Exhaust gas purification device for an internal combustion engine

Abstract

An NOx occluding and reducing catalyst is disposed in an exhaust gas passage of an internal combustion engine that operates at a lean air-fuel ratio. When the engine is operating at a lean air-fuel ratio, the NOx occluding and reducing catalyst absorbs NOx in the exhaust gas. To release NOx, the engine is operated at a rich air-fuel ratio so that the exhaust gas flowing into the NOx occluding and reducing catalyst acquires a rich air-fuel ratio. While the engine is operated in a region of moderate lean air-fuel ratios of from the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio to an air-fuel ratio of about 20 at the time when the engine operating air-fuel ratio is changing from a lean air-fuel ratio operation to a rich air-fuel ratio operation, an electronic control unit (ECU) of the engine injects secondary fuel, that does not contribute to combustion, into the cylinders of the engine through the direct cylinder fuel injection valves in the expansion stroke or the exhaust stroke of the cylinders, so that the exhaust gas flowing into the NOx occluding and reducing catalyst acquires a rich air-fuel ratio. This prevents unpurified NOx from flowing out of the NOx occluding and reducing catalyst at the time when the engine operating air-fuel ratio is changed.