Signal Processing

Introduction

Ing. Leiner Barba Jimenez, MSc, Ph.D

Programa de Ingeniería Electrónica

Facultad de Ingeniería
Universidad Popular del Cesar
 INTRODUCTION
• The advances and evolution of system design to process information have lead to
signal processing techniques to become fundamental for areas such as medicine,
image analysis, telecommunication, audio, automotive, etc.

• In order to study signal processing subjects, we need strong knowledge on

algorithms development, mathematical techniques and some skills in developing
research works.

• With the aim of providing to electronic engineers, the fundamental tools to carry
out developments in the field of signal processing, this course is focused on
providing theorical and practical knowledge.
 Why to study signal processing?
The need for analyzing data coming from the real world has led to the design of a
large number of signal processing techniques which can be implemented using
analog or digital systems.
One of the idea of a signal processing system is to transform large
amounts of numerical data in meaningful ways.

Signal Analysis
System

Input Signal Processed

Signal
f(t)
g(t) = T[f(t))]
Example: Audio Signal Spectrum Analysis
How to do it?
Analog signal processing – Amp Op based
square wave generator
Control applications of signal processing
Analog
Vs
Digital
 Advantages of Analog Processing
• No computer, no A/D or D/A. + Better for high frequency applications, when time
available for data conversion (A/D) or for computations is too limited.

• Simpler implementation as far as an overall component count.

• Less expensive overall, provided no computer is available. (Possibly more expensive if a

computer is already available.)

• No counterpart to the problem of limit cycles that occur in Digital IIR filters. Limit cycles
are a never-ending low amplitude oscillation in the output value of a filter which is cause
by rounding effects introduced by finite precision math operations.

• Smoother transition of low-level analog signals into the noise floor, as opposed to the
output of a (dithering) D/A which generates a low duty cycle square wave (peak voltage
corresponding to a count of 1) when outputting a digital value between 0 and 1.
 Advantages of Digital Processing
• Linear and nonlinear math operations work over a wide dynamic range of signal, 2^31 to
2^-31 for standard floating point. Also a suite of operations, like cos(), atan(), sqrt(), log()
are available.
• Higher order filters can be implemented with a relatively low incremental cost.
Additional memory and computations only.
• Filter design techniques provide a relatively high degree of freedom in spectral shaping,
as in the Frequency Sampling method, for example.
• No tuning of analog components (R,L,C) during production or during maintenance.
• Good version control. Burn filter coefficients into memory and these will never change
from one unit to the next.
• Software-based implementations require no custom hardware - just use standard signal
I/O boards and write custom software.
• Small and rugged implementation using mixed-type VLSI, combining both DSP and
analog I/O on a single chip.
• Adaptive filters become practical.
• Data compression becomes practical.
 Why to study digital signal processing (DSP)?
• Technology such as microprocessors, microcontrollers, and digital signal
processors (DSP) have become so advanced that they have had a dramatic
impact on the disciplines of electronics engineering, computer engineering,
and biomedical engineering.

• Engineers and technologists need to become familiar with digital signals

and systems and basic digital signal processing (DSP) techniques.
 BASIC CONCEPTS OF (DIGITAL) SIGNAL PROCESSING
Digital signal processing (DSP) technology and its advancements have dramatically impacted our modern
society everywhere. Without DSP, we would not have:

• Digital/Internet audio and video;

• Digital recording; CD, DVD, and MP3 players;
• iPhone and iPad;
• Digital cameras;
• Digital and cellular telephones;
• Digital satellite and TV; or wired and wireless networks.
• Medical instruments would be less efficient or unable to provide useful information for precise diagnoses if there were no digital
electrocardiography (ECG) analyzers, digital X-rays, and medical image systems.

We would also live in many less efficient ways, since we would not be equipped with:
• Voice recognition systems, speech synthesis systems, and image and video editing systems.

Without DSP, scientists, engineers, and technologists would have no powerful tools to analyze and visualize the
data necessary for their designs, and so on.
A basic scheme of a SP system
The basic concept of SP is illustrated by the simplified block diagram in the below Figure, which consists of an
analog filter, an analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) unit, a digital signal (DS) processor, a digital-to-analog
conversion (DAC) unit, and a reconstruction (anti-image) filter.
BASIC SIGNAL PROCESSING (SP) EXAMPLES

Let´s look at some examples where SP becomes a fundamental task

Filtering

x(t), x(n) Signal Filtering y(t), y(n)

Noisy Input Clean signal

Let us consider the situation shown in Figure 2, depicting a noisy signal obtained from voltages sensors
containing a useful low-frequency signal and noise that occupies all of the frequency range.
 Top - (Digitized) noisy signal. Bottom - Clean (digital) signal using
the (digital) lowpass filter.

The (digitized) noisy signal and

clean digital signal, respectively, are
plotted, where the top plot shows
the digitized noisy signal, while the
bottom plot demonstrates the
clean digital signal obtained by
applying the digital lowpass filter.

