Accession Number:
AD0287061
Title:
THE SYNTHESIS OF CASCADE SWITCHING CIRCUITS
Descriptive Note:
Corporate Author:
RAND CORP SANTA MONICA CALIF
Personal Author(s):
Report Date:
1962-10-01
Pagination or Media Count:
1.0
Abstract:
The problem is considered of synthesizing switching circuits that compute a given, completely specified switching function, and a new point of view is adopted in which switching circuits are considered to be realizations of algorithms rather than interpretations of truth-functional formulae. A restricted class of algorithms, called the cascade algorithms, is identified it is suggested that tree and collapsed-tree, iterative, multiple-iterative sequential, and cascaded-sequential switching circuits may be viewed as realizations of cascade algorithms. All of these circuits are called, therefore, cascade circuits. Three basic techniques--functional decomposition, merging, and skipping-which permit the synthesis of efficient cascade algorithms to compute a given function, are described. It is then shown how these techniques may be applied so as to synthesize a collapsedtree, iterative, multiple-iterative, sequential, or cascaded-sequential switching circuit that computes a given switching function. Examples are drawn from the technology of current-steering devices, such as relays and cryotrons, but the method is applicable to other technologies. The procedures appear to be well adapted to execution on contemporary digital computers. Author