An Exact Penalty Method for Free Terminal Time Optimal Control Problem with Continuous Inequality Constraints

In this paper, we consider a class of optimal control problems with free terminal time and continuous inequality constraints. First, the problem is approximated by representing the control function as a piecewise-constant function. Then the continuous inequality constraints are transformed into terminal equality constraints for an auxiliary differential system. After these two steps, we transform the constrained optimization problem into a penalized problem with only box constraints on the decision variables using a novel exact penalty function. This penalized problem is then solved by a gradient-based optimization technique. Theoretical analysis proves that this penalty function has continuous derivatives, and for a sufficiently large and finite penalty parameter, its local minimizer is feasible in the sense that the continuous inequality constraints are satisfied. Furthermore, this local minimizer is also the local minimizer of the constrained problem. Numerical simulations on the range maximization for a hypersonic vehicle reentering the atmosphere subject to a heating constraint demonstrate the effectiveness of our method.     

A Lower Bound for the Penalty Parameter in the Exact Minimax Penalty Function Method for Solving Nondifferentiable Extremum Problems

In the paper, we consider the exact minimax penalty function method used for solving a general nondifferentiable extremum problem with both inequality and equality constraints. We analyze the relationship between an optimal solution in the given constrained extremum problem and a minimizer in its associated penalized optimization problem with the exact minimax penalty function under the assumption of convexity of the functions constituting the considered optimization problem (with the exception of those equality constraint functions for which the associated Lagrange multipliers are negative—these functions should be assumed to be concave). The lower bound of the penalty parameter is given such that, for every value of the penalty parameter above the threshold, the equivalence holds between the set of optimal solutions in the given extremum problem and the set of minimizers in its associated penalized optimization problem with the exact minimax penalty function.     

An exact penalty function method for nonlinear mixed discrete programming problems

In this paper, we consider a general class of nonlinear mixed discrete programming problems. By introducing continuous variables to replace the discrete variables, the problem is first transformed into an equivalent nonlinear continuous optimization problem subject to original constraints and additional linear and quadratic constraints. Then, an exact penalty function is employed to construct a sequence of unconstrained optimization problems, each of which can be solved effectively by unconstrained optimization techniques, such as conjugate gradient or quasi-Newton methods. It is shown that any local optimal solution of the unconstrained optimization problem is a local optimal solution of the transformed nonlinear constrained continuous optimization problem when the penalty parameter is sufficiently large. Numerical experiments are carried out to test the efficiency of the proposed method.     

一种新的求解带约束的有限极大极小问题的精确罚函数

提出了一种新的精确光滑罚函数求解带约束的极大极小问题．仅仅添加一个额外的变量,利用这个精确光滑罚函数,将带约束的极大极小问题转化为无约束优化问题． 证明了在合理的假设条件下,当罚参数充分大,罚问题的极小值点就是原问题的极小值点．进一步,研究了局部精确性质．数值结果表明这种罚函数算法是求解带约束有限极大极小问题的一种有效算法．     

关于约束极小化问题的一个新的简单精确罚函数

针对等式及不等式约束极小化问题,通过对原问题添加一个变量,给出一个新的简单精确罚函数,即在该精确罚函数表达式中,不含有目标函数及约束函数的梯度．在满足某些约束品性的条件下,可以证明:当罚参数充分大时,所给出的罚问题的局部极小点是原问题的局部极小点．     

Nonlinearly constrained time-delayed optimal control problems

A computational algorithm for solving a class of optimal control problems involving terminal and continuous state constraints of inequality type was developed in Ref. 1. In this paper, we extend the results of Ref. 1 to a more general class of constrained time-delayed optimal control problems, which involves terminal state equality constraints as well as terminal state inequality constraints and continuous state constraints. Two examples have been solved to illustrate the efficiency of the method.     

Exterior penalty in optimal control problem with state-control constraints

We consider an abstract optimal control problem with additional equality and inequality state and control constraints, we use the exterior penalty function to transform the constrained optimal control problem into a sequence of unconstrained optimal control problems, under conditions in control lie in L ₁, the sequence of the solution to the unconstrained problem contains a subsequence converging of the solution of constrained problem, this convergence is strong when the problemis non convex, and is weak if the problemis convex in control. This generalizes the results of P.Nepomiastcthy [4] where he considered the control in the Hilbert space L ²(I,? ^m ).     

