DSP System Toolbox

Users Guide

R2014a

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The MathWorks, Inc.
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DSP System Toolbox Users Guide
COPYRIGHT 20112014 by The MathWorks, Inc.
The software described in this document is furnished under a license agreement. The software may be used
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FEDERAL ACQUISITION: This provision applies to all acquisitions of the Program and Documentation
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Revision History

April 2011
September 2011
March 2012
September 2012
March 2013
September 2013
March 2014

First printing
Online only
Online only
Online only
Online only
Online only
Online only

Revised
Revised
Revised
Revised
Revised
Revised
Revised

for
for
for
for
for
for
for

Version
Version
Version
Version
Version
Version
Version

8.0
8.1
8.2
8.3
8.4
8.5
8.6

(R2011a)
(R2011b)
(R2012a)
(R2012b)
(R2013a)
(R2013b)
(R2014a)

Contents
Input, Output, and Display

1
Discrete-Time Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Time and Frequency Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Recommended Settings for Discrete-Time Simulations . . .
Other Settings for Discrete-Time Simulations . . . . . . . . . .

1-2
1-2
1-4
1-6

Continuous-Time Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Continuous-Time Source Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Continuous-Time Nonsource Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1-11
1-11
1-11

Create Sample-Based Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Create Signals Using Constant Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Create Signals Using Signal from Workspace Block . . . . .

1-13
1-13
1-16

Create Frame-Based Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Create Signals Using Sine Wave Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Create Signals Using Signal from Workspace Block . . . . .

1-19
1-19
1-22

Create Multichannel Sample-Based Signals . . . . . . . . . .

Multichannel Sample-Based Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Create Multichannel Signals by Combining Single-Channel
Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Create Multichannel Signals by Combining Multichannel
Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1-26
1-26

Create Multichannel Frame-Based Signals . . . . . . . . . . .

Multichannel Frame-Based Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Create Multichannel Signals Using Concatenate Block . . .

1-32
1-32
1-33

Deconstruct Multichannel Sample-Based Signals . . . . .

Split Multichannel Signals into Individual Signals . . . . . .
Split Multichannel Signals into Several Multichannel
Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1-36
1-36

1-26
1-29

1-39

vi

Contents

Deconstruct Multichannel Frame-Based Signals . . . . . .

Split Multichannel Signals into Individual Signals . . . . . .
Reorder Channels in Multichannel Frame-Based
Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1-43
1-43

Import and Export Sample-Based Signals . . . . . . . . . . . .

Import Sample-Based Vector Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Import Sample-Based Matrix Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Export Sample-Based Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1-52
1-52
1-56
1-59

Import and Export Frame-Based Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Import Frame-Based Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Export Frame-Based Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1-64
1-64
1-67

Musical Instrument Digital Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

About MIDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MIDI Control Surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using MIDI Control Surfaces with MATLAB and
Simulink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1-72
1-72
1-72

Display Time-Domain Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Configure the Time Scope Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Use the Simulation Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Modify the Time Scope Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Inspect Your Data (Scaling the Axes and Zooming) . . . . . .
Manage Multiple Time Scopes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1-77
1-78
1-85
1-86
1-88
1-91

Display Frequency-Domain Data in Spectrum

Analyzer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1-96

Visualize Central Limit Theorem in Array Plot . . . . . . .

Display a Uniform Distribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Display the Sum of Many Uniform Distributions . . . . . . . .
Inspect Your Data by Zooming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1-104
1-104
1-105
1-107

1-48

1-73

Data and Signal Management

2
Sample- and Frame-Based Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sample- and Frame-Based Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Model Sample- and Frame-Based Signals in MATLAB and
Simulink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
What Is Sample-Based Processing? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
What Is Frame-Based Processing? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2-2
2-2

Inspect Sample and Frame Rates in Simulink . . . . . . . .

Sample Rate and Frame Rate Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Inspect Sample-Based Signals Using Probe Block . . . . . . .
Inspect Frame-Based Signals Using Probe Block . . . . . . . .
Inspect Sample-Based Signals Using Color Coding . . . . . .
Inspect Frame-Based Signals Using Color Coding . . . . . . .

2-8
2-8
2-10
2-12
2-15
2-16

Convert Sample and Frame Rates in Simulink . . . . . . .

Rate Conversion Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rate Conversion by Frame-Rate Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . .
Rate Conversion by Frame-Size Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . .
Avoid Unintended Rate Conversion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Frame Rebuffering Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Buffer Signals by Preserving the Sample Period . . . . . . . .
Buffer Signals by Altering the Sample Period . . . . . . . . . .

2-20
2-20
2-21
2-25
2-29
2-35
2-38
2-41

Buffering and Frame-Based Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Frame Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Buffer Sample-Based Signals into Frame-Based Signals . .
Buffer Sample-Based Signals into Frame-Based Signals
with Overlap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Buffer Frame-Based Signals into Other Frame-Based
Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Buffer Delay and Initial Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Unbuffer Frame-Based Signals into Sample-Based
Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2-45
2-45
2-45

Delay and Latency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Computational Delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Algorithmic Delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Zero Algorithmic Delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2-61
2-61
2-63
2-63

2-3
2-4
2-5

2-49
2-53
2-56
2-57

vii

Basic Algorithmic Delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Excess Algorithmic Delay (Tasking Latency) . . . . . . . . . . .
Predict Tasking Latency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2-66
2-70
2-72

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

3
Design a Filter in Fdesign Process Overview . . . . . .
Process Flow Diagram and Filter Design Methodology . . .

3-2
3-2

Design a Filter in the Filterbuilder GUI . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Graphical Interface to Fdesign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-11
3-11

Use FDATool with DSP System Toolbox Software . . . .

Design Advanced Filters in FDATool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Access the Quantization Features of FDATool . . . . . . . . . .
Quantize Filters in FDATool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Analyze Filters with a Noise-Based Method . . . . . . . . . . . .
Scale Second-Order Section Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reorder the Sections of Second-Order Section Filters . . . .
View SOS Filter Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Import and Export Quantized Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Generate MATLAB Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Import XILINX Coefficient (.COE) Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Transform Filters Using FDATool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Design Multirate Filters in FDATool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Realize Filters as Simulink Subsystem Blocks . . . . . . . . . .

3-16
3-16
3-21
3-23
3-31
3-38
3-43
3-49
3-54
3-59
3-60
3-60
3-70
3-84

Digital Frequency Transformations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-88

Details and Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-88
Frequency Transformations for Real Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-96
Frequency Transformations for Complex Filters . . . . . . . . 3-110
Digital Filter Design Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Overview of the Digital Filter Design Block . . . . . . . . . . . .
Select a Filter Design Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Create a Lowpass Filter in Simulink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Create a Highpass Filter in Simulink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Filter High-Frequency Noise in Simulink . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

viii

Contents

3-123
3-123
3-124
3-126
3-127
3-128

Filter Realization Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Overview of the Filter Realization Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Design and Implement a Fixed-Point Filter in Simulink . .
Set the Filter Structure and Number of Filter Sections . . .
Optimize the Filter Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3-134
3-134
3-134
3-143
3-144

Digital Filter Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Overview of the Digital Filter Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Implement a Lowpass Filter in Simulink . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Implement a Highpass Filter in Simulink . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Filter High-Frequency Noise in Simulink . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Specify Static Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Specify Time-Varying Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Specify the SOS Matrix (Biquadratic Filter Coefficients) . .

3-147
3-147
3-148
3-149
3-150
3-155
3-155
3-157

Analog Filter Design Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-159

Adaptive Filters

4
Overview of Adaptive Filters and Applications . . . . . . .
Introduction to Adaptive Filtering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Adaptive Filtering Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Choosing an Adaptive Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
System Identification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Inverse System Identification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Noise or Interference Cancellation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Prediction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4-2
4-2
4-2
4-4
4-6
4-6
4-7
4-8

Adaptive Filters in DSP System Toolbox Software . . . .

Overview of Adaptive Filtering in DSP System Toolbox
Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Algorithms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using Adaptive Filter Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4-10

LMS Adaptive Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

LMS Methods for adaptfilt Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
System Identification Using adaptfilt.lms . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
System Identification Using adaptfilt.nlms . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4-14
4-14
4-16
4-19

4-10
4-10
4-13

ix

Noise Cancellation Using adaptfilt.sd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Noise Cancellation Using adaptfilt.se . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Noise Cancellation Using adaptfilt.ss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4-22
4-26
4-30

RLS Adaptive Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Compare RLS and LMS Adaptive Filter Algorithms . . . . .
Inverse System Identification Using adaptfilt.rls . . . . . . . .

4-35
4-35
4-36

Signal Enhancement Using LMS and Normalized

LMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Create the Signals for Adaptation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Construct Two Adaptive Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Choose the Step Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Set the Adapting Filter Step Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Filter with the Adaptive Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Compute the Optimal Solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Plot the Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Compare the Final Coefficients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reset the Filter Before Filtering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Investigate Convergence Through Learning Curves . . . . .
Compute the Learning Curves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Compute the Theoretical Learning Curves . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4-41
4-41
4-42
4-43
4-44
4-44
4-44
4-45
4-46
4-47
4-47
4-48
4-49

Adaptive Filters in Simulink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Create an Acoustic Environment in Simulink . . . . . . . . . . .
LMS Filter Configuration for Adaptive Noise
Cancellation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Modify Adaptive Filter Parameters During Model
Simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Adaptive Filtering Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4-51
4-51

Selected Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4-66

4-53
4-59
4-64

Multirate and Multistage Filters

5
Multirate Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Why Are Multirate Filters Needed? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Overview of Multirate Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Contents

5-2
5-2
5-2

Multistage Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Why Are Multistage Filters Needed? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Optimal Multistage Filters in DSP System Toolbox . . . . . .

5-6
5-6
5-6

Example Case for Multirate/Multistage Filters . . . . . . .

Example Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Single-Rate/Single-Stage Equiripple Design . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reduce Computational Cost Using Mulitrate/Multistage
Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Compare the Responses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Further Performance Comparison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5-8
5-8
5-8
5-9
5-9
5-10

Filter Banks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dyadic Analysis Filter Banks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dyadic Synthesis Filter Banks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5-12
5-12
5-16

Multirate Filtering in Simulink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5-21

Transforms, Estimation, and Spectral Analysis

6
Transform Time-Domain Data into Frequency
Domain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6-2

Transform Frequency-Domain Data into Time

Domain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6-7

Linear and Bit-Reversed Output Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

FFT and IFFT Blocks Data Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Find the Bit-Reversed Order of Your Frequency Indices . .

6-13
6-13
6-13

Calculate Channel Latencies Required for Wavelet

Reconstruction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Analyze Your Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Calculate the Group Delay of Your Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reconstruct the Filter Bank System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Equalize the Delay on Each Filter Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Update and Run the Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6-15
6-15
6-17
6-19
6-20
6-22

xi

References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6-23

Spectral Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6-24

Power Spectrum Estimates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Create the Block Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Set the Model Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
View the Power Spectrum Estimates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6-25
6-25
6-26
6-33

Spectrograms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Modify the Block Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Set the Model Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
View the Spectrogram of the Speech Signal . . . . . . . . . . . .

6-36
6-36
6-38
6-43

Mathematics

7
Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Statistics Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Basic Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Running Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7-2
7-2
7-3
7-4

Linear Algebra and Least Squares . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Linear Algebra Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Linear System Solvers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Matrix Factorizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Matrix Inverses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7-6
7-6
7-6
7-8
7-9

Fixed-Point Design

8
Fixed-Point Signal Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fixed-Point Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Benefits of Fixed-Point Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

xii

Contents

8-2
8-2
8-2

Benefits of Fixed-Point Design with System Toolboxes

Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

8-3

Fixed-Point Concepts and Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Fixed-Point Data Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Scaling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Precision and Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

8-4
8-4
8-5
8-6

Arithmetic Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Modulo Arithmetic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Twos Complement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Addition and Subtraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Multiplication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Casts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

8-10
8-10
8-11
8-12
8-13
8-16

Fixed-Point Support for MATLAB System Objects . . . .

Get Information About Fixed-Point System Objects . . . . . .
Display Fixed-Point Properties for System Objects . . . . . .
Set System Object Fixed-Point Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Full Precision for Fixed-Point System Objects . . . . . . . . . .

8-21
8-21
8-25
8-26
8-27

Specify Fixed-Point Attributes for Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . .

Fixed-Point Block Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Specify System-Level Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Inherit via Internal Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Specify Data Types for Fixed-Point Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . .

8-28
8-28
8-31
8-32
8-43

Quantizers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Scalar Quantizers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Vector Quantizers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

8-52
8-52
8-61

Fixed-Point Filter Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Overview of Fixed-Point Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Data Types for Filter Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Floating-Point to Fixed-Point Filter Conversion . . . . . . . . .
Create an FIR Filter Using Integer Coefficients . . . . . . . . .
Fixed-Point Filtering in Simulink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

8-68
8-68
8-68
8-70
8-80
8-98

xiii

Code Generation

9
Understanding Code Generation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Code Generation with the Simulink Coder Product . . . . . .
Highly Optimized Generated ANSI C Code . . . . . . . . . . . . .

9-2
9-2
9-3

Functions and System Objects Supported for Code

Generation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

9-4

......................

9-12

Generate Code from Simulink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Open and Run the Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Generate Code from the Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Build and Run the Generated Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

9-13
9-13
9-15
9-15

How to Run a Generated Executable Outside

MATLAB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

9-18

Verify FIR Filter on ARM Cortex-M Processor . . . . . . . .

9-19

Generate Code from MATLAB

CMSIS Conditions for DSP System objects to Support

ARM Cortex-M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
General Conditions on All System objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Specific System object properties Used to support
CMSIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

xiv

Contents

9-24
9-24
9-24

Fixed-Point Property Settings for dsp.FIRFilter . . . . . .

9-31

Fixed-Point Property Settings for Discrete FIR Filter

block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

9-32

CMSIS Conditions for DSP Blocks to Support ARM

Cortex-M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
General Conditions on All Blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Specific Block Parameters Used to Support CMSIS . . . . .

9-33
9-33
9-33

Support Packages and Support Package Installer . . . .

9-41

What Is a Support Package? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

What Is Support Package Installer? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

9-41
9-41

Open Examples for This Support Package . . . . . . . . . . .

Using the Help Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using Support Package Installer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

9-43
9-43
9-45

...

9-47

Supported CMSIS Functions for ARM Cortex-M

Processors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

9-49

Install This Support Package on Other Computers

Define New System Objects

10
Define Basic System Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

10-3

Change Number of Step Inputs or Outputs . . . . . . . . . . .

10-5

Specify System Block Input and Output Names . . . . . . .

10-8

Validate Property and Input Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-10

Initialize Properties and Setup One-Time
Calculations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13
Set Property Values at Construction Time . . . . . . . . . . . 10-16
Reset Algorithm State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-19
Define Property Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-21
Hide Inactive Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-25
Limit Property Values to Finite String Set . . . . . . . . . . . 10-27

xv

Process Tuned Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-30

Release System Object Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-32
Define Composite System Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-34
Define Finite Source Objects

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-38

Save System Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-40

Load System Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-43
Clone System Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-46
Define System Object Information
Define System Block Icon

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-47

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-49

Add Header to System Block Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-51

Add Property Groups to System Object and Block
Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-53
Set Output Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-57
Set Output Data Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-60
Set Output Complexity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-63
Specify Whether Output Is Fixed- or Variable-Size . . . . 10-66
Specify Discrete State Output Specification . . . . . . . . . . 10-69
Use Update and Output for Nondirect Feedthrough

. . 10-72

Methods Timing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-75

xvi

Contents

Setup Method Call Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Step Method Call Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Reset Method Call Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Release Method Call Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

10-75
10-76
10-76
10-77

System Object Input Arguments and ~ in Code

Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-78
What Are Mixin Classes? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-79
Best Practices for Defining System Objects . . . . . . . . . . 10-80

Links to Category Pages

11
Signal Management Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

11-2

.....................................

11-3

Math Functions Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

11-4

Filtering Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

11-5

Sinks Library

Designing Lowpass FIR Filters

12
Lowpass FIR Filter Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

12-2

Controlling Design Specifications in Lowpass FIR

Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

12-7

Designing Filters with Non-Equiripple Stopband . . . . . 12-13

xvii

Minimizing Lowpass FIR Filter Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-18

FDATool: A Filter Design and Analysis GUI

13
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FDATool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Filter Design Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using the Filter Design and Analysis Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Analyzing Filter Responses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Filter Design and Analysis Tool Panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Getting Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

13-2
13-2
13-2
13-4
13-4
13-4
13-5

Using FDATool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Choosing a Response Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Choosing a Filter Design Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Setting the Filter Design Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Computing the Filter Coefficients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Analyzing the Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Editing the Filter Using the Pole/Zero Editor . . . . . . . . . . .
Converting the Filter Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Exporting a Filter Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Generating a C Header File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Generating MATLAB Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Managing Filters in the Current Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Saving and Opening Filter Design Sessions . . . . . . . . . . . .

13-6
13-7
13-8
13-8
13-12
13-13
13-19
13-23
13-26
13-32
13-34
13-35
13-38

Importing a Filter Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-39

Import Filter Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-39
Filter Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-40

Designing a Filter in the Filterbuilder GUI

14
Filterbuilder Design Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Introduction to Filterbuilder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

xviii

Contents

14-2
14-2

Design a Filter Using Filterbuilder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Select a Response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Select a Specification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Select an Algorithm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Customize the Algorithm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Analyze the Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Realize or Apply the Filter to Input Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

14-2
14-3
14-5
14-5
14-7
14-9
14-9

Designing a FIR Filter Using filterbuilder . . . . . . . . . . . 14-11

FIR Filter Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-11

Bibliography

A
Advanced Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A-2

Adaptive Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A-3

Multirate Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A-4

Frequency Transformations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A-5

Fixed-Point Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A-6

xix

xx

Contents

1
Input, Output, and Display
Learn how to input, output and display data and signals with DSP System
Toolbox.
Discrete-Time Signals on page 1-2
Continuous-Time Signals on page 1-11
Create Sample-Based Signals on page 1-13
Create Frame-Based Signals on page 1-19
Create Multichannel Sample-Based Signals on page 1-26
Create Multichannel Frame-Based Signals on page 1-32
Deconstruct Multichannel Sample-Based Signals on page 1-36
Deconstruct Multichannel Frame-Based Signals on page 1-43
Import and Export Sample-Based Signals on page 1-52
Import and Export Frame-Based Signals on page 1-64
Musical Instrument Digital Interface on page 1-72
Display Time-Domain Data on page 1-77
Display Frequency-Domain Data in Spectrum Analyzer on page 1-96
Visualize Central Limit Theorem in Array Plot on page 1-104

Input, Output, and Display

Discrete-Time Signals
In this section...
Time and Frequency Terminology on page 1-2
Recommended Settings for Discrete-Time Simulations on page 1-4
Other Settings for Discrete-Time Simulations on page 1-6

Time and Frequency Terminology

Simulink models can process both discrete-time and continuous-time
signals. Models built with DSP System Toolbox software are often intended
to process discrete-time signals only. A discrete-time signal is a sequence of
values that correspond to particular instants in time. The time instants at
which the signal is defined are the signals sample times, and the associated
signal values are the signals samples. Traditionally, a discrete-time signal
is considered to be undefined at points in time between the sample times.
For a periodically sampled signal, the equal interval between any pair of
consecutive sample times is the signals sample period, Ts. The sample rate,
Fs, is the reciprocal of the sample period, or 1/Ts. The sample rate is the
number of samples in the signal per second.
The 7.5-second triangle wave segment below has a sample period of 0.5
second, and sample times of 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, ...,7.5. The sample rate of the
sequence is therefore 1/0.5, or 2 Hz.

A number of different terms are used to describe the characteristics of

discrete-time signals found in Simulink models. These terms, which are listed
in the following table, are frequently used to describe the way that various
blocks operate on sample-based and frame-based signals.

1-2

Discrete-Time Signals

Term

Symbol Units

Notes

Sample period

Ts
Tsi
Tso

Seconds

The time interval between consecutive samples in a

sequence, as the input to a block (Tsi) or the output
from a block (Tso).

Frame period

Tf
Tfi
Tfo

Seconds

The time interval between consecutive frames in a

sequence, as the input to a block (Tfi) or the output
from a block (Tfo).

Signal period

Seconds

The time elapsed during a single repetition of a

periodic signal.

Sample
frequency

Fs

Hz (samples
per second)

The number of samples per unit time, Fs = 1/Ts.

Frequency

Hz (cycles
per second)

The number of repetitions per unit time of a periodic

signal or signal component, f = 1/T.

Hz (cycles
per second)

The minimum sample rate that avoids aliasing,

usually twice the highest frequency in the signal
being sampled.

Nyquist rate

Nyquist
frequency

fnyq

Hz (cycles
per second)

Half the Nyquist rate.

Normalized
frequency

fn

Two cycles
per sample

Frequency (linear) of a periodic signal normalized to

half the sample rate, fn = / = 2f/Fs.

Angular
frequency

Radians per
second

Frequency of a periodic signal in angular units,

= 2f.

Digital
(normalized
angular)
frequency

Radians per
sample

Frequency (angular) of a periodic signal normalized

to the sample rate, = /Fs = fn.

Note In the Block Parameters dialog boxes, the term sample time is used to
refer to the sample period, Ts. For example, the Sample time parameter
in the Signal From Workspace block specifies the imported signals sample
period.

1-3

Input, Output, and Display

Recommended Settings for Discrete-Time Simulations

Simulink allows you to select from several different simulation solver
algorithms. You can access these solver algorithms from a Simulink model:
1 In the Simulink model window, from the Simulation menu, select Model

Configuration Parameters. The Configuration Parameters dialog

box opens.
2 In the Select pane, click Solver.

The selections that you make here determine how discrete-time signals are
processed in Simulink. The recommended Solver options settings for
signal processing simulations are
Type: Fixed-step
Solver: Discrete (no continuous states)
Fixed step size (fundamental sample time): auto
Tasking mode for periodic sample times: SingleTasking

1-4

Discrete-Time Signals

1-5

Input, Output, and Display

You can automatically set the above solver options for all new models by
running the dspstartup.m file. See Configure the Simulink Environment
for Signal Processing Models in the DSP System Toolbox Getting Started
Guide for more information.
In Fixed-step SingleTasking mode, discrete-time signals differ from the
prototype described in Time and Frequency Terminology on page 1-2 by
remaining defined between sample times. For example, the representation
of the discrete-time triangle wave looks like this.

The above signals value at t=3.112 seconds is the same as the signals value
at t=3 seconds. In Fixed-step SingleTasking mode, a signals sample times
are the instants where the signal is allowed to change values, rather than
where the signal is defined. Between the sample times, the signal takes on
the value at the previous sample time.
As a result, in Fixed-step SingleTasking mode, Simulink permits
cross-rate operations such as the addition of two signals of different rates.
This is explained further in Cross-Rate Operations on page 1-7.

Other Settings for Discrete-Time Simulations

It is useful to know how the other solver options available in Simulink affect
discrete-time signals. In particular, you should be aware of the properties of
discrete-time signals under the following settings:
Type: Fixed-step, Mode: MultiTasking
Type: Variable-step (the Simulink default solver)
Type: Fixed-step, Mode: Auto
When the Fixed-step MultiTasking solver is selected, discrete signals in
Simulink are undefined between sample times. Simulink generates an error

1-6

Discrete-Time Signals

when operations attempt to reference the undefined region of a signal, as, for
example, when signals with different sample rates are added.
When the Variable-step solver is selected, discrete time signals remain
defined between sample times, just as in the Fixed-step SingleTasking
case described in Recommended Settings for Discrete-Time Simulations on
page 1-4. When the Variable-step solver is selected, cross-rate operations
are allowed by Simulink.
In the Fixed-step Auto setting, Simulink automatically selects a tasking
mode, single-tasking or multitasking, that is best suited to the model.
SeeSimulink Tasking Mode on page 2-70 for a description of the criteria
that Simulink uses to make this decision. For the typical model containing
multiple rates, Simulink selects the multitasking mode.

Cross-Rate Operations
When the Fixed-step MultiTasking solver is selected, discrete signals
in Simulink are undefined between sample times. Therefore, to perform
cross-rate operations like the addition of two signals with different sample
rates, you must convert the two signals to a common sample rate. Several
blocks in the Signal Operations and Multirate Filters libraries can accomplish
this task. See Convert Sample and Frame Rates in Simulink on page
2-20 for more information. Rate change can happen implicitly, depending
on diagnostic settings. See Multitask rate transition, Single task rate
transition. However, this is not recommended. By requiring explicit rate
conversions for cross-rate operations in discrete mode, Simulink helps you to
identify sample rate conversion issues early in the design process.
When the Variable-step solver or Fixed-step SingleTasking solver
is selected, discrete time signals remain defined between sample times.
Therefore, if you sample the signal with a rate or phase that is different from
the signals own rate and phase, you will still measure meaningful values:
1 At the MATLAB command line, type ex_sum_tut1.

The Cross-Rate Sum Example model opens. This model sums two signals
with different sample periods.

1-7

Input, Output, and Display

2 Double-click the upper Signal From Workspace block. The Block

Parameters: Signal From Workspace dialog box opens.

3 Set the Sample time parameter to 1.

This creates a fast signal, (Ts=1), with sample times 1, 2, 3, ...

1-8

Discrete-Time Signals

4 Double-click the lower Signal From Workspace block

5 Set the Sample time parameter to 2.

This creates a slow signal, (Ts=2), with sample times 1, 3, 5, ...

6 From the Display menu choose Sample Time > Colors.

Checking the Colors option allows you to see the different sampling rates
in action. For more information about the color coding of the sample times
see View Sample Time Information in the Simulink documentation.
7 Run the model.

Note Using the dspstartup configurations with cross-rate operations

generates errors even though the Fixed-step SingleTasking solver is
selected. This is due to the fact that Single task rate transition is set
to error in the Sample Time pane of the Diagnostics section of the
Configuration Parameters dialog box.
8 At the MATLAB command line, type dsp_examples_yout.

The following output is displayed:

dsp_examples_yout =
1
1
2
2
1
3
3
2
5
4
2
6
5
3
8
6
3
9
7
4
11
8
4
12
9
5
14
10
5
15
0
6
6

The first column of the matrix is the fast signal, (Ts=1). The second column
of the matrix is the slow signal (Ts=2). The third column is the sum of the

1-9

Input, Output, and Display

two signals. As expected, the slow signal changes once every 2 seconds, half
as often as the fast signal. Nevertheless, the slow signal is defined at every
moment because Simulink holds the previous value of the slower signal
during time instances that the block doesnt run.
In general, for Variable-step and Fixed-step SingleTasking modes, when
you measure the value of a discrete signal between sample times, you are
observing the value of the signal at the previous sample time.

1-10

Continuous-Time Signals

Continuous-Time Signals
In this section...
Continuous-Time Source Blocks on page 1-11
Continuous-Time Nonsource Blocks on page 1-11

Continuous-Time Source Blocks

Most signals in a signal processing model are discrete-time signals. However,
many blocks can also operate on and generate continuous-time signals, whose
values vary continuously with time. Source blocks are those blocks that
generate or import signals in a model. Most source blocks appear in the
Sources library. The sample period for continuous-time source blocks is set
internally to zero. This indicates a continuous-time signal. The Simulink
Signal Generator and Constant blocks are examples of continuous-time
source blocks. Continuous-time signals are rendered in black when, from the
Display menu, you point to Sample Time and select Colors.
When connecting continuous-time source blocks to discrete-time blocks, you
might need to interpose a Zero-Order Hold block to discretize the signal.
Specify the desired sample period for the discrete-time signal in the Sample
time parameter of the Zero-Order Hold block.

Continuous-Time Nonsource Blocks

Most nonsource blocks in DSP System Toolbox software accept
continuous-time signals, and all nonsource blocks inherit the sample period
of the input. Therefore, continuous-time inputs generate continuous-time

1-11

Input, Output, and Display

outputs. Blocks that are not capable of accepting continuous-time signals

include the Digital Filter, FIR Decimation, FIR Interpolation blocks.

1-12

Create Sample-Based Signals

Create Sample-Based Signals

Note Starting in R2010b, many DSP System Toolbox blocks received a new
parameter to control whether they perform sample- or frame-based processing.
The following content has not been updated to reflect this change. For more
information, see the Frame-Based Processing section of the Release Notes.

In this section...
Create Signals Using Constant Block on page 1-13
Create Signals Using Signal from Workspace Block on page 1-16

Create Signals Using Constant Block

A constant sample-based signal has identical successive samples. The Sources
library provides the following blocks for creating constant sample-based
signals:
Constant Diagonal Matrix
Constant
Identity Matrix
The most versatile of the blocks listed above is the Constant block. This topic
discusses how to create a constant sample-based signal using the Constant
block:
1 Create a new Simulink model.
2 From the Sources library, click-and-drag a Constant block into the model.
3 From the Sinks library, click-and-drag a Display block into the model.
4 Connect the two blocks.
5 Double-click the Constant block, and set the block parameters as follows:

Constant value = [1 2 3; 4 5 6]

1-13

Input, Output, and Display

Interpret vector parameters as 1D = Clear this check box

Sampling Mode = Sample based
Sample time = 1
Based on these parameters, the Constant block outputs a constant,
discrete-valued, sample-based matrix signal with a sample period of 1
second.
The Constant blocks Constant value parameter can be any valid
MATLAB variable or expression that evaluates to a matrix.
6 Save these parameters and close the dialog box by clicking OK.
7 From the Display menu, point to Signals & Ports and select Signal

Dimensions.
8 Run the model and expand the Display block so you can view the entire

signal.
You have now successfully created a six-channel, constant sample-based
signal with a sample period of 1 second.
To view the model you just created, and to learn how to create a 1D vector
signal from the block diagram you just constructed, continue to the next
section.

Create an Unoriented Vector Signal

You can create an unoriented vector by modifying the block diagram you
constructed in the previous section:
1 To add another sample-based signal to your model, copy the block diagram

you created in the previous section and paste it below the existing
sample-based signal in your model.
2 Double-click the Constant1 block, and set the block parameters as follows:

Constant value = [1 2 3 4 5 6]
Interpret vector parameters as 1D = Check this box
Sample time = 1

1-14

Create Sample-Based Signals

3 Save these parameters and close the dialog box by clicking OK.
4 Run the model and expand the Display1 block so you can view the entire

signal.
Your model should now look similar to the following figure. You can also
open this model by typing ex_usingcnstblksb at the MATLAB command
line.

1-15

Input, Output, and Display

The Constant1 block generates a length-6 unoriented vector signal. This

means that the output is not a matrix. However, most nonsource signal
processing blocks interpret a length-M unoriented vector as an M-by-1 matrix
(column vector).

Create Signals Using Signal from Workspace Block

This topic discusses how to create a four-channel sample-based signal with a
sample period of 1 second using the Signal From Workspace block:
1 Create a new Simulink model.
2 From the Sources library, click-and-drag a Signal From Workspace block

into the model.

3 From the Sinks library, click-and-drag a Signal To Workspace block into

the model.
4 Connect the two blocks.
5 Double-click the Signal From Workspace block, and set the block

parameters as follows:
Signal = cat(3,[1 -1;0 5],[2 -2;0 5],[3 -3;0 5])
Sample time = 1
Samples per frame = 1
Form output after final data value by = Setting to zero
Based on these parameters, the Signal From Workspace block outputs a
four-channel sample-based signal with a sample period of 1 second. After
the block has output the signal, all subsequent outputs have a value of
zero. The four channels contain the following values:
Channel 1: 1, 2, 3, 0, 0,...
Channel 2: -1, -2, -3, 0, 0,...
Channel 3: 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,...
Channel 4: 5, 5, 5, 0, 0,...
6 Save these parameters and close the dialog box by clicking OK.

1-16

Create Sample-Based Signals

7 From the Display menu, point to Signals & Ports, and select Signal

Dimensions.
8 Run the model.

The following figure is a graphical representation of the models

behavior during simulation. You can also open the model by typing
ex_usingsfwblksb at the MATLAB command line.

9 At the MATLAB command line, type yout.

The following is a portion of the output:

yout(:,:,1) =
1
0

-1
5

yout(:,:,2) =
2
0

-2
5

yout(:,:,3) =
3
0

-3
5

1-17

Input, Output, and Display

yout(:,:,4) =
0
0

0
0

You have now successfully created a four-channel sample-based signal with

sample period of 1 second using the Signal From Workspace block.

1-18

Create Frame-Based Signals

Create Frame-Based Signals

Note Starting in R2010b, many DSP System Toolbox blocks received a new
parameter to control whether they perform sample- or frame-based processing.
The following content has not been updated to reflect this change. For more
information, see the Frame-Based Processing section of the Release Notes.

In this section...
Create Signals Using Sine Wave Block on page 1-19
Create Signals Using Signal from Workspace Block on page 1-22

Create Signals Using Sine Wave Block

A frame-based signal is propagated through a model in batches of samples
called frames. Frame-based processing can significantly improve the
performance of your model by decreasing the amount of time it takes your
simulation to run.
One of the most commonly used blocks in the Sources library is the Sine Wave
block. This topic describes how to create a three-channel frame-based signal
using the Sine Wave block:
1 Create a new Simulink model.
2 From the Sources library, click-and-drag a Sine Wave block into the model.
3 From the Matrix Operations library, click-and-drag a Matrix Sum block

into the model.

4 From the Sinks library, click-and-drag a Signal to Workspace block into

the model.
5 Connect the blocks in the order in which you added them to your model.
6 Double-click the Sine Wave block, and set the block parameters as follows:

Amplitude = [1 3 2]

1-19

Input, Output, and Display

Frequency = [100 250 500]

Sample time = 1/5000
Samples per frame = 64
Based on these parameters, the Sine Wave block outputs three sinusoids
with amplitudes 1, 3, and 2 and frequencies 100, 250, and 500 hertz,
respectively. The sample period, 1/5000, is 10 times the highest sinusoid
frequency, which satisfies the Nyquist criterion. The frame size is 64 for all
sinusoids, and, therefore, the output has 64 rows.
7 Save these parameters and close the dialog box by clicking OK.

You have now successfully created a three-channel frame-based signal

using the Sine Wave block. The rest of this procedure describes how to
add these three sinusoids together.
8 Double-click the Matrix Sum block. Set the Sum over parameter to

Specified dimension, and set the Dimension parameter to 2. Click OK.

9 From the Display menu, point to Signals & Ports, and select Signal

Dimensions.
10 Run the model.

Your model should now look similar to the following figure. You can
also open the model by typing ex_usingsinwaveblkfb at the MATLAB
command line.

1-20

Create Frame-Based Signals

The three signals are summed point-by-point by a Matrix Sum block. Then,
they are exported to the MATLAB workspace.
11 At the MATLAB command line, type plot(yout(1:100)).

Your plot should look similar to the following figure.

1-21

Input, Output, and Display

This figure represents a portion of the sum of the three sinusoids. You have
now added the channels of a three-channel frame-based signal together and
displayed the results in a figure window.

Create Signals Using Signal from Workspace Block

A frame-based signal is propagated through a model in batches of samples
called frames. Frame-based processing can significantly improve the
performance of your model by decreasing the amount of time it takes
your simulation to run. This topic describes how to create a two-channel
frame-based signal with a sample period of 1 second, a frame period of 4
seconds, and a frame size of 4 samples using the Signal From Workspace block:

1-22

Create Frame-Based Signals

1 Create a new Simulink model.

2 From the Sources library, click-and-drag a Signal From Workspace block

into the model.

3 From the Sinks library, click-and-drag a Signal To Workspace block into

the model.
4 Connect the two blocks.
5 Double-click the Signal From Workspace block, and set the block

parameters as follows:
Signal = [1:10; 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1]'
Sample time = 1
Samples per frame = 4
Form output after final data value by = Setting to zero
Based on these parameters, the Signal From Workspace block outputs a
two-channel, frame-based signal has a sample period of 1 second, a frame
period of 4 seconds, and a frame size of four samples. After the block
outputs the signal, all subsequent outputs have a value of zero. The two
channels contain the following values:
Channel 1: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 0, 0,...
Channel 2: 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0,...
6 Save these parameters and close the dialog box by clicking OK.
7 From the Display menu, point to Signals & Ports, and select Signal

Dimensions.
8 Run the model.

The following figure is a graphical representation of the models

behavior during simulation. You can also open the model by typing
ex_usingsfwblkfb at the MATLAB command line.

1-23

Input, Output, and Display

9 At the MATLAB command line, type yout.

The following is the output displayed at the MATLAB command line.

yout =
1
2
3
4
5
6

1-24

1
1
0
0
1
1

Create Frame-Based Signals

7
8
9
10
0
0

0
0
1
1
0
0

Note that zeros were appended to the end of each channel. You have now
successfully created a two-channel frame-based signal and exported it to the
MATLAB workspace.

1-25

Input, Output, and Display

Create Multichannel Sample-Based Signals

In this section...
Multichannel Sample-Based Signals on page 1-26
Create Multichannel Signals by Combining Single-Channel Signals on
page 1-26
Create Multichannel Signals by Combining Multichannel Signals on page
1-29

Multichannel Sample-Based Signals

When you want to perform the same operations on several independent
signals, you can group those signals together as a multichannel signal. For
example, if you need to filter each of four independent signals using the
same direct-form II transpose filter, you can combine the signals into a
multichannel signal, and connect the signal to a single Digital Filter Design
block. The block applies the filter to each channel independently.
A sample-based signal with M*N channels is represented by a sequence of
M-by-N matrices. Multiple sample-based signals can be combined into a
single multichannel sample-based signal using the Concatenate block. In
addition, several multichannel sample-based signals can be combined into a
single multichannel sample-based signal using the same technique.

Create Multichannel Signals by Combining

Single-Channel Signals
You can combine individual sample-based signals into a multichannel signal
by using the Matrix Concatenate block in the Simulink Math Operations
library:
1 Open the Matrix Concatenate Example 1 model by typing

ex_cmbsnglchsbsigs

at the MATLAB command line.

1-26

Create Multichannel Sample-Based Signals

1-27

Input, Output, and Display

2 Double-click the Signal From Workspace block, and set the Signal

parameter to 1:10. Click OK.

3 Double-click the Signal From Workspace1 block, and set the Signal

parameter to -1:-1:-10. Click OK.

4 Double-click the Signal From Workspace2 block, and set the Signal

parameter to zeros(10,1). Click OK.

5 Double-click the Signal From Workspace3 block, and set the Signal

parameter to 5*ones(10,1). Click OK.

6 Double-click the Matrix Concatenate block. Set the block parameters as

follows, and then click OK:

Number of inputs = 4
Mode = Multidimensional array
Concatenate dimension = 1
7 Double-click the Reshape block. Set the block parameters as follows, and

then click OK:

Output dimensionality = Customize
Output dimensions = [2,2]
8 Run the model.

Four independent sample-based signals are combined into a 2-by-2

multichannel matrix signal.
Each 4-by-1 output from the Matrix Concatenate block contains one sample
from each of the four input signals at the same instant in time. The
Reshape block rearranges the samples into a 2-by-2 matrix. Each element
of this matrix is a separate channel.
Note that the Reshape block works columnwise, so that a column vector
input is reshaped as shown below.

1-28

Create Multichannel Sample-Based Signals

The 4-by-1 matrix output by the Matrix Concatenate block and the 2-by-2
matrix output by the Reshape block in the above model represent the same
four-channel sample-based signal. In some cases, one representation of the
signal may be more useful than the other.
9 At the MATLAB command line, type dsp_examples_yout.

The four-channel, sample-based signal is displayed as a series of matrices

in the MATLAB Command Window. Note that the last matrix contains
only zeros. This is because every Signal From Workspace block in this
model has its Form output after final data value by parameter set
to Setting to Zero.

Create Multichannel Signals by Combining

Multichannel Signals
You can combine existing multichannel sample-based signals into larger
multichannel signals using the Simulink Matrix Concatenate block:
1 Open the Matrix Concatenate Example 2 model by typing

ex_cmbmltichsbsigs

at the MATLAB command line.

1-29

1-30

Input, Output, and Display

Create Multichannel Sample-Based Signals

2 Double-click the Signal From Workspace block, and set the Signal

parameter to [1:10;-1:-1:-10]'. Click OK.

3 Double-click the Signal From Workspace1 block, and set the Signal

parameter to [zeros(10,1) 5*ones(10,1)]. Click OK.

4 Double-click the Matrix Concatenate block. Set the block parameters as

follows, and then click OK:

Number of inputs = 2
Mode = Multidimensional array
Concatenate dimension = 1
5 Run the model.

The model combines both two-channel sample-based signals into a

four-channel signal.
Each 2-by-2 output from the Matrix Concatenate block contains both
samples from each of the two input signals at the same instant in time.
Each element of this matrix is a separate channel.

1-31

Input, Output, and Display

Create Multichannel Frame-Based Signals

In this section...
Multichannel Frame-Based Signals on page 1-32
Create Multichannel Signals Using Concatenate Block on page 1-33

Multichannel Frame-Based Signals

When you want to perform the same operations on several independent
signals, you can group those signals together as a multichannel signal. For
example, if you need to filter each of four independent signals using the
same direct-form II transpose filter, you can combine the signals into a
multichannel signal, and connect the signal to a single Digital Filter Design
block. The block applies the filter to each channel independently.
A frame-based signal with N channels and frame size M is represented by
a sequence of M-by-N matrices. Multiple individual frame-based signals,
with the same frame rate and size, can be combined into a multichannel
frame-based signal using the Simulink Matrix Concatenate block. Individual
signals can be added to an existing multichannel signal in the same way.

1-32

Create Multichannel Frame-Based Signals

Create Multichannel Signals Using Concatenate Block

You can combine existing frame-based signals into a larger multichannel
signal by using the Simulink Concatenate block. All signals must have
the same frame rate and frame size. In this example, a single-channel
frame-based signal is combined with a two-channel frame-based signal to
produce a three-channel frame-based signal:
1 Open the Matrix Concatenate Example 3 model by typing

ex_combiningfbsigs

at the MATLAB command line.

1-33

1-34

Input, Output, and Display

Create Multichannel Frame-Based Signals

2 Double-click the Signal From Workspace block. Set the block parameters

as follows:
Signal = [1:10;-1:-1:-10]'
Sample time = 1
Samples per frame = 4
Based on these parameters, the Signal From Workspace block outputs a
frame-based signal with a frame size of four.
3 Save these parameters and close the dialog box by clicking OK.
4 Double-click the Signal From Workspace1 block. Set the block parameters

as follows, and then click OK:

Signal = 5*ones(10,1)
Sample time = 1
Samples per frame = 4
The Signal From Workspace1 block has the same sample time and frame
size as the Signal From Workspace block. When you combine frame-based
signals into multichannel signals, the original signals must have the same
frame rate and frame size.
5 Double-click the Matrix Concatenate block. Set the block parameters as

follows, and then click OK:

Number of inputs = 2
Mode = Multidimensional array
Concatenate dimension = 2
6 Run the model.

The 4-by-3 matrix output from the Matrix Concatenate block contains all
three input channels, and preserves their common frame rate and frame
size.

1-35

Input, Output, and Display

Deconstruct Multichannel Sample-Based Signals

Note Starting in R2010b, many DSP System Toolbox blocks received a new
parameter to control whether they perform sample- or frame-based processing.
The following content has not been updated to reflect this change. For more
information, see the Frame-Based Processing section of the Release Notes.

In this section...
Split Multichannel Signals into Individual Signals on page 1-36
Split Multichannel Signals into Several Multichannel Signals on page 1-39

Split Multichannel Signals into Individual Signals

Multichannel signals, represented by matrices in the Simulink environment,
are frequently used in signal processing models for efficiency and compactness.
Though most of the signal processing blocks can process multichannel signals,
you may need to access just one channel or a particular range of samples in a
multichannel signal. You can access individual channels of the multichannel
signal by using the blocks in the Indexing library. This library includes the
Selector, Submatrix, Variable Selector, Multiport Selector, and Submatrix
blocks.
You can split a multichannel sample-based signal into single-channel
sample-based signals using the Multiport Selector block. This block allows
you to select specific rows and/or columns and propagate the selection to a
chosen output port. In this example, a three-channel sample-based signal is
deconstructed into three independent sample-based signals:
1 Open the Multiport Selector Example 1 model by typing

ex_splitmltichsbsigsind at the MATLAB command line.

1-36

Deconstruct Multichannel Sample-Based Signals

2 Double-click the Signal From Workspace block, and set the block

parameters as follows:

1-37

Input, Output, and Display

Signal = randn(3,1,10)
Sample time = 1
Samples per frame = 1
Based on these parameters, the Signal From Workspace block outputs a
three-channel, sample-based signal with a sample period of 1 second.
3 Save these parameters and close the dialog box by clicking OK.
4 Double-click the Multiport Selector block. Set the block parameters as

follows, and then click OK:

Select = Rows
Indices to output = {1,2,3}
Based on these parameters, the Multiport Selector block extracts the rows
of the input. The Indices to output parameter setting specifies that row 1
of the input should be reproduced at output 1, row 2 of the input should
be reproduced at output 2, and row 3 of the input should be reproduced
at output 3.
5 Run the model.
6 At the MATLAB command line, type dsp_examples_yout.

The following is a portion of what is displayed at the MATLAB command

line. Because the input signal is random, your output might be different
than the output show here.
dsp_examples_yout(:,:,1) =
-0.1199
dsp_examples_yout(:,:,2) =
-0.5955
dsp_examples_yout(:,:,3) =
-0.0793

1-38

Deconstruct Multichannel Sample-Based Signals

This sample-based signal is the first row of the input to the Multiport
Selector block. You can view the other two input rows by typing
dsp_examples_yout1 and dsp_examples_yout2, respectively.
You have now successfully created three, single-channel sample-based signals
from a multichannel sample-based signal using a Multiport Selector block.

Split Multichannel Signals into Several Multichannel

Signals
Multichannel signals, represented by matrices in the Simulink environment,
are frequently used in signal processing models for efficiency and compactness.
Though most of the signal processing blocks can process multichannel signals,
you may need to access just one channel or a particular range of samples in a
multichannel signal. You can access individual channels of the multichannel
signal by using the blocks in the Indexing library. This library includes the
Selector, Submatrix, Variable Selector, Multiport Selector, and Submatrix
blocks.
You can split a multichannel sample-based signal into other multichannel
sample-based signals using the Submatrix block. The Submatrix block is the
most versatile of the blocks in the Indexing library because it allows arbitrary
channel selections. Therefore, you can extract a portion of a multichannel
sample-based signal. In this example, you extract a six-channel, sample-based
signal from a 35-channel, sample-based signal (5-by-7 matrix):
1 Open the Submatrix Example model by typing ex_splitmltichsbsigsev

at the MATLAB command line.

1-39

Input, Output, and Display

2 Double-click the Constant block, and set the block parameters as follows:

Constant value = rand(5,7)

Interpret vector parameters as 1D = Clear this check box

1-40

Deconstruct Multichannel Sample-Based Signals

Sampling mode = Sample based

Sample Time = 1
Based on these parameters, the Constant block outputs a constant-valued,
sample-based signal.
3 Save these parameters and close the dialog box by clicking OK.
4 Double-click the Submatrix block. Set the block parameters as follows,

and then click OK:

Row span = Range of rows
Starting row = Index
Starting row index = 3
Ending row = Last
Column span = Range of columns
Starting column = Offset from last
Starting column offset = 1
Ending column = Last
Based on these parameters, the Submatrix block outputs rows three to five,
the last row of the input signal. It also outputs the second to last column
and the last column of the input signal.
5 Run the model.

The model should now look similar to the following figure.

1-41

Input, Output, and Display

Notice that the output of the Submatrix block is equivalent to the matrix
created by rows three through five and columns six through seven of the
input matrix.
You have now successfully created a six-channel, sample-based signal from a
35-channel sample-based signal using a Submatrix block.

1-42

Deconstruct Multichannel Frame-Based Signals

Deconstruct Multichannel Frame-Based Signals

Note Starting in R2010b, many DSP System Toolbox blocks received a new
parameter to control whether they perform sample- or frame-based processing.
The following content has not been updated to reflect this change. For more
information, see the Frame-Based Processing section of the Release Notes.

In this section...
Split Multichannel Signals into Individual Signals on page 1-43
Reorder Channels in Multichannel Frame-Based Signals on page 1-48

Split Multichannel Signals into Individual Signals

Multichannel signals, represented by matrices in the Simulink environment,
are frequently used in signal processing models for efficiency and compactness.
Though most of the signal processing blocks can process multichannel signals,
you may need to access just one channel or a particular range of samples in a
multichannel signal. You can access individual channels of the multichannel
signal by using the blocks in the Indexing library. This library includes the
Selector, Submatrix, Variable Selector, Multiport Selector, and Submatrix
blocks. It is also possible to use the Permute Matrix block, in the Matrix
operations library, to reorder the channels of a frame-based signal.
You can use the Multiport Selector block in the Indexing library to extract the
individual channels of a multichannel frame-based signal. These signals form
single-channel frame-based signals that have the same frame rate and size
of the multichannel signal.
The figure below is a graphical representation of this process.

1-43

Input, Output, and Display

In this example, you use the Multiport Selector block to extract a

single-channel and a two channel frame-based signal from a multichannel
frame-based signal:
1 Open the Multiport Selector Example 2 model by typing

ex_splitmltichfbsigsind

at the MATLAB command line.

1-44

Deconstruct Multichannel Frame-Based Signals

1-45

Input, Output, and Display

2 Double-click the Signal From Workspace block, and set the block

parameters as follows:
Signal = [1:10;-1:-1:-10;5*ones(1,10)]'
Samples per frame = 4
Based on these parameters, the Signal From Workspace block outputs a
three-channel, frame-based signal with a frame size of four.
3 Save these parameters and close the dialog box by clicking OK.
4 Double-click the Multiport Selector block. Set the block parameters as

follows, and then click OK:

Select = Columns
Indices to output = {[1 3],2}
Based on these parameters, the Multiport Selector block outputs the first
and third columns at the first output port and the second column at the
second output port of the block. Setting the Select parameter to Columns
ensures that the block preserves the frame rate and frame size of the input.
5 Run the model.

The figure below is a graphical representation of how the Multiport

Selector block splits one frame of the three-channel frame-based signal into
a single-channel signal and a two-channel signal.

1-46

Deconstruct Multichannel Frame-Based Signals

The Multiport Selector block outputs a two-channel frame-based signal,

comprised of the first and third column of the input signal, at the first port. It
outputs a single-channel frame-based signal, comprised of the second column
of the input signal, at the second port.
You have now successfully created a single-channel and a two-channel
frame-based signal from a multichannel frame-based signal using the
Multiport Selector block.

1-47

Input, Output, and Display

Reorder Channels in Multichannel Frame-Based

Signals
Multichannel signals, represented by matrices in Simulink, are frequently
used in signal processing models for efficiency and compactness. Though
most of the signal processing blocks can process multichannel signals, you
may need to access just one channel or a particular range of samples in a
multichannel signal. You can access individual channels of the multichannel
signal by using the blocks in the Indexing library. This library includes the
Selector, Submatrix, Variable Selector, Multiport Selector, and Submatrix
blocks. It is also possible to use the Permute Matrix block, in the Matrix
operations library, to reorder the channels of a frame-based signal.
Some DSP System Toolbox blocks have the ability to process the interaction
of channels. Typically, DSP System Toolbox blocks compare channel one of
signal A to channel one of signal B. However, you might want to correlate
channel one of signal A with channel three of signal B. In this case, in order
to compare the correct signals, you need to use the Permute Matrix block to
rearrange the channels of your frame-based signals. This example explains
how to accomplish this task:
1 Open the Permute Matrix Example model by typing

ex_reordermltichfbsigs at the MATLAB command line.

1-48

Deconstruct Multichannel Frame-Based Signals

2 Double-click the Signal From Workspace block, and set the block

parameters as follows:
Signal = [1:10;-1:-1:-10;5*ones(1,10)]'

1-49

Input, Output, and Display

Sample time = 1
Samples per frame = 4
Based on these parameters, the Signal From Workspace block outputs a
three-channel, frame-based signal with a sample period of 1 second and a
frame size of 4. The frame period of this block is 4 seconds.
3 Save these parameters and close the dialog box by clicking OK.
4 Double-click the Constant block. Set the block parameters as follows, and

then click OK:

Constant value = [1 3 2]
Interpret vector parameters as 1D = Clear this check box
Sampling mode = Frame based
Frame period = 4
The discrete-time, frame-based vector output by the Constant block tells
the Permute Matrix block to swap the second and third columns of the
input signal. Note that the frame period of the Constant block must match
the frame period of the Signal From Workspace block.
5 Double-click the Permute Matrix block. Set the block parameters as

follows, and then click OK:

Permute = Columns
Index mode = One-based
Based on these parameters, the Permute Matrix block rearranges the
columns of the input signal, and the index of the first column is now one.
6 Run the model.

The figure below is a graphical representation of what happens to the first

input frame during simulation.

1-50

Deconstruct Multichannel Frame-Based Signals

The second and third channel of the frame-based input signal are swapped.
7 At the MATLAB command line, type yout.

You can now verify that the second and third columns of the input signal
are rearranged.
You have now successfully reordered the channels of a frame-based signal
using the Permute Matrix block.

1-51

Input, Output, and Display

Import and Export Sample-Based Signals

Note Starting in R2010b, many DSP System Toolbox blocks received a new
parameter to control whether they perform sample- or frame-based processing.
The following content has not been updated to reflect this change. For more
information, see the Frame-Based Processing section of the Release Notes.

In this section...
Import Sample-Based Vector Signals on page 1-52
Import Sample-Based Matrix Signals on page 1-56
Export Sample-Based Signals on page 1-59

Import Sample-Based Vector Signals

The Signal From Workspace block generates a sample-based vector signal
when the variable or expression in the Signal parameter is a matrix and the
Samples per frame parameter is set to 1. Each column of the input matrix
represents a different channel. Beginning with the first row of the matrix, the
block outputs one row of the matrix at each sample time. Therefore, if the
Signal parameter specifies an M-by-N matrix, the output of the Signal From
Workspace block is M 1-by-N row vectors representing N channels.
The figure below is a graphical representation of this process for a 6-by-4
workspace matrix, A.

1-52

Import and Export Sample-Based Signals

In the following example, you use the Signal From Workspace block to import
a sample-based vector signal into your model:
1 Open the Signal From Workspace Example 3 model by typing

ex_importsbvectorsigs at the MATLAB command line.

1-53

Input, Output, and Display

2 At the MATLAB command line, type A = [1:100;-1:-1:-100]';

The matrix A represents a two column signal, where each column is a

different channel.
3 At the MATLAB command line, type B = 5*ones(100,1);

1-54

Import and Export Sample-Based Signals

The vector B represents a single-channel signal.

4 Double-click the Signal From Workspace block, and set the block

parameters as follows:
Signal = [A B]
Sample time = 1
Samples per frame = 1
Form output after final data value = Setting to zero
The Signal expression [A B] uses the standard MATLAB syntax for
horizontally concatenating matrices and appends column vector B to the
right of matrix A. The Signal From Workspace block outputs a sample-based
signal with a sample period of 1 second. After the block has output the
signal, all subsequent outputs have a value of zero.
5 Save these parameters and close the dialog box by clicking OK.
6 Run the model.

The following figure is a graphical representation of the models behavior

during simulation.

The first row of the input matrix [A B] is output at time t=0, the second
row of the input matrix is output at time t=1, and so on.
You have now successfully imported a sample-based vector signal into your
signal processing model using the Signal From Workspace block.

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Input, Output, and Display

Import Sample-Based Matrix Signals

The Signal From Workspace block generates a sample-based matrix
signal when the variable or expression in the Signal parameter is a
three-dimensional array and the Samples per frame parameter is set to 1.
Beginning with the first page of the array, the block outputs a single page
of the array to the output at each sample time. Therefore, if the Signal
parameter specifies an M-by-N-by-P array, the output of the Signal From
Workspace block is P M-by-N matrices representing M*N channels.
The following figure is a graphical illustration of this process for a 6-by-4-by-5
workspace array A.

In the following example, you use the Signal From Workspace block to import
a four-channel, sample-based matrix signal into a Simulink model:
1 Open the Signal From Workspace Example 4 model by typing

ex_importsbmatrixsigs at the MATLAB command line.

1-56

Import and Export Sample-Based Signals

Also, the following variables are loaded into the MATLAB workspace:

1-57

Input, Output, and Display

Fs

1x1

double array

dsp_examples_A

2x2x100

3200

double array

dsp_examples_sig1

1x1x100

800

double array

dsp_examples_sig12

1x2x100

1600

double array

dsp_examples_sig2

1x1x100

800

double array

dsp_examples_sig3

1x1x100

800

double array

dsp_examples_sig34

1x2x100

1600

double array

dsp_examples_sig4

1x1x100

800

double array

mtlb

4001x1

32008

double array

2 Double-click the Signal From Workspace block. Set the block parameters

as follows, and then click OK:

Signal = dsp_examples_A
Sample time = 1
Samples per frame = 1
Form output after final data value = Setting to zero
The dsp_examples_A array represents a four-channel, sample-based signal
with 100 samples in each channel. This is the signal that you want to
import, and it was created in the following way:
dsp_examples_sig1 = reshape(1:100,[1 1 100])
dsp_examples_sig2 = reshape(-1:-1:-100,[1 1 100])
dsp_examples_sig3 = zeros(1,1,100)
dsp_examples_sig4 = 5*ones(1,1,100)
dsp_examples_sig12 = cat(2,sig1,sig2)
dsp_examples_sig34 = cat(2,sig3,sig4)
dsp_examples_A = cat(1,sig12,sig34) % 2-by-2-by-100 array
3 Run the model.

The figure below is a graphical representation of the models behavior

during simulation.

1-58

Import and Export Sample-Based Signals

The Signal From Workspace block imports the four-channel sample based
signal from the MATLAB workspace into the Simulink model one matrix at
a time.
You have now successfully imported a sample-based matrix signal into your
model using the Signal From Workspace block.

Export Sample-Based Signals

The Signal To Workspace and Triggered To Workspace blocks are the primary
blocks for exporting signals of all dimensions from a Simulink model to the
MATLAB workspace.
A sample-based signal, with M*N channels, is represented in Simulink as a
sequence of M-by-N matrices. When the input to the Signal To Workspace
block is a sample-based signal, the block creates an M-by-N-by-P array in
the MATLAB workspace containing the P most recent samples from each
channel. The number of pages, P, is specified by the Limit data points to
last parameter. The newest samples are added at the end of the array.

1-59

Input, Output, and Display

The following figure is the graphical illustration of this process using a 6-by-4
sample-based signal exported to workspace array A.

The workspace array always has time running along its third dimension, P.
Samples are saved along the P dimension whether the input is a matrix,
vector, or scalar (single channel case).
In the following example you use a Signal To Workspace block to export a
sample-based matrix signal to the MATLAB workspace:
1 Open the Signal From Workspace Example 6 model by typing

ex_exportsbsigs at the MATLAB command line.

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Import and Export Sample-Based Signals

Also, the following variables are loaded into the MATLAB workspace:

1-61

Input, Output, and Display

dsp_examples_A

2x2x100

3200

double array

dsp_examples_sig1

1x1x100

800

double array

dsp_examples_sig12

1x2x100

1600

double array

dsp_examples_sig2

1x1x100

800

double array

dsp_examples_sig3

1x1x100

800

double array

dsp_examples_sig34

1x2x100

1600

double array

dsp_examples_sig4

1x1x100

800

double array

In this model, the Signal From Workspace block imports a four-channel

sample-based signal called dsp_examples_A. This signal is then exported
to the MATLAB workspace using a Signal to Workspace block.
2 Double-click the Signal From Workspace block. Set the block parameters

as follows, and then click OK:

Signal = dsp_examples_A
Sample time = 1
Samples per frame = 1
Form output after final data value = Setting to zero
Based on these parameters, the Signal From Workspace block outputs a
sample-based signal with a sample period of 1 second. After the block has
output the signal, all subsequent outputs have a value of zero.
3 Double-click the Signal To Workspace block. Set the block parameters as

follows, and then click OK:

Variable name = dsp_examples_yout
Limit data points to last parameter to inf
Decimation = 1
Based on these parameters, the Signal To Workspace block exports its
sample-based input signal to a variable called dsp_examples_yout in the
MATLAB workspace. The workspace variable can grow indefinitely large
in order to capture all of the input data. The signal is not decimated before
it is exported to the MATLAB workspace.

1-62

Import and Export Sample-Based Signals

4 Run the model.

5 At the MATLAB command line, type dsp_examples_yout.

The four-channel sample-based signal, dsp_examples_A, is output at the

MATLAB command line. The following is a portion of the output that is
displayed.
dsp_examples_yout(:,:,1) =
1
0

-1
5

dsp_examples_yout(:,:,2) =
2
0

-2
5

dsp_examples_yout(:,:,3) =
3
0

-3
5

dsp_examples_yout(:,:,4) =
4
0

-4
5

Each page of the output represents a different sample time, and each element
of the matrices is in a separate channel.
You have now successfully exported a four-channel sample-based signal from
a Simulink model to the MATLAB workspace using the Signal To Workspace
block.

1-63

Input, Output, and Display

Import and Export Frame-Based Signals

Note Starting in R2010b, many DSP System Toolbox blocks received a new
parameter to control whether they perform sample- or frame-based processing.
The following content has not been updated to reflect this change. For more
information, see the Frame-Based Processing section of the Release Notes.

In this section...
Import Frame-Based Signals on page 1-64
Export Frame-Based Signals on page 1-67

Import Frame-Based Signals

The Signal From Workspace block creates a frame-based multichannel signal
when the Signal parameter is a matrix, and the Samples per frame
parameter, M, is greater than 1. Beginning with the first M rows of the
matrix, the block releases M rows of the matrix (that is, one frame from each
channel) to the output port every M*Ts seconds. Therefore, if the Signal
parameter specifies a W-by-N workspace matrix, the Signal From Workspace
block outputs a series of M-by-N matrices representing N channels. The
workspace matrix must be oriented so that its columns represent the channels
of the signal.
The figure below is a graphical illustration of this process for a 6-by-4
workspace matrix, A, and a frame size of 2.

1-64

Import and Export Frame-Based Signals

Note Although independent channels are generally represented as columns,

a single-channel signal can be represented in the workspace as either a
column vector or row vector. The output from the Signal From Workspace
block is a column vector in both cases.
In the following example, you use the Signal From Workspace block to create
a three-channel frame-based signal and import it into the model:
1 Open the Signal From Workspace Example 5 model by typing

ex_importfbsigs

at the MATLAB command line.

dsp_examples_A = [1:100;-1:-1:-100]'; % 100-by-2 matrix
% 100-by-1 column vector
dsp_examples_B = 5*ones(100,1);

The variable called dsp_examples_A represents a two-channel signal

with 100 samples, and the variable called dsp_examples_B represents a
one-channel signal with 100 samples.
Also, the following variables are defined in the MATLAB workspace:

1-65

Input, Output, and Display

2 Double-click the Signal From Workspace block. Set the block parameters

as follows, and then click OK:

Signal parameter to [dsp_examples_A dsp_examples_B]
Sample time parameter to 1
Samples per frame parameter to 4
Form output after final data value parameter to Setting to zero

1-66

Import and Export Frame-Based Signals

Based on these parameters, the Signal From Workspace block outputs

a frame-based signal with a frame size of 4 and a sample period of 1
second. The signals frame period is 4 seconds. The Signal parameter
uses the standard MATLAB syntax for horizontally concatenating
matrices to append column vector dsp_examples_B to the right of matrix
dsp_examples_A. After the block has output the signal, all subsequent
outputs have a value of zero.
3 Run the model.

The figure below is a graphical representation of how your three-channel,

frame-based signal is imported into your model.

You have now successfully imported a three-channel frame-based signal into

your model using the Signal From Workspace block.

Export Frame-Based Signals

The Signal To Workspace and Triggered To Workspace blocks are the primary
blocks for exporting signals of all dimensions from a Simulink model to the
MATLAB workspace.
A frame-based signal with N channels and frame size M is represented by a
sequence of M-by-N matrices. When the input to the Signal To Workspace
block is a frame-based signal, the block creates a P-by-N array in the MATLAB
workspace containing the P most recent samples from each channel. The

1-67

Input, Output, and Display

number of rows, P, is specified by the Limit data points to last parameter.

The newest samples are added at the bottom of the matrix.
The following figure is a graphical illustration of this process for three
consecutive frames of a frame-based signal with a frame size of 2 that is
exported to matrix A in the MATLAB workspace.

In the following example, you use a Signal To Workspace block to export a

frame-based signal to the MATLAB workspace:
1 Open the Signal From Workspace Example 7 model by typing

ex_exportfbsigs at the MATLAB command line.

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Import and Export Frame-Based Signals

Also, the following variables are defined in the MATLAB workspace:

The variable called dsp_examples_A represents a two-channel signal
with 100 samples, and the variable called dsp_examples_B represents a
one-channel signal with 100 samples.

1-69

Input, Output, and Display

dsp_examples_A = [1:100;-1:-1:-100]'; % 100-by-2 matrix

dsp_examples_B = 5*ones(100,1);
% 100-by-1 column vector
2 Double-click the Signal From Workspace block. Set the block parameters

as follows, and then click OK:

Signal = [dsp_examples_A dsp_examples_B]
Sample time = 1
Samples per frame = 4
Form output after final data value = Setting to zero
Based on these parameters, the Signal From Workspace block outputs
a frame-based signal with a frame size of 4 and a sample period of 1
second. The signals frame period is 4 seconds. The Signal parameter
uses the standard MATLAB syntax for horizontally concatenating
matrices to append column vector dsp_examples_B to the right of matrix
dsp_examples_A. After the block has output the signal, all subsequent
outputs have a value of zero.
3 Double-click the Signal To Workspace block. Set the block parameters as

follows, and then click OK:

Variable name = dsp_examples_yout
Limit data points to last = inf
Decimation = 1
Frames = Concatenate frames (2-D array)
Based on these parameters, the Signal To Workspace block exports its
frame-based input signal to a variable called dsp_examples_yout in the
MATLAB workspace. The workspace variable can grow indefinitely large
in order to capture all of the input data. The signal is not decimated before
it is exported to the MATLAB workspace, and each input frame is vertically
concatenated to the previous frame to produce a 2-D array output.
4 Run the model.

The following figure is a graphical representation of the models behavior

during simulation.

1-70

Import and Export Frame-Based Signals

5 At the MATLAB command line, type dsp_examples_yout.

The output is shown below:

dsp_examples_yout =
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

-1
-2
-3
-4
-5
-6
-7
-8
-9
-10
-11
-12

5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5

The frames of the signal are concatenated to form a two-dimensional array.

You have now successfully output a frame-based signal to the MATLAB
workspace using the Signal To Workspace block.

1-71

Input, Output, and Display

Musical Instrument Digital Interface

In this section...
About MIDI on page 1-72
MIDI Control Surfaces on page 1-72
Using MIDI Control Surfaces with MATLAB and Simulink on page 1-73

About MIDI
The Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) was originally developed to
interconnect electronic musical instruments. This interface is very flexible
and has many uses in many applications far beyond musical instruments.
Its simple unidirectional messaging protocol supports many different kinds
of messaging.
Windows, Macintosh, and Linux platforms all have native support for MIDI,
so software on any of these platforms can send and receive MIDI messages.
See http://www.midi.org for more information about MIDI.

MIDI Control Surfaces

One kind of MIDI message is the Control Change message, used to
communicate changes in controls, such as knobs, sliders, and buttons. A
MIDI Control Surface is a device with controls that sends MIDI Control
Change messages when you turn a knob, move a slider, or push a button
on a MIDI control surface. This Control Change message indicates which
control changed and what its new position is. MIDI control surfaces are
quite generic because the interpretation of the Control Change message is
entirely up to the message recipient. Even though some control surfaces are
tailored for particular applications, the messages they send can be used to
control anything.
Hardware MIDI control surfaces are widely available in a range of
configurations and prices. MIDI control apps can turn a smartphone or tablet
into a virtual MIDI control surface. For custom applications, MIDI control
surfaces are not difficult to build using, for example, Arduino boards.

1-72

Musical Instrument Digital Interface

Because the MIDI messaging protocol is unidirectional, determining a

particular controls position requires that the receiver listen for Control
Change messages that control sends. The protocol does not support querying
the control for its position.
The simplest MIDI control surfaces are unidirectional; they end MIDI Control
Change messages, but do not receive them. More sophisticated control
surfaces are bidirectional: They can both send and receive Control Change
messages. These control surfaces have knobs or sliders that can be operated
automatically. For example, a control surface can have sliders or knobs that
are motorized. When it receives a Control Change message, the appropriate
control is moved to the position in the message. You can use this feature to
synchronize software GUI with MIDI control surface. For example, moving a
slider on the MIDI control surface sends a Control Change message to a GUI
slider, which then moves to match the control surface. Similarly, moving the
GUI slider sends a Control Change message to the MIDI control surface,
which then moves to match the GUI slider.

Using MIDI Control Surfaces with MATLAB and

Simulink
The DSP System Toolbox product enables you to use MIDI control surfaces to
control MATLAB programs and Simulink models by providing the capability
to listen to Control Change messages. The toolbox also provides a limited
capability to send Control Change messages to support synchronizing MIDI
controls. The DSP System Toolbox interface to MIDI control surfaces includes
five functions and one block:
midiid function
midicontrols function
midiread function
midisync function
midicallback function
MIDI Controls block

1-73

Input, Output, and Display

Initial Setup
Your MIDI control surface should be connected to your computer, and turned
on, before starting MATLAB. Instructions for connecting your MIDI device to
your computer vary from device to device. See the instructions that came with
your particular device. If you start MATLAB before connecting your device,
MATLAB may not recognize your device when you connect it. To correct the
problem, restart MATLAB with the device already connected.
Next, set the MATLAB preference, specifying the name of the default MIDI
device. Use midiid to determine the name of the device, and then use
setpref to set the preference:
>> [control, device] = midiid
Move the control you wish to identify; type ^C to abort.
Waiting for control message... done
control =
1082
device =
BCF2000
>> setpref('midi', 'DefaultDevice', device)
>>

This preference persists across MATLAB sessions, so you only have to set it
once, unless you want to change devices.
If you do not set this preference, MATLAB and the host operating system
choose a device for you. However, such autoselection can cause unpredictable
results because many computers have virtual (software) MIDI devices
installed that you may not be aware of. For predictable behavior, you should
set the preference.
You can always override this default and explicitly specify a device name.
Thus, you can use multiple MIDI devices simultaneously.

Identifying Controls
Before you can connect a MIDI control with MATLAB or Simulink, you must
know the identifiers for that particular control:
Control number

1-74

Musical Instrument Digital Interface

Device name
The control number is a fixed integer assigned by the device manufacturer.
Some devices may change the assigned number based on various modes,
or you can reprogram the number. The device name is determined by the
manufacturer and the host operating system. You use midiid to determine
both.
You do not usually have to use midiid repeatedly. If you use a single device
in most cases, then specify that device as the default hardware. the You can
save the control numbers in a function, a .mat file, or whatever form you find
convenient. This example shows s a function returning a struct with all the
control numbers for a Behringer BCF2000:
function ctls = BCF2000
% BCF2000 return MIDI control number assignments
% for Behringer BCF2000 MIDI control surface
ctls.knobs = 1001:1008;
ctls.buttons = [1065:1072;1073:1080];
ctls.sliders = 1081:1088;
end

MATLAB Interface
To use the MATLAB interface functions, first call midicontrols to specify
any devices or controls to listen to. midicontrols returns an object, which
you pass to the other functions for subsequent operations. You can now
read the values of the specified MIDI controls by calling midiread with that
object. MATLAB can respond to changes in MIDI controls by periodically
calling midiread.
You can also set a callback on the specified MIDI controls by calling
midicallback with that object and a function handle. The next time the MIDI
controls change value, the function handle is invoked and passed to the object.
The callback function typically calls midiread to determine the new value of
the MIDI controls. You can use this callback when you want a MIDI control
to trigger an action (such as update a GUI). Using this approach prevents
having a continuously running MATLAB program in the command window.

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Input, Output, and Display

Synchronization
If midiread is called before the MIDI control sends a Control Change
message, the midicontrols object has no information about the actual state
of the MIDI control. During this time, the midicontrols object and the actual
MIDI control are out of sync with each other. Thus, calling midiread returns
the initial value that was specified in the call to midicontrols (0 by default).
You can synchronize the object with the control by moving the MIDI control.
The MIDI control responds by sending a Control Change message causing the
midicontrols object to sync to the MIDI control. If your MIDI control surface is
bidirectional, you can sync in the other direction by calling midisync to send
the midicontrols objects initial value to the actual MIDI control. The MIDI
control responds by moving into sync with the midicontrols object.
It is generally harmless to call midisync even if the MIDI control surface is
not bidirectional, so it is usually good practice to call midisync immediately
after calling midicontrols.
Synchronization is also useful to link a MIDI control with a GUI control (a
uicontrol slider, for example), so that when one control is changed, the other
control tracks it. Typically, you implement such tracking by setting callback
functions on both the MIDI control (using midicallback) and the GUI control.
The MIDI control callback sends its new value to the GUI control and the GUI
control sends its value to the MIDI control, using midisync.

Simulink Interface
The MIDI Controls block provides the Simulink interface. See the block
reference page MIDI Controls for more details.

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Display Time-Domain Data

Display Time-Domain Data

In this section...
Configure the Time Scope Properties on page 1-78
Use the Simulation Controls on page 1-85
Modify the Time Scope Display on page 1-86
Inspect Your Data (Scaling the Axes and Zooming) on page 1-88
Manage Multiple Time Scopes on page 1-91
The following tutorial shows you how to configure the Time Scope blocks in
the ex_timescope_tut model to display time-domain signals. To get started
with this tutorial, open the model by typing
ex_timescope_tut

at the MATLAB command line.

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Input, Output, and Display

Use the following workflow to configure the Time Scope blocks in the
ex_timescope_tut model:
1 Configure the Time Scope Properties on page 1-78
2 Use the Simulation Controls on page 1-85
3 Modify the Time Scope Display on page 1-86
4 Inspect Your Data (Scaling the Axes and Zooming) on page 1-88
5 Manage Multiple Time Scopes on page 1-91

Configure the Time Scope Properties

The Configuration Properties dialog box provides a central location from
which you can change the appearance and behavior of the Time Scope block.

1-78

Display Time-Domain Data

To open the Configuration Properties dialog box, you must first open the Time
Scope window by double-clicking the Time Scope block in your model. When
the window opens, select View > Configuration Properties. Alternatively,
in the Time Scope toolbar, click the Configuration Properties

button.

The Configuration Properties dialog box has four different tabs, Main, Time,
Display, and Logging, each of which offers you a different set of options.
For more information about the options available on each of the tabs, see
the Time Scope block reference page.
Note As you progress through this workflow, notice the blue question mark
icon (
) in the lower-left corner of the subsequent dialog boxes. This
icon indicates that context-sensitive help is available. You can get more
information about any of the parameters on the dialog box by right-clicking
the parameter name and selecting Whats This?

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Input, Output, and Display

Configure Appearance and Specify Signal Interpretation

First, you configure the appearance of the Time Scope window and specify
how the Time Scope block should interpret input signals. In the Configuration
Properties dialog box, click the Main tab. Choose the appropriate parameter
settings for the Main tab, as shown in the following table.
Parameter

Setting

Open at
simulation
start
Number
of
input ports

Checked

Input
processing

Columns as channels (frame based)

Maximize
axes

Auto

Axes scaling

Manual

In this tutorial, you want the block to treat the input signal as frame-based,
so you must set the Input processing parameter to Columns as channels
(frame based).

Configure Axes Scaling and Data Alignment

The Main tab also allows you to control when and how Time Scope scales
the axes. These options also control how Time Scope aligns your data with
respect to the axes. Click the link labeled Configure... to the right of the
Axes scaling parameter to see additional options for axes scaling. After you
click this button, the label changes to Hide... and new parameters appear.
The following table describes these additional options.

1-80

Display Time-Domain Data

Parameter

Description

Axes scaling

Specify when the scope should automatically scale the

axes. You can select one of the following options:
Manual When you select this option, the scope does
not automatically scale the axes. You can manually
scale the axes in any of the following ways:

Select Tools > Axes Scaling Properties.

Press one of the Scale Axis Limits toolbar buttons.
When the scope figure is the active window, press
Ctrl and A simultaneously.

Auto When you select this option, the scope scales

the axes as needed, both during and after simulation.
Selecting this option shows the Do not allow Y-axis
limits to shrink check box.
After N Updates Selecting this option causes the
scope to scale the axes after a specified number of
updates. Selecting this option shows the Number of
updates edit box.
By default, this property is set to Auto. This property is
Tunable.
Scale axes
limits at stop

Select this check box to scale the axes when the simulation
stops. The y-axis is always scaled. The x-axis limits are
only scaled if you also select the Scale X-axis limits
check box.

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Input, Output, and Display

Parameter

Description

Data range
(%)

Allows you to specify how much white space surrounds

your signal in the Time Scope window. You can specify a
value for both the y- and x-axis. The higher the value you
enter for the y-axis Data range (%), the tighter the y-axis
range is with respect to the minimum and maximum
values in your signal. For example, to have your signal
cover the entire y-axis range when the block scales the
axes, set this value to 100.

Align

Allows you to specify where the block should align your

data with respect to each axis. You can choose to have
your data aligned with the top, bottom, or center of the
y-axis. Additionally, if you select the Autoscale X-axis
limits check box, you can choose to have your data aligned
with the right, left, or center of the x-axis.
Set the parameters to the values shown in the following table.
Parameter

Setting

Axes scaling

Manual

Scale axes
limits at stop

Checked

Data range
(%)

80

Align

Center

Autoscale
X-axis limits

Unchecked

Set Time Domain Properties

In the Configuration Properties dialog box, click the Time tab. Set the
parameters to the values shown in the following table.

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Display Time-Domain Data

Parameter

Setting

Time span

One frame period

Time span
overrun
action

Wrap

Time units

Metric (based on Time Span)

Time display
offset

Time-axis
labels

All

Show
time-axis
label

Checked

The Time span parameter allows you to enter a numeric value, a variable
that evaluates to a numeric value, or select the One frame period menu
option. You can also select the Auto menu option; in this mode, Time Scope
automatically calculates the appropriate value for time span from the
difference between the simulation Start time and Stop time parameters.
The actual range of values that the block displays on the time-axis depends on
the value of both the Time span and Time display offset parameters. See
the following figure.

If the Time display offset parameter is a scalar, the value of the minimum
time-axis limit is equal to the Time display offset. In addition, the value of

1-83

Input, Output, and Display

the maximum time-axis limit is equal to the sum of the Time display offset
parameter and the Time span parameter. For information on the other
parameters in the Time Scope window, see the Time Scope reference page.
In this tutorial, the values on the time-axis range from 0 to One frame
period, where One frame period is 0.05 seconds (50 ms).

Set Display Properties

In the Configuration Properties dialog box, click the Display tab. Set the
parameters to the values shown in the following table.
Parameter

Setting

Active display

Title
Show legend

Checked

Show grid

Checked

Plot signal(s) as magnitude and

phase

Unchecked

Y-limits (Minimum)

-2.5

Y-limits (Maximum)

2.5

Y-label

Amplitude

Set Logging Properties

In the Configuration Properties dialog box, click the Logging tab. Set Log
data to workspace to unchecked.
Click OK to save your changes and close the Configuration Properties dialog
box.
Note If you have not already done so, repeat all of these procedures for the
Time Scope1 block (except leave the Number of input ports on the Main
tab as 1) before continuing with the other sections of this tutorial.

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Display Time-Domain Data

Use the Simulation Controls

One advantage to using the Time Scope block in your models is that you can
control model simulation directly from the Time Scope window. The buttons
on the Simulation Toolbar of the Time Scope window allow you to play,
pause, stop, and take steps forward or backward through model simulation.
Alternatively, there are several keyboard shortcuts you can use to control
model simulation when the Time Scope is your active window.
You can access a list of keyboard shortcuts for the Time Scope by selecting
Help > Keyboard Command Help. The following procedure introduces
you to these features.
1 If the Time Scope window is not open, double-click the block icon in the

ex_timescope_tut model. Start model simulation. In the Time Scope

) on the
window, on the Simulation Toolbar, click the Run button (
Simulation Toolbar. You can also use one of the following keyboard
shortcuts:
Ctrl+T
P
Space
2 While the simulation is running and the Time Scope is your active window,

pause the simulation. Use either of the following keyboard shortcuts:

P
Space
Alternatively, you can pause the simulation in one of two ways:
In the Time Scope window, on the Simulation Toolbar, click the Pause
button (

).

From the Time Scope menu, select Simulation > Pause.

