Trajectory optimization under changing conditions through evolutionary approach and black-box models with refining

Abstract

This article provides an algorithm that is dedicated to repeated trajectory optimization with a fixed horizon and addresses processes that are difficult to describe by the established laws of physics. Typically, soft-computing methods are used in such cases, i.e. black-box modeling and evolutionary optimization. Both suffer from high dimensions that make the problems complex or even computationally infeasible. We propose a way how to start from very simple problems and - after the simple problems are covered sufficiently - proceed to more complex ones. We provide also a case study related to the dynamic optimization of the HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2013.