A holistic approach to networked control systems

Networked control systems comprise sensors, actuators and controllers, the operation of which is coordinated via a communication network. These systems are typically spatially distributed, may operate in an asynchronous manner, but have their operation coordinated to achieve desired overall objectives.

These systems present a number of advantages over traditional wired-feedback control systems that include flexibility, low-cost and easy maintenance. These advantages, however, can only be realised if one can ensure that the resulting closed-loop control system offers appropriate safety and performance guarantees, and that the complexity of the design can be appropriately handled.

The main objective of the FeedNetback project is to generate a rigorous co-design framework that integrates architectural constraints and performance trade-offs from control, communication, computation, complexity and energy management.