Information processing device and program

Abstract

This technology ensures power supply performance and continues power supply even when the battery temperature is low. [Solution] The information processing device according to the first aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing device mounted on a vehicle equipped with a battery and an internal combustion engine, and includes a control unit configured to perform the following actions while power is being supplied from the battery to the outside: acquire the current battery temperature of the vehicle from a sensor; determine a reference value for the remaining battery level at which charging of the battery by driving the internal combustion engine will begin according to the acquired current battery temperature; acquire the current remaining battery level of the vehicle; determine whether or not to start charging the battery depending on whether the acquired current remaining battery level is less than the determined reference value; and, if it is determined to start charging, start charging the battery by driving the vehicle's internal combustion engine, wherein the determination of the reference value is configured to set a higher value for the lower the current battery temperature.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 proposes a control device capable of maintaining power supply efficiency even when the discharge performance of a power storage device deteriorates in a hybrid vehicle.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] One object of the present disclosure is to provide a technique for ensuring power supply performance and continuing power supply even when the battery temperature is low.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] An information processing apparatus according to a first aspect of the present disclosure is an information processing apparatus mounted on a vehicle including a battery and an internal combustion engine, and includes: acquiring, from a sensor, a current battery temperature of the vehicle while power is being supplied from the battery to the outside; determining a reference value of a battery remaining amount for starting charging of the battery by driving the internal combustion engine according to the acquired current battery temperature; acquiring a current battery remaining amount of the vehicle; determining whether to start charging of the battery according to the acquired current battery remaining amount being less than the determined reference value; and starting charging of the battery by driving the internal combustion engine of the vehicle when it is determined to start charging. The information processing apparatus includes a control unit configured to execute the above, and determining the reference value is configured by setting the reference value to a higher value as the current battery temperature is lower.

Effects of the Invention

[0006] According to this disclosure, even when the battery temperature is low, power supply performance can be ensured and power supply can be continued. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] Figure 1 schematically illustrates an example of a scenario in which this disclosure applies. [Figure 2] Figure 2 schematically shows an example of the power transmission system and power supply system of the vehicle according to this disclosure. [Figure 3] Figure 3 schematically shows an example of a scenario in which a reference value is determined from the battery temperature. [Figure 4] Figure 4 schematically shows an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device disclosed herein. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows an example of a processing procedure by the information processing device of the present disclosure for determining a reference value for the remaining battery level at which charging of the battery begins, based on the battery temperature. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows an example of the processing procedure of the information processing device of this disclosure while power is being supplied from the vehicle to the outside. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] For example, conventional systems such as those described in Patent Document 1 drive the engine to charge the battery when the battery level falls below a predetermined value while supplying power from the vehicle to an external device. After charging begins, the system stops the engine when the battery level exceeds the predetermined value. As a result, the system intermittently drives the engine to charge the battery when supplying power from the vehicle to an external device. By charging the battery, the power supply output can be maintained. However, with conventional systems, sufficient power supply output may not be secured depending on the battery temperature. In other words, when the battery temperature drops, the power supply performance decreases, and power supply may stop even when the battery level is not below a predetermined value.

[0009] In contrast, the information processing device according to the first aspect of this disclosure is an information processing device mounted on a vehicle equipped with a battery and an internal combustion engine, and includes a control unit configured to perform the following actions while power is being supplied from the battery to the outside: acquire the current battery temperature of the vehicle from a sensor; determine a reference value for the remaining battery charge at which charging of the battery by driving the internal combustion engine will begin, according to the acquired current battery temperature; acquire the current remaining battery charge of the vehicle; determine whether or not to start charging the battery depending on whether the acquired current remaining battery charge is less than the determined reference value; and, if it is decided to start charging, start charging the battery by driving the vehicle's internal combustion engine, wherein the reference value is determined by setting a higher reference value the lower the current battery temperature. With this configuration, the timing of starting battery charging can be advanced when the battery temperature is low. This reduces the possibility of a power supply interruption occurring even when there is sufficient remaining battery charge. Therefore, with this configuration, it is expected that power supply performance can be ensured and power supply can be continued even when the battery temperature is low.

