CHAPTER THREE:

THE IMPULSE RESPONSE

3.1 Introduction

The related concepts of impulse response
and convolution.

Systems with memory have impulse (or
unit-pulse) responses which are nonzero for
some finite (but nonzero) range of t (or n).

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3.2 Convolution Form of An LSI System

Unit-Pulse Response of An LSI System
Consider a linear, shift-invariant, causal (LSIC) DT
system described by the transformation operator F[.]
(Figure 3.6(a)). Let its input x[k] be the unit-pulse
function
1 k=0
x[k]=δ[k]=
0 k≠0
Assuming zero initial condition, its output is then
given by
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 CHAPTER THREE:
THE IMPULSE RESPONSE
3.2 Convolution Form of An LSI System
Unit-Pulse Response of An LSI System
y[k]=F[x[k]]= F[δ[k]] ∆ h[k]
where h[k] is defined as the unit-pulse response (also known
as the impulse response). For a causal system one property of
h[k] is immediately apparent. Since δ[k]=0 for all k<0, and
since the output of a causal can depend only on the past and
current values of the input, h[k] for a causal system must
equal zero for all k<0. Discrete time(DT) systems are
classified into two groups based on their impulse responses:
Finite Impulse Response (FIR) and Infinite Impulse Response
(IIR)

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 CHAPTER THREE:
THE IMPULSE RESPONSE
3.2 Convolution Form of An LSI System
Unit-Pulse Response of An LSI System

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 CHAPTER THREE:
THE IMPULSE RESPONSE
3.2 Convolution Form of An LSI System
Unit-Pulse Response of An LSI System

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 CHAPTER THREE:
THE IMPULSE RESPONSE
3.2 Convolution Form of An LSI System
Unit-Pulse Response of An LSI System

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 CHAPTER THREE:
THE IMPULSE RESPONSE
3.2 Convolution Form of An LSI System
Unit-Pulse Response of An LSI System

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 CHAPTER THREE:
THE IMPULSE RESPONSE
3.2 Convolution Form of An LSI System
Unit-Pulse Response of An LSI System

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 CHAPTER THREE:
THE IMPULSE RESPONSE
3.2 Convolution Form of An LSI System
Unit-Pulse Response of An LSI System

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 CHAPTER THREE:
THE IMPULSE RESPONSE
3.2 Convolution Form of An LSI System
Unit-Pulse Response of An LSI System

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 CHAPTER THREE:
THE IMPULSE RESPONSE
3.2 Convolution Form of An LSI System
Properties of Discrete-Time Convolution

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 CHAPTER THREE:
THE IMPULSE RESPONSE
3.2 Convolution Form of An LSI System
The Impulse Response and Memory

A unit impulse input for the autocorrelation

function of the output, y[k] is

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 CHAPTER THREE:
THE IMPULSE RESPONSE
3.2 Convolution Form of An LSI System
Relation to Signal Processing

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3.3 Convolution For Continuous-Time Systems

• All initial conditions on the system are zero

•For example, consider the problem of determining
airflow into the lungs from Chapter 2.
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 CHAPTER THREE:
THE IMPULSE RESPONSE
3.3 Convolution For Continuous-Time Systems
•V(t) is volume change of the lungs
•Raw is airway flow resistance and CL is lung compliance
•P(t) is Transrespiratory Pressure at t=0

Then let P(t) be an impulse function:

Therefore

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 CHAPTER THREE:
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3.3 Convolution For Continuous-Time Systems

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 CHAPTER THREE:
THE IMPULSE RESPONSE
3.3 Convolution For Continuous-Time Systems

For LTIC we can write as below:

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 CHAPTER THREE:
THE IMPULSE RESPONSE
3.3 Convolution For Continuous-Time Systems

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 CHAPTER THREE:
THE IMPULSE RESPONSE
3.3 Convolution For Continuous-Time Systems
Properties of CT Convolution

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 CHAPTER THREE:
THE IMPULSE RESPONSE
3.3 Convolution For Continuous-Time Systems
Properties of CT Convolution

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 CHAPTER THREE:
THE IMPULSE RESPONSE
3.3 Convolution For Continuous-Time Systems
Properties of CT Convolution

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THE IMPULSE RESPONSE
3.4 Convolution As Signal Processing
•Performing a weighted average of past values of the
input signal
•Weighted average which slides through time, is a form
of signal processing and can gain insight into the
nature of the output from the understanding of
convolution.
•For example, if the input signals contains an impulse-
like event, then for sometime thereafter the output will
“look like” the impulse response of the system.
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3.4 Convolution As Signal Processing

•If the impulse response is an exponentially decaying

function, the response to a step change in the input will
not be a step but will be a slower exponential rise.

• Figure 3.15 presents six examples using graphical

convolution to estimate the effect on a signal of passing
it through a system with a specified impulse response.

