Lecture 5c

Digital Logic - Minimizing Logic Circuits

Karnaugh Maps
Chintan Kr Mandal

1 Karnaugh Maps
Maurice Karnaugh, a telecommunications engineer, developed the Karnaugh map at Bell Labs in 1953 while designing
digital logic based telephone switching circuits.
Why Karnaugh Maps ???
Why learn about Karnaugh Maps ?
• The Karnaugh Map, like Boolean algebra, is a simplification tool application applicable to digital logic.

• Boolean simplification is actually faster than the Karnaugh map for a task involving two or fewer Boolean variables.
• It is still quite usable at three variables, but a bit slower.
• At four input variables, Boolean algebra becomes tedious. Karnaugh maps are both faster and easier.

• Karnaugh maps work well for up to six input variables, are usable for up to eight variables.

2 Venn diagrams and sets

• Mathematicians use Venn diagrams to show the logical relationships of sets (collections of objects) to one another

• We will review the overlapping circles of the Venn diagram.

• We will adopt the terms OR and AND instead of union and intersection since that is the terminology used in digital
electronics.

Set : A set is a collection of objects out of a universe as shown below.

Members : The members of the set are the objects contained within the set. The members of the set usually have
something in common; though, this is not a requirement.

E.g. 1 Out of the universe of real numbers, for example, the set of all positive integers {1,2,3,. . . } is a set. The set {3,4,5} is
an example of a smaller set, or subset of the set of all positive integers.
E.g. 2 The set of all males out of the universe of college students.

Examples :

Fig : Three Different Sets: U Universal Set

Fig : Sets A and B within the same Universe U

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2.1 Boolean Relationships on Venn Diagrams

Fig : Set Relation : A.B

Fig :Set Relation : A+B

Boolean Expression : Example 1

Fig :Boolean Expression : A + B

Boolean Expression : Example 2

Fig :Boolean Expression : A.B

Boolean Expression : Example 3

Fig :Boolean Expression : A + B

Boolean Expression : Example 4

Fig : Boolean Expression : A + B = A.B

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2.2 3 Variable Venn Diagram

Fig : 3 Variable Venn Diagram

3 Venn diagrams and Karnaugh maps

1 Variable Karnaugh Map Diagram From Venn Diagram

Fig : 1 Variable Karnaugh Map Diagram From Venn Diagram

2 Variable Karnaugh Map Diagram From Venn Diagram

Fig : 2 Variable Karnaugh Map Diagram From Venn Diagram

2 Variable Karnaugh Map Diagram

Fig : 2 Variable Karnaugh Map Diagram

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3 Variable Karnaugh Map Diagram From Venn Diagram

Fig : 3 Variable Karnaugh Map Diagram From Venn Diagram

We develop a 3-variable Karnaugh map above, starting with Venn diagram like regions.
• The universe (inside the black rectangle) is split into two narrow narrow rectangular regions for A and A.
• The variables B and B divide the universe into two square regions.

• C occupies a square region in the middle of the rectangle, with C split into two vertical rectangles on each side of the
C square.
• In the final figure, we superimpose all three variables, attempting to clearly label the various regions.

Fig : 3 Variable Karnaugh Map Diagram From Venn Diagram (Final Form)

Fig : 3 Variable Karnaugh Map Diagram

Example : 3 Variable Fig : (a) ABC selects the lower right most cell(*)
(b) ABC selects the upper left most cell (x).

4 Karnaugh maps, truth tables, and Boolean expressions [2, 3, 1]

• Karnaugh maps reduce logic functions more quickly and easily compared to Boolean algebra.
• By reduce we mean simplify, reducing the number of gates and inputs.
• One simplifies logic to a lowest cost form to save costs by elimination of components.
• The lowest cost is defined as the lowest number of gates with the lowest number of inputs per gate.

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4.1 Solving for 2 Variables

Fig : Equivalent forms of the same function

Fig : Truth table correspond on a one-to-one basis to Karnaugh map entries

• Cells α and χ are adjacent in the K-Map.

