Synthesis of Finite State Machines: Functional Optimization is divided into three parts. The first part presents some preliminary definitions, theories and techniques related to the exploration of behaviors of FSMs. The second part presents an implicit algorithm for exact state minimization of incompletely specified finite state machines (ISFSMs), and an exhaustive presentation of explicit and implicit algorithms for the binate covering problem.

The third part addresses the computation of permissible behaviors at a node of a network of FSMs and the related minimization problems of non-deterministic finite state machines (NDFSMs). Key themes running through the book are the exploration of behaviors contained in a non-deterministic FSM (NDFSM), and the representation of combinatorial problems arising in FSM synthesis by means of Binary Decision Diagrams (BDDs).

Synthesis of Finite State Machines: Functional Optimization will be of interest to researchers and designers in logic synthesis, CAD and design automation.