Information processing apparatus

Abstract

This information processing device is provided with a control unit that is configured so as to execute: acquiring information relating to a first distance, which is a travel distance required for a vehicle; operating the remote air conditioner in response to a request for operating the remote air conditioner of the vehicle and a case where a charge remaining amount of a battery of the vehicle is greater than a first remaining amount, the first remaining amount being a charge remaining amount of the battery capable of traveling a first distance; and stopping the remote air conditioner in response to the charging remaining amount of the battery being equal to or less than the first remaining amount during operation of the remote air conditioner.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus. Background Art

[0002] There is known a technique for starting a remote air conditioner in consideration of the remaining battery level (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-235807). It is known that after starting the remote air conditioner, the temperature and the remaining battery level are displayed to the user, and the user determines whether to continue the air conditioning (for example, refer to International Publication No. 2013 / 124990). Summary of the Invention

[0003] An object of the present invention is to suppress a shortage of the remaining charge of a battery during vehicle travel.

[0004] One embodiment of the present invention is an information processing apparatus including a control unit configured to perform the following processing: obtaining information related to a first distance, the first distance being a travel distance required for a vehicle; in response to a request to operate a remote air conditioner of the vehicle and a situation where the remaining charge of the battery of the vehicle is more than a first remaining amount, operating the remote air conditioner, the first remaining amount being the remaining charge of the battery capable of traveling the first distance; and during operation of the remote air conditioner, in response to a situation where the remaining charge of the battery becomes equal to or less than the first remaining amount, stopping the remote air conditioner.

[0005] The present invention can also be regarded as an information processing method in which a computer executes the processing of the above information processing apparatus. Further, the present invention can also be regarded as an information processing program for causing a computer to execute the above information processing method or a non-transitory storage medium storing the information processing program.

[0006] According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress a shortage of the remaining charge of a battery during vehicle travel. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, the features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described. In the drawings, the same reference numerals denote the same elements, and:

[0008] Figure 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a system according to an embodiment.

[0009] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating a table structure of a vehicle information DB according to an embodiment.

[0010] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing processing in a server according to an embodiment.

[0011] Figure 4 This is a flowchart showing the processing executed in the server during the operation of the remote air conditioner according to the embodiment. Detailed Embodiment

[0012] When the information processing apparatus according to one mode of the present invention remotely receives a request to operate the air conditioner of the vehicle, the remote air conditioner is operated on the condition that the remaining charge of the battery is sufficient to ensure that the vehicle can travel the distance requested by the user. In addition, the remote air conditioner is, for example, an air conditioner that is remotely operated by the user from outside the vehicle, and is requested by the user to operate the air conditioner by sending a request from the outside of the vehicle using the user terminal.

[0013] Therefore, the control unit included in the information processing apparatus acquires information related to a first distance that is the distance requested to be traveled by the vehicle. The first distance is, for example, the distance from the current position to the destination, and is the distance requested by the user to travel by the vehicle. The first distance may be a distance specified by the user, for example, the distance to the destination set by the navigation system. And the control unit may estimate the route of the vehicle and calculate the distance corresponding to the route as the first distance.

[0014] Moreover, the control unit operates the remote air conditioner in response to a request to operate the remote air conditioner of the vehicle and when the remaining charge of the battery of the vehicle is more than a first remaining amount that is the remaining charge of the battery capable of traveling the first distance. And the control unit stops the remote air conditioner in response to the remaining charge of the battery becoming less than or equal to the first remaining amount during the operation of the remote air conditioner. The control unit receives, for example, a request to operate the remote air conditioner of the vehicle from the user terminal. The first remaining amount is the remaining charge of the battery related to the first distance. In addition, the remaining charge of the battery may be set as the SOC (State Of Charge). By operating the remote air conditioner only when the remaining charge of the battery is more than the first remaining amount, it is possible to suppress the case where the remote air conditioner operates even when the remaining charge of the battery is less than or equal to the first remaining amount. In addition, the remote air conditioner may be operated in response to the remaining charge of the battery being more than the first remaining amount plus a specified amount. This specified amount is an additional remaining charge consumed when operating the remote air conditioner. For example, the specified amount may be determined such that the remote air conditioner operates only for a preset time. And the specified amount can be arbitrarily determined by the user. And if the remote air conditioner is operated, the remaining charge of the battery decreases, but if the remaining charge becomes less than or equal to the first remaining amount, the control unit stops the remote air conditioner, so it is possible to suppress the remaining charge of the battery from becoming less than the first remaining amount. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the remaining charge of the battery from becoming insufficient during the movement of the vehicle.

