Patent Publication Number: US-2007102930-A1

Title: Starting control apparatus

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      The present document incorporates by reference the entire contents of Japanese priority document, 2005-314984 filed in Japan on Oct. 28, 2005.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention generally relates to a starting control apparatus for performing starting control of a vehicle self-directively or based on a signal received from a remote control terminal. The present invention particularly relates to a starting control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle that includes a plurality of vehicle drive mechanisms.  
      2. Description of the Related Art  
      Recently, there has been a need to warm up a vehicle (including preparation for vehicle running) and/or to start the air-conditioner of the vehicle in advance. To respond to this need, starting control devices have been put into practical use by which it is possible to start the engine by remote control or at a predetermined time point by using a timer or the like (i.e., self-directively) while the driver is still outside the vehicle. For example, when receiving an engine-start request from a remote control terminal held by the driver (remote key), this starting control device executes operation similarly to when starting operation is performed with a key. Precisely, the starting control device activates a starter motor. As a result, an engine control device carries out fuel injection.  
      A state of a vehicle on which such starting control device is mounted changes in accordance with an environment in which the vehicle is standing. Therefore, when the starting control device activates the starter motor, it is desired to perform vehicle control appropriate to the state of the vehicle.  
      A remotely controlled engine starter disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H9-21377 is a remotely controlled engine starter that starts the engine of a vehicle by remote control by using a radio wave or the like. When the water temperature of the engine exceeds a predetermined value, the remotely controlled engine starter controls a starting control device arranged on the vehicle not to start the engine even if receiving a starting signal from a remote device.  
      However, the conventional technologies have a problem that when a vehicle includes a plurality of vehicle drive mechanisms as power sources, starting control of the vehicle appropriate to respective states of the vehicle drive mechanisms cannot be performed.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      It is an object of the present invention to at least partially solve the above problems.  
      According to an aspect of the present invention, a starting control apparatus for a vehicle that includes a plurality of power units includes a state determining unit that determines whether each of the power units is in an abnormal state; and a warming-up control unit that controls power unit determined as in the abnormal state by the state determining unit to be kept to an inactive state, and causes power unit determined as not in the abnormal state by the determining unit to start a power source and to carry out warming-up.  
      The above and other objects, features, and advantages of this invention will be better understood by reading the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a schematic for explaining a concept of a vehicle control system according to a first embodiment.  
       FIG. 2  is a diagram of configuration of the vehicle control system according to the first embodiment.  
       FIG. 3  is a block diagram of configuration of a vehicle remote-control apparatus.  
       FIG. 4  is a flowchart of a process procedure performed by the vehicle control system according to the first embodiment during warming-up.  
       FIG. 5  is a sequence chart of a process procedure performed by the vehicle control system when a motor is in an abnormal state.  
       FIG. 6  is a sequence chart of a process procedure performed by the vehicle control system when an engine is in an abnormal state.  
       FIG. 7  is a sequence chart of a process procedure performed by the vehicle control system when performing starting control of the motor and the engine based on stored information. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       FIG. 1  is according to embodiments.  
      Exemplary embodiments of a starting control apparatus according to the present invention will be explained below in detail with reference to accompanying drawings. In the following description, after explaining an outline and features of a starting control apparatus according to the present invention, a starting control apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention is explained, and finally various modifications (second embodiment) will be explained as other embodiments.  
      Outline and Features  
      To begin with, an outline and features of a vehicle control system that includes a starting control apparatus (vehicle remote-control apparatus) according to the present invention are explained below.  FIG. 1  is a schematic for explaining a concept of the vehicle control system according to the first embodiment. A vehicle  5  is a hybrid vehicle, and includes a plurality of types of vehicle drive mechanisms (vehicle drive units) (power sources). Explained below is a case where the vehicle  5  includes an engine  32  and a motor  42  as vehicle drive mechanisms.  
      In a vehicle control system  1 , when a remote key  50  that remotely controls the vehicle  5  sends instruction information for warming up the vehicle  5  (instruction to start the engine  32  and the motor  42  (start instruction)) (S 1 ), the vehicle  5  starts processing for warming up the vehicle  5 . Here, the warming-up means not only typical operation of warming up the engine  32 , but also includes a state of preparation for running (standby state in which a vehicle can run promptly in response to driver&#39;s operation) of a hybrid vehicle, a fuel cell powered vehicle, or an electric vehicle.  
      The vehicle  5  includes a vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  that stops or starts the engine  32  and the motor  42  in accordance with error states of the engine  32  and the motor  42 . In addition, because the vehicle  5  is a hybrid vehicle, it includes a drive switching device  21  for starting and stopping (switching) the engine  32  and the motor  42 .  
      When the engine  32  and the motor  42  start, the drive switching device  21  acquires state information whether the engine  32  and the motor  42  are in an error state, and sends the state information to the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  (S 2 ).  
      The vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  determines whether the engine  32  and/or the motor  42  is to be stopped (error or not) based on the state information acquired from the drive switching device  21 . If the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  determines to stop the engine  32  or the motor  42 , the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  sends instruction information for stopping the engine  32  or the motor  42  to the drive switching device  21  (S 3 ).  
      If the engine  32  is in an abnormal state, for example, the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  sends instruction information for stopping the engine  32  to the drive switching device  21 . On the other hand, if the motor  42  is in an abnormal state, the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  sends instruction information for stopping the motor  42  to the drive switching device  21 .  
      When receiving the instruction information for stopping the engine  32  and/or the motor  42  from the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10 , the drive switching device  21  stops the engine  32  and/or the motor  42 . In other words, when the drive switching device  21  receives the instruction information for stopping the engine  32  from the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10 , the drive switching device  21  stops the engine  32 ; while when the drive switching device  21  receives the instruction information for stopping the motor  42  from the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10 , the drive switching device  21  stops the motor  42  (S 4 ).  
      Thus, the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  stops a vehicle drive mechanism (the engine  32  or the motor  42 ) that is in an abnormal state when performing the warming-up of the vehicle  5 . Accordingly, the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  can perform the warming-up of the vehicle  5  while reducing damage to the vehicle drive mechanism that is in the abnormal state.  
