Stability analysis of networked systems with similar dynamics

The paper concerns systems that are composed of subsystems with similar dynamics. A method for analyzing the stability of such systems is developed, where the subsystems are decomposed into nominal models with identical dynamics and individual models describing the deviation of the subsystems from the common nominal models. The analysis is divided into three steps. First, the stability of the network controlled and physically interconnected nominal subsystems is checked by a state transformation based on the structure of the interconnection. The second step is to find an upper bound for the dynamics of the deviation model. The third step is to prove the stability of the overall system by considering the stabilized nominal system and the error bound. A sufficient condition for the stability of the overall system is derived and the method is demonstrated by proving the stability of platooning vehicles.