Solution search device and program for a Boolean satisfaiablity problem

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11449575-B2
Application number	US-201816631430-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 19, 2018
Priority date	Jul 19, 2017
Publication date	Sep 20, 2022
Grant date	Sep 20, 2022

Abstract

A solution search device includes a variable value calculation circuit provided for each variable in a conjunctive-normal-form logical expression of an instance of the Boolean Satisfiability problem (SAT) and calculates a value of the variable; and a notification path that notifies another variable value calculation circuit of the value, in which each of the variable value calculation circuit includes a positive-side variable value calculation circuit that calculates a value of a target variable making all clauses including a target variable having no negation among clauses of the logical expression be true, a negative-side variable value calculation circuit that calculates the value of the target variable making all clauses including a target variable having negation among clauses of the logical expression be true, and a current value calculation circuit that calculates the value of the target variable based on the value of the target variable calculated by the positive- side variable value calculation circuit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A solution search device comprising:
a variable value calculation circuit that is provided for each variable included in a conjunctive-normal-form logical expression of an instance of the Boolean Satisfiability problem (SAT) and calculates a value of the respective variable; and
a notification path that notifies another calculation circuit of the value of the respective variable calculated by the variable value calculation circuit,
wherein each of the variable value calculation circuits includes:
a positive-side variable value calculation circuit that calculates a value of a target variable in a case where a value of a first other variable is input to the logical expression, the target variable being the variable whose value is calculated by the variable value calculation circuit, the value calculated by the positive-side variable value calculation circuit making all clauses including a target variable having no negation among clauses of the logical expression be true,
a negative-side variable value calculation circuit that calculates the value of the target variable in a case where a value of a second other variable is input to the logical expression, the value calculated by the negative-side variable value calculation circuit making all clauses including a target variable having negation among the clauses of the logical expression be true, the second other variable being different from the first other variable, and
a current value calculation circuit that calculates the value of the target variable based on the value of the target variable calculated by the positive-side variable value calculation circuit, the value of the target variable calculated by the negative-side variable value calculation circuit, and a previous value of the target variable.

2. The solution search device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the positive-side variable value calculation circuit includes:
a positive-side clause calculation circuit that outputs true in a case where all literals other than a literal of the target variable are false among literals included in a clause including the target variable having no negation, among the clauses of the logical expression, and outputs false in a case where any one or more literals among the literals other than the literal of the target variable are true among the literals included in the clause including the target variable having no negation, among the clauses of the logical expression, and
a logical OR calculation circuit that calculates a logical OR of outputs of the positive-side clause calculation circuits corresponding to all the clauses including the target variable having no negation among the clauses of the logical expression.

3. The solution search device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the positive-side clause calculation circuit further includes:
a positive-side selection circuit that selects any one of the value of the first other variable, negation of the value of the first other variable, and true according to an aspect of a literal of a variable other than the target variable in the clause including the target variable having no negation, and
a logical NOR calculation circuit that calculates a logical NOR of outputs of all the positive-side selection circuits corresponding to all literals included in the clause including the target variable having no negation.

4. The solution search device according to claim 3 ,
wherein the negative-side variable value calculation circuit includes:
a negative-side clause calculation circuit that outputs false in a case where all literals other than a literal of the target variable are false among literals included in a clause including the target variable having negation among the clauses of the logical expression, and outputs true in a case where any one or more literals among the literals other than the literal of the target variable are true among the literals included in the clause including the target variable having negation among the clauses of the logical expression, and
a logical AND calculation circuit that calculates a logical AND of outputs of the negative-side clause calculation circuits corresponding to all the clauses including the target variable having negation among the clauses of the logical expression.

5. The solution search device according to claim 4 ,
wherein the negative-side clause calculation circuit further includes:
a negative-side selection circuit, and
a logical OR calculation circuit that calculates a logical OR of outputs of all the negative-side selection circuits corresponding to all the literals included in the clause including the target variable having negation.

6. The solution search device according to claim 2 , wherein the positive-side clause calculation circuit further includes:
a positive-side selection circuit that selects any one of the value of the second other variable, negation of the value of the second other variable, and true according to an aspect of a literal of a variable other than the target variable in the clause including the target variable having no negation, and
a logical NOR calculation circuit that calculates a logical NOR of outputs of all the positive-side selection circuits corresponding to all literals included in the clause including the target variable having no negation.

7. The solution search device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an error circuit that reverses true and false of at least one of:
the value of the target variable calculated by the positive-side variable value calculation circuit, or
the value of the target variable calculated by the negative-side variable value calculation circuit with a predetermined probability.

8. The solution search device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a contradiction detection circuit that detects that the value of the target variable calculated by the positive-side variable value calculation circuit and the value of the target variable calculated by the negative-side variable value calculation circuit are incompatible; and
a contradiction detection reflection circuit that reflects a detection result of another contradiction detection circuit on the calculation of the value of the target variable by the current value calculation circuit.

9. The solution search device according to claim 8 , further comprising:
an error circuit that suppresses reflection of the detection result on the calculation of the value of the target variable by the current value calculation circuit with a predetermined probability.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program which, when executed, simulates the solution search device according to claim 1 .

11. A solution search device comprising:
a variable value calculation circuit that is provided for each variable included in a conjunctive-normal-form logical expression of an instance of the Boolean Satisfiability problem (SAT) and calculates a value of the respective variable; and
a notification path that notifies another calculation circuit of the value of the respective variable calculated by the variable value calculation circuit,
wherein each of the variable value calculation circuits includes:
a positive-side variable value calculation circuit that calculates a value of a target variable in a case where a value of another variable is input to the logical expression, the target variable being the variable whose value is calculated by the variable value calculation circuit, the value calculated by the positive-side variable value calculation circuit making all clauses including a target variable having no negation among clauses of the logical expression be true,
a negative-side

Assignees

• Nat Univ Corp Yokohama Nat Univ

Inventors

• Takeuchi Naoki
• Aono Masashi

Classifications

• H03K19/21

  EXCLUSIVE-OR circuits, i.e. giving output if input signal exists at only one input; COINCIDENCE circuits, i.e. giving output only if all input signals are identical · CPC title

• G06F17/12 Primary

  Simultaneous equations {, e.g. systems of linear equations} · CPC title

• H03K19/20

  characterised by logic function, e.g. AND, OR, NOR, NOT circuits (H03K19/003 - H03K19/01 take precedence) · CPC title

• G06F17/11

  for solving equations {, e.g. nonlinear equations, general mathematical optimization problems (optimization specially adapted for a specific administrative, business or logistic context G06Q10/04)} · CPC title

• G06N5/046 Primary

  Forward inferencing; Production systems · CPC title