Patent ID: 8109243

Claim:
A spark ignition type internal combustion engine comprising: a variable compression ratio mechanism able to change a mechanical compression ratio; a variable valve timing mechanism able to individually control an opening timing and closing timing of an intake valve; and a controller that is programmed to: shift the closing timing of the intake valve in a direction away from intake bottom dead center the lower the engine load to feed an amount of suction air in accordance with the required load into a combustion chamber, make the mechanical compression ratio maximum so that the maximum expansion ratio of 20 or more is obtained at the time of engine low load operation, and maintain the opening timing of the intake valve at a target opening timing of substantially intake top dead center in a noninterference region where a piston is not interfered with at least during the time in which the mechanical compression ratio is made maximum, the variable valve timing mechanism being configured to control the opening timing independent of the operation of the variable compression ratio mechanism.