High-order convergent Finite-Elements Direct Transcription Method for Constrained Optimal Control Problems

Abstract: In this paper we present a finite element method for the direct transcription of constrained non-linear optimal control problems. We prove that our method converges of high order under mild assumptions. Our analysis uses a regularized penalty-barrier functional. The convergence result is obtained from local strict convexity and Lipschitz-continuity of this functional in the finite-element space. The method is very flexible. Each component of the numerical solution can be discretized with a different mesh. General differential-algebraic constraints of arbitrary index can be treated easily with this new method. From the discretization results an unconstrained non-linear programming problem (NLP) with penalty- and barrier-terms. The derivatives of the NLP functions have a sparsity pattern that can be analysed and tailored in terms of the chosen finite-element bases in an easy way. We discuss how to treat the resulting NLP in a practical way with general-purpose software for constrained non-linear programming.