A Study of Architectural Models for Cyber-Physical Systems

该项目的重点是网络物理系统（CPS）-物理和工程系统，其操作由计算核心集成，监视和控制。CPS的应用包括例如关键（物理）基础设施控制（电力、水资源、天然气和燃料分配、运输等），高度可靠的医疗设备和系统、交通控制和安全、先进的汽车系统、过程控制和制造、节能和环境控制、航空电子设备、分布式机器人（远程呈现，远程医疗），用于设计和配置计算和联网系统的传统框架没有捕获CPS系统的复杂性--主要是因为为计算和联网而开发的许多抽象故意地抽象掉物理世界的基本属性。现有的实时操作系统（操作系统、中间件和通用虚拟机的混合）不足以支持新兴类别的网络物理系统的复杂性挑战，因为传统的计算抽象和物理过程的属性之间不匹配。一些当前的技术方法部分地弥合了抽象差距（例如实时操作系统、中间件技术、专用嵌入式处理器架构和专用网络）。然而，当前的网络物理系统的研究和开发需要非增量的、革命性的方法，即从头开始构建新的抽象。这些抽象必须能够在每个级别进行推理，以实现高置信度的系统组成，并解决时间关键性、安全性和保密性等问题。为了响应CPS框架的需求，该SGER项目将研究架构模型，目标是帮助研究界开发一个集成了计算机科学和（实时系统;嵌入式系统;软件和系统验证、确认和认证;计算技术;无线和有线网络;传感器网络）和传统的物理科学和工程学科（控制，物理传感器和执行器，物理系统设计和工程，材料，甚至生物学和纳米技术）。这些模型很可能为未来的信息物理系统设计提供一个平台，将这些相互作用的元素集中到一个焦点上。（讲习班、专题讨论会、峰会等），旨在为学术界、工业界和政府的工程师和科学家提供一个论坛，介绍他们在网络物理系统的任何方面的最新研究成果，允许社区为这个重要的新兴领域定义和加强研究议程。该提案的主要智力价值在于分析现有的网络物理系统，并开发抽象的架构模型，以实现未来的网络物理系统设计和实现。拟议工作的更广泛影响是通过项目重点关注与网络物理系统有关的问题，对整个研究界产生影响。通过这种网络物理系统研究取得的进步预计将提高国家的研究和开发能力，并有助于提高全球竞争力。

The focus of this project is on cyber-physical systems (CPS) -- physical and engineered systems whose operations are integrated, monitored, and controlled by a computational core. Applications of CPS include, for example, critical (physical) infrastructure control (electric power, water resources, gas and fuel distribution, transportation, etc.), highly dependable medical devices and systems, traffic control and safety, advanced automotive systems, process control, and manufacturing, energy conservation and environmental control, avionics, distributed robotics (tele-presence, tele-medicine), and manufacturing.Traditional frameworks for designing and configuring computing and networking systems do not capture the complexity of CPS systems -- principally because many of the abstractions developed for computing and networking deliberately abstract away essential properties of the physical world. Existing real-time operating systems (mix of operating systems, middleware, and general-purpose virtual machines) are not sufficient to support the complexity challenges of emerging classes of cyber-physical systems because of the mismatch between traditional computation abstractions and properties of physical processes. Some current technical approaches partially bridge the abstraction gap (such as real-time operating systems, middleware technologies, specialized embedded processor architectures, and specialized networks). However, current research and development of cyber-physical systems calls for non-incremental, revolutionary approaches, where new abstractions are built from the ground up. These abstractions must enable reasoning at every level for high-confidence system composition and addresses issues such as time-criticality, safety, and security.In response to the need for a CPS framework, this SGER project will investigate architectural models with the goal of helping the research community to develop a cyber-physical system vision that integrates both computer science (real-time systems; embedded systems; software and system verification, validation, and certification; computing technologies; wireless and wired networking; sensor nets) and the traditional physical sciences and engineering disciplines (control, physical sensors and actuators, physical system design and engineering, materials, even biology and nanotechnology). Such models are likely to provide a platform for future cyber-physical systems design that brings these interacting elements into a single focus.This project will also sponsor several meetings (workshops, symposia, summit, etc) that aim at providing a forum for engineers and scientists in academia, industry and government to present their latest research findings in any aspects of cyber-physical systems, and, consequently, allow the community to define and enhance the research agenda for this important emerging field. The primary intellectual merit of the proposal resides in analyzing existing cyber-physical systems and developing abstracted architecture models that will enable future cyber-physical systems design and realization. The broader impact of the proposed work is on the research community at-large, through the project focus on issues related to cyber-physical systems. The advancement achieved through this Cyber-physical system research is expected to improve the research and development capabilities in the nation and contribute to increased global competitiveness.