Modeling and Analyzing Cyber Physical Systems Using High Level Petri Nets

Cyber physical systems (CPSs) are pervasive in our daily life from mobile phones to auto driving cars. This paper presents an approach for modeling and analyzing cyber physical systems using high level Petri nets. We provide several patterns for modeling various behavioral features including discrete, continuous, synchronous, and real-time. Our modeling approach starts with modeling individual system components as agent nets using the patterns, and then weaving the agent nets incrementally using the aspect-oriented idea to obtain an overall system net. The approach is introduced and discussed through an airplane fuel tank system and is applied to an airplane landing detection controlling system in the case study section. Three complementary analysis techniques including simulation, reachability analysis, and model checking are used for analyzing high level Petri net models. Our approach is supported with a tool chain for model construction and analysis.