CIRCUIT AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING LOWER LIMIT VALUE FUZZY INPUTS DURING A FUZZY LOGIC OPERATION

The present invention, which is implemented in a data processing system, includes a method for performing a fuzzy logic operation, wherein the steps are: (1) performing a rule evaluation process on a plurality of fuzzy input values, wherein one or more of the plurality of fuzzy input values has a lower limit (zero) value, and wherein the rule evaluation process (i) implements a rulebase including a plurality of rules associating a plurality of fuzzy inputs with a plurality of fuzzy outputs, (ii) results in one or more fuzzy output values, and (iii) further includes processing the one or more of the fuzzy input values having the lower limit value with respect to the rulebase, and (2) processing the fuzzy input values having a non-lower limit value with respect to the rulebase, the processing of the fuzzy input values having the non-lower limit value performed separately from the processing of the one or more of the fuzzy input values having the lower limit value. Sorting of the non-lower limit values may be performed. Sorting may be performed using an insertion sort method wherein elements of an unsorted list stored within a vector register are compared to a growing vector of sorted values, and each element from the unsorted list is then inserted into the sorted list. Alternatively, sorting may be performed by simultaneously comparing all of the elements of an unsorted list and then transferring the largest value to a second list, wherein this process is repeated for each element in the unsorted list.