Method and device for controlling a camshaft phase adjuster in an internal combustion engine

A method for operating an internal combustion engine having a camshaft phase adjuster, including: providing a nonlinear final control element model, which indicates via a functional relationship an angular velocity of a relative adjustment of the camshaft phase adjuster as a function of an actuator correcting variable for the control of the camshaft phase adjuster; carrying out a control based on a deviation between a predefined camshaft angle adjustment setpoint value, and a camshaft angle adjustment actual value, to obtain as a control output a setpoint positioning rate of the camshaft phase adjuster; calculating the actuator correcting variable as a function of the setpoint positioning rate using an inverted final control element model; applying a predefined correction variable to the actuator correcting variable; controlling the camshaft phase adjuster using the actuator correcting variable to which the correction variable has been applied, to operate the internal combustion engine.