Addressing a control rom in a microcoded single-chip microcomputer using

Abstract

A microcomputer device is disclosed containing a read-only memory for programs, a read/write memory usually containing data, and a CPU, all in a single integrated circuit. The CPU is microprogammed in that each instruction word fetched from the program memory initiates a sequence of microinstructions to perform the operation defined by the instruction word. The sequence is determined by addresses for a control ROM, and the addresses are selected by a method referred to as dispatching. The control ROM output includes a jump address by which the next address may be any location in the entire control ROM address range. Alternatively, the jump address may be modified by any one of several dispatches. A group dispatch selects one of the modes of accessing source and/or destination operands, based on one field of the instruction word. A subsequent function dispatch selects one of the set of available arithmetic/logic operations to be performed in the CPU based on another field of the instruction word. Many of the microinstructions are shared by the various sequences; the opcode stays in the instruction register so it can be used for dispatch control even after many microinstruction states have been executed.