Differential Conditions for Constrained Nonlinear Programming via Pareto Optimization

We deal with the differential conditions for local optimality. The conditions that we derive for inequality constrained problems do not require constraint qualifications and are the broadest conditions based on only first-order and second-order derivatives. A similar result is proved for equality constrained problems, although the necessary conditions require the regularity of the equality constraints.     

Dynamic Programming Method for Constrained Discrete-Time Optimal Control

A dynamic programming method is presented for solving constrained, discrete-time, optimal control problems. The method is based on an efficient algorithm for solving the subproblems of sequential quadratic programming. By using an interior-point method to accommodate inequality constraints, a modification of an existing algorithm for equality constrained problems can be used iteratively to solve the subproblems. Two test problems and two application problems are presented. The application examples include a rest-to-rest maneuver of a flexible structure and a constrained brachistochrone problem.     

Copositive Programming via Semi-Infinite Optimization

Copositive programming (CP) can be regarded as a special instance of linear semi-infinite programming (SIP). We study CP from the viewpoint of SIP and discuss optimality and duality results. Different approximation schemes for solving CP are interpreted as discretization schemes in SIP. This leads to sharp explicit error bounds for the values and solutions in dependence on the mesh size. Examples illustrate the structure of the original program and the approximation schemes.     

Constrained Nonconvex Nonsmooth Optimization via Proximal Bundle Method

In this paper, we consider a constrained nonconvex nonsmooth optimization, in which both objective and constraint functions may not be convex or smooth. With the help of the penalty function, we transform the problem into an unconstrained one and design an algorithm in proximal bundle method in which local convexification of the penalty function is utilized to deal with it. We show that, if adding a special constraint qualification, the penalty function can be an exact one, and the sequence generated by our algorithm converges to the KKT points of the problem under a moderate assumption. Finally, some illustrative examples are given to show the good performance of our algorithm.     

Separations and Optimality of Constrained Multiobjective Optimization via Improvement Sets

In this paper, we investigate the separations and optimality conditions for the optimal solution defined by the improvement set of a constrained multiobjective optimization problem. We introduce a vector-valued regular weak separation function and a scalar weak separation function via a nonlinear scalarization function defined in terms of an improvement set. The nonlinear separation between the image of the multiobjective optimization problem and an improvement set in the image space is established by the scalar weak separation function. Saddle point type optimality conditions for the optimal solution of the multiobjective optimization problem are established, respectively, by the nonlinear and linear separation methods. We also obtain the relationships between the optimal solution and approximate efficient solution of the multiobjective optimization problem. Finally, sufficient and necessary conditions for the (regular) linear separation between the approximate image of the multiobjective optimization problem and a convex cone are also presented.     

Robust Process Control by Dynamic Stochastic Programming

Unnecessarily conservative behavior of standard process control techniques can be avoided by stochastic programming models when the distribution of random disturbances is known. In an earlier study we have investigated such an approach for tank level constraints of a distillation process. Here we address techniques that have accelerated the numerical solution of the large and expensive stochastic programs by a factor of six, and then present a refined optimization model for the same application. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Some Results on Augmented Lagrangians in Constrained Global Optimization via Image Space Analysis

The aim of this paper is to present some results for the augmented Lagrangian function in the context of constrained global optimization by means of the image space analysis. It is first shown that a saddle point condition for the augmented Lagrangian function is equivalent to the existence of a regular nonlinear separation in the image space. Local and global sufficient optimality conditions for the exact augmented Lagrangian function are then investigated by means of second-order analysis in the image space. Local optimality result for this function is established under second-order sufficiency conditions in the image space. Global optimality result is further obtained under additional assumptions. Finally, it is proved that the exact augmented Lagrangian method converges to a global solution–Lagrange multiplier pair of the original problem under mild conditions.     

A Variational Discretization Concept in Control Constrained Optimization: The Linear-Quadratic Case

A new discretization concept for optimal control problems with control constraints is introduced which utilizes for the discretization of the control variable the relation between adjoint state and control. Its key feature is not to discretize the space of admissible controls but to implicitly utilize the first order optimality conditions and the discretization of the state and adjoint equations for the discretization of the control. For discrete controls obtained in this way an optimal error estimate is proved. The application to control of elliptic equations is discussed. Finally it is shown that the new concept is numerically implementable with only slight increase in program management. A numerical test confirms the theoretical investigations.     

Image Space Analysis for Constrained Inverse Vector Variational Inequalities via Multiobjective Optimization

In this paper, we employ the image space analysis to study constrained inverse vector variational inequalities. First, sufficient and necessary optimality conditions for constrained inverse vector variational inequalities are established by using multiobjective optimization. A continuous nonlinear function is also introduced based on the oriented distance function and projection operator. This function is proven to be a weak separation function and a regular weak separation function under different parameter sets. Then, two alternative theorems are established, which lead directly to sufficient and necessary optimality conditions of the inverse vector variational inequalities. This provides a partial answer to an open question posed in Chen et al. (J Optim Theory Appl 166:460–479, 2015).     

Nonlinear Model Predictive Control via Feasibility-Perturbed Sequential Quadratic Programming

Model predictive control requires the solution of a sequence of continuous optimization problems that are nonlinear if a nonlinear model is used for the plant. We describe briefly a trust-region feasibility-perturbed sequential quadratic programming algorithm (developed in a companion report), then discuss its adaptation to the problems arising in nonlinear model predictive control. Computational experience with several representative sample problems is described, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed approach.     

