DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE

An SCR system (8) is arranged in an exhaust path (4) of an internal combustion engine (2) to which the invention is applied, and a particulate filter (14) is arranged downstream thereof. A control apparatus (16) includes temperature controlling means for controlling a temperature of an element portion of the particulate sensor. The temperature controlling means performs control to increase the temperature of the element portion of the particulate sensor to a first temperature range (T1), when a cumulative value (t) of a time for which the particulate sensor is used in a specific operating state reaches a reference time (t1), after detection of a particulate amount by the particulate sensor has started this time. Here, the specific operating state is an operating state set taking into account an operating state in which urea related substances tend to be discharged to a downstream side of the SCR system (8). Also, the first temperature range (T1) is a temperature that is higher than a temperature at which the urea related substances decompose, and lower than a temperature at which the particulates are burned off.