Nonsmooth Analysis in Control Theory: A Survey

Abstract

In the classical calculus of variations, the question of regularity (smoothness or otherwise of certain functions) plays a dominant role. This same issue, although it emerges in different guises, has turned out to be crucial in nonlinear control theory, in contexts as various as necessary conditions for optimal control, the existence of Lyapunov functions, and the construction of stabilizing feedbacks. In this report we give an overview of the subject, and of some recent developments.