     First Embodiment  
      Next, the vehicle control system that includes the vehicle remote-control apparatus (starting control apparatus) according to the first embodiment is explained below in detail. In the following, after explaining configuration of the vehicle control system  1  and the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  according to the first embodiment, each of processing procedures performed by the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  will be explained.  
      Configuration of Vehicle Control System  
       FIG. 2  is a diagram of the configuration of the vehicle control system  1  according to the first embodiment. The vehicle control system  1  includes a vehicle drive mechanism  20 , the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10 , and the remote key  50  that instructs the vehicle  5  to start.  
      The remote key  50  is a remote control terminal that a user holds, and sends a start request (start-instruction information) and a stop request (stop-instruction information) of the warming-up to the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10 . The remote key  50  includes an antenna  51 , via which the remote key  50  sends the start-instruction information and the stop-instruction information to the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10 . The remote key  50  can also be configured to send a lock request and an unlock request for doors.  
      The vehicle remote-control apparatus (electrical control unit (ECU) for the remote engine starter (RES))  10  includes an antenna  52 , via which the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  receives information (the start-instruction information and the stop-instruction information) sent from the remote key  50  by such as wireless transmission. The vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  is a starting control apparatus that performs the starting control of the vehicle  5  self-directively or based on information sent from the remote key  50  and information sent from the vehicle drive mechanism  20  (information about states of the engine  32  and the motor  42 ). The vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  sends certain instruction information to the vehicle drive mechanism  20 , and controls the vehicle drive mechanism  20 . For example, if the engine  32  is in an abnormal state (error state), the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  sends the instruction information for stopping the engine  32  to the drive switching device  21 . If the motor  42  is in an abnormal state, the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  sends the instruction information for stopping the motor  42  to the drive switching device  21 .  
      The vehicle drive mechanism  20  is installed on the vehicle  5 , and connected to the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10 . The vehicle drive mechanism  20  controls the warming-up of the vehicle  5 , driving for running of the vehicle  5 , and the like, based on information (instruction information) sent from the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10 . In the first embodiment, when the vehicle drive mechanism  20  performs the warming-up (in a state of a gear in the parking position), the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  instructs the vehicle drive mechanism  20  of certain control (starting control or stopping control). In this case, the vehicle drive mechanism  20  includes an engine control unit  31 , the engine  32 , an oil pressure sensor  33 , a temperature sensor  34 , a motor control unit  41 , the motor  42 , and a temperature sensor  43 .  
      Based on the instruction information from the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10 , the drive switching device  21  instructs the engine control unit  31  to perform the stopping control and the starting control over the engine  32 , and also instructs the motor control unit  41  to perform the stopping control and the starting control over the motor  42 . The drive switching device  21  acquires information about the states of the engine  32  and the motor  42  (hereinafter, state information), and sends the state information to the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10 . In this case, the state information includes, for example, information about an error in the engine  32  (information indicating that the engine  32  is in an abnormal state), and information about an error in the motor  42 .  
      The engine control unit (electronically-controlled fuel-injection device) (ECU for electronic fuel injection (EFI))  31  is a control device that electronically controls operation of the engine  32 . The engine control unit  31  controls the engine  32  (stopping control and starting control) based on the instruction information from the drive switching device  21 . The engine control unit  31  determines whether the engine  32  has a temperature error based on a measured temperature of the engine  32  measured by the temperature sensor  34 , and also determines whether the engine  32  has an oil pressure error based on an oil pressure value in the engine  32  measured by the oil pressure sensor  33 .  
      The engine  32  performs the warming-up of the vehicle  5  and the driving for the running of the vehicle  5 . The engine  32  according to the first embodiment is connected to an air-conditioner that is not shown in the drawings. If the engine  32  can performs normal operation, the engine  32  performs the warming-up of the vehicle  5  by driving the air-conditioner.  
      The oil pressure sensor  33  is connected to the engine  32 , measures an oil pressure value in the engine  32 , and inputs a result of measurement into the engine control unit  31 . The temperature sensor  34  is connected to the engine  32 , measures the temperature of the engine  32 , and inputs a result of measurement into the engine control unit  31 . The oil pressure sensor  33  and the temperature sensor  34  can be turned ON by driving the engine  32  when the engine  32  is in operation, or can be turned ON by driving the motor  42  when the motor  42  is in operation.  
      The motor control unit (ECU)  41  controls (stopping control and starting control) the motor  42  that performs the warming-up of the vehicle  5  and the driving for the running of the vehicle  5  based on the instruction information from the drive switching device  21 . The motor control unit  41  determines whether the motor  42  has a temperature error based on a measured temperature of the motor  42  measured by the temperature sensor  43 .  
      The motor  42  has a function of regenerating braking energy of the vehicle  5  and energy generated by driving the engine  32 , and performs the warming-up of the vehicle  5  and the driving for the running of the vehicle  5 . The motor  42  according to the first embodiment is connected to an air-conditioner that is not shown in the drawings. If the motor  42  can performs normal operation, the motor  42  performs the warming-up of the vehicle  5  by driving the air-conditioner.  
      The temperature sensor  43  is connected to the motor  42 , measures the temperature of the motor  42 , and inputs measured temperature into the motor control unit  41 . The temperature sensor  43  can be turned ON by driving the engine  32  when the engine  32  is in operation, or can be turned ON by driving the motor  42  when the motor  42  is in operation.  
      Thus, the vehicle  5  according to the first embodiment is configured such that the warming-up and other operations of the vehicle  5  are instructed by the remote key  50 , and on the vehicle  5  side, the warming-up and other operations of the vehicle  5  are performed based on an instruction from the remote key  50 . Moreover, the vehicle  5  includes two vehicle drive mechanisms corresponding to the engine  32  and the motor  42 , and is configured to switch drive control between the engine  32  and the motor  42  by the drive switching device  21 .  
      Next, configuration of the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  is explained below.  FIG. 3  is a block diagram of the configuration of the vehicle remote-control apparatus. The vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  includes a transmission unit  11 , a remote-instruction detecting unit  12 , an input unit  13 , an output unit  14 , a state determining unit  15 , a storage unit  16 , a switch instructing unit (warming-up control unit)  17 , a warning unit  18 , and a control unit  19 .  
