate frequency. The frequency may be the same as the frequency at which each of the above flowcharts is executed, or may be different. Further, the mining time acquired by the timing unit 19 and the data of various electric power values acquired by the electric power value acquisition unit 11 may also be transmitted.

Subsequently, the operation on the management server 20 side that has received the data transmission from the arithmetic processing device 1 will be described. The process on the management server 20 side is basically to aggregate the data transmitted from each member 22 and determine the actual consideration return amount to each member 22 at an appropriate timing. Therefore, the management server 20 stores the data from each member 22 received by the transmission / reception unit 24 in the database 23. FIG. 8 shows an example of the stored contents of the database 23. The columns of "power consumption" and "hash rate" in FIG. 8 are columns in which the power consumption value of the arithmetic processing apparatus 1 transmitted from the member 22 side and the hash rate in the mining process are recorded, respectively.

Further, the return unit 25 of the management server 20 also calculates the return value to each member 22 based on the data received by the transmission / reception unit 24. The calculated reduction value is also stored in the database 23 (FIG. 9). The reduction value in the reduction unit 25 may be calculated by the power reduction unit 29 or by the hash rate reduction unit 30.

First, the calculation of the reduction value by the power reduction unit 29 will be described. The power reduction unit 29 calculates the product (P × A) of the power consumption value data P and the predetermined unit price coefficient A. The value of this product is taken as the power reduction value Q, and is recorded in the corresponding column in FIG. The unit price coefficient A is read from the coefficient determination unit 27. The coefficient determination unit 27 stores in advance the unit price coefficient A determined by the administrator 15. The administrator 15 determines the unit price coefficient A with reference to the power purchase charge from the commercial power system 4, the market price of the exchange price of the target virtual currency, and the like, and stores it in the coefficient determination unit 27. When there is a change in market conditions or the like, the manager 15 can redetermine the unit price coefficient A and overwrite the stored contents of the coefficient determination unit 27 at any time. For the calculation of the power reduction value Q, the latest unit price coefficient A at that time is used.

The calculation of the reduction value by the hash rate reduction unit 30 is based on the hash rate data H, not the power consumption value data P. That is, the hash rate reduction unit 30 calculates the product (H × B) of the hash rate data H and the predetermined adjustment coefficient B. The value of this product is the hash rate reduction value R, which is also recorded in the corresponding column in FIG. The adjustment coefficient B, like the unit price coefficient A, is appropriately determined by the administrator 15 and stored in the coefficient determination unit 27.

The calculation of the power reduction value Q and the hash rate reduction value R described here is performed for the data received at that time each time the management server 20 receives the transmission of the data from the member 22. Then, when the reception of data from the member 22 is repeated, the reduction value is accumulated in FIG. 9 for the member 22. The units of the power reduction value Q and the hash rate reduction value R are both currencies that can be used at the location of the member 22.

Then, the consideration return amount is determined by the return amount determination unit 26 at an appropriate timing. The appropriate timing is, for example, a predetermined day of each month or a predetermined day of the week of each week. At this time, the return amount determination unit 26 refers to FIG. 9 for the target member 22 in the database 23, and obtains the total S of the recorded power reduction value Q and hash rate reduction value R. This total S is the actual amount of consideration returned to the member 22 at that time. As a result, the money of the consideration return amount can be given from the manager 15 to the member 22. When the consideration return amount is determined, the recorded contents of FIG. 9 for the member 22 up to that point are cleared.

From the above, as a member 22, basically, the more mining is carried out, the larger the consideration return amount can be expected. This is because a large value as the power consumption value in the arithmetic processing device 1 is transmitted to the management server 20. Further, since the power consumption in the arithmetic processing device 1 is basically reflected in the consideration reduction amount, the power cost is unlikely to fall from the viewpoint of the member 22. Further, the more the mining is performed in the situation where the arithmetic capacity of the arithmetic processing unit 10 is increased, the more advantageous the member 22 is. This is because, in a situation where the arithmetic capacity of the arithmetic processing unit 10 is high, the arithmetic amount is of course large, but the power consumption value is also large. Also, regarding the hash rate, it is possible to expect a larger consideration return amount when the value is higher than when the value is low. A high hash rate means that mining efficiency is high.

However, among the above, the reduction based on the hash rate data H may be omitted and only the reduction based on the power consumption value data P may be performed. Nevertheless, it holds true for the present invention. This is because the basic principle of determining the amount of consideration and return while reflecting the amount of mining performed by the arithmetic processing device 1 can be achieved by itself. In that case, it is not necessary to include the hash rate data in the content transmitted from the member 22 to the management server 20. Further, it is not necessary to provide the hash rate calculation unit 18 in the arithmetic processing apparatus 1.

