A formal methodology for the analysis and design of nonlinear fuzzy control systems

Stability theory plays a central role in system theory and engineering. Stability of equilibrium points is usually characterized in the sense of Lyapunov. Based on Lyapunov theory, this paper proposes a general methodology that uses fuzzy logic to systematically and formally analyze and synthesize nonlinear control systems, which are stable by design. The proposed methodology avoids searching for Lyapunov functions, which is often a tedious task and unsuccessful outcome. The proposed synthesis procedure is systematic as well as formal and, especially, independent of heuristics.