Arrangement and Method of Ascertaining Data Word Number of Maximum or Minimum in a Plurality of Data Words

1. A method of generating a signal indicative of an absolute data word number of one of a maximum and minimum value among a plurality of first data words in a list, each of said first data words corresponding to a unique absolute data word number, said method comprising the steps of: a) storing said first data words and storing said corresponding absolute data word numbers in a data storage device; b) grouping said first data words into n groups each of which contains second data words, said grouping performed by selecting from said list every n first data words (wherein n is an integer equal to or more than two); c) generating signals representative of said n groups wherein each group contains said selected second data words and a group data word number corresponding to each of said selected second data words; d) supplying said signals of step c) for each group to one of n determination units; e) in each of said n determination units, i) determining, in response to said signals of step c), one of a maximum and minimum value among the selected second data words; ii) determining a corresponding group data word number of said determined one of said maximum and minimum value among the selected second data words; iii) determining an absolute data word number corresponding to said one of said maximum and minimum value using the group data word number obtained in step e-ii), the number of the group and n; and iv) generating signals representative of said determined one of said maximum and minimum value and said corresponding absolute data word number; and f) storing said generated signals of step e-iv) for each of said n determination units; g) utilizing said stored signals of step f), comparing said stored signals representative of said determined ones of said maximum and minimum values of said n groups to determine one of the maximum and minimum value among all of the n groups; and h) generating a signal representative of the absolute data word number corresponding to the determined one of said maximum and minimum values from step g).

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein step e-iii) comprises the step of utilizing the relationship: where: A=the absolute data word number; B=the group number; C=the group data word number from step c); and n=the number of groups.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein step b) comprises the steps of: i) selecting the first data word of the list and every nth data word thereafter to form a first group of said selected second data words; ii) selecting the next of said first data words of said list and every nth data word thereafter to form a next group of said selected second data words; and iii) repeating step ii) until n groups of said selected second data words are formed.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein step b) comprises the steps of: i) selecting the first data word of the list and every nth data word thereafter to form a first group of said selected second data words; ii) selecting the next of said first data words of said list and every nth data word thereafter to form a next group of said selected second data words; and iii) repeating step ii) until n groups of said selected second data words are formed.

5. A method of generating a signal indicative of an absolute data word number of one of a maximum and minimum value among a plurality of first data words in a list, each of said first data words corresponding to a unique absolute data word number, said method comprising the steps of: a) storing said first data words and storing said corresponding absolute data word numbers in a data storage device; b) grouping said first data words into n groups each of which contains second data words, said grouping performed by selecting from said list every n first data words (wherein n is an integer equal to or more than two); c) generating signals representative of said n groups wherein each group contains said selected second data words and a group data word number corresponding to each of said selected second data words; d) supplying said signals of step c) for each group to one of n determination units; e) in each of said n determination units, i) determining, in response to said signals of step c), one of a maximum and minimum value among the selected second data words; ii) determining a corresponding group data word number of said determined one of said maximum and minimum value among the selected second data words; iii) determining an absolute data word number corresponding to said one of said maximum and minimum value using the group data word number obtained in step e-ii) and the number of the group; and iv) generating signals representative of said determined one of said maximum and minimum value and said corresponding absolute date word number; and f) storing said generated signals of step e-iv) for each of said n determination units; g) utilizing said stored signals of step f), comparing said stored signals representative of said determined ones of said maximum and minimum values of said n groups to determine one of the maximum and minimum value among all of the n groups; and h) generating a signal representative of the absolute data word number corresponding to the determined one of said one of said maximum and minimum values from step g).

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein step b) comprises the steps of: i) selecting the first data word of the list and every nth data word thereafter to form a first group of said selected second data words; ii) selecting the next of said first data words of said list and every nth data word thereafter to form a next group of said selected second data words; and iii) repeating step ii) until n groups of said selected second data words are formed.

7. A method of generating a signal indicative of an absolute data word number of one of a maximum and minimum value among a plurality of first data words in a list, each of said first data words corresponding to a unique absolute data word number, said method comprising the steps of: a) storing said first data words and storing said corresponding absolute data word numbers in a data storage device; b) grouping said first data words into n groups each of which contains second data words, said grouping performed by selecting from said list every n first data words (wherein n is an integer equal to or more than two); c) generating signals representative of said n groups wherein each group contains said selected second data word and a group data word number corresponding to each of said selected second data words; d) supplying said signals of step c) for each group to one of n determination units; e) in each of said n determination units, i) determining, in response to said signals of step c), one of a maximum and minimum value among the selected second data words by comparing the second data words one by one with each other, and, with each comparison, incrementing the corresponding group data word number by m*n, where m in a positive integer greater than or equal to one, said incremented group data word number being equal to said absolute data word number; and ii) generating signals representative of said determined one of said maximum and minimum value and said corresponding absolute date word number; and f) storing said generated signals of step e-ii) for each of said n determination units; g) utilizing said stored signals of step f), comparing said stored signals representative of said determined ones of said maximum and minimum values of said n groups to determined one of the maximum and minimum value among all of the n groups; and h) generating a signal representative of the absolute data word number corresponding to the determined one of said one of said maximum and minimum values from step g).

