Patent ID: 8240290

Claim:
A control apparatus for an internal combustion engine comprising: a high pressure fuel pump for supplying a high pressure fuel to the internal combustion engine; a low pressure fuel pump for supplying the fuel to the high pressure fuel pump; at least one fuel injector for injecting the fuel directly into a cylinder of the engine; a fuel injection controller for driving the high pressure fuel pump and the injector; a high pressure fuel pipe connected between the high pressure fuel pump and the injector, fuel pressure detecting means provided to the high pressure pipe; and a relief valve provided in the high pressure fuel pump or the high pressure fuel pipe, wherein a total of maximum injection quantity of the at least one injector mounted to the engine is set to exceed a maximum discharge quantity of the high pressure fuel pump in a range where the fuel injection controller is normally operated and, when a stuck fault occurs in the relief valve and also the high pressure fuel pump is out of control so that a fuel pressure detected by the fuel pressure detecting means is a certain threshold value P_a or more, the fuel injection controller controls a valve opened time duration in such a manner that a total of injection quantity per unit time injected from the injector is larger than a fuel discharge quantity per unit time discharged from the high pressure fuel pump and inhibits stoppage of fuel injection from the fuel injector, when a fuel pressure detected by the fuel pressure detecting means is equal or lower than a predetermined threshold value which is not more than the threshold value P_a, the low pressure fuel pump is stopped.