The generalized continuous algebraic Riccati equation and impulse-free continuous-time LQ optimal control

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role that the so-called constrained generalized Riccati equation plays within the context of continuous-time singular linear–quadratic (LQ) optimal control. This equation has been defined following the analogy with the discrete-time setting. However, while in the discrete-time case the connections between this equation and the linear–quadratic optimal control problem has been thoroughly investigated, to date very little is known on these connections in the continuous-time setting. This note addresses this point. We show, in particular, that when the continuous-time constrained generalized Riccati equation admits a solution, the corresponding linear–quadratic problem admits an impulse-free optimal control. We also address the corresponding infinite-horizon LQ problem for which we establish a similar result under the additional constraint that there exists a control input for which the cost index is finite.     

Linear optimal control strategies for production systems with a discrete-event demand pattern

A class of production systems are considered in this paper with the aim of determining closed-loop strategies providing the production effort as functions of the system state. The key feature of the considered class of systems is that the demand and the way it is satisfied are asynchronous sequences of part requests and instantaneous withdrawals, respectively, generated by discrete-event processes, whereas the production process has continuous-time dynamics. The optimization problem, whose objective is to minimize inventory and lateness costs, is restated as an optimal control problem by exploiting some structural properties of the optimal solution. Then, optimal closed-loop strategies are found with dynamic programming techniques.     

An efficient sequential linear quadratic algorithm for solving nonlinear optimal control problems

We develop a numerically efficient algorithm for computing controls for nonlinear systems that minimize a quadratic performance measure. We formulate the optimal control problem in discrete-time, but many continuous-time problems can be also solved after discretization. Our approach is similar to sequential quadratic programming for finite-dimensional optimization problems in that we solve the nonlinear optimal control problem using sequence of linear quadratic subproblems. Each subproblem is solved efficiently using the Riccati difference equation. We show that each iteration produces a descent direction for the performance measure, and that the sequence of controls converges to a solution that satisfies the well-known necessary conditions for the optimal control.     

LQ control for constrained continuous-time systems

A design method of LQ optimal control law is considered for constrained continuous-time systems. By introducing singular value decomposition for finite-time horizon linear systems, the sequence of LQ sub-optimal control laws, which converges to the exact solution, is obtained based on quadratic programming. It is also shown that the nonlinear sub-optimal feedback gain is found by the union of affine state functions.     

Optimal control laws for lot-sizing and timing of jobs on a single production facility

The optimal control of a single machine processing a certain number of jobs and modeled as a discrete-event dynamic system is considered. The number of jobs and their sequence are fixed, whereas their timing and sizes represent the control variables of the system. The objective function to be optimized is a weighted sum of the quadratic earliness and tardiness of each job, and of the quadratic deviations of job lot sizes and actual machine service speeds from those specified by the production demand and by the regular machine speeds. An optimization problem with quadratic cost function and nonlinear constraints is stated and formalized as a multistage optimal control problem. Necessary conditions to be satisfied by an optimal control sequence are derived. A simpler model is also considered in which the machine speeds are fixed; in this case, the control problem is solved by a procedure making use of dynamic programming techniques. The optimal control laws at each stage are thus obtained.     

Constrained optimal steady-state control for isolated traffic intersections

The steady-state or cyclic control problem for a simplified isolated traffic intersection is considered. The optimization problem for the green-red switching sequence is formulated with the help of a discrete-event max-plus model. Two steady-state control problems are formulated： optimal steady-state with green duration constraints, and optimal steady-state control with lost time. In the case when the criterion is a strictly increasing, linear function of the queue lengths, the steady-state control problems can be solved analytically. The structure of constrained optimal steady-state traffic control is revealed, and the effect of the lost time on the optimal solution is illustrated.     

基于动态规划的约束优化问题多参数规划求解方法及应用

结合动态规划和单步多参数二次规划, 提出一种新的约束优化控制问题多参数规划求解方法. 一方面能得到约束线性二次优化控制问题最优控制序列与状态之间的显式函数关系, 减少多参数规划问题求解的工作量; 另一方面能够同时求解得到状态反馈最优控制律. 应用本文提出的多参数二次规划求解方法, 建立无限时间约束优化问题状态反馈显式最优控制律. 针对电梯机械系统振动控制模型做了数值仿真计算.     

