Virtual scanning: A method for testing one class of self-organizing cellular automata

The problem of formation of diagnosis about a cellular automaton (an array of processor elements) with a large number of processors and multiple failures is solved on a self-organization basis. We suggest a virtual scan method in which the flip-flop link configuration is determined from the actual layout of good cells and intercellular links. Starting from the initial cell at the periphery of the array, the scan chain is constructed as the result of the group behavior of identically functioning cells. Along this chain, diagnosis about all cells and cell interfaces that have a good route to the initial cell is formed. This method is an alternative to the conventional scan method based on an end-to-end shift register, where deterministic control and fixed flip-flop links in the shift chains are used.