Parameter Tuning of Multi-Proportional-Integral-Derivative Controllers Based on Optimal Switching Algorithms

Under the framework of switched systems, this paper considers a multi-proportional-integral-derivative controller parameter tuning problem with terminal equality constraints and continuous-time inequality constraints. The switching time and controller parameters are decision variables to be chosen optimally. Firstly, we transform the optimal control problem into an equivalent problem with fixed switching instants by introducing an auxiliary function and a time-scaling transformation. Because of the complexity of constraints, it is difficult to solve the problem by conventional optimization techniques. To overcome this difficulty, a novel exact penalty function is introduced for these constraints. Furthermore, the penalty function is appended to the cost functional to form an augmented cost functional, giving rise to an approximate nonlinear parameter optimization problem that can be solved using any gradient-based method. Convergence results indicate that any local optimal solution of the approximate problem is also a local optimal solution of the original problem as long as the penalty parameter is sufficiently large. Finally, an example is provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the developed algorithm.     

Optimal feedback control for dynamic systems with state constraints: An exact penalty approach

In this paper, we consider a class of nonlinear dynamic systems with terminal state and continuous inequality constraints. Our aim is to design an optimal feedback controller that minimizes total system cost and ensures satisfaction of all constraints. We first formulate this problem as a semi-infinite optimization problem. We then show that by using a new exact penalty approach, this semi-infinite optimization problem can be converted into a sequence of nonlinear programming problems, each of which can be solved using standard gradient-based optimization methods. We conclude the paper by discussing applications of our work to glider control.     

A Path Algorithm for Constrained Estimation

Many least-square problems involve affine equality and inequality constraints. Although there are a variety of methods for solving such problems, most statisticians find constrained estimation challenging. The current article proposes a new path-following algorithm for quadratic programming that replaces hard constraints by what are called exact penalties. Similar penalties arise in l ₁ regularization in model selection. In the regularization setting, penalties encapsulate prior knowledge, and penalized parameter estimates represent a trade-off between the observed data and the prior knowledge. Classical penalty methods of optimization, such as the quadratic penalty method, solve a sequence of unconstrained problems that put greater and greater stress on meeting the constraints. In the limit as the penalty constant tends to ∞, one recovers the constrained solution. In the exact penalty method, squared penalties are replaced by absolute value penalties, and the solution is recovered for a finite value of the penalty constant. The exact path-following method starts at the unconstrained solution and follows the solution path as the penalty constant increases. In the process, the solution path hits, slides along, and exits from the various constraints. Path following in Lasso penalized regression, in contrast, starts with a large value of the penalty constant and works its way downward. In both settings, inspection of the entire solution path is revealing. Just as with the Lasso and generalized Lasso, it is possible to plot the effective degrees of freedom along the solution path. For a strictly convex quadratic program, the exact penalty algorithm can be framed entirely in terms of the sweep operator of regression analysis. A few well-chosen examples illustrate the mechanics and potential of path following. This article has supplementary materials available online.     

An exact penalty function for nonlinear programming with inequalities

It is shown how, given a nonlinear programming problem with inequality constraints, it is possible to construct an exact penalty function with a local unconstrained minimum at any local minimum of the constrained problem. The unconstrained minimum is sufficiently smooth to permit conventional optimization techniques to be used to locate it. Numerical evidence is presented on five well-known test problems.     

An Approach to Finding a Global Minimization with Equality and Inequality Constraints

We give an approach for finding a global minimization with equality and inequality Constraints.Our approach is to construct an exact penalty function, and prove that the global minimal points of this exact penalty function are the primal constrained global minimal points. Thus we convert the problem of global constrained optimization into a problem of global unconstrained optimization. Furthermore, the integral approach for finding a global minimization for a class of discontinuous functions is used and an implementable algorithm is given.     

Optimal discrete-valued control computation

In this paper, we consider an optimal control problem in which the control takes values from a discrete set and the state and control are subject to continuous inequality constraints. By introducing auxiliary controls and applying a time-scaling transformation, we transform this optimal control problem into an equivalent problem subject to additional linear and quadratic constraints. The feasible region defined by these additional constraints is disconnected, and thus standard optimization methods struggle to handle these constraints. We introduce a novel exact penalty function to penalize constraint violations, and then append this penalty function to the objective. This leads to an approximate optimal control problem that can be solved using standard software packages such as MISER. Convergence results show that when the penalty parameter is sufficiently large, any local solution of the approximate problem is also a local solution of the original problem. We conclude the paper with some numerical results for two difficult train control problems.     

