Adding one power integrator: a tool for global stabilization of high-orderlower-biangular systems

A new feedback design tool called adding a power integrator is introduced a nd used to solve the problem of global robust stabilization, for a signific ant class of uncertain nonlinear systems that are of a lower-triangular for m but neither necessarily feedback linearizable (fully or partially) nor af fine in the control input, and therefore cannot be dealt with via conventio nal approaches. Sufficient conditions are presented under which a globally stabilizing smooth state feedback control law can be explicitly constructed , using repeatedly the adding one power integrator technique. This novel de sign technique permits removal of the feedback linearizability and linearit y of the control input, which have been two common assumptions so far in th e literature of nonlinear control. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All right s reserved.