Patent ID: 7331316

Claim:
A control apparatus for an internal combustion engine; comprising: an electric variable valve mechanism that is actuated by an electric actuator; a warm-up determination portion that determines, after the internal combustion engine is started, whether a warm-up needs to be performed; a first control portion that controls, if it is determined that the warm-up needs to be performed, the electric variable valve mechanism so that a valve overlap duration is increased; a second control portion that controls the internal combustion engine so that ignition timing is retarded based on an increase in the valve overlap duration, a hydraulic variable valve mechanism that is hydraulically actuated by hydraulic fluid discharged from an oil pump that is driven by the internal combustion engine; an operation determination portion that determines, based on a pressure of the hydraulic fluid, whether the hydraulic variable valve mechanism is able to operate properly; and a switching portion that switches, if it is determined that the hydraulic variable valve mechanism is able to operate properly, a mechanism used to increase the valve overlap duration from the electric variable valve mechanism to the hydraulic variable valve mechanism.