Patent ID: 7216618

Claim:
A control apparatus for driving a vehicle comprising: an engine start permission output control processing module operable to: read engine rotational speed; determine whether the engine rotational speed takes a value within a predetermined start disable range; output an engine start permission when the engine rotational speed takes a value not within the start disable range; an engine start control processing module which starts an engine when the engine start permission is output: an engine control module which controls the engine rotational speed based on a predetermined engine target rotational speed; and an engine drive determination processing module operable to output an engine start request and an engine stop request based on whether the engine is placed in a drive range, wherein the engine start permission output control processing module determines whether the engine rotational speed takes the value within the start disable range while the engine control module is controlling reducing the engine rotational speed as the engine stop request is output, and wherein when the engine stop request is outputted to correspondingly start reducing the engine rotational speed and the engine rotational speed takes the value within the start disable range and then the engine start request is outputted, the engine control module continues to control reducing the engine rotational speed until the engine rotational speed takes a value that is not within the start disable range.