This paper presents a novel framework, combining the indirect method and Physics-Informed Neural Networks (PINNs), to learn optimal control actions for a series of optimal planar orbit transfer pro...

In this manuscript, we explore how the solution of the matrix differential Riccati equation (MDRE) can be computed with the Extreme Theory of Functional Connections (X-TFC). X-TFC is a physics-informed neural network that uses functional interpolation to analytically satisfy linear constraints, such as the MDRE’s terminal constraint. We utilize two approaches for solving the MDRE with X-TFC: direct and indirect implementation. The first approach involves solving the MDRE directly with X-TFC, where the matrix equations are vectorized to form a system of first order differential equations and solved with iterative least squares. In the latter approach, the MDRE is first transformed into a matrix differential Lyapunov equation (MDLE) based on the anti-stabilizing solution of the algebraic Riccati equation. The MDLE is easier to solve with X-TFC because it is linear, while the MDRE is nonlinear. Furthermore, the MDLE solution can easily be transformed back into the MDRE solution. Both approaches are validated by solving a fluid catalytic reactor problem and comparing the results with several state-of-the-art methods. Our work demonstrates that the first approach should be performed if a highly accurate solution is desired, while the second approach should be used if a quicker computation time is needed.

This manuscript introduces the first hp-adaptive mesh refinement algorithm for the Theory of Functional Connections (TFC) to solve hypersensitive two-point boundary-value problems (TPBVPs). The TFC is a mathematical framework that analytically satisfies linear constraints using an approximation method called a constrained expression. The constrained expression utilized in this work is composed of two parts. The first part consists of Chebyshev orthogonal polynomials, which conform to the solution of differentiation variables. The second part is a summation of products between switching and projection functionals, which satisfy the boundary constraints. The mesh refinement algorithm relies on the truncation error of the constrained expressions to determine the ideal number of basis functions within a segment’s polynomials. Whether to increase the number of basis functions in a segment or divide it is determined by the decay rate of the truncation error. The results show that the proposed algorithm is capable of solving hypersensitive TPBVPs more accurately than MATLAB R2021b’s bvp4c routine and is much better than the standard TFC method that uses global constrained expressions. The proposed algorithm’s main flaw is its long runtime due to the numerical approximation of the Jacobians.