Control apparatus for internal combustion engine and control apparatus for vehicle equipped with internal combustion engine

A control apparatus for an internal combustion engine, comprising:

• an intake valve stop mechanism that is capable of changing an operating state of an intake valve between a valve working state and a closed-valve stopped state;
• an exhaust variable valve operating apparatus that is capable of changing a valve opening characteristic of an exhaust valve;
• and
• a controller that is programmed to:
• execute a fuel-cut operation when a predetermined execution condition is established during operation of the internal combustion engine;
• execute, at a time of execution of the fuel-cut operation, intake valve stopping control that changes the operating state of the intake valve from the valve working state to the closed-valve stopped state;
• execute a valve-stopped-time exhaust valve control that, at a time of execution of the intake valve stopping control, changes the valve opening characteristic of the exhaust valve so that an in-cylinder residual gas amount of gas that remains inside a cylinder when the exhaust valve is closed increases;
• detect a request to revert from the fuel-cut operation;
• execute a valve-reversion-time exhaust valve control that, when performing the valve-stopped-time exhaust valve control in a case where a request to revert from the fuel-cut operation accompanied by the intake valve stopping control has been detected, changes the valve opening characteristic of the exhaust valve so that the in-cylinder residual gas amount decreases;
• change, when a request to revert from the fuel-cut operation accompanied by the intake valve stopping control has been detected, the operating state of the intake valve from the closed-valve stopped state to the valve working state;
• determine, at a time of execution of the valve-reversion-time exhaust valve control, whether or not the valve opening characteristic of the exhaust valve has been controlled until the valve opening characteristic becomes a control amount that makes the in-cylinder residual gas amount less than or equal to a predetermined value;
• and
• execute, when a request to revert from the fuel-cut operation accompanied by the intake valve stopping control has been detected, in-cylinder pressure increase inhibition control that inhibits an increase in an in-cylinder pressure at a time of combustion during a period until it is determined that the valve opening characteristic of the exhaust valve has been controlled until the valve opening characteristic becomes the control amount.