Dynamic Reliability of Multiplex Control Systems

Abstract The problem of reliability of multiplex control schemes for complex dynamic systems, is formulated, analyzed, and partially resolved in the context of connective stability and Markov processes. The failures of controllers and plant interconnections are identified as states of a Markov process, and connective stability methods are used to establish stability of the control structure configurations corresponding to the acceptable (operating) states of the process. A measure of dynamic reliability is chosen as a mean time spent by the structure of the multiplex control system at the operating states until a failed state of the process is reached.