      The transmission unit  11  is connected to the antenna  52 , and includes a remote key tuner. In this case, the transmission unit  11  receives information sent from the remote key  50  via the antenna  52 , and sends received information to the remote-instruction detecting unit  12 . In addition, when the warning unit  18  creates certain warning information, the transmission unit  11  sends the warning information to the remote key  50  via the antenna  52 .  
      The remote-instruction detecting unit  12  extracts the start-instruction information for warming up the vehicle  5  from among information received by the transmission unit  11  from the remote key  50 , and sends extracted information to the state determining unit  15 . The input unit  13  is connected to the drive switching device  21 , and receives information sent from the drive switching device  21  (state information of the engine  32  and the motor  42 ).  
      The state determining unit  15  determines whether the states of the engine  32  and the motor  42  are an abnormal state based on information received by the input unit  13  from the drive switching device  21 , and sends a result of this determination to the switch instructing unit  17 . In addition, when receiving the start-instruction information for the vehicle  5  sent from the remote key  50 , the state determining unit  15  determines whether to permit starting control of the engine  32  and the motor  42  based on information present in the storage unit  16  (information whether the states of the engine  32  and the motor  42  are an abnormal state). The state determining unit  15  then sends a result of this determination to the switch instructing unit  17 .  
      For example, if the state of the engine  32  is abnormal, the state determining unit  15  determines to set the engine  32  in a state where starting is inhibited. If the state of the motor  42  is abnormal, the state determining unit  15  determines to set starting of the motor  42  in a state where starting is inhibited. By contrast, if the state of the engine  32  is normal, the state determining unit  15  determines to set the engine  32  in a state where starting is permitted. If the state of the motor  42  is normal, the state determining unit  15  determines to set the motor  42  in a state where starting is permitted.  
      The state determining unit  15  causes the storage unit  16  to store therein the result of the determination obtained by the state determining unit  15  whether the motor  42  and/or the engine  32  are to be set in the state where the starting is inhibited. For example, if a result of determination that the engine  32  is to be set in the state where the starting is inhibited is present in the storage unit  16 , the state determining unit  15  does not send an engine start-instruction information to the drive switching device  21  when receiving the start-instruction information from the remote key  50 . In other words, if the state determining unit  15  determines to set the engine  32  in the state where the starting is inhibited, and causes the storage unit  16  to store therein the result of its determination, the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  goes in a state not to receive an instruction to start the engine  32 .  
      By contrast, if a result of determination that the engine  32  is to be set in the state where the starting is permitted is present in the storage unit  16 , the state determining unit  15  sends the engine start-instruction information to the drive switching device  21  when receiving the start-instruction information from the remote key  50 . In other words, if the state determining unit  15  determines to set the engine  32  in the state where the starting is permitted, and causes the storage unit  16  to store therein the result of its determination, the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  goes in a state to receive an instruction to start the engine  32 .  
      In addition, if a result of determination that the motor  42  is to be set in the state where the starting is inhibited is present in the storage unit  16 , the state determining unit  15  does not send a motor start-instruction information to the drive switching device  21  when receiving the start-instruction information from the remote key  50 . In other words, if the state determining unit  15  determines to set the motor  42  in the state where the starting is inhibited, and causes the storage unit  16  to store therein the result of its determination, the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  goes in a state not to receive an instruction to start the motor  42 .  
      By contrast, if a result of determination that the motor  42  is to be set in the state where the starting is permitted is present in the storage unit  16 , the state determining unit  15  sends the motor start-instruction information to the drive switching device  21  when receiving the start-instruction information from the remote key  50 . In other words, if the state determining unit  15  determines to set the motor  42  in the state where the starting is permitted, and causes the storage unit  16  to store therein the result of its determination, the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  goes in a state to receive an instruction to start the motor  42 .  
      Based on results of determination sent from the state determining unit  15  (result of the determination whether the states of the engine  32  and the motor  42  are an abnormal state, and result of the determination whether the engine  32  and the motor  42  are to be set in the state where the starting is inhibited), the switch instructing unit  17  creates an engine stop-instruction information to control and stop the engine  32 , the engine staring instruction information to start the engine  32 , a motor stop-instruction information to control and stop the motor  42 , and the motor start-instruction information to start the motor  42 . The switch instructing unit  17  sends these created information to the vehicle drive mechanism  20  via the output unit  14 , and controls the drive switching device  21 .  
      The storage unit  16  stores therein results of determination obtained by the state determining unit  15 , for example, a result of the determination whether the states of the engine  32  and the motor  42  are an abnormal state, and a result of the determination whether the engine  32  and the motor  42  are to be set in the state where the starting is inhibited.  
      The warning unit  18  outputs warning information that indicates an error in the engine  32  and/or an error in the motor  42  based on results of determination obtained by the state determining unit  15 . The warning information is sent to the remote key  50  via the antenna  52 . The warning information can be audio, text, or a lighting instruction with a warning lamp (not shown) that the remote key  50  includes.  
      The output unit  14  is connected to the drive switching device  21 , and sends instruction information created by the switch instructing unit  17  (the engine stop-instruction information, the engine start-instruction information, the motor stop-instruction information, and the motor start-instruction information) to the drive switching device  21 . The control unit  19  controls the transmission unit  11 , the remote-instruction detecting unit  12 , the input unit  13 , the output unit  14 , the state determining unit  15 , the storage unit  16 , the switch instructing unit  17 , and the warning unit  18 .  
      Procedure of Processing  
      Next, each of the processing procedures performed by the vehicle control system  1  according to the first embodiment will be explained below. First, a processing procedure performed by the vehicle control system  1  when the engine  32  and the motor  42  are in operation is explained below.  FIG. 4  is a flowchart of an operation procedure performed by the vehicle control system according to the first embodiment when the engine  32  and the motor  42  are in operation (during the warming-up).  
      In response to the start-instruction information from the remote key  50 , or an operation by a not-shown key, the motor  42  starts, and then the engine  32  starts. As a result, the warming-up of the vehicle  5  is started. When the motor  42  and the engine  32  start, the temperature sensor  43  starts to measure the temperature of the motor  42 , and sends information about the temperature of the motor  42  to the motor control unit  41 . The motor control unit  41  then starts to determine whether the motor  42  has a temperature error. This result of determination whether the motor  42  has the temperature error (state information) is sent to the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  via the drive switching device  21  at a predetermined timing.  
