Characterization of cyber-physical sensor systems

In the future sensors and sensor systems will take a key role in manufacturing. The trend acquire to more information is unbroken and is associated with the terms Industrie 4.0 and smart manufacturing. The current properties of industrial sensors have a very large range. These ranges begin by the simple conversion of physical properties, such as temperature, pressure and detection of mechanical movements. Furthermore, we find sensors that enable self-calibration, dynamic parameter setting, Ethernet-based communication and self-adaptation due to ambient conditions. In this paper, the term cyber-physical sensor system (CPSS) will be defined under the requirements of industrial applications of sensors. The first step is a general definition of cyber-physical sensor systems. This definition for CPSS respects the higher degree of crosslinking, distributed systems, possibilities of embedded systems in the field of automation and respects the current standards. The second step is a characterization of sensors depending on their skills. One example is an advanced mechatronic chuck. This chuck is stated as an application case for a high level category CPSS that shows the communication skills in the horizontal and vertical integration.