Patent ID: 7210457

Claim:
A homogeneous charge compression ignition internal combustion engine comprising: a plurality of cylinders; a sensor for detecting information related to combustion states of the cylinders; ignition devices, intake valves, and exhaust valves, each cylinder is provided with one of the ignition devices, one of the intake valves, and one of the exhaust valves; and a control apparatus that obtains the information related to the combustion states of the cylinders from the sensor, wherein, based on the information related to the combustion states of the cylinders obtained from the sensor, the control apparatus identifies a cylinder of the most violent combustion, and controls at least one of the valve timing of the intake valves, the valve timing of the exhaust valves, and a fuel injection amount to the cylinders, thereby suppressing the combustion of all the cylinders, such that the combustion state of the identified cylinder becomes an appropriate combustion state, and wherein, as for a cylinder the combustion state of which is out of a predetermined range and is a state causing misfire, the control apparatus selectively activates the corresponding ignition device to perform assisted ignition.