Decentralized CPS Contract Monitoring for Accurate Fault Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Large-scale cyber-physical systems face challenges in maintaining stability and fault tolerance due to increased complexity, with centralized monitoring methods failing to accurately identify fault sources and being sensitive to disturbances, and manual decomposition of contracts being time-consuming.
Innovation Solution
A decentralized cyber-physical system with a resilience manager that automatically decomposes a root contract into sub-contracts and assigns them to components, using an unwinding technique and hierarchical framework to monitor Non-Functional Properties, reducing misjudgment of component failures and enabling faster fault recovery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If centralized monitoring is used to monitor all components in the CPS, then the system can provide a unified view of system status, but the source of faults cannot be identified and the system is sensitive to disturbances
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the centralized monitoring system into multiple decentralized monitoring units, each responsible for monitoring specific components or subsystems. This segmentation allows local fault detection while reducing the complexity of the overall monitoring system, as each unit operates independently within its designated scope.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a hierarchical dimension to the monitoring architecture, organizing monitoring units at different levels (component level, subsystem level, system level). This dimensional organization enables efficient fault source identification by localizing issues to specific hierarchical levels while maintaining comprehensive system oversight.
2Measurement precision
If decentralized monitoring is used to monitor all components in the CPS, then the system can identify fault sources more accurately, but the CPS becomes sensitive to disturbance and false alarms can impact the entire process
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple decentralized monitoring units into a coordinated network where information is shared and cross-validated. This combination allows the system to maintain the fault detection precision of decentralized monitoring while reducing false alarm impact through collective decision-making and information aggregation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where monitoring units continuously exchange information about system status and detected anomalies. This feedback loop enables real-time validation of fault detections, allowing the system to distinguish between actual faults and false alarms by comparing observations across multiple units.
3Ease of manufacture
If manual decomposition of root contract into sub-contracts is performed, then the monitoring framework can be established, but the process is time-consuming and cannot meet rapidly changing needs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements automated contract decomposition where the monitoring system automatically generates sub-contracts from the root contract based on system configuration and requirements. This self-service approach eliminates manual decomposition, making the framework setup easier and significantly reducing the time required to adapt to changing needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary automated decomposition of contracts during system initialization or configuration phases, preparing the monitoring framework in advance. This preliminary action ensures that the monitoring structure is ready before operation begins, eliminating time-consuming manual setup when changes are needed.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure relates to a decentralized cyber-physical system including a managing unit and a plurality of components. The managing unit includes a root resilient manager including a root contract and a sub-contract generator. The sub-contract generator is configured to decompose the root contract into a plurality of sub-contracts and assign the plurality of sub-contracts to the plurality of components, respectively. Each component includes at least one observer configured to monitor if the property of the individual component violates the sub-contracts corresponding thereto. When one of the plurality of sub-contracts violates during the runtime of the decentralized cyber-physical system, the root resilience manager issues an alarm.