Scope of the Workshop

Since the 1980s, a great deal of research has focused on the problem of distributed control over networks and the so-called Networked Control System (NCS) has developed. The source of this enthusiasm can be traced to the many advantages gained by eliminating the restrictions of traditional point-to-point control architectures. As an alternative to the point-to-point architecture, the NCS offers more flexibility for reconfiguration (e.g. to achieve fault-tolerance). Research on fault-tolerance aspects of NCS is at a very early stage of development and as such is a new requirement. To-date most studies on fault-tolerance only include the effects of faults at either component or local controller levels. The autonomous fault-tolerant NCS is a distributed system involving fault diagnosis and control at various local to global levels of system embedding.

Objectives

The aim of the workshop is to explore research opportunities in the direction of distributed control systems in order to enhance the performance of diagnostics and fault-tolerant control systems. Implementation of the subsequent concepts can be achieved by using the technologies of wireless networks, embedded systems, nomad components, electronics tags, etc...
Emphasis will be also placed on algorithms and procedures that facilitate the detection and isolation, at an early stage, of anomalies (variances or irregularities in the networks and/or in the system) and to switch to the fault-tolerant control strategy.
In particular, no significant theory in fault management and autonomous operating conditions exists, and only a few tools are available. Considerable efforts are still needed to make the range of theoretical results or methods in the control field applicable to networked systems. In this framework, it is expected that an integrated solution offering a synergy between communications, and computation and control, representing a new area of study for fault diagnosis and fault-tolerant control will emerge from the workshop discussions.

The main topics are:

Networked Control Systems

Intelligent Sensors and Sensor Networks

Real-Time Embedded Systems

Industrial Communication Systems

Conventional Fault Detection and Isolation (FDI)

Active Fault-Tolerant Control (FTC)

Autonomous Control

Distributed Wireless Networks

Reconfiguration