Patent ID: 8000886

Claim:
A control device for an internal combustion engine, comprising: an air/fuel ratio sensor that is provided in an exhaust passage of said internal combustion engine and can detect an air/fuel ratio of an exhaust gas when activated by being heated; start-up advancing unit for setting an opening/closing timing of an exhaust valve during start-up of said internal combustion engine at a start-up opening/closing timing that is on an advanced side of a reference opening/closing timing serving as a reference of the opening/closing timing of said exhaust valve following warm-up completion; a variable valve timing mechanism that can modify the opening/closing timing of said exhaust valve; operating condition corresponding control unit for performing operating condition corresponding control in which said variable valve timing mechanism is caused to modify the opening/closing timing of said exhaust valve in accordance with an operating condition of said internal combustion engine; and temperature obtaining unit for obtaining a temperature of said exhaust passage in the vicinity of said air/fuel ratio sensor, wherein when the temperature in the vicinity of said air/fuel ratio sensor obtained by said temperature obtaining unit during start-up of said internal combustion engine is lower than a water droplet disappearing temperature at which water droplets in said exhaust passage disappear, the opening/closing timing of said exhaust valve is held at the start-up opening/closing timing, and after the temperature in the vicinity of said air/fuel ratio sensor reaches or exceeds said water droplet disappearing temperature, the operating condition corresponding control unit begins said operating condition corresponding control.