[0010] Furthermore, as another form of the information processing device relating to the above embodiment, one aspect of this disclosure may be an information processing method that implements all or part of the above components, a program, or a machine-readable storage medium that stores such a program. A machine-readable storage medium is a medium that stores information such as programs by electrical, magnetic, optical, mechanical, or chemical action.

[0011] [1. Application Examples] Figure 1 schematically shows an example of a scenario to which this disclosure applies. The information processing device 1 of this disclosure is mounted on a vehicle M equipped with a battery 2 and an internal combustion engine 3. The information processing device 1 includes a control unit 11 configured to perform the following actions while power is being supplied from the battery 2 to the outside: acquire the current battery temperature 21 of the vehicle M from a sensor SA; determine a reference value 6 for the remaining battery charge 22 to start charging the battery 2 by driving the internal combustion engine 3, according to the acquired current battery temperature 21; acquire the current remaining battery charge 22 of the vehicle M; determine whether or not to start charging the battery 2 depending on whether the acquired current remaining battery charge 22 is less than the determined reference value 6; and, if it is determined to start charging, start charging the battery 2 by driving the internal combustion engine 3 of the vehicle M. Determining the reference value 6 is done by setting the reference value 6 to a higher value the lower the current battery temperature 21 is.

[0012] (vehicle) The type of vehicle M can be appropriately selected according to the embodiment, as long as it is equipped with a battery 2 and an internal combustion engine 3 and is configured to supply power. For example, the type of vehicle M may include hybrid vehicles such as HEVs (Hybrid Electric Vehicles) and PHEVs (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles). The number of wheels and size of vehicle M can be arbitrarily selected. Vehicle M can be selected from, for example, two-wheeled vehicles, three-wheeled vehicles, four-wheeled vehicles, etc. If vehicle M is an automobile, the size of vehicle M can be selected from large, medium, semi-medium, regular, large special, small special, etc. If vehicle M is a two-wheeled vehicle, the size of vehicle M can be selected from large, regular, etc.

[0013] (Power transmission system and power supply system) Figure 2 schematically shows an example of the power transmission system and power supply system of the vehicle M of this disclosure. The power transmission system may include a battery 2, an internal combustion engine 3, gears 101, a motor 111, an inverter 121, and drive wheels 131. When the vehicle M is driven by the battery 2, power is supplied from the battery 2 to the inverter 12 Power is transmitted to the drive wheels 131 via the motor 111. When the vehicle M is driven by the internal combustion engine 3, power is transmitted from the internal combustion engine 3 to the drive wheels 131 via the gear 101 and motor 111. When the vehicle M is driven by the battery 2 and the internal combustion engine 3, power is transmitted to the drive wheels 131 via the two paths described above. The power supply system may include the battery 2, the internal combustion engine 3, the power supply device 4, the gear 101, the motor 112, and the inverter 122. When power is supplied, the vehicle M discharges the power stored in the battery 2 from the power supply device 4. When power is also supplied using the internal combustion engine 3, the energy generated by the internal combustion engine 3 is converted into electricity by the gear 101. The generated electricity is discharged from the power supply device 4 via the motor 112 and inverter 122. The generated electricity may also be stored in the battery 2. The battery 2 is also connected to the temperature sensor SA and the remaining charge sensor SB. The configuration of the power transmission system and the power supply system is not limited to the example in Figure 2, and components may be added, deleted, or replaced as appropriate.

[0014] (Measurement of battery temperature and remaining battery level) The battery temperature 21 and battery charge level 22 may be measured by known sensors. The type of sensor used to measure the battery temperature 21 and battery charge level 22 is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected depending on the embodiment. The battery temperature 21 may be measured by a temperature sensor SA. The battery charge level 22 may be measured by a charge level sensor SB. Note that the battery charge level 22 does not need to be measured by a sensor. In this case, the battery charge level 22 may be measured by a known method.

[0015] (Power supply to external devices) Power supply from the vehicle M to the outside is performed according to the power supply mode. The power supply mode includes an EV power supply mode and an HV power supply mode. The EV power supply mode is a mode of supplying power using only the battery 2. The HV power supply mode is a mode of supplying power by combining the battery 2 and the internal combustion engine 3. The power supply in the HV power supply mode usually supplies power using only the battery 2, similar to the EV power supply mode. However, when the remaining battery level 22 decreases or the power supply performance deteriorates, the power generated by driving the internal combustion engine 3 is also used for power supply. Hereinafter, in this embodiment, the case of supplying power in the HV power supply mode is assumed. Note that the scene where power is supplied from the vehicle M to the outside is not particularly limited. Also, the settings such as the output required for power supply are not particularly limited and may be appropriately defined according to the embodiment.

