Ways of Providing Intelligent Consistent Real-Time Control for Cyber-Technical Systems

Abstract

Railroad Transportation, Automated Manufactories, Nuclear Power Plants, Aerospace Missions can be reviewed as examples of a complex technical system with computer-based control. The subsystems of these systems, in turn, also contain dozens of devices, sensors, actuators, etc. We can name this phenomenon as a system of the systems. The important issue of the control of such a system is functioning in real-time. To achieve the system’s goals we need to implement the specific schedule of the physically coordinated processes. The wrong synchronization of the processes executed by the equipment can lead to a catastrophe. Processes to be executed consume various resources with limited available levels. The overconsuming of each kind of resources leads to inconsistency. The notion of consistent control logic considering these issues is being defined in the paper. The set of real-time control algorithms must implement this control logic to complete required tasks in the changing environment even in case of some faults of the equipment. The paper analyses the aspects of complexity and requirements for 'intelligence' to provide consistent control. Also, the paper presents some ways of synthesis and verification of such intelligent and consistent control and presents developed software tools.