      Moreover, when the engine  32  and the motor  42  start, the temperature sensor  34  starts to measure the temperature of the engine  32 , while the oil pressure sensor  33  starts to measure the oil pressure in the engine  32 . The temperature sensor  34  and the oil pressure sensor  33  send information about the temperature and the oil pressure of the engine  32  to the engine control unit  31 . The engine control unit  31  then starts to determine whether the engine  32  has a temperature error and whether the engine  32  has an oil pressure error.  
      A result of determination whether the engine  32  has the temperature error (state information), and a result of determination whether the engine  32  has the oil pressure error are sent to the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  via the drive switching device  21  at a predetermined timing.  
      The vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  inputs information sent from the drive switching device  21  (result of determination) with the input unit  13 , and sends input information to the state determining unit  15 . Based on information sent from the drive switching device  21 , the state determining unit  15  determines whether the states of the engine  32  and the motor  42  are an abnormal state.  
      To begin with, based on the information sent from the drive switching device  21  at the predetermined timing, the state determining unit  15  determines whether the state of the motor  42  is an abnormal state (step S 110 ). If the state determining unit  15  determines that the state of the motor  42  is the abnormal state (Yes at step S 110 ), the state determining unit  15  sends a result of this determination to the switch instructing unit  17 . The switch instructing unit  17  creates the motor stop-instruction information to control and stop the motor  42 , and sends created information to the drive switching device  21  via the output unit  14 . Consequently, the drive switching device  21  instructs the motor control unit  41  to stop the motor  42  (step S 120 ). In other words, in the first embodiment, the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  sends an instruction whether to stop the motor  42  to the vehicle drive mechanism  20  based on whether the state of the motor  42  is an abnormal state.  
      Furthermore, even if the drive switching device  21  instructs the motor control unit  41  to stop the motor  42 , when the engine  32  is being driven, the temperature sensor  43  is kept ON by driving the engine  32 . This allows the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  (the motor control unit  41 ) to determine whether the motor  42  is in an abnormal state even when the motor  42  is inactive.  
      If the state of the motor  42  is an abnormal state, the warning unit  18  creates warning information indicating that the motor  42  is in the abnormal state. The warning unit  18  sends the warning information created by the warning unit  18  from the transmission unit  11  via the antenna  52  to the remote key  50 . As a result, the user of the remote key  50  is notified of the warning information indicating an error in the motor  42  (step S 130 ).  
      If determining that the state of the motor  42  is the abnormal state, the state determining unit  15  determines to set the motor  42  in the state where the starting is inhibited, and causes the storage unit  16  to store therein a result of this determination. After that, the state determining unit  15  determines whether to permit the starting control of the motor  42  based on information present in the storage unit  16  (the result of determination indicating that the state of the motor  42  is the abnormal state). Therefore, even if the state determining unit  15  receives the start-instruction information from the remote key  50  in the following processing, the state determining unit  15  instructs the switch instructing unit  17  not to send the motor start-instruction information to the drive switching device  21 . In other words, the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  goes in a state not to receive an instruction to start the motor  42  (state where the starting of the motor  42  by remote control is inhibited) (step S 140 ).  
      After that, if the motor  42  is in an abnormal state, processing from steps S 110  to S 140  is repeated. Moreover, if the motor  42  has already been stopped, the processing at step S 120  is not performed. Warning information is reported to the remote key  50  at a predetermined timing as required, and the state where the starting of the motor  42  by remote control is inhibited is continued.  
      By contrast, if determining that the state of the motor  42  is a normal state (No at step S 110 ), the state determining unit  15  determines to set the motor  42  in the state where the starting is permitted, and causes the storage unit  16  to store therein a result of this determination. After that, the state determining unit  15  determines whether to permit the starting of the motor  42  based on information present in the storage unit  16  (the result of determination indicating that the state of the motor  42  is not the abnormal state). Therefore, if the state determining unit  15  receives the start-instruction information from the remote key  50  in the following processing (when the motor  42  is inactive), the state determining unit  15  instructs the switch instructing unit  17  to send the motor start-instruction information to the drive switching device  21 . In other words, the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  goes into a state to receive an instruction to start the motor  42  (state where the starting of the motor  42  by remote control is permitted) (step S 150 ). After that, when the motor  42  is inactive, if receiving the motor start-instruction information from the switch instructing unit  17 , the drive switching device  21  instructs the motor control unit  41  to start the motor  42 .  
      Next, the state determining unit  15  determines whether the state of the engine  32  is an abnormal state based on information sent from the drive switching device  21  at a predetermined timing (step S 210 ).  
      If the state determining unit  15  determines that the state of the engine  32  is the abnormal state (Yes at step S 210 ), the state determining unit  15  sends a result of this determination to the switch instructing unit  17 . The switch instructing unit  17  creates the engine stop-instruction information to control and stop the engine  32 , and sends created information to the drive switching device  21  via the output unit  14 . Consequently, the drive switching device  21  instructs the engine control unit  31  to stop the engine  32  (step S 220 ). In other words, in the first embodiment, the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  sends an instruction whether to stop the engine  32  to the vehicle drive mechanism  20  based on whether the state of the engine  32  is an abnormal state.  
      Furthermore, even if the drive switching device  21  instructs the engine control unit  31  to stop the engine  32 , when the motor  42  is being driven, the temperature sensor  34  and the oil pressure sensor  33  are kept ON by driving the motor  42 . This allows the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  (the engine control unit  31 ) to determine whether the engine  32  is in an abnormal state even when the engine  32  is inactive.  
      If the state of the engine  32  is an abnormal state, the warning unit  18  creates warning information indicating that the engine  32  is in the abnormal state. The warning unit  18  sends the warning information created by the warning unit  18  from the transmission unit  11  via the antenna  52  to the remote key  50 . As a result, the user of the remote key  50  is notified of the warning information indicating an error in the engine  32  (step S 230 ).  