Further, even when the hash rate data H is used, there is a method other than the above as a method of using the data H. For example, in addition to the method of calculating the hash rate reduction value R separately from the power reduction value Q as described above, there is a method of adjusting the unit price coefficient A according to the hash rate data H. In that case, a plurality of levels of unit price coefficients A corresponding to the hash rate data H are stored in the coefficient determination unit 27. It goes without saying that the unit price coefficient A corresponding to a high hash rate is larger and the unit price coefficient A corresponding to a lower hash rate is smaller. Then, when calculating the power reduction value Q, the unit price coefficient A is selected according to the hash rate data H, and the power reduction value Q is calculated from the selected unit price coefficient A and the power consumption value data P. Even with such a method, the same effect as described above can be obtained. Of course, each unit price coefficient A in that case is predetermined by the administrator 15 including the correspondence relationship with the hash rate data H.

Here, as described above, the mining time data can be included in the content transmitted from the member 22 side to the management server 20. The mining time data is processed by the abnormality determination unit 28 in the management server 20. That is, the abnormality determination unit 28 monitors the mining time data from each member 22. This is to check whether or not the arithmetic processing device 1 on the member 22 side is in a normal operating state. If some abnormality occurs in the arithmetic processing apparatus 1, the arithmetic processing apparatus 1 does not perform sufficient mining, and therefore the efficiency of the mining system 21 that performs pool mining as a whole deteriorates. Therefore, if there is an arithmetic processing device 1 whose mining time is too short, it is recognized as a failed machine and the administrator 15 can take recovery measures.

For this reason, the abnormality determination unit 28 is preset with an abnormality determination standard for determining an abnormality in the mining time. The abnormality determination standard is the minimum operating rate at which the arithmetic processing apparatus 1 can be recognized as being in a normal operating state, and is predetermined by the administrator 15. If the operating rate calculated from the received data over a certain period of time is lower than the abnormality determination standard, it is determined that the arithmetic processing device 1 of the member 22 is in an abnormal state. In this case, the administrator 15 will take measures such as repairing the arithmetic processing apparatus 1. Some kind of warning signal may be issued from the transmission / reception unit 24 of the management server 20 to the member 22 side.

Here, a modified example of the mining system 21 will be described. In the above-described embodiment, the calculation capacity of the calculation processing unit 10 is set inside the calculation processing device 1, but it is also possible to configure the management server 20 side to perform the setting. In that case, as shown in FIG. 10, the above-mentioned overpower receiving determination unit 16 is provided in the management server 20. Further, a capacity indicating unit 31 is also provided. Then, power-related data is also transmitted from each member 22 to the management server 20. The electric power-related data are the electric power purchased from the commercial electric power system 4, the electric power generated by the photovoltaic power generation device 5, and the electric power generated by the CGS 6. Of course, these data are also recorded in the database 23 (FIG. 11).

As a result, the management server 20 also determines the overpower reception status as described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7. Of course, this determination is made individually for each member 22. Then, based on the determination result, the arithmetic capacity of the arithmetic processing unit 10 of each arithmetic processing apparatus 1 is adjusted by remote control from the capacity instruction unit 31 of the management server 20. It should be noted that whether the computing power is set on the member 22 side or the management server 20 side may differ depending on the member 22.

As described in detail above, in the mining system 21 of the present embodiment, the power consumption of the arithmetic processing device 1 placed on the member 22 side is determined by the management server 20 when performing pool mining by sharing the shares with each member 22. It is the basis for determining the amount of consideration and return on the side. This is a highly efficient system that allows each member 22 to perform mining while preventing the risk of power cost collapse. In addition, each member 22 has a private power generation facility (solar power generation device 5, CGS6), and the calculation capacity of the calculation processing device 1 is increased in a situation where the private power generation power can be utilized (a situation in which the power generation is not over-received). This further makes it possible to carry out mining while suppressing power costs. Further, by monitoring the mining time on each member 22 side on the management server 20, even if there is a malfunction of the arithmetic processing device 1, the management server 20 side can grasp it.

It should be noted that the present embodiment is merely an example and does not limit the present invention in any way. Therefore, as a matter of course, the present invention can be improved and modified in various ways other than those mentioned in the above embodiments without departing from the gist thereof. For example, in the above embodiment, each arithmetic processing apparatus 1 is owned by the administrator 15, but it is also possible for the member 22's own arithmetic processing apparatus 1 to participate in the mining system 21.

Further, even a member 22 who does not own a private power generation facility can participate in the mining system 21. This is because even the member 22 who does not own the private power generation facility has an advantage that he / she can receive the consideration reduction amount based on the power consumption of the arithmetic processing device 1 by participating in the mining system 21. Of course, even a member 22 who has only one of the photovoltaic power generation device 5 and the CGS 6 as a private power generation facility can participate in the mining system 21.

