Weak synchronization in heterogeneous multi-agent systems

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel weak synchronization framework for heterogeneous multi-agent systems that ensures network stability without requiring knowledge of the communication network's structure, generalizing classical synchronization.

Contribution

It proposes a new weak synchronization approach that guarantees stability without network connectivity assumptions, extending classical synchronization concepts.

Findings

Achieves network stability with no network information needed.

Ensures classical synchronization if a directed spanning tree exists.

Describes output behaviors when network connectivity is absent.

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a new framework for synchronization of heterogeneous multi agent system which we refer to as weak synchronization. This new framework of synchronization is based on achieving the network stability in the absence of any information on communication network including the connectivity. Here by network stability, we mean that in the basic setup of a multi-agent system, we require that the signals exchanged over the network converge to zero. As such if the network happens to have a directed spanning tree then we obtain classical synchronization. Moreover, we design protocols which achieve weak synchronization for any network without making any kind of assumptions on communication network. If the network happens to have a directed spanning tree, then we obtain classical synchronization. However, if this is not the case then we describe in detail in this paper what kind of synchronization properties are preserved in the system and the output of the different agents can behave.