Nonlinear Problems in Mathematical Programming and Optimal Control

This paper is mainly concerned with a class of optimal control problems of systems governed by the nonlinear dynamic systems on time scales. Introducing the reasonable weak solution of nonlinear dynamic systems, the existence of the weak solution for the nonlinear dynamic systems on time scales and its properties are presented. Discussing L1-strong-weak lower semicontinuity of integral functional, we give sufficient conditions for the existence of optimal controls. Using integration by parts formula and Hamiltonian function on time scales, the necessary conditions of optimality are derived respectively. Some examples on continuous optimal control problems, discrete optimal control problems, mathematical programming and variational problems are also presented for demonstration.

The optimal control of a spacecraft as it transitions between specified states using continuous thrust in a fixed amount of time is studied using a recently developed technique based on Hamilton-Jacobi theory. Starting from the 1st order necessary conditions for optimality, we derive a Hamiltonian system for the state and adjoints with split boundary conditions. Then, recognizing the two point boundary value problem as a canonical transformation, we employ generating functions to find the optimal feedback control as well as the optimal trajectory. Though we formulate the optimal control problem in the context of the necessary conditions for optimality, our closed-loop solution also formally satisfies the sufficient conditions for optimality via the fundamental connection between the optimal cost function and generating functions. A solution procedure for these generating functions is posed and numerically tested on a non-linear optimal rendezvous problem in the vicinity of a circular orbit. Generating functions are developed as series expansions, and the optimal trajectories obtained from them are compared favorably with those of a numerical solution to the two point boundary value problem using a forward shooting method.

The present paper is dedicated to the investigation of optimal control problems whose behavior is described by quasilinear differential equations of first order on the plane with nonlocal Bitsadze–Samarski boundary conditions. A theorem of the existence and uniqueness of a generalized solution in the space \(C_{\mu }(\overline{G})\) is proved for quasilinear differential equations; necessary conditions of optimality are obtained in terms of the principle of maximum; the Bitsadze–Samarski boundary value problem is proved for a linear differential equation of first order; the existence of a solution in the space \(C_{\mu }^{p}(\overline{G})\) is proved and an a priori estimate is derived. A theorem on the necessary and sufficient condition of optimality is proved for a linear optimal control problem.

For Meyer type optimal control problems the principle of optimality states that every subarc of an optimal solution that extends to the final time furnishes again a solution to the same optimal control problem, only with different initial conditions. Through a simple counter example it is shown in this paper that this principle is not satisfied, in general, for solutions obtained from a standard collocation approach. Introduction The principle of optimality [1] is one of the most intuitive and yet most fundamental theorems in the theory of optimal control. Its basic statement is that for Meyer type optimal control problems every subarc of an optimal solution that extends to the final time furnishes again a solution to the same optimal control problem, only with different initial conditions. This theorem has significant implications. For example, it is the starting point for the derivation of the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equations [2] and it is the underlying principle in Bellman's dynamic programming approach [1], [3]. The present paper shows that the principle of optimality is not satisfied, in general, for solutions obtained from a standard collocation approach[4]. For a simple example whose collocation solution can be generated analytically it is shown that further improvements are possible along an optimal collocation solution if the design parameters along a number of leading nodes are frozen and the remainder of the trajectory is re-optimized. I. Continuous Optimal Control Problem In this section of the paper we introduce a simple class of optimal control problems without state and control constraints. In Section 1.2 we present the associated necessary conditions for optimality [2], [5]. For ease of notation we assume that the right-hand side of the 'Supervising Engineer, Member AIAA, t Senior Engineer, Member AIAA, *17 Research Drive, Hampton, VA 23666. ^Graduate Student, Member AIAA, Department, 304 Town Engineering, Ames, IA 50011 equations of motion does not depend explicitly on time t. This does not represent a loss of generality, as it is always possible to transform explicit time dependence away through the introduction of an additional, timelike state variable. 1. Problem Formulation Let us consider the following class of optimal control problems: min «e(Pwc[*o,*/]), (1) subject to the conditions ±(t) = /(*(*),«(*)), tf.(z(*oMo) = 0, (2)

The derivation of necessary conditions of optimality for optimal control problems with state/control constraints is a challenging task, not always clearly understood. In this paper, we present a didactic approach based on the method of exponential penalty functions allowing, in our setting, to significantly simplify the proofs. This work may be viewed as a proposal of a course designed for students familiar with the basics of optimal control theory and elements of functional analysis. To make the analysis as simple as possible, we concentrate on the case of optimal control problem with fixed initial point and free end state.

