In Cyber Physical Systems (CPSs), two groups of actors interact toward the maximization of system performance: the sensors, observing and disseminating the system state, and the actuators, performing physical decisions based on the received information. While it is generally assumed that sensors periodically transmit updates, returning the feedback signal only when necessary, and consequently adapting the physical decisions to the communication policy, can significantly improve the efficiency of the system. In particular, the choice between push-based communication, in which updates are initiated autonomously by the sensors, and pull-based communication, in which they are requested by the actuators, is a key design step. In this work, we propose an analytical model for optimizing push- and pull-based communication in CPSs, observing that the policy optimality coincides with Value of Information (VoI) maximization. Our results also highlight that, despite providing a better optimal solution, implementable push-based communication strategies may underperform even in relatively simple scenarios.

翻译：在信息物理系统中，两组参与者相互作用以实现系统性能最大化：传感器负责观测和传播系统状态，执行器则基于接收到的信息做出物理决策。尽管通常假定传感器定期传输更新，但仅在必要时返回反馈信号，并据此调整物理决策以适应通信策略，能显著提升系统效率。特别是，在传感器自主发起更新的推送式通信与执行器请求更新的拉取式通信之间进行选择，是关键的决策步骤。本研究提出一个分析模型以优化信息物理系统中的推拉式通信，发现策略最优性与信息价值最大化相一致。研究结果还表明，尽管推送式通信策略能提供更优的最优解，但即便是可实施的策略，在相对简单的场景中也可能表现不佳。