Embedded Virtual Machines for Robust Wireless Control Systems
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control system synthesis
discrete systems
embedded systems
monitoring
object-oriented programming
optimising compilers
protocols
quality of service
robust control
system monitoring
systems analysis
telecommunication computing
telecommunication control
telecommunication network reliability
telecommunication network topology
virtual machines
wireless sensor networks
QoS
design time
discrete control
distributed runtime system
embedded virtual machine
open loop monitoring
open loop sensing
quality-of-service
reliability protocol
robust wireless control system
runtime optimization
software programming abstraction
virtual component
wireless sensor network
wireless system topology
Real-time systems
embedded systems
virtual machines
wireless sensor networks
Computer Engineering
Computer Sciences
Electrical and Computer Engineering
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Abstract
Embedded wireless networks have largely focused on open loop sensing and monitoring. To address actuation in closed loop wireless control systems there is a strong need to re-think the communication architectures and protocols for reliability, coordination and control. As the links, nodes and topology of wireless systems are inherently unreliable, such time-critical and safety-critical applications require programming abstractions where the tasks are assigned to the sensors, actuators and controllers as a single component rather than statically mapping a set of tasks to a specific physical node at design time. To this end, we introduce the Embedded Virtual Machine (EVM), a powerful and flexible programming abstraction where virtual components and their properties are maintained across node boundaries. In the context of process and discrete control, an EVM is the distributed runtime system that dynamically selects primary-backup sets of controllers to guarantee QoS given spatial and temporal constraints of the underlying wireless network. The EVM architecture defines explicit mechanisms for control, data and fault communication within the virtual component. EVM-based algorithms introduce new capabilities such as predictable outcomes and provably minimal graceful degradation during sensor/actuator failure, adaptation to mode changes and runtime optimization of resource consumption. Through the design of a natural gas process plant hardware-in-loop simulation we aim to demonstrate the preliminary capabilities of EVM-based wireless networks.