H _\∞ control of switched nonlinear systems in p-Normal form using multiple Lyapunov functions

The problem of H _\∞ control of switched nonlinear systems in p-normal form is investigated in this technical note where the solvability of the H _\∞ control problem for individual subsystems is unnecessary. Using the generalized multiple Lyapunov functions method and the adding a power integrator technique, we design a switching law and construct continuous state feedback controllers of subsystems explicitly by a recursive design algorithm to produce global asymptotical stability and a prescribed H _\∞ performance level. Multiple Lyapunov functions are exploited to reduce the conservativeness caused by adoption of a common Lyapunov function for all subsystems, which is usually required when applying the backstepping-like recursive design scheme. An example is provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed design method.