A method of controlling a particulate filter

A method of controlling a particle filter for an internal combustion engine, particularly a diesel engine, comprises the steps of: performing a regeneration of the particulate filter; determining S105, during the regeneration, a value of an exhaust gas temperature Tout at an outlet of the particulate filter; and, estimating a value of a residual soot quantity RSQ stored into the particulate filter on the basis of the measured value of the exhaust gas temperature at the outlet of the particulate filter. The above method improves the reliability of the estimation of the residual soot quantity. The method can also include determining a value for the filter inlet temperature S110, Tin and exhaust mass flow rate S115 Fin at the inlet of the filter, then using these determined values and the determined temperature at the outlet of the filter to determine S125 the internal filter temperature. The method can also include using the estimated value of the temperature inside the particulate filter as an input for a calibration model or map which would yield as an output a value corresponding to the value of residual soot quantity.