Fuzzy differential equations (Q5970663)

The authors consider the following fuzzy initial value problem \[ {du(t)\over dt}= f(t,u(t)),\quad t\in [0,\infty),\quad u(0)= u_0\in E^n,\tag{1} \] where \({du\over dt}\) denotes the Hukuhara derivative of function \(u,f:[0, \infty)\times E^n\to E^n\) is continuous, and the set \[ E^n:= \{u\in\mathbb{R}^n\to [0,1]\mid u\text{ satisfies (i)}\sim \text{(iv) below}\}, \] (i) \(u\) is normal, (ii) \(u\) is fuzzy convex, (iii) \(u\) is upper semicontinuous, and (iv) \([u]^0= \text{cl}\{x\in \mathbb{R}^n\mid u(x)> 0\}\) is compact. By means of the scalar comparison equation \[ w'= g(t, w(t)),\tag{2} \] where \(g(t,\tau)\) is measurable in \(t\) for fixed \(\tau\) and continuous nondecreasing in \(\tau\) for fixed \(t\), and subject to some additional conditions including a generalized Lipschitz condition to ensure that some comparison and uniqueness results in the theory of ODEs are valid. Applying the \textit{M. Hasegawa} functionals \(\langle u,v\rangle_1\), \(\langle u,v\rangle_2\) given in [J. Math. Soc. Jap. 18, 290-302 (1966; Zbl 0149.10301)] and successive approximation, the authors establish some sufficient conditions which yield the global existence of a unique continuous solution to equation (1).