Patent ID: 8180990

Claim:
An integrated circuit chip comprising: a plurality of internal master circuits that share an external recording device and that each transmit an access request including an address for a transfer of data to or from the external recording device, such that the integrated circuit chip controls access to the external recording device by the plurality of internal master circuits by selectively causing one internal master circuit of the plurality of internal master circuits to access the external recording device; an input interface connected to an external master circuit, the input interface receiving an access request from the external master circuit; and an access control circuit controlling the access to the external recording device by outputting an address indicated by an access request, such that, when the input interface receives the access request from the external master circuit before an end of a data transfer based on the access request transmitted from the one internal master circuit selected by the integrated circuit chip, the access control circuit controls the access by: (i) determining an output timing for an address indicated by the access request from the external master circuit, the output timing being determined so that the address indicated by the access request from the external master circuit is output during the data transfer in accordance with the access request transmitted from the one internal master circuit selected by the integrated circuit chip; (ii) outputting the address indicated by the access request from the external master circuit at the determined output timing; and (iii) causing the external master circuit to access the external recording device.