Patent ID: 8401721

Claim:
A control apparatus for an internal combustion engine, wherein: the internal combustion engine is provided with: a valve lift varying mechanism arranged to vary an intake valve lift of the internal combustion engine, and set the intake valve lift at least to a non-zero lift setpoint and to a zero-lift setpoint; and a valve phase varying mechanism arranged to vary an exhaust valve phase of the internal combustion engine; and the control apparatus comprises a controller adapted to be connected for signal communication therewith to the valve lift varying mechanism and the valve phase varying mechanism, wherein the controller is configured to perform a control operation in response to a request to pause at least one cylinder of the internal combustion engine while the internal combustion engine is in operation, wherein the control operation includes: a first operation of setting the intake valve lift to the zero-lift setpoint by the valve lift varying mechanism; and a second operation of setting the exhaust valve phase by the valve phase varying mechanism so as to set an exhaust valve opening timing of the internal combustion engine to a first timing setpoint on an advance side of bottom dead center and set an exhaust valve closing timing of the internal combustion engine to a second timing setpoint on a retard side of bottom dead center, wherein the first and second timing setpoints are closer to top dead center than to bottom dead center.