This paper explores the use of semantic knowledge inherent in the cyber-physical system (CPS) under study in order to minimize the use of explicit communication, which refers to the use of physical radio resources to transmit potentially informative data. It is assumed that the acquired data have a function in the system, usually related to its state estimation, which may trigger control actions. We propose that a semantic-functional approach can leverage the semantic-enabled implicit communication while guaranteeing that the system maintains functionality under the required performance. We illustrate the potential of this proposal through simulations of a swarm of drones jointly performing remote sensing in a given area. Our numerical results demonstrate that the proposed method offers the best design option regarding the ability to accomplish a previously established task -- remote sensing in the addressed case -- while minimising the use of radio resources by controlling the trade-offs that jointly determine the CPS performance and its effectiveness in the use of resources. In this sense, we establish a fundamental relationship between energy, communication, and functionality considering a given end application.

翻译：本文探索利用所研究信息物理系统中的语义知识，以最小化显式通信的使用（即利用物理无线电资源传输可能包含信息的数据）。假设采集的数据在系统中具有某种功能（通常与系统状态估计相关），该功能可能触发控制动作。我们提出一种语义-功能方法，能够利用语义启用的隐式通信，同时保证系统在所需性能下维持功能。通过一组无人机在指定区域联合执行遥感任务的仿真实验，我们展示了该方案的潜力。数值结果表明，所提方法在实现既定任务（本例中的遥感）方面提供了最优设计选择，同时通过控制共同决定信息物理系统性能与资源利用效率的权衡关系，最大限度地减少了无线电资源的使用。基于此，我们针对特定终端应用，建立了能量、通信与功能之间的基本关系。