Abstract
This paper is about better engineering of cyber-physical systems (CPSs) through better models. Deterministic models have historically proven extremely useful and arguably form the kingpin of the industrial revolution and the digital and information technology revolutions. Key deterministic models that have proven successful include differential equations, synchronous digital logic and single-threaded imperative programs. Cyber-physical systems, however, combine these models in such a way that determinism is not preserved. Two projects show that deterministic CPS models with faithful physical realizations are possible and practical. The first project is PRET, which shows that the timing precision of synchronous digital logic can be practically made available at the software level of abstraction. The second project is Ptides (programming temporally-integrated distributed embedded systems), which shows that deterministic models for distributed cyber-physical systems have practical faithful realizations. These projects are existence proofs that deterministic CPS models are possible and practical.
Highlights
A cyber-physical system (CPS) is an orchestration of computers and physical systems
This paper argues that these models and methods do not combine and that the CPS constitutes a new engineering discipline that demands its own models and methods
Because no physical realization is perfectly faithful to any deterministic model, a Ptides execution may find itself in a situation where it has processed an event with time stamp t, and it later sees an event with a lesser time stamp
Summary
A cyber-physical system (CPS) is an orchestration of computers and physical systems. Embedded computers monitor and control physical processes, usually with feedback loops, where physical processes affect computations and vice versa. World War II, Wiener pioneered technology for the automatic aiming and firing of anti-aircraft guns The mechanisms he used did not involve digital computers, the principles involved are similar to those used today in computer-based feedback control systems. CPS connects strongly to the currently popular terms Internet of Things (IoT), Industry 4.0, the Industrial Internet, Machine-to-Machine (M2M), the Internet of Everything, TSensors (trillion sensors), and the fog (like the cloud, but closer to the ground) All of these reflect a vision of a technology that deeply connects our physical world with our information world. The term “CPS” is more foundational and durable than all of these, because it does not directly reference either implementation approaches (e.g., the “Internet” in IoT) nor particular applications (e.g., “Industry” in Industry 4.0) It focuses instead on the fundamental intellectual problem of conjoining the engineering traditions of the cyber and the physical worlds.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
