Patent ID: 7293405

Claim:
A multi-cylinder internal combustion engine for a motor vehicle, comprising: an exhaust line which is assigned to cylinders of the internal combustion engine, an exhaust gas cleaning unit arranged in the exhaust line, a gas inlet valve which is used for a charge cycle and which is adapted to let combustion air into a combustion chamber assigned to each of the cylinders, a gas outlet valve which is used for the charge cycle and which is adapted to let exhaust gases out of the combustion chamber and into the exhaust line assigned to each of the cylinders, and an additional outlet valve through which, in an opened state, a flow connection is established between the respective combustion chamber and the exhaust line provided for at least one of the cylinders of the internal combustion engine, wherein the additional outlet valve of the at least one cylinder can be activated in conjunction with a regeneration operating mode for regenerating the exhaust gas cleaning unit, and wherein when the additional outlet valve is activated via the flow connection which is established by the additional outlet valve, gas passes out of the combustion chamber of the at least one of the cylinders and into the exhaust line and, as a result, can change at least one of an exhaust gas composition and an exhaust gas temperature compared to a normal operating mode so as to set the at least one of the composition and temperature to promote regeneration of the exhaust gas cleaning unit.