Abstract:
In order to manage, in the interrupt stage, a memory stack associated with a microcontroller according to a Program Counter signal and to a Condition Code Register signal that can be contained in respective registers, a first part of memory stack is provided which comprises a register for the Program Counter signal, and a second part of memory stack consisting of a bank of memory elements equal in number to the number of bits of the Condition Code Register signal for the number of the interrupts of the microcontroller. The two parts of stack are made to function in parallel by respective stack-pointer signals.
Abstract:
A microcontroller device in which complex processing procedures to be executed iteratively are implemented in a hardware manner by finite state machines, the deice including a module for managing the processing procedures and an interrupt managing module, and a set of registers for enabling interruption of execution in the module, for managing the processing procedures and transfer of control to the interrupt manager, as well as for enabling restoration of the control to the manager of the processing procedures. The registers store information regarding the type of interrupt and the state on which it intervenes. Selection information is derived from the contents of the registers to establish whether the interrupt operates on a standard instruction or else on an iterative procedure, and in order to command operation of the control unit accordingly.