# US 8,788,727 B1 · Electronic system subject to memory overflow condition > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,788,727 B1 - Document ID: US8788727B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 13/738,251 - Filed: 2013-01-10 - Published: 2014-07-10 - Granted: 2014-07-22 - Earliest claimed: 2013-01-10 - Assignees: Agilent Technologies, Inc. - Applicants: Agilent Technologies, Inc. - Inventors: Robin A. Bordow - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8788727B1 ## CPC - G06F 5/14: for overflow or underflow handling, e.g. full or empty flags - G06F 5/065: {Partitioned buffers, e.g. allowing multiple independent queues, bidirectional FIFO's} - G06F 5/10: having a sequence of storage locations each being individually accessible for both enqueue and dequeue operations, e.g. using random access memory {(G06F5/065 takes precedence)} - G06F 12/08: in hierarchically structured memory systems, e.g. virtual memory systems - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A method of operating an electronic system comprises storing information corresponding to an input data stream in a first memory having a first operating rate, detecting an overflow condition of the first memory, generating overflow information in response to the detection of the overflow condition, storing the overflow information in a second memory having a second operating rate slower than the first operating rate, transferring the overflow information from the detector to a third memory at a first transfer rate corresponding to the first operating rate, temporarily storing the overflow information in the third memory, and transferring the stored overflow information to the second memory at a second transfer rate corresponding to the second operating rate, and combining the information stored in the first memory with the overflow information stored in the second memory to produce an output data stream. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system, comprising: a first memory configured to store information corresponding to an input data stream, wherein the first memory has a first operating rate; a detector configured to detect an overflow condition of the first memory and to generate overflow information in response to the detection of the overflow condition; a second memory configured to store the overflow information, wherein the second memory has a second operating rate slower than the first operating rate; a third memory configured to receive the overflow information from the detector at a first transfer rate corresponding to the first operating rate, to temporarily store the overflow information, and to transfer the stored overflow information to the second memory at a second transfer rate corresponding to the second operating rate; and a combiner configured to combine the information stored in the first memory with the overflow information stored in the second memory to produce an output data stream. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the input data stream comprises spectrum data of a real-time spectrum analyzer. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein the information comprises histogram data corresponding to the spectrum data. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the output data stream comprises a two-dimensional pixel map to be shown on a real-time spectrum analyzer display. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the third memory is configured to transfer the stored overflow information to the second memory in a first-in-first-out (FIFO) order. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the first memory is a BlockRAM of a field programmable gate array. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6, wherein the third memory is a BlockRAM of the field programmable gate array. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the second memory comprises a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM). ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the overflow condition occurs where a memory location of the first memory is determined to have insufficient capacity to store information corresponding to a data element of the input data stream. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the first memory stores the information corresponding to the input data stream by performing read-modify-write operations on histogram data in a two-dimensional pixel map. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the overflow information stored in the second memory indicates a number of times that the overflow condition has occurred with respect to units of the information stored in the first memory. ### Claim 12 A method, comprising: storing information corresponding to an input data stream in a first memory having a first operating rate; detecting an overflow condition of the first memory; generating overflow information in response to the detection of the overflow condition; storing the overflow information in a second memory having a second operating rate slower than the first operating rate; transferring the overflow information from the detector to a third memory at a first transfer rate corresponding to the first operating rate, temporarily storing the overflow information in the third memory, and transferring the stored overflow information to the second memory at a second transfer rate corresponding to the second operating rate; and combining the information stored in the first memory with the overflow information stored in the second memory to produce an output data stream. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the input data stream comprises spectrum data of a real-time spectrum analyzer. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the information comprises histogram data corresponding to the spectrum data. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the output data stream comprises a two-dimensional pixel map to be shown on a real-time spectrum analyzer display. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the third memory is configured to transfer the stored overflow information to the second memory in a first-in-first-out (FIFO) order. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the first memory is a BlockRAM of a field programmable gate array. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method of claim 17, wherein the third memory is a BlockRAM of the field programmable gate array. ### Claim 19 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the second memory comprises a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM). ### Claim 20 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein detecting the overflow condition comprises detecting that a memory location of the first memory has insufficient capacity to store information corresponding to a data element of the input data stream.