An optimal control problem for a nonlinear steady-state heat transfer model accounting for heat radiation effects is considered. The problem consists in minimization of a given cost functional by controlling the sources in the heat equation. The solvability of this control problem is proved, optimality conditions are derived, and an iterative algorithm for solving the optimal control problem is...

Discretizations of optimal control problems for elliptic equations by finite element methods are considered. The problems are subject to constraints on the control and may also contain pointwise state constraints. Some techniques are surveyed to estimate the distance between the exact optimal control and the associated optimal control of the discretized problem. As a particular example, an erro...

In this paper we deal with robust control of a class of nonlinear systems which contain uncertainties. It can be viewed as an extension of the work in Corless and Leitmann [IEEE Trans. Aurom. Conrrol, AC-Xi, 1139-1144 (1981)] for the cases where the vector of uncertainties is only partially known. To cope with the uncertainties, an adaptive controller using a dead-zone and a hysteresis function...

We propose an optimal control approach to robust control design. Our goal is to design a state feedback to stabilize a system under uncertainty. We translate this robust control problem into an optimal control problem of minimizing a cost. Because the uncertainty bound is reeected in the cost, the solution to the optimal control problem is a solution to the robust control problem. Our approach ...

A new technique for stabilizing nonholonomic systems to trajectories is presented. It is well known (see [2]) that such systems cannot be stabilized to a point using smooth static-state feedback. In this note, we suggest the use of control laws for stabilizing a system about a trajectory, instead of a point. Given a nonlinear system and a desired (nominal) feasible trajectory, the note gives an...

This paper presents a computationally feasible procedure for the optimal control and stochastic simulation of large nonlinear models with rational expectations under the assumption of certainty equivalence.