A shape parameter insensitive CRBFs‐collocation for solving nonlinear optimal control problems

Abstract

In this work, we introduce a Coupled Radial Basis Functions collocation (CRBFs‐Coll) approach for solving optimal control problems. CRBFs are real‐valued Radial Basis Functions (RBFs) augmented with a conical spline. They show insensitivity to the shape parameter resulting in robust behavior in function approximation. The method is applied to classical nonlinear optimal control problems: Zermelo's problem, a Duffing oscillator with various boundary conditions, and a nonlinear pendulum on a cart problem. The nonlinear optimal control problem is solved by deriving the necessary conditions for optimality followed by collocation using CRBFs as basis functions for approximating the two‐point boundary value problem (TPBVP). The resulting system of nonlinear algebraic equations (NAEs) is then solved using a standard solver. Unlike existing methods that rely on nodal distributions that are denser at the boundaries to obtain a solution, the present CRBFs‐Coll approach is capable of solving the optimal control problem on uniform nodes without the need for interpolation. The present CRBFs‐Coll approach is shown to be simple to implement and provides accurate results over an equidistant nodal distribution while maintaining a continuous representation of the control and states.