Asynchronous Control Arrays

This paper introduces a class of programmable cellular arrays, called control arrays, and presents a technique for programming these arrays to realize asynchronous control systems. Control arrays are two-dimensional uniform networks composed of a collection of identical cells that can be independently programmed to one of two internal states. A control system is a device that controls one or more operations by means of initiation and termination signals that are transmitted through bidirectional control links. A control system model is developed by augmenting the marked graph model in order to represent constraints on the generation of these control signals. Finally, an array synthesis procedure for realizing control systems with control arrays is presented.