Smallest or largest value element determination

An apparatus, comprising:

• an array of memory cells configured to store a plurality of elements in a group of memory cells coupled to an access line, wherein each of the plurality of elements is stored in a different group of memory cells and wherein each of the different groups of memory cells are coupled to the access line and to a different plurality of sense lines;
• sensing circuitry coupled to the array;
• and
• a controller configured to generate a mask indicating which of the plurality of elements have one of a smallest value and a largest value by:
• causing an AND operation to be performed using the sensing circuitry, wherein the AND operation is performed using a first vector as a first input and a second vector as a second input and wherein one of the first vector and the second vector is a boundary bit-vector defining boundaries of the plurality of elements and an other vector is an inverted elements vector where the elements vector is inverted to generate the inverted elements vector;
• causing a result of the AND operation to be stored in the array as a results vector;
• causing the results vector to be updated responsive to performance of a plurality of subsequent logical operations using the sensing circuitry;
• performing a block OR operation using the result vector to determine whether one of the smallest value and the largest value has been created;
• and
• causing the mask indicating which of the plurality of elements have the one of the smallest value and the largest value to be stored in at least one of the sensing circuitry and the array, wherein the mask associates the one of the smallest value and the largest value to a plurality of particular sense lines from the different plurality of sense lines.

A method comprising:

• transferring an elements vector stored in a group of memory cells of an array to sensing circuitry coupled to the array, the elements vector comprising a plurality of elements each having a respective value, wherein each of the plurality of elements is stored in a different group of memory cells and wherein each of the different groups of memory cells is coupled to an access line and to a different plurality of sense lines;
• performing an AND operation using the sensing circuitry, wherein the AND operation is performed using a first vector as a first input and a second vector as a second input and wherein one of the first vector and the second vector is a boundary vector defining boundaries of the plurality of elements and an other vector is an inverted elements vector where the elements vector is inverted to generate the inverted elements vector;
• performing a block OR operation, on a result of the AND operation, to determine whether one of a smallest value and a largest value from the plurality of elements has been created;
• and
• generating a mask vector indicating which of the plurality of elements have one of the smallest value and the largest value by controlling the sensing circuitry to perform a plurality of iterations of operations using a plurality of vectors including the boundary vector defining boundaries of the plurality of elements of the elements vector, wherein the mask associates the one of the smallest value and the largest value to a plurality of particular sense lines from the different plurality of sense lines.