基于输入输出线性化的连续系统非线性模型预测控制

非线性约束预测控制关键是求得可行性优化解. 输入输出反馈线性化是非线性控制一种常用的方法, 其系统的初始线性输入约束转化成非线性基于状态的约束, 因而无法采用常规的二次规划(QP)求解优化问题. 针对连续状态空间模型系统, 本文提出迭代二次规划方法来寻求非线性优化解. 为了保证算法的收敛性, 系统加入另外一种迭代算法来保证其在整个预测时域上能得到可行解. 仿真控制结果表明了该方法的有效性.     

Integrating continuous-time and discrete-event concepts in modelling and simulation of manufacturing machines

Using simulation models for the development and testing of control systems can have significant advantages over using real machines. This paper demonstrates the suitability of the χ language for modelling, simulation and control of manufacturing machines. The language integrates a small number of powerful orthogonal continuous-time and discrete-event concepts. The continuous-time part of χ is based on DAEs; the discrete-event part is based on a CSP-like concurrent programming language. Models are specified in a symbolic mathematical notation. A case study is presented of a transport system consisting of conveyor belts.     

Solution of the input-constrained LQR problem using dynamic programming

The input-constrained LQR problem is addressed in this paper; i.e., the problem of finding the optimal control law for a linear system such that a quadratic cost functional is minimised over a horizon of length N subject to the satisfaction of input constraints. A global solution (i.e., valid in the entire state space) for this problem, and for arbitrary horizon N, is derived analytically by using dynamic programming. The scalar input case is considered in this paper. Solutions to this problem (and to more general problems: state constraints, multiple inputs) have been reported recently in the literature, for example, approaches that use the geometric structure of the underlying quadratic programming problem and approaches that use multi-parametric quadratic programming techniques. The solution by dynamic programming proposed in the present paper coincides with the ones obtained by the aforementioned approaches. However, being derived using a different approach that exploits the dynamic nature of the constrained optimisation problem to obtain an analytical solution, the present result complements the previous methods and reveals additional insights into the intrinsic structure of the optimal solution.     

Controllability, stabilizability, and continuous-time Markovianjump linear quadratic control

Consideration is given to the control of continuous-time linear systems that possess randomly jumping parameters which can be described by finite-state Markov processes. The relationship between appropriately defined controllability, stabilizability properties, and the solution of the infinite time jump linear quadratic (JLQ) optimal control problems is also examined. Although the solution of the continuous-time Markov JLQ problem with finite or infinite time horizons is known, only sufficient conditions for the existence of finite cost, constant, stabilizing controls for the infinite time problem appear in the literature. In this paper necessary and sufficient conditions are established. These conditions are based on new definitions of controllability, observability, stabilizability, and detectability that are appropriate for continuous-time Markovian jump linear systems. These definitions play the same role for the JLQ problem as the deterministic properties do for the linear quadratic regulator (LQR) problem     

Synthesis of optimal controllers for piecewise affine systems with sampled-data switching

This paper discusses the optimal control problem of the continuous-time piecewise affine (PWA) systems with sampled-data switching, where the switching action is executed based upon a condition on the state at each sampling time. First, an algebraic characterization for the problem to be feasible is derived. Next, an optimal continuous-time controller is derived for a general class of PWA systems with sampled-data switching, for which the optimal control problem is feasible but whose subsystems in some modes may be uncontrollable in the usual sense. Finally, as an application of the proposed approach, the high-speed and energy-saving control problem of the CPU processing is formulated, and the validity of the proposed methods is shown by numerical simulations.     

Partially observable nonlinear risk-sensitive control problems:dynamic programming and verification theorems

In this paper, we consider continuous-time partially observable optimal control problems with exponential-of-integral cost criteria. We derive a rigorous verification theorem when the state and control enter nonlinear in the dynamics. In addition, we show that the quadratic sensor problem is estimation-solvable with respect to a certain cost criterion. The framework relies on dynamic programming and the Hamilton-Jacobi theory     

On a general optimal algorithm for multirate output feedbackcontrollers for linear stochastic periodic systems

