Patent ID: 8423227

Claim:
A monitoring apparatus for monitoring an operation state of an internal combustion engine of a vehicle having a frictional coupling device that allows or interrupts transmission of drive power from the internal combustion engine to drive wheels of the vehicle, the frictional coupling device being adapted to change the amount of engagement as the frictional coupling device is operated by a driver, wherein the internal combustion engine includes an igniter provided in a combustion chamber and used to ignite fuel in the combustion chamber, the monitoring apparatus comprising: a processor including executable programmed logic, for performing: monitoring a state value indicating the operation state of the internal combustion engine for a predetermined monitoring period; detecting a semi-engaged state of the frictional coupling device; and suspending the monitoring when the semi-engaged state of the frictional coupling device is detected, and continuing the monitoring until a total monitoring time excluding the time during which the monitoring is suspended becomes equal to the predetermined monitoring period, determining whether the ignition timing of the igniter is in an advanced side; counting the time for which the ignition timing remains in the advanced side; and determining the operation state of the internal combustion engine as being abnormal when the counted time has exceeded a reference value, wherein the suspension of the monitoring is accomplished by suspending the time count.