Control apparatus for internal combustion engine

A control apparatus applied to an internal combustion engine equipped with a cylinder for burning fuel, a fuel injection valve for supplying fuel into the cylinder, an exhaust passage connected to the cylinder, and a filter located in the exhaust passage to collect particulate matter contained in exhaust gas,

• the control apparatus performing
• a fuel cutoff process for stopping supply of fuel to the cylinder from the fuel injection valve when a fuel cutoff condition determined in advance is fulfilled,
• a first acquisition process for acquiring a first index value that increases as an integrated amount of intake air during performance of the fuel cutoff process increases,
• a cancellation process for cancelling the fuel cutoff process when the first index value becomes equal to or larger than a first predetermined value determined in advance, during performance of the fuel cutoff process, and
• a second acquisition process for acquiring a second index value that increases as an elapsed time from end of the fuel cutoff process to subsequent start of the fuel cutoff process lengthens, and
• the control apparatus making a speed of increase in the first index value with respect to the integrated amount of intake air higher when the second index value is small in starting the fuel cutoff process than when the second index value is large in starting the fuel cutoff process, in the first acquisition process.