3 With the model simulation still paused, advance the simulation by a single

time step. To do so, in the Time Scope window, on the Simulation Toolbar,
click the Next Step button (

).

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Input, Output, and Display

Next, try using keyboard shortcuts to achieve the same result. Press the
Page Down key to advance the simulation by a single time step.
4 Resume model simulation using any of the following methods:

From the Time Scope menu, select Simulation > Continue.

In the Time Scope window, on the Simulation Toolbar, click the Continue
button (

).

Use a keyboard shortcut, such as P or Space.

Modify the Time Scope Display

You can control the appearance of the Time Scope window using options from
the display or from the View menu. Among other capabilities, these options
allow you to:
Control the display of the legend
Edit the line properties of your signals
Show or hide the available toolbars

Change Signal Names in the Legend

You can change the name of a signal by double-clicking the signal name in
the legend. By default, the Time Scope names the signals based on the block
they are coming from. For this example, set the signal names as shown in the
following table.

1-86

Block Name

Original Signal
Name

New Signal Name

Time Scope

Add

Noisy Sine Wave

Time Scope

Digital Filter Lowpass

Filtered Noisy Sine

Wave

Time Scope1

Sine Wave

Original Sine Wave

Display Time-Domain Data

Modify Axes Colors and Line Properties

Use the Style dialog box to modify the appearance of the axes and the lines
for each of the signals in your model. In the Time Scope menu, select
View > Style.

1 Change the Plot Type parameter to Auto for each Time Scope block.

This setting ensures that Time Scope displays a line graph if the signal is
continuous and a stairstep graph if the signal is discrete.
2 Change the Axes colors parameters for each Time Scope block. Leave the

axes background color as black and set the ticks, labels, and grid colors
to white.
3 Set the Properties for line parameter to the name of the signal for which

you would like to modify the line properties. Set the line properties for each
signal according to the values shown in the following table.

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Input, Output, and Display

Block
Name

Signal
Name

Line

Line
Width

Marker Color

Time Scope

Noisy Sine
Wave

0.5

none

Time Scope

Filtered
Noisy Sine
Wave

0.5

Red

Time Scope1

Original
Sine Wave

0.5

Yellow

White

Show and Hide Time Scope Toolbars

You can also use the options on the View menu to show or hide toolbars on
the Time Scope window. For example:
To hide the simulation controls, select View > Toolbar. Doing so removes
the simulation toolbar from the Time Scope window and also removes the
check mark from next to the Toolbar option in the View menu.
You can choose to show the simulation toolbar again at any time by
selecting View > Toolbar.
Verify that all toolbars are visible before moving to the next section of this
tutorial.

Inspect Your Data (Scaling the Axes and Zooming)

Time Scope has plot navigation tools that allow you to scale the axes and
zoom in or out on the Time Scope window. The axes scaling tools allow you to
specify when and how often the Time Scope scales the axes.
So far in this tutorial, you have configured the Time Scope block for manual
axes scaling. Use one of the following options to manually scale the axes:
From the Time Scope menu, select Tools > Scale Axes Limits.
Press the Scale Axes Limits toolbar button (

).

With the Time Scope as your active window, press Ctrl + A.

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Display Time-Domain Data

Adjust White Space Around the Signal

You can control how much space surrounds your signal and where your signal
appears in relation to the axes. To adjust the amount of space surrounding
your signal and realign it with the axes, you must first open the ToolsPlot
Navigation Properties dialog box. From the Time Scope menu, select
Tools > Axes Scaling Properties .
In the Tools:Plot Navigation options dialog box, set the Data range (%) and
Align parameters. In a previous section, you set these parameters to 80 and
Center, respectively.
To decrease the amount of space surrounding your signal, set the Data
range (%) parameter on the Tools:Plot Navigation Options dialog box to 90.
To align your signal with the bottom of the Y-axis, set the Align parameter
to Bottom.
The next time you scale the axes of the Time Scope window, the window
appears as follows.

1-89

1-90

Input, Output, and Display

Display Time-Domain Data

Use the Zoom Tools

The zoom tools allow you to zoom in simultaneously in the directions of both
the x- and y-axes , or in either direction individually. For example, to zoom in
on the signal between 5010 ms and 5020 ms, you can use the Zoom X option.
To activate the Zoom X tool, select Tools > Zoom X, or press the
corresponding toolbar button (
). The Time Scope indicates that the
Zoom X tool is active by depressing the toolbar button and placing a check
mark next to the Tools > Zoom X menu option.
To zoom in on the region between 5010 ms and 5020 ms, in the Time Scope
window, click and drag your cursor from the 10 ms mark to the 20 ms mark.
While zoomed in, to activate the Pan tool, select Tools > Pan, or press the
corresponding toolbar button (

).

To zoom out of the Time Scope window, right-click inside the window, and
select Zoom Out. Alternatively, you can return to the original view of
your signal by right-clicking inside the Time Scope window and selecting
Reset to Original View.

Manage Multiple Time Scopes

The Time Scope block provides tools to help you manage multiple Time
Scope blocks in your models. The model used throughout this tutorial,
ex_timescope_tut, contains two Time Scope blocks, labeled Time Scope and
Time Scope1. The following sections discuss the tools you can use to manage
these Time Scope blocks.

Open All Time Scope Windows

When you have multiple windows open on your desktop, finding the one
you need can be difficult. The Time Scope block offers a View > Bring All
Time Scopes Forward menu option to help you manage your Time Scope
windows. Selecting this option brings all Time Scope windows into view. If
a Time Scope window is not currently open, use this menu option to open
the window and bring it into view.
To try this menu option in the ex_timescope_tut model, open the Time
Scope window, and close the Time Scope1 window. From the View menu of
the Time Scope window, select Bring All Time Scopes Forward. The Time

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Input, Output, and Display

Scope1 window opens, along with the already active Time Scope window. If
you have any Time Scope blocks in other open Simulink models, then these
also come into view.

Open Time Scope Windows at Simulation Start

When you have multiple Time Scope blocks in your model, you may not want
all Time Scope windows to automatically open when you start simulation.
You can control whether or not the Time Scope window opens at simulation
start by selecting File > Open at Start of Simulation from the Time
Scope window. When you select this option, the Time Scope GUI opens
automatically when you start the simulation. When you do not select this
option, you must manually open the scope window by double-clicking the
corresponding Time Scope block in your model.

Find the Right Time Scope Block in Your Model

Sometimes, you have multiple Time Scope blocks in your model and need to
find the location of one that corresponds to the active Time Scope window. In
such cases, you can use the View > Highlight Simulink Block menu option
or the corresponding toolbar button (
). When you do so, the model window
becomes your active window, and the corresponding Time Scope block flashes
three times in the model window. This option can help you locate Time Scope
blocks in your model and determine to which signals they are attached.
To try this feature, open the Time Scope window, and on the simulation
toolbar, click the Highlight Simulink Block button. Doing so opens the
ex_timescope_tut model. The Time Scope block flashes three times in the
model window, allowing you to see where in your model the block of interest is
located.

Docking Time Scope Windows in the Scopes Group Container

When you have multiple Time Scope blocks in your model you may want to
see them in the same window and compare them side-by-side. In such cases,
you can select the Dock Time Scope button ( ) at the top-right corner of the
Time Scope window for the Time Scope block.

1-92

Display Time-Domain Data

The Time Scope window now appears in the Scopes group container. Next,
press the Dock Time Scope button at the top-right corner of the Time Scope
window for the Time Scope1 block.
By default, the Scopes group container is situated above the MATLAB
Command Window. However, you can undock the Scopes group container by
pressing the Show Actions button ( ) at the top-right corner of the container
and selecting Undock. The Scopes group container is now independent from
the MATLAB Command Window.

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Input, Output, and Display

Once docked, the Scopes group container displays the toolbar and menu bar
of the Time Scope window. If you open additional instances of Time Scope, a
new Time Scope window appears in the Scopes group container.
You can undock any instance of Time Scope by pressing the corresponding
Undock button ( ) in the title bar of each docked instance. If you close the

1-94

Display Time-Domain Data

Scopes group container, all docked instances of Time Scope close but the
Simulink model continues to run.
tFor more information on docking figures, see Docking Figures in the
Desktop in the MATLAB documentation.

Close All Time Scope Windows

If you save your model with Time Scope windows open, those windows will
reopen the next time you open the model. Reopening the Time Scope windows
when you open your model can increase the amount of time it takes your
model to load. If you are working with a large model, or a model containing
multiple Time Scopes, consider closing all Time Scope windows before you
save and close that model. To do so, use the File > Close All Time Scope
Windows menu option.
To use this menu option in the ex_timescope_tut model, open the Time
Scope or Time Scope1 window, and select File > Close All Time Scope
Windows. Both the Time Scope and Time Scope1 windows close. If you now
save and close the model, the Time Scope windows do not automatically open
the next time you open the model. You can open Time Scope windows at any
time by double-clicking a Time Scope block in your model. Alternatively,
you can choose to automatically open the Time Scope windows at simulation
start. To do so, from the Time Scope window, select File > Open at Start
of Simulation.

1-95

Input, Output, and Display

Display Frequency-Domain Data in Spectrum Analyzer

You can use DSP System Toolbox blocks to work with signals in both the time
and frequency domain. To display frequency-domain signals, you can use
blocks from the Sinks library, such as the Vector Scope, Spectrum Analyzer,
Matrix Viewer, and Waterfall Scope blocks.
With the Spectrum Analyzer block, you can display the frequency spectra of
time-domain input data. In contrast to the Vector Scope block, the Spectrum
Analyzer block computes the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) of the input signal
internally, transforming the signal into the frequency domain.
This example shows how you can use a Spectrum Analyzer block to display
the frequency content of two frame-based signals simultaneously:
1 At the MATLAB command prompt, type ex_spectrumanalyzer_tut.

The Spectrum Analyzer example opens, and the variables, Fs and mtlb, are
loaded into the MATLAB workspace.

1-96

Display Frequency-Domain Data in Spectrum Analyzer

2 Double-click the Signal From Workspace block. Set the block parameters

as follows, and then click OK:

Signal = mtlb
Sample time = 1
Samples per frame = 16
Form output after final data value = Cyclic Repetition

1-97

Input, Output, and Display

Based on these parameters, the Signal From Workspace block repeatedly

outputs the input signal, mtlb, as a frame-based signal with a sample
period of 1 second.
3 Create two distinct signals to send to the Spectrum Analyzer block. Use

the Digital Filter Design block to filter the input signal, using the default
parameters.

1-98

Display Frequency-Domain Data in Spectrum Analyzer

4 Double-click the Matrix Concatenate block. Set the block parameters as

follows, and then click OK:

Number of inputs = 2
Mode = Multidimensional array

1-99

Input, Output, and Display

Concatenate dimension = 2
The Matrix Concatenate block combines the two signals so that each
column corresponds to a different signal.
5 Double-click the Spectrum Analyzer block. The Spectrum Analyzer figure

appears. In the menu, select View > Spectrum Settings. The Spectrum
Settings panel opens.
Expand the Main options pane, if it is not already expanded.
Set Type to Power.
Select the Full frequency span check box.
Set RBW (Hz) to 5.91e-3.
Expand the Trace options pane, if it is not already expanded.
Set Units to dBW.
Set Averages to 2.
Expand the Window options pane, if it is not already expanded.
Set Overlap (%) to 50.
Set Window to Hann.
Based on these parameters, the Spectrum Analyzer uses 128 samples from
each input channel to calculate a new windowed data segment, as shown
in the following equation.

NENBW Fs
1.512 1 Hz

128 samples
RBW
11.8125 103 Hz
There are also 128 frequency points in the FFT. Also, because Overlap (%)
is set to 50, there is a buffer overlap length of 64 samples in each spectral
estimate, as shown in the following equation.
D

OL

1-100

OP
50
L
128 64 samples
100
100

Display Frequency-Domain Data in Spectrum Analyzer

Every time the scope updates the display, 64 points are plotted for each
channel. At 16 samples per frame, Spectrum Analyzer waits for 3 frames or
48 samples before displaying the first power spectral estimate.
6 Fit all the calculated data points into the display. In the Spectrum Analyzer

menu, select Tools > Automatically Scale Axes Limits.

7 In the Spectrum Analyzer menu, select View > Configuration

Properties. Then, select the Show legend check box.

8 Run the model. The Spectrum Analyzer block computes the FFT of

each of the input signals. It then displays the power spectra of the
frequency-domain signals in the Spectrum Analyzer window.

1-101

Input, Output, and Display

1-102

Display Frequency-Domain Data in Spectrum Analyzer

The power spectrum of the first input signal, from column one, is the yellow
line. The power spectrum of the second input signal, from column two, is
the blue line.

1-103

Input, Output, and Display

Visualize Central Limit Theorem in Array Plot

In this section...
Display a Uniform Distribution on page 1-104
Display the Sum of Many Uniform Distributions on page 1-105
Inspect Your Data by Zooming on page 1-107

Display a Uniform Distribution

This example shows how to use and configure the dsp.ArrayPlot to visualize
the Central Limit Theorem. This theorem states that the mean of a large
number of independent random variables with finite mean and variance
exhibits a normal distribution.
First, generate uniformly distributed random variables in MATLAB using
the rand function. Find their distributions using the hist function. At the
MATLAB command line, type:
numsamples = 1e4;
numbins
= 20;
r = rand(numsamples,1);
hst = hist(r,numbins);

Create a new Array Plot object.

hap3 = dsp.ArrayPlot;

Configure the properties of the Array Plot object to plot a histogram.

hap3 = dsp.ArrayPlot;
hap3.XOffset = 0;
hap3.SampleIncrement = 1/numbins;
hap3.PlotType = 'Stem';
hap3.YLimits = [0, max(hst)+1];

Call the step method to plot the uniform distribution.

step(hap3,hst');

1-104

Visualize Central Limit Theorem in Array Plot

The following Array Plot figure appears, showing a uniform distribution.

Display the Sum of Many Uniform Distributions

Next, calculate the mean of multiple uniformly distributed random variables.
As the number of random variables increases, the distribution more closely
resembles a normal curve. Run the release method to let property values
and input characteristics change. At the MATLAB command line, type:
release(hap3);

Change the configuration of the Array Plot properties for the display of a
distribution function.

1-105

Input, Output, and Display

numbins
= 201;
numtrials = 100;
r = zeros(numsamples,1);
hap3.SampleIncrement = 1/numbins;
hap3.PlotType = 'Stairs';

Call the step method repeatedly to plot the uniform distribution.

for ii = 1:numtrials
r = rand(numsamples,1)+r;
hst = hist(r/ii,0:1/numbins:1);
hap3.YLimits = [min(hst)-1, max(hst)+1];
step(hap3,hst');
pause(0.1);
end

When the simulation has finished, the Array Plot figure displays a bell curve,
indicating a distribution that is close to normal.

1-106

Visualize Central Limit Theorem in Array Plot

Inspect Your Data by Zooming

The zoom tools allow you to zoom in simultaneously in the directions of both
the x- and y-axes or in either direction individually. For example, to zoom in
on the distribution between 0.3 and 0.7, you can use the Zoom X option.
To activate the Zoom X tool, select Tools > Zoom X, or press the
corresponding toolbar button (
). You can determine if the Zoom X tool
is active by looking for an indented toolbar button or a check mark next to
the Tools > Zoom X menu option.

1-107

Input, Output, and Display

Next, zoom in on the region between 0.3 and 0.7. In the Array Plot window,
click on the 0.3-second mark, and drag to the 0.7-second mark. The display
reflects this new x-axis setting, as shown in the following figure.

1-108

2
Data and Signal
Management
Learn concepts such as sample- and frame-based processing, sample rate,
delay and latency.
Sample- and Frame-Based Concepts on page 2-2
Inspect Sample and Frame Rates in Simulink on page 2-8
Convert Sample and Frame Rates in Simulink on page 2-20
Buffering and Frame-Based Processing on page 2-45
Delay and Latency on page 2-61

Data and Signal Management

Sample- and Frame-Based Concepts

In this section...
Sample- and Frame-Based Signals on page 2-2
Model Sample- and Frame-Based Signals in MATLAB and Simulink on
page 2-3
What Is Sample-Based Processing? on page 2-4
What Is Frame-Based Processing? on page 2-5

Sample- and Frame-Based Signals

Sample-based signals are the most basic type of signal and are the easiest to
construct from a real-world (physical) signal. You can create a sample-based
signal by sampling a physical signal at a given sample rate, and outputting
each individual sample as it is received. In general, most Digital-to-Analog
converters output sample-based signals.
You can create frame-based signals from sample-based signals. When you
buffer a batch of N samples, you create a frame of data. You can then output
sequential frames of data at a rate that is 1/N times the sample rate of the
original sample-based signal. The rate at which you output the frames of data
is also known as the frame rate of the signal.
Frame-based data is a common format in real-time systems. Data acquisition
hardware often operates by accumulating a large number of signal samples at
a high rate. The hardware then propagates those samples to the real-time
system as a block of data. Doing so maximizes the efficiency of the system
by distributing the fixed process overhead across many samples. The faster
data acquisition is suspended by slower interrupt processes after each frame
is acquired, rather than after each individual sample. See Benefits of
Frame-Based Processing on page 2-6 for more information.

2-2

Sample- and Frame-Based Concepts

DSP System Toolbox

Source Blocks

Create
Sample-Based
Signals

Create Frame-Based
Signals

Chirp

Constant

Constant Diagonal
Matrix

Discrete Impulse

DSP Constant (Obsolete)

From Audio Device

From Multimedia File

Identity Matrix

MIDI Controls

Multiphase Clock

N-Sample Enable

Random Source

Signal From Workspace

Sine Wave

UDP Receive

Model Sample- and Frame-Based Signals in MATLAB

and Simulink
When you process signals using DSP System Toolbox software, you can do
so in either a sample- or frame-based manner. When you are working with
blocks in Simulink, you can specify, on a block-by-block basis, which type
of processing the block performs. In most cases, you specify the processing
mode by setting the Input processing parameter. Alternatively, when
you are using System objects in MATLAB, you specify the processing mode
using the FrameBasedProcessing property. The following table shows the
common parameter settings you can use to perform sample- and frame-based
processing in MATLAB and Simulink.

2-3

Data and Signal Management

Sample-Based
Processing

Frame-Based
Processing

MATLAB System
objects

FrameBasedProcessing
= False

FrameBasedProcessing
= True

Simulink Blocks

Input processing
= Elements as

Input processing =

channels (sample
based)

Columns as channels
(frame based)

Set the FrameBasedProcessing Property of a System object

All System objects support sample-based processing and some System objects
support both sample- and frame-based processing. To specify how your System
object should process input data, you set the FrameBasedProcessing
property. The property has a default value of true, which enables
frame-based processing. To specify sample-based processing, set the
FrameBasedProcessing property to false.

What Is Sample-Based Processing?

In sample-based processing, blocks process signals one sample at a time. Each
element of the input signal represents one sample in a distinct channel. For
example, from a sample-based processing perspective, the following 3-by-2
matrix contains the first sample in each of six independent channels.

When you configure a block to perform sample-based processing, the block

interprets scalar input as a single-channel signal. Similarly, the block
interprets an M-by-N matrix as multichannel signal with M*N independent
channels. For example, in sample-based processing, blocks interpret the
following sequence of 3-by-2 matrices as a six-channel signal.

2-4

Sample- and Frame-Based Concepts

For more information about the recent changes to frame-based processing,

see the Frame-Based Processing section of the DSP System Toolbox Release
Notes.

What Is Frame-Based Processing?

In frame-based processing, blocks process data one frame at a time. Each
frame of data contains sequential samples from an independent channel.
Each channel is represented by a column of the input signal. For example,
from a frame-based processing perspective, the following 3-by-2 matrix has
two channels, each of which contains three samples.

When you configure a block to perform frame-based processing, the block

interprets an M-by-1 vector as a single-channel signal containing M samples
per frame. Similarly, the block interprets an M-by-N matrix as a multichannel
signal with N independent channels and M samples per channel. For
example, in frame-based processing, blocks interpret the following sequence
of 3-by-2 matrices as a two-channel signal with a frame size of 3.

2-5

Data and Signal Management

Using frame-based processing is advantageous for many signal processing

applications because you can process multiple samples at once. By buffering
your data into frames and processing multisample frames of data, you can
often improve the computational time of your signal processing algorithms.
To perform frame-based processing, you must have a DSP System Toolbox
license.
For more information about the recent changes to frame-based processing,
see the Frame-Based Processing section of the DSP System Toolbox Release
Notes.

Benefits of Frame-Based Processing

Frame-based processing is an established method of accelerating both
real-time systems and model simulations.
Accelerate Real-Time Systems. Frame-based data is a common format in
real-time systems. Data acquisition hardware often operates by accumulating
a large number of signal samples at a high rate, and then propagating those
samples to the real-time system as a block of data. This type of propagation
maximizes the efficiency of the system by distributing the fixed process
overhead across many samples; the faster data acquisition is suspended by
slower interrupt processes after each frame is acquired, rather than after
each individual sample is acquired.
The following figure illustrates how frame-based processing increases
throughput. The thin blocks each represent the time elapsed during

2-6

Sample- and Frame-Based Concepts

acquisition of a sample. The thicker blocks each represent the time elapsed
during the interrupt service routine (ISR) that reads the data from the
hardware.
In this example, the frame-based operation acquires a frame of 16 samples
between each ISR. Thus, the frame-based throughput rate is many times
higher than the sample-based alternative.

Be aware that frame-based processing introduces a certain amount of latency

into a process due to the inherent lag in buffering the initial frame. In many
instances, however, you can select frame sizes that improve throughput
without creating unacceptable latencies. For more information, see Delay
and Latency on page 2-61.
Accelerate Model Simulations. The simulation of your model also benefits
from frame-based processing. In this case, you reduce the overhead of
block-to-block communications by propagating frames of data rather than
individual samples.

2-7

Data and Signal Management

Inspect Sample and Frame Rates in Simulink

Note Starting in R2010b, many DSP System Toolbox blocks received a new
parameter to control whether they perform sample- or frame-based processing.
The following content has not been updated to reflect this change. For more
information, see the Frame-Based Processing section of the Release Notes.

In this section...
Sample Rate and Frame Rate Concepts on page 2-8
Inspect Sample-Based Signals Using Probe Block on page 2-10
Inspect Frame-Based Signals Using Probe Block on page 2-12
Inspect Sample-Based Signals Using Color Coding on page 2-15
Inspect Frame-Based Signals Using Color Coding on page 2-16

Sample Rate and Frame Rate Concepts

Sample rates and frame rates are important issues in most signal processing
models. This is especially true with systems that incorporate rate conversions.
Fortunately, in most cases when you build a Simulink model, you only need
to set sample rates for the source blocks. Simulink automatically computes
the appropriate sample rates for the blocks that are connected to the source
blocks. Nevertheless, it is important to become familiar with the sample rate
and frame rate concepts as they apply to Simulink models.
The input frame period (Tfi) of a frame-based signal is the time interval
between consecutive vector or matrix inputs to a block. Similarly, the
output frame period (Tfo) is the time interval at which the block updates the
frame-based vector or matrix value at the output port.
In contrast, the sample period, Ts, is the time interval between individual
samples in a frame, this value is shorter than the frame period when the
frame size is greater than 1. The sample period of a frame-based signal is the
quotient of the frame period and the frame size, M:

2-8

Inspect Sample and Frame Rates in Simulink

Ts = Tf / M
More specifically, the sample periods of inputs (Tsi) and outputs (Tso) are
related to their respective frame periods by

Tsi = Tfi / Mi
Tso = Tfo / Mo
where Mi and Mo are the input and output frame sizes, respectively.
The illustration below shows a single-channel, frame-based signal with a
frame size (Mi) of 4 and a frame period (Tfi) of 1. The sample period, Tsi, is
therefore 1/4, or 0.25 second.

The frame rate of a signal is the reciprocal of the frame period. For instance,
the input frame rate would be 1 / Tfi . Similarly, the output frame rate would
be 1 / Tfo .
The sample rate of a signal is the reciprocal of the sample period. For
instance, the sample rate would be 1 / Ts .
In most cases, the sequence sample period Tsi is most important, while the
frame rate is simply a consequence of the frame size that you choose for
the signal. For a sequence with a given sample period, a larger frame size
corresponds to a slower frame rate, and vice versa.

2-9

Data and Signal Management

Inspect Sample-Based Signals Using Probe Block

You can use the Probe block to display the sample period of a sample-based
signal. For sample-based signals, the Probe block displays the label Ts, the
sample period of the sequence, followed by a two-element vector. The left
element is the period of the signal being measured. The right element is the
signals sample time offset, which is usually 0.
Note Simulink offers the ability to shift the sample time of a signal by
an arbitrary value, which is equivalent to shifting the signals phase by a
fractional sample period. However, sample-time offsets are rarely used in
signal processing systems, and DSP System Toolbox blocks do not support
them.
In this example, you use the Probe block to display the sample period of a
sample-based signal:
1 At the MATLAB command prompt, type ex_probe_tut1.

The Probe Example 1 model opens.

2-10

Inspect Sample and Frame Rates in Simulink

2 Run the model.

The figure below illustrates how the Probe blocks display the sample period
of the signal before and after each upsample operation.

2-11

Data and Signal Management

As displayed by the Probe blocks, the output from the Signal From
Workspace block is a sample-based signal with a sample period of 1 second.
The output from the first Upsample block has a sample period of 0.5
second, and the output from the second Upsample block has a sample
period of 0.25 second.

Inspect Frame-Based Signals Using Probe Block

You can use the Probe block to display the frame period of a frame-based
signal. For frame-based signals, the block displays the label Tf, the frame
period of the sequence, followed by a two-element vector. The left element is
the period of the signal being measured. The right element is the signals
sample time offset, which is usually 0.

2-12

Inspect Sample and Frame Rates in Simulink

Note Simulink offers the ability to shift a signals sample times by an

arbitrary value, which is equivalent to shifting the signals phase by a
fractional sample period. However, sample-time offsets are rarely used in
signal processing systems, and DSP System Toolbox blocks do not support
them.
In this example, you use the Probe block to display the frame period of a
frame-based signal:
1 At the MATLAB command prompt, type ex_probe_tut2.

The Probe Example 2 model opens.

2 Run the model.

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Data and Signal Management

The figure below illustrates how the Probe blocks display the frame period
of the signal before and after each upsample operation.

As displayed by the Probe blocks, the output from the Signal From
Workspace block is a frame-based signal with a frame period of 16 seconds.
The output from the first Upsample block has a frame period of 8 seconds,
and the output from the second Upsample block has a sample period of 4
seconds.
Note that the sample rate conversion is implemented through a change in the
frame period rather than the frame size.

2-14

Inspect Sample and Frame Rates in Simulink

Inspect Sample-Based Signals Using Color Coding

In the following example, you use sample time color coding to view the sample
rate of a sample-based signal:
1 At the MATLAB command prompt, type ex_color_tut1.

The Sample Time Color Example 1 model opens.

2 From the Display menu, point to Sample Time, and select Colors.

This selection turns on sample time color coding. Simulink now assigns
each sample rate a different color.
3 Run the model.

The model should now look similar to the following figure:

2-15

Data and Signal Management

Every sample-based signal in this model has a different sample rate.

Therefore, each signal is assigned a different color.
For more information about sample time color coding, see View Sample Time
Information in the Simulink documentation.

Inspect Frame-Based Signals Using Color Coding

In this example, you use sample time color coding to view the frame rate of
a frame-based signal:
1 At the MATLAB command prompt, type ex_color_tut2.

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Inspect Sample and Frame Rates in Simulink

The Sample Time Color Example 2 model opens.

2 To turn on sample time color coding, from the Display menu, point to

Sample Time, and select Colors.

Simulink now assigns each frame rate a different color.
3 Run the model.

The model should now look similar to the following figure:

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Data and Signal Management

Because the Rate options parameter in the Upsample blocks is set

to Allow multirate processing, each Upsample block changes the
frame rate. Therefore, each frame-based signal in the model is assigned
a different color.
4 Double-click on each Upsample block and change the Rate options

parameter to Enforce single-rate processing.

5 Run the model.

Every signal is coded with the same color. Therefore, every signal in the
model now has the same frame rate.

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Inspect Sample and Frame Rates in Simulink

For more information about sample tim color coding, see View Sample Time
Information in the Simulink documentation.

2-19

Data and Signal Management

Convert Sample and Frame Rates in Simulink

Note Starting in R2010b, many DSP System Toolbox blocks received a new
parameter to control whether they perform sample- or frame-based processing.
The following content has not been updated to reflect this change. For more
information, see the Frame-Based Processing section of the Release Notes.

In this section...
Rate Conversion Blocks on page 2-20
Rate Conversion by Frame-Rate Adjustment on page 2-21
Rate Conversion by Frame-Size Adjustment on page 2-25
Avoid Unintended Rate Conversion on page 2-29
Frame Rebuffering Blocks on page 2-35
Buffer Signals by Preserving the Sample Period on page 2-38
Buffer Signals by Altering the Sample Period on page 2-41

Rate Conversion Blocks

There are two common types of operations that impact the frame and sample
rates of a signal: direct rate conversion and frame rebuffering. Direct rate
conversions, such as upsampling and downsampling, can be implemented by
altering either the frame rate or the frame size of a signal. Frame rebuffering,
which is used alter the frame size of a signal in order to improve simulation
throughput, usually changes either the sample rate or frame rate of the signal
as well.
The following table lists the principal rate conversion blocks in DSP System
Toolbox software. Blocks marked with an asterisk (*) offer the option of
changing the rate by either adjusting the frame size or frame rate.

2-20

Block

Library

Downsample *

Signal Operations

Dyadic Analysis Filter Bank

Filtering / Multirate Filters

Convert Sample and Frame Rates in Simulink

Block

Library

Dyadic Synthesis Filter Bank

Filtering / Multirate Filters

FIR Decimation *

Filtering / Multirate Filters

FIR Interpolation *

Filtering / Multirate Filters

FIR Rate Conversion

Filtering / Multirate Filters

Repeat *

Signal Operations

Upsample *

Signal Operations

Direct Rate Conversion

Rate conversion blocks accept an input signal at one sample rate, and
propagate the same signal at a new sample rate. Several of these blocks
contain a Rate options parameter offering two options for multirate versus
single-rate processing:
Enforce single-rate processing: When you select this option, the block
maintains the input sample rate.
Allow multirate processing: When you select this option, the block
downsamples the signal such that the output sample rate is K times slower
than the input sample rate.
Note When a Simulink model contains signals with various frame rates,
the model is called multirate. You can find a discussion of multirate models
in Excess Algorithmic Delay (Tasking Latency) on page 2-70. Also see
Scheduling in the Simulink Coder documentation.

Rate Conversion by Frame-Rate Adjustment

One way to change the sample rate of a signal, 1/Tso, is to change the output
frame rate (Tfo Tfi), while keeping the frame size constant (Mo = Mi). Note
that the sample rate of a signal is defined as 1/Tso = Mo/Tfo:
1 At the MATLAB command prompt, type ex_downsample_tut1.

The Downsample Example T1 model opens.

2-21

Data and Signal Management

2 From the Display menu, point to Signals & Ports, and select Signal

Dimensions.
When you run the model, the dimensions of the signals appear next to the
lines connecting the blocks.
3 Double-click the Signal From Workspace block. The Source Block

Parameters: Signal From Workspace dialog box opens.

4 Set the block parameters as follows:

Sample time = 0.125

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Convert Sample and Frame Rates in Simulink

Samples per frame = 8

Based on these parameters, the Signal From Workspace block outputs a
frame-based signal with a sample period of 0.125 second and a frame size
of 8.
5 Save these parameters and close the dialog box by clicking OK.
6 Double-click the Downsample block. The Function Block Parameters:

Downsample dialog box opens.

7 Set the Rate options parameter to Allow multirate processing, and

then click OK.

The Downsample block is configured to downsample the signal by changing
the frame rate rather than the frame size.
8 Run the model.

After the simulation, the model should look similar to the following figure.

2-23

Data and Signal Management

Because Tfi = Mi Tsi , the input frame period, Tfi , is Tfi = 8 0.125 = 1
second. This value is displayed by the first Probe block. Therefore the input
frame rate, 1 / Tfi , is also 1 second.
The second Probe block in the model verifies that the output from the
Downsample block has a frame period, Tfo , of 2 seconds, twice the frame
period of the input. However, because the frame rate of the output, 1 Tfo ,

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Convert Sample and Frame Rates in Simulink

is 0.5 second, the Downsample block actually downsampled the original

signal to half its original rate. As a result, the output sample period,

Tso = Tfo / Mo , is doubled to 0.25 second without any change to the frame
size. The signal dimensions in the model confirm that the frame size did
not change.

Rate Conversion by Frame-Size Adjustment

One way to change the sample rate of a signal is by changing the frame size
(that is Mo Mi), but keep the frame rate constant (Tfo = Tfi). Note that the
sample rate of a signal is defined as 1/Tso = Mo/Tfo:
1 At the MATLAB command prompt, type ex_downsample_tut2.

The Downsample Example T2 model opens.

2-25

Data and Signal Management

2 From the Display menu, point to Signals & Ports, and select Signal

Dimensions.
When you run the model, the dimensions of the signals appear next to the
lines connecting the blocks.
3 Double-click the Signal From Workspace block. The Source Block

Parameters: Signal From Workspace dialog box opens.

4 Set the block parameters as follows:

Sample time = 0.125

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Convert Sample and Frame Rates in Simulink

Samples per frame = 8

Based on these parameters, the Signal From Workspace block outputs a
frame-based signal with a sample period of 0.125 second and a frame size
of 8.
5 Save these parameters and close the dialog box by clicking OK.
6 Double-click the Downsample block. The Function Block Parameters:

Downsample dialog box opens.

7 Set the Rate options parameter to Enforce single-rate processing,

and then click OK.

The Downsample block is configured to downsample the signal by changing
the frame size rather than the frame rate.
8 Run the model.

After the simulation, the model should look similar to the following figure.

2-27

Data and Signal Management

Because Tfi = Mi Tsi , the input frame period, Tfi , is Tfi = 8 0.125 = 1
second. This value is displayed by the first Probe block. Therefore the input
frame rate, 1 / Tfi , is also 1 second.
The Downsample block downsampled the input signal to half its original
frame size. The signal dimensions of the output of the Downsample
block confirm that the downsampled output has a frame size of 4, half
the frame size of the input. As a result, the sample period of the output,

2-28

Convert Sample and Frame Rates in Simulink

Tso = Tfo / Mo , now has a sample period of 0.25 second. This process
occurred without any change to the frame rate ( Tfi = Tfo ).

Avoid Unintended Rate Conversion

It is important to be aware of where rate conversions occur in a model. In a
few cases, unintentional rate conversions can produce misleading results:
1 At the MATLAB command prompt, type ex_vectorscope_tut1.

The Vector Scope Example model opens.

2 Double-click the upper Sine Wave block. The Source Block Parameters:

Sine Wave dialog box opens.

3 Set the block parameters as follows:

Frequency (Hz) = 1
Sample time = 0.1
Samples per frame = 128
Based on the Sample time and the Samples per frame parameters,
the Sine Wave outputs a sinusoid with a frame period of 128*0.1 or 12.8
seconds.
4 Save these parameters and close the dialog box by clicking OK.
5 Double-click the lower Sine Wave block.
6 Set the block parameters as follows, and then click OK:

Frequency (Hz) = 2
Sample time = 0.1
Samples per frame = 128
Based on the Sample time and the Samples per frame parameters,
the Sine Wave outputs a sinusoid with a frame period of 128*0.1 or 12.8
seconds.

2-29

Data and Signal Management

7 Double-click the Magnitude FFT block. The Function Block Parameters:

Magnitude FFT dialog box opens.

8 Select the Inherit FFT length from input dimensions check box, and

then click OK.

This setting instructs the block to use the input frame size (128) as the FFT
length (which is also the output size).
9 Double-click the Vector Scope block. The Sink Block Parameters:

Vector Scope dialog box opens.

10 Set the block parameters as follows, and then click OK:

Click the Scope Properties tab.

Input domain = Frequency
Click the Axis Properties tab.
Minimum Y-limit = -10
Maximum Y-limit = 40
11 Run the model.

The model should now look similar to the following figure. Note that the
signal leaving the Magnitude FFT block is 128-by-1.

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Convert Sample and Frame Rates in Simulink

The Vector Scope window displays the magnitude FFT of a signal

composed of two sine waves, with frequencies of 1 Hz and 2 Hz.

2-31

Data and Signal Management

The Vector Scope block uses the input frame size (128) and period (12.8) to
deduce the original signals sample period (0.1), which allows it to correctly
display the peaks at 1 Hz and 2 Hz.
12 Double-click the Magnitude FFT block. The Function Block Parameters:

Magnitude FFT dialog box opens.

13 Set the block parameters as follows:

Clear the Inherit FFT length from input dimensions check box.
Set the FFT length parameter to 256.
Based on these parameters, the Magnitude FFT block zero-pads the
length-128 input frame to a length of 256 before performing the FFT.

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Convert Sample and Frame Rates in Simulink

14 Run the model.

The model should now look similar to the following figure. Note that the
signal leaving the Magnitude FFT block is 256-by-1.

The Vector Scope window displays the magnitude FFT of a signal

composed of two sine waves, with frequencies of 2 Hz and 4 Hz.

2-33

Data and Signal Management

In this case, based on the input frame size (256) and frame period (12.8),
the Vector Scope block incorrectly calculates the original signals sample
period to be (12.8/256) or 0.05 second. As a result, the spectral peaks
appear incorrectly at 2 Hz and 4 Hz rather than 1 Hz and 2 Hz.
The source of the error described above is unintended rate conversion.
The zero-pad operation performed by the Magnitude FFT block halves the
sample period of the sequence by appending 128 zeros to each frame. To
calculate the spectral peaks correctly, the Vector Scope block needs to know
the sample period of the original signal.
15 To correct for the unintended rate conversion, double-click the Vector

Scope block.

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Convert Sample and Frame Rates in Simulink

16 Set the block parameters as follows:

Click the Axis Properties tab.

Clear the Inherit sample time from input check box.
Set the Sample time of original time series parameter to the actual
sample period of 0.1.
17 Run the model.

The Vector Scope block now accurately plots the spectral peaks at 1 Hz
and 2 Hz.
In general, when you zero-pad or overlap buffers, you are changing the sample
period of the signal. If you keep this in mind, you can anticipate and correct
problems such as unintended rate conversion.

Frame Rebuffering Blocks

There are two common types of operations that impact the frame and sample
rates of a signal: direct rate conversion and frame rebuffering. Direct rate
conversions, such as upsampling and downsampling, can be implemented by
altering either the frame rate or the frame size of a signal. Frame rebuffering,
which is used alter the frame size of a signal in order to improve simulation
throughput, usually changes either the sample rate or frame rate of the signal
as well.
Sometimes you might need to rebuffer a signal to a new frame size at some
point in a model. For example, your data acquisition hardware may internally
buffer the sampled signal to a frame size that is not optimal for the signal
processing algorithm in the model. In this case, you would want to rebuffer
the signal to a frame size more appropriate for the intended operations
without introducing any change to the data or sample rate.
The following table lists the principal DSP System Toolbox buffering blocks.
Block

Library

Buffer

Signal Management/ Buffers

Delay Line

Signal Management/ Buffers

2-35

Data and Signal Management

Block

Library

Unbuffer

Signal Management/ Buffers

Variable Selector

Signal Management/ Indexing

Blocks for Frame Rebuffering with Preservation of the Signal

Buffering operations provide another mechanism for rate changes in signal
processing models. The purpose of many buffering operations is to adjust
the frame size of the signal, M, without altering the signals sample rate Ts.
This usually results in a change to the signals frame rate, Tf, according to
the following equation:

Tf = MTs
However, the equation above is only true if no samples are added or deleted
from the original signal. Therefore, the equation above does not apply to
buffering operations that generate overlapping frames, that only partially
unbuffer frames, or that alter the data sequence by adding or deleting
samples.
There are two blocks in the Buffers library that can be used to change a
signals frame size without altering the signal itself:
Buffer redistributes signal samples to a larger or smaller frame size
Unbuffer unbuffers a frame-based signal to a sample-based signal
(frame size = 1)
The Buffer block preserves the signals data and sample period only when its
Buffer overlap parameter is set to 0. The output frame period, Tfo, is

Tfo =

Mo Tfi
Mi

where Tfi is the input frame period, Mi is the input frame size, and Mo is
the output frame size specified by the Output buffer size (per channel)
parameter.

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Convert Sample and Frame Rates in Simulink

The Unbuffer block unbuffers a frame-based signal to its sample-based

equivalent, and always preserves the signals data and sample period

Tso = Tfi / Mi
where Tfi and Mi are the period and size, respectively, of the frame-based
input.
Both the Buffer and Unbuffer blocks preserve the sample period of the
sequence in the conversion (Tso = Tsi).

Blocks for Frame Rebuffering with Alteration of the Signal

Some forms of buffering alter the signals data or sample period in addition to
adjusting the frame size. This type of buffering is desirable when you want to
create sliding windows by overlapping consecutive frames of a signal, or select
a subset of samples from each input frame for processing.
The blocks that alter a signal while adjusting its frame size are listed below.
In this list, Tsi is the input sequence sample period, and Tfi and Tfo are the
input and output frame periods, respectively:
The Buffer block adds duplicate samples to a sequence when the Buffer
overlap parameter, L, is set to a nonzero value. The output frame period
is related to the input sample period by

Tfo = ( Mo L)Tsi
where Mo is the output frame size specified by the Output buffer size
(per channel) parameter. As a result, the new output sample period is

Tso =

( Mo L)Tsi
Mo

The Delay Line block adds duplicate samples to the sequence when the
Delay line size parameter, Mo, is greater than 1. The output and input
frame periods are the same, Tfo = Tfi = Tsi, and the new output sample
period is

2-37

Data and Signal Management

Tso =

Tsi
Mo

The Variable Selector block can remove, add, and/or rearrange samples in
the input frame when Select is set to Rows. The output and input frame
periods are the same, Tfo = Tfi, and the new output sample period is

Tso =

Mi Tsi
Mo

where Mo is the length of the blocks output, determined by the Elements

vector.
In all of these cases, the sample period of the output sequence is not equal to
the sample period of the input sequence.

Buffer Signals by Preserving the Sample Period

In the following example, a signal with a sample period of 0.125 second is
rebuffered from a frame size of 8 to a frame size of 16. This rebuffering
process doubles the frame period from 1 to 2 seconds, but does not change the
sample period of the signal (Tso = Tsi = 0.125). The process also does not add or
delete samples from the original signal:
1 At the MATLAB command prompt, type ex_buffer_tut1.

The Buffer Example T1 model opens.

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Convert Sample and Frame Rates in Simulink

2 Double-click the Signal From Workspace block. The Source Block

Parameters: Signal From Workspace dialog box opens.

3 Set the parameters as follows:

Signal = 1:1000
Sample time = 0.125
Samples per frame = 8
Form output after final data value = Setting to zero
Based on these parameters, the Signal from Workspace block outputs a
frame-based signal with a sample period of 0.125 second. Each output
frame contains eight samples.

2-39

Data and Signal Management

4 Save these parameters and close the dialog box by clicking OK.
5 Double-click the Buffer block. The Function Block Parameters: Buffer

dialog box opens.

6 Set the parameters as follows, and then click OK:

Output buffer size (per channel) = 16

Buffer overlap = 0
Initial conditions = 0
Based on these parameters, the Buffer block rebuffers the signal from a
frame size of 8 to a frame size of 16.
7 Run the model.

The following figure shows the model after simulation.

2-40

Convert Sample and Frame Rates in Simulink

Note that the input to the Buffer block has a frame size of 8 and the output
of the block has a frame size of 16. As shown by the Probe blocks, the
rebuffering process doubles the frame period from 1 to 2 seconds.

Buffer Signals by Altering the Sample Period

Some forms of buffering alter the signals data or sample period in addition to
adjusting the frame size. In the following example, a signal with a sample
period of 0.125 second is rebuffered from a frame size of 8 to a frame size
of 16 with a buffer overlap of 4:
1 At the MATLAB command prompt, type ex_buffer_tut2.

The Buffer Example T2 model opens.

2-41

Data and Signal Management

2 Double-click the Signal From Workspace block. The Source Block

Parameters: Signal From Workspace dialog box opens.

3 Set the parameters as follows:

Signal = 1:1000
Sample time = 0.125
Samples per frame = 8
Form output after final data value = Setting to zero
Based on these parameters, the Signal from Workspace block outputs a
frame-based signal with a sample period of 0.125 second. Each output
frame contains eight samples.

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Convert Sample and Frame Rates in Simulink

4 Save these parameters and close the dialog box by clicking OK.
5 Double-click the Buffer block. The Function Block Parameters: Buffer

dialog box opens.

6 Set the parameters as follows, and then click OK:

Output buffer size (per channel) = 16

Buffer overlap = 4
Initial conditions = 0
Based on these parameters, the Buffer block rebuffers the signal from a
frame size of 8 to a frame size of 16. Also, after the initial output, the first
four samples of each output frame are made up of the last four samples
from the previous output frame.
7 Run the model.

The following figure shows the model after the simulation has stopped.

2-43

Data and Signal Management

Note that the input to the Buffer block has a frame size of 8 and the output
of the block has a frame size of 16. The relation for the output frame period
for the Buffer block is

Tfo = ( Mo L)Tsi
Tfo is (16-4)*0.125, or 1.5 seconds, as confirmed by the second Probe block.
The sample period of the signal at the output of the Buffer block is no
longer 0.125 second. It is now Tso = Tfo / Mo = 1.5 / 16 = 0.0938 second.
Thus, both the signals data and the signals sample period have been
altered by the buffering operation.

2-44

Buffering and Frame-Based Processing

Buffering and Frame-Based Processing

Note Starting in R2010b, many DSP System Toolbox blocks received a new
parameter to control whether they perform sample- or frame-based processing.
The following content has not been updated to reflect this change. For more
information, see the Frame-Based Processing section of the Release Notes.

In this section...
Frame Status on page 2-45
Buffer Sample-Based Signals into Frame-Based Signals on page 2-45
Buffer Sample-Based Signals into Frame-Based Signals with Overlap
on page 2-49
Buffer Frame-Based Signals into Other Frame-Based Signals on page 2-53
Buffer Delay and Initial Conditions on page 2-56
Unbuffer Frame-Based Signals into Sample-Based Signals on page 2-57

Frame Status
The frame status of a signal refers to whether the signal is sample based or
frame based. In a Simulink model, the frame status is symbolized by a single
line ,, for a sample-based signal and a double line, for a frame-based
signal. One way to convert a sample-based signal to a frame-based signal
is by using the Buffer block. You can convert a frame-based signal to a
sample-based signal using the Unbuffer block. To change the frame status of
a signal without performing a buffering operation, use the Frame Conversion
block in the Signal Attributes library.

Buffer Sample-Based Signals into Frame-Based

Signals
Multichannel sample-based and frame-based signals can be buffered into
multichannel frame-based signals using the Buffer block.

2-45

Data and Signal Management

The following figure is a graphical representation of a sample-based signal

being converted into a frame-based signal by the Buffer block.

In the following example, a two-channel sample-based signal is buffered into

a two-channel frame-based signal using a Buffer block:
1 At the MATLAB command prompt, type ex_buffer_tut.

The Buffer Example model opens.

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Buffering and Frame-Based Processing

2 Double-click the Signal From Workspace block. The Source Block

Parameters: Signal From Workspace dialog box opens.

3 Set the parameters as follows:

Signal = [1:10;-1:-1:-10]'
Sample time = 1
Samples per frame = 1
Form output after final data value = Setting to zero
Based on these parameters, the Signal from Workspace block outputs a
sample-based signal with a sample period of 1 second. Because you set the
Samples per frame parameter setting to 1, the Signal From Workspace
block outputs one two-channel sample at each sample time.

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Data and Signal Management

4 Save these parameters and close the dialog box by clicking OK.
5 Double-click the Buffer block. The Function Block Parameters: Buffer

dialog box opens.

6 Set the parameters as follows:

Output buffer size (per channel) = 4

Buffer overlap = 0
Initial conditions = 0
Because you set the Output buffer size parameter to 4, the Buffer block
outputs a frame-based signal with frame size 4.
7 Run the model.

Note that the input to the Buffer block is sample based (represented as a
single line) while the output is frame-based (represented by a double line).
The figure below is a graphical interpretation of the model behavior during
simulation.

[4 -4]

[3 -3]

[2 -2]

[1 -1]

t=3

t=2

t=1

t=0

Four consecutive samples from a

2-channel sample-based signal

1
2
3
4

-1
-2
-3
-4

2-channel frame-based signal

Note Alternatively, you can set the Samples per frame parameter of the
Signal From Workspace block to 4 and create the same frame-based signal
shown above without using a Buffer block. The Signal From Workspace
block performs the buffering internally, in order to output a two-channel
frame-based signal.

2-48

Buffering and Frame-Based Processing

Buffer Sample-Based Signals into Frame-Based

Signals with Overlap
In some cases it is useful to work with data that represents overlapping
sections of an original sample-based or frame-based signal. For example, in
estimating the power spectrum of a signal, it is often desirable to compute the
FFT of overlapping sections of data. Overlapping buffers are also needed in
computing statistics on a sliding window, or for adaptive filtering.
The Buffer overlap parameter of the Buffer block specifies the number of
overlap points, L. In the overlap case (L > 0), the frame period for the output
is (Mo-L)*Tsi, where Tsi is the input sample period and Mo is the Buffer size.
Note Set the Buffer overlap parameter to a negative value to achieve
output frame rates slower than in the nonoverlapping case. The output frame
period is still Tsi*(Mo-L), but now with L < 0. Only the Mo newest inputs are
included in the output buffers. The previous L inputs are discarded.
In the following example, a four-channel sample-based signal with sample
period 1 is buffered to a frame-based signal with frame size 3 and frame
period 2. Because of the buffer overlap, the input sample period is not
conserved, and the output sample period is 2/3:
1 At the MATLAB command prompt, type ex_buffer_tut3.

The Buffer Example T3 model opens.

2-49

Data and Signal Management

Also, the variable sp_examples_src is loaded into the MATLAB workspace.

This variable is defined as follows:
sp_examples_src=[1 1 5 -1; 2 1 5 -2; 3 0 5 -3; 4 0 5 -4; 5 1 5 -5; 6 1 5 -6];

2 Double-click the Signal From Workspace block. The Source Block

Parameters: Signal From Workspace dialog box opens.

3 Set the block parameters as follows:

Signal = sp_examples_src
Sample time = 1

2-50

Buffering and Frame-Based Processing

Samples per frame = 1

Form output after final data value by = Setting to zero
Based on these parameters, the Signal from Workspace block outputs a
sample-based signal with a sample period of 1 second. Because you set the
Samples per frame parameter setting to 1, the Signal From Workspace
block outputs one four-channel sample at each sample time.
4 Save these parameters and close the dialog box by clicking OK.
5 Double-click the Buffer block. The Function Block Parameters: Buffer

dialog box opens.

6 Set the block parameters as follows, and then click OK:

Output buffer size (per channel) = 3

Buffer overlap = 1
Initial conditions = 0
Because you set the Output buffer size parameter to 3, the Buffer block
outputs a frame-based signal with frame size 3. Also, because you set the
Buffer overlap parameter to 1, the last sample from the previous output
frame is the first sample in the next output frame.
7 Run the model.

Note that the input to the Buffer block is sample based (represented as a
single line) while the output is frame based (represented by a double line).
The following figure is a graphical interpretation of the models behavior
during simulation.

2-51

Data and Signal Management

8 At the MATLAB command prompt, type sp_examples_yout.

The following is displayed in the MATLAB Command Window.

sp_examples_yout =
0
0
0
0
1
2
2
3
4
4
5
6
6
0
0
0
0

2-52

0
0
0
0
1
1
1
0
0
0
1
1
1
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
0
0
0
0

0
0
0
0
-1
-2
-2
-3
-4
-4
-5
-6
-6
0
0
0
0

Buffering and Frame-Based Processing

Notice that the inputs do not begin appearing at the output until the fifth
row, the second row of the second frame. This is due to the blocks latency.
See Excess Algorithmic Delay (Tasking Latency) on page 2-70 for general
information about algorithmic delay. For instructions on how to calculate
buffering delay, see Buffer Delay and Initial Conditions on page 2-56.

Buffer Frame-Based Signals into Other Frame-Based

Signals
In the following example, a two-channel frame-based signal with frame size 4
is rebuffered to a frame-based signal with frame size 3 and frame period 2.
Because of the overlap, the input sample period is not conserved, and the
output sample period is 2/3:
1 At the MATLAB command prompt, type ex_buffer_tut4.

The Buffer Example T4 model opens.

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Data and Signal Management

Also, the variable sp_examples_src is loaded into the MATLAB workspace.

This variable is defined as
sp_examples_src = [1 1; 2 1; 3 0; 4 0; 5 1; 6 1; 7 0; 8 0]
2 Double-click the Signal From Workspace block. The Source Block

Parameters: Signal From Workspace dialog box opens.

3 Set the block parameters as follows:

Signal = sp_examples_src

2-54

Buffering and Frame-Based Processing

Sample time = 1
Samples per frame = 4
Based on these parameters, the Signal From Workspace block outputs a
two-channel, frame-based signal with a sample period of 1 second and a
frame size of 4.
4 Save these parameters and close the dialog box by clicking OK.
5 Double-click the Buffer block. The Function Block Parameters: Buffer

dialog box opens.

6 Set the block parameters as follows, and then click OK:

Output buffer size (per channel) = 3

Buffer overlap = 1
Initial conditions = 0
Based on these parameters, the Buffer block outputs a two-channel,
frame-based signal with a frame size of 3.
7 Run the model.

The following figure is a graphical representation of the models behavior

during simulation.

Note that the inputs do not begin appearing at the output until the last row
of the third output matrix. This is due to the blocks latency.

2-55

Data and Signal Management

See Excess Algorithmic Delay (Tasking Latency) on page 2-70 for general
information about algorithmic delay. For instructions on how to calculate
buffering delay, and see Buffer Delay and Initial Conditions on page 2-56.

Buffer Delay and Initial Conditions

In the examples Buffer Sample-Based Signals into Frame-Based Signals
with Overlap on page 2-49 and Buffer Frame-Based Signals into Other
Frame-Based Signals on page 2-53, the input signal is delayed by a certain
number of samples. The initial output samples correspond to the value
specified for the Initial condition parameter. The initial condition is zero
in both examples mentioned above.
Under most conditions, the Buffer and Unbuffer blocks have some amount of
delay or latency. This latency depends on both the block parameter settings
and the Simulink tasking mode. You can use the rebuffer_delay function
to determine the length of the blocks latency for any combination of frame
size and overlap.
The syntax rebuffer_delay(f,n,v) returns the delay, in samples,
introduced by the buffering and unbuffering blocks during multitasking
operations, where f is the input frame size, n is the Output buffer size
parameter setting, and v is the Buffer overlap parameter setting.
For example, you can calculate the delay for the model discussed in the
Buffer Frame-Based Signals into Other Frame-Based Signals on page 2-53
using the following command at the MATLAB command line:
d = rebuffer_delay(4,3,1)
d = 8

This result agrees with the blocks output in that example. Notice that this
model was simulated in Simulink multitasking mode.
For more information about delay, see Excess Algorithmic Delay (Tasking
Latency) on page 2-70. For delay information about a specific block, see the
Latency section of the block reference page. For more information about the
rebuffer_delay function, see rebuffer_delay.

2-56

Buffering and Frame-Based Processing

Unbuffer Frame-Based Signals into Sample-Based

Signals
You can unbuffer multichannel frame-based signals into multichannel
sample-based signals using the Unbuffer block. The Unbuffer block performs
the inverse operation of the Buffer blocks sample-based to frame-based
buffering process, and generates an N-channel sample-based output from an
N-channel frame-based input. The first row in each input matrix is always
the first sample-based output.
The following figure is a graphical representation of this process.

The sample period of the sample-based output, Tso, is related to the input
frame period, Tfi, by the input frame size, Mi.

Tso = Tfi / Mi
The Unbuffer block always preserves the signals sample period (Tso = Tsi).
See Convert Sample and Frame Rates in Simulink on page 2-20 for more
information about rate conversions.

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Data and Signal Management

In the following example, a two-channel frame-based signal is unbuffered into

a two-channel sample-based signal:
1 At the MATLAB command prompt, type ex_unbuffer_tut.

The Unbuffer Example model opens.

2 Double-click the Signal From Workspace block. The Source Block

Parameters: Signal From Workspace dialog box opens.

3 Set the block parameters as follows:

Signal = [1:10;-1:-1:-10]'
Sample time = 1
Samples per frame = 4

2-58

Buffering and Frame-Based Processing

Form output after final data value by = Setting to zero

Based on these parameters, the Signal From Workspace block outputs a
two-channel, frame based-signal with frame size 4.
4 Save these parameters and close the dialog box by clicking OK.
5 Double-click the Unbuffer block. The Function Block Parameters:

Unbuffer dialog box opens.

6 Set the Initial conditions parameter to 0, and then click OK.

The Unbuffer block unbuffers the frame-based signal into a two-channel

sample-based signal.
7 Run the model.

The following figures is a graphical representation of what happens during

the model simulation.

1
2
3
4

-1
-2
-3
-4

2-channel frame-based signal

[4 -4]

[3 -3]

[2 -2]

[1 -1]

t=7

t=6

t=5

t=4

Four consecutive samples from a

2-channel sample-based signal

Note The Unbuffer block generates initial conditions not shown in the
figure below with the value specified by the Initial conditions parameter.
See the Unbuffer reference page for information about the number of initial
conditions that appear in the output.
8 At the MATLAB command prompt, type sp_examples_yout.

The following is a portion of the output.

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Data and Signal Management

sp_examples_yout(:,:,1) =
0

sp_examples_yout(:,:,2) =
0

sp_examples_yout(:,:,3) =
0

sp_examples_yout(:,:,4) =
0

sp_examples_yout(:,:,5) =
1

-1

sp_examples_yout(:,:,6) =
2

-2

sp_examples_yout(:,:,7) =
3

-3

The Unbuffer block unbuffers the frame-based signal into a two-channel,

sample-based signal. Each page of the output matrix represents a different
sample time.

2-60

Delay and Latency

Delay and Latency

Note Starting in R2010b, many DSP System Toolbox blocks received a new
parameter to control whether they perform sample- or frame-based processing.
The following content has not been updated to reflect this change. For more
information, see the Frame-Based Processing section of the Release Notes.

In this section...
Computational Delay on page 2-61
Algorithmic Delay on page 2-63
Zero Algorithmic Delay on page 2-63
Basic Algorithmic Delay on page 2-66
Excess Algorithmic Delay (Tasking Latency) on page 2-70
Predict Tasking Latency on page 2-72

Computational Delay
The computational delay of a block or subsystem is related to the number
of operations involved in executing that block or subsystem. For example,
an FFT block operating on a 256-sample input requires Simulink software
to perform a certain number of multiplications for each input frame. The
actual amount of time that these operations consume depends heavily on the
performance of both the computer hardware and underlying software layers,
such as the MATLAB environment and the operating system. Therefore,
computational delay for a particular model can vary from one computer
platform to another.
The simulation time represented on a models status bar, which can
be accessed via the Simulink Digital Clock block, does not provide any
information about computational delay. For example, according to the
Simulink timer, the FFT mentioned above executes instantaneously, with
no delay whatsoever. An input to the FFT block at simulation time t=25.0
is processed and output at simulation time t=25.0, regardless of the number

2-61

Data and Signal Management

of operations performed by the FFT algorithm. The Simulink timer reflects

only algorithmic delay, not computational delay.

Reduce Computational Delay

There are a number of ways to reduce computational delay without actually
running the simulation on faster hardware. To begin with, you should
familiarize yourself with Model Execution Profiling in the Simulink
documentation, which describes some basic strategies. The following
information discusses several options for improving performance.
A first step in improving performance is to analyze your model, and eliminate
or simplify elements that are adding excessively to the computational load.
Such elements might include scope displays and data logging blocks that you
had put in place for debugging purposes and no longer require. In addition to
these model-specific adjustments, there are a number of more general steps
you can take to improve the performance of any model:
Use frame-based processing wherever possible. It is advantageous for the
entire model to be frame based. See Benefits of Frame-Based Processing
on page 2-6 for more information.
Use the dspstartup file to tailor Simulink for signal processing models, or
manually make the adjustments described in Settings in dspstartup.m in
the DSP System Toolbox Getting Started Guide.
Turn off the Simulink status bar by deselecting the Status bar option in
the View menu. Simulation speed will improve, but the time indicator
will not be visible.
Run your simulation from the MATLAB command line by typing
sim(gcs)

This method of starting a simulation can greatly increase the simulation

speed, but also has several limitations:

2-62

You cannot interact with the simulation (to tune parameters, for
instance).

You must press Ctrl+C to stop the simulation, or specify start and
stop times.

Delay and Latency

There are no graphics updates in M-file S-functions, which include

blocks such as Vector Scope, etc.

Use Simulink Coder code generation software to generate generic real-time

(GRT) code targeted to your host platform, and run the model using the
generated executable file. See the Simulink Coder documentation for more
information.

Algorithmic Delay
Algorithmic delay is delay that is intrinsic to the algorithm of a block or
subsystem and is independent of CPU speed. In this guide, the algorithmic
delay of a block is referred to simply as the blocks delay. It is generally
expressed in terms of the number of samples by which a blocks output lags
behind the corresponding input. This delay is directly related to the time
elapsed on the Simulink timer during that blocks execution.
The algorithmic delay of a particular block may depend on both the block
parameter settings and the general Simulink settings. To simplify matters, it
is helpful to categorize a blocks delay using the following categories:
Zero Algorithmic Delay on page 2-63
Basic Algorithmic Delay on page 2-66
Excess Algorithmic Delay (Tasking Latency) on page 2-70
The following topics explain the different categories of delay, and how
the simulation and parameter settings can affect the level of delay that a
particular block experiences.

Zero Algorithmic Delay

The FFT block is an example of a component that has no algorithmic delay.
The Simulink timer does not record any passage of time while the block
computes the FFT of the input, and the transformed data is available at the
output in the same time step that the input is received. There are many other
blocks that have zero algorithmic delay, such as the blocks in the Matrices
and Linear Algebra libraries. Each of those blocks processes its input and
generates its output in a single time step.
The Normalization block is an example of a block with zero algorithmic delay:

2-63

Data and Signal Management

1 At the MATLAB command prompt, type ex_normalization_tut.

The Normalization Example T1 model opens.

2 Double-click the Signal From Workspace block. The Source Block

Parameters: Signal From Workspace dialog box opens.

3 Set the block parameters as follows:

Signal = 1:100
Sample time = 1/4
Samples per frame = 4
4 Save these parameters and close the dialog box by clicking OK.
5 Double-click the Frame Conversion block. The Function Block

Parameters: Frame Conversion dialog box opens.

2-64

Delay and Latency

6 Set the Sampling mode of output signal parameter to Sample based,

and then click OK.

7 Run the model.

The model prepends the current value of the Simulink timer output from
the Digital Clock block to each output frame. The Frame Conversion block
converts the frame-based signal to a sample-based signal so that the output
in the MATLAB Command Window is more easily readable.
The Signal From Workspace block generates a new frame containing four
samples once every second (Tfo = *4). The first few output frames are:
(t=0)
(t=1)
(t=2)
(t=3)
(t=4)

[ 1 2 3 4]'
[ 5 6 7 8]'
[ 9 10 11 12]'
[13 14 15 16]'
[17 18 19 20]'

8 At the MATLAB command prompt, type squeeze(dsp_examples_yout)'.

The normalized output, dsp_examples_yout, is converted to an

easier-to-read matrix format. The result, ans, is shown in the following
figure:
ans =
0
1.0000
2.0000
3.0000
4.0000
5.0000

0.0333
0.0287
0.0202
0.0154
0.0124
0.0103

0.0667
0.0345
0.0224
0.0165
0.0131
0.0108

0.1000
0.0402
0.0247
0.0177
0.0138
0.0113

0.1333
0.0460
0.0269
0.0189
0.0146
0.0118

The first column of ans is the Simulink time provided by the Digital Clock
block. You can see that the squared 2-norm of the first input,
[1 2 3 4]' ./ sum([1 2 3 4]'.^2)

2-65

Data and Signal Management

appears in the first row of the output (at time t=0), the same time step that
the input was received by the block. This indicates that the Normalization
block has zero algorithmic delay.

Zero Algorithmic Delay and Algebraic Loops

When several blocks with zero algorithmic delay are connected in a feedback
loop, Simulink may report an algebraic loop error and performance may
generally suffer. You can prevent algebraic loops by injecting at least one
sample of delay into a feedback loop , for example, by including a Delay block
with Delay > 0. For more information, see Algebraic Loops in the Simulink
documentation.

Basic Algorithmic Delay

The Variable Integer Delay block is an example of a block with algorithmic
delay. In the following example, you use this block to demonstrate this
concept:
1 At the MATLAB command prompt, type ex_variableintegerdelay_tut.

The Variable Integer Delay Example T1 opens.

2-66

Delay and Latency

2 Double-click the Signal From Workspace block. The Source Block

Parameters: Signal From Workspace dialog box opens.

3 Set the block parameters as follows:

Signal = 1:100
Sample time = 1
Samples per frame = 1
4 Save these parameters and close the dialog box by clicking OK.
5 Double-click the Constant block. The Source Block Parameters:

Constant dialog box opens.

6 Set the block parameters as follows:

Constant value = 3
Interpret vector parameters as 1D = Clear this check box

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Data and Signal Management

Sampling mode = Sample based

Sample time = 1
Click OK to save these parameters and close the dialog box.
The input to the Delay port of the Variable Integer Delay block specifies
the number of sample periods that should elapse before an input to the In
port is released to the output. This value represents the blocks algorithmic
delay. In this example, since the input to the Delay port is 3, and the
sample period at the In and Delay ports is 1, then the sample that arrives
at the blocks In port at time t=0 is released to the output at time t=3.
7 Double-click the Variable Integer Delay block. The Function Block

Parameters: Variable Integer Delay dialog box opens.

8 Set the Initial conditions parameter to -1, and then click OK.
9 From the Display menu, point to Signals & Ports, and select Signal

Dimensions and Wide Nonscalar Lines.

10 Run the model.

The model should look similar to the following figure.

2-68

Delay and Latency

11 At the MATLAB command prompt, type dsp_examples_yout

The output is shown below:

dsp_examples_yout =
0
1
2
3
4
5

-1
-1
-1
1
2
3

The first column is the Simulink time provided by the Digital Clock block.
The second column is the delayed input. As expected, the input to the block
at t=0 is delayed three samples and appears as the fourth output sample,
at t=3. You can also see that the first three outputs from the Variable

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Data and Signal Management

Integer Delay block inherit the value of the blocks Initial conditions
parameter, -1. This period of time, from the start of the simulation until
the first input is propagated to the output, is sometimes called the initial
delay of the block.
Many DSP System Toolbox blocks have some degree of fixed or adjustable
algorithmic delay. These include any blocks whose algorithms rely on delay
or storage elements, such as filters or buffers. Often, but not always, such
blocks provide an Initial conditions parameter that allows you to specify
the output values generated by the block during the initial delay. In other
cases, the initial conditions are internally set to 0.
Consult the block reference pages for the delay characteristics of specific
DSP System Toolbox blocks.

Excess Algorithmic Delay (Tasking Latency)

Under certain conditions, Simulink may force a block to delay inputs longer
than is strictly required by the blocks algorithm. This excess algorithmic
delay is called tasking latency, because it arises from synchronization
requirements of the Simulink tasking mode. A blocks overall algorithmic
delay is the sum of its basic delay and tasking latency.
Algorithmic delay = Basic algorithmic delay + Tasking latency
The tasking latency for a particular block may be dependent on the following
block and model characteristics:
Simulink Tasking Mode on page 2-70
Block Rate Type on page 2-71
Model Rate Type on page 2-71
Block Sample Mode on page 2-72

Simulink Tasking Mode

Simulink has two tasking modes:
Single-tasking

2-70

Delay and Latency

Multitasking
To select a mode, from the Simulation menu, select Model Configuration
Parameters. In the Select pane, click Solver. From the Type list, select
Fixed-step. From the Tasking mode for periodic sample times list,
choose SingleTasking or MultiTasking. If, from the Tasking mode
for periodic sample times list you select Auto, the simulation runs in
single-tasking mode if the model is single-rate, or multitasking mode if the
model is multirate.
Note Many multirate blocks have reduced latency in the Simulink
single-tasking mode. Check the Latency section of a multirate blocks
reference page for details. Also see Scheduling in the Simulink Coder Users
Guide.

Block Rate Type

A block is called single-rate when all of its input and output ports operate at
the same frame rate. A block is called multirate when at least one input or
output port has a different frame rate than the others.
Many blocks are permanently single-rate. This means that all input and
output ports always have the same frame rate. For other blocks, the block
parameter settings determine whether the block is single-rate or multirate.
Only multirate blocks are subject to tasking latency.
Note Simulink may report an algebraic loop error if it detects a feedback
loop composed entirely of multirate blocks. To break such an algebraic loop,
insert a single-rate block with nonzero delay, such as a Unit Delay block. See
the Simulink documentation for more information about Algebraic Loops.

Model Rate Type

When all ports of all blocks in a model operate at a single frame rate, the
model is called single-rate. When the model contains blocks with differing
frame rates, or at least one multirate block, the model is called multirate.

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Data and Signal Management

Note that Simulink prevents a single-rate model from running in multitasking

mode by generating an error.

Block Sample Mode

Many blocks can operate in either sample-based or frame-based modes. In
source blocks, the mode is usually determined by the Samples per frame
parameter. If, for the Samples per frame parameter, you enter 1, the block
operates in sample-based mode. If you enter a value greater than 1, the block
operates in frame-based mode. In nonsource blocks, the sample mode is
determined by the input signal. See the block reference pages for additional
information about specific blocks.

Predict Tasking Latency

The specific amount of tasking latency created by a particular combination
of block parameter and simulation settings is discussed in the Latency
section of a blocks reference page. In this topic, you use the Upsample blocks
reference page to predict the tasking latency of a model:
1 At the MATLAB command prompt, type ex_upsample_tut1.

The Upsample Example T1 model opens.

2-72

Delay and Latency

2 From the Simulation menu, select Model Configuration Parameters.

3 In the Solver pane, from the Type list, select Fixed-step. From the

Solver list, select discrete (no continuous states).

4 From the Tasking mode for periodic sample times list, select

MultiTasking, and then click OK.

Most multirate blocks experience tasking latency only in the Simulink

multitasking mode.
5 Double-click the Signal From Workspace block. The Source Block

Parameters: Signal From Workspace dialog box opens.

6 Set the block parameters as follows, and then click OK:

Signal = 1:100

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Data and Signal Management

Sample time = 1/4

Samples per frame = 4
Form output after final data value by = Setting to zero
7 Double-click the Upsample block. The Function Block Parameters:

Upsample dialog box opens.

8 Set the block parameters as follows, and then click OK:

Upsample factor, L = 4
Sample offset (0 to L-1) = 0
Input processing = Columns as channels (frame based)
Rate options = Allow multirate processing
Initial condition = -1
The Rate options parameter makes the model multirate, since the input
and output frame rates will not be equal.
9 Double-click the Digital Clock block. The Source Block Parameters:

Digital Clock dialog box opens.

10 Set the Sample time parameter to 0.25, and then click OK.

This matches the sample period of the Upsample blocks output.

11 Double-click the Frame Conversion block. The Function Block

Parameters: Frame Conversion dialog box opens.

12 Set the Sampling mode of output signal parameter to Sample based,

and then click OK.

13 Run the model.

The model should now look similar to the following figure.

2-74

Delay and Latency

The model prepends the current value of the Simulink timer, from the
Digital Clock block, to each output frame. The Frame Conversion block
converts the frame-based signal into a sample-based signal so that the
output in the MATLAB Command Window is easily readable.
In the example, the Signal From Workspace block generates a new frame
containing four samples once every second (Tfo = *4). The first few output
frames are:
(t=0)
(t=1)
(t=2)
(t=3)
(t=4)

[ 1 2 3 4]
[ 5 6 7 8]
[ 9 10 11 12]
[13 14 15 16]
[17 18 19 20]

The Upsample block upsamples the input by a factor of 4, inserting three

zeros between each input sample. The change in rates is confirmed by the

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Data and Signal Management

Probe blocks in the model, which show a decrease in the frame period from
Tfi = 1 to Tfo = 0.25.
14 At the MATLAB command prompt, type squeeze(dsp_examples_yout)'.

The output from the simulation is displayed in a matrix format. The first
few samples of the result, ans, are:

Latency and Initial Conditions in the Upsample blocks reference page

indicates that when Simulink is in multitasking mode, the first sample of
the blocks frame-based input appears in the output as sample MiL+D+1,
where Mi is the input frame size, L is the Upsample factor, and D is the
Sample offset. This formula predicts that the first input in this example
should appear as output sample 17 (that is, 4*4+0+1).
The first column of the output is the Simulink time provided by the Digital
Clock block. The four values to the right of each time are the values in
the output frame at that time. You can see that the first sample in each
of the first four output frames inherits the value of the Upsample blocks
Initial conditions parameter. As a result of the tasking latency, the first
input value appears as the first sample of the 5th output frame (at t=1).
This is sample 17.
Now try running the model in single-tasking mode.
15 From the Simulation menu, select Model Configuration Parameters.
16 In the Solver pane, from the Type list, select Fixed-step. From the

Solver list, select Discrete (no continuous states).

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Delay and Latency

17 From the Tasking mode for periodic sample times list, select

SingleTasking.
18 Run the model.

The model now runs in single-tasking mode.

19 At the MATLAB command prompt, type squeeze(dsp_examples_yout)'.

The first few samples of the result, ans, are:

Latency and Initial Conditions in the Upsample blocks reference page

indicates that the block has zero latency for all multirate operations in
the Simulink single-tasking mode.
The first column of the output is the Simulink time provided by the Digital
Clock block. The four values to the right of each time are the values in the
output frame at that time. The first input value appears as the first sample
of the first output frame (at t=0). This is the expected behavior for the
zero-latency condition. For the particular parameter settings used in this
example, running upsample_tut1 in single-tasking mode eliminates the
17-sample delay that is present when you run the model in multitasking
mode.
You have now successfully used the Upsample blocks reference page to
predict the tasking latency of a model.

2-77

2-78

Data and Signal Management

3
Filter Analysis, Design, and
Implementation
Design a Filter in Fdesign Process Overview on page 3-2
Design a Filter in the Filterbuilder GUI on page 3-11
Use FDATool with DSP System Toolbox Software on page 3-16
Digital Frequency Transformations on page 3-88
Digital Filter Design Block on page 3-123
Filter Realization Wizard on page 3-134
Digital Filter Block on page 3-147
Analog Filter Design Block on page 3-159

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Design a Filter in Fdesign Process Overview

Process Flow Diagram and Filter Design Methodology
Exploring the Process Flow Diagram on page 3-2
Select a Response on page 3-4
Select a Specification on page 3-4
Select an Algorithm on page 3-6
Customize the Algorithm on page 3-8
Design the Filter on page 3-8
Design Analysis on page 3-9
Realize or Apply the Filter to Input Data on page 3-10
Note You must minimally have the Signal Processing Toolbox installed
to use fdesign and design. Some of the features described below may
be unavailable if your installation does not additionally include the DSP
System Toolbox license. The DSP System Toolbox significantly expands the
functionality available for the specification, design, and analysis of filters.
You can verify the presence of both toolboxes by typing ver at the command
prompt.

Exploring the Process Flow Diagram

The process flow diagram shown in the following figure lists the steps and
shows the order of the filter design process.

3-2

Design a Filter in Fdesign Process Overview

The first four steps of the filter design process relate to the filter Specifications
Object, while the last two steps involve the filter Implementation Object. Both
of these objects are discussed in more detail in the following sections. Step 5
- the design of the filter, is the transition step from the filter Specifications
Object to the Implementation object. The analysis and verification step is

3-3

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

completely optional. It provides methods for the filter designer to ensure that
the filter complies with all design criteria. Depending on the results of this
verification, you can loop back to steps 3 and 4, to either choose a different
algorithm, or to customize the current one. You may also wish to go back to
steps 3 or 4 after you filter the input data with the designed filter (step 7),
and find that you wish to tweak the filter or change it further.
The diagram shows the help command for each step. Enter the help line at the
MATLAB command prompt to receive instructions and further documentation
links for the particular step. Not all of the steps have to be executed explicitly.
For example, you could go from step 1 directly to step 5, and the interim three
steps are done for you by the software.
The following are the details for each of the steps shown above.

Select a Response
If you type:
help fdesign/responses

at the MATLAB command prompt, you see a list of all available filter
responses. The responses marked with an asterisk require the DSP System
Toolbox.
You must select a response to initiate the filter. In this example, a bandpass
filter Specifications Object is created by typing the following:
d = fdesign.bandpass

Select a Specification
A specification is an array of design parameters for a given filter. The
specification is a property of the Specifications Object.
Note A specification is not the same as the Specifications Object. A
Specifications Object contains a specification as one of its properties.

3-4

Design a Filter in Fdesign Process Overview

When you select a filter response, there are a number of different

specifications available. Each one contains a different combination of design
parameters. After you create a filter Specifications Object, you can query the
available specifications for that response. Specifications marked with an
asterisk require the DSP System Toolbox.
>> d = fdesign.bandpass; % step 1 - choose the response
>> set (d, 'specification')
ans =
'Fst1,Fp1,Fp2,Fst2,Ast1,Ap,Ast2'
'N,F3dB1,F3dB2'
'N,F3dB1,F3dB2,Ap'
'N,F3dB1,F3dB2,Ast'
'N,F3dB1,F3dB2,Ast1,Ap,Ast2'
'N,F3dB1,F3dB2,BWp'
'N,F3dB1,F3dB2,BWst'
'N,Fc1,Fc2'
'N,Fp1,Fp2,Ap'
'N,Fp1,Fp2,Ast1,Ap,Ast2'
'N,Fst1,Fp1,Fp2,Fst2'
'N,Fst1,Fp1,Fp2,Fst2,Ap'
'N,Fst1,Fst2,Ast'
'Nb,Na,Fst1,Fp1,Fp2,Fst2'
>> d=fdesign.arbmag;
>> set(d,'specification')
ans =
'N,F,A'
'N,B,F,A'

The set command can be used to select one of the available specifications as
follows:
>> d = fdesign.lowpass; % step 1
>> % step 2: get a list of available specifications
>> set (d, 'specification')

3-5

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

ans =
'Fp,Fst,Ap,Ast'
'N,F3dB'
'N,F3dB,Ap'
'N,F3dB,Ap,Ast'
'N,F3dB,Ast'
'N,F3dB,Fst'
'N,Fc'
'N,Fc,Ap,Ast'
'N,Fp,Ap'
'N,Fp,Ap,Ast'
'N,Fp,F3dB'
'N,Fp,Fst'
'N,Fp,Fst,Ap'
'N,Fp,Fst,Ast'
'N,Fst,Ap,Ast'
'N,Fst,Ast'
'Nb,Na,Fp,Fst'
>> %step 2: set the required specification
>> set (d, 'specification', 'N,Fc')

If you do not perform this step explicitly, fdesign returns the default
specification for the response you chose in Select a Response on page 3-4, and
provides default values for all design parameters included in the specification.

Select an Algorithm
The availability of algorithms depends the chosen filter response, the design
parameters, and the availability of the DSP System Toolbox. In other words,
for the same lowpass filter, changing the specification string also changes the
available algorithms. In the following example, for a lowpass filter and a
specification of 'N, Fc', only one algorithm is availablewindow.
>> %step 2: set the required specification
>> set (d, 'specification', 'N,Fc')
>> designmethods (d) %step3: get available algorithms

Design Methods for class fdesign.lowpass (N,Fc):

3-6

Design a Filter in Fdesign Process Overview

window

However, for a specification of 'Fp,Fst,Ap,Ast', a number of algorithms are

available. If the user has only the Signal Processing Toolbox installed, the
following algorithms are available:
>>set (d, 'specification', 'Fp,Fst,Ap,Ast')
>>designmethods(d)
Design Methods for class fdesign.lowpass (Fp,Fst,Ap,Ast):

butter
cheby1
cheby2
ellip
equiripple
kaiserwin

If the user additionally has the DSP System Toolbox installed, the number of
available algorithms for this response and specification string increases:
>>set(d,'specification','Fp,Fst,Ap,Ast')
>>designmethods(d)

Design Methods for class fdesign.lowpass (Fp,Fst,Ap,Ast):

butter
cheby1
cheby2
ellip
equiripple
ifir
kaiserwin
multistage

3-7

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

The user chooses a particular algorithm and implements the filter with the
design function.
>>Hd=design(d,'butter');

The preceding code actually creates the filter, where Hd is the filter
Implementation Object. This concept is discussed further in the next step.
If you do not perform this step explicitly, design automatically selects the
optimum algorithm for the chosen response and specification.

