An algorithm for nearly-minimal collapsing of finite-state machine networks

An algorithm is presented which simultaneously generates the Cartesian product of a network of finite-state machines and minimizes the resulting product machine. The algorithm can generate collapsed machines, removing a large set of redundant states on the fly, in CPU times comparable to the time required for simple Cartesian product collapsing. The algorithm makes it practical to generate and analyze a much larger class of collapsed FSM networks.<>