Patent ID: 8251042

Claim:
A controller for a torque-demand-type internal combustion engine mounted in a vehicle, the controller comprising: a determination unit that determines that a fuel-supply cutoff for cutting off a fuel supply to the internal combustion engine is allowed to start when a state of the vehicle satisfies a predetermined fuel-supply cutoff start condition; and a control unit that executes a torque-demand control using a relationship established among at least an intake efficiency, a torque and an engine rotational speed so as to decrease the torque generated by the internal combustion engine before executing the fuel-supply cutoff, when it is determined that the fuel-supply cutoff is allowed to start, wherein: the control unit includes an intake efficiency control unit that decreases the intake efficiency of the internal combustion engine to decrease the torque generated by the internal combustion engine by changing the intake efficiency of the internal combustion engine according to a target intake efficiency calculated by a target torque of the internal combustion engine and a current engine rotational speed, and by changing a fuel injection amount according to the changed intake efficiency, until the target intake efficiency reaches a predetermined lower limit value corresponding to a limit range in which the fuel injected from an injector is ignited, and an ignition timing control unit that retards ignition timing of the internal combustion engine to decrease the torque generated by the internal combustion engine, after the intake efficiency of the internal combustion engine is decreased to the lower limit by the intake efficiency control unit; and the control unit further includes a fuel-supply cutoff control unit that controls the internal combustion engine to execute the fuel-supply cutoff after the ignition timing of the internal combustion engine is retarded.