[0016] (Charging by driving the internal combustion engine) The information processing device 1 may start charging the battery 2 by driving the internal combustion engine 3 in response to the current remaining battery level 22 being less than the reference value 6. When the remaining battery level 22 is equal to the reference value 6, charging may or may not be started. The method for determining the reference value 6 may be appropriately defined according to the embodiment. In one example, the information processing device 1 may determine the reference value 6 according to the acquired current battery temperature 21. Determining the reference value 6 is configured by setting the reference value 6 to a higher value as the current battery temperature 21 is lower. The reference value 6 may be arbitrarily set as long as it is a value equal to or greater than the remaining power supply amount 7 described later.

[0017] FIG. 3 schematically shows an example of a scene for determining the reference value 6 from the battery temperature 21. In one example, determining the reference value 6 may be configured by selecting the use charging mode 5 from a plurality of charging modes according to the acquired current battery temperature 21 and determining the reference value 6 according to the definition of the selected use charging mode 5. The charging mode is a setting that defines the charging mode and includes a reference value (charging reference value) for starting charging the battery 2 by the internal combustion engine 3. The items defined in the charging mode are not particularly limited as long as they include the charging reference value and may be appropriately determined according to the embodiment. Also, a plurality of charging modes that are candidates for the use charging mode 5 may be defined in advance.

[0018] The method of selecting the usage charging mode 5 from a plurality of charging modes may be appropriately determined according to the embodiments. In one example, the usage charging mode 5 may be selected according to the current battery temperature 21 appropriately. For example, the usage charging mode 5 may be defined such that when the current battery temperature 21 is less than the threshold value, a charging mode with a higher charging reference value is selected. The threshold value may not be particularly limited and may be appropriately determined according to the embodiments.

[0019] In one example, the plurality of charging modes that are candidates for the usage charging mode 5 may include a first charging mode 51 that defines a first reference value 61 as the charging reference value and a second charging mode 52 that defines a second reference value 62 as the charging reference value. The second reference value 62 may be set higher than the first reference value 61. In this example, selecting the usage charging mode 5 includes switching (changing) the usage charging mode 5 from the first charging mode 51 to the second charging mode 52 when the first charging mode 51 is selected as the usage charging mode 5 and the acquired current battery temperature 21 is less than the threshold value. That is, selecting the usage charging mode 5 includes selecting the second charging mode 52 as the usage charging mode 5 when the acquired current battery temperature 21 is less than the threshold value.

[0020] The second reference value 62 defined in the second charging mode 52 may be set to be greater than or equal to the remaining battery level 22 (hereinafter, the power supply stop remaining amount 7) at which power supply by the battery 2 stops at a temperature below the threshold value. The power supply stop remaining amount 7 for each temperature may not be particularly limited and may be appropriately defined according to the embodiments. For example, the power supply stop remaining amount 7 may be defined in advance based on past data (measured values) in which power supply from the vehicle M to the outside has stopped for each temperature. The power supply stop remaining amount 7 may also be defined based on data in which power supply from the outside has stopped for other vehicles having the same type of battery as the battery 2.

[0021] Furthermore, the information processing device 1 may estimate the remaining power supply capacity 7. This estimation may include estimating the current remaining power supply capacity 7 and predicting the future remaining power supply capacity 7. The method for estimating the remaining power supply capacity 7 is not particularly limited and may be determined appropriately depending on the embodiment. In one example, the information processing device 1 may estimate the remaining power supply capacity 7 according to the current battery temperature 21. For example, an estimation model may be used to estimate the remaining power supply capacity 7. The estimation model may consist of at least one of a rule-based model and a trained machine learning model (trained model).

[0022] The rule-based model is configured to derive an inference result (remaining power supply 7) from a given input according to the rules. The rules may be set as appropriate.

