Finite State Machine

• A Finite state machine (FSM) is computational abstraction which maps a finite number of states to other states within the same set, via transitions. An FSM can only be in one state at any given moment. Transitions can either be explicit or implicit; explicit transitions are triggered by an input signal and implicit transitions by the internal state of the system (that is, the current state). Implicit transitions thus represent "automatic" or sequenced states that are generally processed between explicit transitions (although they can also be used to provide an optional path when no valid transition exists for a given input signal).

example

Consider the model of a simple vending machine. The machine is initially in the "ready" state, which maps to exactly two states in the following way:

ready -> deposit -> waiting ready -> quit -> exit

The variables in bold-face represent transitions. Any input signal not corresponding to one of those transitions can either trigger an error or be ignored. Otherwise, the current state is updated and the process is repeated. If, for example, a deposit input signal is encountered, the FSM will move to the "waiting" state, which defines these transitions:

waiting -> select -> dispense waiting -> refund -> refunding

The "dispense" state defines only one transition:

dispense -> remove -> ready

Note, however, that in this example the "refunding" state doesn't actually require input in order to move to the "ready" state, so an implicit transition is defined as such:

refunding -> ready