[0015] Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The hardware structure, module structure, functional structure, etc. described in the following embodiments are not intended to limit the disclosed technical scope thereto, unless otherwise specified.

[0016] First Embodiment

[0017] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overview of the system 1 according to the embodiment. The system 1 is a system capable of remotely operating an air conditioner (hereinafter referred to as an air conditioner) of the vehicle 10 in accordance with a request sent from the user terminal 20 to the server 30. In Figure 1 this example, the system 1 is configured to include the vehicle 10, the user terminal 20, and the server 30. There may be multiple vehicles 10 and user terminals 20 respectively. Also, the server 30 may be composed of multiple servers. The vehicle 10, the user terminal 20, and the server 30 are interconnected via the network N1. Further, the network N1 is, for example, a global-scale public communication network such as the Internet, and may employ a WAN (Wide Area Network) or other communication networks. And the network N1 may include a telephone communication network such as a mobile phone, and a wireless communication network such as Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

[0018] The server 30 can be configured as a computer having a processor (CPU, GPU, etc.), a main memory (RAM, ROM, etc.), and an auxiliary memory (EPROM, hard disk drive, removable medium, etc.). An operating system (OS), various programs, various tables, etc. are stored in the auxiliary storage device, and by executing the programs stored therein, various functions (software modules) conforming to a specified purpose as described later can be realized. However, part or all of the modules can be implemented as hardware modules by hardware circuits such as ASICs and FPGAs.

[0019] The server 30 has a control unit 31, a storage unit 32, and a communication module 33. The control unit 31 is an arithmetic unit that realizes various functions of the server 30 by executing a specified program. The control unit 31 can be realized, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU. And the control unit 31 can be configured to include a RAM, a ROM, a cache memory, and so on. Details of the control unit 31 will be described later.

[0020] The storage unit 32 is a unit for storing information, and is composed of a storage medium such as a RAM, a magnetic disk, or a flash memory. Programs executed by the control unit 31, data used by the programs, etc. are stored in the storage unit 32. And databases (vehicle information DB321 and map information DB322) are constructed in the storage unit 32. Information collected from each vehicle 10 is stored in the vehicle information DB321.

[0021] Here,Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating the table structure of the vehicle information DB321 related to the embodiment. The vehicle information DB321 has fields for vehicle ID, user ID, location, route, remaining charge amount, and charging status. Information (vehicle ID) capable of identifying the vehicle 10 is stored in the vehicle ID field. Information (user ID) capable of identifying the user or the user terminal 20 is stored in the user ID field. Location information sent from the vehicle 10 is stored in the location field. Information related to the route sent from the vehicle 10 is stored in the route field. Additionally, the information related to the route includes information related to the destination. Also, the information related to the route can be information related to the route predicted by the control unit 31 of the server 30 based on the route of the vehicle 10 up to the current time and the past driving history. This prediction can utilize AI. And the information related to the route can be generated by the control unit 31 of the server 30. In this case, the control unit 31 can generate a route according to the destination input by the user in the user terminal 20. And as described below, the information related to the route can be generated by the control unit 21 of the user terminal 20. Moreover, the information related to the route can also be sent from the user terminal 20 to the server 30. Information related to the remaining charge amount of the battery 16 sent from the vehicle 10 is stored in the remaining charge amount field. Information capable of determining whether the battery 16 is being charged by an external power source is stored in the charging status field. Information capable of determining whether the battery 16 is being charged by an external power source is sent from the vehicle 10 to the server 30. Additionally, when the user registers for utilization via an application software (hereinafter simply referred to as an application) capable of performing remote air conditioning from the user terminal 20, the control unit 31 associates the vehicle ID with the user ID.