      When determining that the state of the engine  32  is the abnormal state, the state determining unit  15  determines to set the engine  32  in the state where the starting is inhibited, and causes the storage unit  16  to store therein a result of this determination. After that, the state determining unit  15  determines whether to permit the starting control of the engine  32  based on information present in the storage unit  16  (the result of determination indicating that the state of the engine  32  is the abnormal state). Therefore, even if the state determining unit  15  receives the start-instruction information from the remote key  50  in the following processing, the state determining unit  15  instructs the switch instructing unit  17  not to send the engine start-instruction information to the drive switching device  21 . In other words, the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  goes in a state not to receive an instruction to start the engine  32  (state where the starting of the engine  32  by remote control is inhibited) (step S 240 ).  
      After that, if the engine  32  is in an abnormal state, processing from steps S 210  to S 240  is repeated. Moreover, if the engine  32  has already been stopped, the processing at step S 210  is not performed. Warning information is reported to the remote key  50  at a predetermined timing as required, and the state where the starting of the engine  32  by remote control is inhibited is continued.  
      By contrast, if the state of the engine  32  is a normal state (No at step S 210 ), the state determining unit  15  determines to set the engine  32  in the state where the starting is permitted, and causes the storage unit  16  to store therein a result of this determination. After that, the state determining unit  15  determines whether to permit the starting of the engine  32  based on information present in the storage unit  16  (the result of determination indicating that the state of the engine  32  is not the abnormal state). Therefore, if the state determining unit  15  receives the start-instruction information from the remote key  50  in the following processing (when the engine  32  is inactive), the state determining unit  15  instructs the switch instructing unit  17  to send the engine start-instruction information to the drive switching device  21 . In other words, the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  goes in a state to receive an instruction to start the engine  32  (state where the starting of the engine  32  by remote control is permitted) (step S 250 ).  
      After that, when the engine  32  is inactive, if receiving the engine start-instruction information from the switch instructing unit  17 , the drive switching device  21  instructs the engine control unit  31  to start the engine  32 . The processing from steps S 110  to S 250  is repeated at a predetermined timing while performing the warming-up of the vehicle  5 .  
      Next, processing procedures performed by the vehicle control system  1  when instructing the engine  32  or the motor  42  to start (a stopping control procedure for the motor  42 , and a stopping control procedure for the engine  32 ) will be explained below. First, a processing procedure performed by the vehicle control system  1  if the motor  42  is in an abnormal state is explained below.  FIG. 5  is a sequence chart of the processing procedure performed by the vehicle control system  1  when the motor  42  is in an abnormal state.  
      When the user inputs a request to perform the warming-up of the vehicle  5  (instruction to start driving of the vehicle  5 ) to the remote key  50  ( 1 ), a start request for the warming-up (information including the start-instruction information) is sent from the remote key  50  to the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  ( 2 ).  
      The transmission unit  11  of the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  receives the start request sent from the remote key  50  via the antenna  52 . The transmission unit  11  then inputs the start request into the remote-instruction detecting unit  12 . The remote-instruction detecting unit  12  extracts the start-instruction information from the start request, and inputs the extracted information into the state determining unit  15 .  
      At this moment, the motor  42  and the engine  32  have not started, so that the temperature sensor  43  has not been actuated. For this reason, the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  cannot determine whether the motor  42  is in an abnormal state. Therefore, the state determining unit  15  of the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  instructs the switch instructing unit  17  to send the motor start-instruction information to the drive switching device  21  to start the motor  42  ( 3 ).  
      The drive switching device  21  sends the motor start-instruction information to the motor control unit  41  ( 4 ), and instructs the motor control unit  41  to start the motor  42 . The motor  42  activates the starting ( 5 ), and the temperature sensor  43  starts to measure the temperature of the motor  42 .  
      The temperature sensor  43  sends information about the temperature of the motor  42  (measured temperature) to the motor control unit  41 . The motor control unit  41  determines whether the motor  42  has a temperature error based on the information from the temperature sensor  43 .  
      If the motor  42  has the temperature error, the motor control unit  41  determines that the motor  42  is in an abnormal state (error detection of the motor  42 ) ( 6 ). When determining that the motor  42  is in the abnormal state, the motor control unit  41  sends state information indicating that the motor  42  is in the abnormal state (motor error information) to the drive switching device  21  ( 7 ).  
      The drive switching device  21  sends the motor error information received from the motor control unit  41  to the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  ( 8 ). The state determining unit  15  of the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  determines whether the motor  42  and the engine  32  are in an error state based on information received from the drive switching device  21 . In this case, because the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  receives the motor error information from the drive switching device  21 , the state determining unit  15  determines that the motor  42  is in the abnormal state ( 9 ).  
      When determining that the state of the motor  42  is the abnormal state, the state determining unit  15  determines to set the motor  42  in the state where the starting is inhibited, and causes the storage unit  16  to store therein a result of this determination. As a result, the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  goes in a state not to receive an instruction to start the motor  42  (state where the starting of the engine  32  by remote control is inhibited).  
      If the state of the motor  42  is an abnormal state, the warning unit  18  creates warning information indicating that the motor  42  is in the abnormal state, and sends created warning information from the transmission unit  11  via the antenna  52  to the remote key  50 .  
      By contrast, if the state of the motor  42  is the normal state, the motor control unit  41  does not determine that the motor  42  is in an abnormal state (error), so that the motor error information is not sent from the motor control unit  41  via the drive switching device  21  to the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10 . For this reason, if receiving no motor error information from the drive switching device  21 , or if receiving the state information indicating that the motor  42  is in the normal state, the state determining unit  15  determines that the motor  42  is in the normal state.  
      The state determining unit  15  instructs the switch instructing unit  17  to create instruction information for stopping the motor  42  (the motor stop-instruction information), and to send created motor stop-instruction information to the drive switching device  21  via the output unit  14  ( 10 ). The drive switching device  21  sends the motor stop-instruction information from the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  to the motor control unit  41  ( 11 ), and instructs the motor control unit  41  to stop the motor  42  ( 12 ).  
      After that, regardless of whether the motor  42  is in an abnormal state, the state determining unit  15  of the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  instructs the switch instructing unit  17  to create instruction information for starting the engine  32  (the engine start-instruction information) at a predetermined timing, and to send created instruction information to the drive switching device  21  via the output unit  14  ( 13 ).  
      The drive switching device  21  sends the engine start-instruction information from the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  to the engine control unit  31  ( 14 ), and instructs the engine control unit  31  to start the engine  32  ( 15 ). The engine  32  then performs the warming-up of the vehicle  5 .  
