CONTROL DEVICE FOR HYBRID VEHICLE

摘要

An object of this invention is to prevent rich poisoning of a catalyst utilizing a motor while an internal combustion engine is stopped in a hybrid vehicle. An engine 10 includes variable valve mechanisms 36 and 38 capable of causing an intake valve 32 and an exhaust valve 34 to stop. An ECU 50 estimates poisoning states of catalysts 24 and 26, and executes and prohibits stopping of the valves 32 and 34 based on the poisoning states. When stopping of the valves 32 and 34 is prohibited during a fuel-cut operation, the ECU 50 drives a crankshaft 16 of the engine 10 by means of a motor 60 to idle the engine 10. Thus, even in a hybrid vehicle in which the engine 10 is stopped during a fuel-cut operation, a sufficient amount of oxygen can be rapidly supplied to the catalysts 24 and 26 by utilizing a pumping action of pistons 12, and the catalysts 24 and 26 can be caused to recover from rich poisoning efficiently.