[0023] The machine learning model is configured to include one or more computational parameters that can be adjusted by machine learning. One or more computational parameters are used in the calculation of the desired inference (estimation of the remaining power supply capacity 7). The machine learning model may consist of, for example, a neural network, a support vector machine, or other functional equations (computational models). The machine learning method may be appropriately selected depending on the machine learning model adopted (e.g., backpropagation). In one example, the machine learning model that estimates the remaining power supply capacity 7 may be a trained machine learning model that has acquired the ability to estimate the remaining power supply capacity 7 from the current battery temperature 21.

[0024] The battery temperature 21 used to estimate the remaining power supply capacity 7 may be time-series data. For example, if the estimation model is a machine learning model, having the battery temperature 21 as time-series data allows the estimation model to incorporate more information about the changes in the battery temperature 21 during training. This allows the estimation model to improve the accuracy of predicting the remaining power supply capacity 7 at future points in time.

[0025] (Determination of whether power supply can be continued) During power supply, the information processing device 1 may continuously calculate (estimate) the remaining power supply amount 7. The information processing device 1 may determine whether or not power supply can be maintained at the current reference value 6 by comparing the newly acquired remaining power supply amount 7 with the current reference value 6. If the value is large, the information processing device 1 may determine that it cannot maintain power supply. If the remaining power supply amount 7 is less than the reference value 6, the information processing device 1 may determine that it can maintain power supply. If the remaining power supply amount 7 is equal to the reference value 6, the information processing device 1 may determine whether or not it can maintain power supply.

[0026] (Change in reference value) If the information processing device 1 determines that it cannot maintain power supply at the current reference value of 6, it may re-determine the reference value of 6. In other words, the information processing device 1 may change the current reference value of 6. The new reference value of 6 after the change may be determined as appropriate so that it is equal to or greater than the remaining power supply limit of 7. For example, when setting the reference value of 6 by selecting the usage charging mode 5, the information processing device 1 may change the reference value of 6 by selecting a charging mode from among multiple charging modes that defines a charging reference value of 7 or greater as the new usage charging mode 5. The method for determining which charging mode to select when there are multiple candidates for the new usage charging mode 5 may be defined as appropriate. For example, among multiple candidate charging modes (a group of charging modes in which a charging reference value of 7 or greater is set), the charging mode with the smallest reference value may be selected as the new usage charging mode 5.

[0027] Furthermore, even if the remaining power supply capacity 7 calculated (estimated) during power supply is smaller than the reference value 6, and it is determined that power supply can be maintained at the current reference value 6, the information processing device 1 may change the current reference value 6. For example, if the battery 2 is charged early by driving the internal combustion engine 3, even though there is a large margin between the remaining power supply capacity 7 and the reference value 6, the frequency of charging may increase, potentially leading to increased fuel consumption. Therefore, to avoid such a situation, if power supply can be maintained and the difference between the remaining power supply capacity 7 and the reference value 6 is large, the information processing device 1 may change the reference value 6. The threshold for determining whether the difference between the remaining power supply capacity 7 and the reference value 6 is large may be determined as appropriate.

[0028] For example, when power supply can be maintained and the difference between the remaining power supply level of 7 and the reference value of 6 is large, the new charging mode 5 may be a charging mode in which the reference value of 6 is smaller than the reference value of 6 set in the current charging mode 5 and is equal to or greater than the remaining power supply level of 7. The method for determining which charging mode 5 to select when there are multiple candidates for the new charging mode 5 may be defined as appropriate. For example, among the multiple candidates for the new charging mode 5, the charging mode with the largest reference value may be selected as the new charging mode 5.

[0029] The method for determining the reference value 6 is not limited to selecting the charging mode 5 from among multiple charging modes, and may be defined as appropriate depending on the embodiment. In another example, the information processing device 1 may set the reference value 6 to any value greater than or equal to the estimated remaining power supply amount 7. That is, determining the reference value 6 may consist of estimating the remaining power supply amount 7 according to the acquired current battery temperature 21, and setting the reference value 6 to a value greater than or equal to the estimated remaining power supply amount 7. In this way, the information processing device 1 may dynamically set the reference value 6 according to the estimated result of the remaining power supply amount 7.

