MULTIPLE PROCESS CONTROL METHOD USING FINITE STATE MACHINE

摘要

PURPOSE: To efficiently constitute a module system which controls multiple processes that respond to input signals, especially to reuder process control related to an interactive television system efficient. CONSTITUTION: Finite-state machines(FSMs) arranged in a multilevel hierarchy formed in a tree structure are used. A single management FSM is arranged at the highest level and many intermediate management FSMs are arranged at intermediate level, and then, many terminal FSMs are arranged at the lowest level. Each FSM has many states and permissible state transitions. Each transition is generated in response to an event message inputting signal and a state signal from a controlled process. The event of each process causes a state transition in the corresponding terminal FSM and other FSMs in accordance with the event message outputted to a higher hierarchy from each terminal FSM. Each FSM can be incorporated in various processors 100 and 102 which control multiple processes and the processors 100 and 102 can be positioned to different locations.