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 CHAPTER THREE:
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3.4 Convolution As Signal Processing
•

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 CHAPTER THREE:
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3.4 Convolution As Signal Processing
•

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 CHAPTER THREE:
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3.5 Relation of Impulse Response To
Differential Equation
• The impulse response is the zero-state solution of the
differential equation of a system when the input is
impulse response
•The parameters of the impulse response are
determined by the coefficients of the differential
equation and one can assume certain properties of the
impulse response from these coefficients.

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 CHAPTER THREE:
THE IMPULSE RESPONSE
3.5 Relation of Impulse Response To
Differential Equation
• This relationship is most useful for first-and second-
order systems.
•Let consider a first-order differential equation of the
form

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 CHAPTER THREE:
THE IMPULSE RESPONSE
3.5 Relation of Impulse Response To
Differential Equation
which can be rearranged into a standardized form as

Letting and defining solving for y(t) yields

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 CHAPTER THREE:
THE IMPULSE RESPONSE
3.5 Relation of Impulse Response To
Differential Equation
•A standardized form for the differential
equation of a second-order system is
….(1)
•To find the homogeneous solution for a second-
order system note that yh(t) has the form
….(2)

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 CHAPTER THREE:
THE IMPULSE RESPONSE
3.5 Relation of Impulse Response To
Differential Equation
•The parameters s1 and s2 are determined by solving
the homogeneous form of the differential equation
that is, by substituting Eq. (2) for y(t) in Eq. (1) and
letting x(t)=0. Thus

….(3)

•The step response is

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 CHAPTER THREE:
THE IMPULSE RESPONSE
3.5 Relation of Impulse Response To
Differential Equation

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 CHAPTER THREE:
THE IMPULSE RESPONSE
3.5 Relation of Impulse Response To
Differential Equation
Three different situations can be identified from
the differential equation coefficient:
a) a2>4b- Overdamped
• The term inside the square root is positive (Eq.3)
• S1 and s2 are both real and unique
b) a2<4b-Underdamped
• The term inside the square root is negative (Eq.3)
• S1 and s2 are complex

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 CHAPTER THREE:
THE IMPULSE RESPONSE
3.5 Relation of Impulse Response To
Differential Equation
Three different situations can be identified from
the differential equation coefficient:

c) a2=4b (Critical damped)

• s1=s2=a/2;
• S1 and s2 are both real and equal

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 CHAPTER THREE:
THE IMPULSE RESPONSE
3.5 Relation of Impulse Response To
Differential Equation
Three different situations can be identified from
the differential equation coefficient:

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 CHAPTER THREE:
THE IMPULSE RESPONSE
3.5 Relation of Impulse Response To
Differential Equation
Three different situations can be identified from
the differential equation coefficient: Example

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 CHAPTER THREE:
THE IMPULSE RESPONSE
3.6 Convolution As A Filtering Process
•The process of convolving the impulse response
of an LTI system with an input signal is the time-
domain representation of filtering.
•Convolution is a key concept for understanding
the modification of signals by filters.
•It is important to recognize that it is not
necessary to know the differential equation of
the system in order to predict its behavior if one
can determine its impulse response. 36
 CHAPTER THREE:
THE IMPULSE RESPONSE
3.8 Summary
•The impulse response of an LTI (or LSI) system is its zero-state response
to a unit impulse function (or a DT unit-pulse function).
•Systems with memory have impulse (or unit-pulse) responses which are
nonzero for some finite (but nonzero) range of t (or n).
•A DT system is classified as a finite impulse response-(FIR) system if its
unit-pulse response, h[n], reaches zero at a finite n and remain at zero for
larger n.
•Otherwise it is an infinite impulse response (IIR) system.
•The impulse response expresses the degree to which past inputs
contribute to the current output.
•This contribution can be evaluated using the convolution sum or
convolution integral formulas.
•By viewing any linear system as a filter, one can visualize the signal
processing effect of the system on an arbitrary input in the time domain
through graphical convolution.
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 CHAPTER THREE:
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3.8 Summary
•Thus signal processing interpretations were developed for first-or-der and
second-order systems.
•Because the impulse response of a system -determined by the coefficients
of the differential equation of the system, we were able to develop insights
into the filtering behaviors of first- and second-order systems from their
differential equations.
•Second-order systems, in particular, can exhibit varying types of filtering
effects, depending on whether they are overdamped or underdamped.
•The concept of the impulse response can be extended to generalized
impulse responses for nonlinear systems.
•Often, however, it is possible to utilize a linear term approximation to a
nonlinear system, based on its impulse response, over a restricted
amplitude range for its input signal.
•Usually a linear system approximation to a nonlinear system is valid only
for small deviations around specific mean levels of the input and output
signals. 38