Recently Zolezzi, [4] presented a necessary condition for optimality for the problem of optimal control of systems governed by parabolic partial differential equations with a first boundary condition. In this paper, we have developed (Theorem 4.3 and Corollary 4.5) a similar necessary condition for Cauchy problems (unbounded domains) that arise naturally in the optimal control problems of stochastic Ito differential systems with fixed terminal time. For the proof of our results we use several theorems of Aronson [1] which have been slightly modified to suit our requirements.

In this paper, the authors consider a class of stochastic systems described by Ito differential equations for which both controls and parameters are to be chosen optimally with respect to a certain performance index over a fixed time interval. The controls to be optimized depend only on partially observed current states as in a work of Fleming. However, he considered, instead, a problem of optimal control of systems governed by stochastic Ito differential equations with Markov terminal time. The fixed time problems usually give rise to the Cauchy problems (unbounded domain) whereas the Markov time problems give rise to the first boundary value problems (bounded domain). This fact makes the former problems relatively more involved than the latter. For the latter problems, Fleming has reported a necessary condition for optimality and an existence theorem of optimal controls. In this paper, a necessary condition for optimality for both controls and parameters combined together is presented for the former problems.

An extension of the classical Pontryagin maximum principle for Mayer problems without terminal constraints, subject to affine control systems $$\dot x = X_0 (x) + \sum\nolimits_{j = 1}^m u _j X_j (x)$$ , is proved. In connection with a suitable dilation on the state space ℝ n , we introduce a class of “homogeneous tangent vectors” which provide a nonlinear, high-order approximation of the attainable set in the case where the usual linear approximation proves to be inadequate. By studying control variations which generate homogeneous tangent vectors, we derive new necessary conditions for optimality that are particularly effective for basically nonlinear optimal control problems where other high-order tests provide no conclusive information.

This chapter concerns some of the most important optimal control problems related to age-dependent population dynamics. The main goal is to prove the existence of an optimal control and to obtain first order necessary conditions of optimality. These conditions allow calculation or approximation of the optimal control and the optimal value of the cost functional. We shall also present a fractional step scheme for a certain nonlinear problem. This scheme gives a very good method of approximating the optimal control.

This paper analyzes a mathematical model for the growth of bone marrow cells under cell-cycle-specific cancer chemotherapy originally proposed by Fister and Panetta [8]. The model is formulated as an optimal control problem with control representing the drug dosage ( respectively its effect ) and objective of Bolza type depending on the control linearly, a so-called L(1)- objective. We apply the Maximum Principle, followed by high-order necessary conditions for optimality of singular arcs and give sufficient conditions for optimality based on the method of characteristics. Singular controls are eliminated as candidates for optimality, and easily verifiable conditions for strong local optimality of bang-bang controls are formulated in the form of transversality conditions at switching surfaces. Numerical simulations are given.

Difference inclusions provide a discrete-time analogue of differential inclusions, which in turn play an important role in the theories of optimal control, implicit differential equations, and invariance and viability, to name a few. In this paper we: (i) introduce a framework suitable for the study of difference inclusions for which the state evolves on a manifold; (ii) use this framework to develop necessary conditions for optimality for a broad class of discrete-time problems of dynamic optimization in which the state evolves on a manifold M. The necessary conditions for optimality we derive include the case for which the state $$q_i$$ is subject to constraints $$q_i \in S_i \subseteq M$$ , for $$S_i$$ a closed set. The resulting necessary conditions for optimality appear as discrete-time versions of the Euler–Lagrange inclusion studied by Ioffe (in Trans Am Math Soc 349(7):2871–2900, 1997), Ioffe and Rockafellar (in Calc Var Partial Differ Equ 4(1):59–87, 1996), Mordukhovich (in SIAM J Control Optim 33(3):882–915, 1995), Mordukhovich (in Variational analysis and generalized differentiation II: applications. Springer, Berlin, 2006), and Vinter and Zheng (in SIAM J Control Optim 35(1):56–77, 1997) generalized in a natural way to the case in which the state is evolving on a manifold.