Typical applications of noise

filtering include acquisition of
clean (digital) audio and
biomedical signals and
enhancement of speech
recording, among others.
Signal Frequency (Spectrum) Analysis

As shown in below Figure, certain DSP applications often require that time domain information and the
frequency content of the signal be analyzed.

Signal spectral analysis

This Figure shows a digitized
audio signal and its calculated
signal spectrum (frequency
content), that is, the signal
amplitude versus its
corresponding frequency for
the time being, obtained from
a DSP algorithm, called the fast
Fourier transform (FFT).

Audio signals and their spectrums.

As another practical example, we often
perform spectral estimation of a
digitally recorded speech or audio
(music) waveform using the FFT
algorithm in order to investigate
spectral frequency details of speech
information.

This figure shows a speech signal

produced by a human in the time
domain and frequency content displays.
The top plot shows the digital speech
waveform versus its digitized sample
number, while the bottom plot shows
the frequency content information of
speech.

Speech samples and speech spectrum.

OVERVIEW OF TYPICAL (DIGITAL) SIGNAL PROCESSING IN REAL-WORLD
APPLICATIONS

Digital Crossover Audio System

An audio system is required to operate in an entire audible range of frequencies, which may be beyond the
capability of any single speaker driver. Several drivers, such as the speaker cones and horns, each covering a
different frequency range, are used to cover the full audio frequency range. Below Figure shows a typical two-
band digital crossover system consisting of two speaker drivers: a woofer and a tweeter. The woofer responds
to low frequencies, while the tweeter responds to high frequencies.

Two-band digital crossover.

Interference Cancellation in Electrocardiography
In ECG recording, there often is unwanted 60-Hz interference in the recorded data (see below Figure). The
analysis shows that the interference comes from the power line and includes magnetic induction,
displacement currents in leads or in the body of the patient, effects from equipment interconnections, and
other imperfections.

Elimination of 60-Hz interference in electrocardiography (ECG).

Filtering of an ECG signal
Speech Coding and Compression
One of the speech coding methods, called waveform coding, is depicted in below Figure, describing the
encoding process, while Figure 10b shows the decoding processing.

Simplified data compressor.

Simplified data expander (decompressor).

Compact-Disc Recording System
A compact-disc (CD) recording system is described in the top Figure while the playback system is illustrated
in button Figure.

Software audio
players installed on
computer systems
that play music
from CDs, such as Simplified encoder of the CD recording system.
Windows Media
Player and
RealPlayer, are
examples of DSP
applications.

Simplified decoder of the CD recording system.

Image and Video Compression
Amp Op based oscillator
FM Radio
Self Driving Cars

Illustration: Chris Philpot

https://spectrum.ieee.org/transportation/self-driving/selfdriving-cars-learn-to-
read-the-body-language-of-people-on-the-street
(DIGITAL) SIGNAL PROCESSING APPLICATIONS
Applications of DSP are increasing in many areas where analog electronics are being replaced by DSP chips, and new
applications are depending on DSP techniques. With the cost of DS processors decreasing and their performance increasing,
DSP will continue to affect engineering design in our modern daily life. Some application examples using DSP are listed below.
Digital audio and speech Digital audio coding such as CD players and MP3 players, digital crossover,
digital audio equalizers, digital stereo and surround sound, noise reduction
systems, speech coding, data compression and encryption, speech synthesis
and speech recognition.

Digital telephone Speech recognition, high-speed modems, echo cancellation, speech synthesizers,
DTMF (dual-tone multifrequency) generation and detection, answering machines

Automobile industry Active noise control systems, active suspension systems, digital audio and radio,
digital controls, vibration signal analysis

Electronic communications Cellular phones, digital telecommunications, wireless LAN (local area networking),
satellite communications

Medical imaging equipment ECG analyzers, cardiac monitoring, medical imaging and image recognition,
digital X-rays and image processing

Multimedia Internet phones, audio and video, hard disk drive electronics, iPhone, iPad,
digital pictures, digital cameras, text-to-voice and voice-to-text technologies
WHAT ABOUT A MOBILE?
Sketch the components of mobile:

• Identify input blocks, output blocks

• Control Tasks

• Signals to process
By Senado Federal - Fotos produzidas pelo Senado, CC BY 2.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=53990377
• Use block diagrams to sketch your design
Related areas
Bibliography
• Simon Haykin, Barry Van Veen, “Signal and Systems”, 2nd Edition,
Willey, 2002.

• John G. Proakis, Dimitris G. Manolakis ; “Digital Signal Processing -

Principles, Algorithms, and Applications”, 4th Edition, Pearson –
Prentince Hall; 2006.

• Vinay K. Ingle, John G. Proakis; “Digital Signal Processing Using

MATLAB®”; 3rd Edition, Cengage Learning, 2012.