Lyapunov functions for time-varying systems satisfying generalized conditions of Matrosov theorem

The classical Matrosov theorem concludes uniform asymptotic stability of time-varying systems via a weak Lyapunov function (positive definite, decrescent, with negative semi-definite derivative along solutions) and another auxiliary function with derivative that is strictly nonzero where the derivative of the Lyapunov function is zero (Mastrosov in J Appl Math Mech 26:1337–1353, 1962). Recently, several generalizations of the classical Matrosov theorem have been reported in Loria et al. (IEEE Trans Autom Control 50:183–198, 2005). None of these results provides a construction of a strong Lyapunov function (positive definite, decrescent, with negative definite derivative along solutions) which is a very useful analysis and controller design tool for nonlinear systems. Inspired by generalized Matrosov conditions in Loria et al. (IEEE Trans Autom Control 50:183–198, 2005), we provide a construction of a strong Lyapunov function via an appropriate weak Lyapunov function and a set of Lyapunov-like functions whose derivatives along solutions of the system satisfy inequalities that have a particular triangular structure. Our results will be very useful in a range of situations where strong Lyapunov functions are needed, such as robustness analysis and Lyapunov function-based controller redesign. We illustrate our results by constructing a strong Lyapunov function for a simple Euler-Lagrange system controlled by an adaptive controller and use this result to determine an ISS controller.     

Further results on strict Lyapunov functions for rapidly time-varying nonlinear systems

We explicitly construct global strict Lyapunov functions for rapidly time-varying nonlinear control systems. The Lyapunov functions we construct are expressed in terms of oftentimes more readily available Lyapunov functions for the limiting dynamics which we assume are uniformly globally asymptotically stable. This leads to new sufficient conditions for uniform global exponential, uniform global asymptotic, and input-to-state stability of fast time-varying dynamics. We also construct strict Lyapunov functions for our systems using a strictification approach. We illustrate our results using several examples.     

Further remarks on strict input-to-state stable Lyapunov functions for time-varying systems

We study the stability properties of a class of time-varying non-linear systems. We assume that non-strict input-to-state stable (ISS) Lyapunov functions for our systems are given and posit a mild persistency of excitation condition on our given Lyapunov functions which guarantee the existence of strict ISS Lyapunov functions for our systems. Next, we provide simple direct constructions of explicit strict ISS Lyapunov functions for our systems by applying an integral smoothing method. We illustrate our constructions using a tracking problem for a rotating rigid body.     

Construction of control Lyapunov functions for damping stabilization of control affine systems

This paper considers the stabilization of nonlinear control affine systems that satisfy Jurdjevic–Quinn conditions. We first obtain a differential one-form associated to the system by taking the interior product of a non vanishing two-form with respect to the drift vector field. We then construct a homotopy operator on a star-shaped region centered at a desired equilibrium point that decomposes the system into an exact part and an anti-exact one. Integrating the exact one-form, we obtain a locally-defined dissipative potential that is used to generate the damping feedback controller. Applying the same decomposition approach on the entire control affine system under damping feedback, we compute a control Lyapunov function for the closed-loop system. Under Jurdjevic–Quinn conditions, it is shown that the obtained damping feedback is locally stabilizing the system to the desired equilibrium point provided that it is the maximal invariant set for the controlled dynamics. The technique is also applied to construct damping feedback controllers for the stabilization of periodic orbits. Examples are presented to illustrate the proposed method.     

A new Lyapunov function for stability of time-varying nonlinear perturbed systems

In this paper, global and local uniform asymptotic stability of perturbed dynamical systems is studied by using Lyapunov techniques. The restriction about the perturbed term is that the perturbation is bounded by an integrable function under the assumption that the nominal system is globally uniformly asymptotically stable. We use a new Lyapunov function to obtain a global uniform asymptotical stability of some perturbed systems.     

