Device for controlling an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle with improved scanning strategy

The device is intended to determine a maximum permissible temperature of a catalyst (20) based on richness of gases and the rate of oxygen, so as to modify a parameter of a sweeping rate of a supercharged direct-injection petrol engine (10) or richness of gases in the engine when the temperature of the catalyst exceeds the maximum permissible temperature. The device modifies the parameters of sweeping rate of engine, richness of gases, and rate of opening/closing of a pass valve of an automatically-controlled governor of a turbocompressor of the engine.