A survey on run-time supporting platforms for cyber physical systems

• Published in: Frontiers of information technology & electronic engineering Vol. 18; no. 10; pp. 1458 - 1478
• Main Authors: Sun, Yuan, Yang, Gang, Zhou, Xing-she
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hangzhou Zhejiang University Press 01.10.2017; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Communications Engineering; Computer Hardware; Computer Science; Computer Systems Organization and Communication Networks; Cyber-physical systems; Electrical Engineering; Electronics and Microelectronics; Engineering; Instrumentation; Networks; Philosophy; Platforms; Polls & surveys; Review; Run time (computers); Software; Run-time supporting platforms; Agent; Service; Cyber physical system (CPS); TP311; Component
• ISSN: 2095-9184; 2095-9230
• DOI: 10.1631/FITEE.1601579

Cyber physical systems(CPSs) incorporate computation, communication, and physical processes. The deep coupling and continuous interaction between such processes lead to a significant increase in complexity in the design and implementation of CPSs. Consequently, whereas developing CPSs from scratch is inefficient, developing them with the aid of CPS run-time supporting platforms can be efficient. In recent years, much research has been actively conducted on CPS run-time supporting platforms. However, few surveys have been conducted on these platforms. In this paper, we analyze and evaluate existing CPS run-time supporting platforms by first classifying them into three categories from the viewpoint of software architecture: component-based platforms, service-based platforms, and agent-based platforms. Then, for each type, we detail its design philosophy, key technical problems, and corresponding solutions with specific use cases. Subsequently, we compare existing platforms from two aspects: construction approaches for CPS tasks and support for non-functional properties. Finally, we outline several important future research issues.