Customize the Algorithm

The customization options available for any given algorithm depend not only
on the algorithm itself, selected in Select an Algorithm on page 3-6, but also
on the specification selected in Select a Specification on page 3-4. To explore
all the available options, type the following at the MATLAB command prompt:
help (d, 'algorithm-name')

where d is the Filter Specification Object, and algorithm-name is the name of

the algorithm in single quotes, such as 'butter' or 'cheby1'.
The application of these customization options takes place while Design
the Filter on page 3-8, because these options are the properties of the filter
Implementation Object, not the Specification Object.
If you do not perform this step explicitly, the optimum algorithm structure is
selected.

Design the Filter

This next task introduces a new object, the Filter Object, or dfilt. To create
a filter, use the design command:
>> % design filter w/o specifying the algorithm
>> Hd = design(d);

where Hd is the Filter Object and d is the Specifications Object. This code
creates a filter without specifying the algorithm. When the algorithm is not
specified, the software selects the best available one.

3-8

Design a Filter in Fdesign Process Overview

To apply the algorithm chosen in Select an Algorithm on page 3-6, use the
same design command, but specify the Butterworth algorithm as follows:
>> Hd = design(d, 'butter');

where Hd is the new Filter Object, and d is the Specifications Object.

To obtain help and see all the available options, type:
>> help fdesign/design

This help command describes not only the options for the design command
itself, but also options that pertain to the method or the algorithm. If you
are customizing the algorithm, you apply these options in this step. In the
following example, you design a bandpass filter, and then modify the filter
structure:
>> Hd = design(d, 'butter', 'filterstructure', 'df2sos')
f =
FilterStructure:
Arithmetic:
sosMatrix:
ScaleValues:
PersistentMemory:

'Direct-Form II, Second-Order Sections'

'double'
[7x6 double]
[8x1 double]
false

The filter design step, just like the first task of choosing a response, must be
performed explicitly. A Filter Object is created only when design is called.

Design Analysis
After the filter is designed you may wish to analyze it to determine if the filter
satisfies the design criteria. Filter analysis is broken into three main sections:
Frequency domain analysis Includes the magnitude response, group
delay, and pole-zero plots.
Time domain analysis Includes impulse and step response
Implementation analysis Includes quantization noise and cost

3-9

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

To display help for analysis of a discrete-time filter, type:

>> help dfilt/analysis

To display help for analysis of a multirate filter, type:

>> help mfilt/functions

To analyze your filter, you must explicitly perform this step.

Realize or Apply the Filter to Input Data

After the filter is designed and optimized, it can be used to filter actual input
data. The basic filter command takes input data x, filters it through the Filter
Object, and produces output y:
>> y = filter (FilterObj, x)

This step is never automatically performed for you. To filter your data, you
must explicitly execute this step. To understand how the filtering commands
work, type:
>> help dfilt/filter

Note If you have Simulink, you have the option of exporting this filter
to a Simulink block using the realizemdl command. To get help on this
command, type:
>> help realizemdl

3-10

Design a Filter in the Filterbuilder GUI

Design a Filter in the Filterbuilder GUI

The Graphical Interface to Fdesign
Introduction to Filterbuilder on page 3-11
Filterbuilder Design Process on page 3-11
Select a Response on page 3-12
Select a Specification on page 3-13
Select an Algorithm on page 3-13
Customize the Algorithm on page 3-13
Analyze the Design on page 3-13
Realize or Apply the Filter to Input Data on page 3-14

Introduction to Filterbuilder
The filterbuilder function provides a graphical interface to the
fdesign object-oriented filter design paradigm and is intended to reduce
development time during the filter design process. filterbuilder uses a
specification-centered approach to find the best filter for the desired response.
Note filterbuilder requires the Signal Processing Toolbox. The
functionality of filterbuilder is greatly expanded by the DSP System
Toolbox. Some of the features described or displayed below are only available
if the DSP System Toolbox is installed. You may verify your installation by
typing ver at the command prompt.

Filterbuilder Design Process

The design process when using filterbuilder is similar to the process
outlined in the section titled Process Flow Diagram and Filter Design
Methodology in the Getting Started guide. The idea is to choose the
constraints and specifications of the filter, and to use those as a starting point
in the design. Postponing the choice of algorithm for the filter allows the
best design method to be determined automatically, based upon the desired

3-11

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

performance criteria. The following are the details of each of the steps for
designing a filter with filterbuilder.

Select a Response
When you open the filterbuilder tool by typing:
filterbuilder

at the MATLAB command prompt, the Response Selection dialog box

appears, listing all possible filter responses available in the software. If you
have the DSP System Toolbox software installed, you have access to the full
complement of filter responses.
Note This step cannot be skipped because it is not automatically completed
for you by the software. You must select a response to initiate the filter design
process.
After you choose a response, say bandpass, you start the design of the
Specifications Object, and the Bandpass Design dialog box appears.
This dialog box contains a Main pane, a Data Types pane and a Code
Generation pane. The specifications of your filter are generally set in the
Main pane of the dialog box.
The Data Types pane provides settings for precision and data types, and the
Code Generation pane contains options for various implementations of
the completed filter design.
For the initial design of your filter, you will mostly use the Main pane.
The Bandpass Design dialog box contains all the parameters you need to
determine the specifications of a bandpass filter. The parameters listed in
the Main pane depend upon the type of filter you are designing. However,
no matter what type of filter you have chosen in the Response Selection
dialog box, the filter design dialog box contains the Main, Data Types, and
Code Generation panes.

3-12

Design a Filter in the Filterbuilder GUI

Select a Specification
To choose the specification for the bandpass filter, you can begin by selecting
an Impulse Response, Order Mode, and Filter Type in the Filter
Specifications frame of the Main Pane. You can further specify the
response of your filter by setting frequency and magnitude specifications in
the appropriate frames on the Main Pane.
Note Frequency, Magnitude, and Algorithm specifications are
interdependent and may change based upon your Filter Specifications
selections. When choosing specifications for your filter, select your Filter
Specifications first and work your way down the dialog box- this approach
ensures that the best settings for dependent specifications display as available
in the dialog box.

Select an Algorithm
The algorithms available for your filter depend upon the filter response and
design parameters you have selected in the previous steps. For example, in the
case of a bandpass filter, if the impulse response selected is IIR and the Order
Mode field is set toMinimum, the design methods available are Butterworth,
Chebyshev type I or II, or Elliptic, whereas if the Order Mode field is set
to Specify, the design method available is IIR least p-norm.

Customize the Algorithm

By expanding the Design options section of the Algorithm frame, you can
further customize the algorithm specified. The options available will depend
upon the algorithm and settings that have already been selected in the dialog
box. In the case of a bandpass IIR filter using the Butterworth method,
design options such as Match Exactly are available.

Analyze the Design

To analyze the filter response, click on the View Filter Response button. The
Filter Visualization Tool opens displaying the magnitude plot of the filter
response.

3-13

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Realize or Apply the Filter to Input Data

When you have achieved the desired filter response through design iterations
and analysis using the Filter Visualization Tool, apply the filter to the
input data. Again, this step is never automatically performed for you by the
software. To filter your data, you must explicitly execute this step. In the
Filter Visualization Tool, click OK and DSP System Toolbox software
creates the filter object with the name specified in the Save variable as field
and exports it to the MATLAB workspace.
The filter is then ready to be used to filter actual input data. The basic filter
command takes input data x, filters it through the Filter Object, and produces
output y:
>> y = filter (FilterObj, x)

To understand how the filtering commands work, type:

>> help dfilt/filter

3-14

Design a Filter in the Filterbuilder GUI

Tip If you have Simulink, you have the option of exporting this filter to
a Simulink block using the realizemdl command. To get help on this
command, type:
>> help realizemdl

3-15

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Use FDATool with DSP System Toolbox Software

In this section...
Design Advanced Filters in FDATool on page 3-16
Access the Quantization Features of FDATool on page 3-21
Quantize Filters in FDATool on page 3-23
Analyze Filters with a Noise-Based Method on page 3-31
Scale Second-Order Section Filters on page 3-38
Reorder the Sections of Second-Order Section Filters on page 3-43
View SOS Filter Sections on page 3-49
Import and Export Quantized Filters on page 3-54
Generate MATLAB Code on page 3-59
Import XILINX Coefficient (.COE) Files on page 3-60
Transform Filters Using FDATool on page 3-60
Design Multirate Filters in FDATool on page 3-70
Realize Filters as Simulink Subsystem Blocks on page 3-84

Design Advanced Filters in FDATool

Overview of FDATool Features on page 3-16
Use FDATool with DSP System Toolbox Software on page 3-17
Design a Notch Filter on page 3-18

Overview of FDATool Features

DSP System Toolbox software adds new dialog boxes and operating modes,
and new menu selections, to the Filter Design and Analysis Tool (FDATool)
provided by Signal Processing Toolbox software. From the additional dialog
boxes, one titled Set Quantization Parameters and one titled Frequency
Transformations, you can:

3-16

Use FDATool with DSP System Toolbox Software

Design advanced filters that Signal Processing Toolbox software does not
provide the design tools to develop.
View Simulink models of the filter structures available in the toolbox.
Quantize double-precision filters you design in this GUI using the design
mode.
Quantize double-precision filters you import into this GUI using the import
mode.
Analyze quantized filters.
Scale second-order section filters.
Select the quantization settings for the properties of the quantized filter
displayed by the tool:

Coefficients select the quantization options applied to the filter

coefficients

Input/output control how the filter processes input and output data
Filter Internals specify how the arithmetic for the filter behaves

Design multirate filters.

Transform both FIR and IIR filters from one response to another.
After you import a filter into FDATool, the options on the quantization
dialog box let you quantize the filter and investigate the effects of various
quantization settings.
Options in the frequency transformations dialog box let you change the
frequency response of your filter, keeping various important features while
changing the response shape.

Use FDATool with DSP System Toolbox Software

Adding DSP System Toolbox software to your tool suite adds a number of filter
design techniques to FDATool. Use the new filter responses to develop filters
that meet more complex requirements than those you can design in Signal
Processing Toolbox software. While the designs in FDATool are available as
command line functions, the graphical user interface of FDATool makes the
design process more clear and easier to accomplish.

3-17

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

As you select a response type, the options in the right panes in FDATool
change to let you set the values that define your filter. You also see that the
analysis area includes a diagram (called a design mask) that describes the
options for the filter response you choose.
By reviewing the mask you can see how the options are defined and how
to use them. While this is usually straightforward for lowpass or highpass
filter responses, setting the options for the arbitrary response types or the
peaking/notching filters is more complicated. Having the masks leads you
to your result more easily.
Changing the filter design method changes the available response type
options. Similarly, the response type you select may change the filter design
methods you can choose.

Design a Notch Filter

Notch filters aim to remove one or a few frequencies from a broader spectrum.
You must specify the frequencies to remove by setting the filter design options
in FDATool appropriately:
Response Type
Design Method
Frequency Specifications
Magnitude Specifications
Here is how you design a notch filter that removes concert A (440 Hz) from
an input musical signal spectrum.
1 Select Notching from the Differentiator list in Response Type.
2 Select IIR in Filter Design Method and choose Single Notch from the

list.
3 For the Frequency Specifications, set Units to Hz and Fs, the full scale

frequency, to 1000.
4 Set the location of the center of the notch, in either normalized frequency

or Hz. For the notch center at 440 Hz, enter 440.

3-18

Use FDATool with DSP System Toolbox Software

5 To shape the notch, enter the bandwidth, bw, to be 40.

6 Leave the Magnitude Specification in dB (the default) and leave Apass

as 1.
7 Click Design Filter.

FDATool computes the filter coefficients and plots the filter magnitude
response in the analysis area for you to review.
When you design a single notch filter, you do not have the option of setting
the filter order the Filter Order options are disabled.
Your filter should look about like this:

3-19

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

For more information about a design method, refer to the online Help system.
For instance, to get further information about the Q setting for the notch
filter in FDATool, enter
doc iirnotch

at the command line. This opens the Help browser and displays the reference
page for function iirnotch.

3-20

Use FDATool with DSP System Toolbox Software

Designing other filters follows a similar procedure, adjusting for different

design specification options as each design requires.
Any one of the designs may be quantized in FDATool and analyzed with the
available analyses on the Analysis menu.

Access the Quantization Features of FDATool

You use the quantization panel in FDATool to quantize filters. Quantization
represents the fourth operating mode for FDATool, along with the filter
design, filter transformation, and import modes. To switch to quantization
mode, open FDATool from the MATLAB command prompt by entering
fdatool

When FDATool opens, click the Set Quantization Parameters button

on the side bar. FDATool switches to quantization mode and you see the
following panel at the bottom of FDATool, with the default double-precision
option shown for Filter arithmetic.

3-21

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

The Filter arithmetic option lets you quantize filters and investigate the
effects of changing quantization settings. To enable the quantization settings
in FDATool, select Fixed-point from the Filter Arithmetic.
The quantization options appear in the lower panel of FDATool. You see tabs
that access various sets of options for quantizing your filter.
You use the following tabs in the dialog box to perform tasks related to
quantizing filters in FDATool:
Coefficients provides access the settings for defining the coefficient
quantization. This is the default active panel when you switch FDATool
to quantization mode without a quantized filter in the tool. When you

3-22

Use FDATool with DSP System Toolbox Software

import a fixed-point filter into FDATool, this is the active pane when you
switch to quantization mode.
Input/Output switches FDATool to the options for quantizing the inputs
and outputs for your filter.
Filter Internals lets you set a variety of options for the arithmetic your
filter performs, such as how the filter handles the results of multiplication
operations or how the filter uses the accumulator.
Apply applies changes you make to the quantization parameters for
your filter.

Quantize Filters in FDATool

Set Quantization Parameters on page 3-23
Coefficients Options on page 3-24
Input/Output Options on page 3-26
Filter Internals Options on page 3-27
Filter Internals Options for CIC Filters on page 3-30

Set Quantization Parameters

Quantized filters have properties that define how they quantize data you
filter. Use the Set Quantization Parameters dialog box in FDATool to set
the properties. Using options in the Set Quantization Parameters dialog
box, FDATool lets you perform a number of tasks:
Create a quantized filter from a double-precision filter after either
importing the filter from your workspace, or using FDATool to design the
prototype filter.
Create a quantized filter that has the default structure (Direct form II
transposed) or any structure you choose, and other property values you
select.
Change the quantization property values for a quantized filter after you
design the filter or import it from your workspace.

3-23

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

When you click Set Quantization Parameters, and then change Filter
arithmetic to Fixed-point, the quantized filter panel opens in FDATool,
with the coefficient quantization options set to default values.

Coefficients Options
To let you set the properties for the filter coefficients that make up your
quantized filter, FDATool lists options for numerator word length (and
denominator word length if you have an IIR filter). The following table lists
each coefficients option and a short description of what the option setting
does in the filter.

3-24

Option Name

When Used

Description

Numerator Word Length

FIR filters only

Sets the word length used to

represent numerator coefficients in
FIR filters.

Numerator Frac. Length

FIR/IIR

Sets the fraction length used to

interpret numerator coefficients in
FIR filters.

Numerator Range (+/-)

FIR/IIR

Lets you set the range the

numerators represent. You use this
instead of the Numerator Frac.
Length option to set the precision.
When you enter a value x, the
resulting range is -x to x. Range
must be a positive integer.

Coefficient Word Length

IIR filters only

Sets the word length used to

represent both numerator and
denominator coefficients in IIR
filters. You cannot set different
word lengths for the numerator and
denominator coefficients.

Denominator Frac. Length

IIR filters

Sets the fraction length used to

interpret denominator coefficients
in IIR filters.

Use FDATool with DSP System Toolbox Software

Option Name

When Used

Description

Denominator Range (+/-)

IIR filters

Lets you set the range the

denominator coefficients represent.
You use this instead of the
Denominator Frac. Length
option to set the precision. When
you enter a value x, the resulting
range is -x to x. Range must be a
positive integer.

Best-precision fraction
lengths

All filters

Directs FDATool to select the

fraction lengths for numerator
(and denominator where available)
values to maximize the filter
performance. Selecting this option
disables all of the fraction length
options for the filter.

Scale Values frac. length

SOS IIR filters

Sets the fraction length used to

interpret the scale values in SOS
filters.

Scale Values range (+/-)

SOS IIR filters

Lets you set the range the SOS

scale values represent. You use
this with SOS filters to adjust the
scaling used between filter sections.
Setting this value disables the
Scale Values frac. length option.
When you enter a value x, the
resulting range is -x to x. Range
must be a positive integer.

Use unsigned
representation

All filters

Tells FDATool to interpret the

coefficients as unsigned values.

Scale the numerator

coefficients to fully utilize
the entire dynamic range

All filters

Directs FDATool to scale the

numerator coefficients to effectively
use the dynamic range defined by
the numerator word length and
fraction length format.

3-25

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Input/Output Options
The options that specify how the quantized filter uses input and output values
are listed in the table below.

3-26

Option Name

When Used

Description

Input Word Length

All filters

Sets the word length used to represent

the input to a filter.

Input fraction length

All filters

Sets the fraction length used to interpret

input values to filter.

Input range (+/-)

All filters

Lets you set the range the inputs

represent. You use this instead of the
Input fraction length option to set the
precision. When you enter a value x, the
resulting range is -x to x. Range must be
a positive integer.

Output word length

All filters

Sets the word length used to represent

the output from a filter.

Avoid overflow

All filters

Directs the filter to set the fraction length

for the input to prevent the output values
from exceeding the available range as
defined by the word length. Clearing
this option lets you set Output fraction
length.

Output fraction
length

All filters

Sets the fraction length used to represent

output values from a filter.

Output range (+/-)

All filters

Lets you set the range the outputs

represent. You use this instead of the
Output fraction length option to set
the precision. When you enter a value
x, the resulting range is -x to x. Range
must be a positive integer.

Stage input word

length

SOS filters only

Sets the word length used to represent

the input to an SOS filter section.

Use FDATool with DSP System Toolbox Software

Option Name

When Used

Description

Avoid overflow

SOS filters only

Directs the filter to use a fraction length

for stage inputs that prevents overflows
in the values. When you clear this option,
you can set Stage input fraction
length.

Stage input fraction

length

SOS filters only

Sets the fraction length used to represent

input to a section of an SOS filter.

Stage output word

length

SOS filters only

Sets the word length used to represent

the output from an SOS filter section.

Avoid overflow

SOS filters only

Directs the filter to use a fraction length

for stage outputs that prevents overflows
in the values. When you clear this option,
you can set Stage output fraction
length.

Stage output fraction

length

SOS filters only

Sets the fraction length used to represent

the output from a section of an SOS filter.

Filter Internals Options

The options that specify how the quantized filter performs arithmetic
operations are listed in the table below.

Option

Equivalent Filter
Property (Using
Wildcard *)

Round towards

RoundMode

Description
Sets the mode the filter uses to quantize
numeric values when the values lie
between representable values for the
data format (word and fraction lengths).
Choose from one of:
ceil - Round toward positive infinity.
convergent - Round to the closest
representable integer. Ties round to
the nearest even stored integer. This

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Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Option

Equivalent Filter
Property (Using
Wildcard *)

Description
is the least biased of the methods
available in this software.
fix/zero - Round toward zero.
floor - Round toward negative
infinity.
nearest - Round toward nearest. Ties
round toward positive infinity.
round - Round toward nearest.
Ties round toward negative infinity
for negative numbers, and toward
positive infinity for positive numbers.

Overflow Mode

OverflowMode

Sets the mode used to respond to

overflow conditions in fixed-point
arithmetic. Choose from either
saturate (limit the output to the largest
positive or negative representable value)
or wrap (set overflowing values to the
nearest representable value using
modular arithmetic.

Filter Product (Multiply) Options

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Product Mode

ProductMode

Determines how the filter handles the

output of product operations. Choose
from full precision (FullPrecision), or
whether to keep the most significant
bit (KeepMSB) or least significant bit
(KeepLSB) in the result when you need to
shorten the word length. Specify all
lets you set the fraction length applied
to the results of product operations.

Product word length

*ProdWordLength

Sets the word length applied to interpret

the results of multiply operations.

Use FDATool with DSP System Toolbox Software

Option

Equivalent Filter
Property (Using
Wildcard *)

Num. fraction length

NumProdFracLength

Sets the fraction length used to interpret

the results of product operations that
involve numerator coefficients.

Den. fraction length

DenProdFracLength

Sets the fraction length used to interpret

the results of product operations that
involve denominator coefficients.

Accum. mode

AccumMode

Determines how the accumulator

outputs stored values. Choose from
full precision (FullPrecision), or
whether to keep the most significant
bits (KeepMSB) or least significant
bits (KeepLSB) when output results
need shorter word length than the
accumulator supports. To let you set
the word length and the precision (the
fraction length) used by the output from
the accumulator, set this to Specify
all.

Accum. word length

*AccumWordLength

Sets the word length used to store data

in the accumulator/buffer.

Num. fraction length

NumAccumFracLength

Sets the fraction length used to interpret

the numerator coefficients.

Den. fraction length

DenAccumFracLength

Sets the fraction length the filter uses to

interpret denominator coefficients.

Cast signals before

sum

CastBeforeSum

Specifies whether to cast numeric data

to the appropriate accumulator format
(as shown in the signal flow diagrams for
each filter structure) before performing
sum operations.

Description

Filter Sum Options

Filter State Options

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Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Option

Equivalent Filter
Property (Using
Wildcard *)

State word length

*StateWordLength

Sets the word length used to represent

the filter states. Applied to both
numerator- and denominator-related
states

Avoid overflow

None

Prevent overflows in arithmetic

calculations by setting the fraction
length appropriately.

State fraction length

*StateFracLength

Lets you set the fraction length

applied to interpret the filter states.
Applied to both numerator- and
denominator-related states

Description

Note When you apply changes to the values in the Filter Internals pane, the
plots for the Magnitude response estimate and Round-off noise power
spectrum analyses update to reflect those changes. Other types of analyses
are not affected by changes to the values in the Filter Internals pane.

Filter Internals Options for CIC Filters

CIC filters use slightly different options for specifying the fixed-point
arithmetic in the filter. The next table shows and describes the options.
Quantize Double-Precision Filters. When you are quantizing a
double-precision filter by switching to fixed-point or single-precision floating
point arithmetic, follow these steps.
1 Click Set Quantization Parameters to display the Set Quantization

Parameters pane in FDATool.

2 Select Single-precision floating point or Fixed-point from Filter

arithmetic.

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When you select one of the optional arithmetic settings, FDATool quantizes
the current filter according to the settings of the options in the Set
Quantization Parameter panes, and changes the information displayed in
the analysis area to show quantized filter data.
3 In the quantization panes, set the options for your filter. Set options for

Coefficients, Input/Output, and Filter Internals.

4 Click Apply.

FDATool quantizes your filter using your new settings.

5 Use the analysis features in FDATool to determine whether your new

quantized filter meets your requirements.

Change the Quantization Properties of Quantized Filters. When you
are changing the settings for the quantization of a quantized filter, or after
you import a quantized filter from your MATLAB workspace, follow these
steps to set the property values for the filter:
1 Verify that the current filter is quantized.
2 Click Set Quantization Parameters to display the Set Quantization

Parameters panel.
3 Review and select property settings for the filter quantization:

Coefficients, Input/Output, and Filter Internals. Settings for options

on these panes determine how your filter quantizes data during filtering
operations.
4 Click Apply to update your current quantized filter to use the new

quantization property settings from Step 3.

5 Use the analysis features in FDATool to determine whether your new

quantized filter meets your requirements.

Analyze Filters with a Noise-Based Method

Analyze Filters with the Magnitude Response Estimate Method on page
3-32

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Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Compare the Estimated and Theoretical Magnitude Responses on page

3-36
Select Quantized Filter Structures on page 3-36
Convert the Structure of a Quantized Filter on page 3-36
Convert Filters to Second-Order Sections Form on page 3-37

Analyze Filters with the Magnitude Response Estimate Method

After you design and quantize your filter, the Magnitude Response
Estimate option on the Analysis menu lets you apply the noise loading
method to your filter. When you select Analysis > Magnitude Response
Estimate from the menu bar, FDATool immediately starts the Monte Carlo
trials that form the basis for the method and runs the analysis, ending by
displaying the results in the analysis area in FDATool.
With the noise-based method, you estimate the complex frequency response
for your filter as determined by applying a noise- like signal to the filter input.
Magnitude Response Estimate uses the Monte Carlo trials to generate a
noise signal that contains complete frequency content across the range 0 to
Fs. The first time you run the analysis, magnitude response estimate uses
default settings for the various conditions that define the process, such as the
number of test points and the number of trials.

3-32

Analysis Parameter

Default
Setting

Number of Points

512

Number of equally spaced points

around the upper half of the unit
circle.

Frequency Range

0 to Fs/2

Frequency range of the plot

x-axis.

Frequency Units

Hz

Units for specifying the frequency

range.

Sampling Frequency

48000

Inverse of the sampling period.

Description

Use FDATool with DSP System Toolbox Software

Analysis Parameter

Default
Setting

Frequency Scale

dB

Units used for the y-axis display

of the output.

Normalized
Frequency

Off

Use normalized frequency for the

display.

Description

After your first analysis run ends, open the Analysis Parameters dialog
box and adjust your settings appropriately, such as changing the number of
trials or number of points.
To open the Analysis Parameters dialog box, use either of the next
procedures when you have a quantized filter in FDATool:
Select Analysis > Analysis Parameters from the menu bar
Right-click in the filter analysis area and select Analysis Parameters
from the context menu
Whichever option you choose opens the dialog box. Notice that the settings
for the options reflect the defaults.
Noise Method Applied to a Filter. To demonstrate the magnitude response
estimate method, start by creating a quantized filter. For this example, use
FDATool to design a sixth-order Butterworth IIR filter.
To Use Noise-Based Analysis in FDATool.
1 Enter fdatool at the MATLAB prompt to launch FDATool.
2 Under Response Type, select Highpass.
3 Select IIR in Design Method. Then select Butterworth.
4 To set the filter order to 6, select Specify order under Filter Order.

Enter 6 in the text box.

5 Click Design Filter.

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Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

In FDATool, the analysis area changes to display the magnitude response

for your filter.
6 To generate the quantized version of your filter, using default quantizer

settings, click

on the side bar.

FDATool switches to quantization mode and displays the quantization

panel.
7 From Filter arithmetic, select fixed-point.

Now the analysis areas shows the magnitude response for both filters
your original filter and the fixed-point arithmetic version.
8 Finally, to use noise-based estimation on your quantized filter, select

Analysis > Magnitude Response Estimate from the menu bar.

FDATool runs the trial, calculates the estimated magnitude response for
the filter, and displays the result in the analysis area as shown in this
figure.

In the above figure you see the magnitude response as estimated by the
analysis method.

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Use FDATool with DSP System Toolbox Software

View the Noise Power Spectrum. When you use the noise method to
estimate the magnitude response of a filter, FDATool simulates and applies
a spectrum of noise values to test your filter response. While the simulated
noise is essentially white, you might want to see the actual spectrum that
FDATool used to test your filter.
From the Analysis menu bar option, select Round-off Noise Power
Spectrum. In the analysis area in FDATool, you see the spectrum of the
noise used to estimate the filter response. The details of the noise spectrum,
such as the range and number of data points, appear in the Analysis
Parameters dialog box.
For more information, refer to McClellan, et al., Computer-Based Exercises
for Signal Processing Using MATLAB 5, Prentice-Hall, 1998. See Project 5:
Quantization Noise in Digital Filters, page 231.
Change Your Noise Analysis Parameters. In Noise Method Applied
to a Filter on page 3-33, you used synthetic white noise to estimate the
magnitude response for a fixed-point highpass Butterworth filter. Since you
ran the estimate only once in FDATool, your noise analysis used the default
analysis parameters settings shown in Analyze Filters with the Magnitude
Response Estimate Method on page 3-32.
To change the settings, follow these steps after the first time you use the
noise estimate on your quantized filter.
1 With the results from running the noise estimating method displayed in

the FDATool analysis area, select Analysis > Analysis Parameters

from the menu bar.
To give you access to the analysis parameters, the Analysis Parameters
dialog box opens (with default settings).
2 To use more points in the spectrum to estimate the magnitude response,

change Number of Points to 1024 and click OK to run the analysis.

FDATool closes the Analysis Parameters dialog box and reruns the noise
estimate, returning the results in the analysis area.
To rerun the test without closing the dialog box, press Enter after you type
your new value into a setting, then click Apply. Now FDATool runs the

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Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

test without closing the dialog box. When you want to try many different
settings for the noise-based analysis, this is a useful shortcut.

Compare the Estimated and Theoretical Magnitude Responses

An important measure of the effectiveness of the noise method for estimating
the magnitude response of a quantized filter is to compare the estimated
response to the theoretical response.
One way to do this comparison is to overlay the theoretical response on the
estimated response. While you have the Magnitude Response Estimate
displaying in FDATool, select Analysis > Overlay Analysis from the menu
bar. Then select Magnitude Response to show both response curves plotted
together in the analysis area.

Select Quantized Filter Structures

FDATool lets you change the structure of any quantized filter. Use the
Convert structure option to change the structure of your filter to one that
meets your needs.
To learn about changing the structure of a filter in FDATool, refer to
Converting the Filter Structure on page 13-23 in your Signal Processing
Toolbox documentation.

Convert the Structure of a Quantized Filter

You use the Convert structure option to change the structure of filter. When
the Source is Designed(Quantized) or Imported(Quantized), Convert
structure lets you recast the filter to one of the following structures:
Direct Form II Transposed Filter Structure
Direct Form I Transposed Filter Structure
Direct Form II Filter Structure
Direct Form I Filter Structure
Direct Form Finite Impulse Response (FIR) Filter Structure
Direct Form FIR Transposed Filter Structure
Lattice Autoregressive Moving Average (ARMA) Filter Structure

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Use FDATool with DSP System Toolbox Software

dfilt.calattice
dfilt.calatticepc
Direct Form Antisymmetric FIR Filter Structure (Any Order)
Starting from any quantized filter, you can convert to one of the following
representation:
Direct form I
Direct form II
Direct form I transposed
Direct form II transposed
Lattice ARMA
Additionally, FDATool lets you do the following conversions:
Minimum phase FIR filter to Lattice MA minimum phase
Maximum phase FIR filter to Lattice MA maximum phase
Allpass filters to Lattice allpass
Refer to FilterStructure for details about each of these structures.

Convert Filters to Second-Order Sections Form

To learn about using FDATool to convert your quantized filter to use
second-order sections, refer to Converting to Second-Order Sections on page
13-25 in your Signal Processing Toolbox documentation. You might notice
that filters you design in FDATool, rather than filters you imported, are
implemented in SOS form.
View Filter Structures in FDATool. To open the demonstration, click
Help > Show filter structures. After the Help browser opens, you see the
reference page for the current filter. You find the filter structure signal flow
diagram on this reference page, or you can navigate to reference pages for
other filter.

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Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Scale Second-Order Section Filters

Use the Reordering and Scaling Second-Order Sections Dialog Box on
page 3-38
Scale an SOS Filter on page 3-40

Use the Reordering and Scaling Second-Order Sections Dialog

Box
FDATool provides the ability to scale SOS filters after you create them. Using
options on the Reordering and Scaling Second-Order Sections dialog box,
FDATool scales either or both the filter numerators and filter scale values
according to your choices for the scaling options.

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Use FDATool with DSP System Toolbox Software

Parameter

Description and Valid Value

Scale

Apply any scaling options to the filter. Select this

when you are reordering your SOS filter and you
want to scale it at the same time. Or when you
are scaling your filter, with or without reordering.
Scaling is disabled by default.

No Overflow High
SNR slider

Lets you set whether scaling favors reducing

arithmetic overflow in the filter or maximizing
the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at the filter
output. Moving the slider to the right increases
the emphasis on SNR at the expense of possible
overflows. The markings indicate the P-norm
applied to achieve the desired result in SNR or
overflow protection. For more information about
the P-norm settings, refer to norm for details.

Maximum
Numerator

Maximum allowed value for numerator

coefficients after scaling.

Numerator
Constraint

Specifies whether and how to constrain

numerator coefficient values. Options are none,
normalize, power of 2, and unit. Choosing
none lets the scaling use any scale value for
the numerators by removing any constraints
on the numerators, except that the coefficients
will be clipped if they exceed the Maximum
Numerator. With Normalize the maximum
absolute value of the numerator is forced to equal
the Maximum Numerator value (for all other
constraints, the Maximum Numerator is only
an upper limit, above which coefficients will be
clipped). The power of 2 option forces scaling to
use numerator values that are powers of 2, such
as 2 or 0.5. With unit, the leading coefficient of
each numerator is forced to a value of 1.

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Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Parameter

Description and Valid Value

Overflow Mode

Sets the way the filter handles arithmetic

overflow situations during scaling. Choose
from either saturate (limit the output to the
largest positive or negative representable value)
or wrap (set overflowing values to the nearest
representable value using modular arithmetic.

Scale Value
Constraint

Specify whether to constrain the filter scale

values, and how to constrain them. Valid options
are unit, power of 2, and none. Choosing unit
for the constraint disables the Max. Scale
Value setting and forces scale values to equal
1. Power of 2 constrains the scale values to be
powers of 2, such as 2 or 0.5, while none removes
any constraint on the scale values, except that
they cannot exceed the Max. Scale Value.

Max. Scale Value

Sets the maximum allowed scale values. SOS

filter scaling applies the Max. Scale Value limit
only when you set Scale Value Constraint to
a value other than unit (the default setting).
Setting a maximum scale value removes any
other limits on the scale values.

Revert to Original
Filter

Returns your filter to the original scaling. Being

able to revert to your original filter makes it
easier to assess the results of scaling your filter.

Various combinations of settings let you scale filter numerators without

changing the scale values, or adjust the filter scale values without changing
the numerators. There is no scaling control for denominators.

Scale an SOS Filter

Start the process by designing a lowpass elliptical filter in FDATool.
1 Launch FDATool.
2 In Response Type, select Lowpass.

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Use FDATool with DSP System Toolbox Software

3 In Design Method, select IIR and Elliptic from the IIR design methods

list.
4 Select Minimum Order for the filter.
5 Switch the frequency units by choosing Normalized(0 to 1) from the

Units list.
6 To set the passband specifications, enter 0.45 for wpass and 0.55 for

wstop. Finally, in Magnitude Specifications, set Astop to 60.

7 Click Design Filter to design the filter.

After FDATool finishes designing the filter, you see the following plot and
settings in the tool.

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Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

You kept the Options setting for Match exactly as both, meaning the
filter design matches the specification for the passband and the stopband.
8 To switch to scaling the filter, select Edit > Reorder and Scale

Second-Order Sections from the menu bar.

9 To see the filter coefficients, return to FDATool and select Filter

Coefficients from the Analysis menu. FDATool displays the coefficients

and scale values in FDATool.
With the coefficients displayed you can see the effects of scaling your filter
directly in the scale values and filter coefficients.

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Use FDATool with DSP System Toolbox Software

Now try scaling the filter in a few different ways. First scale the filter to
maximize the SNR.
1 Return to the Reordering and Scaling Second-Order Sections dialog

box and select None for Reordering in the left pane. This prevents
FDATool from reordering the filter sections when you rescale the filter.
2 Move the No OverflowHigh SNR slider from No Overflow to High

SNR.
3 Click Apply to scale the filter and leave the dialog box open.

After a few moments, FDATool updates the coefficients displayed so you

see the new scaling.
All of the scale factors are now 1, and the SOS matrix of coefficients shows
that none of the numerator coefficients are 1 and the first denominator
coefficient of each section is 1.
4 Click Revert to Original Filter to restore the filter to the original

settings for scaling and coefficients.

Reorder the Sections of Second-Order Section Filters

Reorder Filters Using FDATool
FDATool designs most discrete-time filters in second-order sections.
Generally, SOS filters resist the effects of quantization changes when you
create fixed-point filters. After you have a second-order section filter in
FDATool, either one you designed in the tool, or one you imported, FDATool
provides the capability to change the order of the sections that compose the
filter. Any SOS filter in FDATool allows reordering of the sections.
To reorder the sections of a filter, you access the Reorder and Scaling of
Second-Order Sections dialog box in FDATool.
With your SOS filter in FDATool, select Edit > Reorder and Scale from
the menu bar. FDATool returns the reordering dialog box shown here with
the default settings.

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Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Controls on the Reordering and Scaling of Second-Order Sections dialog box

In this dialog box, the left-hand side contains options for reordering SOS
filters. On the right you see the scaling options. These are independent
reordering your filter does not require scaling (note the Scale option) and
scaling does not require that you reorder your filter (note the None option
under Reordering). For more about scaling SOS filters, refer to Scale
Second-Order Section Filters on page 3-38 and to scale in the reference
section.
Reordering SOS filters involves using the options in the Reordering and
Scaling of Second-Order Sections dialog box. The following table lists
each reorder option and provides a description of what the option does.

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Control Option

Description

Auto

Reorders the filter sections to minimize the output

noise power of the filter. Note that different
ordering applies to each specification type, such as
lowpass or highpass. Automatic ordering adapts to
the specification type of your filter.

None

Does no reordering on your filter. Selecting

None lets you scale your filter without applying
reordering at the same time. When you access this
dialog box with a current filter, this is the default
setting no reordering is applied.

Least selective
section to most
selective section

Rearranges the filter sections so the least

restrictive (lowest Q) section is the first section
and the most restrictive (highest Q) section is the
last section.

Most selective
section to least
selective section

Rearranges the filter sections so the most

restrictive (highest Q) section is the first section
and the least restrictive (lowest Q) section is the
last section.

Custom reordering

Lets you specify the section ordering to use by

enabling the Numerator Order and Denominator
Order options

Numerator Order

Specify new ordering for the sections of your SOS

filter. Enter a vector of the indices of the sections
in the order in which to rearrange them. For
example, a filter with five sections has indices 1,
2, 3, 4, and 5. To switch the second and fourth
sections, the vector would be [1,4,3,2,5].

Use Numerator
Order

Rearranges the denominators in the order assigned

to the numerators.

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Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Control Option

Description

Specify

Lets you specify the order of the denominators,

rather than using the numerator order. Enter a
vector of the indices of the sections to specify the
order of the denominators to use. For example, a
filter with five sections has indices 1, 2, 3, 4, and
5. To switch the second and fourth sections, the
vector would be [1,4,3,2,5].

Use Numerator
Order

Reorders the scale values according to the order

of the numerators.

Specify

Lets you specify the order of the scale values,

rather than using the numerator order. Enter a
vector of the indices of the sections to specify the
order of the denominators to use. For example, a
filter with five sections has indices 1, 2, 3, 4, and
5. To switch the second and fourth sections, the
vector would be [1,4,3,2,5].

Revert to Original
Filter

Returns your filter to the original section ordering.

Being able to revert to your original filter makes
comparing the results of changing the order of the
sections easier to assess.

Reorder an SOS Filter. With FDATool open a second-order filter as the

current filter, you use the following process to access the reordering capability
and reorder you filter. Start by launching FDATool from the command
prompt.
1 Enter fdatool at the command prompt to launch FDATool.
2 Design a lowpass Butterworth filter with order 10 and the default

frequency specifications by entering the following settings:

Under Response Type select Lowpass.
Under Design Method, select IIR and Butterworth from the list.
Specify the order equal to 10 in Specify order under Filter Order.
Keep the default Fs and Fc values in Frequency Specifications.

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3 Click Design Filter.

FDATool designs the Butterworth filter and returns your filter as a

Direct-Form II filter implemented with second-order sections. You see the
specifications in the Current Filter Information area.
With the second-order filter in FDATool, reordering the filter uses the
Reordering and Scaling of Second-Order Sections feature in FDATool
(also available in Filter Visualization Tool, fvtool).
4 To reorder your filter, select Edit > Reorder and Scale Second-Order

Sections from the FDATool menus.

Now you are ready to reorder the sections of your filter. Note that FDATool
performs the reordering on the current filter in the session.
Use Least Selective to Most Selective Section Reordering. To let
FDATool reorder your filter so the least selective section is first and the most
selective section is last, perform the following steps in the Reordering and
Scaling of Second-Order Sections dialog box.
1 In Reordering, select Least selective section to most selective

section.
2 To prevent filter scaling at the same time, clear Scale in Scaling.
3 In FDATool, select View > SOS View Settings from the menu bar so you

see the sections of your filter displayed in FDATool.

4 In the SOS View Settings dialog box, select Individual sections.

Making this choice configures FDATool to show the magnitude response

curves for each section of your filter in the analysis area.
5 Back in the Reordering and Scaling of Second-Order Sections dialog

box, click Apply to reorder your filter according to the Qs of the filter
sections, and keep the dialog box open. In response, FDATool presents
the responses for each filter section (there should be five sections) in the
analysis area.

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Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

In the next two figures you can compare the ordering of the sections of
your filter. In the first figure, your original filter sections appear. In the
second figure, the sections have been rearranged from least selective to
most selective.

You see what reordering does, although the result is a bit subtle. Now try
custom reordering the sections of your filter or using the most selective to
least selective reordering option.

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Use FDATool with DSP System Toolbox Software

View SOS Filter Sections

Using the SOS View Dialog Box on page 3-49
View the Sections of SOS Filters on page 3-51

Using the SOS View Dialog Box

Since you can design and reorder the sections of SOS filters, FDATool provides
the ability to view the filter sections in the analysis area SOS View. Once
you have a second-order section filter as your current filter in FDATool,
you turn on the SOS View option to see the filter sections individually, or
cumulatively, or even only some of the sections. Enabling SOS View puts
FDATool in a mode where all second-order section filters display sections until
you disable the SOS View option. SOS View mode applies to any analysis you
display in the analysis area. For example, if you configure FDATool to show
the phase responses for filters, enabling SOS View means FDATool displays
the phase response for each section of SOS filters.
Controls on the SOS View Dialog Box
SOS View uses a few options to control how FDATool displays the sections,
or which sections to display. When you select View > SOS View from the
FDATool menu bar, you see this dialog box containing options to configure
SOS View operation.

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Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

By default, SOS View shows the overall response of SOS filters. Options in
the SOS View dialog box let you change the display. This table lists all the
options and describes the effects of each.
Option

Description

Overall Filter

This is the familiar display in FDATool. For

a second-order section filter you see only the
overall response rather than the responses for
the individual sections. This is the default
configuration.

Individual sections

When you select this option, FDATool displays

the response for each section as a curve.
If your filter has five sections you see five
response curves, one for each section, and they
are independent. Compare to Cumulative
sections.

Cumulative sections

When you select this option, FDATool

displays the response for each section as the
accumulated response of all prior sections in
the filter. If your filter has five sections you
see five response curves:
The first curve plots the response for the
first filter section.
The second curve plots the response for the
combined first and second sections.
The third curve plots the response for the
first, second, and third sections combined.
And so on until all filter sections appear in the
display. The final curve represents the overall
filter response. Compare to Cumulative
sections and Overall Filter.

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Option

Description

User defined

Here you define which sections to display, and

in which order. Selecting this option enables
the text box where you enter a cell array of
the indices of the filter sections. Each index
represents one section. Entering one index
plots one response. Entering something like
{1:2} plots the combined response of sections 1
and 2. If you have a filter with four sections,
the entry {1:4} plots the combined response for
all four sections, whereas {1,2,3,4} plots the
response for each section. Note that after you
enter the cell array, you need to click OK or
Apply to update the FDATool analysis area to
the new SOS View configuration.

Use secondary-scaling
points

This directs FDATool to use the secondary

scaling points in the sections to determine
where to split the sections. This option applies
only when the filter is a df2sos or df1tsos
filter. For these structures, the secondary
scaling points refer to the scaling locations
between the recursive and the nonrecursive
parts of the section (the "middle" of the section).
By default, secondary-scaling points is not
enabled. You use this with the Cumulative
sections option only.

View the Sections of SOS Filters

After you design or import an SOS filter in to FDATool, the SOS view option
lets you see the per section performance of your filter. Enabling SOS View
from the View menu in FDATool configures the tool to display the sections of
SOS filters whenever the current filter is an SOS filter.
These next steps demonstrate using SOS View to see your filter sections
displayed in FDATool.
1 Launch FDATool.

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Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

2 Create a lowpass SOS filter using the Butterworth design method. Specify

the filter order to be 6. Using a low order filter makes seeing the sections
more clear.
3 Design your new filter by clicking Design Filter.

FDATool design your filter and show you the magnitude response in the
analysis area. In Current Filter Information you see the specifications for
your filter. You should have a sixth-order Direct-Form II, Second-Order
Sections filter with three sections.
4 To enable SOS View, select View > SOS View from the menu bar.

By default the analysis area in FDATool shows the overall filter response,
not the individual filter section responses. This dialog box lets you change
the display configuration to see the sections.
5 To see the magnitude responses for each filter section, select Individual

sections.
6 Click Apply to update FDATool to display the responses for each filter

section. The analysis area changes to show you something like the
following figure.

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Use FDATool with DSP System Toolbox Software

If you switch FDATool to display filter phase responses (by selecting

Analysis > Phase Response), you see the phase response for each filter
section in the analysis area.

7 To define your own display of the sections, you use the User defined

option and enter a vector of section indices to display. Now you see a
display of the first section response, and the cumulative first, second, and
third sections response:
Select User defined to enable the text entry box in the dialog box.
Enter the cell array {1,1:3} to specify that FDATool should display the
response of the first section and the cumulative response of the first
three sections of the filter.
8 To apply your new SOS View selection, click Apply or OK (which closes

the SOS View dialog box).

In the FDATool analysis area you see two curves one for the response
of the first filter section and one for the combined response of sections
1, 2, and 3.

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Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Import and Export Quantized Filters

Overview and Structures on page 3-54
Import Quantized Filters on page 3-55
To Export Quantized Filters on page 3-57

Overview and Structures

When you import a quantized filter into FDATool, or export a quantized filter
from FDATool to your workspace, the import and export functions use objects
and you specify the filter as a variable. This contrasts with importing and
exporting nonquantized filters, where you select the filter structure and enter
the filter numerator and denominator for the filter transfer function.
You have the option of exporting quantized filters to your MATLAB
workspace, exporting them to text files, or exporting them to MAT-files.
For general information about importing and exporting filters in FDATool,
refer to Importing a Filter Design on page 13-39, and Exporting a Filter
Design on page 13-26.
FDATool imports quantized filters having the following structures:
Direct form I

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Use FDATool with DSP System Toolbox Software

Direct form II
Direct form I transposed
Direct form II transposed
Direct form symmetric FIR
Direct form antisymmetric FIR
Lattice allpass
Lattice AR
Lattice MA minimum phase
Lattice MA maximum phase
Lattice ARMA
Lattice coupled-allpass
Lattice coupled-allpass power complementary

Import Quantized Filters

After you design or open a quantized filter in your MATLAB workspace,
FDATool lets you import the filter for analysis. Follow these steps to import
your filter in to FDATool:
1 Open FDATool.
2 Select File > Import Filter from Workspace from the menu bar, or

choose the Import Filter from Workspace icon in the side panel:

.
In the lower region of FDATool, the Design Filter pane becomes Import
Filter, and options appear for importing quantized filters, as shown.

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Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

3 From the Filter Structure list, select Filter object.

The options for importing filters change to include:

Discrete filter Enter the variable name for the discrete-time,
fixed-point filter in your workspace.
Frequency units Select the frequency units from the Units list
under Sampling Frequency, and specify the sampling frequency value
in Fs if needed. Your sampling frequency must correspond to the units
you select. For example, when you select Normalized (0 to 1), Fs
defaults to one. But if you choose one of the frequency options, enter the
sampling frequency in your selected units. If you have the sampling
frequency defined in your workspace as a variable, enter the variable
name for the sampling frequency.
4 Click Import to import the filter.

FDATool checks your workspace for the specified filter. It imports the filter
if it finds it, displaying the magnitude response for the filter in the analysis
area. If it cannot find the filter it returns an FDATool Error dialog box.

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Use FDATool with DSP System Toolbox Software

Note If, during any FDATool session, you switch to quantization mode
and create a fixed-point filter, FDATool remains in quantization mode. If
you import a double-precision filter, FDATool automatically quantizes your
imported filter applying the most recent quantization parameters.
When you check the current filter information for your imported filter, it
will indicate that the filter is Source: imported (quantized) even though
you did not import a quantized filter.

To Export Quantized Filters

To save your filter design, FDATool lets you export the quantized filter to
your MATLAB workspace (or you can save the current session in FDATool).
When you choose to save the quantized filter by exporting it, you select one
of these options:
Export to your MATLAB workspace
Export to a text file
Export to a MAT-file
Export Coefficients, Objects, or System Objects to the Workspace.
You can save the filter as filter coefficients variables, dfilt filter object
variables, or System object variables.
To save the filter to the MATLAB workspace:
1 Select Export from the File menu. The Export dialog box appears.
2 Select Workspace from the Export To list.
3 From the Export As list, select one of the following options:

Select Coefficients to save the filter coefficients.

Select Objects to save the filter in a filter object.
Select System Objects to save the filter in a filter System object.
The System Objects option does not appear in the drop-down list when
the current filter structure is not supported by System objects.

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Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

4 Assign a variable name:

For coefficients, assign variable names using the Numerator and

Denominator options under Variable Names.
For objects or System objects, assign the variable name in the Discrete
Filter option.
If you have variables with the same names in your workspace and you want
to overwrite them, select the Overwrite Variables box.
5 Click Export.

Do not try to export the filter to a variable name that exists in your
workspace without selecting Overwrite existing variables, in the
previous step. If you do so, FDATool stops the export operation. The tool
returns a warning that the variable you specified as the quantized filter
name already exists in the workspace.
To continue to export the filter to the existing variable, click OK to
dismiss the warning.
Then select the Overwrite existing variables check box and click
Export.
Getting Filter Coefficients After Exporting. To extract the filter
coefficients from your quantized filter after you export the filter to MATLAB,
use the celldisp function in MATLAB. For example, create a quantized filter
in FDATool, and export the filter as Hq. To extract the filter coefficients for
Hq, use
celldisp(Hq.referencecoefficients)

which returns the cell array containing the filter reference coefficients, or
celldisp(Hq.quantizedcoefficients

to return the quantized coefficients.

Export Filter Coefficients as a Text File. To save your quantized filter as a
text file, follow these steps:
1 Select Export from the File menu.

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Use FDATool with DSP System Toolbox Software

2 Select Text-file under Export to.

3 Click OK to export the filter and close the dialog box. Click Apply to export

the filter without closing the Export dialog box. Clicking Apply lets
you export your quantized filter to more than one name without leaving
the Export dialog box.
The Export Filter Coefficients to Text-file dialog box appears. This is
the standard Microsoft Windows save file dialog box.
4 Choose or enter a folder and filename for the text file, and click OK.

FDATool exports your quantized filter as a text file with the name you
provided, and the MATLAB editor opens, displaying the file for editing.
Export Filter Coefficients as a MAT-File. To save your quantized filter as a
MAT-file, follow these steps:
1 Select Export from the File menu.
2 Select MAT-file under Export to.
3 Assign a variable name for the filter.
4 Click OK to export the filter and close the dialog box. Click Apply to export

the filter without closing the Export dialog box. Clicking Apply lets
you export your quantized filter to more than one name without leaving
the Export dialog box.
The Export Filter Coefficients to MAT-file dialog box appears. This
dialog box is the standard Microsoft Windows save file dialog box.
5 Choose or enter a folder and filename for the text file, and click OK.

FDATool exports your quantized filter as a MAT-file with the specified

name.

Generate MATLAB Code

You can generate MATLAB code using the File > Generate MATLAB Code
menu. This menu has three options:

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Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Filter Design Function

This option creates MATLAB code that generates the DFILT/MFILT object
currently designed in FDATool.
Filter Design Function (with System Objects)
This option is similar to the previous option with the difference that a
System object is generated instead of a DFILT/MFILT object. The option is
disabled when the current filter is not supported by system objects.
Data Filtering Function (with System Objects)
This option generates MATLAB code that filters input data with the
current filter design. The MATLAB code is ready to be converted to C/C++
code using the codegen command. This option is disabled when the current
filter is not supported by system objects.

Import XILINX Coefficient (.COE) Files

Import XILINX .COE Files into FDATool
You can import XILINX coefficients (.coe) files into FDATool to create
quantized filters directly using the imported filter coefficients.
To use the import file feature:
1 Select File > Import Filter From XILINX Coefficient (.COE) File

in FDATool.
2 In the Import Filter From XILINX Coefficient (.COE) File dialog box,

find and select the .coe file to import.

3 Click Open to dismiss the dialog box and start the import process.

FDATool imports the coefficient file and creates a quantized, single-section,

direct-form FIR filter.

Transform Filters Using FDATool

Filter Transformation Capabilities of FDATool on page 3-61
Original Filter Type on page 3-62

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Use FDATool with DSP System Toolbox Software

Frequency Point to Transform on page 3-66

Transformed Filter Type on page 3-66
Specify Desired Frequency Location on page 3-67

Filter Transformation Capabilities of FDATool

The toolbox provides functions for transforming filters between various forms.
When you use FDATool with the toolbox installed, a side bar button and a
menu bar option enable you to use the Transform Filter panel to transform
filters as well as using the command line functions.
From the selection on the FDATool menu bar Transformations you
can transform lowpass FIR and IIR filters to a variety of passband shapes.
You can convert your FIR filters from:
Lowpass to lowpass.
Lowpass to highpass.
For IIR filters, you can convert from:
Lowpass to lowpass.
Lowpass to highpass.
Lowpass to bandpass.
Lowpass to bandstop.
When you click the Transform Filter button,
, on the side bar, the
Transform Filter panel opens in FDATool, as shown here.

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Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Your options for Original filter type refer to the type of your current filter
to transform. If you select lowpass, you can transform your lowpass filter
to another lowpass filter or to a highpass filter, or to numerous other filter
formats, real and complex.
Note When your original filter is an FIR filter, both the FIR and IIR
transformed filter type options appear on the Transformed filter type list.
Both options remain active because you can apply the IIR transforms to an
FIR filter. If your source is as IIR filter, only the IIR transformed filter
options show on the list.

Original Filter Type

Select the magnitude response of the filter you are transforming from the list.
Your selection changes the types of filters you can transform to. For example:
When you select Lowpass with an IIR filter, your transformed filter type
can be

3-62

Lowpass
Highpass
Bandpass
Bandstop
Multiband

Use FDATool with DSP System Toolbox Software

Bandpass (complex)
Bandstop (complex)
Multiband (complex)

When you select Lowpass with an FIR filter, your transformed filter
type can be

Lowpass
Lowpass (FIR)
Highpass
Highpass (FIR) narrowband
Highpass (FIR) wideband
Bandpass
Bandstop
Multiband
Bandpass (complex)
Bandstop (complex)
Multiband (complex)

In the following table you see each available original filter type and all the
types of filter to which you can transform your original.
Original Filter

Available Transformed Filter Types

Lowpass FIR

Lowpass
Lowpass (FIR)
Highpass
Highpass (FIR) narrowband
Highpass (FIR) wideband
Bandpass
Bandstop
Multiband

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Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Original Filter

Available Transformed Filter Types

Bandpass (complex)
Bandstop (complex)
Multiband (complex)

Lowpass IIR

Lowpass
Highpass
Bandpass
Bandstop
Multiband
Bandpass (complex)
Bandstop (complex)
Multiband (complex)

Highpass FIR

Lowpass
Lowpass (FIR) narrowband
Lowpass (FIR) wideband
Highpass (FIR)
Highpass
Bandpass
Bandstop
Multiband
Bandpass (complex)
Bandstop (complex)
Multiband (complex)

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Use FDATool with DSP System Toolbox Software

Original Filter

Available Transformed Filter Types

Highpass IIR

Lowpass
Highpass
Bandpass
Bandstop
Multiband
Bandpass (complex)
Bandstop (complex)
Multiband (complex)

Bandpass FIR

Bandpass
Bandpass (FIR)

Bandpass IIR

Bandpass

Bandstop FIR

Bandstop
Bandstop (FIR)

Bandstop IIR

Bandstop

Note also that the transform options change depending on whether your
original filter is FIR or IIR. Starting from an FIR filter, you can transform
to IIR or FIR forms. With an IIR original filter, you are limited to IIR target
filters.
After selecting your response type, use Frequency point to transform to
specify the magnitude response point in your original filter to transfer to
your target filter. Your target filter inherits the performance features of your
original filter, such as passband ripple, while changing to the new response
form.
For more information about transforming filters, refer to Frequency
Transformations for Real Filters on page 3-96 and Frequency
Transformations for Complex Filters on page 3-110.

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Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Frequency Point to Transform

The frequency point you enter in this field identifies a magnitude response
value (in dB) on the magnitude response curve.
When you enter frequency values in the Specify desired frequency
location option, the frequency transformation tries to set the magnitude
response of the transformed filter to the value identified by the frequency
point you enter in this field.
While you can enter any location, generally you should specify a filter
passband or stopband edge, or a value in the passband or stopband.
The Frequency point to transform sets the magnitude response at the
values you enter in Specify desired frequency location. Specify a value
that lies at either the edge of the stopband or the edge of the passband.
If, for example, you are creating a bandpass filter from a highpass filter, the
transformation algorithm sets the magnitude response of the transformed
filter at the Specify desired frequency location to be the same as the
response at the Frequency point to transform value. Thus you get a
bandpass filter whose response at the low and high frequency locations is the
same. Notice that the passband between them is undefined. In the next two
figures you see the original highpass filter and the transformed bandpass
filter.
For more information about transforming filters, refer to Digital Frequency
Transformations on page 3-88.

Transformed Filter Type

Select the magnitude response for the target filter from the list. The complete
list of transformed filter types is:
Lowpass
Lowpass (FIR)
Highpass
Highpass (FIR) narrowband
Highpass (FIR) wideband

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Use FDATool with DSP System Toolbox Software

Bandpass
Bandstop
Multiband
Bandpass (complex)
Bandstop (complex)
Multiband (complex)
Not all types of transformed filters are available for all filter types on the
Original filter types list. You can transform bandpass filters only to
bandpass filters. Or bandstop filters to bandstop filters. Or IIR filters to
IIR filters.
For more information about transforming filters, refer to Frequency
Transformations for Real Filters on page 3-96 and Frequency
Transformations for Complex Filters on page 3-110.

Specify Desired Frequency Location

The frequency point you enter in Frequency point to transform matched
a magnitude response value. At each frequency you enter here, the
transformation tries to make the magnitude response the same as the
response identified by your Frequency point to transform value.
While you can enter any location, generally you should specify a filter
passband or stopband edge, or a value in the passband or stopband.
For more information about transforming filters, refer to Digital Frequency
Transformations on page 3-88.
Transform Filters. To transform the magnitude response of your filter, use
the Transform Filter option on the side bar.
1 Design or import your filter into FDATool.
2 Click Transform Filter,

, on the side bar.

FDATool opens the Transform Filter panel in FDATool.

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Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

3 From the Original filter type list, select the response form of the filter

you are transforming.

When you select the type, whether is lowpass, highpass, bandpass, or
bandstop, FDATool recognizes whether your filter form is FIR or IIR.
Using both your filter type selection and the filter form, FDATool adjusts
the entries on the Transformed filter type list to show only those that
apply to your original filter.
4 Enter the frequency point to transform value in Frequency point to

transform. Notice that the value you enter must be in KHz; for example,
enter 0.1 for 100 Hz or 1.5 for 1500 Hz.
5 From the Transformed filter type list, select the type of filter you want

to transform to.
Your filter type selection changes the options here.
When you pick a lowpass or highpass filter type, you enter one value in
Specify desired frequency location.
When you pick a bandpass or bandstop filter type, you enter two values
one in Specify desired low frequency location and one in Specify
desired high frequency location. Your values define the edges of
the passband or stopband.
When you pick a multiband filter type, you enter values as elements in
a vector in Specify a vector of desired frequency locations one
element for each desired location. Your values define the edges of the
passbands and stopbands.
After you click Transform Filter, FDATool transforms your filter,
displays the magnitude response of your new filter, and updates the
Current Filter Information to show you that your filter has been
transformed. In the filter information, the Source is Transformed.
For example, the figure shown here includes the magnitude response
curves for two filters. The original filter is a lowpass filter with rolloff
between 0.2 and 0.25. The transformed filter is a lowpass filter with
rolloff region between 0.8 and 0.85.

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Magnitude Response
20

Magnitude (dB)

20

40

60

80

100

Filter #1: Original Lowpass filter response

Filter #2: Transformed Lowpass Filter Response
120

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4
0.5
0.6
Normalized Frequency ( rad/sample)

0.7

0.8

0.9

To demonstrate the effects of selecting Narrowband Highpass or

Wideband Highpass, the next figure presents the magnitude response
curves for a source lowpass filter after it is transformed to both narrowand wideband highpass filters. For comparison, the response of the
original filter appears as well.

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Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Magnitude Response
20

Magnitude (dB)

20

40

60

80

100

120

Filter #1:Original Lowpass Filter Response

Filter #2:Narrowband Highpass Filter Response
Filter #3: Wideband Highpass Filter Response

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4
0.5
0.6
Normalized Frequency ( rad/sample)

0.7

0.8

0.9

For the narrowband case, the transformation algorithm essentially

reverses the magnitude response, like reflecting the curve around the
y-axis, then translating the curve to the right until the origin lies at 1
on the x-axis. After reflecting and translating, the passband at high
frequencies is the reverse of the passband of the original filter at low
frequencies with the same rolloff and ripple characteristics.

Design Multirate Filters in FDATool

Introduction on page 3-71
Switch FDATool to Multirate Filter Design Mode on page 3-71
Controls on the Multirate Design Panel on page 3-72
Quantize Multirate Filters on page 3-81
Export Individual Phase Coefficients of a Polyphase Filter to the
Workspace on page 3-83

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Introduction
Not only can you design multirate filters from the MATLAB command prompt,
FDATool provides the same design capability in a graphical user interface
tool. By starting FDATool and switching to the multirate filter design mode
you have access to all of the multirate design capabilities in the toolbox
decimators, interpolators, and fractional rate changing filters, among others.

Switch FDATool to Multirate Filter Design Mode

The multirate filter design mode in FDATool lets you specify and design a
wide range of multirate filters, including decimators and interpolators.
With FDATool open, click Create a Multirate Filter,
, on the side bar.
You see FDATool switch to the design mode showing the multirate filter
design options. Shown in the following figure is the default multirate design
configuration that designs an interpolating filter with an interpolation factor
of 2. The design uses the current FIR filter in FDATool.

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Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

When the current filter in FDATool is not an FIR filter, the multirate filter
design panel removes the Use current FIR filter option and selects the Use
default Nyquist FIR filter option instead as the default setting.

Controls on the Multirate Design Panel

You see the options that allow you to design a variety of multirate filters. The
Type option is your starting point. From this list you select the multirate
filter to design. Based on your selection, other options change to provide the
controls you need to specify your filter.
Notice the separate sections of the design panel. On the left is the filter type
area where you choose the type of multirate filter to design and set the filter
performance specifications.

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In the center section FDATool provides choices that let you pick the filter
design method to use.
The rightmost section offers options that control filter configuration when you
select Cascaded-Integrator Comb (CIC) as the design method in the center
section. Both the Decimator type and Interpolator type filters let you use
the Cascaded-Integrator Comb (CIC) option to design multirate filters.
Here are all the options available when you switch to multirate filter design
mode. Each option listed includes a brief description of what the option does
when you use it.
Select and Configure Your Filter
Option

Description

Type

Specifies the type of multirate filter to design.

Choose from Decimator, Interpolator, or
Fractional-rate convertor.
When you choose Decimator, set Decimation
Factor to specify the decimation to apply.
When you choose Interpolator, set
Interpolation Factor to specify the
interpolation amount applied.
When you choose Fractional-rate convertor,
set both Interpolation Factor and Decimation
Factor. FDATool uses both to determine the
fractional rate change by dividing Interpolation
Factor by Decimation Factor to determine
the fractional rate change in the signal. You
should select values for interpolation and
decimation that are relatively prime. When
your interpolation factor and decimation factor
are not relatively prime, FDATool reduces
the interpolation/decimation fractional rate to
the lowest common denominator and issues
a message in the status bar in FDATool. For
example, if the interpolation factor is 6 and the

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Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Select and Configure Your Filter (Continued)

Option

Description
decimation factor is 3, FDATool reduces 6/3 to
2/1 when you design the rate changer. But if the
interpolation factor is 8 and the decimation factor
is 3, FDATool designs the filter without change.

Interpolation
Factor

Use the up-down control arrows to specify the

amount of interpolation to apply to the signal.
Factors range upwards from 2.

Decimation Factor

Use the up-down control arrows to specify the

amount of decimation to apply to the signal. Factors
range upwards from 2.

Sampling
Frequency

No settings here. Just Units and Fs below.

Units

Specify whether Fs is specified in Hz, kHz, MHz, GHz,

or Normalized (0 to 1) units.

Fs

Set the full scale sampling frequency in the

frequency units you specified in Units. When you
select Normalized for Units, you do not enter a
value for Fs.

Design Your Filter

3-74

Option

Description

Use current FIR

filter

Directs FDATool to use the current FIR filter to

design the multirate filter. If the current filter is an
IIR form, you cannot select this option. You cannot
design multirate filters with IIR structures.

Use a default
Nyquist Filter

Tells FDATool to use the default Nyquist design

method when the current filter in FDATool is not
an FIR filter.

Cascaded
Integrator-Comb
(CIC)

Design CIC filters using the options provided in the

right-hand area of the multirate design panel.

Use FDATool with DSP System Toolbox Software

Design Your Filter (Continued)

Option

Description

Hold Interpolator
(Zero-order)

When you design an interpolator, you can specify

how the filter sets interpolated values between
signal values. When you select this option, the
interpolator applies the most recent signal value for
each interpolated value until it processes the next
signal value. This is similar to sample-and-hold
techniques. Compare to the Linear Interpolator
option.

Linear Interpolator
(First-order)

When you design an interpolator, you can specify

how the filter sets interpolated values between
signal values. When you select this option, the
interpolator applies linear interpolation between
signal value to set the interpolated value until it
processes the next signal value. Compare to the
Linear Interpolator option.

To see the difference between hold interpolation and linear interpolation, the
following figure presents a sine wave signal s1 in three forms:
The top subplot in the figure presents signal s1 without interpolation.
The middle subplot shows signal s1 interpolated by a linear interpolator
with an interpolation factor of 5.
The bottom subplot shows signal s1 interpolated by a hold interpolator with
an interpolation factor of 5.
You see in the bottom figure the sample and hold nature of hold interpolation,
and the first-order linear interpolation applied by the linear interpolator.

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Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Uninterpolated Signal s1
1
0.5
0
0.5
1

10

40

45

50

40

45

50

FirstOrder Linear Interpolation By 5 of Signal s1

1
0.5
0
0.5
1

10

15

20

25

30

35

ZeroOrder Hold Interpolation By 5 of Signal s1

1
0.5
0
0.5
1

10

15

20

25
Samples

30

35

We used FDATool to create interpolators similar to the following code for

the figure:
Linear interpolator hm=mfilt.linearinterp(5)
Hold interpolator hm=mfilt.holdinterp(5)
Options for Designing CIC
Filters

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Description

Differential Delay

Sets the differential delay for the CIC filter. Usually a value
of one or two is appropriate.

Number of Sections

Specifies the number of sections in a CIC decimator. The default

number of sections is 2 and the range is any positive integer.

Use FDATool with DSP System Toolbox Software

Design a Fractional Rate Convertor. To introduce the process you use to

design a multirate filter in FDATool, this example uses the options to design
a fractional rate convertor which uses 7/3 as the fractional rate. Begin the
design by creating a default lowpass FIR filter in FDATool. You do not have
to begin with this FIR filter, but the default filter works fine.
1 Launch FDATool.
2 Select the settings for a minimum-order lowpass FIR filter, using the

Equiripple design method.

3 When FDATool displays the magnitude response for the filter, click

in
the side bar. FDATool switches to multirate filter design mode, showing
the multirate design panel.

4 To design a fractional rate filter, select Fractional-rate convertor

from the Type list. The Interpolation Factor and Decimation Factor
options become available.
5 In Interpolation Factor, use the up arrow to set the interpolation factor

to 7.
6 Using the up arrow in Decimation Factor, set 3 as the decimation factor.
7 Select Use a default Nyquist FIR filter. You could design the rate

convertor with the current FIR filter as well.

8 Enter 24000 to set Fs.
9 Click Create Multirate Filter.

After designing the filter, FDATool returns with the specifications for
your new filter displayed in Current Filter Information, and shows
the magnitude response of the filter.

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Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

You can test the filter by exporting it to your workspace and using it to filter a
signal. For information about exporting filters, refer to Import and Export
Quantized Filters on page 3-54.
Design a CIC Decimator for 8 Bit Input/Output Data. Another kind of
filter you can design in FDATool is Cascaded-Integrator Comb (CIC) filters.
FDATool provides the options needed to configure your CIC to meet your
needs.
1 Launch FDATool and design the default FIR lowpass filter. Designing a

filter at this time is an optional step.

2 Switch FDATool to multirate design mode by clicking

on the side bar.

3 For Type, select Decimator, and set Decimation Factor to 3.

3-78

Use FDATool with DSP System Toolbox Software

4 To design the decimator using a CIC implementation, select

Cascaded-Integrator Comb (CIC). This enables the CIC-related options

on the right of the panel.
5 Set Differential Delay to 2. Generally, 1 or 2 are good values to use.
6 Enter 2 for the Number of Sections.
7 Click Create Multirate Filter.

FDATool designs the filter, shows the magnitude response in the analysis
area, and updates the current filter information to show that you designed
a tenth-order cascaded-integrator comb decimator with two sections. Notice
the source is Multirate Design, indicating you used the multirate design
mode in FDATool to make the filter. FDATool should look like this now.

3-79

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Designing other multirate filters follows the same pattern.

To design other multirate filters, do one of the following depending on the
filter to design:
To design an interpolator, select one of these options.

3-80

Use a default Nyquist FIR filter

Cascaded-Integrator Comb (CIC)
Hold Interpolator (Zero-order)
Linear Interpolator (First-order)

Use FDATool with DSP System Toolbox Software

To design a decimator, select from these options.

Use a default Nyquist FIR filter

Cascaded-Integrator Comb (CIC)

To design a fractional-rate convertor, select Use a default Nyquist FIR

filter.

Quantize Multirate Filters

After you design a multirate filter in FDATool, the quantization features
enable you to convert your floating-point multirate filter to fixed-point
arithmetic.
Note CIC filters are always fixed-point.
With your multirate filter as the current filter in FDATool, you can quantize
your filter and use the quantization options to specify the fixed-point
arithmetic the filter uses.
Quantize and Configure Multirate Filters. Follow these steps to convert
your multirate filter to fixed-point arithmetic and set the fixed-point options.
1 Design or import your multirate filter and make sure it is the current filter

in FDATool.
2 Click the Set Quantization Parameters button on the side bar.
3 From the Filter Arithmetic list on the Filter Arithmetic pane, select

Fixed-point. If your filter is a CIC filter, the Fixed-point option is

enabled by default and you do not set this option.
4 In the quantization panes, set the options for your filter. Set options for

Coefficients, Input/Output, and Filter Internals.

5 Click Apply.

When you current filter is a CIC filter, the options on the Input/Output and
Filter Internals panes change to provide specific features for CIC filters.

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Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Input/Output. The options that specify how your CIC filter uses input and
output values are listed in the table below.
Option Name

Description

Input Word Length

Sets the word length used to represent the input

to a filter.

Input fraction
length

Sets the fraction length used to interpret input

values to filter.

Input range (+/-)

Lets you set the range the inputs represent. You

use this instead of the Input fraction length
option to set the precision. When you enter a value
x, the resulting range is -x to x. Range must be a
positive integer.

Output word length

Sets the word length used to represent the output

from a filter.

Avoid overflow

Directs the filter to set the fraction length for the

input to prevent the output values from exceeding
the available range as defined by the word length.
Clearing this option lets you set Output fraction
length.

Output fraction length

Sets the fraction length used to represent output

values from a filter.

Output range (+/-)

Lets you set the range the outputs represent. You

use this instead of the Output fraction length
option to set the precision. When you enter a value
x, the resulting range is -x to x. Range must be a
positive integer.

The available options change when you change the Filter precision setting.
Moving from Full to Specify all adds increasing control by enabling more
input and output word options.
Filter Internals. With a CIC filter as your current filter, the Filter
precision option on the Filter Internals pane includes modes for controlling
the filter word and fraction lengths.

3-82

Use FDATool with DSP System Toolbox Software

There are four usage modes for this (the same mode you select for the
FilterInternals property in CIC filters at the MATLAB prompt).
Full All word and fraction lengths set to Bmax + 1, called Baccum by Harris
in [2]. Full Precision is the default setting.
Minimum section word lengths Set the section word lengths to
minimum values that meet roundoff noise and output requirements as
defined by Hogenauer in [3].
Specify word lengths Enables the Section word length option for
you to enter word lengths for each section. Enter either a scalar to use the
same value for every section, or a vector of values, one for each section.
Specify all Enables the Section fraction length option in addition
to Section word length. Now you can provide both the word and fraction
lengths for each section, again using either a scalar or a vector of values.

Export Individual Phase Coefficients of a Polyphase Filter to

the Workspace
After designing a polyphase filter in Filter Design Analysis Tool (FDATool),
you can obtain the individual phase coefficients of the filter by:
1 Exporting the filter to an object in the MATLAB workspace.
2 Using the polyphase method to create a matrix of the filters coefficients.

Export the Polyphase Filter to an Object. To export a polyphase filter to

an object in the MATLAB workspace, complete the following steps.
1 In FDATool, open the File menu and select Export.... This opens the

dialog box for exporting the filter coefficients.

2 In the Export dialog box, for Export To, select Workspace.
3 For Export As, select Object.
4 (Optional) For Variable Names, enter the name of the Multirate Filter

object that will be created in the MATLAB workspace.

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Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

5 Click the Export button. The multirate filter object, Hm in this example,

appears in the MATLAB workspace.

Create a Matrix of Coefficients Using the polyphase Method. To create
a matrix of the filters coefficients, enter p=polyphase(Hm) at the command
line. The polyphase method creates a matrix, p, of filter coefficients from the
filter object, Hm. Each row of p consists of the coefficients of an individual phase
subfilter. The first row contains to the coefficients of the first phase subfilter,
the second row contains those of the second phase subfilter, and so on.

Realize Filters as Simulink Subsystem Blocks

Introduction on page 3-84
About the Realize Model Panel in FDATool on page 3-84

Introduction
After you design or import a filter in FDATool, the realize model feature
lets you create a Simulink subsystem block that implements your filter. The
generated filter subsystem block uses either the Digital Filter block or the
delay, gain, and sum blocks in Simulink. If you do not have a Fixed-Point
Designer license, FDATool still realizes your model using blocks in
fixed-point mode from Simulink, but you cannot run any model that includes
your filter subsystem block in Simulink.

About the Realize Model Panel in FDATool

To access to the Realize Model panel and the options for realizing your
quantized filter as a Simulink subsystem block, switch FDATool to realize
model mode by clicking

on the sidebar.

The following panel shows the options for configuring how FDATool
implements your filter as a Simulink block.

3-84

Use FDATool with DSP System Toolbox Software

For information on these parameters, see the descriptions on the Filter

Realization Wizard block reference page.
Realize a Filter Using FDATool. After your quantized filter in FDATool
is performing the way you want, with your desired phase and magnitude
response, and with the right coefficients and form, follow these steps to realize
your filter as a subsystem that you can use in a Simulink model.
1 Click Realize Model on the sidebar to change FDATool to realize model

mode.
2 From the Destination list under Model, select either:

Current model to add the realized filter subsystem to your current

model
New model to open a new Simulink model window and add your filter
subsystem to the new window
3 Provide a name for your new filter subsystem in the Name field.
4 Decide whether to overwrite an existing block with this new one, and select

or clear the Overwrite generated Filter block check box.

5 Select the Build model using basic elements check box to implement

your filter as a subsystem block that consists of Sum, Gain, and Delay
blocks.

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Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

6 Select or clear the optimizations to apply.

Optimize for zero gains removes zero gain blocks from the model
realization
Optimize for unity gains replaces unity gain blocks with direct
connections to adjacent blocks
Optimize for negative gains replaces negative gain blocks by a
change of sign at the nearest sum block
Optimize delay chains replaces cascaded delay blocks with a single
delay block that produces the equivalent gain
Optimize for unity scale values removes all scale value
multiplications by 1 from the filter structure
7 Click Realize Model to realize your quantized filter as a subsystem block

according to the settings you selected.

If you double-click the filter block subsystem created by FDATool, you see the
filter implementation in Simulink model form. Depending on the options you
chose when you realized your filter, and the filter you started with, you might
see one or more sections, or different architectures based on the form of your
quantized filter. From this point on, the subsystem filter block acts like any
other block that you use in Simulink models.
Supported Filter Structures. FDATool lets you realize discrete-time and
multirate filters from the following forms:

3-86

Structure

Description

firdecim

Decimators based on FIR filters

firtdecim

Decimators based on transposed FIR

filters

linearinterp

Linear interpolators

firinterp

Interpolators based on FIR filters

multirate polyphase

Multirate filters

holdinterp

Interpolators that use the hold

interpolation algorithm

Use FDATool with DSP System Toolbox Software

Structure

Description

dfilt.allpass

Discrete-time filters with allpass

structure

dfilt.cascadeallpass
dfilt.cascadewdfallpass
mfilt.iirdecim

Decimators based on IIR filters

mfilt.iirwdfdecim
mfilt.iirinterp

Interpolators based on IIR filters

mfilt.iirwdfinterp
dfilt.wdfallpass

3-87

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Digital Frequency Transformations

In this section...
Details and Methodology on page 3-88
Frequency Transformations for Real Filters on page 3-96
Frequency Transformations for Complex Filters on page 3-110

Details and Methodology

Overview of Transformations on page 3-88
Select Features Subject to Transformation on page 3-92
Mapping from Prototype Filter to Target Filter on page 3-94
Summary of Frequency Transformations on page 3-96

Overview of Transformations
Converting existing FIR or IIR filter designs to a modified IIR form is often
done using allpass frequency transformations. Although the resulting designs
can be considerably more expensive in terms of dimensionality than the
prototype (original) filter, their ease of use in fixed or variable applications is
a big advantage.
The general idea of the frequency transformation is to take an existing
prototype filter and produce another filter from it that retains some of the
characteristics of the prototype, in the frequency domain. Transformation
functions achieve this by replacing each delaying element of the prototype
filter with an allpass filter carefully designed to have a prescribed phase
characteristic for achieving the modifications requested by the designer.
The basic form of mapping commonly used is

HT ( z) = Ho[ H A ( z)]
The HA(z) is an Nth-order allpass mapping filter given by

3-88

Digital Frequency Transformations

H A ( z) = S

0 = 1

i z i

i=0
N

i z N + i

N A ( z)
DA ( z)

i=0

where
Ho(z) Transfer function of the prototype filter
HA(z) Transfer function of the allpass mapping filter
HT(z) Transfer function of the target filter
Lets look at a simple example of the transformation given by

HT ( z) = Ho ( z)
The target filter has its poles and zeroes flipped across the origin of the real
and imaginary axes. For the real filter prototype, it gives a mirror effect
against 0.5, which means that lowpass Ho(z) gives rise to a real highpass
HT(z). This is shown in the following figure for the prototype filter designed as
a third-order halfband elliptic filter.

3-89

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Target filter
0

10

10

20

20

|H()| in dB

|H()| in dB

Prototype filter
0

30
40
50
60

30
40
50

0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
Normalized Frequency ( rad/sample)

60

0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
Normalized Frequency ( rad/sample)

Prototype filter PoleZero plot

Target filter PoleZero plot

Example of a Simple Mirror Transformation

The choice of an allpass filter to provide the frequency mapping is necessary

to provide the frequency translation of the prototype filter frequency response
to the target filter by changing the frequency position of the features from the
prototype filter without affecting the overall shape of the filter response.
The phase response of the mapping filter normalized to can be interpreted
as a translation function:

H (wnew ) = old
The graphical interpretation of the frequency transformation is shown in the
figure below. The complex multiband transformation takes a real lowpass
filter and converts it into a number of passbands around the unit circle.

