Approximate dynamic programming for constrained linear systems: A piecewise quadratic approximation approach

Approximate dynamic programming (ADP) faces challenges in dealing with constraints in control problems. Model predictive control (MPC) is, in comparison, well-known for its accommodation of constraints and stability guarantees, although its computation is sometimes prohibitive. This paper introduces an approach combining the two methodologies...

An MPC-Based Rescheduling Algorithm for Disruptions and Disturbances in Large-Scale Railway Networks

Railways are a well-recognized sustainable transportation mode that helps to satisfy the continuously growing mobility demand. However, the management of railway traffic in large-scale networks is a challenging task, especially when both a major disruption and various disturbances occur simultaneously. We propose an automatic rescheduling...

Scheduling Inland Waterway Transport Vessels and Locks Using a Switching Max-Plus-Linear Systems Approach

This paper considers the inland waterborne transport (IWT) problem, and presents a scheduling approach for inland vessels and locks to generate optimal vessel and lock timetables. The scheduling strategy is designed in the switching max-plus-linear (SMPL) systems framework, as these are characterized by a number of features that make them...

Efficient computation of states and sensitivities for compound structural optimisation problems using a Linear Dependency Aware Solver (LDAS)

Real-world structural optimisation problems involve multiple loading conditions and design constraints, with responses typically depending on states of discretised governing equations. Generally, one uses gradient-based nested analysis and design approaches to solve these problems. Herein, solving both physical and adjoint problems dominates...

Structural Controllability of Switching Max-Plus Linear Systems

We introduce a framework for studying controllability properties of discrete-event systems modelled as switching max-plus linear systems. In this framework, we generalise the notion of structural controllability to include the switching phenomenon. Such models provide an additional discrete input to change the synchronisation and/or ordering...

Model predictive scheduling of semi-cyclic discrete-event systems using switching max-plus linear models and dynamic graphs

In this paper we discuss scheduling of semi-cyclic discrete-event systems, for which the set of operations may vary over a limited set of possible sequences of operations. We introduce a unified modeling framework in which different types of semi-cyclic discrete-event systems can be described by switching max-plus linear (SMPL) models. We use...

Analysis and control of max-plus linear discrete-event systems: An introduction

The objective of this paper is to provide a concise introduction to the max-plus algebra and to max-plus linear discrete-event systems. We present the basic concepts of the max-plus algebra and explain how it can be used to model a specific class of discrete-event systems with synchronization but no concurrency. Such systems are called max...

The interaction between scheduling and control of semi-cyclic hybrid systems

In this paper a new iterative approach is proposed for the design of a combined real-time scheduling and control algorithm that can be applied to industrial systems that are described by a hybrid model with a (semi-)cyclic behavior. Traditionally scheduling and control problems are considered in a sequential way. First the scheduling problem...

Distributed optimization for real-time railway traffic management

We introduce a distributed optimization method for improving the computational efficiency of real-time traffic management approaches for large-scale railway networks. We first decompose the whole network into a pre-defined number of regions by using an integer linear optimization approach. For each resulting region, a mixed-integer linear...

Model Predictive Control for continuous piecewise affine systems using optimistic optimization

This paper considers model predictive control for continuous piecewise affine (PWA) systems. In general, this leads to a nonlinear, nonconvex optimization problem. We introduce an approach based on optimistic optimization to solve the resulting optimization problem. Optimistic optimization is based on recursive partitioning of the feasible set...

Receding-horizon control for max-plus linear systems with discrete actions using optimistic planning

This paper addresses the infinite-horizon optimal control problem for max-plus linear systems where the considered objective function is a sum of discounted stage costs over an infinite horizon. The minimization problem of the cost function is equivalently transformed into a maximization problem of a reward function. The resulting optimal...