A convex condition in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) is developed for the synthesis of stabilizing fuzzy state feedback controllers for nonlinear discrete-time systems with time-varying delays. A Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy model is used to represent exactly the nonlinear system in a restricted domain of the state space, called region of validity. The proposed stabilization condition is based on a Lyapunov-Krasovskii (L-K) function and it takes into account the region of validity to determine a set of initial conditions for which the actual closed-loop system trajectories are asymptotically stable and do not evolve outside the region of validity. This set of allowable initial conditions is determined from the level set associated to a fuzzy L-K function as a Cartesian product of two subsets: one characterizing the set of states at the initial instant and another for the delayed state sequence necessary to characterize the initial conditions. Finally, we propose a convex programming problem to design a fuzzy controller that maximizes the set of initial conditions taking into account the shape of the region of validity of the T-S fuzzy model. Numerical simulations are given to illustrate this proposal