[0022] Map information including map data containing the locations of features, and POI (Point of Interest) information such as text or photos indicating the characteristics of each location on the map data is stored in the map information DB322. Additionally, the map information DB322 can also be provided by other systems connected to the network N1, such as a GIS (Geographic Information System).

[0023] The communication module 33 is a communication interface for connecting the server 30 to the network N1. The communication module 33 can be configured to include, for example, a network interface board, a wireless communication interface for wireless communication, etc. The server 30 can perform data communication with the vehicle 10 and the user terminal 20 via the communication module 33.

[0024] The vehicle 10 is a BEV (battery electric vehicle) equipped with an electric motor. The vehicle 10 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, a communication module 13, a position information sensor 14, a touch panel 15, a battery 16, an air conditioner 17, and an outside air temperature sensor 18. These components are interconnected via a CAN bus, which is an in-vehicle network bus. Additionally, these components can be components such as a DCM (Data Communication Module), an audio head unit, a navigation system, an air conditioning system, and a driving system.

[0025] The control unit 11 can be implemented, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU. Moreover, the control unit 11 can be configured to include a RAM, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a cache memory, etc. The storage unit 12 is a unit for storing information and is composed of a storage medium such as a RAM, a magnetic disk, or a flash memory. Programs executed by the control unit 11, data used by these programs, etc. are stored in the storage unit 12.

[0026] The communication module 13 is a communication unit for connecting the vehicle 10 to the network N1. In this embodiment, the vehicle 10 can communicate with other devices (such as the server 30) via the network N1 using mobile communication services such as 3G, LTE, 5G, 6G, etc. The position information sensor 14 acquires the position information (such as latitude and longitude) of the vehicle 10 at a prescribed cycle. The position information sensor 14 is, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver, a wireless communication unit, etc. The touch panel 15 is a device for receiving input from the user and for presenting information to the user. The touch panel 15 is, for example, a touch panel display including an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an EL (Electroluminescence) panel, etc. The battery 16 is a secondary battery that supplies power to the electric motor driving the vehicle 10 and the air conditioner 17. The battery 16 is charged by an external power source. The air conditioner 17 is a device that operates using the power supplied from the battery 16 to adjust the internal temperature of the vehicle 10. The outside air temperature sensor 18 is a sensor that detects the temperature outside the vehicle 10.

[0027] The control unit 11 of the vehicle 10 acquires position information, the route and destination set in the navigation system, the remaining charge of the battery 16, information capable of determining whether the battery 16 is in the charging period, etc. at regular intervals, associates them with the vehicle ID, and sends them to the server 30. Here, the position information is acquired by the position information sensor 14. Also, if the control unit 11 of the vehicle 10 receives an instruction to operate the remote air conditioner from the server 30, it operates the air conditioner 17. And, if the control unit 11 of the vehicle 10 receives an instruction to stop the operation of the remote air conditioner from the server 30, it stops the operation of the air conditioner 17. Further, the control unit 11 of the vehicle 10 generates a route based on the destination input by the user via the touch panel 15.

[0028] The user terminal 20 is a terminal used by the user of the vehicle 10, such as a smart phone, a tablet terminal, a wearable terminal, or a PC (Personal Computer). An application program capable of remotely operating the air conditioner of the vehicle 10 is installed in the user terminal 20. The user terminal 20 includes a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, a communication module 23, and a touch panel 24. Its structure is similar to that of the control unit 11, the storage unit 12, the communication module 13, and the touch panel 15 of the vehicle 10.

