S3C4510B
PROGRAMMER'S MODEL
The Condition Code Flags
The N, Z, C and V bits are the condition code flags. These may be changed as a result of arithmetic and logical
operations, and may be tested to determine whether an instruction should be executed.
In ARM state, all instructions may be executed conditionally: see Table 3-2 for details.
In THUMB state, only the branch instruction is capable of conditional execution: see Figure 3-46 for details.
The Control Bits
The bottom 8 bits of a PSR (incorporating I, F, T and M[4:0]) are known collectively as the control bits. These will
change when an exception arises. If the processor is operating in a privileged mode, they can also be
manipulated by software.
The T bit
This reflects the operating state. When this bit is set, the processor is executing in
THUMB state, otherwise it is executing in ARM state. This is reflected on the TBIT
external signal.
Note that the software must never change the state of the TBIT in the CPSR. If this
happens, the processor will enter an unpredictable state.
Interrupt disable bits
The mode bits
The I and F bits are the interrupt disable bits. When set, these disable the IRQ and
FIQ interrupts respectively.
The M4, M3, M2, M1 and M0 bits (M[4:0]) are the mode bits. These determine the
processor¢s operating mode, as shown in Table 2-1. Not all combinations of the
mode bits define a valid processor mode. Only those explicitly described shall be
used. The user should be aware that if any illegal value is programmed into the
mode bits, M[4:0], then the processor will enter an unrecoverable state. If this
occurs, reset should be applied.
2-9
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