Paul J. Goulart

Embedded Online Optimization for Model Predictive Control at Megahertz Rates

  • George A. Constantinides
  • Paul J. Goulart
  • Eric C. Kerrigan
  • Stefan Richter
  • Juan L. Jerez
  • Manfred Morari
    • Categories Parallel Algorithms, Quadratic Programming Tags , ,

    Faster, cheaper, and more power efficient optimization solvers than those currently offered by general-purpose solutions are required for extending the use of model predictive control (MPC) to resource-constrained embedded platforms. We propose several custom computational architectures for different first-order optimization methods that can handle linear-quadratic MPC problems with input, input-rate, and soft state constraints. We … Read more

    Global Stability Analysis of Fluid Flows using Sum-of-Squares

  • Sergei Chernyshenko
  • Paul J. Goulart
    • Categories Basic Sciences Applications, Optimization of Systems modeled by PDEs, Robust Optimization

    This paper introduces a new method for proving global stability of fluid flows through the construction of Lyapunov functionals. For finite dimensional approximations of fluid systems, we show how one can exploit recently developed optimization methods based on sum-of-squares decomposition to construct a polynomial Lyapunov function. We then show how these methods can be extended … Read more

    An Efficient Method to Estimate the Suboptimality of Affine Controllers

  • Paul J. Goulart
  • Daniel Kuhn
  • Michael J. Hadjiyiannis
    • Categories Control Applications, Robust Optimization Tags ,

    We consider robust output feedback control of time-varying, linear discrete-time systems operating over a finite horizon. For such systems, we consider the problem of designing robust causal controllers that minimize the expected value of a convex quadratic cost function, subject to mixed linear state and input constraints. Determination of an optimal control policy for such … Read more

    Efficient Robust Optimization for Robust Control with Constraints

  • Paul J. Goulart
  • Daniel Ralph
  • EC Kerrigan
    • Categories Control Applications, Robust Optimization Tags , , , , ,

    This paper proposes an efficient computational technique for the optimal control of linear discrete-time systems subject to bounded disturbances with mixed polytopic constraints on the states and inputs. The problem of computing an optimal state feedback control policy, given the current state, is non-convex. A recent breakthrough has been the application of robust optimization techniques … Read more