Glossary · IIoT, data and AI
Cyber-physical system (CPS)
Also known as: CPS
German: Cyber-physisches System
In engineering, a cyber-physical system (CPS) is a system in which computation, networking and physical processes are tightly integrated, with embedded computers monitoring and controlling physical processes through sensors and actuators, usually in feedback loops. Automated machines, robots and smart grids are typical examples.
- IIoT
In one sentence
A cyber-physical system tightly integrates computation, networking and physical processes through sensors, actuators and feedback loops.
Example
A networked robot cell that adjusts its gripping force from camera and force-sensor data and reports its state to the MES is a cyber-physical system.
How it applies
- Engineering: In a CPS, software faults and cyberattacks can have physical consequences. Safety and security therefore have to be engineered together (see Safety-security interface).
- Operation: Networked CPS can be updated and reconfigured in the field, which makes configuration management and Change control part of daily operation.
- Documentation: Documentation has to cover the physical machine and its software, network connections and update behavior. Describe states, interfaces and what happens when communication is lost.
CPS vs. IIoT
Cyber-physical system emphasizes the tight coupling of computation and physical processes, including closed-loop control. Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) emphasizes the networking of industrial devices and the use of their data, often above the control level. Many IIoT devices are part of cyber-physical systems.