Patent ID: 6880498

Claim:
An internal combustion engine including a heat accumulation system, comprising: heat carrier flow passageways, formed in a cylinder head and a cylinder block of said internal combustion engine, for flowing a heat carrier through; a heat accumulation system for reserving said heat carrier in a way that retains heat energy; a heat carrier pumping device for circulating said heat carrier in said heat accumulation system through said heat carrier flow passageways of at least said cylinder head of said internal combustion engine when or before starting up said internal combustion engine; and a heat carrier switching device, including a flow-path switch valve responsive to a controller and disposed between said heat carrier pumping device and said heat carrier flow passageways for stopping circulation of said heat carrier to said heat carrier flow passageways from said heat accumulation system by configuring a flow circuit in which said heat carrier circulates through a head-sided cooling water passageway and a block-sided cooling water passageway only when a predetermined condition is determined to be satisfied by the controller after said heat carrier pumping device has started circulating the heat carrier.