Inter-Ing 2007

„INTERDISCIPLINARITY IN ENGINEERING”
SCIENTIFIC INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE,
TG. MUREŞ – ROMÂNIA, 15 -16 November 2007.

Bessel Filter implementation in Log-Domain

ROBERT GROZA, LELIA FESTILA, ERWIN SZOPOS

Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Faculty of Electronics,
Telecommunication and Information Technology
str. Gh. Bariţiu, nr 26-28, 400027, Cluj-Napoca

Keywords: Log-Domain Integrators, Bessel Filter, low pass filter, linear group delay

Abstract: In signal processing, mainly in audio domain, the need for a linear phase
characteristic is sometimes more important than the frequency specifications concerning the
pass band and stop bandwidth. For these applications, we need a Bessel approximation for the
frequency characteristics. If the application is designed for portable devices low power and
low voltage building blocks are also required. Log-Domain circuits may be very suitable. We
propose and analyze in this paper a log-domain 4th order Bessel filter and emphasize its
performance in comparison with an AO-RC design.

1. Introduction

The purpose of the Bessel filter is to achieve approximately a linear phase, this one
being equivalent to a constant time delay. This is the best phase response from an audible
standpoint, assuming you don’t want to correct an existing phase shift.
Bessel low-pass filters have a maximally flat group delay at about 0 Hz, so the phase
response is approximately linear in the pass-band, while at higher frequencies the linearity
degrades, and the group delay drops to zero (see Fig. 1 a) and b)).

-0 1.2

-20
0.8

-40
0.6
-60

0.4
-80

-100 0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 100 0s 0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 100

a) b)

Fig.1 4th order Bessel filter characteristics: a) magnitude, b) group delay

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 This non-linearity has a minimal impact because it occurs primarily outside the
bandwidth when the output level is low. In fact, the phase response is so close to a time delay
that Bessel low-pass and all-pass filters may be used only to produce a time delay.
We designed a log-domain Bessel filter and analyze it in this paper in comparison with
the LC prototype and an equivalent AO-RC variant.

2. Log-Domain integrator

Log-domain integrators are the main building blocks in log-domain filtering technique.
They are essentially composed of two push-pull exponential cells shown in Fig 2. By
applying Kirchhoff Voltage Law across the translinear loops of these cells [2], the output
current is found to be:

(Vin -Vout )
2VT
Iout =Io e (1)

Io
Vout
Q1
Vin
I out Q2
Q1 Q2

Q3 Q4
Vin Iout
Q3 Q4
Vout
Io

(a) (b)
Fig.2 Exponential cells with opposite polarities.
a) positive exponential circuit, b) negative exponential circuit

This cell is also known as voltage-programmable current mirror, in which the bias
current Io is modulated by the difference of two voltages, Vin and Vout . Using a capacitor
and the two log-domain circuits of Fig. 2, a log-domain integrator can be formed, as shown in
Fig. 3.

Io

Vout
Vip Vin
C

node A

Io

Fig.3 Log-domain integrator

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 By applying Kirchhoff Current Law in node A, its transfer function results in the
equation for ideal nonlinear log-domain integrator, depicted below:

Io 1
Exp(Vo )= ⋅ ⋅ ∫ {Exp(Vip )-Exp(Vin )}dt (2)
2VT C

3. 4th order Bessel filter

In Fig. 4 the LC low pass filter prototype is shown, that was designed using the
normalized LC values for Rg=Rs=1 from [1]. The values were frequency scaled to obtain a
10kHz cut-off frequency.
L1 L2
Out_LPF_Pasiv
Rg 1 3.7u 17u

Vin Rs Vout
C1 C2
1
11u 36u

Fig.4 4th order Bessel filter

Starting from this circuit, we designed an AO-RC active Bessel filter. The AO-RC filter
derived from the transfer function of the filter presented in Fig. 4 is a cascade of two second
order multiple feedback filters (MFB). The second order cell schematic for a MFB low pass
filter is shown in Fig. 5:

R2
C1

Vin R1 R3
-
Vout
C2
+

Fig. 5 Second order MFB low-pass filter

We start the design with the transfer function that can be written [1]:

− A0
H (s) = (3)
1 + a1s + b1s 2
R2 ⎛ RR ⎞
where A0 = − , a1 = ωcC1 ⎜ R2 + R3 + 2 3 ⎟ , b1 = ωc2C1C2 R2 R3 .
R1 ⎝ R1 ⎠
Given ωc, Q, A0 and choosing arbitrary C1 C2, we can obtain the values for the resistors
R1–R3:

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 a1C2 − a12C22 − 4b1C1C2 (1 − A0 )
R2 = (4)
4π f c C1C2

R2
R1 = (5)
− A0

b1
R3 = (6)
4π f C1C2 R2
2
c
2

The resulting active Bessel filter is presented in Fig. 6.

R8 C3
88.7k C6
120p R7
V-
R3 R4 U9 90.47k 68p
V-
- R5 U10
88.7k 44.35k R6
Vin
AD741 OUT -
C4 90.47k 45.23k
MFB
261p + AD741 OUT
C5 Vout
0 0 V+ 352p +
0
0 V+
0 0

Fig. 6 4th order active MFB Bessel Filter

We compare this filter with the log-domain Bessel filter which was designed starting
from the LC prototype and using the F-1NF method presented in [2].
The Log-Domain filter presented in Fig. 8 is composed of four log-domain integrators, an
input logarithmical cell and an output exponential cell. The integrator is the one presented in
the previous section (Fig. 3). The logarithmical cell is given in Fig. 7 and is derived from a
voltage programmable current mirror [2].

