Method for supplying microcommands to multiple independent functional units having a next microcommand available during execution of a current microcommand

Claim 1

Method for transferring data between a plurality of data sources and data sinks via channels by means of microcommands controlling at least three mutually independent functional units of a multichannel direct memory access system in an integrated microprogrammed electronic module, each functional unit connected with a respective microcommand address register and a respective microinstruction register; microcommand memory means directly connected with the microinstruction registers; a sequencer connected to the microcommand memory means and to said microcommand address registers; the method which comprises the steps of: (a) selecting any one of said functional units for data transfer, (b) forming during execution of a current microcommand, by means of the sequencer and based upon test and control information, an address of a microcommand following the current microcommand, (c) loading the following microcommand directly into the respective microinstruction register from said microcommand memory means and loading the address of the following microcommand into the respective microcommand address register from the sequencer, and (d) controlling with the following microcommand the functional unit which has been selected.