Abstract: A data processing device comprising a central processing unit (CPU) for fetching instructions from a program memory, decoding the instructions and sending a signal (CCLK) to a coprocessor if a coprocessor type instruction is decoded; a coprocessor for decoding the coprocessor-type instructions upon receipt of the signal (CCLK); and a loop buffer for receiving from the program memory instructions within a loop and storing the instructions within the loop when the coprocessor decodes a loop operation from the coprocessor-type instructions, wherein the instructions within the loop are retrieve from the loop buffer for execution in a subsequent iteration of the loop, wherein a disable signal is sent to the program memory for inhibiting access of the program memory while the instructions within the loop are retrieved from the loop buffer.

Abstract: Disclosed is a novel n-bit binary counter with low power consumption, which comprises a set of half-adders for adding a “1” to an n-bit input signal, which includes a lower-order m bit component and a higher-order (n−m) bit component, and a set of D (data) flip-flops for storing outputs of the half-adders. The set of half-adders are divided into two sections, one of which is a first adder section for adding a “1” to the lower-order m bit component and the other of which is a second adder section for adding a carry signal from the first adder section to the higher-order (n−m) bit component. The set of D flip-flops are divided into two sections, one of which is a first register section to store outputs of the first adder section and the other of which is a second register section to store outputs of the second adder section. The n-bit input signal is comprised of the outputs of the first and second register sections.