切换系统的二类共同Lyapunov 函数

研究切换系统的共同Lyapunov函数存在问题.对于一类正切换系统,给出了共同Lyapunov函数存在的充分条件.当系统矩阵集为二阶矩阵紧集时,给出了判断共同Lyapunov函数存在的方法,并给出了计算共同Lyapunov函数的算法.最后通过算例验证了所提出算法的有效性.     

Further results on Lyapunov functions for slowly time-varying systems

We provide general methods for explicitly constructing strict Lyapunov functions for fully nonlinear slowly time-varying systems. Our results apply to cases where the given dynamics and corresponding frozen dynamics are not necessarily exponentially stable. This complements our previous Lyapunov function constructions for rapidly time-varying dynamics. We also explicitly construct input-to-state stable Lyapunov functions for slowly time-varying control systems. We illustrate our findings by constructing explicit Lyapunov functions for a pendulum model, an example from identification theory, and a perturbed friction model.     

Stability analysis of nonlinear quadratic systems via polyhedral Lyapunov functions

Quadratic systems play an important role in the modeling of a wide class of nonlinear processes (electrical, robotic, biological, etc.). For such systems it is mandatory not only to determine whether the origin of the state space is locally asymptotically stable, but also to ensure that the operative range is included into the convergence region of the equilibrium. Based on this observation, this paper considers the following problem: given the zero equilibrium point of a nonlinear quadratic system, assumed to be locally asymptotically stable, and a certain polytope in the state space containing the origin, determine whether this polytope belongs to the domain of attraction of the equilibrium. The proposed approach is based on polyhedral Lyapunov functions, rather than on the classical quadratic Lyapunov functions. An example shows that our methodology may return less conservative results than those obtainable with previous approaches.     

Inverse system design for LPV systems using parameter-dependent Lyapunov functions

This paper addresses the design problem of gain-scheduled inverse systems (GSISs) for linear parameter-varying (LPV) systems, whose state-space matrices are represented as parametrically affine matrices, using parameter-dependent Lyapunov functions (PDLFs), and proposes a method for them via parametrically affine linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Our method includes robust inverse system (RIS) design as a special case. For RIS design, our method theoretically encompasses the method using constant Lyapunov functions. A design example is included to illustrate our conclusions.     

A converse Lyapunov theorem for discrete-time systems with disturbances

This paper presents a converse Lyapunov theorem for discrete-time systems with disturbances taking values in compact sets. Among several new stability results, it is shown that a smooth Lyapunov function exists for a family of time-varying discrete systems if these systems are robustly globally asymptotically stable.     

Stabilizability of switched linear systems does not imply the existence of convex Lyapunov functions

Counterexamples are given which show that a linear switched system (with controlled switching) that can be stabilized by means of a suitable switching law does not necessarily admit a convex Lyapunov function. Both continuous- and discrete-time cases are considered. This fact contributes in focusing the difficulties encountered so far in the theory of stabilization of switched system. In particular the result is in contrast with the case of uncontrolled switching in which it is known that if a system is stable under arbitrary switching then admits a polyhedral norm as a Lyapunov function.     

On linear co-positive Lyapunov functions for sets of linear positive systems

In this paper we derive necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a common linear co-positive Lyapunov function for a finite set of linear positive systems. Both the state dependent and arbitrary switching cases are considered. Our results reveal an interesting characterisation of “linear” stability for the arbitrary switching case; namely, the existence of such a linear Lyapunov function can be related to the requirement that a number of extreme systems are Metzler and Hurwitz stable. Examples are given to illustrate the implications of our results.     

