Patent ID: 7210464

Claim:
A system for controlling a fuel pump installed in a fuel supply line connected to a fuel tank of an internal combustion engine having a plurality of cylinders and mounted on a vehicle, operation of the engine being switchable between cut-off-cylinder operating mode during which some of the cylinders are non-operative and full-cylinder operating mode during which all of the cylinders are operative, comprising: a fuel injector connected to the fuel supply line and supplied with fuel pressurized by the fuel pump; an engine operating mode discriminator discriminating whether the operation of the engine is in the full-cylinder operating mode or in the cut-off-cylinder operating mode; and a fuel pump controller controlling operation of the fuel pump based on the discriminated operating mode of the engine, wherein the fuel pump controller comprises: an engine operating index determiner determining an index that indicates operating condition of the engine; and a comparator comparing the determined index with threshold values, and wherein the fuel pump controller controls the operation of the fuel pump such that the delivery flow rate of the fuel pump is increased or reduced based on a result of the comparison.