Time-scaling transformation for optimal control problem with time-varying delay

Abstract

This paper focuses on the solution to nonlinear time-delay optimal control problems with time-varying delay subject to canonical equality and inequality constraints. Traditional control parameterization in conjunction with time-scaling transformation could optimize control parameters and switching times at the same time when the time-delays in the dynamic system are taken as constants. The purpose of this paper is to extend this method to solve the dynamic systems with time-varying delay. We introduce a hybrid time-scaling transformation that converts the given time-delay system into an equivalent system defined on a new time horizon with fixed switching times. Meanwhile, we obtain the value of time-delay state utilizing the relationship between the new time scale and the original one. After computing the gradients of the cost and constraints with respect to the control heights and its durations, we could solve the equivalent optimal control problem using gradient based optimization method.