An Ideal Penalty Function for Constrained Optimization

A well known approach to constrained optimization is via a sequenceof unconstrained minimization calculations applied to a penaltyfunction. This paper shown how it is posiible to generalizePowell's penelty function to solve constrained problems withboth equality and inequality constraints. The resulting methodsare equivalent to the Hestenes' method of multipliers, and ageneralization of this to inequality constraints suggested byRockafellar. Local duality results (not all of which have appearedbefore) for these methods are reviewed, with particular emphasison those of practical importance. It is shown that various strategiesfor varying control parameters are possible, all of which canbe viewed as Newton or Newton-like iterations applied to thedual problem. Practical strategies for guaranteeing convergenceare also discussed. A wide selection of numerical evidence isreported, and the algorithms are compared both amongst themselvesand with other penalty function methods. The new penalty functionis well conditioned, without singularities, and it is not necessaryfor the control parameters to tend to infinity in order to forceconvergence. The rate of convergence is rapid and high accuracyis achieved in few unconstrained minimizations.; furthermorethe computational effort for successive minimizations goes downrapidly. The methods are very easy to program efficiently, usingan established quasi-Newton subroutine for unconstrained minimization.     

Numerical algorithm for a class of constrained optimal control problems of switched systems

In this paper, we consider an optimal control problem of switched systems with continuous-time inequality constraints. Because of the complexity of such constraints and switching laws, it is difficult to solve this problem by standard optimization techniques. To overcome the difficulty, we adopt a bi-level algorithm to divide the problem into two nonlinear constrained optimization problems: one continuous and the other discrete. To solve the problem, we transform the inequality constraints into equality constraints which is smoothed using a twice continuously differentiable function and treated as a penalty function. On this basis, the smoothed problem can be solved by any second-order gradient algorithm, e.g., Newton’s Method. Finally, numerical examples show that our method is effective compared to existing algorithms.     

Exact penalty functions method for mathematical programming problems involving invex functions

In this paper, some new results on the exact penalty function method are presented. Simple optimality characterizations are given for the differentiable nonconvex optimization problems with both inequality and equality constraints via exact penalty function method. The equivalence between sets of optimal solutions in the original mathematical programming problem and its associated exact penalized optimization problem is established under suitable invexity assumption. Furthermore, the equivalence between a saddle point in the invex mathematical programming problem and an optimal point in its exact penalized optimization problem is also proved.     

Exactness Property of the Exact Absolute Value Penalty Function Method for Solving Convex Nondifferentiable Interval-Valued Optimization Problems

In the paper, the classical exact absolute value function method is used for solving a nondifferentiable constrained interval-valued optimization problem with both inequality and equality constraints. The property of exactness of the penalization for the exact absolute value penalty function method is analyzed under assumption that the functions constituting the considered nondifferentiable constrained optimization problem with the interval-valued objective function are convex. The conditions guaranteeing the equivalence of the sets of LU-optimal solutions for the original constrained interval-valued extremum problem and for its associated penalized optimization problem with the interval-valued exact absolute value penalty function are given.     

A computational method for free terminal time optimal control problem governed by nonlinear time delayed systems

This paper considers a free terminal time optimal control problem governed by nonlinear time delayed system, where both the terminal time and the control are required to be determined such that a cost function is minimized subject to continuous inequality state constraints. To solve this free terminal time optimal control problem, the control parameterization technique is applied to approximate the control function as a piecewise constant control function, where both the heights and the switching times are regarded as decision variables. In this way, the free terminal time optimal control problem is approximated as a sequence of optimal parameter selection problems governed by nonlinear time delayed systems, each of which can be viewed as a nonlinear optimization problem. Then, a fully informed particle swarm optimization method is adopted to solve the approximate problem. Finally, two free terminal time optimal control problems, including an optimal fishery control problem, are solved by using the proposed method so as to demonstrate its applicability.     

A filled function method for constrained global optimization

In this paper, a filled function method for solving constrained global optimization problems is proposed. A filled function is proposed for escaping the current local minimizer of a constrained global optimization problem by combining the idea of filled function in unconstrained global optimization and the idea of penalty function in constrained optimization. Then a filled function method for obtaining a global minimizer or an approximate global minimizer of the constrained global optimization problem is presented. Some numerical results demonstrate the efficiency of this global optimization method for solving constrained global optimization problems.