Patent ID: 8712670

Claim:
A controller for an internal combustion engine which is provided with at least a direct fuel injector for a direct fuel injection, the controller comprising: a variable valve timing controller adjusting a valve timing of an intake valve and/or an exhaust valve; a self-ignited combustion control means for performing a self-ignited combustion of an air-fuel mixture by compressing the air-fuel mixture in a compression stroke when a driving region of the internal combustion engine is in a specified self-ignited combustion region; and a fuel reform degree detecting means for detecting a reform degree of the fuel injected into a cylinder by a fuel-reform injection, wherein the self-ignited combustion control means controls the variable valve timing controller in such a manner as to establish a negative valve overlap period where the exhaust valve and the intake valve are closed at least in a posterior half of an exhaust stroke, the self-ignited combustion control means performs the fuel-reform injection in which the fuel is injected into a cylinder for reforming a fuel during the negative valve overlap period, the self-ignited combustion control means performs an output-control injection in which the fuel is injected into the cylinder or an intake port for controlling an output of the internal combustion engine after the fuel-reform injection is performed, the self-ignited combustion control means corrects a fuel injection quantity of the output-control injection based on the reform degree of the fuel, and the reform degree of the fuel in a present combustion cycle is detected, and the fuel injection quantity of the output-control injection in the present combustion cycle is corrected based on the reform degree of the fuel.