Patent · US Expired

Data processing system having unique multilevel microcode architecture

US4901235A · kind A · utility

25Cited by
3References
11Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 28, 1983
Grant dateFeb 13, 1990
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 28, 2003

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F9/3885
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A data processing system which includes a central processor unit which has an arithmetic logic unit (ALU) for performing fixed point arithmetic operations and a separate floating point unit (FPU) for performing floating point operations and which uses multi-level microcode architecture wherein each unit has its own control store (a "horizontal" store) which responds to addresses of execution control signals supplied thereto from a common control store (a "vertical" store) to produce horizontal microinstructions for performing ALU and FPU operations, respectively. Selected ones of such addresses are recognized for ALU operations by the CPU control store only, other selected ones are recognized for FPU operations by the FPU control store only, while still other selected ones are recognized for both ALU and FPU operations by both control stores so that such operations can be performed simultaneously in parallel.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.