Patent ID: 8364358

Claim:
A vehicle control unit for controlling a vehicle on the basis of a detection signal obtained from a shift range detecting unit configured to detect a shift range selected by a shift operating unit, a vehicle speed detecting unit configured to detect a vehicle speed, and an engine rpm detecting unit configured to directly or indirectly detect an engine rpm, wherein when the vehicle speed detecting unit detects that a vehicle speed Vi is less than a reference vehicle speed V 0 (V 0 >Vi≧0 (km/h)), the shift range detecting unit detects that a shift switching operation is carried out from a neutral to a forward range or a reverse range, and then the engine rpm detecting unit detects that the engine rpm is not less than a predetermined value R 1 until a time not less than a predetermined time t is elapsed from a time point when the shift switching operation is detected, a control for prohibiting a shift change of a transmission in accordance with the shift switching operation is carried out, wherein when the engine rpm detecting unit detects that the engine rpm is not more than a predetermined value R 2 during the prohibiting control, the prohibiting control is canceled and the shift change in accordance with the shift switching operation is carried out, wherein a control signal for compulsorily decreasing the engine rpm to be not more than the predetermined value R 2 is transmitted to an engine rpm control unit provided in the vehicle during the prohibiting control, wherein a first control data table has an engine rpm time-series control pattern set in advance to compulsorily decrease the engine rpm during the prohibiting control, and wherein the engine rpm is controlled to decrease in accordance with the first control data table during the prohibiting control.