Patent ID: 7038737

Claim:
An image processing apparatus comprising: image input/output processing means for inputting/outputting an image; a memory which shares different types of image data by time division; encoding/decoding processing means for encoding or decoding data stored in the memory; and data transfer control means for controlling a data transfer from the memory to the image input/output processing means or the encoding/decoding processing means, wherein a first transfer data group, which can be scheduled for direct memory access, is divided into burst transfer units, the direct memory access of the burst transfer units is periodically performed, and a second transfer data group, which cannot be scheduled for direct memory access is subjected to the direct memory access during at least a portion of the period that the first transfer data group is not subjected to the direct memory access; wherein an in-progress direct memory access of the second transfer data group is suspended during a scheduled direct memory access of the first transfer data group.