Suboptimal Explicit Receding Horizon Control via Approximate Multiparametric Quadratic Programming

Algorithms for solving multiparametric quadratic programming (MPQP) were recently proposed in Refs. 1–2 for computing explicit receding horizon control (RHC) laws for linear systems subject to linear constraints on input and state variables. The reason for this interest is that the solution to MPQP is a piecewise affine function of the state vector and thus it is easily implementable online. The main drawback of solving MPQP exactly is that, whenever the number of linear constraints involved in the optimization problem increases, the number of polyhedral cells in the piecewise affine partition of the parameter space may increase exponentially. In this paper, we address the problem of finding approximate solutions to MPQP, where the degree of approximation is arbitrary and allows to tradeoff between optimality and a smaller number of cells in the piecewise affine solution. We provide analytic formulas for bounding the errors on the optimal value and the optimizer, and for guaranteeing that the resulting suboptimal RHC law provides closed-loop stability and constraint fulfillment.     

Tests of Optimality in Constrained Optimization

Sufficiency and necessity theorems are described which testthe optimality of a vector when it is required to minimize agiven function of variables which are subject to inequalities. The paper starts with an exposition of theorems of alternatives,which are fundamental when the functions considered are linear,and proceeds to a systematic formulation of various constraintqualifications, which make it possible to extend results whichhold in linear programming to the non-linear case.     

Log-Sigmoid Multipliers Method in Constrained Optimization

In this paper we introduced and analyzed the Log-Sigmoid (LS) multipliers method for constrained optimization. The LS method is to the recently developed smoothing technique as augmented Lagrangian to the penalty method or modified barrier to classical barrier methods. At the same time the LS method has some specific properties, which make it substantially different from other nonquadratic augmented Lagrangian techniques.We established convergence of the LS type penalty method under very mild assumptions on the input data and estimated the rate of convergence of the LS multipliers method under the standard second order optimality condition for both exact and nonexact minimization.Some important properties of the dual function and the dual problem, which are based on the LS Lagrangian, were discovered and the primal–dual LS method was introduced.     

Alternative Second-Order Conditions in Constrained Optimization

New formulations are given for the second-order necessary conditions in parameter optimization with equality constraints. The new conditions are shown to be equivalent to previously known conditions by using the properties of projection matrices. The various conditions require different computational tools. As one of the obtained conditions requires standard computational tools (i.e., matrix inversion and eigenvalue computation), it might be useful in applications (e.g., real-time optimization schemes), when these standard tools are already in use.     

关于双层规划约束规格的一个注记

本文表明了非线性规划中常见的约束规格对一般双层规划不成立,并对双层规划可以满足的较弱的约束规格“部分平静”,给出了使其成立的充分条件．     

线性约束凸规划的鞍梯度法

求线性约束凸规划问题的最优解。方法：在鞍梯度法的基础上提出了一个具有全局收敛性的原一对偶外点算法。结果：每步迭代利用Lagrange函数的鞍梯度构造搜索方向，生成次可行解序列，由此得到的序列的极限就是原-对偶问题的最优解。结论：即使从原一对偶问题的不可行点开始迭代算法也收敛。     

基于分类数据的质量控制算法研究

分类数据在企业当中常见、易获取.如何利用分类数据进行过程控制、提升质量水平是当前值得关注的课题.本文基于半导体制造背景,建立了硅片研磨过程模型,在前馈控制系统中引入分类数据,提出了一种基于分类数据的前馈控制算法,并以均方误作为指标,通过理论推导及仿真来研究其性能.结果表明,无论在理想状况下还是分类错误存在的情形下,这种控制算法都能够显著地降低参数波动,大幅提升硅片质量.     

Solving Standard Quadratic Optimization Problems via Linear, Semidefinite and Copositive Programming

The problem of minimizing a (non-convex) quadratic function over the simplex (the standard quadratic optimization problem) has an exact convex reformulation as a copositive programming problem. In this paper we show how to approximate the optimal solution by approximating the cone of copositive matrices via systems of linear inequalities, and, more refined, linear matrix inequalities (LMI's). In particular, we show that our approach leads to a polynomial-time approximation scheme for the standard quadratic optimzation problem. This is an improvement on the previous complexity result by Nesterov who showed that a 2/3-approximation is always possible. Numerical examples from various applications are provided to illustrate our approach.     

A Hybrid Differential Dynamic Programming Algorithm for Constrained Optimal Control Problems. Part 2: Application

In the first part of this paper series, a new solver, called HDDP, was presented for solving constrained, nonlinear optimal control problems. In the present paper, the algorithm is extended to include practical safeguards to enhance robustness, and four illustrative examples are used to evaluate the main algorithm and some variants. The experiments involve both academic and applied problems to show that HDDP is capable of solving a wide class of constrained, nonlinear optimization problems. First, the algorithm is verified to converge in a single iteration on a simple multi-phase quadratic problem with trivial dynamics. Successively, more complicated constrained optimal control problems are then solved demonstrating robust solutions to problems with as many as 7 states, 25 phases, 258 stages, 458 constraints, and 924 total control variables. The competitiveness of HDDP, with respect to general-purpose, state-of-the-art NLP solvers, is also demonstrated.