1 Arithmetic processing device 4 Commercial power system 5 Solar power generation device (private power generation power source)
6 Gas cogeneration device (private power generation power source)
10 Arithmetic processing unit 11 Power value acquisition unit 12 Capacity setting unit 15 Administrator 16 Overpower reception determination unit 17 Transmission / reception unit (transmission unit)
18 Hash rate calculation unit 19 Timekeeping unit 20 Management server 21 Mining system 22 Member 23 Database 24 Transmission / reception unit (reception unit)
25 Reduction unit 26 Reduction amount determination unit 27 Coefficient determination unit 28 Abnormality determination unit 29 Power reduction unit 30 Hash rate reduction unit 31 Capacity indicator unit E Power

Claims (5)

The administrator gives each member a mining arithmetic processing device to perform mining in the name of the administrator, and the administrator's management server monitors the operating status of each member's mining arithmetic processing device to each member. It is a virtual currency mining system that determines the amount of consideration and return of
Each member's mining arithmetic processing device has its own
The arithmetic processing unit that executes mining and
A power consumption acquisition unit that acquires a power consumption value that indexes the power consumption associated with the execution of mining in the arithmetic processing unit, and a power consumption acquisition unit.
It has a transmitter that transmits the acquired power consumption value to the management server.
The management server is
A receiving unit that receives transmission contents from the transmitting unit of the mining arithmetic processing device of each member, and a receiving unit.
A power reduction unit that calculates the consideration reduction value for each member by multiplying the power consumption value received by the reception unit by a predetermined unit price coefficient.
The member data storage unit that accumulates and stores the calculated consideration / return value for each member, and the cumulative value of the consideration / return value for each member stored in the member data storage unit at a predetermined timing. A virtual currency mining system characterized by having a return amount determination unit that determines the consideration return amount to each member at the timing and resets the cumulative value. The virtual currency mining system according to claim 1.
Each member's mining arithmetic processing device has a hash rate calculation unit that calculates the hash rate when mining is executed in the arithmetic processing unit.
The transmitter of each member is configured to also transmit the calculated hash rate to the management server.
The management server is
Prior to the calculation of the power reduction unit, the coefficient determining unit determines that the unit price coefficient is set to be higher as the value of the hash rate received by the receiving unit is higher and lower as the value of the hash rate is lower.
A hash rate reduction unit that calculates the consideration reduction value for each member by multiplying the hash rate value received by the reception unit by a predetermined adjustment coefficient.
A virtual currency mining system characterized by having either one of them. The virtual currency mining system according to claim 1 or 2.
Each member can receive power from both the private power source and the commercial power system.
Each member's mining arithmetic processing device has its own
A power receiving status acquisition unit that acquires at least the power generation amount among the power reception amount from the commercial power system and the power generation amount of the private power generation power source.
An overpower receiving determination unit for determining whether or not the amount of power received from the commercial power system is excessive with respect to the amount of power generated by the private power generation, and a predetermined overpower receiving condition.
It is characterized by having a capacity adjusting unit that lowers the calculation capacity of the calculation processing unit when it is determined to be in the overpower receiving state than when it is not determined to be in the overpowered state. Cryptocurrency mining system. The virtual currency mining system according to claim 1 or 2.
Each member can receive power from both the private power source and the commercial power system.
Each member's mining arithmetic processing device has its own
A power receiving status acquisition unit that acquires at least the power generation amount among the power reception amount from the commercial power system and the power generation amount of the private power generation power source.
It has an ability adjusting unit for adjusting the arithmetic capacity of the arithmetic processing unit.
The transmission unit of each member is configured to transmit the received power amount and the power generation amount to the management server.
The management server is
An overpower receiving determination that individually determines for each member whether or not the received power received by the receiving unit is excessive with respect to the power generation amount received by the receiving unit. Department,
Each member has a lower computing power of the arithmetic processing unit of each member when it is determined that the member is in the overpowered state than when it is not determined to be in the overreceived state. A virtual currency mining system characterized by having an ability instruction unit instructing the ability adjustment unit of the above. The virtual currency mining system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
Each member's mining arithmetic processing device has a timekeeping unit that acquires the mining time, which is the length of the mining time in the arithmetic processing unit.
The transmission unit of each member is configured to transmit the acquired mining time to the management server as well.
Based on the mining time received by the receiving unit, the management server determines whether or not there is a predetermined abnormal situation indicating that the mining arithmetic processing device of each member is not operating normally. A virtual currency mining system characterized by having a judgment unit.

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