Single-chip microcomputer having an expandable address area

Abstract

Expansion registers E0 to E7 are added to the existing general registers R0 to R7 built on-chip in a CPU 1 of 8 bits so that all the registers including the added expansion registers may be grasped in its entirety as address data to access to a memory or the like. The address operation is executed at a unit including both the expansion register and the corresponding general register. All the registers including the expansion registers are grasped as one unit of address data to handle the carry or borrow caused in the address operation. Since the expansion registers have their applications limited to the generation of address, the number of kinds or combinations of executable instructions is reduced without inviting a serious reduction in the data processing ability thereby to suppress the increase in the logical and physical scales of the CPU. The register is given 32 bits in its entirety by adding the expansion register Ei of 16 bits to the general registers RiH and RiL of 16 bits of the 8-bit CPU. This register can be used in its entirety, dividing it in half or by dividing it in quarters. As a result, the register can be excellently used on a software or hardware to reduce the logical and physical scales of the CPU. In respect of the latch of the address data using the register wholly or partially, moreover, the address space to be linearly used can be easily expanded.