A display control device for a support system includes a number-of-charging-lights determination unit for determining the number of charging lights, which corresponds to state-of-charge which ranges from maximum state-of-charge of a driving battery to a charge threshold and is assigned to a plurality of segments; a number-of-output-lights determination unit for determining the number of output lights, which corresponds to a difference, where a requested output ranging from an output that can be output to an output threshold is assigned to the plurality of segments; and a number-of-lights instruction unit for instructing a display device to light up the least number of segments of the number of charging lights or the number of output lights, when an EV priority mode is selected.

Some embodiments of the present invention provide a control system for a motor vehicle having a first user-operable transmission selector means for selecting a forward operating mode of a transmission corresponding to travel in a forward direction and a reverse operating mode of a transmission corresponding to travel in a reverse direction opposite the forward direction, the control system comprising: a user-operable gear selector configured in a first functional mode to, upon receipt of a user input, select between a plurality of forward direction gear ratios, and wherein the user-operable gear selector is re-configured in a second functional mode to, upon receipt of a user input, select between the forward operating mode and the reverse operating mode.

A method and system of determining the instant gradient of a road, taking into account positive and negative drive torque, may be used to select one of a plurality of shift maps for a vehicle automatic transmission. The invention takes into account vehicle retardation due to braking, and permits consistent adoption of a shift map appropriate to the instant gradient.

The vehicle behavior control device comprises a PCM configured to decide a target additional deceleration. The PCM is operable: to correct the target additional deceleration in such a manner that it is reduced by multiplying the target additional deceleration by a coefficient K1 set according to a vehicle speed, a coefficient K2 set according to a steering wheel angle, a coefficient K3 set according to an accelerator position and a coefficient K4 decided according to a required deceleration; when a value derived by multiplying the target additional deceleration by K1 and K2 is less than a threshold D.sub.T, to stop a torque reduction control; and, when the value derived by multiplying the target additional deceleration by K1 and K2 is equal to or greater than D.sub.T, and a value derived by multiplying the target additional deceleration by K3 and K4 is less than D.sub.T, to maintain the torque reduction control.

Methods for controlling vacuum within a brake booster by modifying powertrain operation include determining an intake manifold vacuum in response to actuation of a brake pedal. Increasing the intake manifold vacuum if the brake booster vacuum is less than a desired brake booster vacuum. In some embodiments, the transmission is downshifted to increase engine speed and intake manifold vacuum.

A vehicle includes a speed detector detecting a vehicle speed, a brake system and a control system implementing a control mode including determining a threshold speed. The control system further derives an initial brake torque demand proportional to an error between the threshold speed and a vehicle speed exceeding the threshold speed and outputs to the brake system a rate-limited brake torque demand by applying a rate-limit operator based on the error to the initial brake torque demand.

A method and system for determining the pressure in a brake booster used to actuate a brake system having at least one main brake cylinder. The brake booster connected in a fluid-conducting manner by a non-return valve to an intake manifold of an internal combustion engine. A reduced pressure loss in the brake booster resulting from actuation of the main brake cylinder is balanced with the reduced pressure gain in the brake booster as a result of a pressure difference between the brake booster pressure and the intake manifold pressure. The reduced pressure gain in the brake booster is determined based on time the air mass flow between the brake booster and the intake manifold.

A hybrid drive vehicle control method and apparatus for a hybrid drive vehicle having a prime mover, drive wheels, a hybrid mechanism having an energy storage device, and an electrical controller is provided. The apparatus and method collect vehicle data characteristic of how the vehicle is operated, and compare the collected vehicle data to prescribed data, the prescribed data corresponding to a desired operation of the vehicle. A propulsion power limit of at least one of the hybrid mechanism or the prime mover is set based on the comparison.

A stopping control apparatus for a vehicle includes: a braking apparatus; a gear-type automatic transmission installed in a powertrain; and a control device configured to control the braking apparatus and the automatic transmission. The control device is configured to shift, after a vehicle transitions from a travel state to a stop state, a range of the automatic transmission to a P range under a state where the braking force applied to wheels is a braking force for maintaining the vehicle in the stop state, and then reduce the braking force applied to the wheels. The control device is configured to change a decrease rate of the braking force such that the decrease rate after a time point at which a predetermined period has elapsed from a start of a decrease in the braking force is less than the decrease rate before the time point.

A processing server detects an incident of a vehicle by analyzing one of position information about the vehicle, image information about the periphery of the vehicle, and traveling data about the vehicle, which are acquired from the vehicle, and selects a new function corresponding to the detected incident. Then, the processing server gives notice of the proposal for the new function to the vehicle, as an estimated timing when a user having encountered the incident has cooled down while the user's memory about the incident is clear.