Ford Motor Company Limited

Michael A Vigil

Martin G Gravenstein

Silvia E Jaeckel

A micro-code sequencer apparatus (10) and method includes a state machine controller (14) and an instruction memory (24) for executing instructions and branches. The branch conditions for each state are stored in the state machine controller (14) whereas reprogrammable calculation instructions are stored in instruction memory (24). The instruction memory (24) is accessed by a program counter (20) which receives the decoded state information to determine the location of its instruction. A processor (30) processes the instruction and sends the output to a next state decoder (32) which determines the next state based on the branch conditions.

Micro-sequencer apparatus and method of combination state machine and

A micro-sequencer apparatus (10) allows a plurality of threads to independently process one or several algorithms using common components by allowing each thread to execute one instruction during a cycle. A thread counter (12) identifies the current thread to allow processing of its instruction. A thread program counter (16) stores the program count or address for the current instruction for the current thread. An instruction memory (20) stores all instructions, and the program count identifies the particular instruction for processing. A processor (26) receives input information unique to the current thread and processes same with the current instruction to produce an output.

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Colorado Springs, CO, United States of America

Michael A Vigil