Patent ID: 7536533

Claim:
A method for generating a sequential pattern of motor control instructions under control of an interrupt driven microcontroller for controlling a stepper motor with a periodic pattern of instructions, comprising the steps of: storing a pattern of motor control instructions in a memory; generating a periodic output sync signal; the microcontroller initiating a sequential read operation of the memory so as to cause sequential reading and output of motor control instructions from the memory in a predetermined order in accordance with the stored pattern and prioritized by interrupts; storing each of the read motor control instructions in a pre-load buffer after output from the memory; and transferring the contents of the pre-load buffer to an output buffer for controlling the motor in synchronization with and under control of the output sync signal, wherein the output of motor control instructions from the memory is not required to be periodic such that the microcontroller can service interrupts and operate in a non-periodic manner whereas the instructions are output in a periodic manner.