3-90

Digital Frequency Transformations

Graphical Interpretation of the Mapping Process

Most of the frequency transformations are based on the second-order allpass

mapping filter:

H A ( z) =

1 + 1 z1 + 2 z2

2 + 1 z1 + z2

The two degrees of freedom provided by 1 and 2 choices are not fully used
by the usual restrictive set of flat-top classical mappings like lowpass to
bandpass. Instead, any two transfer function features can be migrated to
(almost) any two other frequency locations if 1 and 2 are chosen so as to keep
the poles of HA(z) strictly outside the unit circle (since HA(z) is substituted
for z in the prototype transfer function). Moreover, as first pointed out
by Constantinides, the selection of the outside sign influences whether the
original feature at zero can be moved (the minus sign, a condition known

3-91

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

as DC mobility) or whether the Nyquist frequency can be migrated (the

Nyquist mobility case arising when the leading sign is positive).
All the transformations forming the package are explained in the next
sections of the tutorial. They are separated into those operating on real
filters and those generating or working with complex filters. The choice of
transformation ranges from standard Constantinides first and second-order
ones [1][2] up to the real multiband filter by Mullis and Franchitti [3], and
the complex multiband filter and real/complex multipoint ones by Krukowski,
Cain and Kale [4].

Select Features Subject to Transformation

Choosing the appropriate frequency transformation for achieving the required
effect and the correct features of the prototype filter is very important
and needs careful consideration. It is not advisable to use a first-order
transformation for controlling more than one feature. The mapping filter
will not give enough flexibility. It is also not good to use higher order
transformation just to change the cutoff frequency of the lowpass filter. The
increase of the filter order would be too big, without considering the additional
replica of the prototype filter that may be created in undesired places.

Feature Selection for Real Lowpass to Bandpass Transformation

3-92

Digital Frequency Transformations

To illustrate the idea, the second-order real multipoint transformation was

applied three times to the same elliptic halfband filter in order to make it
into a bandpass filter. In each of the three cases, two different features of
the prototype filter were selected in order to obtain a bandpass filter with
passband ranging from 0.25 to 0.75. The position of the DC feature was not
important, but it would be advantageous if it were in the middle between
the edges of the passband in the target filter. In the first case the selected
features were the left and the right band edges of the lowpass filter passband,
in the second case they were the left band edge and the DC, in the third case
they were DC and the right band edge.
Magniture responses |H()| in dB
0

10

Left & right bandedges (solid)

Left bandedge and DC (dashed)

20

DC and right bandedges (dotted)

30

40

50

60

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
Normalized Frequency ( rad/sample)

0.8

0.9

Result of Choosing Different Features

The results of all three approaches are completely different. For each of them
only the selected features were positioned precisely where they were required.
In the first case the DC is moved toward the left passband edge just like all
the other features close to the left edge being squeezed there. In the second
case the right passband edge was pushed way out of the expected target as
the precise position of DC was required. In the third case the left passband
edge was pulled toward the DC in order to position it at the correct frequency.

3-93

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

The conclusion is that if only the DC can be anywhere in the passband, the
edges of the passband should have been selected for the transformation. For
most of the cases requiring the positioning of passbands and stopbands,
designers should always choose the position of the edges of the prototype
filter in order to make sure that they get the edges of the target filter in the
correct places. Frequency responses for the three cases considered are shown
in the figure. The prototype filter was a third-order elliptic lowpass filter
with cutoff frequency at 0.5.
The MATLAB code used to generate the figure is given here.
The prototype filter is a halfband elliptic, real, third-order lowpass filter:
[b, a] = ellip(3, 0.1, 30, 0.409);

In the example the requirements are set to create a real bandpass filter
with passband edges at 0.1 and 0.3 out of the real lowpass filter having the
cutoff frequency at 0.5. This is attempted in three different ways. In the first
approach both edges of the passband are selected, in the second approach the
left edge of the passband and the DC are chosen, while in the third approach
the DC and the right edge of the passband are taken:
[num1,den1] = iirlp2xn(b, a, [-0.5, 0.5], [0.1, 0.3]);
[num2,den2] = iirlp2xn(b, a, [-0.5, 0.0], [0.1, 0.2]);
[num3,den3] = iirlp2xn(b, a, [ 0.0, 0.5], [0.2, 0.3]);

Mapping from Prototype Filter to Target Filter

In general the frequency mapping converts the prototype filter, Ho(z), to the
target filter, HT(z), using the NAth-order allpass filter, HA(z). The general
form of the allpass mapping filter is given in Overview of Transformations
on page 3-88. The frequency mapping is a mathematical operation that
replaces each delayer of the prototype filter with an allpass filter. There
are two ways of performing such mapping. The choice of the approach is
dependent on how prototype and target filters are represented.
When the Nth-order prototype filter is given with pole-zero form

3-94

Digital Frequency Transformations

Ho ( z) =

( z zi )

i =1
N

( z pi )

i =1

the mapping will replace each pole, pi, and each zero, zi, with a number of
poles and zeros equal to the order of the allpass mapping filter:
N

Ho ( z) =

i =1
N

i =1

N 1
N 1

S k zk zi k z N k

k= 0
k= 0

N 1
N 1

S k zk pi k z N k

k= 0
k= 0

The root finding needs to be used on the bracketed expressions in order to find
the poles and zeros of the target filter.
When the prototype filter is described in the numerator-denominator form:

HT ( z) =

0 z N + 1 z N 1 + + N

0 z N + 1 z N 1 + + N

z = H A ( z)

Then the mapping process will require a number of convolutions in order to

calculate the numerator and denominator of the target filter:

HT ( z) =

1 N A ( z) N + 2 N A ( z) N 1 DA ( z) + + N DA ( z) N

1 N A ( z) N + 2 N A ( z) N 1 DA ( z) + + N DA ( z) N

For each coefficient i and i of the prototype filter the NAth-order polynomials
must be convolved N times. Such approach may cause rounding errors for
large prototype filters and/or high order mapping filters. In such a case the
user should consider the alternative of doing the mapping using via poles
and zeros.

3-95

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Summary of Frequency Transformations

Advantages.
Most frequency transformations are described by closed-form solutions or
can be calculated from the set of linear equations.
They give predictable and familiar results.
Ripple heights from the prototype filter are preserved in the target filter.
They are architecturally appealing for variable and adaptive filters.
Disadvantages.
There are cases when using optimization methods to design the required
filter gives better results.
High-order transformations increase the dimensionality of the target filter,
which may give expensive final results.
Starting from fresh designs helps avoid locked-in compromises.

Frequency Transformations for Real Filters

Overview on page 3-96
Real Frequency Shift on page 3-97
Real Lowpass to Real Lowpass on page 3-98
Real Lowpass to Real Highpass on page 3-100
Real Lowpass to Real Bandpass on page 3-102
Real Lowpass to Real Bandstop on page 3-104
Real Lowpass to Real Multiband on page 3-106
Real Lowpass to Real Multipoint on page 3-108

Overview
This section discusses real frequency transformations that take the real
lowpass prototype filter and convert it into a different real target filter. The
target filter has its frequency response modified in respect to the frequency

3-96

Digital Frequency Transformations

response of the prototype filter according to the characteristic of the applied

frequency transformation.

Real Frequency Shift

Real frequency shift transformation uses a second-order allpass mapping
filter. It performs an exact mapping of one selected feature of the frequency
response into its new location, additionally moving both the Nyquist and DC
features. This effectively moves the whole response of the lowpass filter by
the distance specified by the selection of the feature from the prototype filter
and the target filter. As a real transformation, it works in a similar way
for positive and negative frequencies.

H A ( z) = z1

1 z 1

z 1

with given by

cos 2 (old 2new )

cos (old 2new ) < 1

for

cos old

2
=
sin ( 2
new )

2 old
otherwise

sin

2 old
where
old Frequency location of the selected feature in the prototype filter
new Position of the feature originally at old in the target filter
The following example shows how this transformation can be used to move
the response of the prototype lowpass filter in either direction. Please note
that because the target filter must also be real, the response of the target
filter will inherently be disturbed at frequencies close to Nyquist and close to
DC. Here is the MATLAB code for generating the example in the figure.

3-97

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

The prototype filter is a halfband elliptic, real, third-order lowpass filter:

[b, a] = ellip(3, 0.1, 30, 0.409);

The example transformation moves the feature originally at 0.5 to 0.9:

[num,den] = iirshift(b, a, 0.5, 0.9);
Prototype filter
0

|H()|in dB

10
20
30
40
o

50
60

0.1

0.2

0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
Normalized Frequency ( rad/sample)

0.8

0.9

0.9

Target filter
0

|H()| in dB

10
20
30
40
t

50
60

0.1

0.2

0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
Normalized Frequency ( rad/sample)

0.8

Example of Real Frequency Shift Mapping

Real Lowpass to Real Lowpass

Real lowpass filter to real lowpass filter transformation uses a first-order
allpass mapping filter. It performs an exact mapping of one feature of the
frequency response into the new location keeping DC and Nyquist features
fixed. As a real transformation, it works in a similar way for positive and
negative frequencies. It is important to mention that using first-order
mapping ensures that the order of the filter after the transformation is the
same as it was originally.

3-98

Digital Frequency Transformations

1 z 1
H A ( z) =

z 1

with given by

( new )
2 old
=

sin (old new )

2
sin

where
old Frequency location of the selected feature in the prototype filter
new Frequency location of the same feature in the target filter
The example below shows how to modify the cutoff frequency of the prototype
filter. The MATLAB code for this example is shown in the following figure.
The prototype filter is a halfband elliptic, real, third-order filter:
[b, a] = ellip(3, 0.1, 30, 0.409);

The cutoff frequency moves from 0.5 to 0.75:

[num,den] = iirlp2lp(b, a, 0.5, 0.75);

3-99

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Prototype filter
0

|H()|in dB

10
20
30
40
o

50
60

0.1

0.2

0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
Normalized Frequency ( rad/sample)

0.8

0.9

0.8

0.9

Target filter
0

|H()| in dB

10
20
30
40
t

50
60

0.1

0.2

0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
Normalized Frequency ( rad/sample)

Example of Real Lowpass to Real Lowpass Mapping

Real Lowpass to Real Highpass

Real lowpass filter to real highpass filter transformation uses a first-order
allpass mapping filter. It performs an exact mapping of one feature of the
frequency response into the new location additionally swapping DC and
Nyquist features. As a real transformation, it works in a similar way for
positive and negative frequencies. Just like in the previous transformation
because of using a first-order mapping, the order of the filter before and after
the transformation is the same.

1 + z 1
H A ( z) =

+ z 1

with given by

3-100

Digital Frequency Transformations

cos 2 (old + new )

=

cos (old new )

2

where
old Frequency location of the selected feature in the prototype filter
new Frequency location of the same feature in the target filter
The example below shows how to convert the lowpass filter into a highpass
filter with arbitrarily chosen cutoff frequency. In the MATLAB code below,
the lowpass filter is converted into a highpass with cutoff frequency shifted
from 0.5 to 0.75. Results are shown in the figure.
The prototype filter is a halfband elliptic, real, third-order filter:
[b, a] = ellip(3, 0.1, 30, 0.409);

The example moves the cutoff frequency from 0.5 to 0.75:

[num,den] = iirlp2hp(b, a, 0.5, 0.75);

3-101

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Prototype filter
0

|H()|in dB

10
20
30
40
o

50
60

0.1

0.2

0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
Normalized Frequency ( rad/sample)

0.8

0.9

0.8

0.9

Target filter
0

|H()| in dB

10
20
30
40
t

50
60

0.1

0.2

0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
Normalized Frequency ( rad/sample)

Example of Real Lowpass to Real Highpass Mapping

Real Lowpass to Real Bandpass

Real lowpass filter to real bandpass filter transformation uses a second-order
allpass mapping filter. It performs an exact mapping of two features of the
frequency response into their new location additionally moving a DC feature
and keeping the Nyquist feature fixed. As a real transformation, it works in a
similar way for positive and negative frequencies.

1 (1 + ) z1 z2
H A ( z) =

(1 + ) z1 + z2

with and given by

3-102

Digital Frequency Transformations

(2old new,2 + new,1 )

4
=

sin (2old + new,2 new,1 )

4
sin

= cos (new,1 + new,2 )

2
where
old Frequency location of the selected feature in the prototype filter
new,1 Position of the feature originally at (-old) in the target filter
new,2 Position of the feature originally at (+old) in the target filter
The example below shows how to move the response of the prototype lowpass
filter in either direction. Please note that because the target filter must
also be real, the response of the target filter will inherently be disturbed at
frequencies close to Nyquist and close to DC. Here is the MATLAB code for
generating the example in the figure.
The prototype filter is a halfband elliptic, real, third-order lowpass filter:
[b, a] = ellip(3, 0.1, 30, 0.409);

The example transformation creates the passband between 0.5 and 0.75:
[num,den] = iirlp2bp(b, a, 0.5, [0.5, 0.75]);

3-103

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Prototype filter
0

|H()|in dB

10
20
30
40
o

50
60

0.1

0.2

0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
Normalized Frequency ( rad/sample)

0.8

0.9

0.8

0.9

Target filter
0

|H()| in dB

10
20
30
40
t1

50
60

0.1

0.2

t2

0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
Normalized Frequency ( rad/sample)

Example of Real Lowpass to Real Bandpass Mapping

Real Lowpass to Real Bandstop

Real lowpass filter to real bandstop filter transformation uses a second-order
allpass mapping filter. It performs an exact mapping of two features of
the frequency response into their new location additionally moving a
Nyquist feature and keeping the DC feature fixed. This effectively creates
a stopband between the selected frequency locations in the target filter. As
a real transformation, it works in a similar way for positive and negative
frequencies.

H A ( z) =

1 (1 + ) z1 + z2

(1 + ) z1 + z2

with and given by

3-104

Digital Frequency Transformations

(2old + new,2 new,1 )

4
=

cos (2old new,2 + new,1 )

4
cos

= cos (new,1 + new,2 )

2
where
old Frequency location of the selected feature in the prototype filter
new,1 Position of the feature originally at (-old) in the target filter
new,2 Position of the feature originally at (+old) in the target filter
The following example shows how this transformation can be used to convert
the prototype lowpass filter with cutoff frequency at 0.5 into a real bandstop
filter with the same passband and stopband ripple structure and stopband
positioned between 0.5 and 0.75. Here is the MATLAB code for generating the
example in the figure.
The prototype filter is a halfband elliptic, real, third-order lowpass filter:
[b, a] = ellip(3, 0.1, 30, 0.409);

The example transformation creates a stopband from 0.5 to 0.75:

[num,den] = iirlp2bs(b, a, 0.5, [0.5, 0.75]);

3-105

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Prototype filter
0

|H()|in dB

10
20
30
40
o

50
60

0.1

0.2

0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
Normalized Frequency ( rad/sample)

0.8

0.9

0.9

Target filter
0

|H()| in dB

10
20
30
40
t1

50
60

0.1

0.2

0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
Normalized Frequency ( rad/sample)

t2
0.8

Example of Real Lowpass to Real Bandstop Mapping

Real Lowpass to Real Multiband

This high-order transformation performs an exact mapping of one selected
feature of the prototype filter frequency response into a number of new
locations in the target filter. Its most common use is to convert a real lowpass
with predefined passband and stopband ripples into a real multiband filter
with N arbitrary band edges, where N is the order of the allpass mapping
filter.
N

H A ( z) = S

0 = 1

3-106

i z i

i=0
N

i z N + i

i=0

Digital Frequency Transformations

The coefficients are given by

0 = 1 k = 1,, N

sin ( Nnew + (1) k old )

2
k = S

sin (( N 2k)new + (1) k old )

2
where
old,k Frequency location of the first feature in the prototype filter
new,k Position of the feature originally at old,k in the target filter
The mobility factor, S, specifies the mobility or either DC or Nyquist feature:

1 Nyquist
S=
DC
1
The example below shows how this transformation can be used to convert the
prototype lowpass filter with cutoff frequency at 0.5 into a filter having a
number of bands positioned at arbitrary edge frequencies 1/5, 2/5, 3/5 and 4/5.
Parameter S was such that there is a passband at DC. Here is the MATLAB
code for generating the figure.
The prototype filter is a halfband elliptic, real, third-order lowpass filter:
[b, a] = ellip(3, 0.1, 30, 0.409);

The example transformation creates three stopbands, from DC to 0.2, from

0.4 to 0.6 and from 0.8 to Nyquist:
[num,den] = iirlp2mb(b, a, 0.5, [0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8], `pass');

3-107

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Prototype filter
0

|H()|in dB

10
20
30
40
o

50
60

0.1

0.2

0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
Normalized Frequency ( rad/sample)

0.8

0.9

0.9

Target filter
0

|H()| in dB

10
20
30
40
t1

50
60

0.1

0.2

t2

t3

0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
Normalized Frequency ( rad/sample)

t4
0.8

Example of Real Lowpass to Real Multiband Mapping

Real Lowpass to Real Multipoint

This high-order frequency transformation performs an exact mapping of a
number of selected features of the prototype filter frequency response to their
new locations in the target filter. The mapping filter is given by the general
IIR polynomial form of the transfer function as given below.
N

H A ( z) = S

0 = 1

i z i

i=0
N

i z N + i

i=0

For the Nth-order multipoint frequency transformation the coefficients are

3-108

Digital Frequency Transformations

N
i
N i
N i zold, k znew, k S znew, k = zold, k S znew, k
i =1

j
zold, k = e old,k

j
znew, k = e new,k

k = 1,, N
where
old,k Frequency location of the first feature in the prototype filter
new,k Position of the feature originally at old,k in the target filter
The mobility factor, S, specifies the mobility of either DC or Nyquist feature:

1 Nyquist
S=
DC
1
The example below shows how this transformation can be used to move
features of the prototype lowpass filter originally at -0.5 and 0.5 to their new
locations at 0.5 and 0.75, effectively changing a position of the filter passband.
Here is the MATLAB code for generating the figure.
The prototype filter is a halfband elliptic, real, third-order lowpass filter:
[b, a] = ellip(3, 0.1, 30, 0.409);

The example transformation creates a passband from 0.5 to 0.75:

[num,den] = iirlp2xn(b, a, [-0.5, 0.5], [0.5, 0.75], `pass');

3-109

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Prototype filter
0

|H()|in dB

10
20
30
40
o2

50
60

0.1

0.2

0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
Normalized Frequency ( rad/sample)

0.8

0.9

0.9

Target filter
0

|H()| in dB

10
20
30
40
t1

50
60

0.1

0.2

0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
Normalized Frequency ( rad/sample)

t2
0.8

Example of Real Lowpass to Real Multipoint Mapping

Frequency Transformations for Complex Filters

Overview on page 3-110
Complex Frequency Shift on page 3-111
Real Lowpass to Complex Bandpass on page 3-112
Real Lowpass to Complex Bandstop on page 3-114
Real Lowpass to Complex Multiband on page 3-116
Real Lowpass to Complex Multipoint on page 3-118
Complex Bandpass to Complex Bandpass on page 3-120

Overview
This section discusses complex frequency transformation that take the
complex prototype filter and convert it into a different complex target

3-110

Digital Frequency Transformations

filter. The target filter has its frequency response modified in respect to the
frequency response of the prototype filter according to the characteristic of the
applied frequency transformation from:

Complex Frequency Shift

Complex frequency shift transformation is the simplest first-order
transformation that performs an exact mapping of one selected feature of the
frequency response into its new location. At the same time it rotates the
whole response of the prototype lowpass filter by the distance specified by the
selection of the feature from the prototype filter and the target filter.

H A ( z) = z1
with given by

= e j 2 ( new old )
where
old Frequency location of the selected feature in the prototype filter
new Position of the feature originally at old in the target filter
A special case of the complex frequency shift is a, so called, Hilbert
Transformer. It can be designed by setting the parameter to ||=1, that is

1 forward
=
1 inverse
The example below shows how to apply this transformation to rotate the
response of the prototype lowpass filter in either direction. Please note that
because the transformation can be achieved by a simple phase shift operator,
all features of the prototype filter will be moved by the same amount. Here is
the MATLAB code for generating the example in the figure.
The prototype filter is a halfband elliptic, real, third-order lowpass filter:

3-111

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

[b, a] = ellip(3, 0.1, 30, 0.409);

The example transformation moves the feature originally at 0.5 to 0.3:

[num,den] = iirshiftc(b, a, 0.5, 0.3);
Prototype filter
0

|H()|in dB

10
20
30
40
o

50
60
1

0.8

0.6

0.4
0.2
0
0.2
0.4
Normalized Frequency ( rad/sample)

0.6

0.8

0.6

0.8

Target filter
0

|H()| in dB

10
20
30
40
t

50
60
1

0.8

0.6

0.4
0.2
0
0.2
0.4
Normalized Frequency ( rad/sample)

Example of Complex Frequency Shift Mapping

Real Lowpass to Complex Bandpass

This first-order transformation performs an exact mapping of one selected
feature of the prototype filter frequency response into two new locations in
the target filter creating a passband between them. Both Nyquist and DC
features can be moved with the rest of the frequency response.

H A ( z) =

z 1
z1

with and are given by

3-112

Digital Frequency Transformations

(2old new,2 + new,1 )

4
=
sin (2old + new,2 new,1 )
sin

= e j (new old )
where
old Frequency location of the selected feature in the prototype filter
new,1 Position of the feature originally at (-old) in the target filter
new,2 Position of the feature originally at (+old) in the target filter
The following example shows the use of such a transformation for converting
a real halfband lowpass filter into a complex bandpass filter with band edges
at 0.5 and 0.75. Here is the MATLAB code for generating the example in
the figure.
The prototype filter is a half band elliptic, real, third-order lowpass filter:
[b, a] = ellip(3, 0.1, 30, 0.409);

The transformation creates a passband from 0.5 to 0.75:

[num,den] = iirlp2bpc(b, a, 0.5, [0.5 0.75]);

3-113

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Prototype filter
0

|H()|in dB

10
20
30
40
o

50
60
1

0.8

0.6

0.4
0.2
0
0.2
0.4
Normalized Frequency ( rad/sample)

0.6

0.8

0.8

Target filter
0

|H()| in dB

10
20
30
40
t1
50
t2
60
1

0.8

0.6

0.4
0.2
0
0.2
0.4
Normalized Frequency ( rad/sample)

0.6

Example of Real Lowpass to Complex Bandpass Mapping

Real Lowpass to Complex Bandstop

This first-order transformation performs an exact mapping of one selected
feature of the prototype filter frequency response into two new locations in
the target filter creating a stopband between them. Both Nyquist and DC
features can be moved with the rest of the frequency response.

H A ( z) =

z 1
z1

with and are given by

cos (2old + new,2 new,1 )

cos (2old new,2 + new,1 )

= e j (new old )

3-114

Digital Frequency Transformations

where
old Frequency location of the selected feature in the prototype filter
new,1 Position of the feature originally at (-old) in the target filter
new,2 Position of the feature originally at (+old) in the target filter
The example below shows the use of such a transformation for converting a
real halfband lowpass filter into a complex bandstop filter with band edges
at 0.5 and 0.75. Here is the MATLAB code for generating the example in
the figure.
The prototype filter is a halfband elliptic, real, third-order lowpass filter:
[b, a] = ellip(3, 0.1, 30, 0.409);

The transformation creates a stopband from 0.5 to 0.75:

[num,den] = iirlp2bsc(b, a, 0.5, [0.5 0.75]);

3-115

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Prototype filter
0

|H()|in dB

10
20
30
40
o

50
60
1

0.8

0.6

0.4
0.2
0
0.2
0.4
Normalized Frequency ( rad/sample)

0.6

0.8

Target filter
0

|H()| in dB

10
20
30
40
t1

50
60
1

0.8

0.6

0.4
0.2
0
0.2
0.4
Normalized Frequency ( rad/sample)

t2
0.6

0.8

Example of Real Lowpass to Complex Bandstop Mapping

Real Lowpass to Complex Multiband

This high-order transformation performs an exact mapping of one selected
feature of the prototype filter frequency response into a number of new
locations in the target filter. Its most common use is to convert a real lowpass
with predefined passband and stopband ripples into a multiband filter
with arbitrary band edges. The order of the mapping filter must be even,
which corresponds to an even number of band edges in the target filter. The
Nth-order complex allpass mapping filter is given by the following general
transfer function form:

3-116

Digital Frequency Transformations

H A ( z) = S

0 = 1

i z i

i=0
N

i z N + i

i=0

The coefficients are calculated from the system of linear equations:

N
(i ) cos 1, k cos 2, k + (i ) sin 1, k + sin 2, k = cos 3, k
i =1
N
( ) sin sin ( ) cos + cos = sin
3, k
i
1, k
2, k
i
1, k
2, k

i =1
=
(1) k + new, k ( N k)
1, k
old

k
=

+
new, k
2, k

k
3, k = old (1) + new, k N

k = 1 N
where
old Frequency location of the selected feature in the prototype filter
new,i Position of features originally at old in the target filter
Parameter S is the additional rotation factor by the frequency distance C,
giving the additional flexibility of achieving the required mapping:

S = e jC
The example shows the use of such a transformation for converting a prototype
real lowpass filter with the cutoff frequency at 0.5 into a multiband complex
filter with band edges at 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8, creating two passbands around
the unit circle. Here is the MATLAB code for generating the figure.

3-117

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Prototype filter
0

|H()|in dB

10
20
30
40
o

50
60
1

0.8

0.6

0.4
0.2
0
0.2
0.4
Normalized Frequency ( rad/sample)

0.6

0.8

Target filter
0

|H()| in dB

10
20
30
40
t1

50
60
1

0.8

0.6

t2

0.4
0.2
0
0.2
0.4
Normalized Frequency ( rad/sample)

t3
0.6

t4
0.8

Example of Real Lowpass to Complex Multiband Mapping

The prototype filter is a halfband elliptic, real, third-order lowpass filter:

[b, a] = ellip(3, 0.1, 30, 0.409);

The example transformation creates two complex passbands:

[num,den] = iirlp2mbc(b, a, 0.5, [0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8]);

Real Lowpass to Complex Multipoint

This high-order transformation performs an exact mapping of a number
of selected features of the prototype filter frequency response to their new
locations in the target filter. The Nth-order complex allpass mapping filter is
given by the following general transfer function form.

3-118

Digital Frequency Transformations

H A ( z) = S

0 = 1

i z i

i=0
N

i z N + i

i=0

The coefficients can be calculated from the system of linear equations:

N
(i ) cos 1, k cos 2, k + (i ) sin 1, k + sin 2, k = cos 3, k
i =1
N
( ) sin sin ( ) cos + cos = sin
3, k
i
i
1, k
2, k
1, k
2, k

i =1

1, k = old, k + new, k ( N k)
2

2, k = 2 2C + new, k k

= old, k + new, k N
3, k
2

=
1
k
N

where
old,k Frequency location of the first feature in the prototype filter
new,k Position of the feature originally at old,k in the target filter
Parameter S is the additional rotation factor by the frequency distance C,
giving the additional flexibility of achieving the required mapping:

S = e jC
The following example shows how this transformation can be used to move
one selected feature of the prototype lowpass filter originally at -0.5 to two
new frequencies -0.5 and 0.1, and the second feature of the prototype filter

3-119

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

from 0.5 to new locations at -0.25 and 0.3. This creates two nonsymmetric
passbands around the unit circle, creating a complex filter. Here is the
MATLAB code for generating the figure.
The prototype filter is a halfband elliptic, real, third-order lowpass filter:
[b, a] = ellip(3, 0.1, 30, 0.409);

The example transformation creates two nonsymmetric passbands:

[num,den] = iirlp2xc(b,a,0.5*[-1,1,-1,1], [-0.5,-0.25,0.1,0.3]);
Prototype filter
0

|H()|in dB

10
20
30
40
50
60
1

0.8

0.6

o1

o2

o3

o4

0.4
0.2
0
0.2
0.4
Normalized Frequency ( rad/sample)

0.6

0.8

0.6

0.8

Target filter
0

|H()| in dB

10
20
30
40
50
60
1

t1
0.8

0.6

t2

t3

t4

0.4
0.2
0
0.2
0.4
Normalized Frequency ( rad/sample)

Example of Real Lowpass to Complex Multipoint Mapping

Complex Bandpass to Complex Bandpass

This first-order transformation performs an exact mapping of two selected
features of the prototype filter frequency response into two new locations in
the target filter. Its most common use is to adjust the edges of the complex
bandpass filter.

3-120

Digital Frequency Transformations

H A ( z) =

( z1 )
z1

with and are given by

((old,2 old,1 ) (new,2 new,1 ))

4
=

sin ((old,2 old,,1 ) + (new,2 new,1 ))

4
sin

=e
=e

j (old ,2 old ,1 )

j (new,2 neew,1 )

where
old,1 Frequency location of the first feature in the prototype filter
old,2 Frequency location of the second feature in the prototype filter
new,1 Position of the feature originally at old,1 in the target filter
new,2 Position of the feature originally at old,2 in the target filter
The following example shows how this transformation can be used to modify
the position of the passband of the prototype filter, either real or complex. In
the example below the prototype filter passband spanned from 0.5 to 0.75.
It was converted to having a passband between -0.5 and 0.1. Here is the
MATLAB code for generating the figure.
The prototype filter is a halfband elliptic, real, third-order lowpass filter:
[b, a] = ellip(3, 0.1, 30, 0.409);

The example transformation creates a passband from 0.25 to 0.75:

[num,den] = iirbpc2bpc(b, a, [0.25, 0.75], [-0.5, 0.1]);

3-121

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Prototype filter
0

|H()|in dB

10
20
30
40
o1

50
60
1

0.8

0.6

0.4
0.2
0
0.2
0.4
Normalized Frequency ( rad/sample)

o2
0.6

0.8

0.6

0.8

Target filter
0

|H()| in dB

10
20
30
40
t1

50
60
1

0.8

0.6

t2

0.4
0.2
0
0.2
0.4
Normalized Frequency ( rad/sample)

Example of Complex Bandpass to Complex Bandpass Mapping

3-122

Digital Filter Design Block

Digital Filter Design Block

In this section...
Overview of the Digital Filter Design Block on page 3-123
Select a Filter Design Block on page 3-124
Create a Lowpass Filter in Simulink on page 3-126
Create a Highpass Filter in Simulink on page 3-127
Filter High-Frequency Noise in Simulink on page 3-128

Overview of the Digital Filter Design Block

You can use the Digital Filter Design block to design and implement a digital
filter. The filter you design can filter single-channel or multichannel signals.
The Digital Filter Design block is ideal for simulating the numerical behavior
of your filter on a floating-point system, such as a personal computer or DSP
chip. You can use the Simulink Coder product to generate C code from your
filter block. For more information on generating C code from models, see
Understanding Code Generation on page 9-2.

Filter Design and Analysis

You perform all filter design and analysis within the Filter Design and
Analysis Tool (FDATool) GUI, which opens when you double-click the Digital
Filter Design block. FDATool provides extensive filter design parameters and
analysis tools such as pole-zero and impulse response plots.

Filter Implementation
Once you have designed your filter using FDATool, the block automatically
realizes the filter using the filter structure you specify. You can then use
the block to filter signals in your model. You can also fine-tune the filter by
changing the filter specification parameters during a simulation. The outputs
of the Digital Filter Design block numerically match the outputs of the DSP
System Toolbox filter function and the MATLAB filter function.

3-123

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Saving, Exporting, and Importing Filters

The Digital Filter Design block allows you to save the filters you design,
export filters (to the MATLAB workspace, MAT-files, etc.), and import filters
designed elsewhere.
To learn how to save your filter designs, see Saving and Opening
Filter Design Sessions on page 13-38 in the Signal Processing Toolbox
documentation. To learn how to import and export your filter designs, see
Import and Export Quantized Filters on page 3-54.
Note You can use the Digital Filter Design block to design and implement a
filter. To implement a pre-designed filter, use the Digital Filter block. Both
blocks implement a filter design in the same manner and have the same
behavior during simulation and code generation.
See the Digital Filter Design block reference page for more information. For
information on choosing between the Digital Filter Design block and the Filter
Realization Wizard, see Select a Filter Design Block on page 3-124.

Select a Filter Design Block

This section explains the similarities and differences between the Digital
Filter Design and Filter Realization Wizard blocks.

Similarities
The Digital Filter Design block and Filter Realization Wizard are similar
in the following ways:
Filter design and analysis options Both blocks use the Filter Design and
Analysis Tool (FDATool) GUI for filter design and analysis.
Output values If the output of both blocks is double-precision floating
point, single-precision floating point, or fixed point, the output values of
both blocks numerically match the output of the filter method of the
dfilt object.

3-124

Digital Filter Design Block

Differences
The Digital Filter Design block and Filter Realization Wizard handle the
following things differently:
Supported filter structures Both blocks support many of the same
basic filter structures, but the Filter Realization Wizard supports more
structures than the Digital Filter Design block. This is because the block
can implement filters using Sum, Gain, and Delay blocks. See the Filter
Realization Wizard and Digital Filter Design block reference pages for a
list of all the structures they support.
Data type support The Filter Realization Wizard block supports singleand double-precision floating-point computation for all filter structures and
fixed-point computation for some filter structures. The Digital Filter Design
block only supports single- and double-precision floating-point computation.
Block versus Wizard The Digital Filter Design block is the filter itself,
but the Filter Realization Wizard block just enables you to create new
filters and put them in an existing model. Thus, the Filter Realization
Wizard is not a block that processes data in your model, it is a wizard that
generates filter blocks (or subsystems) which you can then use to process
data in your model.

When to Use Each Block

The following are specific situations where only the Digital Filter Design
block or the Filter Realization Wizard is appropriate.
Digital Filter Design

Use to simulate single- and double-precision floating-point filters.

Use to generate highly optimized ANSI C code that implements
floating-point filters for embedded systems.

Filter Realization Wizard

Use to simulate numerical behavior of fixed-point filters in a DSP chip,

a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or an application-specific
integrated circuit (ASIC).

Use to simulate single- and double-precision floating-point filters with

structures that the Digital Filter Design block does not support.

3-125

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Use to visualize the filter structure, as the block can build the filter
from Sum, Gain, and Delay blocks.

Use to rapidly generate multiple filter blocks.

See Filter Realization Wizard on page 3-134 and the Filter Realization
Wizard block reference page for information.

Create a Lowpass Filter in Simulink

You can use the Digital Filter Design block to design and implement a digital
FIR or IIR filter. In this topic, you use it to create an FIR lowpass filter:
1 Open Simulink and create a new model file.
2 From the DSP System Toolbox Filtering library, and then from the Filter

Implementations library, click-and-drag a Digital Filter Design block into

your model.
3 Double-click the Digital Filter Design block.

The Filter Design and Analysis Tool (FDATool) GUI opens.

4 Set the parameters as follows, and then click OK:

Response Type = Lowpass

Design Method = FIR, Equiripple
Filter Order = Minimum order
Units = Normalized (0 to 1)
wpass = 0.2
wstop = 0.5
5 Click Design Filter at the bottom of the GUI to design the filter.

Your Digital Filter Design block now represents a filter with the
parameters you specified.
6 From the Edit menu, select Convert Structure.

The Convert Structure dialog box opens.

3-126

Digital Filter Design Block

7 Select Direct-Form FIR Transposed and click OK.

8 Rename your block Digital Filter Design - Lowpass.

The Digital Filter Design block now represents a lowpass filter with a
Direct-Form FIR Transposed structure. The filter passes all frequencies up
to 20% of the Nyquist frequency (half the sampling frequency), and stops
frequencies greater than or equal to 50% of the Nyquist frequency as defined
by the wpass and wstop parameters. In the next topic, Create a Highpass
Filter in Simulink on page 3-127, you use a Digital Filter Design block
to create a highpass filter. For more information about implementing a
pre-designed filter, see Digital Filter Block on page 3-147.

Create a Highpass Filter in Simulink

In this topic, you create a highpass filter using the Digital Filter Design block:
1 If the model you created in Create a Lowpass Filter in Simulink on page

3-126 is not open on your desktop, you can open an equivalent model by
typing
ex_filter_ex4

at the MATLAB command prompt.

2 From the DSP System Toolbox Filtering library, and then from the Filter

Implementations library, click-and-drag a second Digital Filter Design

block into your model.
3 Double-click the Digital Filter Design block.

The Filter Design and Analysis Tool (FDATool) GUI opens.

4 Set the parameters as follows:

Response Type = Highpass

Design Method = FIR, Equiripple
Filter Order = Minimum order
Units = Normalized (0 to 1)
wstop = 0.2

3-127

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

wpass = 0.5
5 Click the Design Filter button at the bottom of the GUI to design the filter.

Your Digital Filter Design block now represents a filter with the
parameters you specified.
6 In the Edit menu, select Convert Structure.

The Convert Structure dialog box opens.

7 Select Direct-Form FIR Transposed and click OK.
8 Rename your block Digital Filter Design - Highpass .

The block now implements a highpass filter with a direct form FIR transpose
structure. The filter passes all frequencies greater than or equal to 50% of
the Nyquist frequency (half the sampling frequency), and stops frequencies
less than or equal to 20% of the Nyquist frequency as defined by the wpass
and wstop parameters. This highpass filter is the opposite of the lowpass
filter described in Create a Lowpass Filter in Simulink on page 3-126. The
highpass filter passes the frequencies stopped by the lowpass filter, and
stops the frequencies passed by the lowpass filter. In the next topic, Filter
High-Frequency Noise in Simulink on page 3-128, you use these Digital
Filter Design blocks to create a model capable of removing high frequency
noise from a signal. For more information about implementing a pre-designed
filter, see Digital Filter Block on page 3-147.

Filter High-Frequency Noise in Simulink

In the previous topics, you used Digital Filter Design blocks to create FIR
lowpass and highpass filters. In this topic, you use these blocks to build a
model that removes high frequency noise from a signal. In this model, you
use the highpass filter, which is excited using a uniform random signal, to
create high-frequency noise. After you add this noise to a sine wave, you use
the lowpass filter to filter out the high-frequency noise:
1 If the model you created in Create a Highpass Filter in Simulink on page

3-127 is not open on your desktop, you can open an equivalent model by
typing

3-128

Digital Filter Design Block

ex_filter_ex5

at the MATLAB command prompt.

2 Click-and-drag the following blocks into your model.

Block

Library

Quantity

Add

Simulink Math Operations

library

Random Source

Sources

Sine Wave

Sources

Time Scope

Sinks

3 Set the parameters for these blocks as indicated in the following table.

Leave the parameters not listed in the table at their default settings.
Parameter Settings for the Other Blocks
Block

Parameter Setting

Add

Icon shape = rectangular

List of signs = ++

Random
Source

Source type = = Uniform

Minimum = 0
Maximum = 4
Sample mode = Discrete
Sample time = 1/1000
Samples per frame = 50

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Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Parameter Settings for the Other Blocks (Continued)

Block

Parameter Setting

Sine Wave

Frequency (Hz) = 75
Sample time = 1/1000
Samples per frame = 50

Time Scope

File > Number of Input Ports > 3

File > Configuration ...
Open the Visuals:Time Domain Options dialog
and set Time span = One frame period

4 Connect the blocks as shown in the following figure. You might need to

resize some of the blocks to accomplish this task.

5 From the Simulation menu, select Model Configuration Parameters.

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Digital Filter Design Block

The Configuration Parameters dialog box opens.

6 In the Solver pane, set the parameters as follows, and then click OK:

Start time = 0
Stop time = 5
Type = Fixed-step
Solver = Discrete (no continuous states)
7 In the model window, from the Simulation menu, choose Run.

The model simulation begins and the scope displays the three input signals.
8 After simulation is complete, select View > Legend from the Time

Scope menu. The legend appears in the Time Scope window. You can
click-and-drag it anywhere on the scope display. To change the channel
names, double-click inside the legend and replace the default channel
names with the following:
Add = Noisy Sine Wave
Digital Filter Design Lowpass = Filtered Noisy Sine Wave
Sine Wave = Original Sine Wave
In the next step, you will set the color, style, and marker of each channel.
9 In the Time Scope window, select View > Line Properties, and set the

following:
Line

Style

Marker

Color

Noisy Sine Wave

None

Black

Filtered Noisy
Sine Wave

diamond

Red

Original Sine
Wave

None

Blue

10 The Time Scope display should now appear as follows:

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Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

You can see that the lowpass filter filters out the high-frequency noise in
the noisy sine wave.

3-132

Digital Filter Design Block

You have now used Digital Filter Design blocks to build a model that removes
high frequency noise from a signal. For more information about these blocks,
see the Digital Filter Design block reference page. For information on another
block capable of designing and implementing filters, see Filter Realization
Wizard on page 3-134. To learn how to save your filter designs, see Saving
and Opening Filter Design Sessions on page 13-38 in the Signal Processing
Toolbox documentation. To learn how to import and export your filter designs,
see Import and Export Quantized Filters on page 3-54 in the DSP System
Toolbox documentation.

3-133

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Filter Realization Wizard

In this section...
Overview of the Filter Realization Wizard on page 3-134
Design and Implement a Fixed-Point Filter in Simulink on page 3-134
Set the Filter Structure and Number of Filter Sections on page 3-143
Optimize the Filter Structure on page 3-144

Overview of the Filter Realization Wizard

The Filter Realization Wizard is another DSP System Toolbox block that
can be used to design and implement digital filters. You can use this tool to
filter single-channel floating-point or fixed-point signals. Like the Digital
Filter Design block, double-clicking a Filter Realization Wizard block opens
FDATool. Unlike the Digital Filter Design block, the Filter Realization
Wizard starts FDATool with the Realize Model panel selected. This panel is
optimized for use with DSP System Toolbox software.
For more information, see the Filter Realization Wizard block reference page.
For information on choosing between the Digital Filter Design block and the
Filter Realization Wizard, see Select a Filter Design Block on page 3-124.

Design and Implement a Fixed-Point Filter in Simulink

In this section, a tutorial guides you through creating a fixed-point filter with
the Filter Realization Wizard. You will use the Filter Realization Wizard to
remove noise from a signal. This tutorial has the following parts:
Part 1 Create a Signal with Added Noise on page 3-135
Part 2 Create a Fixed-Point Filter with the Filter Realization Wizard
on page 3-136
Part 3 Build a Model to Filter a Signal on page 3-141
Part 4 Examine Filtering Results on page 3-142

3-134

Filter Realization Wizard

Part 1 Create a Signal with Added Noise

In this section of the tutorial, you will create a signal with added noise. Later
in the tutorial, you will filter this signal with a fixed-point filter that you
design with the Filter Realization Wizard.
1 Type

load mtlb
soundsc(mtlb,Fs)

at the MATLAB command line. You should hear a voice say MATLAB.
This is the signal to which you will add noise.
2 Create a noise signal by typing

noise = cos(2*pi*3*Fs/8*(0:length(mtlb)-1)/Fs)';

at the command line. You can hear the noise signal by typing
soundsc(noise,Fs)
3 Add the noise to the original signal by typing

u = mtlb + noise;

at the command line.

4 Scale the signal with noise by typing

u = u/max(abs(u));

at the command line. You scale the signal to try to avoid overflows later on.
You can hear the scaled signal with noise by typing
soundsc(u,Fs)
5 View the scaled signal with noise by typing

spectrogram(u,256,[],[],Fs);colorbar

at the command line.

The spectrogram appears as follows.

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Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

In the spectrogram, you can see the noise signal as a line at about 2800 Hz,
which is equal to 3*Fs/8.

Part 2 Create a Fixed-Point Filter with the Filter Realization

Wizard
Next you will create a fixed-point filter using the Filter Realization Wizard.
You will create a filter that reduces the effects of the noise on the signal.
6 Open a new Simulink model, and drag-and-drop a Filter Realization Wizard

block from the Filtering / Filter Implementations library into the model.

3-136

Filter Realization Wizard

Note You do not have to place a Filter Realization Wizard block in a

model in order to use it. You can open the GUI from within a library.
However, for purposes of this tutorial, we will keep the Filter Realization
Wizard block in the model.
7 Double-click the Filter Realization Wizard block in your model. The

Realize Model panel of the Filter Design and Analysis Tool (FDATool)
appears.
8 Click the Design Filter button (

) on the bottom left of FDATool. This

brings forward the Design filter panel of the tool.

9 Set the following fields in the Design filter panel:

Set Design Method to IIR -- Constrained Least Pth-norm

Set Fs to Fs
Set Fpass to 0.2*Fs
Set Fstop to 0.25*Fs
Set Max pole radius to 0.8
Click the Design Filter button
The Design filter panel should now appear as follows.

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Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

10 Click the Set quantization parameters button on the bottom left of

). This brings forward the Set quantization parameters

FDATool (
panel of the tool.
11 Set the following fields in the Set quantization parameters panel:

Select Fixed-point for the Filter arithmetic parameter.

3-138

Filter Realization Wizard

Make sure the Best precision fraction lengths check box is selected
on the Coefficients pane.
The Set quantization parameters panel should appear as follows.

3-139

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

12 Click the Realize Model button on the left side of FDATool (

). This

brings forward the Realize Model panel of the tool.

13 Select the Build model using basic elements check box, then click the

Realize Model button on the bottom of FDATool. A subsystem block for

the new filter appears in your model.

Note You do not have to keep the Filter Realization Wizard block in the
same model as the generated Filter block. However, for this tutorial, we
will keep the blocks in the same model.

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Filter Realization Wizard

14 Double-click the Filter subsystem block in your model to view the filter

implementation.

Part 3 Build a Model to Filter a Signal

In this section of the tutorial, you will filter noise from a signal in your
Simulink model.
15 Connect a Signal From Workspace block from the Sources library to the

input port of your filter block.

16 Connect a Signal To Workspace block from the Sinks library to the output

port of your filter block. Your blocks should now be connected as follows.

17 Open the Signal From Workspace block dialog box and set the Signal

parameter to u. Click OK to save your changes and close the dialog box.
18 Open the Model Configuration Parameters dialog box from the

Simulation menu of the model. In the Solver pane of the dialog, set the
following fields:
Stop time = length(u)-1
Type = Fixed-step
Click OK to save your changes and close the dialog box.
19 Run the model.
20 From the Display menu of the model, select Signals & Ports > Port Data

Types. You can now see that the input to the Filter block is a signal of type
double and the output of the Filter block has a data type of sfix16_En11.

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Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Part 4 Examine Filtering Results

Now you can listen to and look at the results of the fixed-point filter you
designed and implemented.
21 Type

soundsc(yout,Fs)

at the command line to hear the output of the filter. You should hear a voice
say MATLAB. The noise portion of the signal should be close to inaudible.
22 Type

3-142

Filter Realization Wizard

figure
spectrogram(yout,256,[],[],Fs);colorbar

at the command line.

From the colorbars at the side of the input and output spectrograms, you can
see that the noise has been reduced by about 40 dB.

Set the Filter Structure and Number of Filter Sections

The Current Filter Information region of FDATool shows the structure
and the number of second-order sections in your filter.
Change the filter structure and number of filter sections of your filter as
follows:
Select Convert Structure from the Edit menu to open the Convert
Structure dialog box. For details, see Converting to a New Structure in
the Signal Processing Toolbox documentation.

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Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Select Convert to Second-order Sections from the Edit menu to

open the Convert to SOS dialog box. For details, see Converting to
Second-Order Sections in the Signal Processing Toolbox documentation.
Note You might not be able to directly access some of the supported
structures through the Convert Structure dialog of FDATool. However,
you can access all of the structures by creating a dfilt filter object with the
desired structure, and then importing the filter into FDATool. To learn more
about the Import Filter panel, see Importing a Filter Design in the Signal
Processing Toolbox documentation.

Optimize the Filter Structure

The Filter Realization Wizard can implement a digital filter using a Digital
Filter block or by creating a subsystem block that implements the filter using
Sum, Gain, and Delay blocks. The following procedure shows you how to
optimize the filter implementation:
1 Open the Realize Model pane of FDATool by clicking the Realize Model

button

in the lower-left corner of FDATool.

2 Select the desired optimizations in the Optimization region of the Realize

Model pane. See the following descriptions and illustrations of each

optimization option.

3-144

Filter Realization Wizard

Optimize for zero gains Remove zero-gain paths.

Optimize for unity gains Substitute gains equal to one with a wire
(short circuit).
Optimize for negative gains Substitute gains equal to -1 with a wire
(short circuit), and change the corresponding sums to subtractions.
Optimize delay chains Substitute any delay chain made up of n unit
delays with a single delay by n.
Optimize for unity scale values Remove all scale value multiplications
by 1 from the filter structure.
The following diagram illustrates the results of each of these optimizations.

3-145

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

3-146

Digital Filter Block

Digital Filter Block

In this section...
Overview of the Digital Filter Block on page 3-147
Implement a Lowpass Filter in Simulink on page 3-148
Implement a Highpass Filter in Simulink on page 3-149
Filter High-Frequency Noise in Simulink on page 3-150
Specify Static Filters on page 3-155
Specify Time-Varying Filters on page 3-155
Specify the SOS Matrix (Biquadratic Filter Coefficients) on page 3-157

Overview of the Digital Filter Block

You can use the Digital Filter block to implement digital FIR and IIR filters
in your models. Use this block if you have already performed the design and
analysis and know your desired filter coefficients. You can use this block to
filter single-channel and multichannel signals, and to simulate floating-point
and fixed-point filters. Then, you can use the Simulink Coder product to
generate highly optimized C code from your filter block.
To implement a filter with the Digital Filter block, you must provide the
following basic information about the filter:
Whether the filter transfer function is FIR with all zeros, IIR with all poles,
or IIR with poles and zeros
The desired filter structure
The filter coefficients
Note Use the Digital Filter Design block to design and implement a filter.
Use the Digital Filter block to implement a pre-designed filter. Both blocks
implement a filter in the same manner and have the same behavior during
simulation and code generation.

3-147

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Implement a Lowpass Filter in Simulink

You can use the Digital Filter block to implement a digital FIR or IIR filter.
In this topic, you use it to implement an FIR lowpass filter:
1 Define the lowpass filter coefficients in the MATLAB workspace by typing

lopassNum = [-0.0021 -0.0108 -0.0274 -0.0409 -0.0266 0.0374

0.1435 0.2465 0.2896 0.2465 0.1435 0.0374 -0.0266 -0.0409
-0.0274 -0.0108 -0.0021];
2 Open Simulink and create a new model file.
3 From the DSP System Toolbox Filtering>Filter Implementations library,

click-and-drag a Digital Filter block into your model.

4 Double-click the Digital Filter block. Set the block parameters as follows,

and then click OK:

Coefficient source = Dialog parameters
Transfer function type = FIR (all zeros)
Filter structure = Direct form transposed
Numerator coefficients = lopassNum
Input processing = Columns as channels (frame based)
Initial conditions = 0
Note that you can provide the filter coefficients in several ways:
Type in a variable name from the MATLAB workspace, such as
lopassNum.
Type in filter design commands from Signal Processing Toolbox software
or DSP System Toolbox software, such as fir1(5, 0.2, 'low').
Type in a vector of the filter coefficient values.
5 Rename your block Digital Filter - Lowpass.

The Digital Filter block in your model now represents a lowpass filter. In the
next topic, Implement a Highpass Filter in Simulink on page 3-149, you use
a Digital Filter block to implement a highpass filter. For more information

3-148

Digital Filter Block

about the Digital Filter block, see the Digital Filter block reference page. For
more information about designing and implementing a new filter, see Digital
Filter Design Block on page 3-123.

Implement a Highpass Filter in Simulink

In this topic, you implement an FIR highpass filter using the Digital Filter
block:
1 If the model you created in Implement a Lowpass Filter in Simulink

on page 3-148 is not open on your desktop, you can open an equivalent
model by typing
ex_filter_ex1

at the MATLAB command prompt.

2 Define the highpass filter coefficients in the MATLAB workspace by typing

hipassNum = [-0.0051 0.0181 -0.0069 -0.0283 -0.0061 ...

0.0549 0.0579 -0.0826 -0.2992 0.5946 -0.2992 -0.0826 ...
0.0579 0.0549 -0.0061 -0.0283 -0.0069 0.0181 -0.0051];
3 From the DSP System Toolbox Filtering library, and then from the Filter

Implementations library, click-and-drag a Digital Filter block into your

model.
4 Double-click the Digital Filter block. Set the block parameters as follows,

and then click OK:

Coefficient source = Dialog parameters
Transfer function type = FIR (all zeros)
Filter structure = Direct form transposed
Numerator coefficients = hipassNum
Input processing = Columns as channels (frame based)
Initial conditions = 0
You can provide the filter coefficients in several ways:

3-149

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Type in a variable name from the MATLAB workspace, such as

hipassNum.
Type in filter design commands from Signal Processing Toolbox software
or DSP System Toolbox software, such as fir1(5, 0.2, 'low').
Type in a vector of the filter coefficient values.
5 Rename your block Digital Filter - Highpass.

You have now successfully implemented a highpass filter. In the next topic,
Filter High-Frequency Noise in Simulink on page 3-150, you use these
Digital Filter blocks to create a model capable of removing high frequency
noise from a signal. For more information about designing and implementing
a new filter, see Digital Filter Design Block on page 3-123.

Filter High-Frequency Noise in Simulink

In the previous topics, you used Digital Filter blocks to implement FIR
lowpass and highpass filters. In this topic, you use these blocks to build a
model that removes high frequency noise from a signal. In this model, you
use the highpass filter, which is excited using a uniform random signal, to
create high-frequency noise. After you add this noise to a sine wave, you use
the lowpass filter to filter out the high-frequency noise:
1 If the model you created in Implement a Highpass Filter in Simulink

on page 3-149 is not open on your desktop, you can open an equivalent
model by typing
ex_filter_ex2

at the MATLAB command prompt.

2 If you have not already done so, define the lowpass and highpass filter

coefficients in the MATLAB workspace by typing

lopassNum = [-0.0021 -0.0108 -0.0274 -0.0409 -0.0266 ...
0.0374 0.1435 0.2465 0.2896 0.2465 0.1435 0.0374 ...
-0.0266 -0.0409 -0.0274 -0.0108 -0.0021];
hipassNum = [-0.0051 0.0181 -0.0069 -0.0283 -0.0061 ...
0.0549 0.0579 -0.0826 -0.2992 0.5946 -0.2992 -0.0826 ...
0.0579 0.0549 -0.0061 -0.0283 -0.0069 0.0181 -0.0051];

3-150

Digital Filter Block

3 Click-and-drag the following blocks into your model file.

Block

Library

Quantity

Add

Simulink / Math Operations

library

Random Source

Sources

Sine Wave

Sources

Time Scope

Sinks

4 Set the parameters for the rest of the blocks as indicated in the following

table. For any parameters not listed in the table, leave them at their
default settings.
Block

Parameter Setting

Add

Icon shape = rectangular

List of signs = ++

Random Source

Source type = Uniform

Minimum = 0
Maximum = 4
Sample mode = Discrete
Sample time = 1/1000
Samples per frame = 50

Sine Wave

Frequency (Hz) = 75
Sample time = 1/1000
Samples per frame = 50

Time Scope

File > Number of Input Ports > 3

File > Configuration ...
Open the Visuals:Time Domain Options
dialog and set Time span = One frame
period

3-151

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

5 Connect the blocks as shown in the following figure. You may need to resize

some of your blocks to accomplish this task.

6 From the Simulation menu, select Model Configuration Parameters.

The Configuration Parameters dialog box opens.

7 In the Solver pane, set the parameters as follows, and then click OK:

Start time = 0
Stop time = 5
Type = Fixed-step
Solver = discrete (no continuous states)
8 In the model window, from the Simulation menu, choose Run.

The model simulation begins and the Scope displays the three input signals.

3-152

Digital Filter Block

9 After simulation is complete, select View > Legend from the Time

Scope menu. The legend appears in the Time Scope window. You can
click-and-drag it anywhere on the scope display. To change the channel
names, double-click inside the legend and replace the current numbered
channel names with the following:
Add = Noisy Sine Wave
Digital Filter Lowpass = Filtered Noisy Sine Wave
Sine Wave = Original Sine Wave
In the next step, you will set the color, style, and marker of each channel.
10 In the Time Scope window, select View > Line Properties, and set the

following:
Line

Style

Marker

Color

Noisy Sine Wave

None

Black

Filtered Noisy
Sine Wave

diamond

Red

Original Sine
Wave

None

Blue

11 The Time Scope display should now appear as follows:

You can see that the lowpass filter filters out the high-frequency noise in
the noisy sine wave.

3-153

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

3-154

Digital Filter Block

You have now used Digital Filter blocks to build a model that removes high
frequency noise from a signal. For more information about designing and
implementing a new filter, see Digital Filter Design Block on page 3-123.

Specify Static Filters

You can use the Digital Filter block to specify a static filter by setting the
Coefficient source parameter to Specify via dialog. Depending on the
filter structure, you need to enter your filter coefficients into one or more of
the following parameters. The block disables all the irrelevant parameters.
To see which of these parameters correspond to each filter structure, see
Supported Filter Structures in DSP System Toolbox Reference:
Numerator coefficients Column or row vector of numerator
coefficients, [b0, b1, b2, ..., bn].
Denominator coefficients Column or row vector of denominator
coefficients, [a0, a1, a2, ..., am].
Reflection coefficients Column or row vector of reflection coefficients,
[k1, k2, ..., kn].
SOS matrix (Mx6) M-by-6 SOS matrix. You can also use the Biquad
Filter block to create a static biquadratic IIR filter.
Scale values Scalar or vector of M+1 scale values to be used between
SOS stages.

Tuning the Filter Coefficient Values During Simulation

To change the static filter coefficients during simulation, double-click the
block, type in the new vector(s) of filter coefficients, and click OK. You cannot
change the filter order, so you cannot change the number of elements in the
vector(s) of filter coefficients.

Specify Time-Varying Filters

Note This block does not support time-varying Biquadratic (SOS) filters.

3-155

Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

Time-varying filters are filters whose coefficients change with time. You
can specify a time-varying filter that changes once per frame or once per
sample and you can filter multiple channels with each filter. However, you
cannot apply different filters to each channel; all channels must be filtered
with the same filter.
To specify a time-varying filter:
1 Set the Coefficient source parameter to Input port(s), which enables

extra block input ports for the time-varying filter coefficients.

2 Set the Coefficient update rate parameter to One filter per frame

or One filter per sample depending on how often you want to update
the filter coefficients.
3 Provide vectors of numerator, denominator, or reflection coefficients to the

block input ports for filter coefficients. The series of vectors must arrive at
their ports at a specific rate, and must be of certain lengths.
4 Select or clear the First denominator coefficient = 1, remove a0 term

in the structure parameter depending on whether your first denominator

coefficient is always 1. To learn more, see Removing the a0 Term in the
Filter Structure on page 3-156.

Removing the a0 Term in the Filter Structure

When you know that the first denominator filter coefficient (a0) is always 1
for your time-varying filter, select the First denominator coefficient = 1,
remove a0 term in the structure parameter. Selecting this parameter
reduces the number of computations the block must make to produce the
output (the block omits the 1 / a0 term in the filter structure, as illustrated
in the following figure). The block output is invalid if you select this
parameter when the first denominator filter coefficient is not always 1 for
your time-varying filter. Note that the block ignores the First denominator
coefficient = 1, remove a0 term in the structure parameter for
fixed-point inputs, since this block does not support nonunity a0 coefficients
for fixed-point inputs.

3-156

Digital Filter Block

Specify the SOS Matrix (Biquadratic Filter Coefficients)

The Digital Filter block does not support time-varying biquadratic filters. To
specify a static biquadratic filter (also known as a second-order section or SOS
filter) using the Digital Filter Block, you need to set the following parameters
as indicated:
Transfer function type IIR (poles & zeros)
Filter structure Biquad direct form I (SOS), or Biquad direct
form I transposed (SOS), or , or Biquad direct form II transposed
(SOS)

SOS matrix (Mx6) M-by-6 SOS matrix

The SOS matrix is an M-by-6 matrix, where M is the number of sections in
the second-order section filter. Each row of the SOS matrix contains the
numerator and denominator coefficients (bik and aik) of the corresponding
section in the filter.
Scale values Scalar or vector of M+1 scale values to be used between
SOS stages

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Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

If you enter a scalar, the value is used as the gain value before the first
section of the second-order filter. The rest of the gain values are set to 1.
If you enter a vector of M+1 values, each value is used for a separate
section of the filter. For example, the first element is the first gain value,
the second element is the second gain value, and so on.

You can use the ss2sos and tf2sos functions from Signal Processing Toolbox
software to convert a state-space or transfer function description of your filter
into the second-order section description used by this block.

b01
b
02

b0 M

b11
b12

b21
b22

a01
a02

a11
a12

b1 M

b2 M

a0 M

a1 M

a21
a22

a2 M

The block normalizes each row by a1i to ensure a value of 1 for the zero-delay
denominator coefficients.
Note You can also use the Biquad Filter block to implement a static
biquadratic IIR filter.

3-158

Analog Filter Design Block

Analog Filter Design Block

The Analog Filter Design block designs and implements analog IIR filters
with standard band configurations. All of the analog filter designs let you
specify a filter order. The other available parameters depend on the filter type
and band configuration, as shown in the following table.
Configuration

Butterworth

Chebyshev I

Chebyshev II

Elliptic

Lowpass

p , R p

s, R s

p, R p, R s

Highpass

p , R p

s, R s

p, R p, R s

Bandpass

p1, p2

p1, p2, Rp

s1, s2, Rs

p1, p2, Rp, Rs

Bandstop

p1, p2

p1, p2, Rp

s1, s2, Rs

p1, p2, Rp, Rs

The table parameters are

p passband edge frequency
p1 lower passband edge frequency
p2 upper cutoff frequency
s stopband edge frequency
s1 lower stopband edge frequency
s2 upper stopband edge frequency
Rp passband ripple in decibels
Rs stopband attenuation in decibels
For all of the analog filter designs, frequency parameters are in units of
radians per second.
The Analog Filter Design block uses a state-space filter representation, and
applies the filter using the State-Space block in the Simulink Continuous
library. All of the design methods use Signal Processing Toolbox functions to
design the filter:

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Filter Analysis, Design, and Implementation

The Butterworth design uses the toolbox function butter.

The Chebyshev type I design uses the toolbox function cheby1.
The Chebyshev type II design uses the toolbox function cheby2.
The elliptic design uses the toolbox function ellip.
The Analog Filter Design block is built on the filter design capabilities of
Signal Processing Toolbox software.
Note The Analog Filter Design block does not work with the Simulink
discrete solver, which is enabled when the Solver list is set to Discrete
(no continuous states) in the Solver pane of the Model Configuration
Parameters dialog box. Select one of the continuous solvers (such as ode4)
instead.

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4
Adaptive Filters
Learn how to design and implement adaptive filters.
Overview of Adaptive Filters and Applications on page 4-2
Adaptive Filters in DSP System Toolbox Software on page 4-10
LMS Adaptive Filters on page 4-14
RLS Adaptive Filters on page 4-35
Signal Enhancement Using LMS and Normalized LMS on page 4-41
Adaptive Filters in Simulink on page 4-51
Selected Bibliography on page 4-66

Adaptive Filters

Overview of Adaptive Filters and Applications

In this section...
Introduction to Adaptive Filtering on page 4-2
Adaptive Filtering Methodology on page 4-2
Choosing an Adaptive Filter on page 4-4
System Identification on page 4-6
Inverse System Identification on page 4-6
Noise or Interference Cancellation on page 4-7
Prediction on page 4-8

Introduction to Adaptive Filtering

Adaptive filtering involves the changing of filter parameters (coefficients) over
time, to adapt to changing signal characteristics. Over the past three decades,
digital signal processors have made great advances in increasing speed and
complexity, and reducing power consumption. As a result, real-time adaptive
filtering algorithms are quickly becoming practical and essential for the
future of communications, both wired and wireless.
For more detailed information about adaptive filters and adaptive filter
theory, refer to the books listed in the Selected Bibliography on page 4-66.

Adaptive Filtering Methodology

This section presents a brief description of how adaptive filters work and
some of the applications where they can be useful.
Adaptive filters self learn. As the signal into the filter continues, the adaptive
filter coefficients adjust themselves to achieve the desired result, such as
identifying an unknown filter or canceling noise in the input signal. In the
figure below, the shaded box represents the adaptive filter, comprising the
adaptive filter and the adaptive recursive least squares (RLS) algorithm.

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Overview of Adaptive Filters and Applications

Desired Signal
d(k)

Input Signal
x(k)

Output Signal
y(k)

Adaptive FIR or IIR Digital Filter

text

+
_

SUM

Error Signal
e(k)

RLS Adaptive Algorithm

Block Diagram That Defines the Inputs and Output of a Generic RLS Adaptive
Filter

The next figure provides the general adaptive filter setup with inputs and
outputs.
Desired Signal
d(k)

Input Signal
x(k)

Output Signal
y(k)

Adaptive FIR or IIR Digital Filter

text

+
_

SUM

Error Signal
e(k)

Adapting Algorithm

Block Diagram Defining General Adaptive Filter Algorithm Inputs and

Outputs

DSP System Toolbox software includes adaptive filters of a broad range of

forms, all of which can be worthwhile for specific needs. Some of the common
ones are:
Adaptive filters based on least mean squares (LMS) techniques, such as
adaptfilt.lms, adaptfilt.filtxlms, and adaptfilt.nlms
Adaptive filters based on recursive least squares (RLS) techniques. For
example, adaptfilt.rls and adaptfilt.swrls
Adaptive filters based on sign-data (adaptfilt.sd), sign-error
(adaptfilt.se), and sign-sign (adaptfilt.ss) techniques

4-3

Adaptive Filters

Adaptive filters based on lattice filters. For example, adaptfilt.gal and

adaptfilt.lsl

Adaptive filters that operate in the frequency domain, such as

adaptfilt.fdaf and adaptfilt.pbufdaf.
Adaptive filters that operate in the transform domain. Two of these are the
adaptfilt.tdafdft and adaptfilt.tdafdct filters
An adaptive filter designs itself based on the characteristics of the input
signal to the filter and a signal that represents the desired behavior of the
filter on its input.
Designing the filter does not require any other frequency response information
or specification. To define the self-learning process the filter uses, you select
the adaptive algorithm used to reduce the error between the output signal
y(k) and the desired signal d(k).
When the LMS performance criterion for e(k) has achieved its minimum value
through the iterations of the adapting algorithm, the adaptive filter is finished
and its coefficients have converged to a solution. Now the output from the
adaptive filter matches closely the desired signal d(k). When you change the
input data characteristics, sometimes called the filter environment, the filter
adapts to the new environment by generating a new set of coefficients for the
new data. Notice that when e(k) goes to zero and remains there you achieve
perfect adaptation, the ideal result but not likely in the real world.
The adaptive filter functions in this toolbox implement the shaded portion of
the figures, replacing the adaptive algorithm with an appropriate technique.
To use one of the functions, you provide the input signal or signals and the
initial values for the filter.
Adaptive Filters in DSP System Toolbox Software on page 4-10 offers
details about the algorithms available and the inputs required to use them
in MATLAB.

Choosing an Adaptive Filter

Selecting the adaptive filter that best meets your needs requires careful
consideration. An exhaustive discussion of the criteria for selecting your

4-4

Overview of Adaptive Filters and Applications

approach is beyond the scope of this Users Guide. However, a few guidelines
can help you make your choice.
Two main considerations frame the decision how you plan to use the filter
and the filter algorithm to use.
When you begin to develop an adaptive filter for your needs, most likely the
primary concern is whether using an adaptive filter is a cost-competitive
approach to solving your filtering needs. Generally many areas determine the
suitability of adaptive filters (these areas are common to most filtering and
signal processing applications). Four such areas are
Filter consistency Does your filter performance degrade when the filter
coefficients change slightly as a result of quantization, or you switch
to fixed-point arithmetic? Will excessive noise in the signal hurt the
performance of your filter?
Filter performance Does your adaptive filter provide sufficient
identification accuracy or fidelity, or does the filter provide sufficient signal
discrimination or noise cancellation to meet your requirements?
Tools Do tools exist that make your filter development process easier?
Better tools can make it practical to use more complex adaptive algorithms.
DSP requirements Can your filter perform its job within the constraints
of your application? Does your processor have sufficient memory,
throughput, and time to use your proposed adaptive filtering approach?
Can you trade memory for throughput: use more memory to reduce the
throughput requirements or use a faster signal processor?
Of the preceding considerations, characterizing filter consistency or
robustness may be the most difficult.
The simulations in DSP System Toolbox software offers a good first step in
developing and studying these issues. LMS algorithm filters provide both a
relatively straightforward filters to implement and sufficiently powerful tool
for evaluating whether adaptive filtering can be useful for your problem.
Additionally, starting with an LMS approach can form a solid baseline against
which you can study and compare the more complex adaptive filters available
in the toolbox. Finally, your development process should, at some time, test

4-5

Adaptive Filters

your algorithm and adaptive filter with real data. For truly testing the value
of your work there is no substitute for actual data.

System Identification
One common adaptive filter application is to use adaptive filters to identify
an unknown system, such as the response of an unknown communications
channel or the frequency response of an auditorium, to pick fairly divergent
applications. Other applications include echo cancellation and channel
identification.
In the figure, the unknown system is placed in parallel with the adaptive
filter. This layout represents just one of many possible structures. The shaded
area contains the adaptive filter system.

Unknown System

d(k)
x(k)

Adaptive Filter
text

y(k)

+
_ SUM

e(k)

Using an Adaptive Filter to Identify an Unknown System

Clearly, when e(k) is very small, the adaptive filter response is close to the
response of the unknown system. In this case the same input feeds both the
adaptive filter and the unknown. If, for example, the unknown system is a
modem, the input often represents white noise, and is a part of the sound you
hear from your modem when you log in to your Internet service provider.

Inverse System Identification

By placing the unknown system in series with your adaptive filter, your
filter adapts to become the inverse of the unknown system as e(k) becomes
very small. As shown in the figure the process requires a delay inserted in

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Overview of Adaptive Filters and Applications

the desired signal d(k) path to keep the data at the summation synchronized.
Adding the delay keeps the system causal.

Determining an Inverse Response to an Unknown System

Including the delay to account for the delay caused by the unknown system
prevents this condition.
Plain old telephone systems (POTS) commonly use inverse system
identification to compensate for the copper transmission medium. When
you send data or voice over telephone lines, the copper wires behave like a
filter, having a response that rolls off at higher frequencies (or data rates)
and having other anomalies as well.
Adding an adaptive filter that has a response that is the inverse of the wire
response, and configuring the filter to adapt in real time, lets the filter
compensate for the rolloff and anomalies, increasing the available frequency
output range and data rate for the telephone system.

Noise or Interference Cancellation

In noise cancellation, adaptive filters let you remove noise from a signal in
real time. Here, the desired signal, the one to clean up, combines noise and
desired information. To remove the noise, feed a signal n(k) to the adaptive
filter that represents noise that is correlated to the noise to remove from
the desired signal.

4-7

Adaptive Filters

s(k) + n(k)

n'(k)

x(k)

Adaptive Filter

y(k)

d(k)
+
_

SUM

e(k)

Using an Adaptive Filter to Remove Noise from an Unknown System

So long as the input noise to the filter remains correlated to the unwanted
noise accompanying the desired signal, the adaptive filter adjusts its
coefficients to reduce the value of the difference between y(k) and d(k),
removing the noise and resulting in a clean signal in e(k). Notice that in
this application, the error signal actually converges to the input data signal,
rather than converging to zero.

Prediction
Predicting signals requires that you make some key assumptions. Assume
that the signal is either steady or slowly varying over time, and periodic over
time as well.

s(k)

Delay

x(k)

Adaptive Filter

y(k)

d(k)
+
_

SUM

e(k)

Predicting Future Values of a Periodic Signal

Accepting these assumptions, the adaptive filter must predict the future
values of the desired signal based on past values. When s(k) is periodic and
the filter is long enough to remember previous values, this structure with the
delay in the input signal, can perform the prediction. You might use this
structure to remove a periodic signal from stochastic noise signals.
Finally, notice that most systems of interest contain elements of more than
one of the four adaptive filter structures. Carefully reviewing the real
structure may be required to determine what the adaptive filter is adapting to.

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Overview of Adaptive Filters and Applications

Also, for clarity in the figures, the analog-to-digital (A/D) and digital-to-analog
(D/A) components do not appear. Since the adaptive filters are assumed to be
digital in nature, and many of the problems produce analog data, converting
the input signals to and from the analog domain is probably necessary.

4-9

Adaptive Filters

Adaptive Filters in DSP System Toolbox Software

In this section...
Overview of Adaptive Filtering in DSP System Toolbox Software on page
4-10
Algorithms on page 4-10
Using Adaptive Filter Objects on page 4-13

Overview of Adaptive Filtering in DSP System

Toolbox Software
DSP System Toolbox software contains many objects for constructing and
applying adaptive filters to data. As you see in the tables in the next section,
the objects use various algorithms to determine the weights for the filter
coefficients of the adapting filter. While the algorithms differ in their detail
implementations, the LMS and RLS share a common operational approach
minimizing the error between the filter output and the desired signal.

Algorithms
For adaptive filter (adaptfilt) objects, the algorithm string determines
which adaptive filter algorithm your adaptfilt object implements. Each
available algorithm entry appears in one of the tables along with a brief
description of the algorithm. Click on the algorithm in the first column to get
more information about the associated adaptive filter technique.
LMS based adaptive filters
RLS based adaptive filters
Affine projection adaptive filters
Adaptive filters in the frequency domain
Lattice based adaptive filters

4-10

Adaptive Filters in DSP System Toolbox Software

Least Mean Squares (LMS) Based FIR Adaptive Filters

Adaptive Filter
Method

Adapting Algorithm Used to Generate Filter

Coefficients During Adaptation

adaptfilt.adjlms

Adjoint LMS FIR adaptive filter algorithm

adaptfilt.blms

Block LMS FIR adaptive filter algorithm

adaptfilt.blmsfft

FFT-based Block LMS FIR adaptive filter

algorithm

adaptfilt.dlms

Delayed LMS FIR adaptive filter algorithm

adaptfilt.filtxlms

Filtered-x LMS FIR adaptive filter algorithm

adaptfilt.lms

LMS FIR adaptive filter algorithm

adaptfilt.nlms

Normalized LMS FIR adaptive filter algorithm

adaptfilt.sd

Sign-data LMS FIR adaptive filter algorithm

adaptfilt.se

Sign-error LMS FIR adaptive filter algorithm

adaptfilt.ss

Sign-sign LMS FIR adaptive filter algorithm

For further information about an adapting algorithm, refer to the reference

page for the algorithm.

Recursive Least Squares (RLS) Based FIR Adaptive Filters

Adaptive Filter
Method

Adapting Algorithm Used to Generate Filter

Coefficients During Adaptation

adaptfilt.ftf

Fast transversal least-squares adaptation algorithm

adaptfilt.qrdrls

QR-decomposition RLS adaptation algorithm

adaptfilt.hrls

Householder RLS adaptation algorithm

adaptfilt.hswrls

Householder SWRLS adaptation algorithm

adaptfilt.rls

Recursive-least squares (RLS) adaptation algorithm

adaptfilt.swrls

Sliding window (SW) RLS adaptation algorithm

adaptfilt.swftf

Sliding window FTF adaptation algorithm

4-11

Adaptive Filters

For more complete information about an adapting algorithm, refer to the

reference page for the algorithm.

Affine Projection (AP) FIR Adaptive Filters

Adaptive Filter
Method

Adapting Algorithm Used to Generate Filter

Coefficients During Adaptation

adaptfilt.ap

Affine projection algorithm that uses direct matrix

inversion

adaptfilt.apru

Affine projection algorithm that uses recursive matrix

updating

adaptfilt.bap

Block affine projection adaptation algorithm

To find more information about an adapting algorithm, refer to the reference

page for the algorithm.
FIR Adaptive Filters in the Frequency Domain (FD)

Adaptive Filter
Method

Description of the Adapting Algorithm

Used to Generate Filter Coefficients During
Adaptation

adaptfilt.fdaf

Frequency domain adaptation algorithm

adaptfilt.pbfdaf

Partition block version of the FDAF algorithm

adaptfilt.pbufdaf

Partition block unconstrained version of the FDAF

algorithm

adaptfilt.tdafdct

Transform domain adaptation algorithm using

DCT

adaptfilt.tdafdft

Transform domain adaptation algorithm using

DFT

adaptfilt.ufdaf

Unconstrained FDAF algorithm for adaptation

For more information about an adapting algorithm, refer to the reference

page for the algorithm.

4-12

Adaptive Filters in DSP System Toolbox Software

Lattice-Based (L) FIR Adaptive Filters

Adaptive Filter
Method

Description of the Adapting Algorithm Used to

Generate Filter Coefficients During Adaptation

adaptfilt.gal

Gradient adaptive lattice filter adaptation algorithm

adaptfilt.lsl

Least squares lattice adaptation algorithm

adaptfilt.qrdlsl QR decomposition RLS adaptation algorithm

For more information about an adapting algorithm, refer to the reference

page for the algorithm.
Presenting a detailed derivation of the Wiener-Hopf equation and determining
solutions to it is beyond the scope of this Users Guide. Full descriptions of
the theory appear in the adaptive filter references provided in the Selected
Bibliography on page 4-66.

Using Adaptive Filter Objects

After you construct an adaptive filter object, how do you apply it to your data
or system? Like quantizer objects, adaptive filter objects have a filter
method that you use to apply the adaptfilt object to data. In the following
sections, various examples of using LMS and RLS adaptive filters show you
how filter works with the objects to apply them to data.
LMS Adaptive Filters on page 4-14
RLS Adaptive Filters on page 4-35

4-13

Adaptive Filters

LMS Adaptive Filters

In this section...
LMS Methods for adaptfilt Objects on page 4-14
System Identification Using adaptfilt.lms on page 4-16
System Identification Using adaptfilt.nlms on page 4-19
Noise Cancellation Using adaptfilt.sd on page 4-22
Noise Cancellation Using adaptfilt.se on page 4-26
Noise Cancellation Using adaptfilt.ss on page 4-30

LMS Methods for adaptfilt Objects

This section provides introductory examples using some of the least mean
squares (LMS) adaptive filter functions in the toolbox.
The toolbox provides many adaptive filter design functions that use the LMS
algorithms to search for the optimal solution to the adaptive filter, including
adaptfilt.lms Implement the LMS algorithm to solve the Wiener-Hopf
equation and find the filter coefficients for an adaptive filter.
adaptfilt.nlms Implement the normalized variation of the LMS
algorithm to solve the Wiener-Hopf equation and determine the filter
coefficients of an adaptive filter.
adaptfilt.sd Implement the sign-data variation of the LMS algorithm
to solve the Wiener-Hopf equation and determine the filter coefficients of
an adaptive filter. The correction to the filter weights at each iteration
depends on the sign of the input x(k).
adaptfilt.se Implement the sign-error variation of the LMS algorithm
to solve the Wiener-Hopf equation and determine the filter coefficients of
an adaptive filter. The correction applied to the current filter weights for
each successive iteration depends on the sign of the error, e(k).
adaptfilt.ss Implement the sign-sign variation of the LMS algorithm
to solve the Wiener-Hopf equation and determine the filter coefficients of an

4-14

LMS Adaptive Filters

adaptive filter. The correction applied to the current filter weights for each
successive iteration depends on both the sign of x(k) and the sign of e(k).
To demonstrate the differences and similarities among the various LMS
algorithms supplied in the toolbox, the LMS and NLMS adaptive filter
examples use the same filter for the unknown system. The unknown filter is
the constrained lowpass filter from firgr and fircband examples.
[b,err,res]=firgr(12,[0 0.4 0.5 1], [1 1 0 0], [1 0.2],...
{'w' 'c'});

From the figure you see that the filter is indeed lowpass and constrained to
0.2 ripple in the stopband. With this as the baseline, the adaptive LMS filter
examples use the adaptive LMS algorithms and their initialization functions
to identify this filter in a system identification role.
To review the general model for system ID mode, look at System
Identification on page 4-6 for the layout.

4-15

Adaptive Filters

For the sign variations of the LMS algorithm, the examples use noise
cancellation as the demonstration application, as opposed to the system
identification application used in the LMS examples.