[0030] As described above, by estimating the remaining power supply capacity 7 and setting the reference value 6 to a value greater than or equal to the estimated remaining power supply capacity of 7, the possibility of maintaining power supply even when the battery temperature 21 is low can be increased. Furthermore, when the internal combustion engine 3 is driven while the battery temperature 21 is low, the battery 2 will rise in temperature, which can also be expected to improve power supply performance.

[0031] [2 Example Configurations] Figure 4 schematically shows an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device 1 of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 5, the information processing device 1 according to this embodiment is a computer in which a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, a communication interface 13, an external interface 14, and a drive 15 are electrically connected. The control unit 11 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), etc., and is configured to perform arbitrary information processing. The storage unit 12 may be configured as, for example, a hard disk drive, a solid-state drive, etc. In this embodiment, the storage unit 12 stores a program 81. The program 81 is a program that causes the information processing device 1 to execute the information processing according to this embodiment. The program 81 includes a series of instructions for the information processing.

[0032] The communication interface 13 is configured to perform wired or wireless data communication over a network. The communication interface 13 may be composed of, for example, a wired LAN (Local Area Network) module, a wireless LAN module, etc. In this embodiment, the information processing device 1 uses the communication interface 13 to perform data communication over a network with other computers (for example, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit), an external server, etc.). This may be done. The external interface 14 may be, for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port, a dedicated port, a wireless communication port, etc., and is configured to connect to an external device by wire or wireless. In this embodiment, the information processing device 1 may be connected to the sensor SA and sensor SB via the external interface 14.

[0033] The drive 15 is a device for reading various types of information, such as programs, stored in the storage medium 91. The program 81 may be stored in the storage medium 91 in place of or together with the storage unit 12. The storage medium 91 is configured to store various types of information (stored programs, etc.) by electrical, magnetic, optical, mechanical, or chemical means so that a machine such as a computer can read the information. The information processing device 1 may retrieve the program 81 from the storage medium 91. The storage medium 91 may be a disk-type storage medium such as a CD or DVD, or a non-disk-type storage medium such as semiconductor memory (e.g., flash memory). The type of drive 15 may be appropriately selected according to the type of storage medium 91.

[0034] Regarding the specific hardware configuration of the information processing device 1, components can be omitted, replaced, and added as appropriate depending on the embodiment. For example, the control unit 11 may include multiple hardware processors. Hardware processors include microprocessors, FPGAs (field-programmable gate arrays), DSPs (digital signal processors), G It may be composed of a PU (Graphics Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), etc.

[0035] [3 Examples of operation] Figure 5 shows an example of a processing procedure in which the information processing device 1 of this disclosure determines a reference value 6 for the remaining battery charge 22 at which charging of the battery 2 begins, based on the battery temperature 21.

[0036] In step S101, the control unit 11 obtains the battery temperature 21 from the sensor SA. Once the battery temperature 21 is obtained, the control unit 11 proceeds to step S102. In step S102, the control unit 11 determines a reference value 6 from the obtained battery temperature 21. At this time, the reference value 6 may be determined to be a higher value the lower the battery temperature 21 is. The method for determining the reference value 6 based on the battery temperature 21 is not particularly limited and may be defined as appropriate. In one example, determining the reference value 6 may consist of selecting a charging mode 5 from a plurality of charging modes according to the obtained current battery temperature 21, and determining the reference value 6 according to the definition of the selected charging mode 5. In another example, determining the reference value 6 may consist of estimating the remaining power supply amount 7 according to the obtained current battery temperature 21, and setting the reference value 6 to a value greater than or equal to the estimated remaining power supply amount 7. Once the reference value 6 is determined, the control unit 11 terminates this processing procedure.

[0037] The process for determining the above reference value 6 may be performed before power supply is started. By performing the above process as appropriate during power supply, the information processing device 1 may change (update) the reference value 6 at any time. Power supply from the vehicle M to the outside is started according to the HV power supply mode based on the reference value 6 determined above.

[0038] Figure 6 shows an example of the processing procedure of the information processing device 1 of this disclosure while power is being supplied from the vehicle M to the outside.

[0039] (Step S201 - Step S202) In step S201, the control unit 11 obtains the battery level 22. The battery level 22 may be obtained from the battery level sensor SB. In step S202, the control unit 11 determines whether the obtained battery level 22 is less than the reference value 6. If the battery level 22 is 6 or greater than or equal to the reference value, the control unit 11 proceeds to step S204. If the battery level 22 is less than the reference value 6, the control unit 11 proceeds to the next step S203.

