Global L2-gain design for a class of nonlinear systems

It is known that the so-called H-infinity control problem of a nonlinear system is locally solvable if the corresponding problem for the linearized system can be solved by linear feedback. In this paper we prove that this condition suffices to solve also a global H infinity control problem, for a fairly large class of nonlinear systems, if one is free to choose a state-dependent weight of the control input. Using a two-way (backward and forward) recursive induction argument, we simultaneously construct, starting from a solution of the Riccati algebraic equation, a global solution of the Hamilton-Jacobi-Isaacs partial differential equation arising in the nonlinear H-infinity control, as well as a state feedback control law that achieves global disturbance attenuation with internal stability for the nonlinear systems. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.