Monotonic Logical Time for Cooperative Tracking in Decentralized Multi-Agent Networks

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Monotonic Logical Time for Cooperative Tracking in Decentralized Multi-Agent Networks. / Arkhipov, Ivan; Krokhalev, Evgenii; Tarasova, Elizaveta ; Granichin, Oleg.

In: IEEE Access, Vol. 14, 03.09.2026, p. 140323-140358.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

BibTeX

@article{f04274f3785c4ebbb8c480a0ed31ffce,

title = "Monotonic Logical Time for Cooperative Tracking in Decentralized Multi-Agent Networks",

keywords = "Synchronization, Timing, Steady-state, Clocks, Noise, Joining processes, Tracking, Floors, Topology, consensus, cooperative target tracking, distributed algorithms, distributed estimation, logical-time synchronization, monotonic time, multi-agent systems, randomized algorithms, SoftMax consensus, stochastic approximation, time-delay systems",

author = "Ivan Arkhipov and Evgenii Krokhalev and Elizaveta Tarasova and Oleg Granichin",

note = "Cooperative target tracking in decentralized networks depends on a shared notion of time. We advocate monotonic logical time—a network-computed time function that all agents agree on and that never regresses—as a coordination primitive for distributed estimation in lossy, asymmetric wireless networks at the edge, where a hierarchical grandmaster is a single point of failure. The primitive is maintained by SoftMax consensus on the agents{\textquoteright} scalar logical-time functions, driven by a PI controller, with a drift-resilient extension—a smooth dead-zoned restoring force (Leaky DeadZone)— that counteracts the accumulation caused by the systematic deficit induced by asymmetric delays, characterized by a distribution-free lemma. Mean-square convergence is established for a push-based broadcast-gossip protocol with an explicit steady-state bound whose network-size dependence, for a fixed topology, is expressed through the push diameter; the construction enforces monotonicity (non-decreasing) of the agreed time function as a first-class invariant at every event, in contrast to average-consensus clock protocols whose monotonicity holds only asymptotically. These theoretical results are corroborated in simulation, and the algorithm{\textquoteright}s feasibility is further demonstrated in small-scale hardware experiments. The synchronization layer is then used effectively in a downstream multi-target tracking task through a Time-Aware Local Voting Protocol (TA-LVP) operator.",

year = "2026",

month = sep,

day = "3",

doi = "10.1109/ACCESS.2026.3730604",

language = "English",

volume = "14",

pages = "140323--140358",

journal = "IEEE Access",

issn = "2169-3536",

publisher = "Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Monotonic Logical Time for Cooperative Tracking in Decentralized Multi-Agent Networks

AU - Arkhipov, Ivan

AU - Krokhalev, Evgenii

AU - Tarasova, Elizaveta

AU - Granichin, Oleg

N1 - Cooperative target tracking in decentralized networks depends on a shared notion of time. We advocate monotonic logical time—a network-computed time function that all agents agree on and that never regresses—as a coordination primitive for distributed estimation in lossy, asymmetric wireless networks at the edge, where a hierarchical grandmaster is a single point of failure. The primitive is maintained by SoftMax consensus on the agents’ scalar logical-time functions, driven by a PI controller, with a drift-resilient extension—a smooth dead-zoned restoring force (Leaky DeadZone)— that counteracts the accumulation caused by the systematic deficit induced by asymmetric delays, characterized by a distribution-free lemma. Mean-square convergence is established for a push-based broadcast-gossip protocol with an explicit steady-state bound whose network-size dependence, for a fixed topology, is expressed through the push diameter; the construction enforces monotonicity (non-decreasing) of the agreed time function as a first-class invariant at every event, in contrast to average-consensus clock protocols whose monotonicity holds only asymptotically. These theoretical results are corroborated in simulation, and the algorithm’s feasibility is further demonstrated in small-scale hardware experiments. The synchronization layer is then used effectively in a downstream multi-target tracking task through a Time-Aware Local Voting Protocol (TA-LVP) operator.

PY - 2026/9/3

Y1 - 2026/9/3

KW - Synchronization

KW - Timing

KW - Steady-state

KW - Clocks

KW - Noise

KW - Joining processes

KW - Tracking

KW - Floors

KW - Topology

KW - consensus

KW - cooperative target tracking

KW - distributed algorithms

KW - distributed estimation

KW - logical-time synchronization

KW - monotonic time

KW - multi-agent systems

KW - randomized algorithms

KW - SoftMax consensus

KW - stochastic approximation

KW - time-delay systems

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/55c426ea-54ee-3948-a52d-51d7d4b9697c/

U2 - 10.1109/ACCESS.2026.3730604

DO - 10.1109/ACCESS.2026.3730604

M3 - Article

VL - 14

SP - 140323

EP - 140358

JO - IEEE Access

JF - IEEE Access

SN - 2169-3536

ER -

ID: 161810423