Time, Data, and Information in Cyber-Physical Systems

Engineering, Linguistic, and Philosophical Perspectives
Erscheinungsjahr 2026
ISBN: 978-3-032-39825-3
Verlag: Springer

Buch, Englisch, 130 Seiten, Format (B × H): 155 mm x 235 mm

Cyber-physical systems (CPS) have become the technological backbone of modern transportation, manufacturing, healthcare, energy, and other critical infrastructures. While existing textbooks provide extensive coverage of computation, communication, control, and software technologies, they often devote limited attention to the conceptual foundations that govern the interaction between these technologies and the physical world. This monograph addresses that gap by presenting a unified framework that integrates physical time, data, information, knowledge, and human cognition with the engineering principles of dependable cyber-physical systems.

The book introduces the conceptual models needed to understand the semantics of sensing, communication, control, and system behavior before developing methods for modeling physical systems, designing real-time control systems, achieving fault tolerance, and assuring safety in hostile and uncertain operating environments. Drawing on insights from engineering, linguistics, cognitive science, and the philosophy of information, it demonstrates why trustworthy CPS depend not only on correct hardware and software but also on sound conceptual foundations.

Designed for graduate students, researchers, and practicing engineers involved in the development of dependable and safety-critical systems, the monograph requires only a basic background in engineering, computer science, or a related field. No prior knowledge of philosophy or cognitive science is assumed. Readers will gain a deeper understanding of the principles underlying trustworthy cyber-physical systems and a coherent framework for their analysis, design, and assurance.

Zielgruppe

Research

Autoren/Hrsg.

Kopetz, Hermann

Fachgebiete

• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften: Forschung und Information Kybernetik, Systemtheorie, Komplexe Systeme
• Mathematik | Informatik Mathematik Stochastik
• Mathematik | Informatik EDV | Informatik Technische Informatik Eingebettete Systeme
• Technische Wissenschaften Elektronik | Nachrichtentechnik Elektronik
• Technische Wissenschaften Elektronik | Nachrichtentechnik Nachrichten- und Kommunikationstechnik Regelungstechnik
• Mathematik | Informatik EDV | Informatik Informatik Mensch-Maschine-Interaktion

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. Introduction.- 2. A Cyber-physical System (CPS) in a Nutshell,- 3. Time.- 4. Data.- 5. Information.- 6. Human Communication using Info-items.- 7. The PS-CS Interface.- 8. Design of a Control Model.- 9. Faults in a Cyber-physical system.- 10. The Design of a Safety-Critical CPS.- 11. Modeling From a Technical and Philosophical Perspective.

Über Autor(innen)

Hermann Kopetz is Emeritus Full Professor of Computer Engineering at TU Wien and an internationally recognized pioneer in real-time and fault-tolerant systems. Over a distinguished academic and industrial career spanning more than five decades, he led the Institute of Computer Engineering at TU Wien, transforming it into a world-renowned center for research in dependable real-time systems. He is best known for developing the Time-Triggered Protocol (TTP) and Time-Triggered Architecture (TTA), groundbreaking innovations that have shaped safety-critical applications in aerospace, transportation, and industrial automation. A co-founder of TTTech, Kopetz has helped bridge academic research and industrial practice, resulting in more than 300 scientific publications and over 50 patent families. He is the author of (Springer), a standard textbook on the topic now in its Third Edition, and several monographs.  An IEEE Life Fellow, full member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, and recipient of numerous prestigious honors, he is widely regarded as one of the foremost contributors to the field of safety-critical embedded and cyber-physical systems.