[0029] Also, the control unit 21 of the user terminal 20 starts the application program in response to the user clicking on the icon of the application program corresponding to the remote air conditioner displayed on the touch panel 24. Moreover, if the user makes an input via the touch panel 24 to operate the remote air conditioner, the control unit 21 of the user terminal 20 generates a request to operate the remote air conditioner and sends it to the server 30. And, when accepting the input to operate the remote air conditioner, the control unit 21 of the user terminal 20 can display a screen for the user to input the destination of the vehicle 10. Further, the control unit 21 of the user terminal 20 can send the information related to the destination of the vehicle 10 input by the user on the touch panel 24 to the server 30. The information related to this destination is an example of the information related to the first distance. The information related to this destination can be included in the request to operate the remote air conditioner sent to the server 30. And, as another example, the control unit 21 of the user terminal 20 can generate a route for the vehicle 10 based on the destination input via the touch panel 24 and send the information related to the generated route to the server 30.

[0030] Moreover, as another example, the control unit 21 of the user terminal 20 can generate a route for the vehicle 10 based on the destination input on the touch panel 24, and further calculate the distance of the generated route. The distance of the route calculated at this time corresponds to the first distance. Moreover, the control unit 21 of the user terminal 20 can send the calculated first distance to the server 30. And, as another example, the user can also input the required driving distance via the touch panel 24. That is, the user can also specify the first distance. When the control unit 21 of the user terminal 20 receives the specification of the first distance, it can display a screen for the user to input the first distance. Moreover, the control unit 21 of the user terminal 20 can send the information related to the first distance input by the user to the touch panel 24 to the server 30.

[0031] The control unit 31 of the server 30 receives from the vehicle 10 the position information acquired by the position information sensor 14, the route and destination set in the navigation system, the remaining charge of the battery 16, the information capable of determining whether the battery 16 is in the charging period, etc. Here, the position information sensor 14 acquires the position information. If the control unit 31 receives this information from the vehicle 10, it stores this information in the vehicle information DB 321. And, the control unit 31 of the server 30 can send an instruction to operate the remote air conditioner to the vehicle 10. In addition, the control unit 31 can receive a route, a destination, or a first distance from the user terminal 20 and store it in the vehicle information DB 321.

[0032] Further, the control unit 31 of the server 30 receives from the user terminal 20 a request to operate the remote air conditioner of the vehicle 10. The user starts an application for operating the remote air conditioner in the user terminal 20 and makes a prescribed input for operating the remote air conditioner. In this way, the control unit 21 of the user terminal 20 sends the request to operate the remote air conditioner to the server 30. And when the control unit 31 of the server 30 receives the request to operate the remote air conditioner from the user terminal 20, it determines whether the remaining charge of the battery 16 of the vehicle 10 is more than a first remaining amount of the remaining charge of the battery 16 that is sufficient to travel to the destination. The distance to the destination is the driving distance required of the vehicle 10 and corresponds to a first distance. The first distance is, for example, the distance to the destination set in the navigation system of the vehicle 10. Alternatively, the first distance may be calculated by the control unit 11 of the vehicle 10 and sent to the server 30, or may be calculated by the control unit 31 of the server 30 based on information related to the route and the destination. For example, the control unit 11 of the vehicle 10 sends information related to the route and the destination set in the navigation system to the server 30 at regular intervals. The control unit 31 of the server 30 that has received the information related to the route and the destination calculates the first distance based on the information stored in the map information DB 322. Moreover, the control unit 31 calculates the remaining charge of the battery 16 required to travel the first distance. For example, a formula for calculating the remaining charge of the battery 16 required to travel the first distance based on this first distance may be stored in the storage unit 32. And the control unit 31 may obtain the remaining charge of the battery 16 required to travel the first distance by substituting the first distance into this formula.

