Linear complementarity systems

We introduce a new class of dynamical systems called "linear complementarity systems." The time evolution of these systems consists of a series of continuous phases separated by "events" which cause a change in dynamics and possibly a jump in the state vector. The occurrence of events is governed by certain inequalities similar to those appearing in the linear complementarity problem of mathematical programming. The framework we describe is suitable for certain situations in which both differential equations and inequalities play a role; for instance, in mechanics, electrical networks, piecewise linear systems, and dynamic optimization. We present a precise definition of the solution concept of linear complementarity systems and give sufficient conditions for existence and uniqueness of solutions.