System Identification Using adaptfilt.lms

To use the adaptive filter functions in the toolbox you need to provide three
things:
The adaptive LMS function to use. This example uses the LMS adaptive
filter function adaptfilt.lms.
An unknown system or process to adapt to. In this example, the filter
designed by firgr is the unknown system.
Appropriate input data to exercise the adaptation process. In terms of
the generic LMS model, these are the desired signal d(k) and the input
signal x(k).
Start by defining an input signal x.
x = 0.1*randn(1,250);

The input is broadband noise. For the unknown system filter, use firgr to
create a twelfth-order lowpass filter:
[b,err,res] = fircband(12,[0 0.4 0.5 1],[1 1 0 0],[1 0.2],{'w','c'});

Although you do not need them here, include the err and res output
arguments.
Now filter the signal through the unknown system to get the desired signal.
d = filter(b,1,x);

With the unknown filter designed and the desired signal in place you
construct and apply the adaptive LMS filter object to identify the unknown.
Preparing the adaptive filter object requires that you provide starting values
for estimates of the filter coefficients and the LMS step size. You could start
with estimated coefficients of some set of nonzero values; this example uses
zeros for the 12 initial filter weights.

4-16

LMS Adaptive Filters

For the step size, 0.8 is a reasonable value a good compromise between
being large enough to converge well within the 250 iterations (250 input
sample points) and small enough to create an accurate estimate of the
unknown filter.
mu = 0.8;
ha = adaptfilt.lms(13,mu);

Finally, using the adaptfilt object ha, desired signal, d, and the input to the
filter, x, run the adaptive filter to determine the unknown system and plot
the results, comparing the actual coefficients from firgr to the coefficients
found by adaptfilt.lms.
[y,e] = filter(ha,x,d);
stem([b.' ha.coefficients.'])
title('System Identification by Adaptive LMS Algorithm')
legend('Actual Filter Weights', 'Estimated Filter Weights',...
'Location', 'NorthEast')

In the stem plot the actual and estimated filter weights are the same. As an
experiment, try changing the step size to 0.2. Repeating the example with
mu = 0.2 results in the following stem plot. The estimated weights fail to
approximate the actual weights closely.

4-17

Adaptive Filters

Since this may be because you did not iterate over the LMS algorithm enough
times, try using 1000 samples. With 1000 samples, the stem plot, shown
in the next figure, looks much better, albeit at the expense of much more
computation. Clearly you should take care to select the step size with both the
computation required and the fidelity of the estimated filter in mind.

4-18

LMS Adaptive Filters

System Identification Using adaptfilt.nlms

To improve the convergence performance of the LMS algorithm, the
normalized variant (NLMS) uses an adaptive step size based on the signal
power. As the input signal power changes, the algorithm calculates the input
power and adjusts the step size to maintain an appropriate value. Thus the
step size changes with time.
As a result, the normalized algorithm converges more quickly with fewer
samples in many cases. For input signals that change slowly over time, the
normalized LMS can represent a more efficient LMS approach.
In the adaptfilt.nlms example, you used firgr to create the filter that you
would identify. So you can compare the results, you use the same filter, and
replace adaptfilt.lms with adaptfilt.nlms, to use the normalized LMS
algorithm variation. You should see better convergence with similar fidelity.
First, generate the input signal and the unknown filter.
x = 0.1*randn(1,500);
[b,err,res] = fircband(12,[0 0.4 0.5 1], [1 1 0 0], [1 0.2],...
{'w' 'c'});

4-19

Adaptive Filters

d = filter(b,1,x);

Again d represents the desired signal d(x) as you defined it earlier and b
contains the filter coefficients for your unknown filter.
mu = 0.8;
ha = adaptfilt.nlms(13,mu);

You use the preceding code to initialize the normalized LMS algorithm.
For more information about the optional input arguments, refer to
adaptfilt.nlms in the reference section of this Users Guide.
Running the system identification process is a matter of using
adaptfilt.nlms with the desired signal, the input signal, and the initial
filter coefficients and conditions specified in s as input arguments. Then plot
the results to compare the adapted filter to the actual filter.
[y,e] = filter(ha,x,d);
stem([b.' ha.coefficients.'])
title('System Identification by Normalized LMS Algorithm')
legend('Actual Filter Weights', 'Estimated Filter Weights',...
'Location', 'NorthEast')

As shown in the following stem plot (a convenient way to compare the

estimated and actual filter coefficients), the two are nearly identical.

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LMS Adaptive Filters

If you compare the convergence performance of the regular LMS algorithm to

the normalized LMS variant, you see the normalized version adapts in far
fewer iterations to a result almost as good as the nonnormalized version.
plot(e);
title('Comparing the LMS and NLMS Conversion Performance');
legend('NLMS Derived Filter Weights', ...
'LMS Derived Filter Weights', 'Location', 'NorthEast');

4-21

Adaptive Filters

Noise Cancellation Using adaptfilt.sd

When the amount of computation required to derive an adaptive filter
drives your development process, the sign-data variant of the LMS (SDLMS)
algorithm may be a very good choice as demonstrated in this example.
Fortunately, the current state of digital signal processor (DSP) design has
relaxed the need to minimize the operations count by making DSPs whose
multiply and shift operations are as fast as add operations. Thus some of
the impetus for the sign-data algorithm (and the sign-error and sign-sign
variations) has been lost to DSP technology improvements.
In the standard and normalized variations of the LMS adaptive filter,
coefficients for the adapting filter arise from the mean square error between
the desired signal and the output signal from the unknown system. Using the
sign-data algorithm changes the mean square error calculation by using the
sign of the input data to change the filter coefficients.
When the error is positive, the new coefficients are the previous coefficients
plus the error multiplied by the step size . If the error is negative, the new
coefficients are again the previous coefficients minus the error multiplied
by note the sign change.

4-22

LMS Adaptive Filters

When the input is zero, the new coefficients are the same as the previous set.
In vector form, the sign-data LMS algorithm is

w(k + 1) = w(k) + e(k)sgn [ x(k)] ,

1, x(k) > 0

sgn [ x(k)] = 0, x(k) = 0

1, x(k) < 0

with vector w containing the weights applied to the filter coefficients and
vector x containing the input data. e(k) (equal to desired signal - filtered
signal) is the error at time k and is the quantity the SDLMS algorithm seeks
to minimize. (mu) is the step size.
As you specify mu smaller, the correction to the filter weights gets smaller
for each sample and the SDLMS error falls more slowly. Larger mu changes
the weights more for each step so the error falls more rapidly, but the
resulting error does not approach the ideal solution as closely. To ensure good
convergence rate and stability, select mu within the following practical bounds

0<<

1
N {InputSignalPower}

where N is the number of samples in the signal. Also, define mu as a power of

two for efficient computing.
Note How you set the initial conditions of the sign-data algorithm profoundly
influences the effectiveness of the adaptation. Because the algorithm
essentially quantizes the input signal, the algorithm can become unstable
easily.
A series of large input values, coupled with the quantization process may
result in the error growing beyond all bounds. You restrain the tendency of
the sign-data algorithm to get out of control by choosing a small step size (<<
1) and setting the initial conditions for the algorithm to nonzero positive
and negative values.

4-23

Adaptive Filters

In this noise cancellation example, adaptfilt.sd requires two input data

sets:
Data containing a signal corrupted by noise. In Using an Adaptive Filter
to Remove Noise from an Unknown System on page 4-8, this is d(k), the
desired signal. The noise cancellation process removes the noise, leaving
the signal.
Data containing random noise (x(k) in Using an Adaptive Filter to Remove
Noise from an Unknown System on page 4-8) that is correlated with the
noise that corrupts the signal data. Without the correlation between the
noise data, the adapting algorithm cannot remove the noise from the signal.
For the signal, use a sine wave. Note that signal is a column vector of 1000
elements.
signal = sin(2*pi*0.055*[0:1000-1]');

Now, add correlated white noise to signal. To ensure that the noise is
correlated, pass the noise through a lowpass FIR filter, and then add the
filtered noise to the signal.
noise=randn(1,1000);
nfilt=fir1(11,0.4); % Eleventh order lowpass filter
fnoise=filter(nfilt,1,noise); % Correlated noise data
d=signal.'+fnoise;
fnoise is the correlated noise and d is now the desired input to the sign-data

algorithm.
To prepare the adaptfilt object for processing, set the input conditions
coeffs and mu for the object. As noted earlier in this section, the values you
set for coeffs and mu determine whether the adaptive filter can remove the
noise from the signal path.
In System Identification Using adaptfilt.lms on page 4-16, you constructed
a default filter that sets the filter coefficients to zeros. In most cases that
approach does not work for the sign-data algorithm. The closer you set your
initial filter coefficients to the expected values, the more likely it is that
the algorithm remains well behaved and converges to a filter solution that
removes the noise effectively.

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LMS Adaptive Filters

For this example, start with the coefficients in the filter you used to filter the
noise (nfilt), and modify them slightly so the algorithm has to adapt.
coeffs = nfilt.' -0.01; % Set the filter initial conditions.
mu = 0.05;
% Set the step size for algorithm updating.

With the required input arguments for adaptfilt.sd prepared, construct the
adaptfilt object, run the adaptation, and view the results.
ha = adaptfilt.sd(12,mu)
set(ha,'coefficients',coeffs);
[y,e] = filter(ha,noise,d);
plot(0:199,signal(1:200),0:199,e(1:200));
title('Noise Cancellation by the Sign-Data Algorithm');
legend('Actual Signal', 'Result of Noise Cancellation',...
'Location', 'NorthEast');

When adaptfilt.sd runs, it uses far fewer multiply operations than either of
the LMS algorithms. Also, performing the sign-data adaptation requires only
bit shifting multiplies when the step size is a power of two.
Although the performance of the sign-data algorithm as shown in the next
figure is quite good, the sign-data algorithm is much less stable than the
standard LMS variations. In this noise cancellation example, the signal after
processing is a very good match to the input signal, but the algorithm could
very easily grow without bound rather than achieve good performance.
Changing coeffs, mu, or even the lowpass filter you used to create the
correlated noise can cause noise cancellation to fail and the algorithm to
become useless.

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Adaptive Filters

Noise Cancellation Using adaptfilt.se

In some cases, the sign-error variant of the LMS algorithm (SELMS) may be a
very good choice for an adaptive filter application.
In the standard and normalized variations of the LMS adaptive filter, the
coefficients for the adapting filter arise from calculating the mean square
error between the desired signal and the output signal from the unknown
system, and applying the result to the current filter coefficients. Using the
sign-error algorithm replaces the mean square error calculation by using the
sign of the error to modify the filter coefficients.
When the error is positive, the new coefficients are the previous coefficients
plus the error multiplied by the step size . If the error is negative, the new
coefficients are again the previous coefficients minus the error multiplied by
note the sign change. When the input is zero, the new coefficients are
the same as the previous set.
In vector form, the sign-error LMS algorithm is

4-26

LMS Adaptive Filters

w(k + 1) = w(k) + sgn [ e(k)][ x(k)] ,

1, e(k) > 0

sgn [ e(k)] = 0, e(k) = 0

1, e(k) < 0

with vector w containing the weights applied to the filter coefficients and
vector x containing the input data. e(k) (equal to desired signal - filtered
signal) is the error at time k and is the quantity the SELMS algorithm seeks
to minimize. (mu) is the step size. As you specify mu smaller, the correction
to the filter weights gets smaller for each sample and the SELMS error falls
more slowly.
Larger mu changes the weights more for each step so the error falls more
rapidly, but the resulting error does not approach the ideal solution as closely.
To ensure good convergence rate and stability, select mu within the following
practical bounds

0<<

1
N {InputSignalPower}

where N is the number of samples in the signal. Also, define mu as a power of

two for efficient computation.
Note How you set the initial conditions of the sign-data algorithm profoundly
influences the effectiveness of the adaptation. Because the algorithm
essentially quantizes the error signal, the algorithm can become unstable
easily.
A series of large error values, coupled with the quantization process may
result in the error growing beyond all bounds. You restrain the tendency of
the sign-error algorithm to get out of control by choosing a small step size
(<< 1) and setting the initial conditions for the algorithm to nonzero positive
and negative values.
In this noise cancellation example, adaptfilt.se requires two input data
sets:

4-27

Adaptive Filters

Data containing a signal corrupted by noise. In Using an Adaptive Filter

to Remove Noise from an Unknown System on page 4-8, this is d(k), the
desired signal. The noise cancellation process removes the noise, leaving
the signal.
Data containing random noise (x(k) in Using an Adaptive Filter to Remove
Noise from an Unknown System on page 4-8) that is correlated with the
noise that corrupts the signal data. Without the correlation between the
noise data, the adapting algorithm cannot remove the noise from the signal.
For the signal, use a sine wave. Note that signal is a column vector of 1000
elements.
signal = sin(2*pi*0.055*[0:1000-1]');

Now, add correlated white noise to signal. To ensure that the noise is
correlated, pass the noise through a lowpass FIR filter, then add the filtered
noise to the signal.
noise=randn(1,1000);
nfilt=fir1(11,0.4); % Eleventh order lowpass filter.
fnoise=filter(nfilt,1,noise); % Correlated noise data.
d=signal.'+fnoise;
fnoise is the correlated noise and d is now the desired input to the sign-data

algorithm.
To prepare the adaptfilt object for processing, set the input conditions
coeffs and mu for the object. As noted earlier in this section, the values you
set for coeffs and mu determine whether the adaptive filter can remove the
noise from the signal path. In System Identification Using adaptfilt.lms
on page 4-16, you constructed a default filter that sets the filter coefficients
to zeros.
Setting the coefficients to zero often does not work for the sign-error
algorithm. The closer you set your initial filter coefficients to the expected
values, the more likely it is that the algorithm remains well behaved and
converges to a filter solution that removes the noise effectively.
For this example, you start with the coefficients in the filter you used to filter
the noise (nfilt), and modify them slightly so the algorithm has to adapt.

4-28

LMS Adaptive Filters

coeffs = nfilt.' -0.01; % Set the filter initial conditions.

mu = 0.05;
% Set step size for algorithm update.

With the required input arguments for adaptfilt.se prepared, run the
adaptation and view the results.
ha = adaptfilt.se(12,mu)
set(ha,'coefficients',coeffs);
set(ha,'persistentmemory',true); % Prevent filter reset.
[y,e] = filter(ha,noise,d);
plot(0:199,signal(1:200),0:199,e(1:200));
title('Noise Cancellation Performance by the Sign-Error LMS Algorithm');
legend('Actual Signal','Error After Noise Reduction',...
'Location','NorthEast')

Notice that you have to set the property PersistentMemory to true when you
manually change the settings of object ha.
If PersistentMemory is left to false, the default, when you try to apply
ha with the method filter, the filtering process starts by resetting the
object properties to their initial conditions at construction. To preserve the
customized coefficients in this example, you set PersistentMemory to true so
the coefficients do not get reset automatically back to zero.
When adaptfilt.se runs, it uses far fewer multiply operations than either of
the LMS algorithms. Also, performing the sign-error adaptation requires only
bit shifting multiplies when the step size is a power of two.
Although the performance of the sign-data algorithm as shown in the next
figure is quite good, the sign-data algorithm is much less stable than the
standard LMS variations. In this noise cancellation example, the signal after
processing is a very good match to the input signal, but the algorithm could
very easily become unstable rather than achieve good performance.
Changing coeffs, mu, or even the lowpass filter you used to create the
correlated noise can cause noise cancellation to fail and the algorithm to
become useless.

4-29

Adaptive Filters

Noise Cancellation Using adaptfilt.ss

One more example of a variation of the LMS algorithm in the toolbox is the
sign-sign variant (SSLMS). The rationale for this version matches those for
the sign-data and sign-error algorithms presented in preceding sections. For
more details, refer to Noise Cancellation Using adaptfilt.sd on page 4-22.
The sign-sign algorithm (SSLMS) replaces the mean square error calculation
with using the sign of the input data to change the filter coefficients. When
the error is positive, the new coefficients are the previous coefficients plus the
error multiplied by the step size .
If the error is negative, the new coefficients are again the previous coefficients
minus the error multiplied by note the sign change. When the input is
zero, the new coefficients are the same as the previous set.
In essence, the algorithm quantizes both the error and the input by applying
the sign operator to them.
In vector form, the sign-sign LMS algorithm is

4-30

LMS Adaptive Filters

w(k + 1) = w(k) + sgn [ e(k)] sgn [ x(k)] ,

1, z(k) > 0

sgn [ z(k)] = 0, z(k) = 0

1, z(k) < 0

where

z(k) = [ e(k)] sgn [ x(k)]

Vector w contains the weights applied to the filter coefficients and vector x
contains the input data. e(k) ( = desired signal - filtered signal) is the error at
time k and is the quantity the SSLMS algorithm seeks to minimize. (mu) is
the step size. As you specify mu smaller, the correction to the filter weights
gets smaller for each sample and the SSLMS error falls more slowly.
Larger mu changes the weights more for each step so the error falls more
rapidly, but the resulting error does not approach the ideal solution as closely.
To ensure good convergence rate and stability, select mu within the following
practical bounds

0<<

1
N {InputSignalPower}

where N is the number of samples in the signal. Also, define mu as a power of

two for efficient computation.

4-31

Adaptive Filters

Note How you set the initial conditions of the sign-sign algorithm profoundly
influences the effectiveness of the adaptation. Because the algorithm
essentially quantizes the input signal and the error signal, the algorithm
can become unstable easily.
A series of large error values, coupled with the quantization process may
result in the error growing beyond all bounds. You restrain the tendency of
the sign-sign algorithm to get out of control by choosing a small step size (<<
1) and setting the initial conditions for the algorithm to nonzero positive
and negative values.
In this noise cancellation example, adaptfilt.ss requires two input data
sets:
Data containing a signal corrupted by noise. In Using an Adaptive Filter
to Remove Noise from an Unknown System on page 4-8, this is d(k), the
desired signal. The noise cancellation process removes the noise, leaving
the cleaned signal as the content of the error signal.
Data containing random noise (x(k) in Using an Adaptive Filter to Remove
Noise from an Unknown System on page 4-8) that is correlated with the
noise that corrupts the signal data, called. Without the correlation between
the noise data, the adapting algorithm cannot remove the noise from the
signal.
For the signal, use a sine wave. Note that signal is a column vector of 1000
elements.
signal = sin(2*pi*0.055*[0:1000-1]');

Now, add correlated white noise to signal. To ensure that the noise is
correlated, pass the noise through a lowpass FIR filter, then add the filtered
noise to the signal.
noise=randn(1,1000);
nfilt=fir1(11,0.4); % Eleventh order lowpass filter
fnoise=filter(nfilt,1,noise); % Correlated noise data
d=signal.'+fnoise;

4-32

LMS Adaptive Filters

fnoise is the correlated noise and d is now the desired input to the sign-data

algorithm.
To prepare the adaptfilt object for processing, set the input conditions
coeffs and mu for the object. As noted earlier in this section, the values you
set for coeffs and mu determine whether the adaptive filter can remove the
noise from the signal path. In System Identification Using adaptfilt.lms on
page 4-16, you constructed a default filter that sets the filter coefficients to
zeros. Usually that approach does not work for the sign-sign algorithm.
The closer you set your initial filter coefficients to the expected values, the
more likely it is that the algorithm remains well behaved and converges to a
filter solution that removes the noise effectively. For this example, you start
with the coefficients in the filter you used to filter the noise (nfilt), and
modify them slightly so the algorithm has to adapt.
coeffs = nfilt.' -0.01; % Set the filter initial conditions.
mu = 0.05;
% Set the step size for algorithm updating.

With the required input arguments for adaptfilt.ss prepared, run the
adaptation and view the results.
ha = adaptfilt.ss(12,mu)
set(ha,'coefficients',coeffs);
set(ha,'persistentmemory',true); % Prevent filter reset.
[y,e] = filter(ha,noise,d);
plot(0:199,signal(1:200),0:199,e(1:200));
title('Noise Cancellation Performance of the Sign-Sign LMS Algorithm');
legend('Actual Signal', 'Error After Noise Reduction', ...
'Location', 'NorthEast');

Notice that you have to set the property PersistentMemory to true when you
manually change the settings of object ha.
If PersistentMemory is left to false, when you try to apply ha with the
method filter the filtering process starts by resetting the object properties to
their initial conditions at construction. To preserve the customized coefficients
in this example, you set PersistentMemory to true so the coefficients do not
get reset automatically back to zero.

4-33

Adaptive Filters

When adaptfilt.ss runs, it uses far fewer multiply operations than either of
the LMS algorithms. Also, performing the sign-sign adaptation requires only
bit shifting multiplies when the step size is a power of two.
Although the performance of the sign-sign algorithm as shown in the next
figure is quite good, the sign-sign algorithm is much less stable than the
standard LMS variations. In this noise cancellation example, the signal after
processing is a very good match to the input signal, but the algorithm could
very easily become unstable rather than achieve good performance.
Changing coeffs, mu, or even the lowpass filter you used to create the
correlated noise can cause noise cancellation to fail and the algorithm to
become useless.

As an aside, the sign-sign LMS algorithm is part of the international CCITT

standard for 32 Kb/s ADPCM telephony.

4-34

RLS Adaptive Filters

RLS Adaptive Filters

In this section...
Compare RLS and LMS Adaptive Filter Algorithms on page 4-35
Inverse System Identification Using adaptfilt.rls on page 4-36

Compare RLS and LMS Adaptive Filter Algorithms

This section provides an introductory example that uses the RLS adaptive
filter function adaptfilt.rls.
If LMS algorithms represent the simplest and most easily applied adaptive
algorithms, the recursive least squares (RLS) algorithms represents increased
complexity, computational cost, and fidelity. In performance, RLS approaches
the Kalman filter in adaptive filtering applications, at somewhat reduced
required throughput in the signal processor.
Compared to the LMS algorithm, the RLS approach offers faster convergence
and smaller error with respect to the unknown system, at the expense of
requiring more computations.
In contrast to the least mean squares algorithm, from which it can be derived,
the RLS adaptive algorithm minimizes the total squared error between the
desired signal and the output from the unknown system.
Note that the signal paths and identifications are the same whether the filter
uses RLS or LMS. The difference lies in the adapting portion.
Within limits, you can use any of the adaptive filter algorithms to solve an
adaptive filter problem by replacing the adaptive portion of the application
with a new algorithm.
Examples of the sign variants of the LMS algorithms demonstrated this
feature to demonstrate the differences between the sign-data, sign-error, and
sign-sign variations of the LMS algorithm.

4-35

Adaptive Filters

One interesting input option that applies to RLS algorithms is not present
in the LMS processes a forgetting factor, , that determines how the
algorithm treats past data input to the algorithm.
When the LMS algorithm looks at the error to minimize, it considers only the
current error value. In the RLS method, the error considered is the total error
from the beginning to the current data point.
Said another way, the RLS algorithm has infinite memory all error data is
given the same consideration in the total error. In cases where the error value
might come from a spurious input data point or points, the forgetting factor
lets the RLS algorithm reduce the value of older error data by multiplying
the old data by the forgetting factor.
Since 0 < 1, applying the factor is equivalent to weighting the older error.
When = 1, all previous error is considered of equal weight in the total error.
As approaches zero, the past errors play a smaller role in the total. For
example, when = 0.9, the RLS algorithm multiplies an error value from 50
samples in the past by an attenuation factor of 0.950 = 5.15 x 10-3, considerably
deemphasizing the influence of the past error on the current total error.

Inverse System Identification Using adaptfilt.rls

Rather than use a system identification application to demonstrate the RLS
adaptive algorithm, or a noise cancellation model, this example use the
inverse system identification model shown in here.

Unknown System

d(k)
x(k)

4-36

Adaptive Filter
text

y(k)

+
_ SUM

e(k)

RLS Adaptive Filters

Cascading the adaptive filter with the unknown filter causes the adaptive
filter to converge to a solution that is the inverse of the unknown system.
If the transfer function of the unknown is H(z) and the adaptive filter
transfer function is G(z), the error measured between the desired signal
and the signal from the cascaded system reaches its minimum when the
product of H(z) and G(z) is 1, G(z)*H(z) = 1. For this relation to be true,
G(z) must equal 1/H(z), the inverse of the transfer function of the unknown
system.
To demonstrate that this is true, create a signal to input to the cascaded
filter pair.
x = randn(1,3000);

In the cascaded filters case, the unknown filter results in a delay in the signal
arriving at the summation point after both filters. To prevent the adaptive
filter from trying to adapt to a signal it has not yet seen (equivalent to
predicting the future), delay the desired signal by 32 samples, the order of
the unknown system.
Generally, you do not know the order of the system you are trying to identify.
In that case, delay the desired signal by the number of samples equal to half
the order of the adaptive filter. Delaying the input requires prepending 12
zero-values samples to x.
delay = zeros(1,12);
d = [delay x(1:2988)]; % Concatenate the delay and the signal.

You have to keep the desired signal vector d the same length as x, hence
adjust the signal element count to allow for the delay samples.
Although not generally true, for this example you know the order of the
unknown filter, so you add a delay equal to the order of the unknown filter.
For the unknown system, use a lowpass, 12th-order FIR filter.
ufilt = fir1(12,0.55,'low');

Filtering x provides the input data signal for the adaptive algorithm function.

4-37

Adaptive Filters

xdata = filter(ufilt,1,x);

To set the input argument values for the adaptfilt.rls object, use the
constructor adaptfilt.rls, providing the needed arguments l, lambda, and
invcov.
For more information about the input conditions to prepare the RLS algorithm
object, refer to adaptfilt.rls in the reference section of this users guide.
p0 = 2*eye(13);
lambda = 0.99;
ha = adaptfilt.rls(13,lambda,p0);

Most of the process to this point is the same as the preceding examples.
However, since this example seeks to develop an inverse solution, you need to
be careful about which signal carries the data and which is the desired signal.
Earlier examples of adaptive filters use the filtered noise as the desired
signal. In this case, the filtered noise (xdata) carries the unknown system
information. With Gaussian distribution and variance of 1, the unfiltered
noise d is the desired signal. The code to run this adaptive filter example is
[y,e] = filter(ha,xdata,d);

where y returns the coefficients of the adapted filter and e contains the error
signal as the filter adapts to find the inverse of the unknown system. You can
review the returned elements of the adapted filter in the properties of ha.
The next figure presents the results of the adaptation. In the figure, the
magnitude response curves for the unknown and adapted filters show. As a
reminder, the unknown filter was a lowpass filter with cutoff at 0.55, on the
normalized frequency scale from 0 to 1.

4-38

RLS Adaptive Filters

Comparing the Inverse Filter to the Unknown System

Magnitude (dB)

50

50

100
Inverse Filter
Unknown System
150

0.1

0.2

0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
Normalized Frequency ( rad/sample)

0.8

0.9

0.1

0.2

0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
Normalized Frequency ( rad/sample)

0.8

0.9

Phase (degrees)

200
400
600
800
1000
1200

Viewed alone (refer to the following figure), the inverse system looks like a
fair compensator for the unknown lowpass filter a high pass filter with
linear phase.

4-39

Adaptive Filters

Inverse Filter Resulting from RLS Adaptation

40

Magnitude (dB)

30
20
10
0
10

0.1

0.2

0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
Normalized Frequency ( rad/sample)

0.8

0.9

0.1

0.2

0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
Normalized Frequency ( rad/sample)

0.8

0.9

Phase (degrees)

200
400
600
800
1000
1200

4-40

Signal Enhancement Using LMS and Normalized LMS

Signal Enhancement Using LMS and Normalized LMS

In this section...
Create the Signals for Adaptation on page 4-41
Construct Two Adaptive Filters on page 4-42
Choose the Step Size on page 4-43
Set the Adapting Filter Step Size on page 4-44
Filter with the Adaptive Filters on page 4-44
Compute the Optimal Solution on page 4-44
Plot the Results on page 4-45
Compare the Final Coefficients on page 4-46
Reset the Filter Before Filtering on page 4-47
Investigate Convergence Through Learning Curves on page 4-47
Compute the Learning Curves on page 4-48
Compute the Theoretical Learning Curves on page 4-49
This example illustrates one way to use a few of the adaptive filter algorithms
provided in the toolbox. In this example, a signal enhancement application
is used as an illustration. While there are about 30 different adaptive
filtering algorithms included with the toolbox, this example demonstrates
two algorithms least means square (LMS), using adaptfilt.lms, and
normalized LMS, using adaptfilt.nlms, for adaptation.

Create the Signals for Adaptation

The goal is to use an adaptive filter to extract a desired signal from a
noise-corrupted signal by filtering out the noise. The desired signal (the
output from the process) is a sinusoid with 1000 samples.
n = (1:1000)';
s = sin(0.075*pi*n);

To perform adaptation requires two signals:

4-41

Adaptive Filters

a reference signal
a noisy signal that contains both the desired signal and an added noise
component.

Generate the Noise Signal

To create a noise signal, assume that the noise v1 is autoregressive, meaning
that the value of the noise at time t depends only on its previous values and
on a random disturbance.
v = 0.8*randn(1000,1); % Random noise part.
ar = [1,1/2];
% Autoregression coefficients.
v1 = filter(1,ar,v);
% Noise signal. Applies a 1-D digital
% filter.

Corrupt the Desired Signal to Create a Noisy Signal

To generate the noisy signal that contains both the desired signal and the
noise, add the noise signal v1 to the desired signal s. The noise-corrupted
sinusoid x is
x = s + v1;

where s is the desired signal and the noise is v1. Adaptive filter processing
seeks to recover s from x by removing v1. To complete the signals needed to
perform adaptive filtering, the adaptation process requires a reference signal.

Create a Reference Signal

Define a moving average signal v2 that is correlated with v1. This v2 is the
reference signal for the examples.
ma = [1, -0.8, 0.4 , -0.2];
v2 = filter(ma,1,v);

Construct Two Adaptive Filters

Two similar adaptive filters LMS and NLMS form the basis of this
example, both sixth order. Set the order as a variable in MATLAB and create
the filters.
L = 7;

4-42

Signal Enhancement Using LMS and Normalized LMS

hlms = adaptfilt.lms(7);
hnlms = adaptfilt.nlms(7);

Choose the Step Size

LMS-like algorithms have a step size that determines the amount of
correction applied as the filter adapts from one iteration to the next. Choosing
the appropriate step size is not always easy, usually requiring experience in
adaptive filter design.
A step size that is too small increases the time for the filter to converge on
a set of coefficients. This becomes an issue of speed and accuracy.
One that is too large may cause the adapting filter to diverge, never
reaching convergence. In this case, the issue is stability the resulting
filter might not be stable.
As a rule of thumb, smaller step sizes improve the accuracy of the convergence
of the filter to match the characteristics of the unknown, at the expense of the
time it takes to adapt.
The toolbox includes an algorithm maxstep to determine the maximum
step size suitable for each LMS adaptive filter algorithm that still ensures
that the filter converges to a solution. Often, the notation for the step size is .
>> [mumaxlms,mumaxmselms]
= maxstep(hlms,x)
[mumaxnlms,mumaxmsenlms] = maxstep(hnlms);
Warning: Step size is not in the range 0 < mu < mumaxmse/2:
Erratic behavior might result.
> In adaptfilt.lms.maxstep at 32
mumaxlms =
0.2096

mumaxmselms =
0.1261

4-43

Adaptive Filters

Set the Adapting Filter Step Size

The first output of maxstep is the value needed for the mean of the coefficients
to converge while the second is the value needed for the mean squared
coefficients to converge. Choosing a large step size often causes large
variations from the convergence values, so choose smaller step sizes generally.
hlms.StepSize = mumaxmselms/30;
% This can also be set graphically: inspect(hlms)
hnlms.StepSize = mumaxmsenlms/20;
% This can also be set graphically: inspect(hnlms)

If you know the step size to use, you can set the step size value with the step
input argument when you create your filter.
hlms = adaptfilt.lms(N,step); Adds the step input argument.

Filter with the Adaptive Filters

Now you have set up the parameters of the adaptive filters and you are ready
to filter the noisy signal. The reference signal, v2, is the input to the adaptive
filters. x is the desired signal in this configuration.
Through adaptation, y, the output of the filters, tries to emulate x as closely
as possible.
Since v2 is correlated only with the noise component v1 of x, it can only
really emulate v1. The error signal (the desired x), minus the actual output
y, constitutes an estimate of the part of x that is not correlated with v2 s,
the signal to extract from x.
[ylms,elms] = filter(hlms,v2,x);
[ynlms,enlms] = filter(hnlms,v2,x);

Compute the Optimal Solution

For comparison, compute the optimal FIR Wiener filter.
bw = firwiener(L-1,v2,x); % Optimal FIR Wiener filter
yw = filter(bw,1,v2);
% Estimate of x using Wiener filter
ew = x - yw;
% Estimate of actual sinusoid

4-44

Signal Enhancement Using LMS and Normalized LMS

Plot the Results

Plot the resulting denoised sinusoid for each filter the Wiener filter, the
LMS adaptive filter, and the NLMS adaptive filterm to compare the
performance of the various techniques.
plot(n(900:end),[ew(900:end), elms(900:end),enlms(900:end)]);
legend('Wiener filter denoised sinusoid',...
'LMS denoised sinusoid', 'NLMS denoised sinusoid');
xlabel('Time index (n)');
ylabel('Amplitude');

As a reference point, include the noisy signal as a dotted line in the plot.
hold on
plot(n(900:end),x(900:end),'k:')
xlabel('Time index (n)');
ylabel('Amplitude');
hold off

4-45

Adaptive Filters

Compare the Final Coefficients

Finally, compare the Wiener filter coefficients with the coefficients of the
adaptive filters. While adapting, the adaptive filters try to converge to the
Wiener coefficients.
[bw.' hlms.Coefficients.' hnlms.Coefficients.']
ans =
1.0317
0.3555
0.1500
0.0848
0.1624
0.1079
0.0492

4-46

0.8879
0.1359
0.0036
0.0023
0.0810
0.0184
-0.0001

1.0712
0.4070
0.1539
0.0549
0.1098
0.0521
0.0041

Signal Enhancement Using LMS and Normalized LMS

Reset the Filter Before Filtering

Adaptive filters have a PersistentMemory property that you can use to
reproduce experiments exactly. By default, the PersistentMemory is false.
The states and the coefficients of the filter are reset before filtering and the
filter does not remember the results from previous times you use the filter.
For instance, the following successive calls produce the same output when
PersistentMemory is false.
[ylms,elms] = filter(hlms,v2,x);
[ylms2,elms2] = filter(hlms,v2,x);

To keep the history of the filter when filtering a new set of data, enable
persistent memory for the filter by setting the PersistentMemory property
to true. In this configuration, the filter uses the final states and coefficients
from the previous run as the initial conditions for the next run and set of data.
[ylms,elms] = filter(hlms,v2,x);
hlms.PersistentMemory = true;
[ylms2,elms2] = filter(hlms,v2,x); % No longer the same

Setting the property value to true is useful when you are filtering large
amounts of data that you partition into smaller sets and then feed into the
filter using a for-loop construction.

Investigate Convergence Through Learning Curves

To analyze the convergence of the adaptive filters, look at the learning curves.
The toolbox provides methods to generate the learning curves, but you need
more than one iteration of the experiment to obtain significant results.
This demonstration uses 25 sample realizations of the noisy sinusoids.
n = (1:5000)';
s = sin(0.075*pi*n);
nr = 25;
v = 0.8*randn(5000,nr);
v1 = filter(1,ar,v);
x = repmat(s,1,nr) + v1;
v2 = filter(ma,1,v);

4-47

Adaptive Filters

Compute the Learning Curves

Now compute the mean-square error. To speed things up, compute the error
every 10 samples.
First, reset the adaptive filters to avoid using the coefficients it has already
computed and the states it has stored.
reset(hlms);
reset(hnlms);
M = 10; % Decimation factor
mselms = msesim(hlms,v2,x,M);
msenlms = msesim(hnlms,v2,x,M);
plot(1:M:n(end),[mselms,msenlms])
legend('LMS learning curve','NLMS learning curve')
xlabel('Time index (n)');
ylabel('MSE');

In the next plot you see the calculated learning curves for the LMS and
NLMS adaptive filters.

4-48

Signal Enhancement Using LMS and Normalized LMS

Compute the Theoretical Learning Curves

For the LMS and NLMS algorithms, functions in the toolbox help you compute
the theoretical learning curves, along with the minimum mean-square error
(MMSE) the excess mean-square error (EMSE) and the mean value of the
coefficients.
MATLAB may take some time to calculate the curves. The figure shown after
the code plots the predicted and actual LMS curves.
reset(hlms);
[mmselms,emselms,meanwlms,pmselms] = msepred(hlms,v2,x,M);
plot(1:M:n(end),[mmselms*ones(500,1),emselms*ones(500,1),...
pmselms,mselms])
legend('MMSE','EMSE','predicted LMS learning curve',...
'LMS learning curve')
xlabel('Time index (n)');
ylabel('MSE');

4-49

4-50

Adaptive Filters

Adaptive Filters in Simulink

Adaptive Filters in Simulink

In this section...
Create an Acoustic Environment in Simulink on page 4-51
LMS Filter Configuration for Adaptive Noise Cancellation on page 4-53
Modify Adaptive Filter Parameters During Model Simulation on page 4-59
Adaptive Filtering Examples on page 4-64

Create an Acoustic Environment in Simulink

Adaptive filters are filters whose coefficients or weights change over time
to adapt to the statistics of a signal. They are used in a variety of fields
including communications, controls, radar, sonar, seismology, and biomedical
engineering.
In this topic, you learn how to create an acoustic environment that simulates
both white noise and colored noise added to an input signal. You later use
this environment to build a model capable of adaptive noise cancellation using
adaptive filtering:
1 At the MATLAB command line, type dspanc.

The DSP System Toolbox Acoustic Noise Cancellation example opens.

4-51

Adaptive Filters

2 Copy and paste the subsystem called Acoustic Environment into a new

model.
3 Double-click the Acoustic Environment subsystem.

Gaussian noise is used to create the signal sent to the Exterior Mic output
port. If the input to the Filter port changes from 0 to 1, the Digital Filter
block changes from a lowpass filter to a bandpass filter. The filtered noise

4-52

Adaptive Filters in Simulink

output from the Digital Filter block is added to signal coming from a .wav
file to produce the signal sent to the Pilots Mic output port.
You have now created an acoustic environment. In the following topics, you
use this acoustic environment to produce a model capable of adaptive noise
cancellation.

LMS Filter Configuration for Adaptive Noise

Cancellation
In the previous topic, Create an Acoustic Environment in Simulink on page
4-51, you created a system that produced two output signals. The signal
output at the Exterior Mic port is composed of white noise. The signal output
at the Pilots Mic port is composed of colored noise added to a signal from a
.wav file. In this topic, you create an adaptive filter to remove the noise from
the Pilots Mic signal. This topic assumes that you are working on a Windows
operating system:
1 If the model you created in Create an Acoustic Environment in Simulink

on page 4-51 is not open on your desktop, you can open an equivalent
model by typing
ex_adapt1_audio

at the MATLAB command prompt.

2 From the DSP System Toolbox Filtering library, and then from the

Adaptive Filters library, click-and-drag an LMS Filter block into the model
that contains the Acoustic Environment subsystem.
3 Double-click the LMS Filter block. Set the block parameters as follows,

and then click OK:

Algorithm = Normalized LMS
Filter length = 40
Step size (mu) = 0.002
Leakage factor (0 to 1) = 1

4-53

Adaptive Filters

The block uses the normalized LMS algorithm to calculate the forty filter
coefficients. Setting the Leakage factor (0 to 1) parameter to 1 means
that the current filter coefficient values depend on the filters initial
conditions and all of the previous input values.
4 Click-and-drag the following blocks into your model.

Block

Library

Quantity

Constant

Simulink/Sources

Manual Switch

Simulink/Signal Routing

Terminator

Simulink/Sinks

Downsample

Signal Operations

To Audio Device

Sinks

Waterfall Scope

Sinks

5 Connect the blocks so that your model resembles the following figure.

4-54

Adaptive Filters in Simulink

6 Double-click the Constant block. Set the Constant value parameter to

0 and then click OK.

7 Double-click the Downsample block. Set the Downsample factor, K

parameter to 32. Click OK.

4-55

Adaptive Filters

The filter weights are being updated so often that there is very little change
from one update to the next. To see a more noticeable change, you need to
downsample the output from the Wts port.
8 Double-click the Waterfall Scope block. The Waterfall scope window opens.
9 Click the Scope parameters button.

The Parameters window opens.

4-56

Adaptive Filters in Simulink

10 Click the Axes tab. Set the parameters as follows:

Y Min = -0.188
Y Max = 0.179
11 Click the Data history tab. Set the parameters as follows:

History traces = 50
Data logging = All visible
12 Close the Parameters window leaving all other parameters at their

default values.
You might need to adjust the axes in the Waterfall scope window in order
to view the plots.
13 Click the Fit to view button in the Waterfall scope window. Then,

click-and-drag the axes until they resemble the following figure.

4-57

Adaptive Filters

14 In the model window, from the Simulation menu, select Model

Configuration Parameters. In the Select pane, click Solver. Set the

parameters as follows, and then click OK:
Stop time = inf
Type = Fixed-step
Solver = Discrete (no continuous states)
15 Run the simulation and view the results in the Waterfall scope window.

You can also listen to the simulation using the speakers attached to your
computer.
16 Experiment with changing the Manual Switch so that the input to the

Acoustic Environment subsystem is either 0 or 1.

When the value is 0, the Gaussian noise in the signal is being filtered by a
lowpass filter. When the value is 1, the noise is being filtered by a bandpass
filter. The adaptive filter can remove the noise in both cases.

4-58

Adaptive Filters in Simulink

You have now created a model capable of adaptive noise cancellation. The
adaptive filter in your model is able to filter out both low frequency noise and
noise within a frequency range. In the next topic, Modify Adaptive Filter
Parameters During Model Simulation on page 4-59, you modify the LMS
Filter block and change its parameters during simulation.

Modify Adaptive Filter Parameters During Model

Simulation
In the previous topic, LMS Filter Configuration for Adaptive Noise
Cancellation on page 4-53, you created an adaptive filter and used it to
remove the noise generated by the Acoustic Environment subsystem. In
this topic, you modify the adaptive filter and adjust its parameters during
simulation. This topic assumes that you are working on a Windows operating
system:
1 If the model you created in Create an Acoustic Environment in Simulink

on page 4-51 is not open on your desktop, you can open an equivalent
model by typing
ex_adapt2_audio

at the MATLAB command prompt.

2 Double-click the LMS filter block. Set the block parameters as follows,

and then click OK:

Specify step size via = Input port
Initial value of filter weights = 0
Select the Adapt port check box.
Reset port = Non-zero sample
The Block Parameters: LMS Filter dialog box should now look similar
to the following figure.

4-59

Adaptive Filters

Step-size, Adapt, and Reset ports appear on the LMS Filter block.

4-60

Adaptive Filters in Simulink

3 Click-and-drag the following blocks into your model.

Block

Library

Quantity

Constant

Simulink/Sources

Manual Switch

Simulink/Signal Routing

4 Connect the blocks as shown in the following figure.

4-61

4-62

Adaptive Filters

Adaptive Filters in Simulink

5 Double-click the Constant2 block. Set the block parameters as follows,

and then click OK:

Constant value = 0.002
Select the Interpret vector parameters as 1-D check box.
Sample time (-1 for inherited) = inf
Output data type mode = Inherit via back propagation
6 Double-click the Constant3 block. Set the block parameters as follows,

and then click OK:

Constant value = 0.04
Select the Interpret vector parameters as 1-D check box.
Sample time (-1 for inherited) = inf
Output data type mode = Inherit via back propagation
7 Double-click the Constant4 block. Set the Constant value parameter to

0 and then click OK.

8 Double-click the Constant6 block. Set the Constant value parameter to

0 and then click OK.

9 In the model window, from the Display menu, point to Signals & Ports,

and select Wide Nonscalar Lines and Signal Dimensions.

10 Double-click Manual Switch2 so that the input to the Adapt port is 1.
11 Run the simulation and view the results in the Waterfall scope window.

You can also listen to the simulation using the speakers attached to your
computer.
12 Double-click the Manual Switch block so that the input to the Acoustic

Environment subsystem is 1. Then, double-click Manual Switch2 so that

the input to the Adapt port to 0.
The filter weights displayed in the Waterfall scope window remain
constant. When the input to the Adapt port is 0, the filter weights are
not updated.

4-63

Adaptive Filters

13 Double-click Manual Switch2 so that the input to the Adapt port is 1.

The LMS Filter block updates the coefficients.

14 Connect the Manual Switch1 block to the Constant block that represents

0.002. Then, change the input to the Acoustic Environment subsystem.

Repeat this procedure with the Constant block that represents 0.04.
You can see that the system reaches steady state faster when the step
size is larger.
15 Double-click the Manual Switch3 block so that the input to the Reset port

is 1.
The block resets the filter weights to their initial values. In the Block
Parameters: LMS Filter dialog box, from the Reset port list, you chose
Non-zero sample. This means that any nonzero input to the Reset port
triggers a reset operation.
You have now experimented with adaptive noise cancellation using the LMS
Filter block. You adjusted the parameters of your adaptive filter and viewed
the effects of your changes while the model was running.
For more information about adaptive filters, see the following block reference
pages:
LMS Filter
RLS Filter
Block LMS Filter
Fast Block LMS Filter

Adaptive Filtering Examples

DSP System Toolbox software provides a collection of adaptive filtering
examples that illustrate typical applications of the adaptive filtering blocks,
listed in the following table.

4-64

Adaptive Filters in Simulink

Adaptive Filtering
Examples

Commands for Opening Examples in

MATLAB

LMS Adaptive Equalization

lmsadeq

LMS Adaptive Time-Delay

Estimation

lmsadtde

Nonstationary Channel
Estimation

dspchanest

RLS Adaptive Noise

Cancellation

rlsdemo

4-65

Adaptive Filters

Selected Bibliography
[1] Hayes, Monson H., Statistical Digital Signal Processing and Modeling,
John Wiley & Sons, 1996, 493552.
[2] Haykin, Simon, Adaptive Filter Theory, Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1996

4-66

5
Multirate and Multistage
Filters
Learn how to analyze, design, and implement multirate and multistage filters
in MATLAB and Simulink.
Multirate Filters on page 5-2
Multistage Filters on page 5-6
Example Case for Multirate/Multistage Filters on page 5-8
Filter Banks on page 5-12
Multirate Filtering in Simulink on page 5-21

Multirate and Multistage Filters

Multirate Filters
In this section...
Why Are Multirate Filters Needed? on page 5-2
Overview of Multirate Filters on page 5-2

Why Are Multirate Filters Needed?

Multirate filters can bring efficiency to a particular filter implementation.
In general, multirate filters are filters in which different parts of the filter
operate at different rates. The most obvious application of such a filter is
when the input sample rate and output sample rate need to differ (decimation
or interpolation) however, multirate filters are also often used in designs
where this is not the case. For example you may have a system where the
input sample rate and output sample rate are the same, but internally there
is decimation and interpolation occurring in a series of filters, such that the
final output of the system has the same sample rate as the input. Such a
design may exhibit lower cost than could be achieved with a single-rate filter
for various reasons. For more information about the relative cost benefit
of using multirate filters, refer to [2] Harris, Fredric J., Multirate Signal
Processing for Communication Systems, Prentice Hall PTR, 2004.

Overview of Multirate Filters

A filter that reduces the input rate is called a decimator. A filter that
increases the input rate is called an interpolator. To visualize this process,
examine the following figure, which illustrates the processes of interpolation
and decimation in the time domain.

5-2

Multirate Filters

If you start with the top signal, sampled at a frequency Fs, then the bottom
signal is sampled at Fs/2 frequency. In this case, the decimation factor, or M,
is 2.
The following figure illustrates effect of decimation in the frequency domain.

5-3

Multirate and Multistage Filters

In the first graphic in the figure you can see a signal that is critically sampled,
i.e. the sample rate is equal to two times the highest frequency component
of the sampled signal. As such the period of the signal in the frequency
domain is no greater than the bandwidth of the sampling frequency. When
reduce the sampling frequency (decimation), aliasing can occur, where the
magnitudes at the frequencies near the edges of the original period become
indistinguishable, and the information about these values becomes lost. To
work around this problem, the signal can be filtered before the decimation
process, avoiding overlap of the signal spectra at Fs/2.

An analogous approach must be taken to avoid imaging when performing

interpolation on a sampled signal. For more information about the effects of
decimation and interpolation on a sampled signal, refer to any one of the
references in the Appendix A, Bibliography section of the DSP System
Toolbox User Guide.
The following list summarizes some guidelines and general requirements
regarding decimation and interpolation:
By the Nyquist Theorem, for band-limited signals, the sampling frequency
must be at least twice the bandwidth of the signal. For example, if you
have a lowpass filter with the highest frequency of 10 MHz, and a sampling
frequency of 60 MHz, the highest frequency that can be handled by the
system without aliasing is 60/2=30, which is greater than 10. You could
safely set M=2 in this case, since (60/2)/2=15, which is still greater than 10.

5-4

Multirate Filters

If you wish to decimate a signal which does not meet the frequency criteria,
you can either:

Interpolate first, and then decimate

When decimating, you should apply the filter first, then perform the
decimation. When interpolating a signal, you should interpolate first,
then filter the signal.

Typically in decimation of a signal a filter is applied first, thereby allowing

decimation without aliasing, as shown in the following figure:

Conversely, a filter is typically applied after interpolation to avoid imaging:

M must be an integer. Although, if you wish to obtain an M of 4/5, you

could interpolate by 4, and then decimate by 5, provided that frequency
restrictions are met. This type of multirate filter will be referred to as a
sample rate converter in the documentation that follows.
Multirate filters are most often used in stages. This technique is introduced
in the following section.

5-5

Multirate and Multistage Filters

Multistage Filters
In this section...
Why Are Multistage Filters Needed? on page 5-6
Optimal Multistage Filters in DSP System Toolbox on page 5-6

Why Are Multistage Filters Needed?

Typically used with multirate filters, multistage filters can bring efficiency
to a particular filter implementation. Multistage filters are composed of
several filters. These different parts of the mulitstage filter, called stages, are
connected in a cascade or in parallel. However such a design can conserve
resources in many cases. There are many different uses for a multistage filter.
One of these is a filter requirement that includes a very narrow transition
width. For example, you need to design a lowpass filter where the difference
between the pass frequency and the stop frequency is .01 (normalized).
For such a requirement it is possible to design a single filter, but it will
be very long (containing many coefficients) and very costly (having many
multiplications and additions per input sample). Thus, this single filter
may be so costly and require so much memory, that it may be impractical
to implement in certain applications where there are strict hardware
requirements. In such cases, a multistage filter is a great solution. Another
application of a multistage filter is for a mulitrate system, where there is a
decimator or an interpolator with a large factor. In these cases, it is usually
wise to break up the filter into several multirate stages, each comprising a
multiple of the total decimation/interpolation factor.

Optimal Multistage Filters in DSP System Toolbox

As described in the previous section, within a multirate filter each
interconnected filter is called a stage. While it is possible to design
a multistage filter manually, it is also possible to perform automatic
optimization of a multistage filter automatically. When designing a filter
manually it can be difficult to guess how many stages would provide an
optimal design, optimize each stage, and then optimize all the stages together.
DSP System Toolbox software enables you to create a Specifications Object,
and then design a filter using multistage as an option. The rest of the work is

5-6

Multistage Filters

done automatically. Not only does DSP System Toolbox software determine
the optimal number of stages, but it also optimizes the total filter solution.

5-7

Multirate and Multistage Filters

Example Case for Multirate/Multistage Filters

In this section...
Example Overview on page 5-8
Single-Rate/Single-Stage Equiripple Design on page 5-8
Reduce Computational Cost Using Mulitrate/Multistage Design on page
5-9
Compare the Responses on page 5-9
Further Performance Comparison on page 5-10

Example Overview
This example shows the efficiency gains that are possible when using
multirate and multistage filters for certain applications. In this case a distinct
advantage is achieved over regular linear-phase equiripple design when a
narrow transition-band width is required. A more detailed treatment of the
key points made here can be found in the example entitled Efficient Narrow
Transition-Band FIR Filter Design.

Single-Rate/Single-Stage Equiripple Design

Consider the following design specifications for a lowpass filter (where the
ripples are given in linear units):
Fpass = 0.13;

% Passband edge

Fstop = 0.14;

% Stopband edge

Rpass = 0.001;

% Passband ripple, 0.0174 dB peak to peak

Rstop = 0.0005; % Stopband ripple, 66.0206 dB minimum attenuation

Hf = fdesign.lowpass(Fpass,Fstop,Rpass,Rstop,'linear');

A regular linear-phase equiripple design using these specifications can be

designed by evaluating the following:
Hd = design(Hf,'equiripple');

5-8

Example Case for Multirate/Multistage Filters

When you determine the cost of this design, you can see that 695 multipliers
are required.
cost(Hd)

Reduce Computational Cost Using

Mulitrate/Multistage Design
The number of multipliers required by a filter using a single state,
single rate equiripple design is 694. This number can be reduced using
multirate/multistage techniques. In any single-rate design, the number
of multiplications required by each input sample is equal to the number
of non-zero multipliers in the implementation. However, by using a
multirate/multistage design, decimation and interpolation can be combined
to lessen the computation required. For decimators, the average number
of multiplications required per input sample is given by the number of
multipliers divided by the decimation factor.
Hd_multi = design(Hf,'multistage');

You can then view the cost of the filter created using this design step, and you
can see that a significant cost advantage has been achieved.
cost(Hd_multi)

Compare the Responses

You can compare the responses of the equiripple design and this
multirate/multistage design using fvtool:
hfvt = fvtool(Hd,Hd_multi);
legend(hfvt,'Equiripple design', 'Multirate/multistage design')

5-9

Multirate and Multistage Filters

Notice that the stopband attenuation for the multistage design is about twice
that of the other designs. This is because the decimators must attenuate
out-of-band components by 66 dB in order to avoid aliasing that would violate
the specifications. Similarly, the interpolators must attenuate images by
66 dB. You can also see that the passband gain for this design is no longer
0 dB, because each interpolator has a nominal gain (in linear units) equal
to its interpolation factor, and the total interpolation factor for the three
interpolators is 6.

Further Performance Comparison

You can check the performance of the multirate/multistage design by plotting
the power spectral densities of the input and the various outputs, and you can
see that the sinusoid at 0.4 is attenuated comparably by both the equiripple
design and the multirate/multistage design.
n
x
y

5-10

= 0:1799;
= sin(0.1*pi*n') + 2*sin(0.15*pi*n');
= filter(Hd,x);

Example Case for Multirate/Multistage Filters

y_multi = filter(Hd_multi,x);
[Pxx,w]
= periodogram(x);
Pyy
= periodogram(y);
Pyy_multi = periodogram(y_multi);
plot(w/pi,10*log10([Pxx,Pyy,Pyy_multi]));
xlabel('Normalized Frequency (x\pi rad/sample)');
ylabel('Power density (dB/rad/sample)');
legend('Input signal PSD','Equiripple output PSD',...
'Multirate/multistage output PSD')
axis([0 1 -50 30])
grid on

5-11

Multirate and Multistage Filters

Filter Banks
Multirate filters alter the sample rate of the input signal during the filtering
process. Such filters are useful in both rate conversion and filter bank
applications.
The Dyadic Analysis Filter Bank block decomposes a broadband signal into a
collection of subbands with smaller bandwidths and slower sample rates. The
Dyadic Synthesis Filter Bank block reconstructs a signal decomposed by the
Dyadic Analysis Filter Bank block.
To use a dyadic synthesis filter bank to perfectly reconstruct the output of a
dyadic analysis filter bank, the number of levels and tree structures of both
filter banks must be the same. In addition, the filters in the synthesis filter
bank must be designed to perfectly reconstruct the outputs of the analysis
filter bank. Otherwise, the reconstruction will not be perfect.

Dyadic Analysis Filter Banks

Dyadic analysis filter banks are constructed from the following basic unit.
The unit can be cascaded to construct dyadic analysis filter banks with either
a symmetric or asymmetric tree structure.

Each unit consists of a lowpass (LP) and highpass (HP) FIR filter pair,
followed by a decimation by a factor of 2. The filters are halfband filters with
a cutoff frequency of Fs / 4, a quarter of the input sampling frequency. Each
filter passes the frequency band that the other filter stops.
The unit decomposes its input into adjacent high-frequency and low-frequency
subbands. Compared to the input, each subband has half the bandwidth (due
to the half-band filters) and half the sample rate (due to the decimation by 2).

5-12

Filter Banks

Note The following figures illustrate the concept of a filter bank, but not how
the block implements a filter bank; the block uses a more efficient polyphase
implementation.

n-Level Asymmetric Dyadic Analysis Filter Bank

Use the above figure and the following figure to compare the two tree
structures of the dyadic analysis filter bank. Note that the asymmetric
structure decomposes only the low-frequency output from each level, while
the symmetric structure decomposes the high- and low-frequency subbands
output from each level.

5-13

Multirate and Multistage Filters

n-Level Symmetric Dyadic Analysis Filter Bank

5-14

Filter Banks

The following table summarizes the key characteristics of the symmetric and
asymmetric dyadic analysis filter bank.
Notable Characteristics of Asymmetric and Symmetric Dyadic Analysis Filter Banks
Characteristic

N-Level Symmetric

N-Level Asymmetric

Low- and
High-Frequency
Subband
Decomposition

All the low-frequency

and high-frequency
subbands in a level
are decomposed in the
next level.

Each levels low-frequency subband is

decomposed in the next level, and each levels
high-frequency band is an output of the filter
bank.

Number of Output
Subbands

2n

n+1

Bandwidth and
Number of Samples
in Output Subbands

For an input with

bandwidth BW
and N samples,
all outputs have
bandwidth BW / 2n
and N / 2n samples.

For an input with bandwidth BW and N

samples, yk has the bandwidth BWk, and Nk
samples, where

BW / 2k
BWk =
n
BW / 2

(1 k n)
(k = n + 1)

N / 2
(1 k n)
Nk =
n
(k = n + 1)
N / 2
The bandwidth of, and number of samples in
each subband (except the last) is half those of
the previous subband. The last two subbands
have the same bandwidth and number of
samples since they originate from the same
level in the filter bank.
k

5-15

Multirate and Multistage Filters

Notable Characteristics of Asymmetric and Symmetric Dyadic Analysis Filter Banks

(Continued)
Characteristic

N-Level Symmetric

N-Level Asymmetric

Output Sample
Period

All output subbands

have a sample period
of 2n(Tsi)

Sample period of kth output

k
2 (Tsi ) (1 k n)
=
n
2 (Tsi ) (k = n + 1)

Due to the decimations by 2, the sample period

of each subband (except the last) is twice that
of the previous subband. The last two subbands
have the same sample period since they
originate from the same level in the filter bank.
Total Number of
Output Samples

The total number of samples in all of the output subbands is equal to

the number of samples in the input (due to the of decimations by 2 at
each level).

Wavelet
Applications

In wavelet applications, the highpass and lowpass wavelet-based filters

are designed so that the aliasing introduced by the decimations are
exactly canceled in reconstruction.

Dyadic Synthesis Filter Banks

Dyadic synthesis filter banks are constructed from the following basic unit.
The unit can be cascaded to construct dyadic synthesis filter banks with either
a asymmetric or symmetric tree structure as illustrated in the figures entitled
n-Level Asymmetric Dyadic Synthesis Filter Bank and n-Level Symmetric
Dyadic Synthesis Filter Bank.

Each unit consists of a lowpass (LP) and highpass (HP) FIR filter pair,
preceded by an interpolation by a factor of 2. The filters are halfband filters
with a cutoff frequency of Fs / 4, a quarter of the input sampling frequency.
Each filter passes the frequency band that the other filter stops.

5-16

Filter Banks

The unit takes in adjacent high-frequency and low-frequency subbands, and

reconstructs them into a wide-band signal. Compared to each subband input,
the output has twice the bandwidth and twice the sample rate.
Note The following figures illustrate the concept of a filter bank, but not how
the block implements a filter bank; the block uses a more efficient polyphase
implementation.

n-Level Asymmetric Dyadic Synthesis Filter Bank

Use the above figure and the following figure to compare the two tree
structures of the dyadic synthesis filter bank. Note that in the asymmetric
structure, the low-frequency subband input to each level is the output of
the previous level, while the high-frequency subband input to each level is
an input to the filter bank. In the symmetric structure, both the low- and
high-frequency subband inputs to each level are outputs from the previous
level.

5-17

Multirate and Multistage Filters

n-Level Symmetric Dyadic Synthesis Filter Bank

The following table summarizes the key characteristics of symmetric and

asymmetric dyadic synthesis filter banks.

5-18

Filter Banks

Notable Characteristics of Asymmetric and Symmetric Dyadic Synthesis Filter Banks

Characteristic

N-Level Symmetric

N-Level Asymmetric

Input Paths
Through the
Filter Bank

Both the high-frequency and

low-frequency input subbands to
each level (except the first) are
the outputs of the previous level.
The inputs to the first level are
the inputs to the filter bank.

The low-frequency subband input

to each level (except the first) is the
output of the previous level. The
low-frequency subband input to the
first level, and the high-frequency
subband input to each level, are
inputs to the filter bank.

Number of Input
Subbands

2n

n+1

Bandwidth
and Number of
Samples in Input
Subbands

All inputs subbands have

bandwidth BW / 2n and N / 2n
samples, where the output has
bandwidth BW and N samples.

For an output with bandwidth BW

and N samples, the kth input subband
has the following bandwidth and
number of samples.

BW / 2k
BWk =
n
BW / 2
N / 2k
Nk =
n
N / 2
Input Sample
Periods

All input subbands have a sample

period of 2n(Tso), where the output
sample period is Tso.

(1 k n)
(k = n + 1)

(1 k n)
(k = n + 1)

Sample period of kth input subband

2k (Tso ) (1 k n)
=
n
2 (Tso ) ( k = n + 1)
where the output sample period is Tso.

5-19

Multirate and Multistage Filters

Notable Characteristics of Asymmetric and Symmetric Dyadic Synthesis Filter Banks

(Continued)
Characteristic

N-Level Symmetric

N-Level Asymmetric

Total Number of
Input Samples

The number of samples in the output is always equal to the total number
of samples in all of the input subbands.

Wavelet
Applications

In wavelet applications, the highpass and lowpass wavelet-based filters

are carefully selected so that the aliasing introduced by the decimation in
the dyadic analysis filter bank is exactly canceled in the reconstruction
of the signal in the dyadic synthesis filter bank.
For more information, see Dyadic Synthesis Filter Bank.

5-20

Multirate Filtering in Simulink

Multirate Filtering in Simulink

DSP System Toolbox software provides a collection of multirate filtering
examples that illustrate typical applications of the multirate filtering blocks.
Multirate
Filtering
Examples

Description

Command for
Opening Examples
in MATLAB

Audio Sample
Rate Conversion

Illustrates sample rate conversion of an audio

signal from 22.050 kHz to 8 kHz using a multirate
FIR rate conversion approach

dspaudiosrc

Sigma-Delta A/D
Converter

Illustrates analog-to-digital conversion using a

sigma-delta algorithm implementation

dspsdadc

Wavelet
Reconstruction
and Noise
Reduction

Uses the Dyadic Analysis Filter Bank and Dyadic

Synthesis Filter Bank blocks to show both the
perfect reconstruction property of wavelets and an
application for noise reduction

dspwavelet

5-21

5-22

Multirate and Multistage Filters

6
Transforms, Estimation,
and Spectral Analysis
Learn about transforms, estimation and spectral analysis.
Transform Time-Domain Data into Frequency Domain on page 6-2
Transform Frequency-Domain Data into Time Domain on page 6-7
Linear and Bit-Reversed Output Order on page 6-13
Calculate Channel Latencies Required for Wavelet Reconstruction on
page 6-15
Spectral Analysis on page 6-24
Power Spectrum Estimates on page 6-25
Spectrograms on page 6-36

Transforms, Estimation, and Spectral Analysis

Transform Time-Domain Data into Frequency Domain

When you want to transform time-domain data into the frequency domain,
use the FFT block.
In this example, you use the Sine Wave block to generate two sinusoids, one
at 15 Hz and the other at 40 Hz. You sum the sinusoids point-by-point to
generate the compound sinusoid

u = sin ( 30 t ) + sin ( 80 t )
Then, you transform this sinusoid into the frequency domain using an FFT
block:
1 At the MATLAB command prompt, type ex_fft_tut.

The FFT Example opens.

6-2

Transform Time-Domain Data into Frequency Domain

2 Double-click the Sine Wave block. The Block Parameters: Sine Wave

dialog box opens.

3 Set the block parameters as follows:

Amplitude = 1
Frequency = [15 40]
Phase offset = 0

6-3

Transforms, Estimation, and Spectral Analysis

Sample time = 0.001

Samples per frame = 128
Based on these parameters, the Sine Wave block outputs two sinusoidal
signals with identical amplitudes, phases, and sample times. One sinusoid
oscillates at 15 Hz and the other at 40 Hz.
4 Save these parameters and close the dialog box by clicking OK.
5 Double-click the Matrix Sum block. The Block Parameters: Matrix Sum

dialog box opens.

6 Set the Sum over parameter to Specified dimension and the Dimension

parameter to 2. Click OK to save your changes.

Because each column represents a different signal, you need to sum along
the individual rows in order to add the values of the sinusoids at each
time step.
7 Double-click the Complex to Magnitude-Angle block. The Block

Parameters: Complex to Magnitude-Angle dialog box opens.

8 Set the Output parameter to Magnitude, and then click OK.

This block takes the complex output of the FFT block and converts this
output to magnitude.
9 Double-click the Vector Scope block.
10 Set the block parameters as follows, and then click OK:

Click the Scope Properties tab.

Input domain = Frequency
Click the Axis Properties tab.
Frequency units = Hertz (This corresponds to the units of the input
signals.)
Frequency range = [0...Fs/2]
Select the Inherit sample time from input check box.
Amplitude scaling = Magnitude

6-4

Transform Time-Domain Data into Frequency Domain

11 Run the model.

The scope shows the two peaks at 15 and 40 Hz, as expected.

You have now transformed two sinusoidal signals from the time domain to
the frequency domain.

6-5

Transforms, Estimation, and Spectral Analysis

Note that the sequence of FFT, Complex to Magnitude-Angle, and Vector

Scope blocks could be replaced by a single Spectrum Analyzer block, which
computes the magnitude FFT internally. Other blocks that compute the FFT
internally are the blocks in the Power Spectrum Estimation library. See
Spectral Analysis on page 6-24 for more information about these blocks.

6-6

Transform Frequency-Domain Data into Time Domain

Transform Frequency-Domain Data into Time Domain

When you want to transform frequency-domain data into the time domain,
use the IFFT block.
In this example, you use the Sine Wave block to generate two sinusoids, one
at 15 Hz and the other at 40 Hz. You sum the sinusoids point-by-point to
generate the compound sinusoid, u = sin ( 30 t ) + sin(80 t) . You transform
this sinusoid into the frequency domain using an FFT block, and then
immediately transform the frequency-domain signal back to the time domain
using the IFFT block. Lastly, you plot the difference between the original
time-domain signal and transformed time-domain signal using a scope:
1 At the MATLAB command prompt, type ex_ifft_tut.

The IFFT Example opens.

6-7

Transforms, Estimation, and Spectral Analysis

2 Double-click the Sine Wave block. The Block Parameters: Sine Wave

dialog box opens.

3 Set the block parameters as follows:

Amplitude = 1
Frequency = [15 40]
Phase offset = 0

6-8

Transform Frequency-Domain Data into Time Domain

Sample time = 0.001

Samples per frame = 128
Based on these parameters, the Sine Wave block outputs two sinusoidal
signals with identical amplitudes, phases, and sample times. One sinusoid
oscillates at 15 Hz and the other at 40 Hz.
4 Save these parameters and close the dialog box by clicking OK.
5 Double-click the Matrix Sum block. The Block Parameters: Matrix Sum

dialog box opens.

6 Set the Sum over parameter to Specified dimension and the Dimension

parameter to 2. Click OK to save your changes.

Because each column represents a different signal, you need to sum along
the individual rows in order to add the values of the sinusoids at each
time step.
7 Double-click the FFT block. The Block Parameters: FFT dialog box

opens.
8 Select the Output in bit-reversed order check box., and then click OK.
9 Double-click the IFFT block. The Block Parameters: IFFT dialog box

opens.
10 Set the block parameters as follows, and then click OK:

Select the Input is in bit-reversed order check box.

Select the Input is conjugate symmetric check box.
Because the original sinusoidal signal is real valued, the output of the FFT
block is conjugate symmetric. By conveying this information to the IFFT
block, you optimize its operation.
Note that the Sum block subtracts the original signal from the output of
the IFFT block, which is the estimation of the original signal.
11 Double-click the Vector Scope block.
12 Set the block parameters as follows, and then click OK:

6-9

Transforms, Estimation, and Spectral Analysis

Click the Scope Properties tab.

Input domain = Time
13 Run the model.

The flat line on the scope suggests that there is no difference between the
original signal and the estimate of the original signal. Therefore, the IFFT

6-10

Transform Frequency-Domain Data into Time Domain

block has accurately reconstructed the original time-domain signal from

the frequency-domain input.

6-11

Transforms, Estimation, and Spectral Analysis

14 Right-click in the Vector Scope window, and select Autoscale.

In actuality, the two signals are identical to within round-off error. The
previous figure shows the enlarged trace. The differences between the
two signals is on the order of 10-15.

6-12

Linear and Bit-Reversed Output Order

Linear and Bit-Reversed Output Order

In this section...
FFT and IFFT Blocks Data Order on page 6-13
Find the Bit-Reversed Order of Your Frequency Indices on page 6-13

FFT and IFFT Blocks Data Order

The FFT block enables you to output the frequency indices in linear or
bit-reversed order. Because linear ordering of the frequency indices requires a
bit-reversal operation, the FFT block may run more quickly when the output
frequencies are in bit-reversed order.
The input to the IFFT block can be in linear or bit-reversed order. Therefore,
you do not have to alter the ordering of your data before transforming it back
into the time domain. However, the IFFT block may run more quickly when
the input is provided in bit-reversed order.

Find the Bit-Reversed Order of Your Frequency

Indices
Two numbers are bit-reversed values of each other when the binary
representation of one is the mirror image of the binary representation of
the other. For example, in a three-bit system, one and four are bit-reversed
values of each other, since the three-bit binary representation of one, 001, is
the mirror image of the three-bit binary representation of four, 100. In the
diagram below, the frequency indices are in linear order. To put them in
bit-reversed order
1 Translate the indices into their binary representation with the minimum

number of bits. In this example, the minimum number of bits is three

because the binary representation of 7 is 111.
2 Find the mirror image of each binary entry, and write it beside the original

binary representation.
3 Translate the indices back to their decimal representation.

6-13

Transforms, Estimation, and Spectral Analysis

The frequency indices are now in bit-reversed order.

The next diagram illustrates the linear and bit-reversed outputs of the FFT
block. The output values are the same, but they appear in different order.

6-14

Calculate Channel Latencies Required for Wavelet Reconstruction

Calculate Channel Latencies Required for Wavelet

Reconstruction
In this section...
Analyze Your Model on page 6-15
Calculate the Group Delay of Your Filters on page 6-17
Reconstruct the Filter Bank System on page 6-19
Equalize the Delay on Each Filter Path on page 6-20
Update and Run the Model on page 6-22
References on page 6-23

Analyze Your Model

The following sections guide you through the process of calculating the
channel latencies required for perfect wavelet reconstruction. This example
uses the ex_wavelets model, but you can apply the process to perform perfect
wavelet reconstruction in any model. To open the example model, type
ex_wavelets at the MATLAB command line.
Note You must have a Wavelet Toolbox product license to run the
ex_wavelets model.

6-15

Transforms, Estimation, and Spectral Analysis

Before you can begin calculating the latencies required for perfect wavelet
reconstruction, you must know the types of filters being used in your model.
The Dyadic Analysis Filter Bank and the Dyadic Synthesis Filter Bank blocks
in the ex_wavelets model have the following settings:
Filter = Biorthogonal
Filter order [synthesis/analysis] = [3/5]
Number of levels = 3
Tree structure = Asymmetric
Input = Multiple ports

6-16

Calculate Channel Latencies Required for Wavelet Reconstruction

Based on these settings, the Dyadic Analysis Filter Bank and the Dyadic
Synthesis Filter Bank blocks construct biorthogonal filters using the Wavelet
Toolbox wfilters function.

Calculate the Group Delay of Your Filters

Once you know the types of filters being used by the Dyadic Analysis and
Dyadic Synthesis Filter Bank blocks, you need to calculate the group delay of
those filters. To do so, you can use the Signal Processing Toolbox fvtool.
Before you can use fvtool, you must first reconstruct the filters in the
MATLAB workspace. To do so, type the following code at the MATLAB
command line:
[Lo_D, Hi_D, Lo_R, Hi_R] = wfilters('bior3.5')

Where Lo_D and Hi_D represent the low- and high-pass filters used by the
Dyadic Analysis Filter Bank block, and Lo_R and Hi_R represent the low- and
high-pass filters used by the Dyadic Synthesis Filter Bank block.
After you construct the filters in the MATLAB workspace, you can use
fvtool to determine the group delay of the filters. To analyze the low-pass
biorthogonal filter used by the Dyadic Analysis Filter Bank block, you must
do the following:
Type fvtool(Lo_D) at the MATLAB command line to launch the Filter
Visualization Tool.
When the Filter Visualization Tool opens, click the Group delay response
) on the toolbar, or select Group Delay Response from the
button (
Analysis menu.
Based on the Filter Visualization Tools analysis, you can see that the group
delay of the Dyadic Analysis Filter Bank blocks low-pass biorthogonal filter is
5.5.

6-17

6-18

Transforms, Estimation, and Spectral Analysis

Calculate Channel Latencies Required for Wavelet Reconstruction

Note Repeat this procedure to analyze the group delay of each of the filters
in your model. This section does not show the results for each filter in the
ex_wavelets model because all wavelet filters in this particular example
have the same group delay.

Reconstruct the Filter Bank System

To determine the delay introduced by the analysis and synthesis filter bank
system, you must reconstruct the tree structures of the Dyadic Analysis Filter
Bank and the Dyadic Synthesis Filter Bank blocks. To learn more about
constructing tree structures for the Dyadic Analysis Filter Bank and Dyadic
Synthesis Filter Bank blocks, see the following sections of the DSP System
Toolbox Users Guide:
Dyadic Analysis Filter Banks on page 5-12
Dyadic Synthesis Filter Banks on page 5-16
Because the filter blocks in the ex_wavelets model use biorthogonal filters
with three levels and an asymmetric tree structure, the filter bank system
appears as shown in the following figure.
Delay N

F1

F0

F1

F0

F0

F1

F0

F0

F0

G1

Path 4

G1

G0

Path 3

G1

G0

G0

Path 2

G0

G0

G0

Path 1

Delay M

F0 = Delay due to low-pass filter of Dyadic Analysis Filter Bank

F1 = Delay due to high-pass filter of Dyadic Analysis Filter Bank
G0 = Delay due to low-pass filter of Dyadic Synthesis Filter Bank
G1 = Delay due to high-pass filter of Dyadic Synthesis Filter Bank

6-19

Transforms, Estimation, and Spectral Analysis

The extra delay values of M and N on paths 3 and 4 in the previous figure
ensure that the total delay on each of the four filter paths is identical.

Equalize the Delay on Each Filter Path

Now that you have reconstructed the filter bank system, you can calculate the
delay on each filter path. To do so, use the following Noble identities:

First Noble Identity

z-2

Equivalent to

z-1

z-1

Second Noble Identity

2

z-2

Equivalent to

You can apply the Noble identities by summing the delay on each signal path
from right to left. The first Noble identity indicates that moving a delay of 1
before a downsample of 2 is equivalent to multiplying that delay value by 2.
Similarly, the second Noble identity indicates that moving a delay of 2 before
an upsample of 2 is equivalent to dividing that delay value by 2.
The fvtool analysis in step 1 found that both the low- and high-pass filters of
the analysis filter bank have the same group delay (F0 = F1 = 5.5). Thus, you
can use F to represent the group delay of the analysis filter bank. Similarly,
the group delay of the low- and high-pass filters of the synthesis filter bank is
the same (G0=G1=5.5), so you can use G to represent the group delay of the
synthesis filter bank.
The following figure shows the filter bank system with the intermediate delay
sums displayed below each path.

6-20

Calculate Channel Latencies Required for Wavelet Reconstruction

2N+(F+G)

Delay N

2N+G
F

N+0.5G
F

7(F+G)

6F+7G
F

7(F+G)

3F+3.5G

6F+7G

3F+3.5G

Delay M

2F+3.5G F+1.75G 1.75G

0.75G
2

0.875G
2

0.875G

1.75G
2

1.75G

1.5G

0.75G

0.5G

1.5G

Path 4

Path 3

Path 2

Path 1

1.5G

G
2

0.5G
G

0.75G

G
2

M+0.75G

2F+3.5G F+1.75G 1.75G

F

0.5G

4M+3(F+G) 4M+2F+3G 2M+F+1.5G 2M+1.5G

F

G
2

0.5G

F = Delay due to Dyadic Analysis Filter Bank

G = Delay due to Dyadic Synthesis Filter Bank

You can see from the previous figure that the signal delays on paths 1 and
2 are identical: 7(F+G). Because each path of the filter bank system has
identical delay, you can equate the delay equations for paths 3 and 4 with the
delay equation for paths 1 and 2. After constructing these equations, you
can solve for M and N, respectively:

Path 3 = Path 1 4 M + 3( F + G) = 7( F + G)
M = F+G
Path 4 = Path 1 2 N + ( F + G) = 7( F + G)
N = 3( F + G)
The fvtool analysis in step 1 found the group delay of each biorthogonal
wavelet filter in this model to be 5.5 samples. Therefore, F = 5.5 and G =
5.5. By inserting these values into the two previous equations, you get M =
11 and N = 33. Because the total delay on each filter path must be the same,
you can find the overall delay of the filter bank system by inserting F = 5.5

6-21

Transforms, Estimation, and Spectral Analysis

and G = 5.5 into the delay equation for any of the four filter paths. Inserting
the values of F and G into 7(F+G) yields an overall delay of 77 samples for
the filter bank system of the ex_wavelets model.

Update and Run the Model

Now that you know the latencies required for perfect wavelet reconstruction,
you can incorporate those delay values into the model. The ex_wavelets
model has already been updated with the correct delay values (M = 11, N =
33, Overall = 77), so it is ready to run.

After you run the model, examine the reconstruction error in the Difference
scope. To further examine any particular areas of interest, use the zoom tools
available on the toolbar of the scope window or from the View menu.

6-22

Calculate Channel Latencies Required for Wavelet Reconstruction

References
[1] Strang, G. and Nguyen, T. Wavelets and Filter Banks. Wellesley, MA:
Wellesley-Cambridge Press, 1996.

6-23

Transforms, Estimation, and Spectral Analysis

Spectral Analysis
The Power Spectrum Estimation library provides a number of blocks for
spectral analysis. Many of them have correlates in Signal Processing Toolbox
software, which are shown in parentheses:
Burg Method (pburg)
Covariance Method (pcov)
Magnitude FFT (periodogram)
Modified Covariance Method (pmcov)
Short-Time FFT
Yule-Walker Method (pyulear)
See Spectral Analysis in the Signal Processing Toolbox documentation for
an overview of spectral analysis theory and a discussion of the above methods.
DSP System Toolbox software provides two examples that illustrate the
spectral analysis blocks:
A Comparison of Spectral Analysis Techniques (dspsacomp)
Spectral Analysis: Short-Time FFT (dspstfft)

6-24

Power Spectrum Estimates

Power Spectrum Estimates

In this section...
Create the Block Diagram on page 6-25
Set the Model Parameters on page 6-26
View the Power Spectrum Estimates on page 6-33

Create the Block Diagram

Up until now, you have been dealing with signals in the time domain. The
DSP System Toolbox product is also capable of working with signals in
the frequency domain. You can use the software to perform fast Fourier
transforms (FFTs), power spectrum analysis, short-time FFTs, and many
other frequency-domain applications.
The power spectrum of a signal represents the contribution of every frequency
of the spectrum to the power of the overall signal. It is useful because
many signal processing applications, such as noise cancellation and system
identification, are based on frequency-specific modifications of signals.
First, assemble and connect the blocks needed to calculate the power spectrum
of your speech signal:
1 Open a new Simulink model.
2 Add the following blocks to your model. Subsequent topics describe how

to use these blocks.