[0033] When the distance that the vehicle 10 can travel is equal to or greater than the driving distance of the vehicle 10 to the destination, the vehicle 10 can reach the destination before the remaining charge of the battery 16 runs out. Therefore, in this case, the control unit 31 of the server 30 operates the remote air conditioner. On the other hand, when the distance that the vehicle 10 can travel is shorter than the driving distance of the vehicle 10 to the destination, the remaining charge of the battery 16 may run out before the vehicle 10 reaches the destination. Therefore, in this case, the control unit 31 of the server 30 does not operate the remote air conditioner. And during the operation of the remote air conditioner, when the distance that the vehicle 10 can travel becomes shorter than the driving distance of the vehicle 10 to the destination, the control unit 31 of the server 30 stops the remote air conditioner.

[0034] In addition, when the battery 16 is charged using an external power source, the power consumed by the air conditioner 17 can be supplied by the external power. Therefore, regardless of whether the remaining charge of the battery 16 is more than the first remaining amount, the control unit 31 may operate the remote air conditioner.

[0035] Figure 3It is a flowchart showing the processing in the server 30 related to the embodiment. Figure 3 The shown flowchart is executed in the server 30 at regular intervals. In addition, it is described on the premise that the required information is stored in the vehicle information DB321 and the map information DB322.

[0036] In S101, the control unit 31 determines whether a request to operate the remote air conditioner is received from the user terminal 20. In S101, if the control unit 31 makes an affirmative determination, the process proceeds to S102; if a negative determination is made, this routine ends. In S102, the control unit 31 acquires the current position and route of the vehicle 10 from the vehicle information DB321. In addition, the route also includes information related to the destination. In S103, the control unit 31 calculates a first distance. The control unit 31 calculates the first distance with reference to the map information DB322 based on the current position of the vehicle 10, the destination of the vehicle 10, and the route of the vehicle 10. As another example, the control unit 31 can also acquire the first distance from the vehicle 10 or the user terminal 20.

[0037] In S104, the control unit 31 calculates a first remaining amount. The first remaining amount is calculated by substituting the first distance calculated in S103 into the calculation formula stored in the storage unit 32. In S105, the control unit 31 acquires the remaining charge amount. The control unit 31 refers to the vehicle information DB321 to acquire the latest remaining charge amount of the battery 16. In S106, the control unit 31 determines whether the remaining charge amount acquired in S105 is more than the first remaining amount calculated in S104. In S106, if the control unit 31 makes an affirmative determination, the process proceeds to S108; if a negative determination is made, the process proceeds to S107.

[0038] In S107, the control unit 31 determines whether the battery 16 of the vehicle 10 is in the charging period. The control unit 31 refers to the latest charging status field of the vehicle information DB321 to determine whether the battery 16 of the vehicle 10 is in the charging period. In S107, if the control unit 31 makes an affirmative determination, the process proceeds to S108; if a negative determination is made, the process proceeds to S109. In addition, the processing in S107 can also be omitted. In this case, if the control unit 31 makes a negative determination in S106, the process proceeds to S109.

[0039] In S108, the control unit 31 sends a remote air conditioner operation instruction, which is an instruction to operate the remote air conditioner, to the vehicle 10. The control unit 11 of the vehicle 10 that has received the remote air conditioner operation instruction operates the remote air conditioner. On the other hand, in S109, the control unit 31 sends a non-operation notice, which is a notice that the remote air conditioner cannot be operated, to the user terminal 20. This notice may include an instruction to display a screen corresponding to the remote air conditioner non-operation notice on the touch panel 24 of the user terminal 20. The control unit 21 of the user terminal 20 that has received the remote air conditioner non-operation notice causes the touch panel 24 to display a screen corresponding to the remote air conditioner non-operation notice.

[0040] Figure 4 It is a flowchart showing the processing executed in the server 30 during the operation of the remote air conditioner according to the embodiment. Figure 4 The flowchart shown is executed in the server 30 at regular intervals. In addition, it is described on the premise that the required information is stored in the vehicle information DB321 and the map information DB322.

