Analysis and Challenges in Wireless Networked Control System: A Survey

A wireless networked control system (WNCS) consists of a dynamic system to be controlled, sensors, actuators, and a remote controller. A WNCS has two types of wireless transmissions, i.e., the sensor's measurement transmission to the controller and the controller's command transmission to the actuator. In this paper, we are surveying the literature on the communication networks in WNCSs and the challenges related to them, such as the communication standards, delay, Packet dropout, and delay jitter. Then, the control approaches in the design of a WNCS are presented, including the interactive design approaches and the joint design approaches. Also, several applications of WNCSs have been discussed in terms of their structure, functionality, and control design. These applications include Intra-Vehicle Wireless networks, Wireless Avionics Intra-Communication, Building Automation, and Water pumping. After that, security issues in WNCSs from a control engineering point of view are detailed while focusing on the major kinds of cyber attacks affecting WNCSs. Finally, future directions and conclusions are summarized at the end of the paper.