Combinational Logic

• Special combinational logic circuits

– Combination of logic gates to form complex
circuits
– SOP expressions are implemented with an
AND gate for each product term and one OR
gate for summing all of the product terms
(AND-OR logic)
• Basic form for realising standard Boolean functions

IS 151 Digital Circuitry 1

 Combinational Logic
• AND-OR Logic
– Can have any number of AND gates, each
with any number of inputs

IS 151 Digital Circuitry 2

 AND-OR Logic – Truth Table
Inputs Output
A B C D AB CD Y
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 In a 4-input AND-OR logic
0 0 0 1 0 0 0 circuit, the output Y is
0 0 1 0 0 0 0
HIGH (1) only if:
0 0 1 1 0 1 1
0 1 0 0 0 0 0 • both inputs A and B are
0 1 0 1 0 0 0
HIGH (1), or
0 1 1 0 0 0 0
0 1 1 1 0 1 1 • both C and D are HIGH
1 0 0 0 0 0 0
(1), or
1 0 0 1 0 0 0
1 0 1 0 0 0 0 • all inputs A, B, C and D
1 0 1 1 0 1 1
are HIGH (1)
1 1 0 0 1 0 1
1 1 0 1 1 0 1 • Y = AB + CD
1 1 1 0 1 0 1
1 1 1 1 1 1 1
IS 151 Digital Circuitry 3
 AND-OR Logic – Example
• In a certain chemical processing plant, 3
different liquid chemicals are used, and each is
stored in a separate tank
• A level sensor in each tank produces a HIGH (1)
voltage when the level of chemical in the tank
drops below a specified point.
• Design a circuit that monitors the chemical level
in each tank and indicates when the level of any
two of the tanks drops below the specified point.

IS 151 Digital Circuitry 4

 AND-OR Logic – Solution
• 3 tanks – 3 inputs, A, B and C
• Any two indicators
– Any two out of 3 inputs = 3 combinations
– AB, AC, BC
– If any of these is 1, the indicator will show a 1
• Circuit: Three, 2-input AND gates to indicate a 1
when the level of any one of the two tanks drops
• Output – 1 (HIGH) if any of the combinations is
HIGH (1)

IS 151 Digital Circuitry 5

AND-OR Logic – Solution

The Boolean expression for the AND-OR

logic: Y = AB + AC + BC

IS 151 Digital Circuitry 6

 AND-OR-Invert
• When the output of an AND-OR circuit is
inverted, it results in an AND-OR-Invert
circuit
• Starting with a PoS expression
– Y = (A’ + B’)(C’ + D’) = (AB)’(CD)’ =
((AB)’(CD)’)’’ = ((AB)’’ + (CD)’’)’ = (AB + CD)’

IS 151 Digital Circuitry 7

 AND-OR-Invert

In a 4-input AND-OR-Invert logic circuit, the output Y is

LOW (0) only if
• both inputs A and B are HIGH (1), or
• both inputs C and D are HIGH (1), or
• all inputs A, B, C and D are HIGH (1)

IS 151 Digital Circuitry 8

 AND-OR-Invert - Example
• The sensors in the chemical plan are
replaced by a new model that produces a
LOW voltage when chemical levels drop
• Modify the circuit such that different input
levels still produce a HIGH output to
activate the indicator when the level of any
two tanks drops

IS 151 Digital Circuitry 9

 AND-OR-Invert - Example
• Solution:
– When the level drops in any tank, it produces a LOW
(0), therefore the input to the AND gate will be LOW
(0), which will produce a LOW output on the AND
gate; then a LOW on the OR gate, and finally a HIGH
(inverted LOW) on the final output

IS 151 Digital Circuitry 10

 AND-OR-Invert - Exercise
• Write the Boolean expression for the AND-
OR-Invert and show that the output is
HIGH (1) when any two of the inputs A, B,
and C are LOW (0)

IS 151 Digital Circuitry 11

 Exclusive-OR Logic
• A combination of 2 A B Y

AND gates, 1 OR 0 0 0

gate and 2 Inverters 0 1 1

1 0 1
• Y=A B 1 1 0

IS 151 Digital Circuitry 12

 Exclusive-NOR Logic
• Exclusive-NOR – A B Y
complementary of EX-OR 0 0 1
• Y = (AB’ + A’B)’ = (AB’)’(A’B)’ 0 1 0
= (A’ + B)(A + B’) = A’B’ + AB 1 0 0
• The output Y is HIGH only 1 1 1
when the two inputs are at the
same level

Review questions: Page 219 of the text book

IS 151 Digital Circuitry 13

 Implementing Combinational
Logic
• From a Boolean expression to a Logic
circuit
• X = AB + CDE X = AB (CD’ + EF)

IS 151 Digital Circuitry 14

 Implementing Combinational
Logic
• From a truth table to a logic circuit
Inputs Output

A B C X
0 0 0 0
0 0 1 0
0 1 0 0
0 1 1 1
1 0 0 1
1 0 1 0
1 1 0 0
1 1 1 0 Logic expression: X = A’BC + AB’C’

IS 151 Digital Circuitry 15

 Implementing Combinational
Logic - Examples
• Design a logic circuit to implement the operation
specified in the truth table
Inputs Output

A B C X
0 0 0 0
0 0 1 0
0 1 0 0
0 1 1 1
1 0 0 0
1 0 1 1
1 1 0 1
1 1 1 0

IS 151 Digital Circuitry 16

 Implementing Combinational
Logic - Examples
• Develop a circuit with four input variables
(A, B, C and D) that will produce a 1
output when any three input variables are
1s

IS 151 Digital Circuitry 17

 Combinational Logic Design
Exercise – Lab work
• Specification:
• A logic circuit is to have four inputs. Logic input
A1 and A2 represent the first and second bits of a
two-bit binary number “a”. Logic inputs B1 and B2
represent the first and second bits of a two-bit
binary number “b”. The output of the circuit is to
be a logic 1 only if the product “a x b” is less
than 3. A1 and A2 are the LSBs, and B1 and B2
are the MSBs
• Design the circuit using appropriate digital logic
steps

IS 151 Digital Circuitry 18

• End of Lecture

IS 151 Digital Circuitry 19