[0041] In S201, the control unit 31 determines whether the remote air conditioner is in the operation period. The control unit 31 can determine that the remote air conditioner is in the operation period when, after sending the remote air conditioner operation instruction to the vehicle 10 in S108, it has not received a notice from the vehicle 10 that the operation of the remote air conditioner has stopped. For example, if the vehicle 10 is traveling during the operation of the remote air conditioner, the remote air conditioner stops. In this case, the control unit 11 of the vehicle 10 sends a notice that the remote air conditioner has stopped to the server 30. In addition, as another example, information capable of determining whether the remote air conditioner is in the operation period can be sent from the vehicle 10 to the server 30 at regular intervals. In S201, when the control unit 31 makes an affirmative determination, the process proceeds to S202, and when it makes a negative determination, this routine ends. In S202, the control unit 31 acquires the remaining charge amount. The control unit 31 refers to the vehicle information DB321 to acquire the latest remaining charge amount of the battery 16.

[0042] In S203, the control unit 31 determines whether the remaining charge amount acquired in S202 is more than the first remaining amount calculated in S104 of the Figure 3 routine shown. The first remaining amount calculated in S104 is stored in the storage unit 32. In S203, when the control unit 31 makes an affirmative determination, this routine ends. In this case, the remote air conditioner continues to operate. On the other hand, in S203, when the control unit 31 makes a negative determination, the process proceeds to S204.

[0043] In S204, the control unit 31 determines whether the battery 16 of the vehicle 10 is in the charging period. In S204, if the control unit 31 makes an affirmative determination, this routine ends; if a negative determination is made, the process proceeds to S205. Additionally, the process of S204 can also be omitted. In this case, if the control unit 31 makes a negative determination in S203, the process proceeds to S205.

[0044] In S205, the control unit 31 sends a remote air conditioner stop instruction, which is an instruction to stop the operation of the remote air conditioner, to the vehicle 10. The control unit 11 of the vehicle 10 that has received the remote air conditioner stop instruction stops the remote air conditioner. Next, in S206, the control unit 31 sends a stop operation notification, which is a notification that the operation of the remote air conditioner has been stopped, to the user terminal 20. This notification may include an instruction to display a screen corresponding to the stop operation notification on the touch panel 24 of the user terminal 20. The control unit 21 of the user terminal 20 that has received the stop operation notification displays a screen corresponding to the stop operation notification on the touch panel 24.

[0045] As described above, according to the present embodiment, while ensuring the remaining charge amount, the remote air conditioner operates, so it is possible to suppress the insufficient remaining charge amount of the battery 16 before the vehicle 10 reaches the destination. Here, the remaining charge amount is the remaining charge amount of the battery 16 required until the vehicle 10 reaches the destination.

[0046] Second Embodiment

[0047] If the air temperature is such that the user wants to use the remote air conditioner, the possibility of using the air conditioner 17 during the subsequent driving of the vehicle 10 is also relatively high. In this case, depending on the usage condition of the air conditioner 17, the degree of reduction in the remaining charge amount of the battery 16 becomes higher, so the distance that the vehicle 10 can travel may decrease. Therefore, the control unit 31 can correct the first remaining amount according to the outside air temperature. For example, when the air temperature is such that cold air is to be used, the higher the outside air temperature, the larger the first remaining amount can be made. And when the air temperature is such that warm air is to be used, the lower the outside air temperature, the larger the first remaining amount can be made. That is, the more the air conditioner 17 is used, the more remaining charge amount is required to travel the first distance. Therefore, the control unit 31 can correct it in such a way as to make the first remaining amount larger. The outside air temperature is detected by the outside air temperature sensor 18 of the vehicle 10, and the control unit 11 of the vehicle 10 sends the outside air temperature to the server 30 at regular intervals. And in Figure 3In S104 shown above, when calculating the first remaining amount, the control unit 31 performs correction corresponding to the outside air temperature. For example, the relationship between the outside air temperature and the correction coefficient of the first remaining amount can be stored in the storage unit 32 in advance. In this way, the remaining charge of the battery 16 can be ensured more reliably.

