Patent ID: 6899196

Claim:
A steer-by-wire system for an automotive vehicle that includes road wheels, and a rack mechanically coupled to the road wheels and laterally displaceable to change a orientation of the road wheels, said steer-by-wire system comprising: an electric motor coupled to the rack for laterally displacing the rack; a road wheel sensor providing a signal indicative of road wheel response to a steering command; a controller; and a driver interface subsystem comprising: a steering wheel mounted on a steering column and rotatable by a driver for inputting a steering command; a reaction torque generator coupled to the steering column for applying a resistive torque thereto in response to the steering command; and an electromechanical brake operatively coupled to the steering column and selectively actuatable to prevent rotation of the steering wheel, wherein the controller is coupled to the road wheel sensor for receiving the signal and for determining when the road wheel orientation has reached a limit based upon said signal, and coupled to the electromechanical brake for actuating said electromechanical brake in response thereto.