Patent ID: 8224555

Claim:
A control apparatus of an internal combustion engine in which a variable valve mechanism is provided in an intake valve and an exhaust valve, comprising: a variable valve control section that controls the variable valve mechanism and a fuel injection control section that controls fuel directly injected into a cylinder of the internal combustion engine, wherein the variable valve control section makes the lift of the intake valve low and controls the variable valve in such a manner that opening periods of the intake valve and the exhaust valve provide a negative overlap, during low-load operation of the internal combustion engine, and thereafter adjusts at least either of the opening timing of the intake valve and the closing timing of the exhaust valve according to the degree of combustion stability, which is obtained on the basis of at least any one of the temperature of a cooling medium of the internal combustion engine, the temperature of intake air taken in the internal combustion engine, and the wall temperature of the internal combustion engine, while maintaining the lift amount of the intake valve, and wherein the fuel injection control section controls the fuel injection timing, so that fuel is injected in the period when the intake valve is open.