US Patent 7100733 Method to initialize steering wheel in a steer-by-wire system

A system for initializing a steering wheel in a steer-by-wire vehicle includes a steering wheel, a torque feedback actuator, a steering wheel angle sensor, and a controller. The controller is adapted to calculate a corrected steering wheel angle based upon the relative angular positions of the road wheels and the steering wheel as measured by the respective sensors. The controller then controls the torque feedback generator to rotate the steering wheel into a corrected position such that the torque feedback generator rotates the steering wheel a minimum angle. The controller issues a warning signal in response to any resistance to the correction, including interference from the vehicle driver.