Patent ID: 6871127

Claim:
A method of operating a control device for a steer-by-wire steering system of a vehicle, comprising: acquiring a plurality of input signals associated with: a plurality of steering wheel angles, a plurality of steering angles, a plurality of restoring torques operating on a plurality of steered wheels, and a plurality of transfer torques from at least one feedback actuator to a steering mechanism; monitoring the plurality of input signals by at least one of a plurality of plausibility checks and an analytic redundancy; triggering at least one of a plurality of steering actuators operating on the plurality of steered wheels depending on one of the plurality of steering wheel angles; triggering the at least one feedback actuator operating on a steering wheel depending on the plurality of restoring torques; communicating with one of at least one control device and at least one sensor situated in the vehicle; monitoring a plurality of control device functions, a first availability of an auxiliary level, and a second availability of an arrangement for activating the auxiliary level; and switching from a steer-by-wire steering to the auxiliary level upon an occurrence of an error in the steer-by-wire steering; wherein the plurality of steering actuators are triggered by a plurality of control signals for a plurality of phase currents and at least one enable signal.