Computationally Efficient Optimal Control Problem Formulation Illustrated by Automotive Applications

The paper focuses on reducing computational time when solving optimal control problems by expressing them within a flat coordinate system. To demonstrate and discuss this approach, two case studies are presented: time-optimal velocity trajectory planning and torque control of permanent magnet synchronous motors. The reformulated optimal control problems show significant reductions in computational time without affecting the resulting trajectories. Additionally, analyses were performed to investigate the impact of prediction horizons and solver starting values on the observed computational advantages. The results clearly show the potential of the presented method for developing computationally efficient optimization-based control strategies.