Synchronization Strategies for Multi-agent Networked Control Systems

Abstract: With the advent of 21st century and increasing advancements in the field of technology and connectivity, inter-networking in real-time has achieved great importance. Distributed control and multi-agent paradigm has groped rapidly with history of big time failures of centralized systems in the past. The concepts of synchronization and network control systems have been used extensively in the near past to map, analyze and solve defined set of objectives. In this thesis, a diverse set of applications from power flow point of view are taken into consideration and modelled/analyzed using synchronization as the central theme. These systems are proposed (or assumed) to be network connected and its control has been devised accordingly. It has been shown how some examples from nature can help recreate similar dynamics synthetically and help achieve system objectives. Few of the applications of the smart world have been ascribed in the thesis and distributed control of these seen from a multi-agent perspective have been devised in order to better design and operate such systems in real-time. Synchronization happens to be the heart of all the networks, as all the agents work in tandem in order to provide to a common objective as well abide by the defined constraints. As an inflection to the work, I set up a platform for development of new distributed and fast acting control strategies for conventional as well as futuristic control systems existing/non-existing in the literature. As a major contribution of this dissertation, by combining the ideas from physics and power systems, I open up various interesting phenomena already existing in either fields to be explored for one another.