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein step b) comprises the steps of: i) selecting the first data word of the list and every nth data word thereafter to form a first group of said selected second data words; ii) selecting the next of said first data words of said list and every nth data word thereafter to form a next group of said selected second data words; and iii) repeating step ii) until n groups of said selected second data words are formed.

9. A method of generating a signal indicative of an absolute data word number of a maximum value among a plurality of first data words in a list, each of said first data words corresponding to a unique absolute data word number, said method comprising the steps of: a) storing said first data words and storing said corresponding absolute data word numbers in a data storage device; b) grouping said first data words into n groups each of which contains selected second data words, said grouping performed by selecting from said list every n first data words (wherein n is an integer equal to or more than two); c) generating signals representative of said n groups wherein each group contains said selected second data words and a group data word number corresponding to each of said selected second data words; d) supplying said signals of step c) for each group to one of n determination units; e) in each of said n determination units, i) determining, in response to said signals of step c), a maximum value among the selected second data words; ii) determining a corresponding group data word number of said determined maximum value among the selected second data words; iii) determining an absolute data word number corresponding to said maximum value using the group data word number obtained in step e-ii), the number of the group and n; and iv) generating signals representative of said determined maximum value and said corresponding absolute date word number; and f) storing said generated signals of step e-iv) for each of said n determination units; g) by utilizing said stored signals of step f), comparing said stored signals representative of said determined maximum values of said n groups to determine the maximum value among all of the n groups; and h) generating a signal from step g) as said signal representative of the absolute data word number corresponding to the determined maximum value.

10. A method of generating a signal indicative of an absolute data word number of a minimum value among a plurality of first data words in a list, each of said first data words corresponding to a unique absolute data word number, said method comprising the steps of: a) storing said first data words and storing said corresponding absolute data word numbers in a data storage device; b) grouping said first data words into n groups each of which contains selected second data words, said grouping performed by selecting from said list every n first data words (wherein n is an integer equal to or more than two); c) generating signals representative of said n groups wherein each group contains said selected second data words and a group data word number corresponding to each of said selected second data words; d) supplying said signals of step c) for each group to one of n determination units; e) in each of said n determination units, i) determining, in response to said signals of step c), a minimum value among the selected second data words; ii) determining a corresponding group data word number of said determined minimum value among the selected second data words; iii) determining an absolute data word number corresponding to said minimum value using the group data word number obtained in step e-ii), the number of the group and n; and iv) generating signals representative of said determined minimum value and said corresponding absolute date word number; and f) storing said generated signals of step e-iv) for each of said n determination units; g) by utilizing said stored signals of step f), comparing said stored signals representative of said determined minimum values of said n groups to determine the minimum value among all of the n groups; and h) generating a signal from step g) as said signal representative of the absolute data word number corresponding to the determined minimum value.

11. An apparatus for determining an absolute data word number of one of a maximum and minimum value among a plurality of first data words in a list, each of said first data words corresponding to a unique absolute data word number, said apparatus comprising: (a) a memory storage device storing said list of first data words; (b) a controller, connected to said memory storage device and receiving said list and generating a plurality of n groups of second data words, each group including a corresponding group data word number; (c) a plurality of n arithmetic units connected respectively to receive said n groups of said second data words, each unit including: (1) a group data word comparator including storage means for storing ones of said second data words for sequentially comparing said ones of said second data words to determine said one of a maximum and minimum value thereof, said comparator outputting an output signal representative of said determined one of said maximum and minimum value of said second data words of said group; (2) a group data word number determiner including storage means for storing ones of said group data word numbers corresponding to said stored ones of said second data words, said group data word number determiner outputting a group data word number signal corresponding to said determined one of said maximum and minimum value; and (3) conversion means responsive to said group data word number signal for generating a word number output signal corresponding to the absolute data word number of said determined one of said maximum and minimum value; and (d) means responsive to the output signals of each of said comparators of said arithmetic units for selecting said one of said maximum and minimum value from among said n groups and for selecting the corresponding word number output signal for generating a signal indicative of the absolute value data word number corresponding to said determined one of said maximum and minimum value.

12. Apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein said conversion means comprises arithmetic means for calculating the following relationship: where: A=the absolute data word number; B=the group number; C=the group data word number; and n=the number of groups.

13. Apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein said conversion means comprises means for incrementing the corresponding group data word number by m*n each time after said comparator sequentially compares said stored ones of said second data words, where m in a positive integer greater than or equal to one, said incremented group data word number being equal to said absolute data word number.

14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein each of said n groups has a group number corresponding thereto and each of said n arithmetic units has an arithmetic number corresponding thereto, and said conversion means includes a register having an upper bit portion for storing the group data word number signal and a lower bit portion for storing the group number, said lower bit portion having a number of bits determined by said number n of arithmetic units, said register supplying output signals as said word number output signal.