      As a result, when performing the warming-up of the vehicle  5 , can stop the motor  42  in the abnormal state, and start the engine  32  in the normal state, to perform the warming-up. Accordingly, can perform the warming-up of the vehicle  5  while reducing damage to the motor  42  in the abnormal state.  
      Next, a processing procedure performed by the vehicle control system  1  if the engine  32  is in an abnormal state is explained below.  FIG. 6  is a sequence chart of the processing procedure performed by the vehicle control system  1  when the engine  32  is in an abnormal state.  
      When the user inputs a request to perform the warming-up of the vehicle  5  (instruction to start driving of the vehicle  5 ) to the remote key  50  ( 21 ), a start request for the warming-up (information including the start-instruction information) is sent from the remote key  50  ( 22 ).  
      The transmission unit  11  of the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  receives the start request sent from the remote key  50  via the antenna  52 . The transmission unit  11  then inputs the start request into the remote-instruction detecting unit  12 . The remote-instruction detecting unit  12  then extracts the start-instruction information from the start request, and inputs extracted information into the state determining unit  15 .  
      At this moment, the motor  42  and the engine  32  have not started, so that the temperature sensor  43  has not been started. For this reason, the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  cannot determine whether the motor  42  is in an abnormal state. Therefore, the state determining unit  15  of the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  instructs the switch instructing unit  17  to send the motor start-instruction information to the drive switching device  21  to start the motor  42  ( 23 ).  
      The drive switching device  21  sends the motor start-instruction information to the motor control unit  41  ( 24 ), and instructs the motor control unit  41  to start the motor  42 . The motor  42  activates the starting ( 25 ), and the engine  32  performs the warming-up of the vehicle  5 . At this moment, the temperature sensor  43  starts to measure the temperature of the motor  42 .  
      The temperature sensor  43  sends information about the temperature of the motor  42  to the motor control unit  41 . The motor control unit  41  determines whether the motor  42  has a temperature error based on the information from the temperature sensor  43 .  
      If the motor  42  does not have the temperature error, the motor control unit  41  determines that the motor  42  is in the normal state. When determining that the motor  42  is in the normal state, the motor control unit  41  sends state information indicating that the motor  42  is in the normal state to the drive switching device  21 , or sends no information to the drive switching device  21 .  
      The state determining unit  15  determines whether the motor  42  is in an error state at a predetermined timing. If receiving no motor error information from the drive switching device  21  for a predetermined time period, or if receiving the state information indicating that the motor  42  is in the normal state, the state determining unit  15  determines that the motor  42  is in the normal state. In this case, because the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  does not receive any information (such as the motor error information) from the drive switching device  21 , the state determining unit  15  determines that the motor  42  is in the normal state ( 26 ).  
      Next, regardless of whether the motor  42  is in an abnormal state, the state determining unit  15  of the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  instructs the switch instructing unit  17  to create instruction information for starting the engine  32  (the engine start-instruction information) at a predetermined timing, and to send created instruction information to the drive switching device  21  via the output unit  14  ( 27 ). The drive switching device  21  sends the engine start-instruction information from the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  to the engine control unit  31  ( 28 ), and instructs the engine control unit  31  to start the engine  32 .  
      The engine  32  activates the starting ( 29 ), and the temperature sensor  34  starts to measure the temperature of the engine  32 , and the oil pressure sensor  33  starts to measure the oil pressure of the engine  32 . The temperature sensor  34  sends information about the temperature of the engine  32  to the motor control unit  41 , and the oil pressure sensor  33  sends information about the oil pressure of the engine  32  (oil pressure value) to the motor control unit  41 . The engine control unit  31  determines whether the engine  32  has a temperature error based on the information from the temperature sensor  34 . Moreover, the engine control unit  31  determines whether the engine  32  has an oil pressure error based on the information from the oil pressure sensor  33 .  
      If the engine  32  has the temperature error, or the engine  32  has the oil pressure error, the engine control unit  31  determines that the engine  32  is in an abnormal state (error detection of the engine  32 ) ( 30 ). When determining that the engine  32  is in the abnormal state, the engine control unit  31  sends state information indicating that the engine  32  is in the abnormal state (engine error information) to the drive switching device  21  ( 31 ).  
      The drive switching device  21  sends the motor error information received from the engine control unit  31  to the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  ( 32 ). The state determining unit  15  of the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  determines whether the motor  42  and the engine  32  are in an error state based on information received from the drive switching device  21 . In this case, because the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  receives the engine error information from the drive switching device  21 , the state determining unit  15  determines that the engine  32  is in the abnormal state ( 33 ).  
      When determining that the state of the engine  32  is the abnormal state, the state determining unit  15  determines to set the engine  32  in the state where the starting is inhibited, and causes the storage unit  16  to store therein a result of this determination. As a result, the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  goes in a state not to receive an instruction to start the engine  32  (state where the starting of the engine  32  by remote control is inhibited).  
      If the state of the engine  32  is an abnormal state, the warning unit  18  creates warning information indicating that the engine  32  is in the abnormal state, and sends created warning information from the transmission unit  11  via the antenna  52  to the remote key  50 .  
      The state determining unit  15  instructs the switch instructing unit  17  to create instruction information for stopping the engine  32  (the engine stop-instruction information), and to send created engine stop-instruction information to the drive switching device  21  via the output unit  14  ( 34 ). The drive switching device  21  sends the engine stop-instruction information from the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  to the engine control unit  31  ( 35 ), and instructs the engine control unit  31  to stop the engine  32  ( 36 ).  
      As a result, when performing the warming-up of the vehicle  5 , can stop the engine  32  in the abnormal state, and start the motor  42  in the normal state, to perform the warming-up. Accordingly, can perform the warming-up of the vehicle  5  while reducing damage to the engine  32  in the abnormal state.  
      In the first embodiment, the motor  42  or the engine  32  that is in an abnormal state is to be controlled and stopped. However, if either the motor  42  or the engine  32  is in an abnormal state, both the motor  42  and the engine  32  can be controlled and stopped to stop the vehicle drive mechanism  20 . This produces the effect of avoiding damage of peripheral devices including the motor  42  and the engine  32 , even if a peripheral device around the motor  42  and the engine  32  is in an abnormal state. If both the motor  42  and the engine  32  are in an abnormal state, both the motor  42  and the engine  32  are stopped, so that the warming-up of the vehicle  5  is not performed.  
