Local-Global Learning of Interpretable Control Policies: The Interface between MPC and Reinforcement Learning

Thomas Banker; Nathan P. Lawrence; Ali Mesbah

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arXiv · 2503.13289

Local-Global Learning of Interpretable Control Policies: The Interface between MPC and Reinforcement Learning

Thomas Banker·Nathan P. Lawrence·Ali Mesbah

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Abstract

Making optimal decisions under uncertainty is a shared problem among distinct fields. While optimal control is commonly studied in the framework of dynamic programming, it is approached with differing perspectives of the Bellman optimality condition. In one perspective, the Bellman equation is used to derive a global optimality condition useful for iterative learning of control policies through interactions with an environment. Alternatively, the Bellman equation is also widely adopted to derive tractable optimization-based control policies that satisfy a local notion of optimality. By leveraging ideas from the two perspectives, we present a local-global paradigm for optimal control suited for learning interpretable local decision makers that approximately satisfy the global Bellman equation. The benefits and practical complications in local-global learning are discussed. These aspects are exemplified through case studies, which give an overview of two distinct strategies for unifying reinforcement learning and model predictive control. We discuss the challenges and trade-offs in these local-global strategies, towards highlighting future research opportunities for safe and optimal decision-making under uncertainty.

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Thomas Banker, Nathan P. Lawrence, Ali Mesbah. 2025-03-17. Local-Global Learning of Interpretable Control Policies: The Interface between MPC and Reinforcement Learning. https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.13289

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