A unified optimal control framework: time-optimal control and stochastic optimal control

Abstract: In this paper, we propose a unified stochastic optimal control framework that bridges time-optimal control problems and classical stochastic optimal control problems. Unlike traditional deterministic time-optimal control formulations, our framework incorporates a generalized stochastic control structure under minimum-time constraints. Here, the minimum-time condition characterizes the earliest achievable moment for reaching a target state in expectation, rendering the terminal time an endogenous control-dependent variable. The main contributions of this study are: deriving an extended stochastic maximum principle for the proposed model, and establishing a bang-bang type optimal control for the linear time-optimal control problem. This unified stochastic optimal control framework enables optimal strategy design across finance, autonomous systems, and supply chains by simultaneously minimizing operational costs and achieving statistically-defined targets at the earliest feasible time.