Semi-tensor product approach to controllability and stabilizability of finite automata

Using semi-tensor product of matrices, the controllability and stabilizability of finite automata are investigated. By expressing the states, inputs, and outputs in vector forms, the transition and output functions are represented in matrix forms. Based on this algebraic description, a necessary and sufficient condition is proposed for checking whether a state is controllable to another one. By this condition, an algorithm is established to find all the control sequences of an arbitrary length. Moreover, the stabilizability of finite automata is considered, and a necessary and sufficient condition is presented to examine whether some states can be stabilized. Finally, the study of illustrative examples verifies the correctness of the presented results/algorithms.