Optimal Control of Stochastic Dynamic Systems with Semi-Markov Parameters

This paper extends classical Markov switching models. We introduce a generalized semi-Markov switching framework in which the system dynamics are governed by an Itô stochastic differential equation. Of note, the optimal control synthesis problem is formulated for stochastic dynamic systems with semi-Markov parameters. Further, a system of ordinary differential equations is derived to characterize the Bellman functional and the corresponding optimal control. We investigate the case of linear dynamics in detail, and propose a closed-form solution for the optimal control law. A numerical example is presented to illustrate the theoretical results.