A Heuristic Approach to Two Level Boolean Minimization Derived from Karnaugh Mapping
This is an incremental improvement for researchers and engineers dealing with Boolean minimization in digital logic design.
The paper tackles the problem of simplifying sum-of-product Boolean expressions by addressing the exponential complexity of existing methods like Karnaugh maps and Quine-McCluskey, resulting in a heuristic approach that reduces computational complexity for nearly all expressions.
The following paper presents a heuristic method by which sum-of-product Boolean expressions can be simplified with a specific focus on the removal of redundant and selective prime implicants. Existing methods, such as the Karnaugh map and the Quine-McCluskey method [1, 2], fail to scale since they increase exponentially in complexity as the quantity of literals increases, doing as such to ensure the solution is algorithmically obtained. By employing a heuristic model, nearly all expressions can be simplified at an overall reduction in computational complexity. This new method was derived from the fundamental Boolean laws, Karnaugh mapping, as well as truth tables.