An extended generalized integral inequality based on free matrices and its application to stability analysis of neural networks with time-varying delays

Abstract

This paper proposes an extended generalized integral inequality based on free matrices (EGIIFM) and applies it to the stability analysis of neural networks with time-varying delays. The EGIIFM estimates an upper bound for a quadratic form of a positive definite matrix with an augmented vector staked not only with the state and its derivative but also with the nonlinear activation function. By reflecting the correlated cross-information among the terms in the augmented vector as free matrices, the EGIIFM provides a tighter upper bound and encompasses various existing single integral inequalities as special cases. In addition, by establishing a new double integral Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional including the correlated cross-information, a less conservative stability criterion is obtained. Through three well-known numerical examples, the effectiveness of the EGIIFM is evaluated.