Clocked Synchronous State Machines
Clocked Synchronous State Machines
Clocked Synchronous State Machines
i. The clocked synchronous state machines are also referred by their generic name: "State machine"
ii. "Clocked" refers to the fact that their storage elements (flip-flops) employ a clock input; and "synchronous" means that all of the
flip-flops use the same clock signal.
iii. Such a state machine changes state only when a "tick" occurs on the clock signal. What constitutes a tick depends on the flip-
flop type (edge triggered, pulse triggered, etc.).
Mealy Machine
i. A sequential circuit whose output depends on both state and input is called a Mealy machine.
ii. Figure 1 shows the general structure of a clocked synchronous mealy machine. The state memory is a set of n flip-flops that store
the current state of the machine, and it has 2n distinct states.
iii. The flip-flops are all connected to a common clock signal that causes them to change state at each tick of the clock. What
constitutes a tick depends on the flip-flop type (edge triggered, pulse triggered, etc.).