Agent-based assistance system for the dynamic reliability calculation of cyber-physical systems

The concept of cyber-physical systems introduces new technologies that enable new kinds of functionalities. At the same time, these technologies also pose new requirements for the reliability calculation of such systems. Runtime data of the system can be made available worldwide through the networking of components. This offers the possibility to use that data for a more accurate dynamic reliability calculation. Another aspect to consider in reliability calculation of CPS is that the system structure is not yet known at the time of system development and is likely to change frequently over time. This paper presents a multi-agent-based assistance concept for dynamic reliability calculation of cyber-physical systems. The failure rate which is usually assumed to be constant, is divided into time-dependent partial failure rates which are calculated dynamically by the agents. To perform this calculation, the agents gather relevant information from various sources and collaborate with each other. The paper also shows the influence of dynamic factors on the reliability of a system using a software prototype.