A processing apparatus with a function hierarchical structure, said apparatus being formed on one chip of a highly integrated semiconductor device, and comprising:
- means for decoding a machine instruction having an operation code field designating a function to be executed with a hierarchical structure corresponding to functional levels, and an operation object field, with a hierarchical structure corresponding to that of said operation code field, designating an object for which the function designated by the operation code field is executed,
- wherein the operation code includes a task level operation code, and at least one of a control structure level operation code, an operation level operation code, and a basic level operation code, and the operation object field includes task level data, and at leas tone of control condition data, arithmetic object data, and basic level data;
- a plurality of functional block means, connected to the machine instruction decoding means and having a hierarchical structure including a higher functional level functional block means and a plurality of lower functional level functional block means, for executing said function designated by said operation code field,
- wherein said higher functional level functional block means includes a task level functional block means, and wherein said plurality of lower functional level functional block means includes at least one of a control structure level functional block means coupled to said task level functional block means and having a lower functional level than said task level functional block means, an operation level functional block means having a lower functional level than the task and the control structure functional block means and coupled to a higher level functional block means, and a basic level functional block means, having a lower functional level than the task, the control, and the operation level functional block means and coupled to a higher level functional block means,
- and wherein each of said plurality of functional block means includes:
- (a) an operation object circuit for executing a processing operation on one of the task level, the control structure level, the operation level, and the basic level,
- (b) an operation logic circuit for controlling said operation object circuit,
- (c) encoding means for receiving a machine instruction from a block means having a higher functional level, for encoding from said machine instruction at least block identification data and process data indicating a processing operation, and for selectively supplying the encoded block identification data and process data to a lower functional level functional block means;
- and
- (d) decoder means for decoding encoded block identification data and process data supplied from a functional block means at a higher functional level.