Method and device for operating an internal combustion engine

A method for operating an internal combustion engine comprising an intake tract and one or more cylinders with associated gas exchange valves comprising gas inlet valves and gas outlet valves, the method comprising:

• calculating a model temperature of a gas in the intake tract cyclically for a present point in time using a predefined intake pipe model without reference to a present temperature measurement value of the gas, while input signals to the model are varying;
• wherein the model for the present point in time depends at least in part on a model temperature determined for a preceding point in time;
• determining a cylinder air mass situated in a respective cylinder after closing the gas exchange valves based at least in part on the model temperature determined for the present point in time;
• after all input signals to the model are stable for a predetermined time period greater than one second, receiving a temperature measurement value representative of a temperature of the gas at the present point in time;
• determining a temperature corrective value based at least in part on the model temperature for the present point in time and the provided temperature measurement value;
• assigning the temperature corrective value to the intake pipe model;
• and
• determining the cylinder air mass depending on the temperature corrective value going forward;
• and
• metering fuel into the respective cylinder based at least in part on the determined cylinder air mass.