AUTHOR=Song Feifan , Zhou Yanpeng , Xu Changxian , Sun Zhongbo TITLE=A novel discrete zeroing neural network for online solving time-varying nonlinear optimization problems JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurorobotics VOLUME=Volume 18 - 2024 YEAR=2024 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurorobotics/articles/10.3389/fnbot.2024.1446508 DOI=10.3389/fnbot.2024.1446508 ISSN=1662-5218 ABSTRACT=To reduce transportation time, a discrete zeroing neural network (DZNN) method is proposed to solve the shortest path planning problem with a single starting point and a single target point. The shortest path planning problem is reformulated as an optimization problem, and a discrete nonlinear function related to the energy function is established so that the lowest-energy state corresponds to the optimal path solution. Theoretical analyzes demonstrate that the discrete ZNN model (DZNNM) exhibits zero stability, effectiveness, and real-time performance in handling time-varying nonlinear optimization problems (TVNOPs). Simulations with various parameters confirm the efficiency and real-time performance of the developed DZNNM for TVNOPs, indicating its suitability and superiority for solving the shortest path planning problem in real time.