Patent ID: 7779623

Claim:
An exhaust gas purification apparatus for an internal combustion engine which recovers an exhaust gas purification ability of an exhaust gas purification unit by supplying fuel to said exhaust gas purification unit that is arranged on an exhaust passage of the internal combustion engine for purifying an exhaust gas, wherein in case where the exhaust gas purification ability of said exhaust gas purification unit is to be recovered, when the temperature of the exhaust gas flowing into said exhaust gas purification unit is in a first predetermined range, and when the temperature of said exhaust gas purification unit is in a second predetermined range, the supply of fuel is executed so as to make the degree of fuel atomization relatively low; and when the temperature of the exhaust gas flowing into said exhaust gas purification unit is lower than a lower limit temperature of said first predetermined range, or when the temperature of said exhaust gas purification unit is higher than an upper limit temperature of said second predetermined range, the supply of fuel is executed so as to make the degree of fuel atomization relatively high.