[0040] (Step S203-Step S204) In step S203, the control unit 11 starts charging the battery 2 by driving the internal combustion engine 33. In step S204, it determines whether to continue supplying power from the battery 2 to the outside. If power supply is to be continued, the control unit 11 returns to step S201 and repeats the process from step S201 onwards. If power supply is to be terminated, the control unit 11 terminates this processing procedure.

[0041] The processing procedure of the information processing device 1 is not limited to the examples shown in Figures 5 and 6, and may be modified as appropriate depending on the embodiment.

[0042] [Features] In this embodiment, the information processing device 1 determines a reference value 6 according to the acquired battery temperature 21 through the processing in step S102. For example, the lower the battery temperature 21, the higher the reference value 6 is set. This ensures power supply performance by driving the internal combustion engine 3 to charge the battery 2 before the power supply performance deteriorates and power supply is stopped. Thus, according to this embodiment, power supply performance can be ensured and power supply can be continued even when the battery temperature 21 is in a low-temperature state.

[0043] [4. Variant] While embodiments of this disclosure have been described in detail above, the above description is merely illustrative in all respects of this disclosure. Needless to say, various improvements or modifications can be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. The processes and means described in this disclosure can be freely combined and implemented, as long as no technical inconsistencies arise. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0044] 1. Information processing unit, 11. Control unit, 12. Storage unit, 13. Communication interface, 14. External interface, 15 drives, 81 programs, 91 storage media, 2...Battery, 21...Battery temperature, 22...Battery level, 3. Internal combustion engine, 4. Power supply device, 5. Charging mode, 6. Standard value, 7. Remaining power supply after shutdown, SA - Temperature sensor, SB - Battery level sensor

Claims

1. An information processing device installed in a vehicle equipped with a battery and an internal combustion engine, While the aforementioned battery is supplying power to an external source, Obtain the current battery temperature of the vehicle from a sensor. Based on the acquired current battery temperature, a reference value for the remaining battery charge at which charging of the battery by driving the internal combustion engine begins is determined. To obtain the current battery level of the vehicle, Depending on whether the acquired current battery level is less than the determined reference value, a decision is made as to whether or not to start charging the battery, and If it is decided to start charging, the charging of the battery is started by driving the internal combustion engine of the vehicle. A control unit configured to perform the following actions: Determining the aforementioned reference value is accomplished by setting the reference value to a higher value the lower the current battery temperature is. Information processing device.

2. Determining the aforementioned reference value means Select a charging mode from a plurality of charging modes according to the acquired current battery temperature, and Determine the reference value according to the specifications of the selected charging mode used. It is composed of, The plurality of charging modes include a first charging mode in which a first reference value is defined as the reference value and a second charging mode in which a second reference value is defined as the reference value. The second reference value is set higher than the first reference value. Selecting the charging mode to be used includes switching the charging mode from the first charging mode to the second charging mode if the first charging mode is selected as the charging mode to be used and the acquired current battery temperature is below a threshold. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The second reference value is set to a battery level that is equal to or greater than the battery level at which power supply by the battery stops when the temperature is below the threshold. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2.

4. Determining the aforementioned reference value means Based on the acquired current battery temperature, estimate the remaining battery level at which power supply by the battery will stop, and Setting the reference value to a value greater than or equal to the estimated battery level at which the power supply stops, Composed of, The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

5. A program that causes a computer to execute an information processing method, The aforementioned information processing method is performed when a vehicle equipped with a battery and an internal combustion engine is receiving power from the battery to an external source. Obtain the current battery temperature of the vehicle from a sensor. Based on the acquired current battery temperature, a reference value for the remaining battery charge at which charging of the battery by driving the internal combustion engine begins is determined. To obtain the current battery level of the vehicle, Depending on whether the acquired current battery level is less than the determined reference value, a decision is made as to whether or not to start charging the battery, and When it is decided to start charging, the internal combustion engine of the vehicle is driven to power the battery Start charging Includes, Determining the aforementioned reference value is accomplished by setting the reference value to a higher value the lower the current battery temperature is. program.

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