Don't care sequences and the optimization of interacting finite state machines

Abstract

We explore the nature of incomplete specification in sequential circuits. We compare it to the case of combinational circuits and propose new definitions and algorithms. We extend the existing algorithms for input don't care sequences and provide a new theory for output don't care sequences, based on the concept of information lossyness. The implementation of the proposed techniques in a program called SEQUOIA (sequential optimization of interacting automata) shows that our approach is viable and effective.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>