[0048] Other embodiments

[0049] The above embodiments are merely examples, and the present invention can be appropriately modified and implemented without departing from its gist. The processes or methods described in the present invention can be freely combined and implemented as long as there is no technical contradiction. Moreover, the processes described as being performed by one device can be shared and executed by multiple devices. Or, the processes described as being performed by different devices can also be executed by one device. In a computer system, it is possible to flexibly change the hardware structure (server structure) for implementing each function.

[0050] In the above embodiment, the control unit 31 of the server 30 executes Figure 3 and Figure 4 the routines shown above. However, as another example, the control unit 11 of the vehicle 10 can also execute Figure 3 and Figure 4 the routines shown above. In this case, in S101, the control unit 11 of the vehicle 10 determines whether a request to operate the remote air conditioner is received from the server 30. And, in S108, the control unit 11 of the vehicle 10 operates the remote air conditioner. And, in S109, the control unit 11 of the vehicle 10 sends a non-operable notice to the user terminal 20 via the server 30. And, in S205, the control unit 11 of the vehicle 10 stops the remote air conditioner. And, in S206, the control unit 11 of the vehicle 10 sends a stop notice to the user terminal 20 via the server 30.

[0051] Moreover, the control unit 31 of the server 30 can send an instruction to stop the remote air conditioner to the vehicle 10 when the remaining charge becomes less than or equal to the first remaining amount. In this case, the process of S106 based on the control unit 31 of the server 30 is omitted, and the control unit 31 of the server 30 executes the process of S108 after the process of S105. Moreover, the control unit 11 of the vehicle 10 executes the process of S106, and in S106, when the control unit 11 makes an affirmative determination, the remote air conditioner is operated. Moreover, Figure 3 the process shown above Figure 4 is executed by the control unit 11 of the vehicle 10. In this case, in S205, the control unit 11 of the vehicle 10 stops the remote air conditioner, and in S206, the control unit 11 of the vehicle 10 sends a stop notice to the user terminal 20 via the server 30.

[0052] The present invention can also be implemented by supplying a computer program that installs the functions described in the above embodiments to a computer, and reading and executing the program by one or more processors included in the computer. Such a computer program can be provided to the computer via a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium connectable to the system bus of the computer, or can be provided to the computer via a network. Non-transitory computer-readable storage media include, for example, any type of disk such as a magnetic disk (e.g., a floppy disk (registered trademark), a hard disk drive (HDD), etc.), an optical disk (e.g., a CD-ROM, a DVD disk, a Blu-ray disk, etc.), a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), an EPROM, an EEPROM, a magnetic card, a flash memory, an optical card, and any type of medium suitable for storing electronic instructions.

Claims

1. An information processing device, characterized in that: A control unit is provided, and the control unit is configured to execute the following processing: Acquiring information related to a first distance, where the first distance is a required driving distance for the vehicle; in response to a request to operate a remote air conditioner of the vehicle and a remaining charge amount of a battery of the vehicle being greater than a first remaining charge amount of the battery capable of traveling the first distance, operating the remote air conditioner; and During the operation of the remote air conditioner, in response to the remaining charge amount of the battery becoming less than the first remaining amount, the remote air conditioner is stopped.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that The control unit acquires information related to the first distance from a user terminal of the vehicle.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that The control unit acquires information about a route of the vehicle to a destination as information about the first distance, and calculates a charge remaining amount of the battery required when the vehicle travels the route as the first remaining amount.

4. The information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that The control unit operates the remote air conditioner during charging of the battery regardless of whether the remaining charge amount of the battery is greater than the first remaining amount.

5. The information processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that further comprising a storage unit storing a relationship between a temperature outside the vehicle and a correction coefficient of the first remaining amount, The control unit is further configured to perform the following processing: obtaining a temperature outside the vehicle; and The first remaining amount is corrected based on a relationship between a temperature outside the vehicle and a correction coefficient of the first remaining amount.

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