An optimal control problem with a prescribed performance index for parabolic systems with time delays is investigated. A necessary condition for optimality is formulated and proved in the form of a maximum principle. Under additional conditions, the maximum principle gives sufficient conditions for optimality. It is also shown that the optimal control is unique. As an illustration of the theoretical consideration, an analytic solution is obtained for a time-delayed diffusion system.

1 A Survey on Computational Optimal Control.- Issues in the Direct Transcription of Optimal Control Problems to Sparse Nonlinear Programs.- Optimization in Control of Robots.- Large-scale SQP Methods and their Application in Trajectory Optimization.- Solving Optimal Control and Pursuit-Evasion Game Problems of High Complexity.- 2 Theoretical Aspects of Optimal Control and Nonlinear Programming.- Continuation Methods In Boundary Value Problems.- Second Order Optimality Conditions for Singular Extremals.- Synthesis of Adaptive Optimal Controls for Linear Dynamic Systems.- Control Applications of Reduced SQP Methods.- Time Optimal Control of Mechanical Systems.- 3 Algorithms for Optimal Control Calculations.- Second Order Algorithm for Time Optimal Control of a Linear System.- An SQP-type Solution Method for Constrained Discrete-Time Optimal Control Problems.- Numerical Methods for Solving Differential Games, Prospective Applications to Technical Problems.- Construction of the Optimal Feedback Controller for Constrained Optimal Control Problems with Unknown Disturbances.- Repetitive Optimization for Predictive Control of Dynamic Systems under Uncertainty.- Optimal Control of Multistage Systems Described by High-Index Differential-Algebraic Equations.- A New Class of a High Order Interior Point Method for the Solution of Convex Semiinfinite Optimization Problems.- A Structured Interior Point SQP Method for Nonlinear Optimal Control Problems.- 4 Software for Optimal Control Calculations.- Automated Approach for Optimizing Dynamic Systems.- ANDECS: A Computation Environment for Control Applications of Optimization.- Application of Automatic Differentiation to Optimal Control Problems.- OCCAL: A mixed symbolic-numeric Optimal Control CALculator.- 5 Applications of Optimal Control.- A Robotic Satellite with Simplified Design.- Nonlinear Control under Constraints of a Biological System.- An Object-Oriented Approach to Optimally Describe and Specify a SCADA System Applied to a Power Network.- Near-Optimal Flight Trajectories Generated by Neural Networks.- Performance of a Feedback Method with Respect to Changes in the Air-Density during the Ascent of a Two-Stage-To-Orbit Vehicle.- Linear Optimal Control for Reentry Flight.- Steady-State Modelling of Turbine Engine with Controllers.- Shortest Paths for Satellite Mounted Robot Manipulators.- Optimal Control of the Industrial Robot Manutec r3.

In this paper, necessary conditions of optimality, in the form of a maximum principle, are obtained for singular stochastic control problems. This maximum principle is derived for a state process satisfying a general stochastic differential equation where the coefficient associated to the control process can be dependent on the state. We consider the class of so called robust nonlinear impulsive systems, those discontinuous solutions can be considered also as point-wise limits of ordinary solutions. The special conditions of robustness permit to derive the backward equations for adjoint variables in concise form of differential equation with measure and thereby to derive the optimality condition in the form of strong (point-wise) maximum principle.

In this study, optimal control of a senior coefficient in a heat conduction problem is discussed. Since such problems are severely ill-posed, it is necessary to regularize them. So, we present the regularization process which has a great importance for a optimal control problem in this study. After proving the existence and uniqueness of optimal solution, a necessary condition for optimality is stated. Then, an iterative algorithm is purposed for numerical approximations. Finally, optimal control has been approximately calculated using the obtained results. The outcomes have also been tested with numerical examples.