Block

Library

Signal From Workspace

Sources

Buffer

Signal Management / Buffers

Periodogram

Estimation / Power Spectrum

Estimation

Vector Scope

Sinks

3 Connect the blocks as shown in the next figure.

6-25

Transforms, Estimation, and Spectral Analysis

Once you have assembled the blocks needed to calculate the power spectrum
of your speech signal, you can set the block parameters.

Set the Model Parameters

Now that you have assembled the blocks needed to calculate the power
spectrum of your speech signal, you need to set the block parameters. These
parameter values ensure that the model calculates the power spectrum of
your signal accurately:
1 If the model you created in Create the Block Diagram on page 6-25 is not

open on your desktop, you can open an equivalent model by typing

ex_gstut9

at the MATLAB command prompt.

6-26

Power Spectrum Estimates

2 Load the speech signal into the MATLAB workspace by typing load mtlb

at the MATLAB command prompt. This speech signal is a womans voice

saying MATLAB.
3 Use the Signal From Workspace block to import the speech signal from

the MATLAB workspace into your Simulink model. Open the Signal
From Workspace dialog box by double-clicking the block. Set the block
parameters as follows:
Signal = mtlb
Sample time = 1/8000
Samples per frame = 80
Form output after final data value by = Setting to zero
Once you are done setting these parameters, the Signal From Workspace
dialog box should look similar to the figure below. Click OK to apply your
changes.

6-27

Transforms, Estimation, and Spectral Analysis

The DSP System Toolbox product is capable of frame-based processing. In

other words, DSP System Toolbox blocks can process multiple samples of
data at one time. This improves the computational speed of your model.
In this case, by setting the Samples per frame parameter to 80, you are
telling the Signal From Workspace block to output a frame that contains 80
signal samples at each simulation time step. Note that the sample period
of the input signal is 1/8000 seconds. Also, after the block outputs the final
signal value, all other outputs are zero.
4 Use the Buffer block to buffer the input signal into frames that contain 128

samples. Open the Buffer dialog box by double-clicking the block. Set the
block parameters as follows:
Output buffer size (per channel) = 128

6-28

Power Spectrum Estimates

Buffer overlap = 48
Initial conditions = 0
Treat Mx1 and unoriented sample-based signals as = One channel
Once you are done setting these parameters, the Buffer dialog box should
look similar to the figure below. Click OK to apply your changes.

Based on these parameters, the first output frame contains 48 initial

condition values followed by the first 80 samples from the first input frame.
The second output frame contains the last 48 values from the previous
frame followed by the second 80 samples from the second input frame, and
so on. You are buffering your input signal into an output signal with 128
samples per frame to minimize the estimation noise added to your signal.
Because 128 is a power of 2, this operation also enables the Periodogram
block to perform an FFT on the signal.
5 Use the Periodogram block to compute a nonparametric estimate of the

power spectrum of the speech signal. Open the Periodogram dialog box by
double-clicking the block and set the block parameters as follows:

6-29

Transforms, Estimation, and Spectral Analysis

Measurement = Power spectral density

Window = Hamming
Window sampling = Periodic
Select the Inherit FFT length from input dimensions check box.
Number of spectral averages = 2
Once you are done setting these parameters, the Periodogram dialog box
should look similar to the figure below. Click OK to apply your changes.

Based on these parameters, the block applies a Hamming window

periodically to the input speech signal and averages two spectra at one

6-30

Power Spectrum Estimates

time. The length of the FFT is assumed to be 128, which is the number of
samples per frame being output from the Buffer block.
6 Use the Vector Scope block to view the power spectrum of the speech signal.

Open the Vector Scope dialog box by double-clicking the block. Set the
block parameters as follows:
Input domain = Frequency
Click the Axis Properties tab.
Clear the Inherit sample time from input check box.
Sample time of original time series = 1/8000
Y-axis label = Magnitude-squared, dB
Once you are done setting these parameters, the Axis Properties pane
of the Vector Scope dialog box should look similar to the figure below. As
you can see by the Y-axis scaling parameter, the decibel amplitude is
plotted in a vector scope window.

6-31

Transforms, Estimation, and Spectral Analysis

Because you are buffering the input with a nonzero overlap, you have
altered the sample time of the signal. As a result, you need to specify the

6-32

Power Spectrum Estimates

sample time of the original time series. Otherwise, the overlapping buffer
samples lead the block to believe that the sample time is shorter than it
actually is.
After you have set the block parameter values, you can calculate and view the
power spectrum of the speech signal.

View the Power Spectrum Estimates

In the previous topics, you created a power spectrum model and set its
parameters. In this topic, you simulate the model and view the power
spectrum of your speech signal:
1 If the model you created in Set the Model Parameters on page 6-26 is not

open on your desktop, you can open an equivalent model by typing

ex_gstut10

at the MATLAB command prompt.

2 Set the configuration parameters. Open the Configuration Parameters

dialog box by selecting Model Configuration Parameters from the

Simulation menu. Select Solver from the menu on the left side of the
dialog box, and set the parameters as follows:
Stop time = 0.5
Type = Fixed-step
Solver = Discrete (no continuous states)

6-33

Transforms, Estimation, and Spectral Analysis

3 Apply these parameters and close the Configuration Parameters dialog

box by clicking OK. These parameters are saved only when you save your
model.
4 If you have not already done so, load the speech signal into the MATLAB

workspace by typing load mtlb.

5 Run the model to open the Vector Scope window. The data is not

immediately visible at the end of the simulation. To autoscale the y-axis to

fit the data, in the Vector Scope window, right-click and choose Autoscale.
The following figure shows the data displayed in the Vector Scope window.

6-34

Power Spectrum Estimates

During the simulation, the Vector Scope window displays a series of frames
output from the Periodogram block. Each of these frames corresponds to
a window of the original speech signal. The data in each frame represents
the power spectrum, or contribution of every frequency to the power of the
original speech signal, for a given window.
In the next section, Spectrograms on page 6-36, you use these power spectra
to create a spectrogram of the speech signal.

6-35

Transforms, Estimation, and Spectral Analysis

Spectrograms
In this section...
Modify the Block Diagram on page 6-36
Set the Model Parameters on page 6-38
View the Spectrogram of the Speech Signal on page 6-43

Modify the Block Diagram

Spectrograms are color-based visualizations of the evolution of the
power spectrum of a speech signal as this signal is swept through time.
Spectrograms use the periodogram power spectrum estimation method and
are widely used by speech and audio engineers. You can use them to develop
a visual understanding of the frequency content of your speech signal while a
particular sound is being vocalized.
In the previous section, you built a model capable of calculating the power
spectrum of a speech signal that represents a woman saying MATLAB. In
this topic, you modify this model to view the spectrogram of your signal:
1 If the model you created in View the Power Spectrum Estimates on

page 6-33 is not open on your desktop, you can open an equivalent model
by typing
ex_gstut11

at the MATLAB command prompt.

6-36

Spectrograms

2 Add the following blocks to your model. Subsequent topics describe how

to use these blocks.

Block

Library

Selector

Simulink / Signal Routing

dB Conversion

Math Functions / Math Operations

Buffer

Signal Management / Buffers

Reshape

Simulink / Math Operations

Matrix Viewer

Sinks

3 Connect the blocks as shown in the figure below. These blocks extract the

positive frequencies of each power spectrum and concatenate them into a

matrix that represents the spectrogram of the speech signal.

6-37

Transforms, Estimation, and Spectral Analysis

Once you have assembled the blocks needed to view the spectrogram of your
speech signal, you can set the block parameters.

Set the Model Parameters

In the previous topic, you assembled the blocks you need to view the
spectrogram of your speech signal. Now you must set the block parameters:
1 If the model you created in Modify the Block Diagram on page 6-36 is not

open on your desktop, you can open an equivalent model by typing

ex_gstut12

at the MATLAB command prompt.

6-38

Spectrograms

2 Use the Selector block to extract the first 64 elements, or the positive

frequencies, of each power spectrum. Open the Selector dialog box by

double-clicking the block. Set the block parameters as follows:
Number of input dimensions = 1
Index mode = One-based
Index option = Index vector (dialog)
Index = 1:64
Input port size = 128
At each time instance, the input to the Selector block is a vector of 128
elements. The block assigns one-based indices to these elements and
extracts the first 64. Once you are done setting these parameters, the
Selector dialog box should look similar to the figure below. To apply your
changes, click OK.

6-39

Transforms, Estimation, and Spectral Analysis

3 The dB Conversion block converts the magnitude of the input FFT signal to

decibels. Leave this block at its default parameters.

4 Use the Buffer1 block to buffer up the individual power spectrums.

Open the Buffer1 dialog box by double-clicking the block. Set the block
parameters as follows:
Output buffer size (per channel) = 64*48
Buffer overlap = 64*46
Initial conditions = -70
Treat Mx1 and unoriented sample-based signals as = One channel
Once you are done setting these parameters, the Buffer1 dialog box should
look similar to the following figure. To apply your changes, click OK.

Setting the value of the Buffer overlap parameter slightly less than
the value of the Output buffer size (per channel) parameter ensures
that your spectrogram represents smooth movement through time. The

6-40

Spectrograms

Initial conditions parameter represents the initial values in the buffer;

-70 represents silence.
5 Use the Reshape block to reshape the input signal into a 64-by-48 matrix.

To do so, set the Output dimensionality to Customize and the Output

dimensions to [64 48].
6 The Matrix Viewer enables you to view the spectrogram of the speech

signal. Open the Matrix Viewer dialog box by double-clicking the block.
Set the block parameters as follows:
Click the Image Properties tab.
Colormap matrix = jet(256)
Minimum input value = -150
Maximum input value = -65
Select the Display colorbar check box.
Once you are done setting these parameters, the Image Properties pane
should look similar to the figure below.

6-41

Transforms, Estimation, and Spectral Analysis

Click the Axis Properties tab.

Axis origin = Lower left corner
X-axis title = Time Index
Y-axis title = Frequency Index
Colorbar title = dB Magnitude
In this case, you are assuming that the power spectrum values do not
exceed -65 dB. Once you are done setting these parameters, the Axis
Properties pane should look similar to the figure below. To apply your
changes, click OK.

6-42

Spectrograms

After you have set the parameter values, you can calculate and view the
spectrogram of the speech signal.

View the Spectrogram of the Speech Signal

In the topic View the Power Spectrum Estimates on page 6-33, you used a
Vector Scope block to display the power spectrum of your speech signal. In this
topic, you view the spectrogram of your speech signal using a Matrix Viewer
block. The speech signal represents a womans voice saying MATLAB:
1 If the model you created in Set the Model Parameters on page 6-38 is not

open on your desktop, you can open an equivalent model by typing

ex_gstut13

at the MATLAB command prompt.

6-43

Transforms, Estimation, and Spectral Analysis

2 Run the model. During the simulation, the Vector Scope window displays a

sequence of power spectrums, one for each window of the original speech
signal. The power spectrum is the contribution of every frequency to the
power of the speech signal.

6-44

Spectrograms

The Matrix Viewer window, shown below, displays the spectrogram of

the speech signal. This spectrogram is calculated using the Periodogram
power spectrum estimation method. Note the harmonics that are visible
in the signal when the vowels are spoken. Most of the signals energy is
concentrated in these harmonics; therefore, two distinct peaks are visible
in the spectrogram.

6-45

Transforms, Estimation, and Spectral Analysis

In this example, you viewed the spectrogram of your speech signal using a
Matrix Viewer block. You can find additional DSP System Toolbox product
examples in the Help browser. To access these examples, click the Contents
tab, double-click DSP System Toolbox, and then click Examples. A list of
the examples in the DSP System Toolbox documentation appears in the right
pane of the Help browser.

6-46

7
Mathematics
Learn about statistics and linear algebra.
Statistics on page 7-2
Linear Algebra and Least Squares on page 7-6

Mathematics

Statistics
In this section...
Statistics Blocks on page 7-2
Basic Operations on page 7-3
Running Operations on page 7-4

Statistics Blocks
The Statistics library provides fundamental statistical operations such as
minimum, maximum, mean, variance, and standard deviation. Most blocks in
the Statistics library support two types of operations; basic and running.
The blocks listed below toggle between basic and running modes using the
Running check box in the parameter dialog box:
Histogram
Mean
RMS
Standard Deviation
Variance
An unselected Running check box means that the block is operating in
basic mode, while a selected Running box means that the block is operating
in running mode.
The Maximum and Minimum blocks are slightly different from the blocks
above, and provide a Mode parameter in the block dialog box to select the
type of operation. The Value and Index, Value, and Index options in the
Mode menu all specify basic operation, in each case enabling a different set
of output ports on the block. The Running option in the Mode menu selects
running operation.

7-2

Statistics

Basic Operations
A basic operation is one that processes each input independently of previous
and subsequent inputs. For example, in basic mode (with Value and Index
selected, for example) the Maximum block finds the maximum value in each
column of the current input, and returns this result at the top output (Val).
Each consecutive Val output therefore has the same number of columns as
the input, but only one row. Furthermore, the values in a given output only
depend on the values in the corresponding input. The block repeats this
operation for each successive input.
This type of operation is exactly equivalent to the MATLAB command
val = max(u)

% Equivalent MATLAB code

which computes the maximum of each column in input u.

The next section is an example of a basic statistical operation.

Create a Sliding Window

You can use the basic statistics operations in conjunction with the Buffer
block to implement basic sliding window statistics operations. A sliding
window is like a stencil that you move along a data stream, exposing only a
set number of data points at one time.
For example, you may want to process data in 128-sample frames, moving the
window along by one sample point for each operation. One way to implement
such a sliding window is shown in the following ex_mean_tut model.

The Buffer blocks Buffer size (Mo) parameter determines the size of the
window. The Buffer overlap (L) parameter defines the slide factor for
the window. At each sample instant, the window slides by Mo-L points. The
Buffer overlap is often Mo-1, so that a new statistic is computed for every
new signal sample.

7-3

Mathematics

Running Operations
A running operation is one that processes successive inputs, and computes
a result that reflects both current and past inputs. In this mode, you must
use the Input processing parameter to specify whether the block performs
sample- or frame-based processing on the inputs. A reset port enables you
to restart this tracking at any time. The running statistic is computed for
each input channel independently, so the blocks output is the same size as
the input.
For example, in running mode (Running selected from the Mode parameter)
the Maximum block outputs a record of the inputs maximum value over time.

7-4

Statistics

The following figure illustrates how a Maximum block in running mode

operates on a 3-by-2 matrix input, u, when the Input processing parameter
is set to Columns as channels (frame based). The running maximum is
reset at t=2 by an impulse to the blocks optional Rst port.

7-5

Mathematics

Linear Algebra and Least Squares

In this section...
Linear Algebra Blocks on page 7-6
Linear System Solvers on page 7-6
Matrix Factorizations on page 7-8
Matrix Inverses on page 7-9

Linear Algebra Blocks

The Matrices and Linear Algebra library provides three large sublibraries
containing blocks for linear algebra; Linear System Solvers, Matrix
Factorizations, and Matrix Inverses. A fourth library, Matrix Operations,
provides other essential blocks for working with matrices.

Linear System Solvers

The Linear System Solvers library provides the following blocks for solving
the system of linear equations AX = B:
Autocorrelation LPC
Cholesky Solver
Forward Substitution
LDL Solver
Levinson-Durbin
LU Solver
QR Solver
SVD Solver
Some of the blocks offer particular strengths for certain classes of problems.
For example, the Cholesky Solver block is particularly adapted for a square
Hermitian positive definite matrix A, whereas the Backward Substitution
block is particularly suited for an upper triangular matrix A.

7-6

Linear Algebra and Least Squares

Solve AX=B Using the LU Solver Block

In the following ex_lusolver_tut model, the LU Solver block solves the
equation Ax = b, where

1 2 3
A = 4 0 6 b =
2 1 3

1
2

1

and finds x to be the vector [-2 0 1]'.

You can verify the solution by using the Matrix Multiply block to perform the
multiplication Ax, as shown in the following ex_matrixmultiply_tut1 model.

7-7

Mathematics

Matrix Factorizations
The Matrix Factorizations library provides the following blocks for factoring
various kinds of matrices:
Cholesky Factorization
LDL Factorization
LU Factorization
QR Factorization
Singular Value Decomposition
Some of the blocks offer particular strengths for certain classes of problems.
For example, the Cholesky Factorization block is particularly suited to
factoring a Hermitian positive definite matrix into triangular components,
whereas the QR Factorization is particularly suited to factoring a rectangular
matrix into unitary and upper triangular components.

Factor a Matrix into Upper and Lower Submatrices Using the

LU Factorization Block
In the following ex_lufactorization_tut model, the LU Factorization block
factors a matrix Ap into upper and lower triangular submatrices U and L,
where Ap is row equivalent to input matrix A, where

7-8

Linear Algebra and Least Squares

The lower output of the LU Factorization, P, is the permutation index

vector, which indicates that the factored matrix Ap is generated from A by
interchanging the first and second rows.

Ap

4 0 6
= 1 2 3
2 1 3

The upper output of the LU Factorization, LU, is a composite matrix containing

the two submatrix factors, U and L, whose product LU is equal to Ap.

6
0 0
4 0
1

U = 0 2 1.5 L = 0.25 1 0
0 0 0.75
0.5 0.5 1
You can check that LU = Ap with the Matrix Multiply block, as shown in the
following ex_matrixmultiply_tut2 model.

Matrix Inverses
The Matrix Inverses library provides the following blocks for inverting various
kinds of matrices:
Cholesky Inverse
LDL Inverse

7-9

Mathematics

LU Inverse
Pseudoinverse

Find the Inverse of a Matrix Using the LU Inverse Block

In the following ex_luinverse_tut model, the LU Inverse block computes the
inverse of input matrix A, where

1 2 3
A = 4 0 6
2 1 3
and then forms the product A-1A, which yields the identity matrix of order 3,
as expected.

As shown above, the computed inverse is

7-10

0.5
2
1

0 .5
= 0
1
0.6667 0.5 1.333

8
Fixed-Point Design
Learn about fixed-point data types and how to convert floating-point models
to fixed-point.
Fixed-Point Signal Processing on page 8-2
Fixed-Point Concepts and Terminology on page 8-4
Arithmetic Operations on page 8-10
Fixed-Point Support for MATLAB System Objects on page 8-21
Specify Fixed-Point Attributes for Blocks on page 8-28
Quantizers on page 8-52
Fixed-Point Filter Design on page 8-68

Fixed-Point Design

Fixed-Point Signal Processing

In this section...
Fixed-Point Features on page 8-2
Benefits of Fixed-Point Hardware on page 8-2
Benefits of Fixed-Point Design with System Toolboxes Software on page
8-3

Note To take full advantage of fixed-point support in System Toolbox

software, you must install Fixed-Point Designer software.

Fixed-Point Features
Many of the blocks in this product have fixed-point support, so you can design
signal processing systems that use fixed-point arithmetic. Fixed-point support
in DSP System Toolbox software includes
Signed twos complement and unsigned fixed-point data types
Word lengths from 2 to 128 bits in simulation
Word lengths from 2 to the size of a long on the Simulink Coder C
code-generation target
Overflow handling and rounding methods
C code generation for deployment on a fixed-point embedded processor,
with Simulink Coder code generation software. The generated code uses all
allowed data types supported by the embedded target, and automatically
includes all necessary shift and scaling operations

Benefits of Fixed-Point Hardware

There are both benefits and trade-offs to using fixed-point hardware rather
than floating-point hardware for signal processing development. Many signal
processing applications require low-power and cost-effective circuitry, which
makes fixed-point hardware a natural choice. Fixed-point hardware tends to
be simpler and smaller. As a result, these units require less power and cost
less to produce than floating-point circuitry.

8-2

Fixed-Point Signal Processing

Floating-point hardware is usually larger because it demands functionality

and ease of development. Floating-point hardware can accurately represent
real-world numbers, and its large dynamic range reduces the risk of overflow,
quantization errors, and the need for scaling. In contrast, the smaller dynamic
range of fixed-point hardware that allows for low-power, inexpensive units
brings the possibility of these problems. Therefore, fixed-point development
must minimize the negative effects of these factors, while exploiting the
benefits of fixed-point hardware; cost- and size-effective units, less power and
memory usage, and fast real-time processing.

Benefits of Fixed-Point Design with System Toolboxes

Software
Simulating your fixed-point development choices before implementing them
in hardware saves time and money. The built-in fixed-point operations
provided by the System Toolboxes software save time in simulation and allow
you to generate code automatically.
This software allows you to easily run multiple simulations with different
word length, scaling, overflow handling, and rounding method choices to
see the consequences of various fixed-point designs before committing
to hardware. The traditional risks of fixed-point development, such as
quantization errors and overflow, can be simulated and mitigated in software
before going to hardware.
Fixed-point C code generation with System Toolbox software and Simulink
Coder code generation software produces code ready for execution on a
fixed-point processor. All the choices you make in simulation in terms
of scaling, overflow handling, and rounding methods are automatically
optimized in the generated code, without necessitating time-consuming and
costly hand-optimized code.

8-3

Fixed-Point Design

Fixed-Point Concepts and Terminology

In this section...
Fixed-Point Data Types on page 8-4
Scaling on page 8-5
Precision and Range on page 8-6

Note The Glossary defines much of the vocabulary used in these sections.
For more information on these subjects, see the Fixed-Point Designer
documentation.

Fixed-Point Data Types

In digital hardware, numbers are stored in binary words. A binary word is
a fixed-length sequence of bits (1s and 0s). How hardware components or
software functions interpret this sequence of 1s and 0s is defined by the
data type.
Binary numbers are represented as either fixed-point or floating-point data
types. In this section, we discuss many terms and concepts relating to
fixed-point numbers, data types, and mathematics.
A fixed-point data type is characterized by the word length in bits, the position
of the binary point, and whether it is signed or unsigned. The position of
the binary point is the means by which fixed-point values are scaled and
interpreted.
For example, a binary representation of a generalized fixed-point number
(either signed or unsigned) is shown below:

8-4

Fixed-Point Concepts and Terminology

where
bi is the ith binary digit.
wl is the word length in bits.
bwl1 is the location of the most significant, or highest, bit (MSB).
b0 is the location of the least significant, or lowest, bit (LSB).
The binary point is shown four places to the left of the LSB. In this
example, therefore, the number is said to have four fractional bits, or a
fraction length of four.
Fixed-point data types can be either signed or unsigned. Signed binary
fixed-point numbers are typically represented in one of three ways:
Sign/magnitude
Ones complement
Twos complement
Twos complement is the most common representation of signed fixed-point
numbers and is used by System Toolbox software. See Twos Complement
on page 8-11 for more information.

Scaling
Fixed-point numbers can be encoded according to the scheme

real-world value (slope integer) bias

where the slope can be expressed as

slope slope adjustment 2exponent

The integer is sometimes called the stored integer. This is the raw binary
number, in which the binary point assumed to be at the far right of the word.
In System Toolboxes, the negative of the exponent is often referred to as
the fraction length.

8-5

Fixed-Point Design

The slope and bias together represent the scaling of the fixed-point number.
In a number with zero bias, only the slope affects the scaling. A fixed-point
number that is only scaled by binary point position is equivalent to a number
in the Fixed-Point Designer [Slope Bias] representation that has a bias equal
to zero and a slope adjustment equal to one. This is referred to as binary
point-only scaling or power-of-two scaling:

real-world value 2exponent integer

or

real-world value 2 fraction length integer

In System Toolbox software, you can define a fixed-point data type and scaling
for the output or the parameters of many blocks by specifying the word length
and fraction length of the quantity. The word length and fraction length
define the whole of the data type and scaling information for binary-point
only signals.
All System Toolbox blocks that support fixed-point data types support signals
with binary-point only scaling. Many fixed-point blocks that do not perform
arithmetic operations but merely rearrange data, such as Delay and Matrix
Transpose, also support signals with [Slope Bias] scaling.

Precision and Range

You must pay attention to the precision and range of the fixed-point data
types and scalings you choose for the blocks in your simulations, in order to
know whether rounding methods will be invoked or if overflows will occur.

Range
The range is the span of numbers that a fixed-point data type and scaling
can represent. The range of representable numbers for a twos complement
fixed-point number of word length wl, scaling S, and bias B is illustrated
below:

8-6

Fixed-Point Concepts and Terminology

For both signed and unsigned fixed-point numbers of any data type, the
number of different bit patterns is 2wl.
For example, in twos complement, negative numbers must be represented
as well as zero, so the maximum value is 2wl1. Because there is only one
representation for zero, there are an unequal number of positive and negative
numbers. This means there is a representation for -2wl1 but not for 2wl 1:

Overflow Handling. Because a fixed-point data type represents numbers

within a finite range, overflows can occur if the result of an operation is larger
or smaller than the numbers in that range.
System Toolbox software does not allow you to add guard bits to a data type
on-the-fly in order to avoid overflows. Any guard bits must be allocated
upon model initialization. However, the software does allow you to either
saturate or wrap overflows. Saturation represents positive overflows as the
largest positive number in the range being used, and negative overflows as
the largest negative number in the range being used. Wrapping uses modulo
arithmetic to cast an overflow back into the representable range of the data
type. See Modulo Arithmetic on page 8-10 for more information.

Precision
The precision of a fixed-point number is the difference between successive
values representable by its data type and scaling, which is equal to the value

8-7

Fixed-Point Design

of its least significant bit. The value of the least significant bit, and therefore
the precision of the number, is determined by the number of fractional bits.
A fixed-point value can be represented to within half of the precision of its
data type and scaling.
For example, a fixed-point representation with four bits to the right of the
binary point has a precision of 2-4 or 0.0625, which is the value of its least
significant bit. Any number within the range of this data type and scaling can
be represented to within (2-4)/2 or 0.03125, which is half the precision. This is
an example of representing a number with finite precision.
Rounding Modes. When you represent numbers with finite precision,
not every number in the available range can be represented exactly. If a
number cannot be represented exactly by the specified data type and scaling,
it is rounded to a representable number. Although precision is always lost
in the rounding operation, the cost of the operation and the amount of bias
that is introduced depends on the rounding mode itself. To provide you with
greater flexibility in the trade-off between cost and bias, DSP System Toolbox
software currently supports the following rounding modes:
Ceiling rounds the result of a calculation to the closest representable
number in the direction of positive infinity.
Convergent rounds the result of a calculation to the closest representable
number. In the case of a tie, Convergent rounds to the nearest even
number. This is the least biased rounding mode provided by the toolbox.
Floor, which is equivalent to truncation, rounds the result of a calculation
to the closest representable number in the direction of negative infinity.
Nearest rounds the result of a calculation to the closest representable
number. In the case of a tie, Nearest rounds to the closest representable
number in the direction of positive infinity.
Round rounds the result of a calculation to the closest representable
number. In the case of a tie, Round rounds positive numbers to the closest
representable number in the direction of positive infinity, and rounds
negative numbers to the closest representable number in the direction
of negative infinity.
Simplest rounds the result of a calculation using the rounding mode
(Floor or Zero) that adds the least amount of extra rounding code to your

8-8

Fixed-Point Concepts and Terminology

generated code. For more information, see Rounding Mode: Simplest in

the Fixed-Point Designer documentation.
Zero rounds the result of a calculation to the closest representable number
in the direction of zero.
To learn more about each of these rounding modes, see Rounding in the
Fixed-Point Designer documentation.
For a direct comparison of the rounding modes, see Choosing a Rounding
Method in the Fixed-Point Designer documentation.

8-9

Fixed-Point Design

Arithmetic Operations
In this section...
Modulo Arithmetic on page 8-10
Twos Complement on page 8-11
Addition and Subtraction on page 8-12
Multiplication on page 8-13
Casts on page 8-16

Note These sections will help you understand what data type and scaling
choices result in overflows or a loss of precision.

Modulo Arithmetic
Binary math is based on modulo arithmetic. Modulo arithmetic uses only
a finite set of numbers, wrapping the results of any calculations that fall
outside the given set back into the set.

8-10

Arithmetic Operations

For example, the common everyday clock uses modulo 12 arithmetic. Numbers
in this system can only be 1 through 12. Therefore, in the clock system, 9
plus 9 equals 6. This can be more easily visualized as a number circle:

Similarly, binary math can only use the numbers 0 and 1, and any arithmetic
results that fall outside this range are wrapped around the circle to either 0
or 1.

Twos Complement
Twos complement is a way to interpret a binary number. In twos
complement, positive numbers always start with a 0 and negative numbers
always start with a 1. If the leading bit of a twos complement number is 0,
the value is obtained by calculating the standard binary value of the number.
If the leading bit of a twos complement number is 1, the value is obtained by
assuming that the leftmost bit is negative, and then calculating the binary
value of the number. For example,

8-11

Fixed-Point Design

01 (0 20 ) 1
11 ((21 ) (20 )) (2 1) 1
To compute the negative of a binary number using twos complement,
1 Take the ones complement, or flip the bits.
2 Add a 1 using binary math.
3 Discard any bits carried beyond the original word length.

For example, consider taking the negative of 11010 (-6). First, take the ones
complement of the number, or flip the bits:

11010 00101
Next, add a 1, wrapping all numbers to 0 or 1:

00101
1
00110 (6)

Addition and Subtraction

The addition of fixed-point numbers requires that the binary points of the
addends be aligned. The addition is then performed using binary arithmetic
so that no number other than 0 or 1 is used.
For example, consider the addition of 010010.1 (18.5) with 0110.110 (6.75):

010010.1
(18.5)
0110.110 (6.75)
011001.010 (25.25)
Fixed-point subtraction is equivalent to adding while using the twos
complement value for any negative values. In subtraction, the addends

8-12

Arithmetic Operations

must be sign extended to match each others length. For example, consider
subtracting 0110.110 (6.75) from 010010.1 (18.5):

Most fixed-point DSP System Toolbox blocks that perform addition cast the
adder inputs to an accumulator data type before performing the addition.
Therefore, no further shifting is necessary during the addition to line up the
binary points. See Casts on page 8-16 for more information.

Multiplication
The multiplication of twos complement fixed-point numbers is directly
analogous to regular decimal multiplication, with the exception that the
intermediate results must be sign extended so that their left sides align
before you add them together.
For example, consider the multiplication of 10.11 (-1.25) with 011 (3):

Multiplication Data Types

The following diagrams show the data types used for fixed-point multiplication
in the System Toolbox software. The diagrams illustrate the differences
between the data types used for real-real, complex-real, and complex-complex

8-13

Fixed-Point Design

multiplication. See individual reference pages to determine whether a

particular block accepts complex fixed-point inputs.
In most cases, you can set the data types used during multiplication in the
block mask. See Accumulator Parameters, Intermediate Product Parameters,
Product Output Parameters, and Output Parameters. These data types are
defined in Casts on page 8-16.
Note The following diagrams show the use of fixed-point data types in
multiplication in System Toolbox software. They do not represent actual
subsystems used by the software to perform multiplication.
Real-Real Multiplication. The following diagram shows the data types
used in the multiplication of two real numbers in System Toolbox software.
The software returns the output of this operation in the product output data
type, as the next figure shows.

Real-Complex Multiplication. The following diagram shows the data types

used in the multiplication of a real and a complex fixed-point number in
System Toolbox software. Real-complex and complex-real multiplication are
equivalent. The software returns the output of this operation in the product
output data type, as the next figure shows.

8-14

Arithmetic Operations

Complex-Complex Multiplication. The following diagram shows the

multiplication of two complex fixed-point numbers in System Toolbox
software. Note that the software returns the output of this operation in the
accumulator output data type, as the next figure shows.

8-15

Fixed-Point Design

System Toolbox blocks cast to the accumulator data type before performing
addition or subtraction operations. In the preceding diagram, this is
equivalent to the C code
acc=ac;
acc-=bd;

for the subtractor, and

acc=ad;
acc+=bc;

for the adder, where acc is the accumulator.

Casts
Many fixed-point System Toolbox blocks that perform arithmetic operations
allow you to specify the accumulator, intermediate product, and product
output data types, as applicable, as well as the output data type of the block.
This section gives an overview of the casts to these data types, so that you can
tell if the data types you select will invoke sign extension, padding with zeros,
rounding, and/or overflow.

Casts to the Accumulator Data Type

For most fixed-point System Toolbox blocks that perform addition or
subtraction, the operands are first cast to an accumulator data type. Most
of the time, you can specify the accumulator data type on the block mask.
See Accumulator Parameters. Since the addends are both cast to the same
accumulator data type before they are added together, no extra shift is
necessary to insure that their binary points align. The result of the addition
remains in the accumulator data type, with the possibility of overflow.

Casts to the Intermediate Product or Product Output Data Type

For System Toolbox blocks that perform multiplication, the output of the
multiplier is placed into a product output data type. Blocks that then feed the
product output back into the multiplier might first cast it to an intermediate
product data type. Most of the time, you can specify these data types on the
block mask. See Intermediate Product Parameters and Product Output
Parameters.

8-16

Arithmetic Operations

Casts to the Output Data Type

Many fixed-point System Toolbox blocks allow you to specify the data type and
scaling of the block output on the mask. Remember that the software does
not allow mixed types on the input and output ports of its blocks. Therefore,
if you would like to specify a fixed-point output data type and scaling for a
System Toolbox block that supports fixed-point data types, you must feed the
input port of that block with a fixed-point signal. The final cast made by a
fixed-point System Toolbox block is to the output data type of the block.
Note that although you can not mix fixed-point and floating-point signals
on the input and output ports of blocks, you can have fixed-point signals
with different word and fraction lengths on the ports of blocks that support
fixed-point signals.

Casting Examples
It is important to keep in mind the ramifications of each cast when selecting
these intermediate data types, as well as any other intermediate fixed-point
data types that are allowed by a particular block. Depending upon the data
types you select, overflow and/or rounding might occur. The following two
examples demonstrate cases where overflow and rounding can occur.

8-17

Fixed-Point Design

Cast from a Shorter Data Type to a Longer Data Type. Consider the
cast of a nonzero number, represented by a four-bit data type with two
fractional bits, to an eight-bit data type with seven fractional bits:

As the diagram shows, the source bits are shifted up so that the binary point
matches the destination binary point position. The highest source bit does
not fit, so overflow might occur and the result can saturate or wrap. The
empty bits at the low end of the destination data type are padded with either
0s or 1s:
If overflow does not occur, the empty bits are padded with 0s.
If wrapping occurs, the empty bits are padded with 0s.
If saturation occurs,

The empty bits of a positive number are padded with 1s.

The empty bits of a negative number are padded with 0s.

You can see that even with a cast from a shorter data type to a longer data
type, overflow might still occur. This can happen when the integer length of
the source data type (in this case two) is longer than the integer length of

8-18

Arithmetic Operations

the destination data type (in this case one). Similarly, rounding might be
necessary even when casting from a shorter data type to a longer data type, if
the destination data type and scaling has fewer fractional bits than the source.
Cast from a Longer Data Type to a Shorter Data Type. Consider the
cast of a nonzero number, represented by an eight-bit data type with seven
fractional bits, to a four-bit data type with two fractional bits:

As the diagram shows, the source bits are shifted down so that the binary
point matches the destination binary point position. There is no value for the
highest bit from the source, so the result is sign extended to fill the integer
portion of the destination data type. The bottom five bits of the source do not
fit into the fraction length of the destination. Therefore, precision can be
lost as the result is rounded.
In this case, even though the cast is from a longer data type to a shorter
data type, all the integer bits are maintained. Conversely, full precision can
be maintained even if you cast to a shorter data type, as long as the fraction
length of the destination data type is the same length or longer than the

8-19

Fixed-Point Design

fraction length of the source data type. In that case, however, bits are lost
from the high end of the result and overflow might occur.
The worst case occurs when both the integer length and the fraction length of
the destination data type are shorter than those of the source data type and
scaling. In that case, both overflow and a loss of precision can occur.

8-20

Fixed-Point Support for MATLAB System Objects

Fixed-Point Support for MATLAB System Objects

In this section...
Get Information About Fixed-Point System Objects on page 8-21
Display Fixed-Point Properties for System Objects on page 8-25
Set System Object Fixed-Point Properties on page 8-26
Full Precision for Fixed-Point System Objects on page 8-27

Get Information About Fixed-Point System Objects

System objects that support fixed-point data processing have fixed-point
properties, which you can display for a particular object by typing
dsp.<ObjectName>.helpFixedPoint at the command line. See Display
Fixed-Point Properties for System Objects on page 8-25 to set the display of
System object fixed-point properties.
The following signal processing System objects support fixed-point data
processing.
DSP System Toolbox System Objects that Support Fixed Point
Object

Description

Estimation
dsp.LevinsonSolver

Solve linear system of equations using

Levinson-Durbin recursion

Filters
dsp.AllpoleFilter

IIR Filter with no zeros

dsp.BiquadFilter

Model biquadratic IIR (SOS) filters

dsp.CICDecimator

Decimate inputs using a Cascaded

Integrator-Comb (CIC) filter

dsp.CICInterpolator

Interpolate inputs using a Cascaded

Integrator-Comb (CIC) filter

8-21

Fixed-Point Design

(Continued)
Object

Description

dsp.DigitalFilter

Filter each channel of input over time using

discrete-time filter implementations

dsp.FIRDecimator

Filter and downsample input signals

dsp.FIRFilter

Static or time-varying FIR filter

dsp.FIRInterpolator

Upsample and filter input signals

dsp.FIRRateConverter

Upsample, filter and downsample input

signals

dsp.IIRFilter

Infinite Impulse Response (IIR) filter

dsp.LMSFilter

Compute output, error, and weights using

LMS adaptive algorithm

dsp.SubbandAnalysisFilter

Decompose signal into high-frequency and

low-frequency subbands

dsp.SubbandSynthesisFilter Reconstruct a signal from high-frequency

and low-frequency subbands

Math Functions

8-22

dsp.ArrayVectorAdder

Add vector to array along specified

dimension

dsp.ArrayVectorDivider

Divide array by vector along specified

dimension

dsp.ArrayVectorMultiplier

Multiply array by vector along specified

dimension

dsp.ArrayVectorSubtractor

Subtract vector from array along specified

dimension

dsp.CumulativeProduct

Compute cumulative product of channel,

column, or row elements

dsp.CumulativeSum

Compute cumulative sum of channel,

column, or row elements

Fixed-Point Support for MATLAB System Objects

(Continued)
Object

Description

dsp.LDLFactor

Factor square Hermitian positive definite

matrices into lower, upper, and diagonal
components

dsp.LevinsonSolver

Solve linear system of equations using

Levinson-Durbin recursion

dsp.LowerTriangularSolver

Solve LX = B for X when L is lower

triangular matrix

dsp.LUFactor

Factor square matrix into lower and upper

triangular matrices

dsp.Normalizer

Normalize input

dsp.UpperTriangularSolver

Solve UX = B for X when U is upper

triangular matrix

Quantizers
dsp.ScalarQuantizerDecoder Convert each index value into quantized

output value
dsp.ScalarQuantizerEncoder Perform scalar quantization encoding
dsp.VectorQuantizerDecoder Find vector quantizer codeword for given

index value
dsp.VectorQuantizerEncoder Perform vector quantization encoding

Signal Management
dsp.Buffer

Buffer an input signal

dsp.Counter

Count up or down through specified range

of numbers

Signal Operations
dsp.Convolver

Compute convolution of two inputs

dsp.DigitalDownConverter

Digitally down convert the input signal

dsp.DigitalUpConverter

Digitally up convert the input signal

8-23

Fixed-Point Design

(Continued)
Object

Description

dsp.NCO

Generate real or complex sinusoidal signals

dsp.PeakFinder

Determine extrema (maxima or minima) in

input signal

dsp.VariableFractionalDelayDelay input by time-varying fractional

number of sample periods

dsp.Window

Window object

Sinks
dsp.SignalSink

Log MATLAB simulation data

dsp.TimeScope

Display time-domain signals

Sources
dsp.SignalSource

Import a variable from the MATLAB

workspace

dsp.SineWave

Generate discrete sine wave

Statistics

8-24

dsp.Autocorrelator

Compute autocorrelation of vector inputs

dsp.Crosscorrelator

Compute cross-correlation of two inputs

dsp.Histogram

Output histogram of an input or sequence

of inputs

dsp.Maximum

Compute maximum value in input

dsp.Mean

Compute average or mean value in input

dsp.Median

Compute median value in input

dsp.Minimum

Compute minimum value in input

dsp.Variance

Compute variance of input or sequence of

inputs

Fixed-Point Support for MATLAB System Objects

(Continued)
Object

Description

Transforms
dsp.DCT

Compute discrete cosine transform (DCT)

of input

dsp.FFT

Compute fast Fourier transform (FFT) of

input

dsp.IDCT

Compute inverse discrete cosine transform

(IDCT) of input

dsp.IFFT

Compute inverse fast Fourier transform

(IFFT) of input

Display Fixed-Point Properties for System Objects

You can control whether the software displays fixed-point properties with
either of the following commands:
matlab.system.showFixedPointProperties
matlab.system.hideFixedPointProperties
at the MATLAB command line. These commands set the Show fixed-point
properties display option. You can also set the display option directly via
the MATLAB preferences dialog box. Click Preferences on the MATLAB
Toolstrip. The Preferences dialog box opens. Scroll down and sselect System
Objects. Finally, select or deselect Show fixed-point properties.

8-25

Fixed-Point Design

If an object supports fixed-point data processing, its fixed-point properties are

active regardless of whether they are displayed or not.

Set System Object Fixed-Point Properties

A number of properties affect the fixed-point data processing used by a
System object. Objects perform fixed-point processing and use the current
fixed-point property settings when they receive fixed-point input.
You change the values of fixed-point properties in the same way as you
change any System object property value. See Configure Components for
Your System. You also use the Fixed-Point Designer numerictype object to

8-26

Fixed-Point Support for MATLAB System Objects

specify the desired data type as fixed-point, the signedness, and the wordand fraction-lengths. System objects support these values of DataTypeMode:
Boolean, Double, Single, and Fixed-point: binary point scaling.
In the same way as for blocks, the data type properties of many System
objects can set the appropriate word lengths and scalings automatically by
using full precision. System objects assume that the target specified on the
Configuration Parameters Hardware Implementation target is ASIC/FPGA.
If you have not set the property that activates a dependent property and you
attempt to change that dependent property, a warning message displays. For
example, for the dsp.FFT object, before you set CustomOutputDataType to
numerictype(1,32,30) you must set OutputDataType to 'Custom'.
Note System objects do not support fixed-point word lengths greater than
128 bits.
For any System object provided in the Toolbox, the fimath settings for any
fimath attached to a fi input or a fi property are ignored. Outputs from a
System object never have an attached fimath.

Full Precision for Fixed-Point System Objects

FullPrecisionOverride is a convenience property that, when you set to
true, automatically sets the appropriate properties for an object to use

full-precision to process fixed-point input. For System objects, full precision,

fixed-point operation refers to growing just enough additional bits to compute
the ideal full precision result. This operation has no minimum or maximum
range overflow nor any precision loss due to rounding or underflow. It is
also independent of any hardware-specific settings. The data types chosen
are based only on known data type ranges and not on actual numeric values.
Unlike full precision for dfilt objects, full precision for System objects does
not optimize coefficient values.
When you set the FullPrecisionOverride property to true, the other
fixed-point properties it controls no longer apply and any of their non-default
values are ignored. These properties are also hidden. To specify individual
fixed-point properties, you must first set FullPrecisionOverride to false.

8-27

Fixed-Point Design

Specify Fixed-Point Attributes for Blocks

In this section...
Fixed-Point Block Parameters on page 8-28
Specify System-Level Settings on page 8-31
Inherit via Internal Rule on page 8-32
Specify Data Types for Fixed-Point Blocks on page 8-43

Fixed-Point Block Parameters

System Toolbox blocks that have fixed-point support usually allow you to
specify fixed-point characteristics through block parameters. By specifying
data type and scaling information for these fixed-point parameters, you can
simulate your target hardware more closely.
Note Floating-point inheritance takes precedence over the settings discussed
in this section. When the block has floating-point input, all block data types
match the input.
You can find most fixed-point parameters on the Data Types pane of System
Toolbox blocks. The following figure shows a typical Data Types pane.

8-28

Specify Fixed-Point Attributes for Blocks

All System Toolbox blocks with fixed-point capabilities share a set of common
parameters, but each block can have a different subset of these fixed-point
parameters. The following table provides an overview of the most common
fixed-point block parameters.
Fixed-Point Data
Type Parameter

Description

Rounding Mode

Specifies the rounding mode for the block to use when

the specified data type and scaling cannot exactly
represent the result of a fixed-point calculation.
See Rounding Modes on page 8-8 for more
information on the available options.

Overflow Mode

Specifies the overflow mode to use when the result

of a fixed-point calculation does not fit into the
representable range of the specified data type.

8-29

Fixed-Point Design

Fixed-Point Data
Type Parameter

Description

See Overflow Handling on page 8-7 for more

information on the available options.
Intermediate
Product

Specifies the data type and scaling of the intermediate

product for fixed-point blocks. Blocks that feed
multiplication results back to the input of the
multiplier use the intermediate product data type.
See the reference page of a specific block to learn
about the intermediate product data type for that
block.

Product Output

Specifies the data type and scaling of the product

output for fixed-point blocks that must compute
multiplication results.
See the reference page of a specific block to learn
about the product output data type for that block. For
or complex-complex multiplication, the multiplication
result is in the accumulator data type. See
Multiplication Data Types on page 8-13 for more
information on complex fixed-point multiplication in
System toolbox software.

Accumulator

Specifies the data type and scaling of the accumulator

(sum) for fixed-point blocks that must hold summation
results for further calculation. Most such blocks cast
to the accumulator data type before performing the
add operations (summation).
See the reference page of a specific block for details on
the accumulator data type of that block.

Output

8-30

Specifies the output data type and scaling for blocks.

Specify Fixed-Point Attributes for Blocks

Using the Data Type Assistant

The Data Type Assistant is an interactive graphical tool available on the
Data Types pane of some fixed-point System Toolbox blocks.
To learn more about using the Data Type Assistant to help you specify
block data type parameters, see the following section of the Simulink
documentation:
Specify Data Types Using Data Type Assistant

Checking Signal Ranges

Some fixed-point System Toolbox blocks have Minimum and Maximum
parameters on the Data Types pane. When a fixed-point data type has these
parameters, you can use them to specify appropriate minimum and maximum
values for range checking purposes.
To learn how to specify signal ranges and enable signal range checking, see
Signal Ranges in the Simulink documentation.

Specify System-Level Settings

You can monitor and control fixed-point settings for System Toolbox blocks
at a system or subsystem level with the Fixed-Point Tool. For additional
information on these subjects, see
The fxptdlg reference page A reference page on the Fixed-Point Tool in
the Simulink documentation
Fixed-Point Tool A tutorial that highlights the use of the Fixed-Point
Tool in the Fixed-Point Designer software documentation

Logging
The Fixed-Point Tool logs overflows, saturations, and simulation minimums
and maximums for fixed-point System Toolbox blocks. The Fixed-Point Tool
does not log overflows and saturations when the Data overflow line in the
Diagnostics > Data Integrity pane of the Configuration Parameters dialog
box is set to None.

8-31

Fixed-Point Design

Autoscaling
You can use the Fixed-Point Tool autoscaling feature to set the scaling for
System Toolbox fixed-point data types.

Data type override

System Toolbox blocks obey the Use local settings, Double, Single, and
Off modes of the Data type override parameter in the Fixed-Point Tool.
The Scaled double mode is also supported for System Toolboxes source and
byte-shuffling blocks, and for some arithmetic blocks such as Difference and
Normalization.

Inherit via Internal Rule

Selecting appropriate word lengths and scalings for the fixed-point parameters
in your model can be challenging. To aid you, an Inherit via internal
rule choice is often available for fixed-point block data type parameters,
such as the Accumulator and Product output signals. The following
sections describe how the word and fraction lengths are selected for you when
you choose Inherit via internal rule for a fixed-point block data type
parameter in System Toolbox software:
Internal Rule for Accumulator Data Types on page 8-32
Internal Rule for Product Data Types on page 8-33
Internal Rule for Output Data Types on page 8-34
The Effect of the Hardware Implementation Pane on the Internal Rule
on page 8-34
Internal Rule Examples on page 8-36
Note In the equations in the following sections, WL = word length and FL =
fraction length.

Internal Rule for Accumulator Data Types

The internal rule for accumulator data types first calculates the ideal,
full-precision result. Where N is the number of addends:

8-32

Specify Fixed-Point Attributes for Blocks

WLideal accumulator WLinput to accumulator floor(log 2 ( N 1)) 1

FLideal accumulator FLinput to accumulator
For example, consider summing all the elements of a vector of length 6 and
data type sfix10_En8. The ideal, full-precision result has a word length of
13 and a fraction length of 8.
The accumulator can be real or complex. The preceding equations are used for
both the real and imaginary parts of the accumulator. For any calculation,
after the full-precision result is calculated, the final word and fraction lengths
set by the internal rule are affected by your particular hardware. See The
Effect of the Hardware Implementation Pane on the Internal Rule on page
8-34 for more information.

Internal Rule for Product Data Types

The internal rule for product data types first calculates the ideal, full-precision
result:

WLideal product WLinput 1 WLinput 2

FLideal product FLinput 1 FLinput 2
For example, multiplying together the elements of a real vector of length 2
and data type sfix10_En8. The ideal, full-precision result has a word length of
20 and a fraction length of 16.
For real-complex multiplication, the ideal word length and fraction length is
used for both the complex and real portion of the result. For complex-complex
multiplication, the ideal word length and fraction length is used for the partial
products, and the internal rule for accumulator data types described above
is used for the final sums. For any calculation, after the full-precision result
is calculated, the final word and fraction lengths set by the internal rule
are affected by your particular hardware. See The Effect of the Hardware
Implementation Pane on the Internal Rule on page 8-34 for more information.

8-33

Fixed-Point Design

Internal Rule for Output Data Types

A few System Toolbox blocks have an Inherit via internal rule choice
available for the block output. The internal rule used in these cases is
block-specific, and the equations are listed in the block reference page.
As with accumulator and product data types, the final output word and
fraction lengths set by the internal rule are affected by your particular
hardware, as described in The Effect of the Hardware Implementation Pane
on the Internal Rule on page 8-34.

The Effect of the Hardware Implementation Pane on the

Internal Rule
The internal rule selects word lengths and fraction lengths that are
appropriate for your hardware. To get the best results using the internal
rule, you must specify the type of hardware you are using on the Hardware
Implementation pane of the Configuration Parameters dialog box. You can
open this dialog box from the Simulation menu in your model.

8-34

Specify Fixed-Point Attributes for Blocks

ASIC/FPGA. On an ASIC/FPGA target, the ideal, full-precision word length

and fraction length calculated by the internal rule are used. If the calculated
ideal word length is larger than the largest allowed word length, you receive
an error. The largest word length allowed for Simulink and System Toolbox
software is 128 bits.
Other targets. For all targets other than ASIC/FPGA, the ideal,
full-precision word length calculated by the internal rule is rounded up to the
next available word length of the target. The calculated ideal fraction length
is used, keeping the least-significant bits.
If the calculated ideal word length for a product data type is larger than the
largest word length on the target, you receive an error. If the calculated ideal
word length for an accumulator or output data type is larger than the largest
word length on the target, the largest target word length is used.

8-35

Fixed-Point Design

Internal Rule Examples

The following sections show examples of how the internal rule interacts with
the Hardware Implementation pane to calculate accumulator data types
and product data types.
Accumulator Data Types. Consider the following model
ex_internalRule_accumExp.

In the Difference blocks, the Accumulator parameter is set to Inherit:

Inherit via internal rule, and the Output parameter is set to Inherit:
Same as accumulator. Therefore, you can see the accumulator data type
calculated by the internal rule on the output signal in the model.
In the preceding model, the Device type parameter in the Hardware
Implementation pane of the Configuration Parameters dialog box is set to

8-36

Specify Fixed-Point Attributes for Blocks

ASIC/FPGA. Therefore, the accumulator data type used by the internal rule is
the ideal, full-precision result.

Calculate the full-precision word length for each of the Difference blocks in
the model:

WLideal accumulator WLinput to accumulator floor(log 2 (number of accumulations)) 1

WLideal accumulator 9 floor(log 2 (1))) 1
WLideal accumulator 9 0 1 10
WLideal accumulator1 WLinpput to accumulator1 floor(log 2 (number of accumulations)) 1
WLideal accumulator1 16 floor(log 2 (1)) 1
WLideal accumulator1 16 0 1 17
WLideal accumulator 2 WLinput to accumulator 2 floor(log 2 (number of accumulations)) 1
WLideal accumulatoor 2 127 floor(log 2 (1)) 1
WLideal accumulator 2 127 0 1 128
Calculate the full-precision fraction length, which is the same for each Matrix
Sum block in this example:

FLideal accumulator FLinput to accumulator

FLideal accumulator 4
Now change the Device type parameter in the Hardware Implementation
pane of the Configuration Parameters dialog box to 32 bit Embedded
Processor, by changing the parameters as shown in the following figure.

8-37

Fixed-Point Design

As you can see in the dialog box, this device has 8-, 16-, and 32-bit word
lengths available. Therefore, the ideal word lengths of 10, 17, and 128 bits
calculated by the internal rule cannot be used. Instead, the internal rule uses
the next largest available word length in each case You can see this if you
rerun the model, as shown in the following figure.

8-38

Specify Fixed-Point Attributes for Blocks

8-39

Fixed-Point Design

Product Data Types. Consider the following model

ex_internalRule_prodExp.

In the Array-Vector Multiply blocks, the Product Output parameter is set

to Inherit: Inherit via internal rule, and the Output parameter
is set to Inherit: Same as product output. Therefore, you can see the
product output data type calculated by the internal rule on the output signal
in the model. The setting of the Accumulator parameter does not matter
because this example uses real values.
For the preceding model, the Device type parameter in the Hardware
Implementation pane of the Configuration Parameters dialog box is set
to ASIC/FPGA. Therefore, the product data type used by the internal rule is
the ideal, full-precision result.
Calculate the full-precision word length for each of the Array-Vector Multiply
blocks in the model:

8-40

Specify Fixed-Point Attributes for Blocks

WLideal product WLinput a WLinput b

WLideal product 7 5 12
WLideal product1 WLinput a WLinput b
WLideal product1 16 15 31
Calculate the full-precision fraction length, which is the same for each
Array-Vector Multiply block in this example:

FLideal accumulator FLinput to accumulator

FLideal accumulator 4
Now change the Device type parameter in the Hardware Implementation
pane of the Configuration Parameters dialog box to 32 bit Embedded
Processor, as shown in the following figure.

8-41

Fixed-Point Design

As you can see in the dialog box, this device has 8-, 16-, and 32-bit word
lengths available. Therefore, the ideal word lengths of 12 and 31 bits
calculated by the internal rule cannot be used. Instead, the internal rule uses
the next largest available word length in each case. You can see this if you
rerun the model, as shown in the following figure.

8-42

Specify Fixed-Point Attributes for Blocks

Specify Data Types for Fixed-Point Blocks

The following sections show you how to use the Fixed-Point Tool to select
appropriate data types for fixed-point blocks in the ex_fixedpoint_tut
model:
Prepare the Model on page 8-43
Use Data Type Override to Find a Floating-Point Benchmark on page 8-49
Use the Fixed-Point Tool to Propose Fraction Lengths on page 8-50
Examine the Results and Accept the Proposed Scaling on page 8-50

Prepare the Model

1 Open the model by typing ex_fixedpoint_tut at the MATLAB command line.

8-43

Fixed-Point Design

This model uses the Cumulative Sum block to sum the input coming from the
Fixed-Point Sources subsystem. The Fixed-Point Sources subsystem outputs
two signals with different data types:
The Signed source has a word length of 16 bits and a fraction length of
15 bits.
The Unsigned source has a word length of 16 bits and a fraction length of
16 bits.
2 Run the model to check for overflow. MATLAB displays the following

warnings at the command line:

Warning: Overflow occurred. This originated from
'ex_fixedpoint_tut/Signed Cumulative Sum'.
Warning: Overflow occurred. This originated from

8-44

Specify Fixed-Point Attributes for Blocks

'ex_fixedpoint_tut/Unsigned Cumulative Sum'.

According to these warnings, overflow occurs in both Cumulative Sum blocks.

3 To investigate the overflows in this model, use the Fixed-Point Tool. You can

open the Fixed-Point Tool by selecting Tools > Fixed-Point > Fixed-Point
Tool from the model menu. Turn on logging for all blocks in your model by
setting the Fixed-point instrumentation mode parameter to Minimums,
maximums and overflows.
4 Now that you have turned on logging, rerun the model by clicking the

Simulation button.

8-45

8-46

Fixed-Point Design

Specify Fixed-Point Attributes for Blocks

Name Provides the name of each signal in the following format:

Subsystem Name/Block Name: Signal Name.
SimDT The simulation data type of each logged signal.
SpecifiedDT The data type specified on the block dialog for each signal.
SimMin The smallest representable value achieved during simulation
for each logged signal.
SimMax The largest representable value achieved during simulation
for each logged signal.
OverflowWraps The number of overflows that wrap during simulation.
For more information on each of the columns in this table, see the Contents
Pane section of the Simulink fxptdlg function reference page.
You can also see that the SimMin and SimMax values for the Accumulator
data types range from 0 to .9997. The logged results indicate that 8,192
overflows wrapped during simulation in the Accumulator data type of the
Signed Cumulative Sum block. Similarly, the Accumulator data type of
the Unsigned Cumulative Sum block had 16,383 overflows wrap during
simulation.
To get more information about each of these data types, highlight them in the
Contents pane, and click the Show details for selected result button
(

6 Assume a target hardware that supports 32-bit integers, and set the

Accumulator word length in both Cumulative Sum blocks to 32. To do so,

perform the following steps:
a Right-click the Signed Cumulative Sum:

Accumulator row in the

Fixed-Point Tool pane, and select Highlight Block In Model.

b Double-click the block in the model, and select the Data Types pane

of the dialog box.

c Open the Data Type Assistant for Accumulator by clicking the

Assistant button (

) in the Accumulator data type row.

8-47

Fixed-Point Design

d Set the Mode to Fixed Point. To see the representable range of the

current specified data type, click the Fixed-point details link. The tool
displays the representable maximum and representable minimum values
for the current data type.

e Change the Word length to 32, and click the Refresh details button in

the Fixed-point details section to see the updated representable range.

8-48

Specify Fixed-Point Attributes for Blocks

When you change the value of the Word length parameter, the data type
string in the Data Type edit box automatically updates.
f Click OK on the block dialog box to save your changes and close the window.
g Set the word length of the Accumulator data type of the Unsigned

Cumulative Sum block to 32 bits. You can do so in one of two ways:

Type the data type string fixdt([],32,0) directly into Data Type edit
box for the Accumulator data type parameter.
Perform the same steps you used to set the word length of the
Accumulator data type of the Signed Cumulative Sum block to 32 bits.
7 To verify your changes in word length and check for overflow, rerun your

model. To do so, click the Simulate button in the Fixed-Point Tool.

The Contents pane of the Fixed-Point Tool updates, and you can see that no
overflows occurred in the most recent simulation. However, you can also see
that the SimMin and SimMax values range from 0 to 0. This underflow
happens because the fraction length of the Accumulator data type is too
small. The SpecifiedDT cannot represent the precision of the data values.
The following sections discuss how to find a floating-point benchmark and use
the Fixed-Point Tool to propose fraction lengths.

Use Data Type Override to Find a Floating-Point Benchmark

The Data type override feature of the Fixed-Point tool allows you to
override the data types specified in your model with floating-point types.
Running your model in Double override mode gives you a reference range to
help you select appropriate fraction lengths for your fixed-point data types.
To do so, perform the following steps:
1 Open the Fixed-Point Tool and set Data type override to Double.
2 Run your model by clicking the Run simulation and store active results

button.
3 Examine the results in the Contents pane of the Fixed-Point Tool. Because

you ran the model in Double override mode, you get an accurate, idealized
representation of the simulation minimums and maximums. These values
appear in the SimMin and SimMax parameters.

8-49

Fixed-Point Design

4 Now that you have an accurate reference representation of the simulation

minimum and maximum values, you can more easily choose appropriate
fraction lengths. Before making these choices, save your active results to
reference so you can use them as your floating-point benchmark. To do so,
select Results > Move Active Results To Reference from the Fixed-Point
Tool menu. The status displayed in the Run column changes from Active to
Reference for all signals in your model.

Use the Fixed-Point Tool to Propose Fraction Lengths

Now that you have your Double override results saved as a floating-point
reference, you are ready to propose fraction lengths.
1 To propose fraction lengths for your data types, you must have a set of Active

results available in the Fixed-Point Tool. To produce an active set of results,

simply rerun your model. The tool now displays both the Active results and
the Reference results for each signal.
2 Select the Use simulation min/max if design min/max is not available

check box. You did not specify any design minimums or maximums for the
data types in this model. Thus, the tool uses the logged information to compute
and propose fraction lengths. For information on specifying design minimums
and maximums, see Signal Ranges in the Simulink documentation.
3 Click the Propose fraction lengths button (

). The tool populates the

proposed data types in the ProposedDT column of the Contents pane. The
corresponding proposed minimums and maximums are displayed in the
ProposedMin and ProposedMax columns.

Examine the Results and Accept the Proposed Scaling

Before accepting the fraction lengths proposed by the Fixed-Point Tool, it is
important to look at the details of that data type. Doing so allows you to see
how much of your data the suggested data type can represent. To examine the
suggested data types and accept the proposed scaling, perform the following
steps:
1 In the Contents pane of the Fixed-Point Tool, you can see the proposed

fraction lengths for the data types in your model.

8-50

Specify Fixed-Point Attributes for Blocks

The proposed fraction length for the Accumulator data type of both the
Signed and Unsigned Cumulative Sum blocks is 17 bits.
To get more details about the proposed scaling for a particular data type,
highlight the data type in the Contents pane of the Fixed-Point Tool.
Open the Autoscale Information window for the highlighted data type
by clicking the Show autoscale information for the selected result
button (

).

2 When the Autoscale Information window opens, check the Value and

Percent Proposed Representable columns for the Simulation Minimum

and Simulation Maximum parameters. You can see that the proposed data
type can represent 100% of the range of simulation data.
3 To accept the proposed data types, select the check box in the Accept column

for each data type whose proposed scaling you want to keep. Then, click the
Apply accepted fraction lengths button (
). The tool updates the
specified data types on the block dialog boxes and the SpecifiedDT column in
the Contents pane.
4 To verify the newly accepted scaling, set the Data type override parameter

back to Use local settings, and run the model. Looking at Contents pane of
the Fixed-Point Tool, you can see the following details:
The SimMin and SimMax values of the Active run match the SimMin
and SimMax values from the floating-point Reference run.
There are no longer any overflows.
The SimDT does not match the SpecifiedDT for the Accumulator data
type of either Cumulative Sum block. This difference occurs because the
Cumulative Sum block always inherits its Signedness from the input
signal and only allows you to specify a Signedness of Auto. Therefore,
the SpecifiedDT for both Accumulator data types is fixdt([],32,17).
However, because the Signed Cumulative Sum block has a signed input
signal, the SimDT for the Accumulator parameter of that block is also
signed (fixdt(1,32,17)). Similarly, the SimDT for the Accumulator
parameter of the Unsigned Cumulative Sum block inherits its Signedness
from its input signal and thus is unsigned (fixdt(0,32,17)).

8-51

Fixed-Point Design

Quantizers
In this section...
Scalar Quantizers on page 8-52
Vector Quantizers on page 8-61

Scalar Quantizers
Analysis and Synthesis of Speech on page 8-52
Identify Your Residual Signal and Reflection Coefficients on page 8-54
Create a Scalar Quantizer on page 8-56

Analysis and Synthesis of Speech

You can use blocks from the DSP System Toolbox Quantizers library to design
scalar quantizer encoders and decoders. A speech signal is usually represented
in digital format, which is a sequence of binary bits. For storage and
transmission applications, it is desirable to compress a signal by representing
it with as few bits as possible, while maintaining its perceptual quality.
Quantization is the process of representing a signal with a reduced level of
precision. If you decrease the number of bits allocated for the quantization of
your speech signal, the signal is distorted and the speech quality degrades.
In narrowband digital speech compression, speech signals are sampled at
a rate of 8000 samples per second. Each sample is typically represented
by 8 bits. This corresponds to a bit rate of 64 kbits per second. Further
compression is possible at the cost of quality. Most of the current low bit rate
speech coders are based on the principle of linear predictive speech coding.
This topic shows you how to use the Scalar Quantizer Encoder and Scalar
Quantizer Decoder blocks to implement a simple speech coder.
1 Type ex_sq_example1 at the MATLAB command line to open the example

model.

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Quantizers

This model preemphasizes the input speech signal by applying an FIR

filter. Then, it calculates the reflection coefficients of each frame using the
Levinson-Durbin algorithm. The model uses these reflection coefficients
to create the linear prediction analysis filter (lattice-structure). Next,
the model calculates the residual signal by filtering each frame of the
preemphasized speech samples using the reflection coefficients. The
residual signal, which is the output of the analysis stage, usually has a
lower energy than the input signal. The blocks in the synthesis stage of the
model filter the residual signal using the reflection coefficients and apply an
all-pole deemphasis filter. Note that the deemphasis filter is the inverse of
the preemphasis filter. The result is the full recovery of the original signal.

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Fixed-Point Design

2 Run this model.

3 Double-click the Original Signal and Processed Signal blocks and listen to

both the original and the processed signal.

There is no significant difference between the two because no quantization
was performed.
To better approximate a real-world speech analysis and synthesis system, you
need to quantize the residual signal and reflection coefficients before they are
transmitted. The following topics show you how to design scalar quantizers to
accomplish this task.

Identify Your Residual Signal and Reflection Coefficients

In the previous topic, Analysis and Synthesis of Speech on page 8-52,
you learned the theory behind the LPC Analysis and Synthesis of Speech
example model. In this topic, you define the residual signal and the
reflection coefficients in your MATLAB workspace as the variables E and K,
respectively. Later, you use these values to create your scalar quantizers:
1 Open the example model by typing ex_sq_example2 at the MATLAB

command line.
2 Save the model file as ex_sq_example2 in your working folder.
3 From the Sinks library, click-and-drag two Signal To Workspace blocks

into your model.

4 Connect the output of the Levinson-Durbin block to one of the Signal To

Workspace blocks.
5 Double-click this Signal To Workspace block and set the Variable name

parameter to K. Click OK.

6 Connect the output of the Time-Varying Analysis Filter block to the other

Signal To Workspace block.

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Quantizers

7 Double-click this Signal To Workspace block and set the Variable name

parameter to E. Click OK.

You model should now look similar to this figure.

8 Run your model.

The residual signal, E, and your reflection coefficients, K, are defined in the
MATLAB workspace. In the next topic, you use these variables to design
your scalar quantizers.

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Fixed-Point Design

Create a Scalar Quantizer

In this topic, you create scalar quantizer encoders and decoders to quantize
the residual signal, E, and the reflection coefficients, K:
1 If the model you created in Identify Your Residual Signal and Reflection

Coefficients on page 8-54 is not open on your desktop, you can open an
equivalent model by typing ex_sq_example2 at the MATLAB command
prompt.
2 Run this model to define the variables E and K in the MATLAB workspace.
3 From the Quantizers library, click-and-drag a Scalar Quantizer Design

block into your model. Double-click this block to open the SQ Design Tool
GUI.
4 For the Training Set parameter, enter K.

The variable K represents the reflection coefficients you want to quantize.

By definition, they range from -1 to 1.
Note Theoretically, the signal that is used as the Training Set parameter
should contain a representative set of values for the parameter to be
quantized. However, this example provides an approximation to this global
training process.
5 For the Number of levels parameter, enter 128.

Assume that your compression system has 7 bits to represent each

reflection coefficient. This means it is capable of representing 27 or 128
values. The Number of levels parameter is equal to the total number of
codewords in the codebook.
6 Set the Block type parameter to Both.
7 For the Encoder block name parameter, enter SQ Encoder -

Reflection Coefficients.
8 For the Decoder block name parameter, enter SQ Decoder -

Reflection Coefficients.

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Quantizers

9 Make sure that your desired destination model, ex_sq_example2, is the

current model. You can type gcs in the MATLAB Command Window to
display the name of your current model.

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Fixed-Point Design

10 In the SQ Design Tool GUI, click the Design and Plot button to apply the

changes you made to the parameters.

The GUI should look similar to the following figure.

8-58

Quantizers

11 Click the Generate Model button.

Two new blocks, SQ Encoder - Reflection Coefficients and SQ Decoder Reflection Coefficients, appear in your model file.
12 Click the SQ Design Tool GUI and, for the Training Set parameter, enter

E.
13 Repeat steps 5 to 11 for the variable E, which represents the residual signal

you want to quantize. In steps 6 and 7, name your blocks SQ Encoder Residual and SQ Decoder - Residual.
Once you have completed these steps, two new blocks, SQ Encoder Residual and SQ Decoder - Residual, appear in your model file.
14 Close the SQ Design Tool GUI. You do not need to save the SQ Design

Tool session.
You have now created a scalar quantizer encoder and a scalar quantizer
decoder for each signal you want to quantize. You are ready to quantize the
residual signal, E, and the reflection coefficients, K.

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Fixed-Point Design

15 Save the model as ex_sq_example3. Your model should look similar to

the following figure.

16 Run your model.

17 Double-click the Original Signal and Processed Signal blocks, and listen

to both signals.
Again, there is no perceptible difference between the two. You can therefore
conclude that quantizing your residual and reflection coefficients did not
affect the ability of your system to accurately reproduce the input signal.
You have now quantized the residual and reflection coefficients. The bit rate
of a quantization system is calculated as (bits per frame)*(frame rate).
In this example, the bit rate is [(80 residual samples/frame)*(7 bits/sample) +
(12 reflection coefficient samples/frame)*(7 bits/sample)]*(100 frames/second),
or 64.4 kbits per second. This is higher than most modern speech coders,

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Quantizers

which typically have a bit rate of 8 to 24 kbits per second. If you decrease the
number of bits allocated for the quantization of the reflection coefficients or
the residual signal, the overall bit rate would decrease. However, the speech
quality would also degrade.
For information about decreasing the bit rate without affecting speech quality,
see Vector Quantizers on page 8-61.

Vector Quantizers
Build Your Vector Quantizer Model on page 8-61
Configure and Run Your Model on page 8-63

Build Your Vector Quantizer Model

In the previous section, you created scalar quantizer encoders and decoders
and used them to quantize your residual signal and reflection coefficients.
The bit rate of your scalar quantization system was 64.4 kbits per second.
This bit rate is higher than most modern speech coders. To accommodate a
greater number of users in each channel, you need to lower this bit rate while
maintaining the quality of your speech signal. You can use vector quantizers,
which exploit the correlations between each sample of a signal, to accomplish
this task.
In this topic, you modify your scalar quantization model so that you are using
a split vector quantizer to quantize your reflection coefficients:
1 Open a model similar to the one you created in Create a Scalar Quantizer

on page 8-56 by typing ex_vq_example1 at the MATLAB command prompt.

The example model ex_vq_example1 adds a new LSF Vector Quantization
subsystem to the ex_sq_example3 model. This subsystem is preconfigured
to work as a vector quantizer. You can use this subsystem to encode and
decode your reflection coefficients using the split vector quantization
method.
2 Delete the SQ Encoder Reflection Coefficients and SQ Decoder

Reflection Coefficients blocks.

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Fixed-Point Design

3 From the Simulink Sinks library,click-and-drag a Terminator block into

your model.
4 From the DSP System Toolbox Estimation > Linear Prediction library,

click-and-drag a LSF/LSP to LPC Conversion block and two LPC to/from

RC blocks into your model.
5 Connect the blocks as shown in the following figure. You do not need to

connect Terminator blocks to the P ports of the LPC to/from RC blocks.

These ports disappear once you set block parameters.

You have modified your model to include a subsystem capable of vector

quantization. In the next topic, you reset your model parameters to quantize
your reflection coefficients using the split vector quantization method.

8-62

Quantizers

Configure and Run Your Model

In the previous topic, you configured your scalar quantization model for vector
quantization by adding the LSF Vector Quantization subsystem. In this topic,
you set your block parameters and quantize your reflection coefficients using
the split vector quantization method.
1 If the model you created in Build Your Vector Quantizer Model on page

8-61 is not open on your desktop, you can open an equivalent model by
typing ex_vq_example2 at the MATLAB command prompt.
2 Double-click the LSF Vector Quantization subsystem, and then double-click

the LSF Split VQ subsystem.

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Fixed-Point Design

The subsystem opens, and you see the three Vector Quantizer Encoder
blocks used to implement the split vector quantization method.

This subsystem divides each vector of 10 line spectral frequencies (LSFs),

which represent your reflection coefficients, into three LSF subvectors.
Each of these subvectors is sent to a separate vector quantizer. This
method is called split vector quantization.

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Quantizers

3 Double-click the VQ of LSF: 1st subvector block.

The Block Parameters: VQ of LSF: 1st subvector dialog box opens.

The variable CB_lsf1to3_10bit is the codebook for the subvector that

contains the first three elements of the LSF vector. It is a 3-by-1024
matrix, where 3 is the number of elements in each codeword and 1024 is
the number of codewords in the codebook. Because 210 = 1024 , it takes 10

8-65

Fixed-Point Design

bits to quantize this first subvector. Similarly, a 10-bit vector quantizer is

applied to the second and third subvectors, which contain elements 4 to 6
and 7 to 10 of the LSF vector, respectively. Therefore, it takes 30 bits to
quantize all three subvectors.
Note If you used the vector quantization method to quantize your
reflection coefficients, you would need 230 or 1.0737e9 codebook values
to achieve the same degree of accuracy as the split vector quantization
method.
4 In your model file, double-click the Autocorrelation block and set the

Maximum non-negative lag (less than input length) parameter to

10. Click OK.
This parameter controls the number of linear polynomial coefficients
(LPCs) that are input to the split vector quantization method.
5 Double-click the LPC to/from RC block that is connected to the input of

the LSF Vector Quantization subsystem. Clear the Output normalized

prediction error power check box. Click OK.
6 Double-click the LSF/LSP to LPC Conversion block and set the Input

parameter to LSF in range (0 to pi). Click OK.

7 Double-click the LPC to/from RC block that is connected to the output

of the LSF/LSP to LPC Conversion block. Set the Type of conversion

parameter to LPC to RC, and clear the Output normalized prediction
error power check box. Click OK.
8 Run your model.

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Quantizers

9 Double-click the Original Signal and Processed Signal blocks to listen to

both the original and the processed signal.

There is no perceptible difference between the two. Quantizing your
reflection coefficients using a split vector quantization method produced
good quality speech without much distortion.
You have now used the split vector quantization method to quantize your
reflection coefficients. The vector quantizers in the LSF Vector Quantization
subsystem use 30 bits to quantize a frame containing 80 reflection coefficients.
The bit rate of a quantization system is calculated as (bits per frame)*(frame
rate).
In this example, the bit rate is [(80 residual samples/frame)*(7 bits/sample) +
(30 bits/frame)]*(100 frames/second), or 59 kbits per second. This is less than
64.4 kbits per second, the bit rate of the scalar quantization system. However,
the quality of the speech signal did not degrade. If you want to further reduce
the bit rate of your system, you can use the vector quantization method to
quantize the residual signal.

8-67

Fixed-Point Design

Fixed-Point Filter Design

In this section...
Overview of Fixed-Point Filters on page 8-68
Data Types for Filter Functions on page 8-68
Floating-Point to Fixed-Point Filter Conversion on page 8-70
Create an FIR Filter Using Integer Coefficients on page 8-80
Fixed-Point Filtering in Simulink on page 8-98

Overview of Fixed-Point Filters

The most common use of fixed-point filters is in the DSP chips, where the
data storage capabilities are limited, or embedded systems and devices where
low-power consumption is necessary. For example, the data input may come
from a 12 bit ADC, the data bus may be 16 bit, and the multiplier may have
24 bits. Within these space constraints, DSP System Toolbox software enables
you to design the best possible fixed-point filter.

What Is a Fixed-Point Filter?

lA fixed-point filter uses fixed-point arithmetic and is represented by an
equation with fixed-point coefficients. To learn about fixed-point arithmetic,
see Arithmetic Operations.

Data Types for Filter Functions

Data Type Support on page 8-68
Fixed Data Type Support on page 8-69
Single Data Type Support on page 8-69

Data Type Support

There are three different data types supported in DSP System Toolbox
software:

8-68

Fixed-Point Filter Design

Fixed Requires Fixed-Point Designer and is supported by packages

listed in Fixed Data Type Support on page 8-69.
Double Double precision, floating point and is the default data type for
DSP System Toolbox software; accepted by all functions
Single Single precision, floating point and is supported by specific
packages outlined in Single Data Type Support on page 8-69.

Fixed Data Type Support

To use fixed data type, you must have Fixed-Point Designer. Type ver at the
MATLAB command prompt to get a listing of all installed products.
The fixed data type is reserved for any filter whose property arithmetic is
set to fixed. Furthermore all functions that work with this filter, whether in
analysis or design, also accept and support the fixed data types.
To set the filters arithmetic property:
f = fdesign.bandpass(.35,.45,.55,.65,60,1,60);
Hf = design(f, 'equiripple');
Hf.Arithmetic = 'fixed';

Single Data Type Support

The support of the single data types comes in two varieties. First, input data
of type single can be fed into a double filter, where it is immediately converted
to double. Thus, while the filter still operates in the double mode, the single
data type input does not break it. The second variety is where the filter itself
is set to single precision. In this case, it accepts only single data type input,
performs all calculations, and outputs data in single precision. Furthermore,
such analyses as noisepsd and freqrespest also operate in single precision.
To set the filter to single precision:
>> f = fdesign.bandpass(.35,.45,.55,.65,60,1,60);
>> Hf = design(f, 'equiripple');
>> Hf.Arithmetic = 'single';

8-69

Fixed-Point Design

Floating-Point to Fixed-Point Filter Conversion

Process Overview on page 8-70
Design the Filter on page 8-70
Quantize the Coefficients on page 8-72
Dynamic Range Analysis on page 8-75
Compare Magnitude Response and Magnitude Response Estimate on
page 8-77

Process Overview
The conversion from floating point to fixed point consists of two main parts:
quantizing the coefficients and performing the dynamic range analysis.
Quantizing the coefficients is a process of converting the coefficients to
fixed-point numbers. The dynamic range analysis is a process of fine tuning
the scaling of each node to ensure that the fraction lengths are set for full
input range coverage and maximum precision. The following steps describe
this conversion process.

Design the Filter

Start by designing a regular, floating-point, equiripple bandpass filter, as
shown in the following figure.

8-70

Fixed-Point Filter Design

where the passband is from .45 to .55 of normalized frequency, the amount
of ripple acceptable in the passband is 1 dB, the first stopband is from 0 to
.35 (normalized), the second stopband is from .65 to 1 (normalized), and both
stopbands provide 60 dB of attenuation.
To design this filter, evaluate the following code, or type it at the MATLAB
command prompt:
f = fdesign.bandpass(.35,.45,.55,.65,60,1,60);
Hd = design(f, 'equiripple');
fvtool(Hd)

8-71

Fixed-Point Design

The last line of code invokes the Filter Visualization Tool, which displays the
designed filter. You use Hd, which is a double, floating-point filter, both as the
baseline and a starting point for the conversion.

Quantize the Coefficients

The first step in quantizing the coefficients is to find the valid word length
for the coefficients. Here again, the hardware usually dictates the maximum
allowable setting. However, if this constraint is large enough, there is room
for some trial and error. Start with the coefficient word length of 8 and
determine if the resulting filter is sufficient for your needs.
To set the coefficient word length of 8, evaluate or type the following code
at the MATLAB command prompt:
Hf = Hd;
Hf.Arithmetic = 'fixed';
set(Hf, 'CoeffWordLength', 8);
fvtool(Hf)

The resulting filter is shown in the following figure.

8-72

Fixed-Point Filter Design

As the figure shows, the filter design constraints are not met. The attenuation
is not complete, and there is noise at the edges of the stopbands. You can
experiment with different coefficient word lengths if you like. For this
example, however, the word length of 12 is sufficient.
To set the coefficient word length of 12, evaluate or type the following code
at the MATLAB command prompt:
set(Hf, 'CoeffWordLength', 12);
fvtool(Hf)

The resulting filter satisfies the design constraints, as shown in the following
figure.

