Mealy Outputs

Mealy state machines in VHDL look nearly the same as Moore machines. The
difference is in how the output signal is created.
The general structure for a Mealy state machine. Here is the basic Mealy
machine structure.

present_state

next_state
next state D Q
decode logic
inputs
R

clock
reset
output signals

The Mealy state machine uses the next state decode logic to create the output
signals. What makes an output a Mealy output is that it is a function of the
input signals and the present state. A Mealy machine is really just a Moore
machine with the outputs formed differently. As such, you may see a state
machine with both Mealy and Moore outputs.
For an example, we will make the following state machine:
A sequence detector is to be built with inputs clock, reset, enable, x_in, y_in
and a single mealy output z_out. Once the machine is enabled, it searches for a
sequence of “110” on the x_in input. When the “110” sequence is found, the
value of z_out is equal to the complement of the y_in input.
Draw the state diagram and write the VHDL code for this state machine.

Mealy Outputs 1
 State Diagram and code for seq_det_sm
seq_det_sm
outputs: z_out (mealy)

reset (x_in=1) *(enable=1) (x_in=1) *(enable=1) (x_in=0) *(enable=1)

start one1 two1s found_it

z_out=0 z_out=0 z_out=0
z_out=
(x_in=0) *(enable=1) (x_in=1) *(enable=1) NOT y_in

(x_in=0) *(enable=1)

--Sequence detector
LIBRARY ieee;
USE ieee.std_logic_1164.ALL;

ENTITY seq_det IS
PORT(
clock : IN STD_LOGIC; --input clock
reset : IN STD_LOGIC; --reset async
enable : IN STD_LOGIC; --data enable
x_in : IN STD_LOGIC; --input
y_in : IN STD_LOGIC; --input
z_out : OUT STD_LOGIC --mealy output
);
END seq_det;

ARCHITECTURE beh OF seq_det IS

TYPE seq_det_states IS (start, one1, two1s, found_it);

SIGNAL seq_det_ps, seq_det_ns: seq_det_states;

BEGIN
seq_det_sm:
PROCESS (clock, reset, enable, x_in, y_in)
BEGIN
--clocked part
IF (reset = ‘1’) THEN
seq_det_ps <= start;
ELSIF (clock’EVENT AND clock = ‘1’) THEN
seq_det_ps <= seq_det_ns;
END IF;

Mealy Outputs 2
 --combinatorial part
z_out <= ‘0’; --default value for mealy output
CASE seq_det_ps IS
WHEN start =>
IF ((x_in = ‘1’) AND (enable = ‘1’)) THEN
seq_det_ns <= one1;
ELSE
seq_det_ns <= start;
END IF;
WHEN one1 =>
IF((x_in = ‘1’) AND (enable = ‘1’)) THEN
seq_det_ns <= two1s;
ELSIF((x_in = ‘0’) AND (enable = ‘1’)) THEN
seq_det_ns <= start;
ELSE
seq_det_ns <= one1;
END IF;
WHEN two1s =>
IF((x_in = ‘0’) AND (enable = ‘1’)) THEN
seq_det_ns <= found_it;
ELSE
seq_det_ns <= two1s;
END IF;
WHEN found_it =>
z_out <= NOT y_in; -- mealy output
IF((x_in = ‘0’) AND (enable = ‘1’)) THEN
seq_det_ns <= start;
ELSIF((x_in = ‘1’) AND (enable = ‘1’)) THEN
seq_det_ns <= one1;
ELSE
seq_det_ns <= found_it;
END IF;
END CASE;
END PROCESS seq_det_sm;
END beh;

Mealy Outputs 3
 seq_det_sm after synthesis

ix41

A0
y_in A1 Y z_out
A2

ix31

A0
Y D QB
A1 S0
x_in
ix148
CLK Q
ix5
A0
ix21 R
A0 Y
Y A0 A1 reg_seq_det_ps_0

A1
A1
ix17
Y D QB
A0
A1 CLK Q
B0
A2 Y
R
A3
reg_seq_det_ps_1

enable

clock

reset

Mealy Outputs 4