I have covered permutations of control signals in binary trees many years ago, I have even published 2 articles:

https://connect.ed-diamond.com/GNU-Linux-Magazine/glmf-218/quelques-applications-des-arbres-binaires-a-commande-equilibree

https://connect.ed-diamond.com/GNU-Linux-Magazine/glmf-215/a-la-decouverte-des-arbres-binaires-a-commande-equilibree

And I recently became aware that I am only a rediscoverer, as there are 2 patents:

https://patents.google.com/patent/US5243599A/en by IBM, expired in 2011

"Tree-type multiplexers and methods for configuring the same"

Figure 6 is clearly a balanced tree (32 leaves, 1,7,7,8,8 configuration)

https://patents.google.com/patent/US20120194250 AMD, seems identical but expires in 2031 ???

I have not been able to understand the difference between the two patents but this would explain why the technique has not appeared on my radar before : who wants to walk on IBM's toes ? However its validity is gone since a dozen years now so why restrain ourselves ?

Addendum to the addendum :

https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.16938

https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.16968

The subject is still alive !