Particulate matter detecting apparatus for internal combustion engine

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a particulate matter detecting apparatus for an internal combustion engine that can maintain an appropriate balance between reduction in time required for one detecting sequence and limiting of power consumption of a heater for sensor reset. The particulate matter detecting apparatus for an internal combustion engine includes: a sensor disposed at an exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine, the sensor including a pair of electrodes for trapping particulate matter; voltage applying means for applying voltage across the electrodes; discharge amount index acquiring means for acquiring a predetermined index associated with a discharge amount of the particulate matter; and voltage adjusting means for adjusting the voltage to be applied across the electrodes based on the index acquired by the discharge amount index acquiring means such that the voltage is lower when the discharge amount is large than when the discharge amount is small.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.