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Algorithms for the compilation of regular expressions into PLAs

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Abstract

The language of regular expressions is a useful one for specifying certain sequential processes at a very high level. They allow easy modification of designs for circuits, like controllers, that are described by patterns of events they must recognize and the responses they must make to those patterns. This paper discusses the compilation of such expressions into specifications for programmable logic arrays (PLAs) that will implement the required function. A regular expression is converted into a nondeterministic finite automaton, and then the automaton states are encoded as values on wires that are inputs and outputs of a PLA. The translation of regular expressions into nondeterministic automata by two different methods is discussed, along with the advantages of each method. A major part of the compilation problem is selection of good state codes for the nondeterministic automata; one successful strategy and its application to microcode compaction is explained in the paper.

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Author notes

  1. Howard W. Trickey

    Present address: AT&T Bell Laboratories, 600 Mountain Avenue, 07974, Murray Hill, NJ, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, 94305, Stanford, CA, USA

    Anna R. Karlin, Howard W. Trickey & Jeffrey D. Ullman

Authors
  1. Anna R. Karlin
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  2. Howard W. Trickey
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  3. Jeffrey D. Ullman
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Additional information

Communicated by Brenda S. Baker.

Research supported by DARPA Contract N00039-83-C-0136 and NSF Grant MCS-82-03405.

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Karlin, A.R., Trickey, H.W. & Ullman, J.D. Algorithms for the compilation of regular expressions into PLAs. Algorithmica 2, 283–314 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01840364

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01840364

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