ABSTRACT

The interface between a distributed sensor-actuator network (DSAN) system and the physical world is the critical foundation that enables the nodes to acquire sensor data and effect actions in the environment. The interface between a DSAN system and the physical world represents a fundamental departure from the traditional networked systems in which sensors and actuators were connected to a centralized computing system. DSAN security is challenging because integrated systems inherit security issues from distributed systems, wireless networks, sensor networks, and wired networks such as Ethernet-based factory systems. The processing aspect of the DSAN system is essential to effect actions in the environment based on information that is synthesized from data acquired via one or more sensors and prior state of the system. The transfer function refers to how sensed data are delivered to the DSAN system from a sensor and how the data from the DSAN system are presented to an actuator.