+VA
+VA
Ix

1 2

3 4 Vo

Io

-VA

Fig. 7 Logarithmic circuit

The output voltage is of the form:

Vo = 2VT ln ( I x / I o ) (7)

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 V+

I1 U6
DC = IO = 1u U1
AC = 1 N_2I
TRAN = 1 2 1 U2
Iin Vout IN+ N_2I
3 U1 1 U3
Out IN+ N_2I
2 3 U2 1 U4
Log_I IN- Out IN+
1u I2 N_2I
2 3 U3 1 U5 ExP_I
IOP = 1u IN- Out IN+
ION = 1u 2 3 U4 1
VA = 5V IOP = 1u IN- Out V+
C = 71.5p ION = 1u 2 3 Out_LPF_LD
VA = 5V IOP = 1u IN- Iout
0 C = 212.5p ION = 1u 2
VA = 5V IOP = 1u V-
C = 328.5p ION = 1u IO = 1u
VA = 5V
C = 695.5p 0

Fig. 8 4th order log-domain Bessel filter

4. Simulation results

The simulations were carried out with ORCD’s PSpice simulator. A design example is
presented for a log-domain Bessel low-pass filter with the performances: 10kHz cut-off
frequency at -3dB and 50kHz cut-off frequency at -50dB. Its characteristics were compared
with the passive LC prototype and the derived from it classical active filter designed for the
same performance. The LC filter was considered as the reference circuit.
The amplitude characteristics, the group delay characteristics and unit step response of
the filters have been considered in the analysis procedure. The simulation results are
presented in Fig. 9 and Fig. 10. In Fig. 9 a) the magnitude characteristics are shown, the upper
one belongs to the passive implementation and the lower to log-domain simulation. One can
see that the log-domain filter cut off frequency is a little bit lower than the AO-RC-MFB
implementation. This is due to BJT non-idealities, finite β and Early voltage [4][5]. In Fig. 9
b) one can see the group delay of the three filters. Fig. 8 shows the unit step responses. One
can see the log-domain circuit responds faster than the other two prototypes, which is an
important advantage of the log-domain implementation. The log-domain implementation is a
current-mode implementation that makes possible a faster response in time domain, which is a
benefit for many applications (filtering and control systems)..
0 40us

-50
(10KHz)

-100 20us

-150

0s
-200
db(V(OUT_LPF_PASIV)) G(V(OUT_LPF_PASIV))
40us
0

-50
(9.97KHz)
20us
-100

-150

0s
-200 G(V(MFB))
db(V(MFB)) 40us
0

-50
(9.61KHz)
20us

-100

-150
0s
100Hz 1.0KHz 10KHz 100KHz 1.0MHz
-200 G(I(Out_LPF_LDReal))
1.0Hz 100Hz 10KHz 1.0MHz Frequency
db(I(Out_LPF_LDReal)) Frequency

a) b)

Fig. 9 Simulation result for the presented filters:

a) frequency characteristics, b)group delay

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 500mV

250mV

0V
V(OUT_LPF_PASIV)

1.0V

0.5V

0V
V(MFB)
200uA

100uA

0A
0s 50us 100us 150us 200us 250us
I(Out_LPF_LDReal)
Time

Fig. 10 Simulation result for the presented filters: unity step response

5. Conclusions

Current-mode circuits have many advantages over the traditional AO-RC design
regarding chip are, low voltage levels and speed. Using log-domain design for realizing
Bessel filters may be a good alternative to classical variants.
From the simulation results, one can see that the frequencies characteristics of the log-
domain filter vary insignificant in comparison with the AO-RC filter’s ones. Deviations in
both characteristics are largely dependent on the BJT non-idealities. Further investigations are
needed to reduce them.
Analyzing the time response, one can see the main advantage of the log-domain design
that is a faster response with a small value of the over-shoot parameter.

References:

[1] Steve Winder – “Analog and digital filter design”, Newnes, 2002
[2] D. Frey – “Log-domain filtering: an approach to current mode filtering”, IEEE Proceedings-G, vol.
140, no. 6, pp. 406-416, Dec. 1993
[3] L. Feştilă, M. Ţopa, S. Hintea, M. Cîrlugea, R. Groza, “A general modular design of ELIN
filters based on F-1NF models” A&QT-R IEEE-TTTC International Conference on
Automation, Quality and Testing, May 2004
[4] V.W. Leung, M. El-Gamal, and G.W. Roberts, “Effects of transistor nonidealities on
log-domain filters” in Proc. IEEE Int. Symp. Circuits and Systems, June 1997, pp. 109-
112.
[5] V.W. Leung, and G.W. Roberts, “Effects of Transistor Nonidealities on High-Order
Log-Domain Ladder Filter Frequency Responses” IEEE Trans. on Circuits and
Systems-II: Analog and Digital Signal Processing, pp. 373-387, May 2000

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