  Most modern control systems are switched, meaning they have continuous as
well as discrete decision variables. Switched systems often have constraints
called dwell-time constraints (e.g., cycling constraints in a heat pump) on the
switching rate. This paper introduces an embedding-based-method to solve
optimal control problems that have both discrete and continuous decision
variables. Unlike existing methods, the developed technique can heuristically
incorporate dwell-time constraints via an auxiliary cost, while also preserving
other state and control constrains of the problem. Simulations results for a
switched optimal control problem with and without the auxiliary cost showcase
the utility of the developed method.
