Analysis and synthesis of distributed discrete event control systems

廉价的计算能力，再加上数字通信和互联网基础设施的爆炸式增长，使得规模和复杂性空前的自动化系统成为可能，计算机技术的应用进入了一个蓬勃发展的新时代。为了抓住这个机会，控制科学家们一直在开发基于离散事件模型的方法，例如有限状态机，它为复杂控制系统提供了一个有用的范例。这一领域的主要挑战是规模管理：建议的研究将形成一个分布式控制的框架，并在其中开发可扩展的分析和综合方法。潜在的应用领域包括制造系统和通信、计算机、和交通网络。

Inexpensive computing power, coupled with an explosion in digital communications and internet infrastructure, has made possible automated systems of unprecedented scale and complexity, leading to a burgeoning new era in the application of computer technology.   To meet this opportunity, control scientists have been developing methods based on "discrete-event" models, such as finite state machines, which furnish a useful paradigm for complex control systems.  The major challenge within this area is the management of scale:  the proposed research will formulate a framework of "distributed control," and develop within it scaleable methods of analysis and synthesis.   Potential application areas include manufacturing systems and communications, computer, and transportation networks.