Patent ID: 7072921

Claim:
A device for determining a rank of one of a plurality of sample values, comprising: an adder having an output providing a result indicating a rank of a particular one of the plurality of the sample values; at least one comparator of a first type, said comparator of said first type having a first input and a second input, said second input receiving the particular one of the plurality of the sample values, said first input receiving another one of the plurality of the sample values, said comparator of said first type having an output providing an output signal representing a logic one if the other one of the plurality of the sample values is not greater than the particular one of the plurality of the sample values, said output signal representing a logic zero otherwise; and at least one comparator of a second type, said comparator of said second type having a first input and a second input, said second input of said comparator of said second type receiving the particular one of the plurality of the sample values, said first input of said comparator of said second type receiving yet another one of the plurality of the sample values, said comparator of said second type having an output providing an output signal representing a logic one if the yet another one of the plurality of the sample values is less than the particular one of the plurality of the sample values, said output signal provided by said output of said comparator of said second type representing a logic zero otherwise; said adder adding together a logic one, said output signal from said output of said comparator of said first type, and said output signal from said output of said comparator of said second type to obtain the result indicating the rank of the particular one of the plurality of the sample values, and said output of said adder providing the result.