Patent ID: 8096286

Claim:
A method for controlling an internal combustion engine comprising: a coolant water temperature detecting means for detecting the coolant water temperature of the internal combustion engine, a rotation speed detecting means detecting the rotation speed of the internal combustion engine, and a control means controlling an operation of the internal combustion engine in accordance with the coolant water temperature and the rotation speed, wherein a traveling with reduced cylinders, which reduces the number of engine cylinders injecting fuel for a certain period of time, is performed when the control means evaluates that the internal combustion engine is in a cold start state and that the rotation speed has reached a predetermined rotation speed after the engine starting, wherein injection maps for the traveling with reduced cylinders, which are different from a normal traveling map, are memorized in the control means and the injection maps are referenced by the control means during the traveling with reduced cylinders, wherein the traveling with reduced cylinders is performed until the coolant water temperature reaches a temperature preliminarily set up in a traveling with reduced cylinders downstream temperature map, which sets up the traveling with reduced cylinders downstream temperature corresponding to the coolant water temperature of the internal combustion engine at the starting, wherein the traveling with reduced cylinders mode comprises at least two-stage or more multistage fuel injections into the operating cylinders, and wherein the traveling with reduced cylinders mode of the internal combustion engine delays the main fuel injection starting timing relative to the timing in a normal traveling mode.