Introduction to Hybrid Systems

Hybrid systems arise when the continuous and the discrete meet. Combine continuous and discrete inputs, outputs, states, or dynamics, and you have a hybrid system. Particularly, hybrid systems arise from the use of finite-state logic to govern continuous physical processes (as in embedded control systems) or from topological and network constraints interacting with continuous control (as in networked control systems). This chapter provides an introduction to hybrid systems, building them up first from the completely continuous side and then from the completely discrete side. It should be accessible to control theorists and computer scientists alike.