Construction of nonpathological Lyapunov functions for discontinuous systems with Caratheodory solutions

This paper presents a method based on the Nonpathological Lyapunov theorem for constructing Lyapunov function (LF) for discontinuous time invariant dynamical systems with Caratheodory solutions. The origin is stable, if the method constructs a Nonpathological Lyapunov Function (NPLF) for the system. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley and Sons Asia Pte Ltd and Chinese Automatic Control Society     

线性多变量系统的控制Lyapunov函数构造

提出线性多变量系统控制Lyapunov函数(CLF)构造的一般方法. 先证明可以通过解一类Lyapunov方程, 得到线性系统二次型的CLF. 接着证明了对于线性系统, 这种方法可以提供所有二次型的CLF. 最后证明了若线性系统存在CLF, 那么必存在二次型的CLF. 由此完全解决了线性系统的CLF构造问题.     

Asymptotic feedback stabilization: A sufficient condition for the existence of control Lyapunov functions

In this paper we study the feedback stabilization problem for a wide class of nonlinear systems that are affine in the control. We offer sufficient conditions for the existence of ‘Control Lyapunov functions’ that according to [3,23] and [28–30] guarantee stabilization at a specified equilibrium by means of a feedback law, which is smooth except possibly at the equilibrium. We note that the results of the paper present a local nature.     

具有零动态仿射非线性系统控制Lyapunov函数的构造

研究具有零动态仿射非线性系统控制Lyapunov函数的构造问题.提出通过求解一个Lyapunov方程获得可线性化部分的二次型控制Lyapunov函数.由可线性部分的控制Lyapunov函数和零动态部分的Lyapunov函数,通过构造一个正定函数,得到了整个系统的控制Lyapunov函数,且设计了可半全局镇定整个闭环系统的控制律.仿真实例说明了所提出方法的有效性.     

A converse Lyapunov theorem for nonlinear switched systems

In this paper we present a converse Lyapunov theorem for uniform asymptotic stability of switched nonlinear systems. Its proof is a simple consequence of some results on converse Lyapunov theorems for systems with bounded disturbances obtained by Lin et al. (SIAM J. Control Optim. 34 (1996) 124–160), once an association of the switched system with a nonlinear system with disturbances is established.     

Piecewise-affine Lyapunov functions for discrete-time linear systems with saturating controls

This paper is concerned with piecewise-affine (PWA) functions as Lyapunov function candidates for stability analysis of time-invariant discrete-time linear systems with saturating closed-loop control inputs. Using a PWA model of saturating closed-loop system, new necessary and sufficient conditions for a PWA function be a Lyapunov function are presented. Based on linear programming formulation of these conditions, an effective algorithm is proposed for construction of such Lyapunov functions for estimation of the region of local asymptotic stability. Compared to piecewise-linear functions, like Minkowski functions, PWA functions are more adequate to capture the dynamical effects of saturation nonlinearities, giving strictly less conservative results. The complexity of the proposed approach is polynomial in state dimension and exponential in saturating control dimension, being hence appropriate for problems with large state dimension but with few saturating inputs.     

Control Lyapunov functions for adaptive nonlinear stabilization

For the problem of stabilization of nonlinear systems linear in unknown constant parameters, we introduce the concept of an adaptive control Lyapunov function (aclf) and use Sontag's constructive proof of Artstein's theorem to design an adaptive controller. In this framework the problem of adaptive stabilization of a nonlinear system is reduced to the problem of nonadaptive stabilization of a modified system. To illustrate the construction of aclf's we give an adaptive backstepping lemma which recovers our earlier design.     

A degree of flexibility in Lyapunov inequalities for establishing input-to-state stability of interconnected systems

In this paper, a novel approach to constructing flexible Lyapunov inequalities is developed for establishing Input-to-State Stability (ISS) of interconnection of nonlinear time-varying systems. It aims at a useful tool for using nonlinear small-gain conditions by allowing some flexibility in Lyapunov inequalities each subsystem is to satisfy. In the application of the ISS small-gain “theorem”, achieving a Lyapunov inequality conforming to a nonlinear small-gain “condition” is not a straightforward task. The proposed technique provides us with many Lyapunov inequalities with which a single trade-off condition between subsystems gains can establish the ISS property of the interconnected system. Proofs are based on explicit construction of Lyapunov functions.