      Moreover, it can be configured such that, if the motor  42  is in the normal state, the engine control unit  31 , the oil pressure sensor  33 , and the temperature sensor  34  are to be turned ON by driving the motor  42 , and the engine control unit  31  is to determine whether the engine  32  is in an abnormal state. In this case, after the motor  42  starts, the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  waits state information sent from the engine control unit  31 . The vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  then sends either the engine stopping information or the engine starting information to the engine control unit  31  based on state information from the engine control unit  31 .  
      In the first embodiment, explained is a case where the vehicle  5  includes vehicle drive mechanisms of the engine  32  and the motor  42 . However, the vehicle  5  can be configured to include other vehicle drive mechanisms. Moreover, a hybrid vehicle can employ a series hybrid system, by which the engine  32  only generates electric power and only the motor  42  turns wheels, or a parallel hybrid system, by which both the engine  32  and the motor  42  turns wheels. Furthermore, a hybrid vehicle can employ a series-parallel hybrid system, which is a combination of the series system and the parallel system.  
      In the first embodiment, the vehicle drive mechanism  20  is configured to include the temperature sensor  34  and the oil pressure sensor  33 , and to detect a temperature error and an oil pressure error in the engine  32  using the temperature sensor  34  and the oil pressure sensor  33 . However, the vehicle drive mechanism  20  can be configured to include another sensor that detects an error in the engine  32  other than the temperature error and the oil pressure error. Moreover, the vehicle drive mechanism  20  is configured to include the temperature sensor  43 , and detects a temperature error in the motor  42  using the temperature sensor  43 . However, the vehicle drive mechanism  20  can be configured to include another sensor that detects an error in the motor  42  other than the temperature error.  
      For example, the vehicle drive mechanism  20  can be configured to include a sensor that detects revolutions of the motor  42  and/or the engine  32 , and to detect a revolution error of the motor  42  and/or the engine  32  using this sensor. Moreover, the vehicle drive mechanism  20  can be configured to include a sensor that detects a locked state of the motor  42 , and to detect a lock error of the motor  42  using this sensor.  
      Thus, according to the first embodiment, the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  stops the motor  42  and/or the engine  32  in which an abnormal state is detected during the warming-up, thereby enabling the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  to reduce damage to the motor  42  and/or the engine  32  in which an abnormal state is detected.  
      Moreover, inhibits the starting control of the motor  42  and/or the engine  32  in which an abnormal state is detected, thereby enabling to reduce damage to the motor  42  and/or the engine  32  in which an abnormal state is detected.  
      Furthermore, because determines whether the engine  32  and the motor  42  are in an abnormal state when starting the warming-up of the vehicle  5 , and sends the stop-instruction information only to the engine  32  and/or the motor  42  that is in the abnormal state, if the engine  32  and/or the motor  42  is in the abnormal state, can stop only the engine  32  and/or the motor  42  that is in the abnormal state, thereby allowing the engine  32  and/or the motor  42  that is in the normal state to perform the warming-up. Accordingly, can perform the warming-up by efficiently driving the engine  32  and the motor  42  while reducing damage to the engine  32  and the motor  42 .  
     Second Embodiment  
      The first embodiment of the present invention has been explained above. The present invention can be implemented in various different embodiments other than the embodiments described above within a scope of technical principles described in appended claims.  
      Determination of State of Motor and Engine Based on Saved State Information Present in Storage  
      In the first embodiment, the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  determines whether the motor  42  and the engine  32  are in an abnormal state based on the information from the vehicle drive mechanism  20  when starting the warming-up of the vehicle  5 . However, the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  can also determine whether the motor  42  and the engine  32  are in an abnormal state based on the information present in the storage unit  16  when starting the warming-up of the vehicle  5 .  
      In this case, after the warming-up by the motor  42  and/or the engine  32  is finished, the information about the error in the motor  42  and the engine  32  present in the storage unit  16  is saved without deleting, to use saved information on the next occasion when performing the warming-up by the motor  42  and/or the engine  32 .  
       FIG. 7  is a flowchart of an operation procedure performed by the vehicle control system when performing the starting control of the motor and the engine based on information present in the storage. After the warming-up by the motor  42  and/or the engine  32  is finished, the storage unit  16  does not delete the information about the error in the motor  42  and the engine  32  present in the storage unit  16 , and saves it ( 41 ).  
      The start-instruction information is sent from the remote key  50  ( 42 ), and the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  receives the start-instruction information from the remote key  50  ( 43 ). The state determining unit  15  reads out information present in the storage unit  16  (a result of determination whether the state of the motor  42  is an abnormal state that is stored at the previous motor operation, and a result of determination whether the state of the engine  32  is an abnormal state that is stored at the previous engine operation) ( 44 ).  
      The state determining unit  15  determines at first whether the state of the motor  42  is an abnormal state based on information read out from the storage unit  16  (error determination). If the state of the motor  42  that is stored at the end of the previous operation of the motor is the abnormal state, the state determining unit  15  determines that the state of the motor  42  is the abnormal state. By contrast, if the state of the motor  42  that is stored at the end of the previous operation of the motor is the normal state, the state determining unit  15  determines that the state of the motor  42  is the normal state.  
      The state determining unit  15  then also determines whether the state of the engine  32  is an abnormal state based on information present in the storage unit  16  (error determination). If the state of the engine  32  that is stored at the end of the previous operation of the engine is the abnormal state, the state determining unit  15  determines that the state of the engine  32  is the abnormal state. By contrast, if the state of the engine  32  that is stored at the end of the previous operation of the engine is the normal state, the state determining unit  15  determines that the state of the engine  32  is the normal state ( 45 ).  
      If it is determined that the motor  42  and/or the engine  32  is in an abnormal state, the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  instructs the motor  42  and/or the engine  32  determined as in the abnormal state not to perform the starting control, and instructs only the motor  42  and/or the engine  32  determined as in the normal state to perform the starting control ( 46 ).  
