Feedback Linearization and Control Design for Nonlinear Descriptor Systems

This paper deals with the stabilization problem of continuous-time nonlinear descriptor systems. The methodological contribution is to propose a state transformation based on a canonical controllable form, originally proposed for linear descriptor systems, such that a feedback linearizable nonlinear descriptor model can be achieved and, consequently, the control law design designed. The closed-loop stability is checked in the sense of the standard Lyapunov theory. Two examples are presented to illustrate details of implementation. The concluding remarks discuss about the eectiveness and drawbacks of the proposed strategy.