A modified optimal algorithm for multirate output feedback controllers of linear stochastic periodic systems is developed. By combining the discrete-time linear quadratic regulation (LQR) control problem and the discrete-time stochastic linear quadratic regulation (SLQR) control problem to obtain an extended linear quadratic regulation (ELQR) control problem, one derives a general optimal algorithm to balance the advantages of the optimal transient response of the LQR control problem and the optimal steady-state regulation of the SLQR control problem. In general, the solution of this algorithm is obtained by solving a set of coupled matrix equations. Special cases for which the coupled matrix equations can be reduced to a discrete-time algebraic Riccati equation are discussed. A reducable case is the optimal algorithm derived by H.M. Al-Rahmani and G.F. Franklin (1990), where the system has complete state information and the discrete-time quadratic performance index is transformed from a continuous-time one     

Example for equivalence of dual and information-based optimal control

An information-based control (IBC) has been formulated for a class of dual control problems with quadratic cost and unknown, constant parameters. Simple dual control problem has been solved by dynamic programming. Then, the solution was compared with the solution obtained by IBC. It has been shown that an appropriate choice of the intensity of learning allows to recover the optimal dual control for at least one nontrivial class of dual control problems.     

Combination of non-classical pseudospectral and direct methods for the solution of brachistochrone problem

In this paper, we propose a combination of non-classical pseudospectral and direct methods to find the solution of brachistochrone problem. The method converts the optimal control problem of brachistochrone, into a sequence of quadratic programming problems. To this end, the quasilinearization method is used to replace the nonlinear optimal control problem into a sequence of constrained linear-quadratic optimal control problems; then each of the state variables is approximated by a weighted interpolation function based on the non-classical orthogonal polynomials. The method gives the information of the quadratic programming problems explicitly (the Hessian and the gradient of the cost function). Using this method, the solution of the brachistochrone problem is compared with those in the literature.     

Optimal controllers not satisfying the separation theorem

The paper deals with the problem of finding an optimal feedback control for stochastic continuous-time system with incomplete information. In the case of linear-quadratic-Gaussian assumptions, a standard solution is given by the separation theorem via two separate problems of estimation and control. Other controllers of the same structure (dynamic unit + feedback) that minimize a quadratic functional but do not satisfy the separation principle are considered. For all such (equivalent) controllers, the quadratic functional has the same value. Translated from Kibernetika i Sistemnyi Analiz, No. 3, pp. 134–145, May–June, 2000.     

Generalized bang-bang control for feedforward constrained regulation

In the behavioral framework for continuous-time linear scalar systems, simple sufficient conditions for the solution of the minimum-time rest-to-rest feedforward constrained control problem are provided. The investigation of the time-optimal input-output pair reveals that the input or the output saturates on the assigned constraints at all times except for a set of zero measure. The resulting optimal input is composed of sequences of bang-bang functions and linear combinations of the modes associated to the zero dynamics. This signal behavior constitutes a generalized bang-bang control that can be fruitfully exploited for feedforward constrained regulation. Using discretization, an arbitrarily good approximation of the optimal generalized bang-bang control is found by solving a sequence of linear programming problems. Numerical examples are included.     

A computational model of time for stiff hybrid systems applied to control synthesis

Computation has quickly become of paramount importance in the design of engineered systems, both to support their features as well as their design. Tool support for high-level modeling formalisms has endowed design specifications with executable semantics. Such specifications typically include not only discrete-time and discrete-event behavior, but also continuous-time behavior that is stiff from a numerical integration perspective. The resulting stiff hybrid dynamic systems necessitate variable-step solvers to simulate the continuous-time behavior as well as solver algorithms for the simulation of discrete-time and discrete-event behavior. The combined solvers rely on complex computer code which makes it difficult to directly solve design tasks with the executable specifications. To further leverage the executable specifications in design, this work aims to formalize the semantics of stiff hybrid dynamic systems at a declarative level by removing implementation detail and only retaining ‘what’ the computer code does and not ‘how’ it does it. A stream-based approach is adopted to formalize variable-step solver semantics and to establish a computational model of time that supports discrete-time and discrete-event behavior. The corresponding declarative formalization is amenable to computational methods and it is shown how model checking can automatically generate, or synthesize, a feedforward control strategy for a stiff hybrid dynamic system. Specifically, a stamper in a surface mount device is controlled to maintain a low acceleration of the stamped component for a prescribed minimum duration of time.