      In other words, if determining that the motor  42  is in the normal state, the state determining unit  15  instructs the switch instructing unit  17  to send the motor start-instruction information to the drive switching device  21  to start the motor  42  ( 46 ).  
      The drive switching device  21  sends the motor start-instruction information to the motor control unit  41  ( 47 ), and instructs the motor control unit  41  to start the motor  42 . The motor  42  activates the starting ( 48 ), and the motor  42  performs the warming-up of the vehicle  5 .  
      Furthermore, if determining that the engine  32  is in the normal state, the state determining unit  15  instructs the switch instructing unit  17  to send the engine start-instruction information to the drive switching device  21  to start the engine  32  ( 49 ).  
      The drive switching device  21  sends the engine start-instruction information to the engine control unit  31  ( 50 ), and instructs the engine control unit  31  to start the engine  32 . The engine  32  activates the starting ( 51 ), and the engine  32  performs the warming-up of the vehicle  5 .  
      Accordingly, the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  can perform the warming-up easily and efficiently based on the information present in the storage unit  16  while reducing damage to the engine  32  and the motor  42 .  
      After that, if the motor  42  and/or the engine  32  turns into an abnormal state, the motor control unit  41  and/or the, engine control unit  31  sends the motor error information and/or the engine error information to the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10 . When receiving the motor error information and/or the engine error information, the state determining unit  15  determines that the motor  42  and/or the engine  32  is in an abnormal state, and causes the storage unit  16  to store therein a result of this determination.  
      On the other hand, if the motor  42  and/or the engine  32  turns into the normal state, the motor control unit  41  and/or the engine control unit  31  sends no motor error information or no engine error information to the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10 .  
      When receiving no motor error information or no engine error information, the state determining unit  15  determines that the motor  42  and/or the engine  32  is in the normal state, and causes the storage unit  16  to store therein a result of this determination. As a result, the information indicating that the motor  42  and/or the engine  32  is in an abnormal state is deleted in the storage unit  16 , and the storage unit  16  is reset.  
      The storage unit  16  can also be reset in accordance with instruction information from the remote key  50 . In this case, the user inputs information for resetting the storage unit  16  into the remote key  50 , the remote key  50  then sends the information for resetting the storage unit  16  to the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10 . This enables the user to easily delete state information of the motor  42  or the engine  32  from the storage unit  16  as desired by the user.  
      Thus, the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  performs the starting control of the engine  32  and the motor  42  based on the information present in the storage unit  16 , so that the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  can determines whether the motor  42  and the engine  32  are in an abnormal state without starting the motor  42  and the engine  32 . Accordingly, the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  can immediately determine an abnormal sate of the motor  42  and the engine  32 , and instruct the motor  42  and/or the engine  32  to perform the warming-up, without damaging the engine  32  and/or the motor  42  in the abnormal state.  
      Driving of Engine and Motor in Accordance with Degree of Abnormal State  
      In addition, according to the present invention, if the engine  32  and/or the motor  42  is in an abnormal state, an operating state of the engine  32  and/or the motor  42  can also be controlled in accordance with a degree of the abnormal state of the engine  32  and/or the motor  42 , instead of completely stopping the engine  32  and/or the motor  42  in the abnormal state. For example, if the temperature of the engine  32  (the motor  42 ) is between t 1  degree and t 2  degree, the engine is instructed to perform the warming-up with a half of the normal driving force. If the temperature of the engine  32  is between t 2  degree and t 3  degree, the engine is instructed to perform the warming-up with a third of the normal driving force. If the temperature of the engine  32  is at t 3  degree or higher, the engine is instructed to stop.  
      This allows the engine  32  and the motor  42  to drive in accordance with the degree of the abnormal state of the engine  32  and the motor  42 , thereby enabling the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  to instruct the engine  32  and the motor  42  to drive efficiently while reducing damage to the engine  32  and the motor  42 .  
      Selection of Motor Starting or Engine Starting by Remote Key  
      In the first embodiment, when the start-instruction information is sent from the remote key  50 , the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  starts the engine  32  after starting the motor  42 . However, it can also be configured to instruct the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  from the remote key  50  to perform the warming-up by one of the motor  42  and the engine  32 , or both the motor  42  and the engine  32 .  
      In this case, the user inputs one of the following information (selection information) into the remote key  50 : instruction information for the motor  42  to perform the warming-up, instruction information for the engine  32  to perform the warming-up, and instruction information for both the motor  42  and the engine  32  to perform the warming-up. The vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  then selects the motor  42  and/or the engine  32  to perform the warming-up, and instructs the motor  42  and/or the engine  32  to perform the warming-up, based on selection information input into the remote key and sent to the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10 .  
      Thus, the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  can easily perform the warming-up by the motor  42  or the engine  32  as desired by the user with simple configuration. For example, in a zone where idling of a vehicle is prohibited, can instruct the vehicle drive mechanism  20  to control such that only the motor  42  performs the warming-up, while controlling the engine  32  not to start.  
      Determination of State Information Based on State of Sensor  
      In the first embodiment, performs the stopping control and the starting control of the motor  42  and the engine  32  based on an error state of the motor  42  and the engine  32 . However, can also perform the stopping control and the starting control of the motor  42  and the engine  32  based on an error state of the temperature sensor  43 , the temperature sensor  34 , and the oil pressure sensor  33 .  
      As a result, if the temperature sensor  43 , the temperature sensor  34 , or the oil pressure sensor  33  is in an abnormal state, the motor  42  and/or the engine  32  can be stopped, thereby avoiding that the states of the motor  42  and the engine  32  are determined by using the temperature sensor  43 , the temperature sensor  34 , or the oil pressure sensor  33  in the abnormal state. Thus, the vehicle remote-control apparatus  10  can instruct the engine  32  and the motor  42  to efficiently perform the warming-up while reducing damage to the engine  32  and the motor  42 .  
      Further effects and variants can be easily led by one skilled in the art. Aspects of the present invention are not limited to specific embodiments as explained above. Therefore, various modifications can be achieved without departing from a scope of inventive concepts according to appended claims and equivalents.  
     INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY  
      As described above, the starting control apparatus according to the present invention is suitable for starting control for a hybrid vehicle that includes a plurality of vehicle drive mechanisms.