Patent · US Expired

Debugging microprocessor capable of switching between emulation and monitor without accessing stack area

US4924382A · kind A · utility

23Cited by
6References
4Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateOct 5, 1988
Grant dateMay 8, 1990
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 5, 2008

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F11/3648
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A debugging microprocessor used in an in-circuit emulator is made to be capable of moving into a debugging interrupt processing execution mode in response to an external supervisor interrupt instruction. This debugging microprocessor comprises a first program counter put in an operating condition when the microprocessor is in a user's program execution mode, a second program counter put in an operating condition when the microprocessor is in a debugging interrupt processing execution mode, and a program counter controller responding to the external supervisor interrupt instruction to cause a content of the second program counter to be outputted as a program counter value. The program counter controller also responds to a return instruction to cause a content of the first program counter to be outputted as a program counter value. Thus, the content of the first program counter can be accessed in the course of the debugging interrupt processing execution.

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