New synchronization criteria for an array of neural networks with hybrid coupling and time-varying delays

Abstract. This paper is concerned with the global exponential synchronization for an array of hybrid coupled neural networks with time-varying leakage delay, discrete and distributed delays. Applying a novel Lyapunov functional and the property of outer coupling matrices of the neural networks, sufficient conditions are obtained for the global exponential synchronization of the system. The derived synchronization criteria are closely related with the time-varying delays and the coupling structure of the networks. The maximal allowable upper bounds of the time-varying delays can be obtained guaranteeing the global synchronization for the neural networks. The method we adopt in this paper is different from the commonly used linear matrix inequality (LMI) technique, and our synchronization conditions are new, which are easy to check in comparison with the previously reported LMI-based ones. Some examples are given to show the effectiveness of the obtained theoretical results.