Approximate constrained stochastic optimal control via parameterized input inference

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Syed, Shahbaz P Qadri, Bai, He
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2025
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author Syed, Shahbaz P Qadri
Bai, He
author_facet Syed, Shahbaz P Qadri
Bai, He
contents Approximate methods to solve stochastic optimal control (SOC) problems have received significant interest from researchers in the past decade. Probabilistic inference approaches to SOC have been developed to solve nonlinear quadratic Gaussian problems. In this work, we propose an Expectation-Maximization (EM) based inference procedure to generate state-feedback controls for constrained SOC problems. We consider the inequality constraints for the state and controls and also the structural constraints for the controls. We employ barrier functions to address state and control constraints. We show that the expectation step leads to smoothing of the state-control pair while the the maximization step on the non-zero subsets of the control parameters allows inference of structured stochastic optimal controllers. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the algorithm on unicycle obstacle avoidance, four-unicycle formation control, and quadcopter navigation in windy environment examples. In these examples, we perform an empirical study on the parametric effect of barrier functions on the state constraint satisfaction. We also present a comparative study of smoothing algorithms on the performance of the proposed approach.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_02922
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Approximate constrained stochastic optimal control via parameterized input inference
Syed, Shahbaz P Qadri
Bai, He
Systems and Control
Multiagent Systems
Robotics
Optimization and Control
Approximate methods to solve stochastic optimal control (SOC) problems have received significant interest from researchers in the past decade. Probabilistic inference approaches to SOC have been developed to solve nonlinear quadratic Gaussian problems. In this work, we propose an Expectation-Maximization (EM) based inference procedure to generate state-feedback controls for constrained SOC problems. We consider the inequality constraints for the state and controls and also the structural constraints for the controls. We employ barrier functions to address state and control constraints. We show that the expectation step leads to smoothing of the state-control pair while the the maximization step on the non-zero subsets of the control parameters allows inference of structured stochastic optimal controllers. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the algorithm on unicycle obstacle avoidance, four-unicycle formation control, and quadcopter navigation in windy environment examples. In these examples, we perform an empirical study on the parametric effect of barrier functions on the state constraint satisfaction. We also present a comparative study of smoothing algorithms on the performance of the proposed approach.
title Approximate constrained stochastic optimal control via parameterized input inference
topic Systems and Control
Multiagent Systems
Robotics
Optimization and Control
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.02922