Optimal impulsive control of compartment models,I: Qualitative aspects

Optimal impulsive control of systems arising from linear compartment models for drug distribution in the human body is considered. A system of linear, time-invariant, homogeneous differential equations is given along with a set of continuous constraints on state and control. The object is to develop a constructive algorithm for the computation of the optimal control relative to a convex cost functional. It is first shown that under suitable hypotheses, satisfying the continuous constraints is equivalent to satisfying the constraints at a finite set of abstractly definedcritical points. Once these critical points have been determined, the solution of the optimal control problem is found as the solution of a finite-dimensional convex programming problem. The set of critical points can often be determineda priori solely from the qualitative behavior of the solutions of the system. A class of such problems, generalizing the so-calledplateau effect, is considered in detail. It is shown that the solution achieving the plateau effect is indeed optimal in certain cases. In a subsequent paper, an iterative algorithm will be given for the solution of these problems when the critical points cannot all be determineda priori.This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. GP-20130.