Differential Transformation Method for Solving a Class of Nonlinear Optimal Control Problems

In this paper, the Differential Transformation Method (DTM) is suggested to solve a class of nonlinear optimal control problems. By applying the DTM, nonlinear two-point boundary value problem (TPBVP) which is derived from the Pontryagin’s maximum principle, will be transformed to a sequence of linear time-invariant TPBVP’s. Comparing the DTM to optimal homotopy perturbation method shows the efficiency and advantages of this method. In this method, a few iterations are required to find a suboptimal trajectory and control pair.