Signal Spectra &

Processing
An Introduction
Signal
• refers to the space or time variations in the physical state of
an object
• defined as a single – valued function of time that conveys
information
• For every instant of time there is a unique values of the
function
• In Electrical/ Electronics Engineering a signal is a time –
varying voltage (or current) that generally carries some
information
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Sources of Signals
• Electrical Engineering
voltages/currents in a circuit
speech signals
image signals
• Physics
radiation
• Mechanical Engineering
vibration studies
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Sources of Signals
• Biomedicine
EEG, ECG, MRI, X-Rays, Ultrasounds
• Seismology
tectonic plate movement, earthquake prediction
• Economics
stock market data
• Astronomy
space photos

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Spectra
• Spectra describe the frequency content of the signal

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Signal Processing
• extracting information from a signal, conditioning a
signal for subsequent use, signal transformation, or
altering a signal structure
• includes signal generation, signal modification, and
extracting information from signals
• benefits from improvements in the areas of electronic
engineering, applied mathematics, statistics,
mathematical information technology, ..
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Signal Processing Domain
• Signals are usually studied in
• time-domain (with respect to time)
• frequency-domain (with respect to frequency)
• time and frequency domains simultaneously, using some
time-frequency representation (TFR)
• Fourier transforms can be used to transform signals from
time-domain to frequency-domain, and vice versa
• Time-frequency representations can be computed using
short-time Fourier transform (STFT) or wavelets
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System
• A System is often used in signal processing to extract,
modify, transform, or manipulate the carried
information
• A big part of Signals & Systems is using Math Models
to see what a system does to a signal

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Signal & System
Physical System
Sound
Audio
Vin(t)
Amplifier
Voltage
Electronics

System Model

Input x(t) Output y(t)

System

Math
Math “Model”
Function
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Five Common Signals, Signal Processing &
Systems Scenarios
1. Given a system, determine a signal that will pass through it well
• e.g., Communication Transmitter
2. A system that will make a desired change to a signal
• e.g., Audio Equalizer
3. A system that will extract desired information from a signal
• e.g., RADAR system of Communication Receiver
4. Given a type of signal, design a system that will pass it well
• e.g., Audio Amplifier
5. A system ( and maybe signal) that gives a desired output
• e.g., Control System
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Two Basic Types of Signal
• Continuous-time signals
• types of signal that the independent variable is
continuous, i.e., these signals are defined for a
continuum of values of the independent variable
• Discrete-time signals
• types of signal that the independent variable takes
a discrete set of values, i.e., these signals are
defined only at discrete times
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CT Signal versus DT Signal

This axis continuous or

discrete

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CT Signal versus DT Signal

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CT Signal & DT Signal
• Modern systems generally………….
• acquire a CT signal from a sensor
• a CT system modifies the signal
• an ADC sample the signal to create a DT signal…….
a “stream of numbers”
• a DT system to do the processing (DSP)
• and then (if desired) convert to analog

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From Continuous to Discrete: Sampling
Observed signal x(t)
10

-5

-10
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
continuous time
Observed signal x[n]
10

-5

-10
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
discrete time

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2 Dimensions From Continuous to Discrete:
Sampling
256x256 64x64

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Continuous – Time & Discrete – Time
Sensor
Analog Digital Elect.
ADC
Electronics (Computer)

Electrical Electrical
CT DT
System Signal
Physical Electrical Electrical Electrical Electrical
CT CT CT DT DT
Signal Signal Signal Signal Signal

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Analog Signal vs Digital Signal

This axis continuous or

discrete

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From Analog to Digital: Quantization

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Discrete (Sampled) and Digital (Quantized)
Image

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Discrete (Sampled) and Digital (Quantized)
Image
256x256 256 levels 256x256 32 levels 256x256 2 levels

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Digital vs Analog

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Digital vs Analog

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Analog & Digital Technologies
• photocopiers • Digital Computers
• telephones • Digicam
• audio tapes • MP3 Players
• televisions (intensity and • Digital TV
color info per scan line) • Digital Mobile
• VCRs (same as TV) Technology

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Some Application Areas
Application Area Specific Uses of Signals, Systems & Processing
Answering machines, modems, fax machines, cell
Telecommunications
phones, speaker phones
Voice mail, speaker verification, synthetic speech, audio
Speech & Audio
compression (e.g., mp3)
3D animation, image enhancement, image compression
Image Processing
(JPEG), video compression (MPEG), high – definition TV

Head positioning in disk drives, laser control (e.g.,

Control System printers, CD/VCD/DVD drives), engine & motor controls,
robots
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Some Application Areas
Application Area Specific Uses of Signals, Systems & Processing
Engine control, antilock braking systems (ABS), active
Automotive suspension, airbag control, system diagnosis

Hearing aids, remote monitoring, ultrasound imaging,

Medical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), EEG, X – ray

RADAR, SONAR, navigation system (e.g., GPS), secure

Military & Aerospace
communications, missile guidance, battlefield sensors

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End