A dynamical simulation facility for hybrid systems

Abstract

This paper establishes a general framework for describing hybrid dynamical systems which is particularly suitable for numerical simulation. In this context, the data structures used to describe the sets and functions which comprise the dynamical system are crucial since they provide the link between a natural mathematical formulation of a problem and the correct application of standard numerical algorithms. We describe a partial implementation of the design methodology and use this simulation tool for a specific control problem in robotics as an illustration of the utility of the approach for practical applications.