8-73

Fixed-Point Design

Now that the coefficient word length is set, there are other data width
constraints that might require attention. Type the following at the MATLAB
command prompt:
>> info(Hf)
Discrete-Time FIR Filter (real)
------------------------------Filter Structure : Direct-Form FIR
Filter Length
: 48
Stable
: Yes
Linear Phase
: Yes (Type 2)
Arithmetic
: fixed

8-74

Fixed-Point Filter Design

Numerator
: s12,14 -> [-1.250000e-001 1.250000e-001)
Input
: s16,15 -> [-1 1)
Filter Internals : Full Precision
Output
: s31,29 -> [-2 2) (auto determined)
Product
: s27,29 -> [-1.250000e-001 1.250000e-001)...
(auto determined)
Accumulator
: s31,29 -> [-2 2) (auto determined)
Round Mode
: No rounding
Overflow Mode
: No overflow

You see the output is 31 bits, the accumulator requires 31 bits and the
multiplier requires 27 bits. A typical piece of hardware might have a 16 bit
data bus, a 24 bit multiplier, and an accumulator with 4 guard bits. Another
reasonable assumption is that the data comes from a 12 bit ADC. To reflect
these constraints type or evaluate the following code:
set
set
set
set
set

(Hf,
(Hf,
(Hf,
(Hf,
(Hf,

'InputWordLength', 12);
'FilterInternals', 'SpecifyPrecision');
'ProductWordLength', 24);
'AccumWordLength', 28);
'OutputWordLength', 16);

Although the filter is basically done, if you try to filter some data with it at
this stage, you may get erroneous results due to overflows. Such overflows
occur because you have defined the constraints, but you have not tuned the
filter coefficients to handle properly the range of input data where the filter
is designed to operate. Next, the dynamic range analysis is necessary to
ensure no overflows.

Dynamic Range Analysis

The purpose of the dynamic range analysis is to fine tune the scaling of the
coefficients. The ideal set of coefficients is valid for the full range of input
data, while the fraction lengths maximize precision. Consider carefully the
range of input data to use for this step. If you provide data that covers the
largest dynamic range in the filter, the resulting scaling is more conservative,
and some precision is lost. If you provide data that covers a very narrow
input range, the precision can be much greater, but an input out of the design
range may produce an overflow. In this example, you use the worst-case input
signal, covering a full dynamic range, in order to ensure that no overflow

8-75

Fixed-Point Design

ever occurs. This worst-case input signal is a scaled version of the sign of
the flipped impulse response.
To scale the coefficients based on the full dynamic range, type or evaluate
the following code:
x = 1.9*sign(fliplr(impz(Hf)));
Hf = autoscale(Hf, x);

To check that the coefficients are in range (no overflows) and have maximum
possible precision, type or evaluate the following code:
fipref('LoggingMode', 'on', 'DataTypeOverride', 'ForceOff');
y = filter(Hf, x);
fipref('LoggingMode', 'off');
R = qreport(Hf)

Where R is shown in the following figure:

8-76

Fixed-Point Filter Design

The report shows no overflows, and all data falls within the designed range.
The conversion has completed successfully.

Compare Magnitude Response and Magnitude Response

Estimate
You can use the fvtool GUI to analysis on your quantized filter, to see the
effects of the quantization on stopband attenuation, etc. Two important
last checks when analyzing a quantized filter are the Magnitude Response
Estimate and the Round-off Noise Power Spectrum. The value of the
Magnitude Response Estimate analysis can be seen in the following example.
View the Magnitude Response Estimate
Begin by designing a simple lowpass filter using the command.
h = design(fdesign.lowpass, 'butter','SOSScaleNorm','Linf');

Now set the arithmetic to fixed-point.

h.arithmetic = 'fixed';

Open the filter using fvtool.

fvtool(h)

When fvtool displays the filter using the Magnitude response view, the
quantized filter seems to match the original filter quite well.

8-77

Fixed-Point Design

However if you look at the Magnitude Response Estimate plot from the
Analysis menu, you will see that the actual filter created may not perform
nearly as well as indicated by the Magnitude Response plot.

8-78

Fixed-Point Filter Design

This is because by using the noise-based method of the Magnitude Response

Estimate, you estimate the complex frequency response for your filter as
determined by applying a noise- like signal to the filter input. Magnitude
Response Estimate uses the Monte Carlo trials to generate a noise signal
that contains complete frequency content across the range 0 to Fs. For more
information about analyzing filters in this way, refer to the section titled
Analyzing Filters with a Noise-Based Method in the User Guide.
For more information, refer to McClellan, et al., Computer-Based Exercises
for Signal Processing Using MATLAB 5, Prentice-Hall, 1998. See Project 5:
Quantization Noise in Digital Filters, page 231.

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Fixed-Point Design

Create an FIR Filter Using Integer Coefficients

Review of Fixed-Point Numbers
Terminology of Fixed-Point Numbers. DSP System Toolbox functions
assume fixed-point quantities are represented in twos complement format,
and are described using the WordLength and FracLength parameters. It is
common to represent fractional quantities of WordLength 16 with the leftmost
bit representing the sign and the remaining bits representing the fraction
to the right of the binary point. Often the FracLength is thought of as the
number of bits to the right of the binary point. However, there is a problem
with this interpretation when the FracLength is larger than the WordLength,
or when the FracLength is negative.
To work around these cases, you can use the following interpretation of a
fixed-point quantity:

The register has a WordLength of B, or in other words it has B bits. The bits
are numbered from left to right from 0 to B-1. The most significant bit (MSB)
is the leftmost bit, bB-1. The least significant bit is the right-most bit, b0. You
can think of the FracLength as a quantity specifying how to interpret the bits
stored and resolve the value they represent. The value represented by the bits
is determined by assigning a weight to each bit:

In this figure, L is the integer FracLength. It can assume any value,

depending on the quantization step size. L is necessary to interpret the value
that the bits represent. This value is given by the equation

8-80

Fixed-Point Filter Design

value = bB1 2 B1 L +

B2

bk 2k L

k =0

.
The value 2L is the smallest possible difference between two numbers
represented in this format, otherwise known as the quantization step. In
this way, it is preferable to think of the FracLength as the negative of
the exponent used to weigh the right-most, or least-significant, bit of the
fixed-point number.
To reduce the number of bits used to represent a given quantity, you can
discard the least-significant bits. This method minimizes the quantization
error since the bits you are removing carry the least weight. For instance, the
following figure illustrates reducing the number of bits from 4 to 2:

This means that the FracLength has changed from L to L 2.

You can think of integers as being represented with a FracLength of L = 0, so
that the quantization step becomes .
Suppose B = 16 and L = 0. Then the numbers that can be represented are the
integers {32768, 32767,..., 1, 0, 1..., 32766, 32767} .
If you need to quantize these numbers to use only 8 bits to represent
them, you will want to discard the LSBs as mentioned above, so that B=8
and L = 08 = 8. The increments, or quantization step then becomes

2(8) = 28 = 256 . So you will still have the same range of values, but
with less precision, and the numbers that can be represented become
{32768, 32512,..., 256, 0, 256,...32256, 32512} .

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Fixed-Point Design

With this quantization the largest possible error becomes about 256/2 when
rounding to the nearest, with a special case for 32767.

Integers and Fixed-Point Filters

This section provides an example of how you can create a filter with integer
coefficients. In this example, a raised-cosine filter with floating-point
coefficients is created, and the filter coefficients are then converted to integers.
Define the Filter Coefficients. To illustrate the concepts of using integers
with fixed-point filters, this example will use a raised-cosine filter:
b = rcosdesign(.25, 12.5, 8, 'sqrt');

The coefficients of b are normalized so that the passband gain is equal to 1,

and are all smaller than 1. In order to make them integers, they will need to
be scaled. If you wanted to scale them to use 18 bits for each coefficient, the
range of possible values for the coefficients becomes:

[ 217 , 217 1] == [ 131072, 131071]

Because the largest coefficient of b is positive, it will need to be scaled as close
as possible to 131071 (without overflowing) in order to minimize quantization
error. You can determine the exponent of the scale factor by executing:
B = 18; % Number of bits
L = floor(log2((2^(B-1)-1)/max(b)));

% Round towards zero to avoid overflow

bsc = b*2^L;

Alternatively, you can use the fixed-point numbers autoscaling tool as follows:
bq = fi(b, true, B); % signed = true, B = 18 bits
L = bq.FractionLength;

It is a coincidence that B and L are both 18 in this case, because of the value
of the largest coefficient of b. If, for example, the maximum value of b were
0.124, L would be 20 while B (the number of bits) would remain 18.
Build the FIR Filter. First create the filter using the direct form, tapped
delay line structure:

8-82

Fixed-Point Filter Design

h = dfilt.dffir(bsc);

In order to set the required parameters, the arithmetic must be set to

fixed-point:
h.Arithmetic = 'fixed';
h.CoeffWordLength = 18;

You can check that the coefficients of h are all integers:

all(h.Numerator == round(h.Numerator))
ans =
1

Now you can examine the magnitude response of the filter using fvtool:
fvtool(h, 'Color', 'white')

8-83

Fixed-Point Design

This shows a large gain of 117 dB in the passband, which is due to the large
values of the coefficients this will cause the output of the filter to be much
larger than the input. A method of addressing this will be discussed in the
following sections.
Set the Filter Parameters to Work with Integers. You will need to set
the input parameters of your filter to appropriate values for working with
integers. For example, if the input to the filter is from a A/D converter with
12 bit resolution, you should set the input as follows:
h.InputWordLength = 12;
h.InputFracLength = 0;

8-84

Fixed-Point Filter Design

The info method returns a summary of the filter settings.

info(h)
Discrete-Time FIR Filter (real)
------------------------------Filter Structure

: Direct-Form FIR

Filter Length

: 101

Stable

: Yes

Linear Phase

: Yes (Type 1)

Arithmetic

: fixed

Numerator

: s18,0 -> [-131072 131072)

Input

: s12,0 -> [-2048 2048)

Filter Internals

: Full Precision

Output

: s31,0 -> [-1073741824 1073741824)

Product

: s29,0 -> [-268435456 268435456)

Accumulator

: s31,0 -> [-1073741824 1073741824)

Round Mode

: No rounding

Overflow Mode

: No overflow

(auto determined)
(auto determined)
(auto determined)

In this case, all the fractional lengths are now set to zero, meaning that the
filter h is set up to handle integers.
Create a Test Signal for the Filter. You can generate an input signal for the
filter by quantizing to 12 bits using the autoscaling feature, or you can follow
the same procedure that was used for the coefficients, discussed previously.
In this example, create a signal with two sinusoids:
n = 0:999;
f1 = 0.1*pi; % Normalized frequency of first sinusoid
f2 = 0.8*pi; % Normalized frequency of second sinusoid
x = 0.9*sin(0.1*pi*n) + 0.9*sin(0.8*pi*n);
xq = fi(x, true, 12); % signed = true, B = 12
xsc = fi(xq.int, true, 12, 0);

Filter the Test Signal. To filter the input signal generated above, enter
the following:
ysc = filter(h, xsc);

8-85

Fixed-Point Design

Here ysc is a full precision output, meaning that no bits have been discarded
in the computation. This makes ysc the best possible output you can achieve
given the 12bit input and the 18bit coefficients. This can be verified by
filtering using double-precision floating-point and comparing the results of
the two filtering operations:
hd = double(h);
xd = double(xsc);
yd = filter(hd, xd);
norm(yd-double(ysc))
ans =
0

Now you can examine the output compared to the input. This example is
plotting only the last few samples to minimize the effect of transients:
idx = 800:950;
xscext = double(xsc(idx)');
gd = grpdelay(h, [f1 f2]);
yidx = idx + gd(1);
yscext = double(ysc(yidx)');
stem(n(idx)', [xscext, yscext]);
axis([800 950 -2.5e8 2.5e8]);
legend('input', 'output');
set(gcf, 'color', 'white');

8-86

Fixed-Point Filter Design

It is difficult to compare the two signals in this figure because of the large
difference in scales. This is due to the large gain of the filter, so you will
need to compensate for the filter gain:
stem(n(idx)', [2^18*xscext, yscext]);
axis([800 950 -5e8 5e8]);
legend('scaled input', 'output');

8-87

Fixed-Point Design

You can see how the signals compare much more easily once the scaling has
been done, as seen in the above figure.
Truncate the Output WordLength. If you examine the output wordlength,
ysc.WordLength
ans =
31

you will notice that the number of bits in the output is considerably greater
than in the input. Because such growth in the number of bits representing
the data may not be desirable, you may need to truncate the wordlength of
the output. As discussed in Terminology of Fixed-Point Numbers on page
8-80the best way to do this is to discard the least significant bits, in order
to minimize error. However, if you know there are unused high order bits,
you should discard those bits as well.

8-88

Fixed-Point Filter Design

To determine if there are unused most significant bits (MSBs), you can look at
where the growth in WordLength arises in the computation. In this case, the
bit growth occurs to accommodate the results of adding products of the input
(12 bits) and the coefficients (18 bits). Each of these products is 29 bits long
(you can verify this using info(h)). The bit growth due to the accumulation of
the product depends on the filter length and the coefficient values- however,
this is a worst-case determination in the sense that no assumption on the
input signal is made besides, and as a result there may be unused MSBs. You
will have to be careful though, as MSBs that are deemed unused incorrectly
will cause overflows.
Suppose you want to keep 16 bits for the output. In this case, there is no
bit-growth due to the additions, so the output bit setting will be 16 for the
wordlength and 14 for the fraction length.
Since the filtering has already been done, you can discard some bits from ysc:
yout = fi(ysc, true, 16, -14);

Alternatively, you can set the filter output bit lengths directly (this is useful if
you plan on filtering many signals):
specifyall(h);
h.OutputWordLength = 16;
h.OutputFracLength = -14;
yout2 = filter(h, xsc);

You can verify that the results are the same either way:
norm(double(yout) - double(yout2))
ans =
0

However, if you compare this to the full precision output, you will notice that
there is rounding error due to the discarded bits:
norm(double(yout)-double(ysc))

8-89

Fixed-Point Design

ans =
1.446323386867543e+005

In this case the differences are hard to spot when plotting the data, as seen
below:
stem(n(yidx), [double(yout(yidx)'), double(ysc(yidx)')]);
axis([850 950 -2.5e8 2.5e8]);
legend('Scaled Input', 'Output');
set(gcf, 'color', 'white');

8-90

Fixed-Point Filter Design

Scale the Output. Because the filter in this example has such a large
gain, the output is at a different scale than the input. This scaling is purely
theoretical however, and you can scale the data however you like. In this
case, you have 16 bits for the output, but you can attach whatever scaling you
choose. It would be natural to reinterpret the output to have a weight of 2^0
(or L = 0) for the LSB. This is equivalent to scaling the output signal down
by a factor of 2^(-14). However, there is no computation or rounding error
involved. You can do this by executing the following:
yri = fi(yout.int, true, 16, 0);
stem(n(idx)', [xscext, double(yri(yidx)')]);
axis([800 950 -1.5e4 1.5e4]);
legend('input', 'rescaled output');

This plot shows that the output is still larger than the input. If you had done
the filtering in double-precision floating-point, this would not be the case
because here more bits are being used for the output than for the input, so the

8-91

Fixed-Point Design

MSBs are weighted differently. You can see this another way by looking at
the magnitude response of the scaled filter:
[H,w] = freqz(h);
plot(w/pi, 20*log10(2^(-14)*abs(H)));

This plot shows that the passband gain is still above 0 dB.
To put the input and output on the same scale, the MSBs must be weighted
equally. The input MSB has a weight of 2^11, whereas the scaled output
MSB has a weight of 2^(2914) = 2^15. You need to give the output MSB
a weight of 2^11 as follows:
yf = fi(zeros(size(yri)), true, 16, 4);
yf.bin = yri.bin;
stem(n(idx)', [xscext, double(yf(yidx)')]);
legend('input', 'rescaled output');

8-92

Fixed-Point Filter Design

This operation is equivalent to scaling the filter gain down by 2^(-18).

[H,w] = freqz(h);
plot(w/pi, 20*log10(2^(-18)*abs(H)));

8-93

Fixed-Point Design

The above plot shows a 0 dB gain in the passband, as desired.

With this final version of the output, yf is no longer an integer. However this
is only due to the interpretation- the integers represented by the bits in yf
are identical to the ones represented by the bits in yri. You can verify this
by comparing them:
max(abs(yf.int - yri.int))
ans =
0

8-94

Fixed-Point Filter Design

Configure Filter Parameters to Work with Integers Using the

set2int Method
Set the Filter Parameters to Work with Integers on page 8-95
Reinterpret the Output on page 8-96
Set the Filter Parameters to Work with Integers. The set2int method
provides a convenient way of setting filter parameters to work with integers.
The method works by scaling the coefficients to integer numbers, and setting
the coefficients and input fraction length to zero. This makes it possible for
you to use floating-point coefficients directly.
h = dfilt.dffir(b);
h.Arithmetic = 'fixed';

The coefficients are represented with 18 bits and the input signal is
represented with 12 bits:
g = set2int(h, 18, 12);
g_dB = 20*log10(g)
g_dB =
1.083707984390332e+002

The set2int method returns the gain of the filter by scaling the coefficients
to integers, so the gain is always a power of 2. You can verify that the gain we
get here is consistent with the gain of the filter previously. Now you can also
check that the filter h is set up properly to work with integers:
info(h)
Discrete-Time FIR Filter (real)
------------------------------Filter Structure

: Direct-Form FIR

Filter Length

: 101

Stable

: Yes

Linear Phase

: Yes (Type 1)

Arithmetic

: fixed

Numerator

: s18,0 -> [-131072 131072)

8-95

Fixed-Point Design

Input

: s12,0 -> [-2048 2048)

Filter Internals

: Full Precision

Output

: s31,0 -> [-1073741824 1073741824) (auto determined)

Product

: s29,0 -> [-268435456 268435456) (auto determined)

Accumulator: s31,0 -> [-1073741824 1073741824) (auto determined)

Round Mode

: No rounding

Overflow Mode

: No overflow

Here you can see that all fractional lengths are now set to zero, so this filter is
set up properly for working with integers.
Reinterpret the Output. You can compare the output to the double-precision
floating-point reference output, and verify that the computation done by the
filter h is done in full precision.
yint = filter(h, xsc);
norm(yd - double(yint))
ans =
0

You can then truncate the output to only 16 bits:

yout = fi(yint, true, 16);
stem(n(yidx), [xscext, double(yout(yidx)')]);
axis([850 950 -2.5e8 2.5e8]);
legend('input', 'output');

8-96

Fixed-Point Filter Design

Once again, the plot shows that the input and output are at different scales.
In order to scale the output so that the signals can be compared more easily
in a plot, you will need to weigh the MSBs appropriately. You can compute
the new fraction length using the gain of the filter when the coefficients were
integer numbers:
WL = yout.WordLength;
FL = yout.FractionLength + log2(g);
yf2 = fi(zeros(size(yout)), true, WL, FL);
yf2.bin = yout.bin;
stem(n(idx)', [xscext, double(yf2(yidx)')]);
axis([800 950 -2e3 2e3]);
legend('input', 'rescaled output');

8-97

Fixed-Point Design

This final plot shows the filtered data re-scaled to match the input scale.

Fixed-Point Filtering in Simulink

Fixed-Point Filtering Blocks on page 8-98
Filter Implementation Blocks on page 8-99
Filter Design and Implementation Blocks on page 8-99

Fixed-Point Filtering Blocks

The following DSP System Toolbox blocks enable you to design and/or realize
a variety of fixed-point filters:
CIC Decimation
CIC Interpolation

8-98

Fixed-Point Filter Design

Digital Filter
Filter Realization Wizard
FIR Decimation
FIR Interpolation
Two-Channel Analysis Subband Filter
Two-Channel Synthesis Subband Filter

Filter Implementation Blocks

The FIR Decimation, FIR Interpolation, Two-Channel Analysis Subband
Filter, Two-Channel Synthesis Subband Filter, and Digital Filter blocks are
all implementation blocks. They allow you to implement filters for which you
already know the filter coefficients. The first four blocks each implement
their respective filter type, while the Digital Filter block can create a variety
of filter structures. All filter structures supported by the Digital Filter block
support fixed-point signals.

Filter Design and Implementation Blocks

The Filter Realization Wizard block invokes part of the Filter Design and
Analysis Tool from Signal Processing Toolbox software. This block allows you
both to design new filters and to implement filters for which you already
know the coefficients. In its implementation stage, the Filter Realization
Wizard creates a filter realization using Sum, Gain, and Delay blocks. You
can use this block to design and/or implement numerous types of fixed-point
and floating-point single-channel filters. See the Filter Realization Wizard
reference page for more information about this block.
The CIC Decimation and CIC Interpolation blocks allow you to design and
implement Cascaded Integrator-Comb filters. See their block reference pages
for more information.

8-99

Fixed-Point Design

8-100

9
Code Generation
Learn how to generate code for signal processing applications.
Understanding Code Generation on page 9-2
Functions and System Objects Supported for Code Generation on page 9-4
Generate Code from MATLAB on page 9-12
Generate Code from Simulink on page 9-13
How to Run a Generated Executable Outside MATLAB on page 9-18
Verify FIR Filter on ARM Cortex-M Processor on page 9-19
CMSIS Conditions for DSP System objects to Support ARM Cortex-M
on page 9-24
Fixed-Point Property Settings for dsp.FIRFilter on page 9-31
Fixed-Point Property Settings for Discrete FIR Filter block on page 9-32
CMSIS Conditions for DSP Blocks to Support ARM Cortex-M on page 9-33
Support Packages and Support Package Installer on page 9-41
Open Examples for This Support Package on page 9-43
Install This Support Package on Other Computers on page 9-47
Supported CMSIS Functions for ARM Cortex-M Processors on page
9-49

Code Generation

Understanding Code Generation

In this section...
Code Generation with the Simulink Coder Product on page 9-2
Highly Optimized Generated ANSI C Code on page 9-3

Code Generation with the Simulink Coder Product

You can use the DSP System Toolbox, Simulink Coder, and Embedded Coder
products together to generate code that you can use to implement your model
for a practical application. For instance, you can create an executable from
your Simulink model to run on a target chip.
This chapter introduces you to the basic concepts of code generation using
these tools.

Shared Library Dependencies

In general, the code you generate from DSP System Toolbox blocks is portable
ANSI C code. After you generate the code, you can deploy it on another
machine. For more information on how to do so, see Relocate Code to Another
Development Environment in the Simulink Coder documentation.
There are a few DSP System Toolbox blocks that generate code with limited
portability. These blocks use precompiled shared libraries, such as DLLs, to
support I/O for specific types of devices and file formats. To find out which
blocks use precompiled shared libraries, open the DSP System Toolbox Block
Support Table. You can identify blocks that use precompiled shared libraries
by checking the footnotes listed in the Code Generation Support column of
the table. All blocks that use shared libraries have the following footnote:
Host computer only.

Excludes Real-Time Windows (RTWIN) target.

Simulink Coder provides functions to help you set up and manage the build
information for your models. For example, one of the functions that Simulink
Coder provides is getNonBuildFiles. This function allows you to identify the
shared libraries required by blocks in your model. If your model contains any
blocks that use precompiled shared libraries, you can install those libraries

9-2

Understanding Code Generation

on the target system. The folder that you install the shared libraries in must
be on the system path. The target system does not need to have MATLAB
installed, but it does need to be supported by MATLAB.

Highly Optimized Generated ANSI C Code

All DSP System Toolbox blocks generate highly optimized ANSI C code. This
C code is often suitable for embedded applications, and includes the following
optimizations:
Function reuse (run-time libraries) The generated code reuses
common algorithmic functions via calls to shared utility functions.
Shared utility functions are highly optimized ANSI/ISO C functions that
implement core algorithms such as FFT and convolution.
Parameter reuse (Simulink Coder run-time parameters) In many
cases, if there are multiple instances of a block that all have the same value
for a specific parameter, each block instance points to the same variable in
the generated code. This process reduces memory requirements.
Blocks have parameters that affect code optimization Some
blocks, such as the Sine Wave block, have parameters that enable you
to optimize the simulation for memory or for speed. These optimizations
also apply to code generation.
Other optimizations Use of contiguous input and output arrays,
reusable inputs, overwritable arrays, and inlined algorithms provide
smaller generated C code that is more efficient at run time.

9-3

Code Generation

Functions and System Objects Supported for Code

Generation
If you have a MATLAB Coder license, you can generate C and C++ code from
MATLAB code that contains DSP System Toolbox functions and System
objects. For more information about C and C++ code generation from
MATLAB code, see the MATLAB Coder documentation. For more information
about generating code from System objects, see System Objects in MATLAB
Code Generation.
The following DSP System Toolbox functions and System objects are
supported for C and C++ code generation from MATLAB code.
Name

Remarks and Limitations

Estimation

9-4

dsp.BurgAREstimator

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.BurgSpectrumEstimator

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.CepstralToLPC

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.CrossSpectrumEstimator

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.LevinsonSolver

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.LPCToAutocorrelation

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.LPCToCepstral

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.LPCToLSF

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.LPCToLSP

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.LPCToRC

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.LSFToLPC

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.LSPToLPC

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.RCToAutocorrelation

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.RCToLPC

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.SpectrumEstimator

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

Functions and System Objects Supported for Code Generation

Name

Remarks and Limitations

dsp.TransferFunctionEstimator

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

Filters
ca2tf

All inputs must be constant. Expressions or

variables are allowed if their values do not
change.

cl2tf

All inputs must be constant. Expressions or

variables are allowed if their values do not
change.

dsp.AdaptiveLatticeFilter

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.AffineProjectionFilter

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.AllpoleFilter

System Objects in MATLAB Code

Generation
Only the Denominator property is tunable
for code generation.
dsp.BiquadFilter

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.CICDecimator

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.CICInterpolator

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.DigitalFilter

System Objects in MATLAB Code

Generation
dsp.FastTransversalFilter

The SOSMatrix and Scalevalues properties

are notObjects
supported
for code generation.
System
in MATLAB
Code Generation

dsp.FilteredXLMSFilter

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.FIRDecimator

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

9-5

Code Generation

Name

Remarks and Limitations

dsp.FIRFilter

System Objects in MATLAB Code

Generation
Only the Numerator property is tunable for
code generation.
dsp.FIRInterpolator

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.FIRRateConverter

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.FrequencyDomainAdaptiveFilter

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.IIRFilter

Only the Numerator and Denominator

properties are tunable for code generation.
System Objects in MATLAB Code
Generation
dsp.KalmanFilter

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.LMSFilter

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.RLSFilter

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

firceqrip

All inputs must be constant. Expressions or

variables are allowed if their values do not
change.

fireqint

All inputs must be constant. Expressions or

variables are allowed if their values do not
change.

firgr

All inputs must be constant. Expressions or

variables are allowed if their values do not
change.
Does not support syntaxes that have cell
array input.
firhalfband

9-6

All inputs must be constant. Expressions or

variables are allowed if their values do not
change.

Functions and System Objects Supported for Code Generation

Name

Remarks and Limitations

firlpnorm

All inputs must be constant. Expressions or

variables are allowed if their values do not
change.
Does not support syntaxes that have cell
array input.
firminphase

All inputs must be constant. Expressions or

variables are allowed if their values do not
change.

firnyquist

All inputs must be constant. Expressions or

variables are allowed if their values do not
change.

firpr2chfb

All inputs must be constant. Expressions or

variables are allowed if their values do not
change.

ifir

All inputs must be constant. Expressions or

variables are allowed if their values do not
change.

iircomb

All inputs must be constant. Expressions or

variables are allowed if their values do not
change.

iirgrpdelay

All inputs must be constant. Expressions or

variables are allowed if their values do not
change.
Does not support syntaxes that have cell
array input.

9-7

Code Generation

Name

Remarks and Limitations

iirlpnorm

All inputs must be constant. Expressions or

variables are allowed if their values do not
change.
Does not support syntaxes that have cell
array input.
iirlpnormc

All inputs must be constant. Expressions or

variables are allowed if their values do not
change.
Does not support syntaxes that have cell
array input.
iirnotch

All inputs must be constant. Expressions or

variables are allowed if their values do not
change.

iirpeak

All inputs must be constant. Expressions or

variables are allowed if their values do not
change.

tf2ca

All inputs must be constant. Expressions or

variables are allowed if their values do not
change.

tf2cl

All inputs must be constant. Expressions or

variables are allowed if their values do not
change.

Math Operations

9-8

dsp.ArrayVectorAdder

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.ArrayVectorDivider

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.ArrayVectorMultiplier

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.ArrayVectorSubtractor

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.CumulativeProduct

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.CumulativeSum

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

Functions and System Objects Supported for Code Generation

Name

Remarks and Limitations

dsp.LDLFactor

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.LevinsonSolver

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.LowerTriangularSolver

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.LUFactor

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.Normalizer

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.UpperTriangularSolver

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

Quantizers
dsp.ScalarQuantizerDecoder

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.ScalarQuantizerEncoder

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.VectorQuantizerDecoder

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.VectorQuantizerEncoder

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

Scopes
dsp.SpectrumAnalyzer

This System object does not generate code. It is

automatically declared as an extrinsic variable
using the coder.extrinsic function.

dsp.TimeScope

This System object does not generate code. It is

automatically declared as an extrinsic variable
using the coder.extrinsic function.

Signal Management
dsp.Counter

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.DelayLine

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

Signal Operations
dsp.Convolver

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.DCBlocker

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.Delay

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.DigitalDownConverter

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.DigitalUpConverter

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

9-9

Code Generation

Name

Remarks and Limitations

dsp.Interpolator

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.NCO

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.PeakFinder

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.PhaseUnwrapper

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.VariableFractionalDelay

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.VariableIntegerDelay

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.Window

This object has no tunable properties for

code generation.
System Objects in MATLAB Code
Generation
dsp.ZeroCrossingDetector

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

Sinks
dsp.AudioPlayer

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.AudioFileWriter

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.UDPSender

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

Sources
dsp.AudioFileReader

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.AudioRecorder

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.SignalSource

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.SineWave

This object has no tunable properties for

code generation.
System Objects in MATLAB Code
Generation
dsp.UDPReceiver

Statistics

9-10

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

Functions and System Objects Supported for Code Generation

Name

Remarks and Limitations

dsp.Autocorrelator

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.Crosscorrelator

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.Histogram

This object has no tunable properties for

code generation.
System Objects in MATLAB Code
Generation
dsp.Maximum

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.Mean

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.Median

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.Minimum

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.RMS

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.StandardDeviation

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.Variance

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

Transforms
dsp.AnalyticSignal

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.DCT

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.FFT

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.IDCT

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

dsp.IFFT

System Objects in MATLAB Code Generation

9-11

Code Generation

Generate Code from MATLAB

When you have a license for the MATLAB Coder product, you can generate
standalone C and C++ from MATLAB code. See the MATLAB Coder
documentation for details on supported functionality and workflow.

9-12

Generate Code from Simulink

Generate Code from Simulink

In this section...
Open and Run the Model on page 9-13
Generate Code from the Model on page 9-15
Build and Run the Generated Code on page 9-15

Note You must have both the DSP System Toolbox and Simulink Coder
products installed on your computer to complete the procedures in this section.

Open and Run the Model

The ex_codegen_dsp model implements a simple adaptive filter to remove
noise from a signal while simultaneously identifying a filter that characterizes
the noise frequency content. To open this model, enter
open_system('ex_codegen_dsp')

9-13

Code Generation

Run the model and observe the output in both scopes. This model saves the
filter weights each time they adapt. You can plot the last set of coefficients
using the following command:
plot(filter_wts(:,:,1201))

9-14

Generate Code from Simulink

Generate Code from the Model

To generate code from the model, you must first ensure that you have write
permission in your current folder. The code generation process creates a new
subfolder inside the current MATLAB working folder. MATLAB saves all of
the files created by the code generation process in that subfolder, including
those which contain the generated C source code.
To start the code generation process, click the Incremental build icon (
)
on your model toolbar. After the model finishes generating code, the Code
Generation Report appears, allowing you to inspect the generated code.
You may also notice that the build process created a new subfolder inside
of your current MATLAB working folder. The name of this folder consists
of the model name, followed by the suffix _grt_rtw. In the case of this
example, the subfolder that contains the generated C source code is named
ex_codegen_dsp_grt_rtw.

Build and Run the Generated Code

Setup the C/C++ Compiler
If you want to build and run the generated code, you need
to have access to a C compiler. For more information about
which compilers are supported in the current release, see
http://www.mathworks.com/support/compilers/current_release/.
To setup your compiler, run the following command:
mex

setup

Build the Generated Code

After your compiler is setup, you can build and run the generated code. The
ex_codegen_dsp model is currently configured to generate code only. To build
the generated code, you must first make the following changes:
1 Open the Model Configuration Parameters dialog, navigate to the

Code Generation tab, and clear the Generate Code Only checkbox.
2 Click OK to apply your changes and close the dialog box.

9-15

Code Generation

3 From the model toolbar, click the Incremental build icon (

).

Because you re-configured the model to generate and build code, the code
generation process continues until the code is compiled and linked.

Run the Generated Code

To run the generated code, enter the following command at the MATLAB
prompt:
!ex_codegen_dsp

Running the generated code creates a MAT-file which contains the same
variables as those generated by simulating the model. The variables in the
MAT-file are named with a prefix of rt_. After you run the generated code,
you can load the variables from the MAT-file by typing the following command
at the MATLAB prompt:
load ex_codegen_dsp.mat

You can now compare the variables from the generated code with the
variables from the model simulation. To plot the last set of coefficients from
the generated code, enter the following command at the MATLAB prompt:
plot(rt_filter_wts(:,:,1201))

The last set of coefficients from the generated code are shown in the following
figure.

9-16

Generate Code from Simulink

For further information on generating code from Simulink, see the Simulink
Coder documentation.

9-17

Code Generation

How to Run a Generated Executable Outside MATLAB

To run your generated standalone executable application in Shell, you need to
set the environment variables as follows:

9-18

Platform

Command

Mac

setenv DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH
$DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH:
$MATLABROOT/bin/maci64
(csh/tcsh)export
DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH
$DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH:
$MATLABROOT/bin/maci64 (Bash)

Linux

setenv LD_LIBRARY_PATH
$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:
$MATLABROOT/bin/glnxa64
(csh/tcsh)export
LD_LIBRARY_PATH
$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:
$MATLABROOT/bin/glnxa64 (Bash)

Windows

set PATH =
$MATLABROOT\bin\win32;%PATH%
set PATH =
$MATLABROOT\bin\win64;%PATH%

Verify FIR Filter on ARM Cortex-M Processor

Verify FIR Filter on ARM Cortex-M Processor

This example shows how to use the Code Replacement Library (CRL) for
ARM with DSP blocks. The model uses the FIR filter block to filter two sine
waves of different frequencies.
Task 1: Simulate
1 Open the model by typing ex_fircmsis_tut on MATLABs command line.

2 Change your current folder in MATLAB to a writable folder.

3 On the model toolstrip, Click Play to start the simulation.

9-19

Code Generation

4 Click Stop to end simulation.

Task 2: Setup model for Code Replacement

1 Under Simulation, click Model Configuration Parameters to open

the dialog box.

2 Select Code Generation category.
3 Set the System target file to ert.tlc, and select Generate code only.
4 Select Interface under the Code Generation category.

9-20

Verify FIR Filter on ARM Cortex-M Processor

5 Set Code replacement library to ARM Cortex-M.

Task 3: Generate code

1 Right-click the FIR subsystem. From the drop-down menu that opens,

choose C/C++ Code > Build This Subsystem. When the Build code for
Subsystem dialog box opens, Click Build to start generating code.

9-21

Code Generation

2 When build finishes processing, a code generation report comes up.

3 Click on the FIR.c file. Notice the CMSIS function; arm_fir_init_f32 call

in the initialize function (FIR_initialize). Also, notice the CMSIS function;

arm_fir_f32 in the model step function (FIR_step).

9-22

Verify FIR Filter on ARM Cortex-M Processor

Task 4: Use Processor in the Loop (PIL)

To perform the previous steps using PIL, you need to have the Embeded
Coder Support Package for ARM Cortex-M Processors, and the DST Support
Package for ARM Cortex-M Processors. The following examples shows you
how to use PIL with ARM Cortex-M:
Code Verification and Validation with PIL and External Mode
Code Optimization Using CMSIS DSP Library
For instructions on accessing these examples, see: Open Examples for This
Support Package on page 9-43.

9-23

Code Generation

CMSIS Conditions for DSP System objects to Support ARM

Cortex-M
In this section...
General Conditions on All System objects on page 9-24
Specific System object properties Used to support CMSIS on page 9-24

General Conditions on All System objects

Under the following conditions, CMSIS support for DSP System objects is
available:
Input data type is single. (except for dsp.FIRFilter with 'Direct Form'
Structure, where both single and fixed-point data types are supported.)
Input or output is real. (Support for complex input or output is available
for dsp.FFT and dsp.IFFT System objects.)
Input is single channel.
Note In the Fixed-point mode of the CMSIS DSP (FIR) function, Wrap is
used for intermediate MAC operations if accumulator result overflows. At the
end, the accumulator is right shifted and saturated to the output data type.
For discrete FIR block or system object, there is only one overflow setting
for accumulator and output. So if overflow happens in accumulation, the
simulation result will not match the CMSIS library result.

Specific System object properties Used to support

CMSIS
DSP System objects supporting the ARM-Cortex-M package require a set of
conditions that would allow code replacement with the CMSIS Library, when
generating C code from a model or from MATLAB code. The CMSIS library
supports these DSP System objects only when you set specific properties, as
indicated in the following table. To use the CMSIS library with these System
objects offering ARM support, you must follow these rules for specifying
properties.

9-24

CMSIS Conditions for DSP System objects to Support ARM Cortex-M

The following table illustrates the rules under which CMSIS supports these
System objects offering ARM support:
DSP System object

System object
properties for CMSIS
Support

Equivalent CMSIS
Methods

dsp.FIRFilter

Structure: Direct

'Direct Form'
Structure,

Form or Lattice
MA

InitialConditions:
0

arm_fir_f32
arm_fir_init_f32

fixed-point input
FrameBasedProcessing:
with q7 format:
true
Input: real, and
single channel (one
column)

arm_fir_q7

For 'Direct
Form' Structure:
NumeratorSource:
Property or Input

fixed-point input
with q15 format:

arm_fir_init_q7

arm_fir_q15

port

arm_fir_init_q15
For 'Lattice
fixed-point input
MA' Structure:
with q31 format:
ReflectionCoefficientSource:
Property or Input
arm_fir_q31
port
The following
settings are needed
to support fixed-point
FIR filter with
Direct Form
Structure:

arm_fir_init_q31
'Lattice MA'
Structure,
arm_fir_lattice_f32

9-25

Code Generation

DSP System object

System object
properties for CMSIS
Support

Equivalent CMSIS
Methods

arm_fir_lattice_init_f32
FullPrecisionOverride:
false

RoundingMethod:
'Floor'

OverflowAction:
'Saturate'

Fixed-Point
Property Settings
for dsp.FIRFilter on
page 9-31
Q15 specific:
Number of filter
coefficients must be
even and greater
than or equal to 4. If
not, pad zeros at the
end.
dsp.FIRDecimator

Structure: Direct
Form

arm_fir_decimate_init_f32
arm_fir_decimate_f32

Input : real, single

channel (one column)
dsp.FIRInterpolator

9-26

Input : real, and

single channel (one
column)

arm_fir_interpolate_init_f32
arm_fir_interpolate_f32

CMSIS Conditions for DSP System objects to Support ARM Cortex-M

DSP System object

System object
properties for CMSIS
Support

Equivalent CMSIS
Methods

dsp.LMSFilter

StepSizeSource:

arm_lms_init_f32

'Property'

arm_lms_f32
WeightResetInputPort:
If the algorithm is
false
Normalized LMS:
WeightsOutputPort:
false

arm_lms_norm_f32
arm_lms_norm_init_f32

AdaptInputPort:
false

LeakageFactor:
1.0
InitialConditions:
0

Method: LMS or
Normalized LMS

dsp.BiquadFilter

SOSMatrixSource
: 'Property' or
'Input port'

arm_biquad_cascade_df1_init_f32

arm_biquad_cascade_df2T_init_f3
arm_biquad_cascade_df1_f32

No replacement for
DFILT object

arm_biquad_cascade_df2T_f32

Structure:

Direct Form I or
Direct Form II
transposed

InitialConditions:
0

9-27

Code Generation

DSP System object

System object
properties for CMSIS
Support

Equivalent CMSIS
Methods

FrameBasedProcessing
: True
ScaleValuesInputPort
: False(when the
SOSMatrixSource
is set to 'Input
Port')

dsp.FFT

FFTImplementation: arm_cfft_radix2_init_f32
Radix-2

arm_cfft_radix2_f32

Normalize : False
FFTLength:

16,

64, 256, 1024

FFTLengthSource
: 'Property'
WrapInput : does
not matter because
input length must
equal FFT length
Input: complex
single

9-28

Restriction: Input
length must
equal FFT length,
because of CMSIS
in-place FFT
algorithm

CMSIS Conditions for DSP System objects to Support ARM Cortex-M

DSP System object

System object
properties for CMSIS
Support

dsp.IFFT

FFTImplementation: arm_cfft_radix2_init_f32
Radix-2

Equivalent CMSIS
Methods

arm_cfft_radix2_f32

Normalize : true
FFTLengthSource
: 'Property'
FFTLength:

16,

64, 256, 1024

ConjugateSymmetricInput
: false
WrapInput : does
not matter because
input length must
equal FFT length
Input: complex
single

Restriction: Input
length must
equal FFT length,
because of CMSIS
in-place FFT
algorithm

9-29

Code Generation

DSP System object

System object
properties for CMSIS
Support

Equivalent CMSIS
Methods

dsp.CrossCorrelator
dsp.Convolver

Method : Time

arm_conv_f32

Domain

Input : Single
channel
The two inputs must
be of the same length

arm_correlate_f32
There are no
init methods
associated with these
algorithms.

inputs must be real

dsp.Mean
dsp.RMS
dsp.Variance
dsp.StandadDeviation

Non-running
mode only (e.g.,
RunningMean :
false)
ROIProcessing:
false (does not
apply to RMS)
Dimension : All
(find statistic over
entire input

Input is
one-dimensional
Input : single
channel, not scalar,
real

9-30

arm_mean_f32
arm_rms_f32
arm_var_f32
arm_std_f32
There are no
init methods
associated with these
algorithms.

Fixed-Point Property Settings for dsp.FIRFilter

Fixed-Point Property Settings for dsp.FIRFilter

Fixpt Property
Name

Q7

CoefficientDataType
Custom

Q15

Q31

Custom

Custom

CustomCoefficientsDataType
numerictype(true,8,7)
numerictype(true,16,15)
numerictype(true,32,31)
ProductDataType Custom

Custom

Custom

CustomProductDataType
numerictype(true,16,14)
numerictype(true,32,30)
numerictype(true,64,62)
AccumulatorDataType
Custom

Custom

Custom

CustomAccumulatorDataType
numerictype(true,32,14)
numerictype(true,64,30)
numerictype(true,64,62)
OutputDataType

Same as input or
Custom

Same as input or
Custom

Same as input or
Custom

CustomOutputDataType
numerictype(true,8,7)
numerictype(true,16,15)
numerictype(true,32,31)
[Note]

Note CustomOutputDataType appears if OutputDataType is Custom

9-31

Code Generation

Fixed-Point Property Settings for Discrete FIR Filter block

q15

q31

CoefDataTypeStr fixdt(true,8,7)

fixdt(true,16,15)

fixdt(true,32,31)

ProductDataTypeStr
fixdt(true,16,14)

fixdt(true,32,30)

fixdt(true,64,62)

AccumDataTypeStrfxdt(true,32,14)

fxdt(true,64,30)

fxdt(true,64,62)

OutputDataType

Inherit: Same
as input or
fxpt(true,16,15)

Inherit: Same
as input or
fxdt(true, 32,31)

Fixed-Point
Property Name

9-32

q7

Inherit: Same
as input or
fxdt(true,8,7)

CMSIS Conditions for DSP Blocks to Support ARM Cortex-M

CMSIS Conditions for DSP Blocks to Support ARM Cortex-M

In this section...
General Conditions on All Blocks on page 9-33
Specific Block Parameters Used to Support CMSIS on page 9-33

General Conditions on All Blocks

Under the following conditions, CMSIS support for DSP blocks is available:
Input data type is single. (except for Discrete FIR Filter with 'Direct
Form' Structure, where both single and fixed-point data types are
supported.)
Block is in single rate mode.
Input or output is real. (Support for complex input or output is available
for FFT and IFFT blocks.)
Input is single channel.
Note In the Fixed-point mode of the CMSIS DSP (FIR) function, Wrap is
used for intermediate MAC operations if accumulator result overflows. At the
end, the accumulator is right shifted and saturated to the output data type.
For discrete FIR block or system object, there is only one overflow setting
for accumulator and output. So if overflow happens in accumulation, the
simulation result will not match the CMSIS library result.

Specific Block Parameters Used to Support CMSIS

DSP blocks supporting the ARM-Cortex-M package require a set of conditions
that would allow code replacement with the CMSIS Library, when generating
C code from a model. The CMSIS library supports these DSP blocks only
when you set specific parameters, as indicated in the following table. To use
the CMSIS library with these blocks offering ARM support, you must follow
these rules for specifying parameters.

9-33

Code Generation

The following table illustrates the rules under which CMSIS supports these
blocks offering ARM support:
DSP Block

Block Parameters for

CMSIS Support

Equivalent CMSIS
Methods

Discrete FIR Filter

Filter structure:

'Direct Form'
Structure:

Direct Form or
Lattice MA

Input is real
Input processing:
Columns as channels
(frame based); and
input has one column
Input : single
channel
Initial states : 0
Coefficients
source: Dialog
parameters or Input
port

The following
settings are needed
to support fixed-point
Discrete FIR Filter
block, in Direct
Form Structure

only:
RndMeth:
'Floor'

arm_fir_f32
arm_fir_init_f32
fixed-point input
with q7 format:
arm_fir_q7
arm_fir_init_q7
fixed-point input
with q15 format:
arm_fir_q15
arm_fir_init_q15
fixed-point input
with q31 format:
arm_fir_q31
arm_fir_init_q31
'Lattice MA'
Structure:

arm_fir_lattice_f32
SaturateOnIntegerOverflow:
on

9-34

CMSIS Conditions for DSP Blocks to Support ARM Cortex-M

DSP Block

Block Parameters for

CMSIS Support

Equivalent CMSIS
Methods

lockScale: on

arm_fir_lattice_init_f32

Fixed-Point
Property Settings
for Discrete FIR
Filter block on page
9-32
Q15 Specific:
Number of filter
coefficients must be
even and greater
than or equal to 4. If
not, pad zeros at the
end.
FIR Decimation

Filter structure:
Direct Form

arm_fir_decimate_init_f32
arm_fir_decimate_f32

Input processing:
Columns as
channels
(frame-based), and

input has one column

Input: single channel
Rate options:
Enforce
single-rate
processing

Coefficients
source: Dialog
parameters

9-35

Code Generation

DSP Block

Block Parameters for

CMSIS Support

Equivalent CMSIS
Methods

FIR Interpolation

Input processing
: Columns as

arm_fir_interpolate_init_f32

channels (frame
based), and input

arm_fir_interpolate_f32

has one column

Input: single channel
Rate options:
Enforce
single-rate
processing

Coefficients
source: Dialog
parameters

LMS Filter

Specify step size

via: Dialog (mu
specified from the
dialog)
Reset port :None (no
reset port)
Output filter
weights : off (no
weights output port)
Adapt port : off (no
adapt output port)
Leakage : 1
Initial value of
filter weights : 0
(initial weights are
zero)

9-36

arm_lms_init_f32
arm_lms_f32
If the algorithm is
Normalized LMS:

arm_lms_norm_f32
arm_lms_norm_init_f32

CMSIS Conditions for DSP Blocks to Support ARM Cortex-M

DSP Block

Block Parameters for

CMSIS Support

Equivalent CMSIS
Methods

Algorithm is either
LMS or Normalized
LMS

Biquad Filter

Coefficients
source: Dialog
parameters or Input

arm_biquad_cascade_df1_init_f32

arm_biquad_cascade_df2T_init_f3

port(s)

arm_biquad_cascade_df1_f32

arm_biquad_cascade_df2T_f32

Restriction: If
Coefficient
source is
Input port(s),
replacement only
occurs when Scale
value mode is set
to Assume all
are unity and
optimize

No replacement for
DFILT object
Filter structure:
Direct Form I or
Direct Form II
transposed

Initial conditions:
0

Input processing:
Columns as
channels (frame
based)

9-37

Code Generation

DSP Block

Block Parameters for

CMSIS Support

Equivalent CMSIS
Methods

FFT

FFT
implementation:

arm_cfft_radix2_init_f32

Radix-2

Scale result
by FFT length:
uncheck (or OFF)
Inherit FFT
length from
input dimensions:
uncheck (or OFF)

Restriction: Input
Length must be
equal to FFT
Length because
of CMSIS FFT
algorithm

FFT length:

16,

64, 256, 1024

Input: complex
single

9-38

Restriction: Input
length must
equal FFT length,
because of CMSIS
in-place FFT
algorithm

arm_cfft_radix2_f32

CMSIS Conditions for DSP Blocks to Support ARM Cortex-M

DSP Block

Block Parameters for

CMSIS Support

Equivalent CMSIS
Methods

IFFT

FFT
implementation:

arm_cfft_radix2_init_f32

Radix-2

arm_cfft_radix2_f32

Divide output by
FFT length: check
(or ON)
Inherit FFT
length from
input dimensions:
uncheck (or OFF)

Restriction: Input
Length must be
equal to FFT
Length because
of CMSIS FFT
algorithm

FFT length:

16,

64, 256, 1024

Output sampling
mode: both sample
based and frame
based

Input: complex
single

Restriction: Input
length must
equal FFT length,
because of CMSIS
in-place FFT
algorithm

9-39

Code Generation

DSP Block

Block Parameters for

CMSIS Support

Equivalent CMSIS
Methods

Correlation
Convolution

Computation
domain: Time

arm_conv_f32

Input: Single
channel
The two inputs must
be of the same length

arm_correlate_f32
There are no
init methods
associated with these
algorithms.

inputs must be real

Mean
RMS
Variance
Standard deviation

Non-running mode
only

arm_mean_f32

ROI Processing:
disabled (does not
apply to RMS)

arm_var_f32

Find statistic over

entire input

Input is
one-dimensional
Input: single
channel, not scalar,
real

9-40

arm_rms_f32
arm_std_f32
There are no
init methods
associated with these
algorithms.

Support Packages and Support Package Installer

Support Packages and Support Package Installer

What Is a Support Package?
A support package is an add-on that enables you to use a MathWorks product
with specific third-party hardware and software.
Support packages can include:
Simulink block libraries
MATLAB functions, classes, and methods
Firmware updates for the third-party hardware
Automatic installation of third-party software
Examples and tutorials
A support package file has a *.zip extension. This type of file contains
MATLAB files, MEX files, and other supporting files required to install the
support package. Use Support Package Installer to install these support
package files.
A support package installation file has a *.mlpkginstall extension. You
can double click this type of file to start Support Package Installer, which
preselects a specific support package for installation. You can download these
files from MATLAB Central File Exchange and use them to share support
packages with others.

What Is Support Package Installer?

Support Package Installer is a wizard that guides you through the process of
installing support packages.
You can use Support Package Installer to:
Display a list of available, installable, installed, or updatable support
packages
Install, update, download, or uninstall a support package.
Update the firmware on specific third-party hardware.

9-41

Code Generation

Provide your MathWorks software with information about required

third-party software.
If third-party software is included, Support Package Installer displays a list of
the software and licenses for you to review before continuing.
You can start Support Package Installer in one of the following ways:
On the MATLAB toolstrip, click Add-Ons > Get Hardware Support
Packages.

In the MATLAB Command Window, enter supportPackageInstaller.

Double-click a support package installation file (*.mlpkginstall).

9-42

Open Examples for This Support Package

Open Examples for This Support Package

In this section...
Using the Help Browser on page 9-43
Using Support Package Installer on page 9-45

Using the Help Browser

You can open support package examples from the Help browser:
1 After installing the support package, click View product documentation

(F1).

2 In Help, click Supplemental Software.

9-43

Code Generation

3 In Supplemental Software, double-click Examples.

9-44

Open Examples for This Support Package

4 Select the examples for your support package.

Note For other types of examples, open the Help browser and search for your
product name followed by examples.

Using Support Package Installer

Support Package Installer (supportPackageInstaller) automatically
displays the support package examples when you complete the process of
installing and setting up a support package.
On the last screen in Support Package Installer, leave Show support
package examples enabled and click Finish.

9-45

9-46

Code Generation

Install This Support Package on Other Computers

Install This Support Package on Other Computers

You can download a support package to one computer, and then install it on
other computers. Using this approach, you can:
Save time when installing support packages on multiple computers.
Install support packages on computers that are not connected to the
Internet.
Before starting, select a computer to use for downloading. This computer must
have the same base product license and platform as the computers upon which
you are installing the support package. For example, suppose you want to
install a Simulink support package on a group of computers that are running
64-bit Windows. To do so, you must first download the support package using
a computer that has a Simulink license and is running 64-bit Windows.
Download the support package to one computer:
1 In the MATLAB Command Window, enter supportPackageInstaller.
2 In Support Package Installer, on the Select an action screen, choose

Download from Internet. Click Next.

3 On the following screen, select the support package to download.

Verify the path of the Download folder. For example,

C:\MATLAB\SupportPackages\R2013b\downloads.
4 Follow the instructions provided by Support Package Installer to complete

the download process.

This action creates a subfolder within the Download folder that contains
the files required for each support package.
5 Make the new folder available to for installation on other computers. For

example, you can share the folder on the network, or copy the folder to
portable media, such as a USB flash drive.

9-47

Code Generation

Note Some support packages require you to install third-party software.

If so, also make the third-party software available for installation on the
other computers.
Install the support package on the other computers:
1 Run Support Package Installer on the other computer or computers.
2 On the Install or update support package screen, select the Folder

option.
3 Click Browse to specify the location of the support package folder on the

network or portable media.

4 Follow the instructions provided by Support Package Installer to complete

the installation process.

9-48

Supported CMSIS Functions for ARM Cortex-M Processors

Supported CMSIS Functions for ARM Cortex-M Processors

The DSP System Toolbox Support Package for ARM Cortex-M Processors
provides a Code Replacement Library (CRL) for CMSIS functions.
Note The CMSIS function name indicates the data type of the function.

DSP Operations
Filter

CMSIS Function

Discrete FIR Filter

arm_fir_f32

FIR Decimation

arm_fir_decimate

FIR Interpolation

arm_fir_interpolate

Convolution

arm_conv

Correlation

arm_fir_f32

Biquad Filter

arm_biquad_cascade_df1

LMS Filter

arm_lms

FFT

arm_cfft_radix2_f32

IFFT

arm_cfft_radix2_f32

RMS

arm_rms

Standard Deviation

arm_std

Variance

arm_var

Math Operations
Operation

CMSIS function

Note

Vector Absolute Value

arm_abs_f32

Supports only scalar

inputs

Vector Absolute Value

arm_abs_q31

Supports only scalar

inputs

9-49

Code Generation

Math Operations (Continued)

9-50

Operation

CMSIS function

Note

Vector Absolute Value

arm_abs_q15

Supports only scalar

inputs

Vector Absolute Value

arm_abs_q7

Supports only scalar

inputs

Vector Addition

arm_add_f32

Vector Addition

arm_add_q31

Vector Addition

arm_add_q15

Vector Addition

arm_add_q7

Vector Subtraction

arm_sub_f32

Vector Subtraction

arm_sub_q31

Vector Subtraction

arm_sub_q15

Vector Subtraction

arm_sub_q7

Vector Multiplication

arm_mult_f32

Vector Multiplication

arm_mult_q31

Vector Multiplication

arm_mult_q15

Vector Multiplication

arm_mult_q7

Vector Right Shift

arm_shift_q31

Supports only scalar

inputs

Vector Right Shift

arm_shift_q15

Supports only scalar

inputs

Vector Right Shift

arm_shift_q7

Supports only scalar

inputs

Vector Cast

arm_float_to_q31

Supports only scalar

inputs

Vector Cast

arm_float_to_q15

Supports only scalar

inputs

Supported CMSIS Functions for ARM Cortex-M Processors

Math Operations (Continued)

Operation

CMSIS function

Note

Vector Cast

arm_float_to_q7

Supports only scalar

inputs

Vector Cast

arm_q31_to_float

Supports only scalar

inputs

Vector Cast

arm_q31_to_q15

Supports only scalar

inputs

Vector Cast

arm_q31_to_q7

Supports only scalar

inputs

Vector Cast

arm_q15_to_float

Supports only scalar

inputs

Vector Cast

arm_q15_to_q31

Supports only scalar

inputs

Vector Cast

arm_q15_to_q7

Supports only scalar

inputs

Vector Cast

arm_q7_to_float

Supports only scalar

inputs

Vector Cast

arm_q7_to_q31

Supports only scalar

inputs

Vector Cast

arm_q7_to_q15

Supports only scalar

inputs

Vector Cast

arm_shift_q31

Supports only scalar

inputs

Vector Cast

arm_shift_q15

Supports only scalar

inputs

Vector Cast

arm_shift_q7

Supports only scalar

inputs

Square root

arm_sqrt_f32

Square root

arm_sqrt_q31

Square root

arm_sqrt_q15

9-51

Code Generation

Math Operations (Continued)

9-52

Note

Operation

CMSIS function

sin

arm_sin_f32

cosine

arm_cos_f32

Complex Conjugate

arm_cmplx_conj_f32

Complex Conjugate

arm_cmplx_conj_q31

Complex Conjugate

arm_cmplx_conj_q15

Complex-by-Complex
Multiplication

arm_cmplx_mult_cmplx_f32

Complex-by-Complex
Multiplication

arm_cmplx_mult_cmplx_q31

Complex-by-Complex
Multiplication

arm_cmplx_mult_cmplx_q15

Complex-by-Real
Multiplication

arm_cmplx_mult_real_f32

Complex-by-Real
Multiplication

arm_cmplx_mult_real_q31

Complex-by-Real
Multiplication

arm_cmplx_mult_real_q15

10
Define New System Objects
Define Basic System Objects on page 10-3
Change Number of Step Inputs or Outputs on page 10-5
Specify System Block Input and Output Names on page 10-8
Validate Property and Input Values on page 10-10
Initialize Properties and Setup One-Time Calculations on page 10-13
Set Property Values at Construction Time on page 10-16
Reset Algorithm State on page 10-19
Define Property Attributes on page 10-21
Hide Inactive Properties on page 10-25
Limit Property Values to Finite String Set on page 10-27
Process Tuned Properties on page 10-30
Release System Object Resources on page 10-32
Define Composite System Objects on page 10-34
Define Finite Source Objects on page 10-38
Save System Object on page 10-40
Load System Object on page 10-43
Clone System Object on page 10-46
Define System Object Information on page 10-47
Define System Block Icon on page 10-49
Add Header to System Block Dialog on page 10-51
Add Property Groups to System Object and Block Dialog on page 10-53

10

Define New System Objects

Set Output Size on page 10-57

Set Output Data Type on page 10-60
Set Output Complexity on page 10-63
Specify Whether Output Is Fixed- or Variable-Size on page 10-66
Specify Discrete State Output Specification on page 10-69
Use Update and Output for Nondirect Feedthrough on page 10-72
Methods Timing on page 10-75
System Object Input Arguments and ~ in Code Examples on page 10-78
What Are Mixin Classes? on page 10-79
Best Practices for Defining System Objects on page 10-80

10-2

Define Basic System Objects

Define Basic System Objects

This example shows how to create a basic System object that increments a
number by one.
The class definition file contains the minimum elements required to define
a System object.
Create the Class Definition File
1 Create a MATLAB file named AddOne.m to contain the definition of your

System object.
edit AddOne.m
2 Subclass your object from matlab.System. Insert this line as the first line

of your file.
classdef AddOne < matlab.System
3 Add the stepImpl method, which contains the algorithm that runs when

users call the step method on your object. You always set the stepImpl
method access to protected because it is an internal method that users
do not directly call or run.
All methods, except static methods, expect the System object handle as the
first input argument. You can use any name for your System object handle.
In this example, instead of passing in the object handle, ~ is used to indicate
that the object handle is not used in the function. Using ~ instead of an
object handle prevents warnings about unused variables from occurring.
By default, the number of inputs and outputs are both one. To
change the number of inputs or outputs, use the getNumInputsImpl or
getNumOutputsImpl method, respectively.
methods (Access=protected)
function y = stepImpl(~, x)
y = x + 1;
end
end

10-3

10

Define New System Objects

Note Instead of manually creating your class definition file, you can use
an option on the New > System Object menu to open a template. The
Basic template opens a simple System object template. The Advanced
template includes more advanced features of System objects, such as backup
and restore. The Simulink Extension template includes additional
customizations of the System object for use in the Simulink MATLAB System
block. You then can edit the template file, using it as guideline, to create
your own System object.

Complete Class Definition File for Basic System Object

classdef AddOne < matlab.System

%ADDONE Compute an output value one greater than the input value
% All methods occur inside a methods declaration.
% The stepImpl method has protected access
methods (Access=protected)
function y = stepImpl(~,x)
y = x + 1;
end
end
end

10-4

See Also

stepImpl | getNumInputsImpl | getNumOutputsImpl | matlab.System

Related
Examples

Change Number of Step Inputs or Outputs on page 10-5

Concepts

System Design and Simulation in MATLAB

Change Number of Step Inputs or Outputs

Change Number of Step Inputs or Outputs

This example shows how to specify two inputs and two outputs for the step
method.
If you do not specify the getNumInputsImpl and getNumOutputsImpl methods,
the object uses the default values of 1 input and 1 output. In this case, the
user must provide an input to the step method.
Note You should only use getNumInputsImpl or getNumOutputsImpl
methods to change the number of System object inputs or outputs. Do not
use any other handle objects within a System object to change the number
of inputs or outputs.
To specify no inputs, you must explicitly set the number of inputs to 0 using
the getNumInputsImpl method. To specify no outputs, you must explicitly
return 0 in the getNumOutputsImpl method.
You always set the getNumInputsImpl and getNumOutputsImpl methods
access to protected because they are internal methods that users do not
directly call or run.
Update the Algorithm for Multiple Inputs and Outputs

Update the stepImpl method to accept a second input and provide a second
output.
methods (Access=protected)
function [y1,y2] = stepImpl(~,x1,x2)
y1 = x1 + 1
y2 = x2 + 1;
end
end
Update the Associated Methods

Use getNumInputsImpl and getNumOutputsImpl to specify two inputs and

two outputs, respectively.

10-5

10

Define New System Objects

methods (Access=protected)
function numIn = getNumInputsImpl(~)
numIn = 2;
end
function numOut = getNumOutputsImpl(~)
numOut = 2;
end
end
Complete Class Definition File with Multiple Inputs and Outputs

classdef AddOne < matlab.System

%ADDONE Compute output values two greater than the input values
% All methods occur inside a methods declaration.
% The stepImpl method has protected access
methods(Access=protected)
function [y1,y2] = stepImpl(~,x1,x2)
y1 = x1 + 1;
y2 = x2 + 1;
end
% getNumInputsImpl method calculates number of inputs
function num = getNumInputsImpl(~)
num = 2;
end
% getNumOutputsImpl method calculates number of outputs
function num = getNumOutputsImpl(~)
num = 2;
end
end
end

10-6

See Also

getNumInputsImpl | getNumOutputsImpl

Related
Examples

Validate Property and Input Values on page 10-10

Define Basic System Objects on page 10-3

Change Number of Step Inputs or Outputs

Concepts

System Object Input Arguments and ~ in Code Examples on page 10-78

10-7

10

Define New System Objects

Specify System Block Input and Output Names

This example shows how to specify the names of the input and output ports of
a System objectbased block implemented using a MATLAB System block.
Define Input and Output Names

This example shows how to use getInputNamesImpl and getOutputNamesImpl

to specify the names of the input port as source data and the output port as
count.
If you do not specify the getInputNamesImpl and getOutputNamesImpl
methods, the object uses the stepImpl method input and output variable
names for the input and output port names, respectively. If the stepImpl
method uses varargin and varargout instead of variable names, the port
names default to empty strings.
methods (Access=protected)
function inputName = getInputNamesImpl(~)
inputName = 'source data';
end
function outputName = getOutputNamesImpl(~)
outputName = 'count';
end
end
Complete Class Definition File with Named Inputs and Outputs

classdef MyCounter < matlab.System

%MyCounter Count values above a threshold
properties
Threshold = 1
end
properties (DiscreteState)
Count
end

10-8

Specify System Block Input and Output Names

methods
function obj = MyCounter(varargin)
setProperties(obj,nargin,varargin{:});
end
end
methods (Access=protected)
function setupImpl(obj, u)
obj.Count = 0;
end
function resetImpl(obj)
obj.Count = 0;
end
function y = stepImpl(obj, u)
if (u > obj.Threshold)
obj.Count = obj.Count + 1;
end
y = obj.Count;
end
function inputName = getInputNamesImpl(~)
inputName = 'source data';
end
function outputName = getOutputNamesImpl(~)
outputName = 'count';
end
end
end

See Also

getNumInputsImpl | getNumOutputsImpl | getInputNamesImpl |

getOutputNamesImpl

Related
Examples

Change Number of Step Inputs or Outputs on page 10-5

Concepts

System Object Input Arguments and ~ in Code Examples on page 10-78

10-9

10

Define New System Objects

Validate Property and Input Values

This example shows how to verify that the users inputs and property values
are valid.
Validate Properties

This example shows how to validate the value of a single property using
set.PropertyName syntax. In this case, the PropertyName is Increment.
methods
% Validate the properties of the object
function set.Increment(obj,val)
if val >= 10
error('The increment value must be less than 10');
end
obj.Increment = val;
end
end

This example shows how to validate the value of two interdependent

properties using the validatePropertiesImpl method. In this case, the
UseIncrement property value must be true and the WrapValue property value
must be less than the Increment property value.
methods (Access=protected)
function validatePropertiesImpl(obj)
if obj.UseIncrement && obj.WrapValue < obj.Increment
error('Wrap value must be less than increment value');
end
end
end
Validate Inputs

This example shows how to validate that the first input is a numeric value.
methods (Access=protected)
function validateInputsImpl(~,x)
if ~isnumeric(x)

10-10

Validate Property and Input Values

error('Input must be numeric');

end
end
end
Complete Class Definition File with Property and Input Validation

classdef AddOne < matlab.System

%ADDONE Compute an output value by incrementing the input value
% All properties occur inside a properties declaration.
% These properties have public access (the default)
properties (Logical)
UseIncrement = true
end
properties (PositiveInteger)
Increment = 1
WrapValue = 10
end
methods
% Validate the properties of the object
function set.Increment(obj, val)
if val >= 10
error('The increment value must be less than 10');
end
obj.Increment = val;
end
end
methods (Access=protected)
function validatePropertiesImpl(obj)
if obj.UseIncrement && obj.WrapValue < obj.Increment
error('Wrap value must be less than increment value');
end
end
% Validate the inputs to the object
function validateInputsImpl(~,x)

10-11

10

Define New System Objects

if ~isnumeric(x)
error('Input must be numeric');
end
end
function out = stepImpl(obj,in)
if obj.UseIncrement
out = in + obj.Increment;
else
out = in + 1;
end
end
end
end

Note All inputs default to variable-size inputs. See Change Input

Complexity or Dimensions for more information.

See Also

validateInputsImpl | validatePropertiesImpl

Related
Examples

Define Basic System Objects on page 10-3

Concepts

Methods Timing on page 10-75

Property Set Methods
System Object Input Arguments and ~ in Code Examples on page 10-78

10-12

Initialize Properties and Setup One-Time Calculations

Initialize Properties and Setup One-Time Calculations

This example shows how to write code to initialize and set up a System object.
In this example, you allocate file resources by opening the file so the System
object can write to that file. You do these initialization tasks one time during
setup, rather than every time you call the step method.
Define Public Properties to Initialize

In this example, you define the public Filename property and specify the
value of that property as the nontunable string, default.bin. Users cannot
change nontunable properties after the setup method has been called. Refer
to the Methods Timing section for more information.
properties (Nontunable)
Filename ='default.bin'
end
Define Private Properties to Initialize

Users cannot access private properties directly, but only through methods of
the System object. In this example, you define the pFileID property as a
private property. You also define this property as hidden to indicate it is an
internal property that never displays to the user.
properties (Hidden,Access=private)
pFileID;
end
Define Setup

You use the setupImpl method to perform setup and initialization tasks. You
should include code in the setupImpl method that you want to execute one
time only. The setupImpl method is called once during the first call to the
step method. In this example, you allocate file resources by opening the
file for writing binary data.
methods
function setupImpl(obj,data)
obj.pFileID = fopen(obj.Filename,'wb');

10-13

10

Define New System Objects

if obj.pFileID < 0
error('Opening the file failed');
end
end
end

Although not part of setup, you should close files when your code is done using
them. You use the releaseImpl method to release resources.
Complete Class Definition File with Initialization and Setup

classdef MyFile < matlab.System

%MyFile write numbers to a file
% These properties are nontunable. They cannot be changed
% after the setup or step method has been called.
properties (Nontunable)
Filename ='default.bin' % the name of the file to create
end
% These properties are private. Customers can only access
% these properties through methods on this object
properties (Hidden,Access=private)
pFileID; % The identifier of the file to open
end
methods (Access=protected)
% In setup allocate any resources, which in this case
% means opening the file.
function setupImpl(obj,data)
obj.pFileID = fopen(obj.Filename,'wb');
if obj.pFileID < 0
error('Opening the file failed');
end
end
% This System object writes the input to the file.
function stepImpl(obj,data)
fwrite(obj.pFileID,data);
end

10-14

Initialize Properties and Setup One-Time Calculations

% Use release to close the file to prevent the

% file handle from being left open.
function releaseImpl(obj)
fclose(obj.pFileID);
end
% You indicate that no outputs are provided by returning
% zero from getNumOutputsImpl
function numOutputs = getNumOutputsImpl(~)
numOutputs = 0;
end
end
end

See Also

setupImpl | releaseImpl | stepImpl

Related
Examples

Release System Object Resources on page 10-32

Define Property Attributes on page 10-21

Concepts

Methods Timing on page 10-75

10-15

10

Define New System Objects

Set Property Values at Construction Time

This example shows how to define a System object constructor and allow it to
accept name-value property pairs as input.
Set Properties to Use Name-Value Pair Input

Define the System object constructor, which is a method that has the same
name as the class (MyFile in this example). Within that method, you use
the setProperties method to make all public properties available for input
when the user constructs the object. nargin is a MATLAB function that
determines the number of input arguments. varargin indicates all of the
objects public properties.
methods
function obj = MyFile(varargin)
setProperties(obj,nargin,varargin{:});
end
end
Complete Class Definition File with Constructor Setup

classdef MyFile < matlab.System

%MyFile write numbers to a file
% These properties are nontunable. They cannot be changed
% after the setup or step method has been called.
properties (Nontunable)
Filename ='default.bin' % the name of the file to create
Access = 'wb' % The file access string (write, binary)
end
% These properties are private. Customers can only access
% these properties through methods on this object
properties (Hidden,Access=private)
pFileID; % The identifier of the file to open
end
methods
% You call setProperties in the constructor to let

10-16

Set Property Values at Construction Time

% a user specify public properties of object as

% name-value pairs.
function obj = MyFile(varargin)
setProperties(obj,nargin,varargin{:});
end
end
methods (Access=protected)
% In setup allocate any resources, which in this case is
% opening the file.
function setupImpl(obj, ~)
obj.pFileID = fopen(obj.Filename,obj.Access);
if obj.pFileID < 0
error('Opening the file failed');
end
end
% This System object writes the input to the file.
function stepImpl(obj, data)
fwrite(obj.pFileID,data);
end
% Use release to close the file to prevent the
% file handle from being left open.
function releaseImpl(obj)
fclose(obj.pFileID);
end
% You indicate that no outputs are provided by returning
% zero from getNumOutputsImpl
function numOutputs = getNumOutputsImpl(~)
numOutputs = 0;
end
end
end

See Also

nargin | setProperties

10-17

10

Define New System Objects

Related
Examples

10-18

Define Property Attributes on page 10-21

Release System Object Resources on page 10-32

Reset Algorithm State

Reset Algorithm State

This example shows how to reset an object state.
Reset Counter to Zero

pCount is an internal counter property of the System object obj. The user
calls the reset method, which calls the resetImpl method. In this example
, pCount resets to 0.

Note When resetting an objects state, make sure you reset the size,
complexity, and data type correctly.

methods (Access=protected)
function resetImpl(obj)
obj.pCount = 0;
end
end
Complete Class Definition File with State Reset

classdef Counter < matlab.System

%Counter System object that increments a counter
properties(Access=private)
pCount
end
methods (Access=protected)
% In step, increment the counter and return
% its value as an output
function c = stepImpl(obj)
obj.pCount = obj.pCount + 1;
c = obj.pCount;
end
% Reset the counter to zero.
function resetImpl(obj)

10-19

10

Define New System Objects

obj.pCount = 0;
end
% The step method takes no inputs
function numIn = getNumInputsImpl(~)
numIn = 0;
end
end
end
end

See Methods Timing on page 10-75 for more information.

See Also
Concepts

10-20

resetImpl

Methods Timing on page 10-75

Define Property Attributes

Define Property Attributes

This example shows how to specify property attributes.
Property attributes, which add details to a property, provide a layer of control
to your properties. In addition to the MATLAB property attributes, System
objects can use these three additional attributesnontunable, logical,
and positiveInteger. To specify multiple attributes, separate them with
commas.
Specify Property as Nontunable

Use the nontunable attribute for a property when the algorithm depends on
the value being constant once data processing starts. Defining a property as
nontunable may improve the efficiency of your algorithm by removing the
need to check for or react to values that change. For code generation, defining
a property as nontunable allows the memory associated with that property
to be optimized. You should define all properties that affect the number of
input or output ports as nontunable.
System object users cannot change nontunable properties after the setup or
step method has been called. In this example, you define the InitialValue
property, and set its value to 0.
properties (Nontunable)
InitialValue = 0;
end
Specify Property as Logical

Logical properties have the value, true or false. System object users can
enter 1 or 0 or any value that can be converted to a logical. The value,
however, displays as true or false. You can use sparse logical values, but
they must be scalar values. In this example, the Increment property indicates
whether to increase the counter. By default, Increment is tunable property.
The following restrictions apply to a property with the Logical attribute,
Cannot also be Dependent or PositiveInteger
Default value must be true or false. You cannot use 1 or 0 as a default
value.

10-21

10

Define New System Objects

properties (Logical)
Increment = true
end
Specify Property as Positive Integer

In this example, the private property pCount is constrained to accept only

real, positive integers. You cannot use sparse values. The following restriction
applies to a property with the PositiveInteger attribute,
Cannot also be Dependent or Logical
properties (PositiveInteger)
Count
end

Specify Property as DiscreteState

If your algorithm uses properties that hold state, you can assign those
properties the DiscreteState attribute . Properties with this attribute
display their state values when users call getDiscreteStateImpl via the
getDiscreteState method. The following restrictions apply to a property
with the DiscreteState attribute,
Numeric, logical, or fi value, but not a scaled double fi value
Does not have any of these attributes: Nontunable, Dependent, Abstract,
Constant, or Transient.
No default value
Not publicly settable
GetAccess=Public by default
Value set only using the setupImpl method or when the System object is
locked during resetImpl or stepImpl
In this example, you define the Count property.
properties (DiscreteState)
Count;

10-22

Define Property Attributes

end
Complete Class Definition File with Property Attributes

classdef Counter < matlab.System

%Counter Increment a counter starting at an initial value
% These properties are nontunable. They cannot be changed
% after the setup or step method has been called.
properties (Nontunable)
% The inital value of the counter
InitialValue = 0
end
properties (Logical)
% Whether to increment the counter
Increment = true
end
% Count state variable
properties (DiscreteState, PositiveInteger)
Count
end
methods (Access=protected)
% In step, increment the counter and return its value
% as an output
function c = stepImpl(obj)
if obj.Increment
obj.Count = obj.Count + 1;
end
c = obj.Count;
end
% Setup the Count state variable
function setupImpl(obj)
obj.Count = 0;
end
% Reset the counter to zero.
function resetImpl(obj)
obj.Count = obj.InitialValue;

10-23

10

Define New System Objects

end
% The step method takes no inputs
function numIn = getNumInputsImpl(~)
numIn = 0;
end
end
end

Concepts

10-24

Class Attributes
Property Attributes
What You Cannot Change While Your System Is Running
Methods Timing on page 10-75

Hide Inactive Properties

Hide Inactive Properties

This example shows how to hide the display of a property that is not active
for a particular object configuration.
Hide an inactive property

You use the isInactivePropertyImpl method to hide a property from

displaying. If the isInactiveProperty method returns true to the property
you pass in, then that property does not display.
methods (Access=protected)
function flag = isInactivePropertyImpl(obj,propertyName)
if strcmp(propertyName,'InitialValue')
flag = obj.UseRandomInitialValue;
else
flag = false;
end
end
end
Complete Class Definition File with Hidden Inactive Property

classdef Counter < matlab.System

%Counter Increment a counter
% These properties are nontunable. They cannot be changed
% after the setup or step method has been called.
properties (Nontunable)
% Allow the user to set the initial value
UseRandomInitialValue = true
InitialValue = 0
end
% The private count variable, which is tunable by default
properties (Access=private)
pCount
end
methods (Access=protected)

10-25

10

Define New System Objects

% In step, increment the counter and return its value

% as an output
function c = stepImpl(obj)
obj.pCount = obj.pCount + 1;
c = obj.pCount;
end
%Reset the counter to either a random value or the initial
% value.
function resetImpl(obj)
if obj.UseRandomInitialValue
obj.pCount = rand();
else
obj.pCount = obj.InitialValue;
end
end
% The step method takes no inputs
function numIn = getNumInputsImpl(~)
numIn = 0;
end
% This method controls visibility of the object's properties
function flag = isInactivePropertyImpl(obj,propertyName)
if strcmp(propertyName,'InitialValue')
flag = obj.UseRandomInitialValue;
else
flag = false;
end
end
end
end

See Also

10-26

isInactivePropertyImpl

Limit Property Values to Finite String Set

Limit Property Values to Finite String Set

This example shows how to limit a property to accept only a finite set of
string values.
Specify a Set of Valid String Values

String sets use two related properties. You first specify the user-visible
property name and default string value. Then, you specify the associated
hidden property by appending Set to the property name. You must use
a capital S in Set.
In the Set property, you specify the valid string values as a cell array of the
matlab.system.Stringset class. This example uses Color and ColorSet
as the associated properties.
properties
Color = 'blue'
end
properties (Hidden,Transient)
ColorSet = matlab.system.StringSet({'red','blue','green'});
end
Complete Class Definition File with String Set

classdef Whiteboard < matlab.System

%Whiteboard Draw lines on a figure window
%
% This System object illustrates the use of StringSets
properties
Color = 'blue'
end
properties (Hidden,Transient)
% Let them choose a color
ColorSet = matlab.system.StringSet({'red','blue','green'});
end

10-27

10

Define New System Objects

methods(Access = protected)
function stepImpl(obj)
h = Whiteboard.getWhiteboard();
plot(h, ...
randn([2,1]),randn([2,1]), ...
'Color',obj.Color(1));
end
function releaseImpl(obj)
cla(Whiteboard.getWhiteboard());
hold('on');
end
function n = getNumInputsImpl(~)
n = 0;
end
function n = getNumOutputsImpl(~)
n = 0;
end
end
methods (Static)
function a = getWhiteboard()
h = findobj('tag','whiteboard');
if isempty(h)
h = figure('tag','whiteboard');
hold('on');
end
a = gca;
end
end
end

String Set System Object Example

%%
% Each call to step draws lines on a whiteboard
%% Construct the System object
hGreenInk = Whiteboard;
hBlueInk = Whiteboard;

10-28

Limit Property Values to Finite String Set

% Change the color

% Note: Press tab after typing the first single quote to
% display all enumerated values.
hGreenInk.Color = 'green';
hBlueInk.Color = 'blue';
% Take a few steps
for i=1:3
hGreenInk.step();
hBlueInk.step();
end
%% Clear the whiteboard
hBlueInk.release();
%% Display System object used in this example
type('Whiteboard.m');

See Also

matlab.system.StringSet

10-29

10

Define New System Objects

Process Tuned Properties

This example shows how to specify the action to take when a tunable property
value changes during simulation.
The processTunedPropertiesImpl method is useful for managing actions to
prevent duplication. In many cases, changing one of multiple interdependent
properties causes an action. With the processTunedPropertiesImpl method,
you can control when that action is taken so it is not repeated unnecessarily.
Control When a Lookup Table Is Generated

This example of processTunedPropertiesImpl causes the pLookupTable to

be regenerated when either the NumNotes or MiddleC property changes.
methods (Access = protected)
function processTunedPropertiesImpl(obj)
obj.pLookupTable = obj.MiddleC * ...
(1+log(1:obj.NumNotes)/log(12));
end
end
Complete Class Definition File with Tuned Property Processing

classdef TuningFork < matlab.System

%TuningFork Illustrate the processing of tuned parameters
%
properties
MiddleC = 440
NumNotes = 12
end
properties (Access=private)
pLookupTable
end
methods(Access=protected)
function resetImpl(obj)
obj.MiddleC = 440;

10-30

Process Tuned Properties

obj.pLookupTable = obj.MiddleC * ...

