Control Unit Operation
+ Shatabdi Roy Moon
Lecturer
Department of CSE
East West University
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Control Unit Concept
▪ A control unit is a circuitry within a computer’s processor that directs
operations.
▪ It instructs the memory, logic unit, and both input and output devices of the
computer on how to respond to the program’s instructions.
▪ CPUs and GPUs are examples of devices that use control units.
▪ The control unit is a component of the CPU that directs the processor’s
operation.
▪ John von Neumann included it in his Von Neumann Architecture.
▪ The control unit’s job is to instruct the computer’s arithmetic or logic unit,
memory, and input and output devices on how to respond to the
instructions supplied to the processor.
▪ The control unit fetches internal program instructions from the main
memory to the processor instruction register, and it generates a control
signal based on the contents of this register to supervise the execution of
these instructions.
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Control Unit: Operation
▪ A control unit receives data from the user and translates it into control
signals that are subsequently delivered to the central processor.
▪ The processor of the computer then instructs the associated hardware
on what operations to do.
▪ The functions performed by a control unit in a computer are dependent
on the CPU type because CPU architecture differs from manufacturer to
manufacturer.
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Functions of Control Unit
▪ It coordinates the flow of data out of, into, and between the various
subunits of a processor.
▪ It understands commands and instructions.
▪ It regulates the flow of data within the processor.
▪ It accepts external commands or instructions, which it turns into a
series of control signals.
▪ It is in charge of a CPU’s multiple execution units (such as ALUs,
data buffers, and registers).
▪ It also performs a variety of activities, including fetching, decoding,
handling execution, and storing results.
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Micro-Operations
■ The functional, or atomic, operations of a processor
■ Seriesof steps, each of which involves the processor
registers
■ Micro
refers to the fact that each step is very simple and
accomplishes very little
■ Theexecution of a program consists of the sequential
execution of instructions
■ Each instruction is executed during an instruction cycle
made up of shorter subcycles (fetch, indirect, execute,
interrupt)
■ The execution of each subcycle involves one or more
shorter operations (micro-operations)
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Rules for Micro-Operations
Grouping
■ Proper sequence must be followed
■ MAR � (PC) must precede MBR � (memory)
■ Conflicts must be avoided
■ Must not read and write same register at same time
■ MBR � (memory) and IR � (MBR) must not be in same cycle
■ One of the micro-operations involves an addition
■ To avoid duplication of circuitry, this addition could
be performed by the ALU
■ The use of the ALU may involve additional
micro-operations, depending on the functionality
of the ALU and the organization of the processor
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Control Unit Functional Requirements
■ By reducing the operation of the processor to its most
fundamental level we are able to define exactly what it is that
the control unit must cause to happen
■ Three step process to lead to a characterization of the control
unit:
■ Define basic elements of processor
■ Describe micro-operations processor performs
■ Determine the functions that the control unit must perform to
cause the micro-operations to be performed
■ The control unit performs two basic tasks:
■ Sequencing
■ Execution
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