Feedback stabilization of a class of nonsmooth systems (Q1863485)

A general scalar-input nonlinear control system \[ \dot{x}=X(x,u), \quad x\in \mathbb{R}^n \] is under consideration, where \(X(x,u)=X^0(x)+Y(x,u)\) is a Lipschitz-continuous vector field, \(X(0,0)=0\). The principlal goal of the paper is an extension of Lyapunov function-based stabilization methods to nonsmooth problems. The authors aim is to provide sufficient conditions for global \(C^r\)-smooth (\(r\geq 1\)) feedback stabilization of a system, which is continuous but necessarily smooth. The formulation of the assumptions leading to the main result is quite cumbersome. It is, in particular, assumed that there exists a Lyapunov function \(V\) such that \(L_{X^0}V(x)\leq 0\) for all \(x\in\mathbb{R}^n\). From this assumption, it is deduced that there must exist a \(C^r\)-smooth vector field \(\tau\) such that \(L_Y V(x) L_\tau V(x)\geq 0\) for all \(x\in\mathbb{R}^n\) and both Lie derivatives \(L_Y V(x) \) and \( L_\tau V(x)\) vanish at the same \(x\). This conclusion is based on an auxiliary result, where such an inequality is obtained for a fixed vector field \(Y\). In the situation under consideration, the vector field \(Y\) explicitly depends on the control function \(u\). Therefore, the argument is not fully justified. The main result asserts that the system can be made globally asymptotically stable if the origin is the only common equilibrium point of a certain sequence of vector fields.