Patent ID: 7007462

Claim:
A combustion control apparatus for an internal combustion engine, comprising: an exhaust purifier in an exhaust passage of the engine; a combustion controlling actuator for causing combustion in a combustion chamber of the engine; a controller for controlling the combustion controlling actuator; and the controller configured to perform the following: switching a combustion mode between a normal combustion mode and a split retard combustion mode, in accordance with an condition of the exhaust purifier; performing the following in the normal combustion mode: producing normal combustion to generate an output torque of the engine; and performing the following in the split retard combustion mode: producing preliminary combustion at or near top dead center, to release a predetermined quantity of heat in the combustion chamber; starting main combustion at a timing later than a start timing of the normal combustion in the normal combustion mode, after an end of the preliminary combustion, to generate the output torque of the engine; determining an ignition lag between a start timing of a first fuel injection for the preliminary combustion and a start timing of the preliminary combustion, in accordance with an operating condition of the engine; and adjusting a first fuel injection quantity of the first fuel injection, in accordance with the ignition lag of the preliminary combustion.