• There is another truth table entry, β between them (i.e. α and β).
• For cells α and χ they have the Boolean variable B in common.

* The whole point of the organizing the K-map into a square array in which cells with any Boolean variables in common need to be
adjacent to one another so as to present a pattern.

Mapping a Truth table to K-Map

Fig : A Truth table to a K-Map

Solving a K-Map
Fig : Solving a K-Map

* Look for adjacent cells, that is, above or to the side of a cell.
** Diagonal cells are not adjacent.

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 *** Adjacent cells will have one or more Boolean variables in common.

• Group (circle) the two 1s in the column

• Find the variable(s) top and/or side which are the same for the group, Write this as the Boolean result. It is B in our
case.
• Ignore variable(s) which are not the same for a cell group. In our case A varies, is both 1 and 0, ignore Boolean A.
• Ignore any variable not associated with cells containing 1s. B has no ones under it. Ignore B
• Result Output = B

Fig : Example 1

4.2 Logic simplification for 3 Variables with Karnaugh maps

• Note the sequence of numbers across the top of the map.

• It is not in binary sequence which would be 00, 01, 10, 11.
• It is 00, 01, 11 10, which is Gray code sequence.
• Gray code sequence only changes one binary bit as we go from one number to the next in the sequence, unlike binary.

Gray Code
• That means that adjacent cells will only vary by one bit, or Boolean variable.
• This is what we need to organize the outputs of a logic function so that we may view commonality.

• Moreover, the column and row headings must be in Gray code order, or the map will not work as a Karnaugh map.
• Cells sharing common Boolean variables would no longer be adjacent, nor show visual patterns.
• Adjacent cells vary by only one bit because a Gray code sequence varies by only one bit.

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Fig : Generating a Gray Code

Fig : Example 2

• Place the 1’s in the K-map for each of the product terms
• Identify a group of two

• Write a p-term (product term) for the sole group as our simplified result.

Fig : Example 3 :(i) Equivalent Digital Logic for a Boolean Algebraic Expression (ii) Minimized Expression using K-Map

Fig : Minimizing the Boolean Expression using Algebraic Methods

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Fig : Equivalent Digital Circuit of Minimized Expression

The following Examples shows hows cells can be grouped in a K-Map

Fig : Example 4

Fig : Example 5

Fig : Example 6

Fig : Example 7

Fig : Example 8

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Cautionary Note
• Do not attempt to form groups of three.
• Groupings must be powers of 2, that is, 1, 2, 4, 8 ...

4.3 Solving for 4 Variables

Fig : A 4 variable K-Map

Fig : Example 1

Fig : Example 2

Fig : Example 3

Fig : Example 4

Fig : Example 5

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Fig : Example 6

Fig : Example 7 : Multiple Solutions

Fig : Example 8 : Multiple Solutions

5 Minterm vs Maxterm solution

Fig : Minterm

Fig : Maxterm

Fig : Problem Statement : Example 1: Using the Maxterm

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Fig : Solution

5.1 Comparing

Fig : Comparing

Fig : Comparing Digital Circuits

6 Don’t care cells in the Karnaugh map

• Functions that have unspecified output for some input combinations are called incompletely specified functions.
• Unspecified minterms of a functions are called ‘don’t care’ conditions. We simply don’t care whether the value of 0
or 1 is assigned to function F for a particular minterm.
• Don’t care conditions are represented by × in the K-Map table.

• Don’t care conditions play a central role in the specification and optimization of logic circuits as they represent the
degrees of freedom of transforming a network into a functionally equivalent one.

Fig : Example
Solve the seven segment display !!

References

References
[1] Thomas L. Floyd. Digital Fundamentals, 8th edition. Pearson Education Inc., 2003.

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[2] Z. Kohavi and N.K. Jha. Switching and Finite Automata Theory. Cambridge University Press, 2010.
[3] S. Salivahanan and S Arivazhagan. Digital Circuits and Design. Vikas Publishing House Pvt. Ltd., 2007.

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