Determination method and apparatus for permitting deceleration regeneration or charge of hybrid vehicle

A determination apparatus for permitting deceleration regeneration or charge of a hybrid vehicle, wherein:

• said hybrid vehicle comprises:
• an engine for outputting force for driving the vehicle;
• an electric motor for assisting the output from the engine;
• and
• a battery device for storing charged energy generated by the electric motor which functions as a generator for deceleration regeneration or charge, and
• said determination apparatus comprising:
• a first determination section for detecting a clutch operation performed by a driver and determining a connection state of the clutch;
• a second determination section for determining a connection state of the clutch based on a correspondence relationship between vehicle speed and engine speed, which is predetermined for each of a plurality of gear positions;
• and
• a permission determining section for permitting the deceleration regeneration or charge by the motor when it is determined that the clutch is connected both in the first and second determination sections,
• wherein a series of processes performed by said sections is repeatedly executed, and the second determination section:
• calculates one of a plurality of gear positions based on actually-detected vehicle speed and engine speed by referring to a correspondence relationship between the vehicle speed and engine speed, which is predetermined for each of said gear positions;
• and
• determines that the clutch is connected when there is no temporal change with respect to the calculated gear position.