TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOFIA RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT SECTOR ADVANCED CONTROL SYSTEMS LABORATORY (ACSL)

1. TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOFIA RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT SECTOR ADVANCED CONTROL SYSTEMS LABORATORY(ACSL)

2. TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOFIA is the largest higher engineering school in Bulgaria with long years of experience in training engineers. Fifty five thousand are the engineers who have graduated and with the knowledge and skills acquired here have contributed to the development of Bulgarian industry. There is hardly any industry, company, or plant in Bulgaria where TU graduates are not employed. THE TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOFIA has trained most of the academic staff working in the other higher technical schools in Bulgaria. THE TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOFIA carries out dynamic research activities, their scientific products being competitive on the world market. THE TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF SOFIA is a major educational research and production complex offering highly qualified trainers, engineers and technical staff.

3. Research & Development Sector • The first contracts for financing research and development were signed in 1962-1963 and the Research and Development Sector (R&DS) was established in 1967. • As per the internal regulation norms, the R&DS is an autonomous unit through which all contracted research and its complementaryactivities are implemented. • In 2003, trough the intermediation of R&DS more than 420 contracts of realized total amount over 3 milions leva have been implemented. • R&DS also realized a significat amount of international research activities, primarily under the auspices of the EU Programs: COPERNICUS, Fifth Framework Program etc.The TU - Sofia has created structures and favourable conditions for the development of  scientific research, production and applied research implementation activities on contract basis with industry.

4. ADVANCED CONTROL SYSTEMS LABORATORY

5. All main staff participates as full time staff of Faculty of Automatics and Faculty of Computer Systems and Control Additional staff: PhD and MsD students from Faculty of Automatics and Faculty of Computer Systems and Control.

6. ADVANCED CONTROL SYSTEMS LABORATORY I. TEACHING ACTIVITIES The ACSLis a university laboratory specialised in industrial computer technology, computer control systems. It has been responsible for teaching a number of subjects in that field of science and engineering: • to students in the Faculty of Automatics • to students in the Computing, ELDE* • to students in the Industrial Computer Systems, ELDE • to students in the Computer Control Systems, ELDE • etc. * ELDE - English-Language Department of Engineering, TU- Sofia

7. ADVANCED CONTROL SYSTEMS LABORATORY I. TEACHING ACTIVITIES Teaching courses: • Microcomputer Systems Architecture • Programming Languages • Computer Control Systems • Software for Real-Time Computer Control • Distributed Computer Control Systems • Real-Time Networks • Embedded Applications

8. ADVANCED CONTROL SYSTEMS LABORATORY II. AREAS OF RESEARCH II.1. Research experience and expertise II.2. The development II.3. Recent research interests and efforts II.4. New areas of interest

9. ADVANCED CONTROL SYSTEMS LABORATORY II.1Research experience and expertise The ACSL has research experience and expertise in the field of computer control systems, i.e. systems architecture, algorithms and software for real-time computer control as well high-level N-tier distributed systems and heterogeneous networks • program generators for computer control systems; • real-time operating systems and schedulability analysis; • component-based modelling and design of control systems; • algorithms and software for process- and motion control systems; • real-time protocols; • mobile and embedded devices; • human-machine interface, etc.

10. ADVANCED CONTROL SYSTEMS LABORATORY II.2.The development Ours know-how has been used to develop operational and application software for real-time computer control which has been field-proven in numerous industrial installationsin co-operation with major Bulgarian institutes and engineering companies as well Western universities and companies II.2.1 Industrial installations • data acquisition and process control systems for electrical and heating power plants • water distribution systems • motion control systems for high-precision mechatronic equipment • etc.

11. ADVANCED CONTROL SYSTEMS LABORATORY II.2.The development II.2.2 Co-operation with universities and companies • Central Institute of Automation Technology • Laboratory of Automation and Instrumentation - Bulgarian Academy of Sciences • Central Laboratory of Automation - Ministry of Chemical Industry • FESTO-Austria GmbH. & FESTO-Bulgaria Ltd. • University of York U.K. • Microsoft Research Ltd. Cambridge • Endress+Hauser GmbH. • BECK GmbH • Komero-Technologies Ltd • a number of smaller companies

12. ADVANCED CONTROL SYSTEMS LABORATORY II.3.Recent research interestsand efforts Recent research interests have been in the field of modern Fixed-Priority Scheduling Theory and its application in the design and engineering of safe and predictable real-time systems, as well as distributed computer control systems (DCCS), including: • industrial computer networks and protocols (e.g. Fieldbus, CAN, etc.); • DCCS software architecture; • distributed hard real-time operating systems.

13. ADVANCED CONTROL SYSTEMS LABORATORY II.3.Recent research interestsand efforts Current research efforts are aimed at : 1. Developing computer technology for openand predictabledistributed control systems, within few related projects: • Software Architecture for Distributed Computer Control Systems; • Safe Real-Time Kernel for Distributed Computer Control Systems; • Interconnection Network for Hard Real-Time Multicomputer Systems. 2. Design methods for dependable and fault-tolerant systems, e.g. engineering methods and tools for formal specification and verification of real-time control systems.

14. ADVANCED CONTROL SYSTEMS LABORATORY II.4.New areas of interest New branch of ACSL research orientation are mobile and embedded devices based on Windows CE and power-line communication for industrial purposes. Two projects under Microsoft Academic Program oriented to real-time communication and embedded devices were finished 2004 year. REMPLI – “Real-Time Energy Management via Power Lines and Internet” was started 2003.