Minimizing Interacting Finite State Machines

A. Aziz, V. Singhal, G.M. Swamy and Robert K. Brayton

EECS Department
University of California, Berkeley
Technical Report No. UCB/ERL M93/68
September 1993

http://www2.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/1993/ERL-93-68.pdf

We address the problem of minimizing collections of interacting finite state machines that arise in the context of formal verification. Typically much of the behavior of the system is redundant with respect to a given property being verified, and so the system can be replaced by substantially simpler representations. These redundancies can be captured by a series of equivalence relations on the state space. Directly minimizing the system requires forming the complete product machine which can be very large. We describe hierarchical procedures that minimize the system with respect to explicit and implicit representations. We present experimental results on some standard verification examples to show that our algorithms allow the product machine to be represented by very small implicit or explicit representations. We conclude with some further directions.

BibTeX citation:

@techreport{Aziz:M93/68,
    Author = {Aziz, A. and Singhal, V. and Swamy, G.M. and Brayton, Robert K.},
    Title = {Minimizing Interacting Finite State Machines},
    Institution = {EECS Department, University of California, Berkeley},
    Year = {1993},
    Month = {Sep},
    URL = {http://www2.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/1993/2425.html},
    Number = {UCB/ERL M93/68},
    Abstract = {We address the problem of minimizing collections of interacting finite state machines that arise in the context of formal verification.  Typically much of the behavior of the system is redundant with respect to a given property being verified, and so the system can be replaced by substantially simpler representations. These redundancies can be captured by a series of equivalence relations on the state space.  Directly minimizing the system requires forming the complete product machine which can be very large.  We describe hierarchical procedures that minimize the system with respect to explicit and implicit representations.  We present experimental results on some standard verification examples to show that our algorithms allow the product machine to be represented by very small implicit or explicit representations.  We conclude with some further directions.}
}

EndNote citation:

%0 Report
%A Aziz, A.
%A Singhal, V.
%A Swamy, G.M.
%A Brayton, Robert K.
%T Minimizing Interacting Finite State Machines
%I EECS Department, University of California, Berkeley
%D 1993
%@ UCB/ERL M93/68
%U http://www2.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/1993/2425.html
%F Aziz:M93/68