Collaborating Multiple System Instances of Smart Cyber-physical Systems: A Problem Situation, Solution Idea, and Remaining Research Challenges

In the engineering of smart cyber-physical systems (CPS), emphasis is given to dynamic networks of CPS collaborating to fulfill an overall purpose. In many cases, multiple instances of the same system type must collaborate at runtime to achieve the overall purpose. As the development process of CPS typically focuses on system specifications on the type level, unsafe behavior resulting from the interplay of multiple system instances of the same system type can easily remain undetected. This paper reports on the findings we gained from an industrial case study in the avionic industry regarding the specific problem of unsafe behavior originating from the collaboration of multiple system instances of the same system type. Additionally, we sketch a general solution idea, which we have evaluated within the case study, and discuss remaining research challenges.