(1+log(1:obj.NumNotes)/log(12));
end
function hz = stepImpl(obj,noteShift)
% A noteShift value of 1 corresponds to obj.MiddleC
hz = obj.pLookupTable(noteShift);
end
function processTunedPropertiesImpl(obj)
% Generate a lookup table of note frequencies
obj.pLookupTable = obj.MiddleC * ...
(1+log(1:obj.NumNotes)/log(12));
end
end
end

See Also

processTunedPropertiesImpl

10-31

10

Define New System Objects

Release System Object Resources

This example shows how to release resources allocated and used by the
System object. These resources include allocated memory, files used for
reading or writing, etc.
Release Memory by Clearing the Object

This method allows you to clear the axes on the Whiteboard figure window
while keeping the figure open.
methods
function releaseImpl(obj)
cla(Whiteboard.getWhiteboard());
hold('on');
end
end
Complete Class Definition File with Released Resources

classdef Whiteboard < matlab.System

%Whiteboard Draw lines on a figure window
%
% This System object shows the use of StringSets
%
properties
Color = 'blue'
end
properties (Hidden)
% Let user choose a color
ColorSet = matlab.system.StringSet({'red','blue','green'});
end
methods(Access=protected)
function stepImpl(obj)
h = Whiteboard.getWhiteboard();
plot(h, ...
randn([2,1]), randn([2,1]), ...
'Color',obj.Color(1));

10-32

Release System Object Resources

end
function releaseImpl(obj)
cla(Whiteboard.getWhiteboard());
hold('on');
end
function n = getNumInputsImpl(~)
n = 0;
end
function n = getNumOutputsImpl(~)
n = 0;
end
end
methods (Static)
function a = getWhiteboard()
h = findobj('tag','whiteboard');
if isempty(h)
h = figure('tag','whiteboard');
hold('on');
end
a = gca;
end
end
end

See Also
Related
Examples

releaseImpl

Initialize Properties and Setup One-Time Calculations on page 10-13

10-33

10

Define New System Objects

Define Composite System Objects

This example shows how to define System objects that include other System
objects.
This example defines a filter System object from an FIR System object and
an IIR System object.
Store System Objects in Properties

To define a System object from other System objects, store those objects in
your class definition file as properties. In this example, FIR and IIR are
separate System objects defined in their own class-definition files. You use
those two objects to calculate the pFir and pIir property values.
properties (Nontunable, Access = private)
pFir % store the FIR filter
pIir % store the IIR filter
end
methods
function obj = Filter(varargin)
setProperties(obj, nargin, varargin{:});
obj.pFir = FIR(obj.zero);
obj.pIir = IIR(obj.pole);
end
end
Complete Class Definition File of Composite System Object

classdef Filter < matlab.System

% Filter System object with a single pole and a single zero
%
%
This System object illustrates composition by
%
composing an instance of itself.
%
properties (Nontunable)
zero = 0.01
pole = 0.5

10-34

Define Composite System Objects

end
properties (Nontunable,Access=private)
pZero % store the FIR filter
pPole % store the IIR filter
end
methods
function obj = Filter(varargin)
setProperties(obj,nargin, varargin{:});
% Create instances of FIR and IIR as
% private properties
obj.pZero = Zero(obj.zero);
obj.pPole = Pole(obj.pole);
end
end
methods (Access=protected)
function setupImpl(obj,x)
setup(obj.pZero,x);
setup(obj.pPole,x);
end
function resetImpl(obj)
reset(obj.pZero);
reset(obj.pPole);
end
function y = stepImpl(obj,x)
y = step(obj.pZero,x) + step(obj.pPole,x);
end
function releaseImpl(obj)
release(obj.pZero);
release(obj.pPole);
end
end
end
Class Definition File for IIR Component of Filter

10-35

10

Define New System Objects

classdef Pole < matlab.System

properties
Den = 1
end
properties (Access=private)
tap = 0
end
methods
function obj = Pole(varargin)
setProperties(obj,nargin,varargin{:},'Den');
end
end
methods (Access=protected)
function y = stepImpl(obj,x)
y = x + obj.tap * obj.Den;
obj.tap = y;
end
end
end
Class Definition File for FIR Component of Filter

classdef Zero < matlab.System

properties
Num = 1
end
properties (Access=private)
tap = 0
end
methods
function obj = Zero(varargin)
setProperties(obj, nargin,varargin{:},'Num');

10-36

Define Composite System Objects

end
end
methods (Access=protected)
function y = stepImpl(obj,x)
y = x + obj.tap * obj.Num;
obj.tap = x;
end
end
end

See Also

nargin

10-37

10

Define New System Objects

Define Finite Source Objects

This example shows how to define a System object that performs a specific
number of steps or specific number of reads from a file.
Use the FiniteSource Class and Specify End of the Source
1 Subclass from finite source class.

classdef RunTwice < matlab.System & ...

matlab.system.mixin.FiniteSource
2 Specify the end of the source with the isDoneImpl method. In this example,

the source has two iterations.

methods (Access = protected)
function bDone = isDoneImpl(obj)
bDone = obj.NumSteps==2
end
Complete Class Definition File with Finite Source

classdef RunTwice < matlab.System & ...

matlab.system.mixin.FiniteSource
%RunTwice System object that runs exactly two times
%
properties (Access=private)
NumSteps
end
methods (Access=protected)
function resetImpl(obj)
obj.NumSteps = 0;
end
function y = stepImpl(obj)
if ~obj.isDone()
obj.NumSteps = obj.NumSteps + 1;
y = obj.NumSteps;
else

10-38

Define Finite Source Objects

y = 0;
end
end
function bDone = isDoneImpl(obj)
bDone = obj.NumSteps==2;
end
end
methods (Access=protected)
function n = getNumInputsImpl(~)
n = 0;
end
function n = getNumOutputsImpl(~)
n = 1;
end
end
end

See Also
Concepts

matlab.system.mixin.FiniteSource

What Are Mixin Classes? on page 10-79

Subclassing Multiple Classes
System Object Input Arguments and ~ in Code Examples on page 10-78

10-39

10

Define New System Objects

Save System Object

This example shows how to save a System object.
Save System Object and Child Object

Define a saveObjectImpl method to specify that more than just public

properties should be saved when the user saves a System object. Within this
method, use the default saveObjectImpl@matlab.System to save public
properties to the struct, s. Use the saveObject method to save child objects.
Save protected and dependent properties, and finally, if the object is locked,
save the objects state.
methods(Access=protected)
function s = saveObjectImpl(obj)
s = saveObjectImpl@matlab.System(obj);
s.child = matlab.System.saveObject(obj.child);
s.protected = obj.protected;
s.pdependentprop = obj.pdependentprop;
if isLocked(obj)
s.state = obj.state;
end
end
end
Complete Class Definition File with Save and Load

classdef MySaveLoader < matlab.System

properties (Access=private)
child
pdependentprop
end
properties (Access=protected)
protected = rand;
end
properties (DiscreteState=true)
state

10-40

Save System Object

end
properties (Dependent)
dependentprop
end
methods
function obj = MySaveLoader(varargin)
obj@matlab.System();
setProperties(obj, nargin, varargin{:});
end
end
methods(Access = protected)
function setupImpl(obj, varargin)
obj.state = 42;
end
function out = stepImpl(obj, in)
obj.state = in;
out = obj.state;
end
end

% Serialization
methods(Access=protected)
function s = saveObjectImpl(obj)
% Call the base class method
s = saveObjectImpl@matlab.System(obj);
% Save the child System objects
s.child = matlab.System.saveObject(obj.child);
% Save the protected & private properties
s.protected = obj.protected;
s.pdependentprop = obj.pdependentprop;
% Save the state only if object locked
if isLocked(obj)

10-41

10

Define New System Objects

s.state = obj.state;
end
end
function loadObjectImpl(obj,s,wasLocked)
% Load child System objects
obj.child = matlab.System.loadObject(s.child);
% Load protected and private properties
obj.protected = s.protected;
obj.pdependentprop = s.pdependentprop;
% Load the state only if object locked
if wasLocked
obj.state = s.state;
end
% Call base class method to load public properties
loadObjectImpl@matlab.System(obj,s,wasLocked);
end
end
end

See Also

saveObjectImpl | loadObjectImpl

Related
Examples

Load System Object on page 10-43

10-42

Load System Object

Load System Object

This example shows how to load a System object.
Load System Object and Child Object

Define a loadObjectImpl method to load a previously saved System object.

Within this method, use the matlab.System.loadObject to assign the child
object struct data to the associated object property. Assign protected and
dependent property data to the associated object properties. If the object was
locked when it was saved, assign the objects state to the associated property.
Load the saved public properties with the loadObjectImpl method.
methods(Access=protected)
function loadObjectImpl(obj,s,wasLocked)
obj.child = matlab.System.loadObject(s.child);
obj.protected = s.protected;
obj.pdependentprop = s.pdependentprop;
if wasLocked
obj.state = s.state;
end
loadObjectImpl@matlab.System(obj,s,wasLocked);
end
end
end
Complete Class Definition File with Save and Load

classdef MySaveLoader < matlab.System

properties (Access=private)
child
pdependentprop
end
properties (Access=protected)
protected = rand;
end
properties (DiscreteState=true)

10-43

10

Define New System Objects

state
end
properties (Dependent)
dependentprop
end
methods
function obj = MySaveLoader(varargin)
obj@matlab.System();
setProperties(obj, nargin, varargin{:});
end
end
methods(Access = protected)
function setupImpl(obj,varargin)
obj.state = 42;
end
function out = stepImpl(obj,in)
obj.state = in;
out = obj.state;
end
end

% Serialization
methods(Access=protected)
function s = saveObjectImpl(obj)
% Call the base class method
s = saveObjectImpl@matlab.System(obj);
% Save the child System objects
s.child = matlab.System.saveObject(obj.child);
% Save the protected & private properties
s.protected = obj.protected;
s.pdependentprop = obj.pdependentprop;
% Save the state only if object locked

10-44

Load System Object

if isLocked(obj)
s.state = obj.state;
end
end
function loadObjectImpl(obj,s,wasLocked)
% Load child System objects
obj.child = matlab.System.loadObject(s.child);
% Load protected and private properties
obj.protected = s.protected;
obj.pdependentprop = s.pdependentprop;
% Load the state only if object locked
if wasLocked
obj.state = s.state;
end
% Call base class method to load public properties
loadObjectImpl@matlab.System(obj,s,wasLocked);
end
end
end

See Also

saveObjectImpl | loadObjectImpl

Related
Examples

Save System Object on page 10-40

10-45

10

Define New System Objects

Clone System Object

This example shows how to clone a System object.
Clone System Object

You can define your own clone method, which is useful for copying objects
without saving their state. The default cloneImpl method copies both a
System object and its current state. If an object is locked, the default
cloneImpl creates a cloned object that is also locked. An example of when you
may want to write your own clone method is for cloning objects that handle
resources. These objects cannot allocate resources twice and you would not
want to save their states. To write your clone method, use the saveObject
and loadObject methods to perform the clone within the cloneImpl method.
methods(Access=protected)
function obj2 = cloneImpl(obj1)
s = saveObject (obj1);
obj2 = loadObject(s);
end
end
Complete Class Definition File with Clone

classdef PassThrough < matlab.System

methods (Access=protected)
function y = stepImpl(~,u)
y = u;
end
function obj2 = cloneImpl(obj1)
s = matlab.System.saveObject(obj1);
obj2 = matlab.System.loadObject(s);
end
end
end

See Also

10-46

cloneImpl | saveObjectImpl | loadObjectImpl

Define System Object Information

Define System Object Information

This example shows how to define information to display for a System object.
Define System Object Info

You can define your own info method to display specific information for
your System object. The default infoImpl method returns an empty struct.
This infoImpl method returns detailed information when the info method
is called using info(x,'details') or only count information if it is called
using info(x).
methods (Access=protected)
function s = infoImpl(obj,varargin)
if nargin>1 && strcmp('details',varargin(1))
s = struct('Name','Counter',...
'Properties', struct('CurrentCount', ...
obj.pCount,'Threshold',obj.Threshold));
else
s = struct('Count',obj.pCount);
end
end
end
Complete Class Definition File with InfoImpl

classdef Counter < matlab.System

%Counter Count values above a threshold
%
properties
Threshold = 1
end
properties (DiscreteState)
Count
end
methods (Access=protected)
function setupImpl(obj)
obj.Count = 0;

10-47

10

Define New System Objects

end
function resetImpl(obj)
obj.Count = 0;
end
function y = stepImpl(obj, u)
if (u > obj.Threshold)
obj.Count = obj.Count + 1;
end
y = obj.Count;
end
function s = infoImpl(obj,varargin)
if nargin>1 && strcmp('details',varargin(1))
s = struct('Name','Counter',...
'Properties', struct('CurrentCount', ...
obj.pCount,'Threshold',obj.Threshold));
else
s = struct('Count',obj.pCount);
end
end
end

See Also

10-48

infoImpl

Define System Block Icon

Define System Block Icon

This example shows how to define the block icon of a System objectbased
block implemented using a MATLAB System block.
Use the CustomIcon Class and Define the Icon
1 Subclass from custom icon class.

classdef MyCounter < matlab.System & ...

matlab.system.mixin.CustomIcon
2 Use getIconImpl to specify the block icon as New Counter with a line

break (\n) between the two words.

methods (Access=protected)
function icon = getIconImpl(~)
icon = sprintf('New\nCounter');
end
end
Complete Class Definition File with Defined Icon

classdef MyCounter < matlab.System & ...

matlab.system.mixin.CustomIcon
% MyCounter Count values above a threshold
properties
Threshold = 1
end
properties (DiscreteState)
Count
end
methods
function obj = MyCounter(varargin)
setProperties(obj,nargin,varargin{:});
end
end

10-49

10

Define New System Objects

methods (Access=protected)
function setupImpl(obj, u)
obj.Count = 0;
end
function resetImpl(obj)
obj.Count = 0;
end
function y = stepImpl(obj, u)
if (u > obj.Threshold)
obj.Count = obj.Count + 1;
end
y = obj.Count;
end
function icon = getIconImpl(~)
icon = sprintf('New\nCounter');
end
end
end

See Also

getIconImpl | matlab.system.mixin.CustomIcon

Concepts

What Are Mixin Classes? on page 10-79

Subclassing Multiple Classes
System Object Input Arguments and ~ in Code Examples on page 10-78

10-50

Add Header to System Block Dialog

Add Header to System Block Dialog

This example shows how to add a header panel to a System objectbased
block implemented using a MATLAB System block.
Define Header Title and Text

This example shows how to use getHeaderImpl to specify a panel title and
text for the MyCounter System object.
If you do not specify the getHeaderImpl, the block does not display any title
or text for the panel.
You always set the getHeaderImpl method access to protected because it is
an internal method that end users do not directly call or run.
methods(Static,Access=protected)
function header = getHeaderImpl
header = matlab.system.display.Header('MyCounter',...
'Title','My Enhanced Counter');
end
end
Complete Class Definition File with Defined Header

classdef MyCounter < matlab.System

%MyCounter Count values
properties
Threshold = 1
end
properties (DiscreteState)
Count
end
methods(Static,Access=protected)
function header = getHeaderImpl
header = matlab.system.display.Header('MyCounter',...
'Title','My Enhanced Counter',...

10-51

10

Define New System Objects

'Text', 'This counter is an enhanced version.');

end
end
methods (Access=protected)
function setupImpl(obj,u)
obj.Count = 0;
end
function y = stepImpl(obj,u)
if (u > obj.Threshold)
obj.Count = obj.Count + 1;
end
y = obj.Count;
end
function resetImpl(obj)
obj.Count = 0;
end
function N = getNumInputsImpl(obj)
N = 1;
end
function N = getNumOutputsImpl(obj)
N = 1;
end
end
end

See Also

10-52

getHeaderImpl | matlab.system.display.Header

Add Property Groups to System Object and Block Dialog

Add Property Groups to System Object and Block Dialog

This example shows how to define property sections and section groups for
System object display. The sections and section groups display as panels and
tabs, respectively, in the MATLAB System block dialog.
Define Section of Properties

This example shows how to use matlab.system.display.Section and

getPropertyGroupsImpl to define two property group sections by specifying
their titles and property lists.
If you do not specify a property in getPropertyGroupsImpl, the block does
not display that property.
methods(Static,Access=protected)
function groups = getPropertyGroupsImpl
valueGroup = matlab.system.display.Section(...
'Title','Value parameters',...
'PropertyList',{'StartValue','EndValue'});
thresholdGroup = matlab.system.display.Section(...
'Title','Threshold parameters',...
'PropertyList',{'Threshold','UseThreshold'});
groups = [valueGroup,thresholdGroup];
end
end
Define Group of Sections

This example shows how to use matlab.system.display.SectionGroup,

matlab.system.display.Section, and getPropertyGroupsImpl to define
two tabs, each containing specific properties.
methods(Static,Access=protected)
function groups = getPropertyGroupsImpl
upperGroup = matlab.system.display.Section(...
'Title', 'Upper threshold', ...
'PropertyList',{'UpperThreshold'});
lowerGroup = matlab.system.display.Section(...

10-53

10

Define New System Objects

'Title','Lower threshold', ...

'PropertyList',{'UseLowerThreshold','LowerThreshold'});
thresholdGroup = matlab.system.display.SectionGroup(...
'Title', 'Parameters', ...
'Sections', [upperGroup,lowerGroup]);
valuesGroup = matlab.system.display.SectionGroup(...
'Title', 'Initial conditions', ...
'PropertyList', {'StartValue'});
groups = [thresholdGroup, valuesGroup];
end
end
Complete Class Definition File with Property Group and Separate Tab

classdef EnhancedCounter < matlab.System

% EnhancedCounter Count values considering thresholds
properties
UpperThreshold = 1;
LowerThreshold = 0;
end
properties(Nontunable)
StartValue = 0;
end
properties(Logical,Nontunable)
% Count values less than lower threshold
UseLowerThreshold = true;
end
properties (DiscreteState)
Count;
end
methods(Static,Access=protected)
function groups = getPropertyGroupsImpl

10-54

Add Property Groups to System Object and Block Dialog

upperGroup = matlab.system.display.Section(...
'Title', 'Upper threshold', ...
'PropertyList',{'UpperThreshold'});
lowerGroup = matlab.system.display.Section(...
'Title','Lower threshold', ...
'PropertyList',{'UseLowerThreshold','LowerThreshold'});
thresholdGroup = matlab.system.display.SectionGroup(...
'Title', 'Parameters', ...
'Sections', [upperGroup,lowerGroup]);
valuesGroup = matlab.system.display.SectionGroup(...
'Title', 'Initial conditions', ...
'PropertyList', {'StartValue'});
groups = [thresholdGroup, valuesGroup];
end
end
methods(Access=protected)
function setupImpl(obj, ~, ~)
obj.Count = obj.StartValue;
end
function y = stepImpl(obj,u)
if obj.UseLowerThreshold
if (u > obj.UpperThreshold) || ...
(u < obj.LowerThreshold)
obj.Count = obj.Count + 1;
end
else
if (u > obj.UpperThreshold)
obj.Count = obj.Count + 1;
end
end
y = obj.Count;
end
function resetImpl(obj)
obj.Count = obj.StartValue;
end

10-55

10

Define New System Objects

function flag = isInactivePropertyImpl(obj, prop)

flag = false;
switch prop
case 'LowerThreshold'
flag = ~obj.UseLowerThreshold;
end
end
end
end

See Also

getPropertyGroupsImpl | matlab.system.display.Section |
matlab.system.display.SectionGroup

Concepts

System Object Input Arguments and ~ in Code Examples on page 10-78

10-56

Set Output Size

Set Output Size

This example shows how to specify the size of a System object output using the
getOutputSizeImpl method. This method indicates the output size when the
size cannot be inferred from the inputs during Simulink model compilation.
Subclass from the Propagates Mixin Class

To use the getOutputSizeImpl method, you must subclass from both the
matlab.System base class and the Propagates mixin class.
classdef CounterReset < matlab.System & ...
matlab.system.mixin.Propagates
Specify Output Size

Use the getOutputSizeImpl method to specify the output size.

methods (Access=protected)
function sizeout = getOutputSizeImpl(~)
sizeout = [1 1];
end
end
Complete Class Definition File with Specified Output Size

classdef CounterReset < matlab.System & matlab.system.mixin.Propagates

%CounterReset Count values above a threshold
properties
Threshold = 1
end
properties (DiscreteState)
Count
end
methods (Access=protected)
function setupImpl(obj,~,~)
obj.Count = 0;
end

10-57

10

Define New System Objects

function y = stepImpl(obj,u1,u2)
% Add to count if u1 is above threshold
% Reset if u2 is true
if (u2)
obj.Count = 0;
elseif (u1 > obj.Threshold)
obj.Count = obj.Count + 1;
end
y = obj.Count;
end
function resetImpl(obj)
obj.Count = 0;
end
function N = getNumInputsImpl(~)
N = 2;
end
function [sz,dt,cp] = getDiscreteStateSpecificationImpl(~,name)
if strcmp(name,'Count')
sz = [1 1];
dt = 'double';
cp = false;
else
error(['Error: Incorrect State Name: 'name'.']);
end
end
function dataout = getOutputDataTypeImpl(~)
dataout = 'double';
end
function sizeout = getOutputSizeImpl(~)
sizeout = [1 1];
end
function cplxout = isOutputComplexImpl(~)
cplxout = false;
end
function fixedout = isOutputFixedSizeImpl(~)
fixedout = true;

10-58

Set Output Size

end
end
end

See Also

matlab.system.mixin.Propagates | getOutputSizeImpl

Concepts

What Are Mixin Classes? on page 10-79

Subclassing Multiple Classes
System Object Input Arguments and ~ in Code Examples on page 10-78

10-59

10

Define New System Objects

Set Output Data Type

This example shows how to specify the data type of a System object output
using the getOutputDataTypeImpl method. This method indicates the data
type of the output when the data type cannot be inferred from the inputs
during Simulink model compilation.
Subclass from the Propagates Mixin Class

To use the getOutputDataTypeImpl method, you must subclass from the

Propagates mixin class.
classdef CounterReset < matlab.System & ...
matlab.system.mixin.Propagates
Specify Output Data Type

Use the getOutputDataTypeImpl method to specify the output data type

as a double.
methods (Access=protected)
function dataout = getOutputDataTypeImpl(~)
dataout = 'double';
end
end
Complete Class Definition File with Specified Output Data Type

classdef CounterReset < matlab.System & matlab.system.mixin.Propagates

%CounterReset Count values above a threshold
properties
Threshold = 1
end
properties (DiscreteState)
Count
end
methods (Access=protected)
function setupImpl(obj,~,~)

10-60

Set Output Data Type

obj.Count = 0;
end
function resetImpl(obj)
obj.Count = 0;
end
function y = stepImpl(obj,u1,u2)
% Add to count if u1 is above threshold
% Reset if u2 is true
if (u2)
obj.Count = 0;
elseif (u1 > obj.Threshold)
obj.Count = obj.Count + 1;
end
y = obj.Count;
end
function N = getNumInputsImpl(~)
N = 2;
end
function [sz,dt,cp] = getDiscreteStateSpecificationImpl(~,name)
if strcmp(name,'Count')
sz = [1 1];
dt = 'double';
cp = false;
else
error(['Error: Incorrect State Name: 'name'.']);
end
end
function dataout = getOutputDataTypeImpl(~)
dataout = 'double';
end
function sizeout = getOutputSizeImpl(~)
sizeout = [1 1];
end
function cplxout = isOutputComplexImpl(~)
cplxout = false;
end

10-61

10

Define New System Objects

function fixedout = isOutputFixedSizeImpl(~)

fixedout = true;
end
end
end

See Also

matlab.system.mixin.Propagates | getOutputDataTypeImpl

Concepts

What Are Mixin Classes? on page 10-79

Subclassing Multiple Classes
System Object Input Arguments and ~ in Code Examples on page 10-78

10-62

Set Output Complexity

Set Output Complexity

This example shows how to specify whether a System object output is a
complex or real value. You use the isOutputComplexImpl method when the
output complexity cannot be inferred from the inputs during Simulink model
compilation.
Subclass from the Propagates Mixin Class

To use the isOutputComplexImpl method, you must subclass from both the
matlab.System base class and the Propagates mixin class.
classdef CounterReset < matlab.System & ...
matlab.system.mixin.Propagates
Specify Output Complexity

Use the isOutputComplexImpl method to specify that the output is real.

methods (Access=protected)
function cplxout = isOutputComplexImpl(~)
cplxout = false;
end
end
Complete Class Definition File with Specified Complexity

classdef CounterReset < matlab.System & matlab.system.mixin.Propagates

%CounterReset Count values above a threshold
properties
Threshold = 1
end
properties (DiscreteState)
Count
end
methods (Access=protected)
function setupImpl(obj,~,~)
obj.Count = 0;

10-63

10

Define New System Objects

end
function resetImpl(obj)
obj.Count = 0;
end
function y = stepImpl(obj,u1,u2)
% Add to count if u1 is above threshold
% Reset if u2 is true
if (u2)
obj.Count = 0;
elseif (u1 > obj.Threshold)
obj.Count = obj.Count + 1;
end
y = obj.Count;
end
function N = getNumInputsImpl(~)
N = 2;
end
function [sz,dt,cp] = getDiscreteStateSpecificationImpl(~,name)
if strcmp(name,'Count')
sz = [1 1];
dt = 'double';
cp = false;
else
error(['Error: Incorrect State Name: 'name'.']);
end
end
function dataout = getOutputDataTypeImpl(~)
dataout = 'double';
end
function sizeout = getOutputSizeImpl(~)
sizeout = [1 1];
end
function cplxout = isOutputComplexImpl(~)
cplxout = false;
end
function fixedout = isOutputFixedSizeImpl(~)

10-64

Set Output Complexity

fixedout = true;
end
end
end

See Also

matlab.system.mixin.Propagates | isOutputComplexImpl

Concepts

What Are Mixin Classes? on page 10-79

Subclassing Multiple Classes
System Object Input Arguments and ~ in Code Examples on page 10-78

10-65

10

Define New System Objects

Specify Whether Output Is Fixed- or Variable-Size

This example shows how to specify whether a System object output has fixedor variable-size output. . You use the isOutputFixedSizeImpl method when
the output type cannot be inferred from the inputs during Simulink model
compilation.
Subclass from the Propagates Mixin Class

To use the isOutputFixedSizeImpl method, you must subclass from both the
matlab.System base class and the Propagates mixin class.
classdef CounterReset < matlab.System & ...
matlab.system.mixin.Propagates
Specify Output as Fixed Size

Use the isOutputFixedSizeImpl method to specify that the output is fixed

size.
methods (Access=protected)
function fixedout = isOutputFixedSizeImpl(~)
fixedout = true;
end
end
Complete Class Definition File with Specified Output Data Type

classdef CounterReset < matlab.System & matlab.system.mixin.Propagates

%CounterReset Count values above a threshold
properties
Threshold = 1
end
properties (DiscreteState)
Count
end
methods (Access=protected)
function setupImpl(obj,~,~)

10-66

Specify Whether Output Is Fixed- or Variable-Size

obj.Count = 0;
end
function resetImpl(obj)
obj.Count = 0;
end
function y = stepImpl(obj,u1,u2)
% Add to count if u1 is above threshold
% Reset if u2 is true
if (u2)
obj.Count = 0;
elseif (u1 > obj.Threshold)
obj.Count = obj.Count + 1;
end
y = obj.Count;
end
function N = getNumInputsImpl(~)
N = 2;
end
function [sz,dt,cp] = getDiscreteStateSpecificationImpl(~,name)
if strcmp(name,'Count')
sz = [1 1];
dt = 'double';
cp = false;
else
error(['Error: Incorrect State Name: 'name'.']);
end
end
function dataout = getOutputDataTypeImpl(~)
dataout = 'double';
end
function sizeout = getOutputSizeImpl(~)
sizeout = [1 1];
end
function cplxout = isOutputComplexImpl(~)
cplxout = false;
end

10-67

10

Define New System Objects

function fixedout = isOutputFixedSizeImpl(~)

fixedout = true;
end
end
end

See Also

matlab.system.mixin.Propagates | isOutputFixedSizeImpl

Concepts

What Are Mixin Classes? on page 10-79

Subclassing Multiple Classes
System Object Input Arguments and ~ in Code Examples on page 10-78

10-68

Specify Discrete State Output Specification

Specify Discrete State Output Specification

This example shows how to specify the size, data type, and
complexity of a discrete state property. You must use the
getDiscreteStateSpecificationImpl method when your System object has
a property that is defined with the DiscreteState attribute. This method
indicates the output specifications when those specifications cannot be
inferred during Simulink model compilation.
Subclass from the Propagates Mixin Class

To use the getDiscreteStateSpecificationImpl method, you must subclass

from both the matlab.System base class and from the Propagates mixin class.
classdef CounterReset < matlab.System & ...
matlab.system.mixin.Propagates
Specify Discrete State Output Specification

Use the getDiscreteStateSpecificationImpl method to specify the size

and data type. Also specify the complexity of a discrete state property, which
is used in the counter reset example.
methods (Access=protected)
function [sz,dt,cp] = getDiscreteStateSpecificationImpl(~,name)
sz = [1 1];
dt = 'double';
cp = false;
end
end
Complete Class Definition File with Discrete State Output Specification

classdef CounterReset < matlab.System & matlab.system.mixin.Propagates

%CounterReset Count values above a threshold
properties
Threshold = 1
end
properties (DiscreteState)

10-69

10

Define New System Objects

Count
end
methods (Access=protected)
function setupImpl(obj,~,~)
obj.Count = 0;
end
function resetImpl(obj)
obj.Count = 0;
end
function y = stepImpl(obj,u1,u2)
% Add to count if u1 is above threshold
% Reset if u2 is true
if (u2)
obj.Count = 0;
elseif (u1 > obj.Threshold)
obj.Count = obj.Count + 1;
end
y = obj.Count;
end
function N = getNumInputsImpl(~)
N = 2;
end
function [sz,dt,cp] = getDiscreteStateSpecificationImpl(~,name)
sz = [1 1];
dt = 'double';
cp = false;
end
function dataout = getOutputDataTypeImpl(~)
dataout = 'double';
end
function sizeout = getOutputSizeImpl(~)
sizeout = [1 1];
end
function cplxout = isOutputComplexImpl(~)
cplxout = false;

10-70

Specify Discrete State Output Specification

end
function fixedout = isOutputFixedSizeImpl(~)
fixedout = true;
end
end
end

See Also

matlab.system.mixin.Propagates | getDiscreteStateSpecificationImpl

Concepts

What Are Mixin Classes? on page 10-79

Subclassing Multiple Classes
System Object Input Arguments and ~ in Code Examples on page 10-78

10-71

10

Define New System Objects

Use Update and Output for Nondirect Feedthrough

This example shows how to implement nondirect feedthrough
for a System object using the updateImpl, outputImpl and
isInputDirectFeedthroughImpl methods. In nondirect feedthrough, the
objects outputs depend only on the internal states and properties of the
object, rather than the input at that instant in time. You use these methods to
separate the output calculation from the state updates of a System object. This
enables you to use that object in a feedback loop and prevent algebraic loops.
Subclass from the Nondirect Mixin Class

To use the updateImpl, outputImpl, and isInputDirectFeedthroughImpl

methods, you must subclass from both the matlab.System base class and
the Nondirect mixin class.
classdef IntegerDelaySysObj < matlab.System & ...
matlab.system.mixin.Nondirect
Implement Updates to the Object

Implement an updateImpl method to update the object with previous inputs.

methods(Access=protected)
function updateImpl(obj,u)
obj.PreviousInput = [u obj.PreviousInput(1:end-1)];
end
end
Implenent Outputs from Object

Implement an outputImpl method to output the previous, not the current

input.
methods(Access=protected)
function [y] = outputImpl(obj, ~)
y = obj.PreviousInput(end);
end
end
Implement Whether Input Is Direct Feedthrough

10-72

Use Update and Output for Nondirect Feedthrough

Implement an isInputDirectFeedthroughImpl method to indicate that the

input is nondirect feedthrough.
methods(Access=protected)
function flag = isInputDirectFeedthroughImpl(~,~)
flag = false;
end
end
Complete Class Definition File with Update and Output

classdef intDelaySysObj < matlab.System &...

matlab.system.mixin.Nondirect &...
matlab.system.mixin.CustomIcon
%intDelaySysObj Delay input by specified number of samples.
properties
InitialOutput = 0;
end
properties (Nontunable)
NumDelays = 1;
end
properties(DiscreteState)
PreviousInput;
end

methods(Access=protected)
function validatePropertiesImpl(obj)
if ((numel(obj.NumDelays)>1) || (obj.NumDelays <= 0))
error('Number of delays must be positive non-zero scalar value.
end
if (numel(obj.InitialOutput)>1)
error('Initial Output must be scalar value.');
end
end
function setupImpl(obj, ~)
obj.PreviousInput = ones(1,obj.NumDelays)*obj.InitialOutput;
end
function resetImpl(obj)

10-73

10

Define New System Objects

obj.PreviousInput = ones(1,obj.NumDelays)*obj.InitialOutput;
end
function [y] = outputImpl(obj, ~)
y = obj.PreviousInput(end);
end
function updateImpl(obj, u)
obj.PreviousInput = [u obj.PreviousInput(1:end-1)];
end
function flag = isInputDirectFeedthroughImpl(~,~)
flag = false;
end
end
end

See Also

matlab.system.mixin.Nondirect | outputImpl | updateImpl |

isInputDirectFeedthroughImpl

Concepts

What Are Mixin Classes? on page 10-79

Subclassing Multiple Classes
System Object Input Arguments and ~ in Code Examples on page 10-78

10-74

Methods Timing

Methods Timing
In this section...
Setup Method Call Sequence on page 10-75
Step Method Call Sequence on page 10-76
Reset Method Call Sequence on page 10-76
Release Method Call Sequence on page 10-77

Setup Method Call Sequence

This hierarchy shows the actions performed when you call the setup method.

10-75

10

Define New System Objects

Step Method Call Sequence

This hierarchy shows the actions performed when you call the step method.

Reset Method Call Sequence

This hierarchy shows the actions performed when you call the reset method.

10-76

Methods Timing

Release Method Call Sequence

This hierarchy shows the actions performed when you call the release
method.

See Also

setupImpl | stepImpl | releaseImpl | resetImpl

Related
Examples

Concepts

What Are System Object Methods?

The Step Method
Common Methods

Release System Object Resources on page 10-32

Reset Algorithm State on page 10-19
Set Property Values at Construction Time on page 10-16
Define Basic System Objects on page 10-3

10-77

10

Define New System Objects

System Object Input Arguments and ~ in Code Examples

All methods, except static methods, expect the System object handle as the
first input argument. You can use any name for your System object handle. In
many examples, instead of passing in the object handle, ~ is used to indicate
that the object handle is not used in the function. Using ~ instead of an object
handle prevents warnings about unused variables.

10-78

What Are Mixin Classes?

What Are Mixin Classes?

Mixin classes are partial classes that you can combine in various combinations
to form desired behaviors using multiple inheritance. System objects are
composed of a base class, matlab.System and may include one or more mixin
classes. You specify the base class and mixin classes on the first line of your
class definition file.
The following mixin classes are available for use with System objects.
matlab.system.mixin.CustomIcon Defines a block icon for System
objects in the MATLAB System block
matlab.system.mixin.FiniteSource Adds the isDone method to
System objects that are sources
matlab.system.mixin.Nondirect Allows the System object, when used
in the MATLAB System block, to support nondirect feedthrough by making
the runtime callback functions, output and update available
matlab.system.mixin.Propagates Enables System objects to operate
in the MATLAB System block using the interpreted execution

10-79

10

Define New System Objects

Best Practices for Defining System Objects

System objects are optimized for iterative processing. Use System objects
when you need to call the step method multiple times or process data in a
loop. When defining your own System object, use the following suggestions to
ensure that your code runs efficiently.
Define all one-time calculations in the setupImpl method and cache the
results in a private property. Use the stepImpl method for calculations
that are repeated.
Define parameters that should not change in a locked object as Nontunable
properties.
If the number of System object inputs and outputs does not change or if
you explicitly list the inputs and outputs in the stepImpl method instead
of using varargin or varargout, you do not need to implement the
getNumInputsImpl method.
Variables that do not need to retain their values between calls and are
used in setupImpl, stepImpl, or any other single method should have
local scope for that method.
Properties that are accessed more than once in the stepImpl or updateImpl
and outputImpl methods should be cached as local variables inside that
method. Iterative calculations using cached local variables run faster than
calculations that must access the objects properties. When the stepImpl
calculations complete, you can save the local cached results back to the
System objects properties. You should copy frequently used tunable
properties into private properties.
For best practices for including System objects in code generation, see System
Objects in MATLAB Code Generation.

10-80

11
Links to Category Pages
Signal Management Library on page 11-2
Sinks Library on page 11-3
Math Functions Library on page 11-4
Filtering Library on page 11-5

11

Links to Category Pages

Signal Management Library

You can find the relevant blocks in the following pages:
Buffers, Switches, and Counters
Signal Attributes
Signal Operations

11-2

Sinks Library

Sinks Library
You can find the relevant blocks in the following pages:
Signal Import and Export
Scopes and Data Logging

11-3

11

Links to Category Pages

Math Functions Library

You can find the relevant blocks in the following pages:
Array and Matrix Mathematics
Linear Algebra

11-4

Filtering Library

Filtering Library
You can find the relevant blocks in the following pages:
Filter Design
Single-Rate Filters
Multirate and Multistage Filters
Adaptive Filters

11-5

11

11-6

Links to Category Pages

12
Designing Lowpass FIR
Filters
Lowpass FIR Filter Design on page 12-2
Controlling Design Specifications in Lowpass FIR Design on page 12-7
Designing Filters with Non-Equiripple Stopband on page 12-13
Minimizing Lowpass FIR Filter Length on page 12-18

12

Designing Lowpass FIR Filters

Lowpass FIR Filter Design

This example shows how to design a lowpass FIR filter using fdesign . An
ideal lowpass filter requires an infinite impulse response. Truncating or
windowing the impulse response results in the so-called window method of
FIR filter design.
A Lowpass FIR Filter Design Using Various Windows

FIR filters are widely used due to the powerful design algorithms that exist
for them, their inherent stability when implemented in non-recursive form,
the ease with which one can attain linear phase, their simple extensibility
to multirate cases, and the ample hardware support that exists for them
among other reasons. This example showcases functionality in the DSP
System Toolbox for the design of low pass FIR filters with a variety of
characteristics. Many of the concepts presented here can be extended to other
responses such as highpass, bandpass, etc.
Consider a simple design of a lowpass filter with a cutoff frequency of 0.4*pi
radians per sample:
Fc = 0.4;
N = 100;
Hf = fdesign.lowpass('N,Fc',N,Fc);

We can design this lowpass filter using the window method. For example, we
can use a Hamming window or a Dolph-Chebyshev window:
Hd1 = design(Hf,'window','window',@hamming,'systemobject',true);
Hd2 = design(Hf,'window','window',{@chebwin,50}, ...
'systemobject',true);
hfvt = fvtool(Hd1,Hd2,'Color','White');
legend(hfvt,'Hamming window design', ...
'Dolph-Chebyshev window design')

12-2

Lowpass FIR Filter Design

The choice of filter was arbitrary. Since ideally the order should be infinite, in
general, a larger order results in a better approximation to ideal at the expense
of a more costly implementation. For instance, with a Dolph-Chebyshev
window, we can decrease the transition region by increasing the filter order:
Hf.FilterOrder = 200;
Hd3 = design(Hf,'window','window',{@chebwin,50},...
'systemobject',true);
hfvt2 = fvtool(Hd2,Hd3,'Color','White');
legend(hfvt2,'Dolph-Chebyshev window design. Order = 100',...
'Dolph-Chebyshev window design. Order = 200')

12-3

12

Designing Lowpass FIR Filters

Minimum Order Lowpass Filter Design

In order to determine a suitable filter order, it is necessary to specify the

amount of passband ripple and stopband attenuation that will be tolerated. It
is also necessary to specify the width of the transition region around the ideal
cutoff frequency. The latter is done by setting the passband edge frequency
and the stopband edge frequency. The difference between the two determines
the transition width.
Fp = 0.38;
Fst = 0.42;
Ap = 0.06;
Ast = 60;
setspecs(Hf,'Fp,Fst,Ap,Ast',Fp,Fst,Ap,Ast);

We can still use the window method, along with a Kaiser window, to design
the low pass filter.
Hd4 = design(Hf,'kaiserwin','systemobject',true);
measure(Hd4)

12-4

Lowpass FIR Filter Design

ans =
Sampling Frequency
Passband Edge
3-dB Point
6-dB Point
Stopband Edge
Passband Ripple
Stopband Atten.
Transition Width

:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:

N/A (normalized frequency)

0.38
0.39539
0.4
0.42
0.016058 dB
60.092 dB
0.04

One thing to note is that the transition width as specified is centered around
the cutoff frequency of 0.4 pi. This will become the point at which the gain of
the lowpass filter is half the passband gain (or the point at which the filter
reaches 6 dB of attenuation).
Optimal Minimum Order Designs

The Kaiser window design is not an optimal design and as a result the filter
order required to meet the specifications using this method is larger than it
needs to be. Equiripple designs result in the lowpass filter with the smallest
possible order to meet a set of specifications.
Hd5 = design(Hf,'equiripple','systemobject',true);
hfvt3 = fvtool(Hd4,Hd5,'Color','White');
legend(hfvt3,'Kaiser window design','Equiripple design')

12-5

12

Designing Lowpass FIR Filters

In this case, 146 coefficients are needed by the equiripple design while 183
are needed by the Kaiser window design.

12-6

Controlling Design Specifications in Lowpass FIR Design

Controlling Design Specifications in Lowpass FIR Design

This example shows how to control the filter order, passband ripple, stopband
attenuation, and transition region width of a lowpass FIR filter.
Controlling the Filter Order and Passband Ripples and Stopband Attenuation

When targeting custom hardware, it is common to find cases where the

number of coefficients is constrained to a set number. In these cases,
minimum order designs are not useful because there is no control over the
resulting filter order. As an example, suppose that only 101 coefficients could
be used and the passband ripple/stopband attenuation specifications need to
be met. We can still use equiripple designs for these specifications. However,
we lose control over the transition width which will increase. This is the price
to pay for reducing the order while maintaining the passband ripple/stopband
attenuation specifications.
Consider a simple design of a lowpass filter with a cutoff frequency of 0.4*pi
radians per sample:
Ap = 0.06;
Ast = 60;
Fp = 0.38;
Fst = 0.42;
Hf=fdesign.lowpass('Fp,Fst,Ap,Ast',Fp,Fst,Ap,Ast);

Design an equiripple filter:

Hd1 = design(Hf,'equiripple','systemobject',true);

Set the number of coefficients to 101, which means setting the order to 100:
N = 100;
% order = 100 -> 101 coefficients
Fc = 0.4;
setspecs(Hf,'N,Fc,Ap,Ast',N,Fc,Ap,Ast);

Design a second equiripple filter with the given constraint:

Hd2 = design(Hf,'equiripple','systemobject',true);

12-7

12

Designing Lowpass FIR Filters

Measure the filter variables of the second equiripple filter, and compare the
graphs of the first and second filters:
measure(Hd2)
hfvt = fvtool(Hd1,Hd2,'Color','White');
legend(hfvt,'Equiripple design, 146 coeffcients', ...
'Equiripple design, 101 coefficients')
Sampling Frequency
Passband Edge
3-dB Point
6-dB Point
Stopband Edge
Passband Ripple
Stopband Atten.
Transition Width

:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:

N/A (normalized frequency)

0.37316
0.39285
0.4
0.43134
0.06 dB
60 dB
0.058177

Notice that the transition has increased by almost 50%. This is not surprising
given the almost 50% difference between 101 coefficients and 146 coefficients.
Controlling the Transition Region Width

12-8

Controlling Design Specifications in Lowpass FIR Design

Another option when the number of coefficients is set is to maintain the

transition width at the expense of control over the passband ripple/stopband
attenuation.
setspecs(Hf,'N,Fp,Fst',N,Fp,Fst);
Hd3 = design(Hf,'equiripple','systemobject',true);
measure(Hd3)
hfvt2 = fvtool(Hd1,Hd3,'Color','White');
legend(hfvt2,'Equiripple design, 146 coefficients',...
'Equiripple design, 101 coefficients')
Sampling Frequency
Passband Edge
3-dB Point
6-dB Point
Stopband Edge
Passband Ripple
Stopband Atten.
Transition Width

:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:

N/A (normalized frequency)

0.38
0.39407
0.4
0.42
0.1651 dB
40.4369 dB
0.04

12-9

12

Designing Lowpass FIR Filters

Note that in this case, the differences between using 146 coefficients and
using 101 coefficients is reflected in a larger passband ripple and a smaller
stopband attenuation.
It is possible to increase the attenuation in the stopband while keeping the
same filter order and transition width by the use of weights. Weights are
a way of specifying the relative importance of the passband ripple versus
the stopband attenuation. By default, passband and stopband are equally
weighted (a weight of one is assigned to each). If we increase the stopband
weight, we can increase the stopband attenuation at the expense of increasing
the stopband ripple as well.
Hd4 = design(Hf,'equiripple','Wstop',5,'systemobject',true);
measure(Hd4)
hfvt3 = fvtool(Hd3,Hd4,'Color','White');
legend(hfvt3,'Passband weight = 1, Stopband weight = 1',...
'Passband weight = 1, Stopband weight = 5')
Sampling Frequency
Passband Edge
3-dB Point
6-dB Point
Stopband Edge
Passband Ripple
Stopband Atten.
Transition Width

12-10

:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:

N/A (normalized frequency)

0.38
0.39143
0.39722
0.42
0.34529 dB
48.0068 dB
0.04

Controlling Design Specifications in Lowpass FIR Design

Another possibility is to specify the exact stopband attenuation desired and

lose control over the passband ripple. This is a powerful and very desirable
specification. One has control over most parameters of interest.
setspecs(Hf,'N,Fp,Fst,Ast',N,Fp,Fst,Ast);
Hd5 = design(Hf,'equiripple','systemobject',true);
hfvt4 = fvtool(Hd4,Hd5,'Color','White');
legend(hfvt4,'Equiripple design using weights',...
'Equiripple design constraining the stopband')

12-11

12

12-12

Designing Lowpass FIR Filters

Designing Filters with Non-Equiripple Stopband

Designing Filters with Non-Equiripple Stopband

This example shows how to design lowpass filters with stopbands that are
not equiripple.
Optimal Non-Equiripple Lowpass Filters

To start, set up the filter parameters and use fdesign to create a constructor
for designing the filter.
N = 100;
Fp = 0.38;
Fst = 0.42;
Hf = fdesign.lowpass('N,Fp,Fst',N,Fp,Fst);

Equiripple designs achieve optimality by distributing the deviation from

the ideal response uniformly. This has the advantage of minimizing the
maximum deviation (ripple). However, the overall deviation, measured in
terms of its energy tends to be large. This may not always be desirable. When
low pass filtering a signal, this implies that remnant energy of the signal in
the stopband may be relatively large. When this is a concern, least-squares
methods provide optimal designs that minimize the energy in the stopband.
Hd1 = design(Hf,'equiripple','systemobject',true);
Hd2 = design(Hf,'firls','systemobject',true);
hfvt = fvtool(Hd1,Hd2,'Color','White');
legend(hfvt,'Equiripple design','Least-squares design')

12-13

12

Designing Lowpass FIR Filters

Notice how the attenuation in the stopband increases with frequency for the
least-squares designs while it remains constant for the equiripple design.
The increased attenuation in the least-squares case minimizes the energy in
that band of the signal to be filtered.
Equiripple Designs with Increasing Stopband Attenuation

An often undesirable effect of least-squares designs is that the ripple in

the passband region close to the passband edge tends to be large. For low
pass filters in general, it is desirable that passband frequencies of a signal
to be filtered are affected as little as possible. To this extent, an equiripple
passband is generally preferable. If it is still desirable to have an increasing
attenuation in the stopband, we can use design options for equiripple designs
to achieve this.
Hd3 = design(Hf,'equiripple','StopbandShape','1/f',...
'StopbandDecay',4,'systemobject',true);
hfvt2 = fvtool(Hd2,Hd3,'Color','White');
legend(hfvt2,'Least-squares design',...
'Equiripple design with stopband decaying as (1/f)^4')

12-14

Designing Filters with Non-Equiripple Stopband

Notice that the stopbands are quite similar. However the equiripple design
has a significantly smaller passband ripple,
mls = measure(Hd2);
meq = measure(Hd3);
mls.Apass
meq.Apass

ans =
0.3504

ans =
0.1867

Filters with a stopband that decays as (1/f)^M will decay at 6M dB per octave.
Another way of shaping the stopband is using a linear decay. For example

12-15

12

Designing Lowpass FIR Filters

given an approximate attenuation of 38 dB at 0.4*pi, if an attenuation of 70

dB is desired at pi, and a linear decay is to be used, the slope of the line is
given by (70-38)/(1-0.4) = 53.333. Such a design can be achieved from:

Hd4 = design(Hf,'equiripple','StopbandShape','linear',...
'StopbandDecay',53.333,'systemobject',true);
hfvt3 = fvtool(Hd3,Hd4,'Color','White');
legend(hfvt3,'Equiripple design with stopband decaying as (1/f)^4',...
'Equiripple design with stopband decaying linearly and a slope of 53.

Yet another possibility is to use an arbitrary magnitude specification and

select two bands (one for the passband and one for the stopband). Then, by
using weights for the second band, it is possible to increase the attenuation
throughout the band.
N
B
F
A
W

12-16

=
=
=
=
=

100;
2; % number of bands
[0 .38 .42:.02:1];
[1 1 zeros(1,length(F)-2)];
linspace(1,100,length(F)-2);

Designing Filters with Non-Equiripple Stopband

Harb = fdesign.arbmag('N,B,F,A',N,B,F(1:2),A(1:2),F(3:end),...
A(3:end));
Ha = design(Harb,'equiripple','B2Weights',W,...
'systemobject',true);
fvtool(Ha,'Color','White')

12-17

12

Designing Lowpass FIR Filters

Minimizing Lowpass FIR Filter Length

This example shows how to minimize the number coefficients, by designing
minimum-phase or minimum-order filters.
Minimum-Phase Lowpass Filter Design

To start, set up the filter parameters and use fdesign to create a constructor
for designing the filter.
N = 100;
Fp = 0.38;
Fst = 0.42;
Ap = 0.06;
Ast = 60;
Hf = fdesign.lowpass('Fp,Fst,Ap,Ast',Fp,Fst,Ap,Ast);

So far, we have only considered linear-phase designs. Linear phase is

desirable in many applications. Nevertheless, if linear phase is not a
requirement, minimum-phase designs can provide significant improvements
over linear phase counterparts. For instance, returning to the minimum order
case, a minimum-phase/minimum-order design for the same specifications
can be computed with:
Hd1 = design(Hf,'equiripple','systemobject',true);
Hd2 = design(Hf,'equiripple','minphase',true,...
'systemobject',true);
hfvt = fvtool(Hd1,Hd2,'Color','White');
legend(hfvt,'Linear-phase equiripple design',...
'Minimum-phase equiripple design')

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Minimizing Lowpass FIR Filter Length

Notice that the number of coefficients has been reduced from 146 to 117. As
a second example, consider the design with a stopband decaying in linear
fashion. Notice the increased stopband attenuation. The passband ripple
is also significantly smaller.

setspecs(Hf,'N,Fp,Fst',N,Fp,Fst);
Hd3 = design(Hf,'equiripple','StopbandShape','linear',...
'StopbandDecay',53.333,'systemobject',true);
setspecs(Hf,'Fp,Fst,Ap,Ast',Fp,Fst,Ap,Ast);
Hd4 = design(Hf,'equiripple','StopbandShape','linear',...
'StopbandDecay',53.333,'minphase',true,'systemobject',true);
hfvt2 = fvtool(Hd3,Hd4,'Color','White');
legend(hfvt2,'Linear-phase equiripple design with linearly decaying stopb
'Minimum-phase equiripple design with linearly decaying stopband')

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12

Designing Lowpass FIR Filters

Minimum-Order Lowpass Filter Design Using Multistage Techniques

A different approach to minimizing the number of coefficients that does not

involve minimum-phase designs is to use multistage techniques. Here we
show an interpolated FIR (IFIR) approach.
Hd5 = ifir(Hf);
hfvt3 = fvtool(Hd1,Hd5,'Color','White');
legend(hfvt3,'Linear-phase equirriple design',...
'Linear-phase IFIR design')

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Minimizing Lowpass FIR Filter Length

The number of nonzero coefficients required in the IFIR case is 111. Less than
both the equiripple linear-phase and minimum-phase designs.

12-21

12

12-22

Designing Lowpass FIR Filters

13
FDATool: A Filter Design
and Analysis GUI
Overview on page 13-2
Using FDATool on page 13-6
Importing a Filter Design on page 13-39

13

FDATool: A Filter Design and Analysis GUI

Overview
In this section...
FDATool on page 13-2
Filter Design Methods on page 13-2
Using the Filter Design and Analysis Tool on page 13-4
Analyzing Filter Responses on page 13-4
Filter Design and Analysis Tool Panels on page 13-4
Getting Help on page 13-5

FDATool
The Filter Design and Analysis Tool (FDATool) is a user interface for
designing and analyzing filters quickly. FDATool enables you to design digital
FIR or IIR filters by setting filter specifications, by importing filters from
your MATLAB workspace, or by adding, moving or deleting poles and zeros.
FDATool also provides tools for analyzing filters, such as magnitude and
phase response and pole-zero plots.

Filter Design Methods

FDATool gives you access to the following Signal Processing Toolbox filter
design methods.

13-2

Design Method

Function

Butterworth

butter

Chebyshev Type I

cheby1

Chebyshev Type II

cheby2

Elliptic

ellip

Maximally Flat

maxflat

Equiripple

firpm

Least-squares

firls

Overview

Design Method

Function

Constrained least-squares

fircls

Complex equiripple

cfirpm

Window

fir1

When using the window method in FDATool, all Signal Processing Toolbox
window functions are available, and you can specify a user-defined window by
entering its function name and input parameter.

Advanced Filter Design Methods

The following advanced filter design methods are available if you have DSP
System Toolbox software.
Design Method

Function

Constrained equiripple FIR

firceqrip

Constrained-band equiripple FIR

fircband

Generalized remez FIR

firgr

Equripple halfband FIR

firhalfband

Least P-norm optimal FIR

firlpnorm

Equiripple Nyquist FIR

firnyquist

Interpolated FIR

ifir

IIR comb notching or peaking

iircomb

Allpass filter (given group delay)

iirgrpdelay

Least P-norm optimal IIR

iirlpnorm

Constrained least P-norm IIR

iirlpnormc

Second-order IIR notch

iirnotch

Second-order IIR peaking (resonator)

iirpeak

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FDATool: A Filter Design and Analysis GUI

Using the Filter Design and Analysis Tool

There are different ways that you can design filters using the Filter Design
and Analysis Tool. For example:
You can first choose a response type, such as bandpass, and then choose
from the available FIR or IIR filter design methods.
You can specify the filter by its type alone, along with certain frequencyor time-domain specifications such as passband frequencies and stopband
frequencies. The filter you design is then computed using the default filter
design method and filter order.

Analyzing Filter Responses

Once you have designed your filter, you can display the filter coefficients
and detailed filter information, export the coefficients to the MATLAB
workspace, and create a C header file containing the coefficients, and analyze
different filter responses in FDATool or in a separate Filter Visualization Tool
(fvtool). The following filter responses are available:
Magnitude response (freqz)
Phase response (phasez)
Group delay (grpdelay)
Phase delay (phasedelay)
Impulse response (impz)
Step response (stepz)
Pole-zero plots (zplane)
Zero-phase response (zerophase)

Filter Design and Analysis Tool Panels

The Filter Design and Analysis Tool has sidebar buttons that display
particular panels in the lower half of the tool. The panels are
Design Filter. See Choosing a Filter Design Method on page 13-8 for more
information. You use this panel to

13-4

Design filters from scratch.

Overview

Modify existing filters designed in FDATool.

Analyze filters.

Import filter. You use this panel to

Import previously saved filters or filter coefficients that you have stored
in the MATLAB workspace.

Analyze imported filters.

Pole/Zero Editor. See Editing the Filter Using the Pole/Zero Editor on
page 13-19. You use this panel to add, delete, and move poles and zeros
in your filter design.
If you also have DSP System Toolbox product installed, additional panels
are available:
Set quantization parameters Use this panel to quantize double-precision
filters that you design in FDATool, quantize double-precision filters that
you import into FDATool, and analyze quantized filters.
Transform filter Use this panel to change a filter from one response
type to another.
Multirate filter design Use this panel to create a multirate filter
from your existing FIR design, create CIC filters, and linear and hold
interpolators.
If you have Simulink installed, this panel is available:
Realize Model Use this panel to create a Simulink block containing the
filter structure.

Getting Help
At any time, you can right-click or click the Whats this? button,
, to get
information on the different parts of the tool. You can also use the Help
menu to see complete Help information.

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FDATool: A Filter Design and Analysis GUI

Using FDATool
To open FDATool, type
fdatool

at the MATLAB command prompt.

The Filter Design and Analysis Tool opens with the Design Filter panel
displayed.

Note that when you open FDATool, Design Filter is not enabled. You must
make a change to the default filter design in order to enable Design Filter.
This is true each time you want to change the filter design. Changes to
radio button items or drop down menu items such as those under Response
Type or Filter Order enable Design Filter immediately. Changes to
specifications in text boxes such as Fs, Fpass, and Fstop require you to click
outside the text box to enable Design Filter.

13-6

Using FDATool

Choosing a Response Type

You can choose from several response types:
Lowpass
Raised cosine
Highpass
Bandpass
Bandstop
Differentiator
Multiband
Hilbert transformer
Arbitrary magnitude
Additional response types are available if you have DSP System Toolbox
software installed.
To design a bandpass filter, select the radio button next to Bandpass in
the Response Type region of the GUI.

Note Not all filter design methods are available for all response types. Once
you choose your response type, this may restrict the filter design methods
available to you. Filter design methods that are not available for a selected
response type are removed from the Design Method region of the GUI.

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FDATool: A Filter Design and Analysis GUI

Choosing a Filter Design Method

You can use the default filter design method for the response type that youve
selected, or you can select a filter design method from the available FIR and
IIR methods listed in the GUI.
To select the Remez algorithm to compute FIR filter coefficients, select the
FIR radio button and choose Equiripple from the list of methods.

Setting the Filter Design Specifications

Viewing Filter Specifications on page 13-8
Filter Order on page 13-9
Options on page 13-9
Bandpass Filter Frequency Specifications on page 13-10
Bandpass Filter Magnitude Specifications on page 13-12

Viewing Filter Specifications

The filter design specifications that you can set vary according to response
type and design method. The display region illustrates filter specifications
when you select Analysis > Filter Specifications or when you click the
Filter Specifications toolbar button.
You can also view the filter specifications on the Magnitude plot of a designed
filter by selecting View > Specification Mask.

13-8

Using FDATool

Filter Order
You have two mutually exclusive options for determining the filter order
when you design an equiripple filter:
Specify order: You enter the filter order in a text box.
Minimum order: The filter design method determines the minimum
order filter.
Select the Minimum order radio button for this example.

Note that filter order specification options depend on the filter design method
you choose. Some filter methods may not have both options available.

Options
The available options depend on the selected filter design method. Only
the FIR Equiripple and FIR Window design methods have settable options.

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FDATool: A Filter Design and Analysis GUI

For FIR Equiripple, the option is a Density Factor. See firpm for more
information. For FIR Window the options are Scale Passband, Window
selection, and for the following windows, a settable parameter:
Window

Parameter

Chebyshev (chebwin)

Sidelobe attenuation

Gaussian (gausswin)

Alpha

Kaiser (kaiser)

Beta

Taylor (taylorwin)

Nbar and Sidelobe level

Tukey (tukeywin)

Alpha

User Defined

Function Name, Parameter

You can view the window in the Window Visualization Tool (wvtool) by
clicking the View button.
For this example, set the Density factor to 16.

Bandpass Filter Frequency Specifications

For a bandpass filter, you can set
Units of frequency:

13-10

Hz
kHz
MHz
Normalized (0 to 1)

Using FDATool

Sampling frequency
Passband frequencies
Stopband frequencies
You specify the passband with two frequencies. The first frequency
determines the lower edge of the passband, and the second frequency
determines the upper edge of the passband.
Similarly, you specify the stopband with two frequencies. The first frequency
determines the upper edge of the first stopband, and the second frequency
determines the lower edge of the second stopband.
For this example:
Keep the units in Hz (default).
Set the sampling frequency (Fs) to 2000 Hz.
Set the end of the first stopband (Fstop1) to 200 Hz.
Set the beginning of the passband (Fpass1) to 300 Hz.
Set the end of the passband (Fpass2) to 700 Hz.
Set the beginning of the second stopband (Fstop2) to 800 Hz.

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FDATool: A Filter Design and Analysis GUI

Bandpass Filter Magnitude Specifications

For a bandpass filter, you can specify the following magnitude response
characteristics:
Units for the magnitude response (dB or linear)
Passband ripple
Stopband attenuation
For this example:
Keep Units in dB (default).
Set the passband ripple (Apass) to 0.1 dB.
Set the stopband attenuation for both stopbands (Astop1, Astop2) to 75
dB.

Computing the Filter Coefficients

Now that youve specified the filter design, click the Design Filter button to
compute the filter coefficients.
Notice that the Design Filter button is disabled once youve computed the
coefficients for your filter design. This button is enabled again once you make
any changes to the filter specifications.

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Using FDATool

Analyzing the Filter

Displaying Filter Responses on page 13-13
Using Data Tips on page 13-15
Drawing Spectral Masks on page 13-16
Changing the Sampling Frequency on page 13-17
Displaying the Response in FVTool on page 13-18

Displaying Filter Responses

You can view the following filter response characteristics in the display region
or in a separate window.
Magnitude response
Phase response
Magnitude and Phase responses
Group delay response
Phase delay response
Impulse response
Step response
Pole-zero plot
Zero-phase response available from the y-axis context menu in a
Magnitude or Magnitude and Phase response plot.
If you have DSP System Toolbox product installed, two other analyses are
available: magnitude response estimate and round-off noise power. These two
analyses are the only ones that use filter internals.
For descriptions of the above responses and their associated toolbar buttons
and other FDATool toolbar buttons, see fvtool.
You can display two responses in the same plot by selecting
Analysis > Overlay Analysis and selecting an available response. A second

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FDATool: A Filter Design and Analysis GUI

y-axis is added to the right side of the response plot. (Note that not all
responses can be overlaid on each other.)
You can also display the filter coefficients and detailed filter information in
this region.
For all the analysis methods, except zero-phase response, you can access
them from the Analysis menu, the Analysis Parameters dialog box from the
context menu, or by using the toolbar buttons. For zero-phase, right-click the
y-axis of the plot and select Zero-phase from the context menu.

For example, to look at the filters magnitude response, select the Magnitude
Response button
on the toolbar.

You can also overlay the filter specifications on the Magnitude plot by
selecting View > Specification Mask.
Note You can use specification masks in FVTool only if FVTool was launched
from FDATool.

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Using FDATool

Using Data Tips

You can click the response to add plot data tips that display information
about particular points on the response.

For information on using data tips, see Data Cursor Displaying Data
Values Interactively in the MATLAB documentation.

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FDATool: A Filter Design and Analysis GUI

Drawing Spectral Masks

To add spectral masks or rejection area lines to your magnitude plot, click
View > User-defined Spectral Mask.

The mask is defined by a frequency vector and a magnitude vector. These

vectors must be the same length.
Enable Mask Select to turn on the mask display.
Normalized Frequency Select to normalize the frequency between 0
and 1 across the displayed frequency range.
Frequency Vector Enter a vector of x-axis frequency values.
Magnitude Units Select the desired magnitude units. These units
should match the units used in the magnitude plot.
Magnitude Vector Enter a vector of y-axis magnitude values.
The magnitude response below shows a spectral mask.

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Using FDATool

Changing the Sampling Frequency

To change the sampling frequency of your filter, right-click any filter response
plot and select Sampling Frequency from the context menu.

To change the filter name, type the new name in Filter name. (In fvtool,
if you have multiple filters, select the desired filter and then enter the new
name.)
To change the sampling frequency, select the desired unit from Units and
enter the sampling frequency in Fs. (For each filter in fvtool, you can specify
a different sampling frequency or you can apply the sampling frequency to all
filters.)

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FDATool: A Filter Design and Analysis GUI

To save the displayed parameters as the default values to use when FDATool
or FVTool is opened, click Save as Default.
To restore the default values, click Restore Original Defaults.

Displaying the Response in FVTool

To display the filter response characteristics in a separate window, select
View > Filter Visualization Tool (available if any analysis, except the
filter specifications, is in the display region) or click the Full View Analysis
button:
This launches the Filter Visualization Tool (fvtool).
Note If Filter Specifications are shown in the display region, clicking the
Full View Analysis toolbar button launches a MATLAB figure window
instead of FVTool. The associated menu item is Print to figure, which is
enabled only if the filter specifications are displayed.
You can use this tool to annotate your design, view other filter characteristics,
and print your filter response. You can link FDATool and FVTool so that
changes made in FDATool are immediately reflected in FVTool. See fvtool
for more information.

13-18

Using FDATool

Editing the Filter Using the Pole/Zero Editor

Displaying the Pole-Zero Plot on page 13-19
Changing the Pole-Zero Plot on page 13-20

Displaying the Pole-Zero Plot

You can edit a designed or imported filters coefficients by moving, deleting, or
adding poles and/or zeros using the Pole/Zero Editor panel.

13-19

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FDATool: A Filter Design and Analysis GUI

Note You cannot generate MATLAB code (File > Generate MATLAB
code) if your filter was designed or edited with the Pole/Zero Editor.
You cannot move quantized poles and zeros. You can only move the reference
poles and zeros.
Click the Pole/Zero Editor button in the sidebar or select Edit > Pole/Zero
Editor to display this panel.

Poles are shown using x symbols and zeros are shown using o symbols.

Changing the Pole-Zero Plot

Plot mode buttons are located to the left of the pole/zero plot. Select one of the
buttons to change the mode of the pole/zero plot. The Pole/Zero Editor has

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Using FDATool

these buttons from left to right: move pole, add pole, add zero, and delete
pole or zero.

The following plot parameters and controls are located to the left of the
pole/zero plot and below the plot mode buttons.
Filter gain factor to compensate for the filters pole(s) and zero(s) gains
Coordinates units (Polar or Rectangular) of the selected pole or zero
Magnitude if polar coordinates is selected, magnitude of the selected
pole or zero
Angle if polar coordinates is selected, angle of selected pole(s) or zero(s)
Real if rectangular coordinates is selected, real component of selected
pole(s) or zero(s)
Imaginary if rectangular coordinates is selected, imaginary component
of selected pole or zero
Section for multisection filters, number of the current section
Conjugate creates a corresponding conjugate pole or zero or
automatically selects the conjugate pole or zero if it already exists.
Auto update immediately updates the displayed magnitude response
when poles or zeros are added, moved, or deleted.
The Edit > Pole/Zero Editor has items for selecting multiple poles/zeros,
for inverting and mirroring poles/zeros, and for deleting, scaling and rotating
poles/zeros.

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FDATool: A Filter Design and Analysis GUI

Moving one of the zeros on the vertical axis produces the following result:

13-22

Using FDATool

The selected zero pair is shown in green.

When you select one of the zeros from a conjugate pair, the Conjugate check
box and the conjugate are automatically selected.
The Magnitude Response plot updates immediately because Auto update
is active.

Converting the Filter Structure

Converting to a New Structure on page 13-23
Converting to Second-Order Sections on page 13-25

Converting to a New Structure

You can use Edit > Convert Structure to convert the current filter to a new
structure. All filters can be converted to the following representations:

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FDATool: A Filter Design and Analysis GUI

Direct-form I
Direct-form II
Direct-form I transposed
Direct-form II transposed
Lattice ARMA
Note If you have DSP System Toolbox product installed, you will see
additional structures in the Convert structure dialog box.
In addition, the following conversions are available for particular classes
of filters:
Minimum phase FIR filters can be converted to Lattice minimum phase
Maximum phase FIR filters can be converted to Lattice maximum phase
Allpass filters can be converted to Lattice allpass
IIR filters can be converted to Lattice ARMA
Note Converting from one filter structure to another may produce a result
with different characteristics than the original. This is due to the computers
finite-precision arithmetic and the variations in the conversions roundoff
computations.
For example:
Select Edit > Convert Structure to open the Convert structure dialog box.
Select Direct-form I in the list of filter structures.

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Using FDATool

Converting to Second-Order Sections

You can use Edit > Convert to Second-Order Sections to store the
converted filter structure as a collection of second-order sections rather than
as a monolithic higher-order structure.
Note The following options are also used for Edit > Reorder and Scale
Scale Second-Order Sections, which you use to modify an SOS filter
structure.
The following Scale options are available when converting a direct-form II
structure only:
None (default)
L-2 (L2 norm)
L-infinity (L norm)
The Direction (Up or Down) determines the ordering of the second-order
sections. The optimal ordering changes depending on the Scale option
selected.
For example:

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FDATool: A Filter Design and Analysis GUI

Select Edit > Convert to Second-Order Sections to open the Convert to

SOS dialog box.
Select L-infinity from the Scale menu for L norm scaling.
Leave Up as the Direction option.
Note To convert from second-order sections back to a single section, use
Edit > Convert to Single Section.

Exporting a Filter Design

Exporting Coefficients or Objects to the Workspace on page 13-26
Exporting Coefficients to an ASCII File on page 13-27
Exporting Coefficients or Objects to a MAT-File on page 13-28
Exporting to SPTool on page 13-29
Exporting to a Simulink Model on page 13-29
Other Ways to Export a Filter on page 13-32

Exporting Coefficients or Objects to the Workspace

You can save the filter either as filter coefficients variables or as a dfilt or
mfilt filter object variable. (Note that you must have DSP System Toolbox
product installed to save as an mfilt.) To save the filter to the MATLAB
workspace:
1 Select File > Export. The Export dialog box appears.
2 Select Workspace from the Export To menu.
3 Select Coefficients from the Export As menu to save the filter

coefficients or select Objects to save the filter in a filter object.

4 For coefficients, assign variable names using the Numerator (for FIR

filters) or Numerator and Denominator (for IIR filters), or SOS Matrix

and Scale Values (for IIR filters in second-order section form) text boxes
in the Variable Names region.

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Using FDATool

For objects, assign the variable name in the Discrete Filter (or
Quantized Filter) text box. If you have variables with the same names
in your workspace and you want to overwrite them, select the Overwrite
Variables check box.
5 Click the Export button.

Exporting Coefficients to an ASCII File

To save filter coefficients to a text file,

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FDATool: A Filter Design and Analysis GUI

1 Select File > Export. The Export dialog box appears.

2 Select Coefficients File (ASCII) from the Export To menu.
3 Click the Export button. The Export Filter Coefficients to .FCF File dialog

box appears.
4 Choose or enter a filename and click the Save button.

The coefficients are saved in the text file that you specified, and the MATLAB
Editor opens to display the file. The text file also contains comments with the
MATLAB version number, the Signal Processing Toolbox version number,
and filter information.

Exporting Coefficients or Objects to a MAT-File

To save filter coefficients or a filter object as variables in a MAT-file:
1 Select File > Export. The Export dialog box appears.
2 Select MAT-file from the Export To menu.
3 Select Coefficients from the Export As menu to save the filter

coefficients or select Objects to save the filter in a filter object.

4 For coefficients, assign variable names using the Numerator (for FIR

filters) or Numerator and Denominator (for IIR filters), or SOS Matrix

and Scale Values (for IIR filters in second-order section form) text boxes
in the Variable Names region.
For objects, assign the variable name in the Discrete Filter (or
Quantized Filter) text box. If you have variables with the same names
in your workspace and you want to overwrite them, select the Overwrite
Variables check box.
5 Click the Export button. The Export to a MAT-File dialog box appears.
6 Choose or enter a filename and click the Save button.

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Using FDATool

Exporting to SPTool
You may want to use your designed filter in SPTool to do signal processing
and analysis.
1 Select File > Export. The Export dialog box appears.
2 Select SPTool from the Export To menu.
3 Assign the variable name in the Discrete Filter (or Quantized Filter)

text box. If you have variables with the same names in your workspace and
you want to overwrite them, select the Overwrite Variables check box.
4 Click the Export button.

SPTool opens and the current FDATool filter appears in the Filter area list
as the specified variable name followed by (Imported).
Note If you are using the DSP System Toolbox software and export a
quantized filter, only the values of its quantized coefficients are exported.
The reference coefficients are not exported. SPTool does not restrict the
coefficient values, so if you edit them in SPTool by moving poles or zeros,
the filter will no longer be in quantized form.

Exporting to a Simulink Model

If you have the Simulink product installed, you can export a Simulink block of
your filter design and insert it into a new or existing Simulink model.
You can export a filter designed using any filter design method available
in FDATool.
Note If you have the DSP System Toolbox and Fixed-Point Designer
installed, you can export a CIC filter to a Simulink model.
1 After designing your filter, click the Realize Model sidebar button or select

File > Export to Simulink Model. The Realize Model panel is displayed.

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FDATool: A Filter Design and Analysis GUI

2 Specify the name to use for your block in Block name.

3 To insert the block into the current (most recently selected) Simulink

model, set the Destination to Current. To inset the block into a new
model, select New. To insert the block into a user-defined subsystem, select
User defined.
4 If you want to overwrite a block previously created from this panel, check

Overwrite generated Filter block.

5 If you select the Build model using basic elements check box, your filter

is created as a subsystem block, which uses separate sub-elements. In this

mode, the following optimization(s) are available:
Optimize for zero gains Removes zero-valued gain paths from
the filter structure.
Optimize for unity gains Substitutes a wire (short circuit) for
gains equal to 1 in the filter structure.
Optimize for negative gains Substitutes a wire (short circuit) for
gains equal to -1 and changes corresponding additions to subtractions in
the filter structure.
Optimize delay chains Substitutes delay chains composed of n unit
delays with a single delay of n.
Optimize for unity scale values Removes multiplications for
scale values equal to 1 from the filter structure.
The following illustration shows the effects of some of the optimizations:

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Using FDATool

Optimization Effects

Note The Build model using basic elements check box is enabled
only when you have a DSP System Toolbox license and your filter can be
designed using a Digital Filter block. For more information, see the Filter
Realization Wizard topic in the DSP System Toolbox documentation.
6 Set the Input processing parameter to specify whether the generated

filter performs sample- or frame-based processing on the input. Depending

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FDATool: A Filter Design and Analysis GUI

on the type of filter you design, one or both of the following options may
be available:
Columns as channels (frame based) When you select this option,
the block treats each column of the input as a separate channel.
Elements as channels (sample based) When you select this
option, the block treats each element of the input as a separate channel.
7 Click the Realize Model button to create the filter block. When the Build

model using basic elements check box is selected, FDATool implements

the filter as a subsystem block using Sum, Gain, and Delay blocks.
If you double-click the Simulink Filter block, the filter structure is displayed.

Other Ways to Export a Filter

You can also send your filter to a C header file or generate MATLAB code to
construct your filter from the command line. For detailed instructions, see
the following sections:
Generating a C Header File on page 13-32
Generating MATLAB Code on page 13-34

Generating a C Header File

You may want to include filter information in an external C program. To
create a C header file with variables that contain filter parameter data,
follow this procedure:
1 Select Targets > Generate C Header. The Generate C Header dialog

box appears.

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Using FDATool

2 Enter the variable names to be used in the C header file. The particular

filter structure determines the variables that are created in the file
Filter Structure

Variable Parameter

Direct-form I
Direct-form II
Direct-form I
transposed
Direct-form II
transposed

Numerator, Numerator length*, Denominator,

Denominator length*, and Number of sections
(inactive if filter has only one section)

Lattice ARMA

Lattice coeffs, Lattice coeffs length*, Ladder

coeffs, Ladder coeffs length*, Number of sections
(inactive if filter has only one section)

Lattice MA

Lattice coeffs, Lattice coeffs length*, and Number

of sections (inactive if filter has only one section)

Direct-form FIR
Direct-form FIR
transposed

Numerator, Numerator length*, and Number of

sections (inactive if filter has only one section)

*length variables contain the total number of coefficients of that type.

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13

FDATool: A Filter Design and Analysis GUI

Note Variable names cannot be C language reserved words, such as for.

3 Select Export Suggested to use the suggested data type or select Export

As and select the desired data type from the pull-down.

Note If you do not have DSP System Toolbox software installed, selecting
any data type other than double-precision floating point results in a filter
that does not exactly match the one you designed in the FDATool. This is
due to rounding and truncating differences.
4 Click OK to save the file and close the dialog box or click Apply to save the

file, but leave the dialog box open for additional C header file definitions.

Generating MATLAB Code

You can generate MATLAB code that constructs the filter you designed
in FDATool from the command line. Select File > Generate MATLAB
Code > Filter Design Function and specify the filename in the Generate
MATLAB code dialog box.
Note You cannot generate MATLAB code (File > Generate MATLAB
Code > Filter Design Function) if your filter was designed or edited with
the Pole/Zero Editor.
The following is generated MATLAB code for the default lowpass filter in
FDATool.
function Hd = ExFilter
%EXFILTER Returns a discrete-time filter object.

%
% MATLAB Code
% Generated by MATLAB(R) 7.11 and the Signal Processing Toolbox 6.14.
%
% Generated on: 17-Feb-2010 14:15:37

13-34

Using FDATool

% Equiripple Lowpass filter designed using the FIRPM function.

% All frequency values are in Hz.

Fs = 48000;

% Sampling Frequency

Fpass = 9600;

% Passband Frequency

Fstop = 12000;

% Stopband Frequency

Dpass = 0.057501127785;

% Passband Ripple

Dstop = 0.0001;

% Stopband Attenuation

dens

% Density Factor

= 20;

% Calculate the order from the parameters using FIRPMORD.

[N, Fo, Ao, W] = firpmord([Fpass, Fstop]/(Fs/2), [1 0], [Dpass, Dstop]);

% Calculate the coefficients using the FIRPM function.

b

= firpm(N, Fo, Ao, W, {dens});

Hd = dfilt.dffir(b);

% [EOF]

Managing Filters in the Current Session

You can store filters designed in the current FDATool session for cascading
together, exporting to FVTool or for recalling later in the same or future
FDATool sessions.
You store and access saved filters with the Store filter and Filter Manager
buttons, respectively, in the Current Filter Information pane.

13-35

13

FDATool: A Filter Design and Analysis GUI

Store Filter Displays the Store Filter dialog box in which you specify the
filter name to use when storing the filter in the Filter Manager. The default
name is the type of the filter.

Filter Manager Opens the Filter Manager.

13-36

Using FDATool

The current filter is listed below the listbox. To change the current filter,
highlight the desired filter. If you select Edit current filter, FDATool
displays the currently selected filter specifications. If you make any changes
to the specifications, the stored filter is updated immediately.
To cascade two or more filters, highlight the desired filters and press
Cascade. A new cascaded filter is added to the Filter Manager.
To change the name of a stored filter, press Rename. The Rename filter
dialog box is displayed.
To remove a stored filter from the Filter Manager, press Delete.
To export one or more filters to FVTool, highlight the filter(s) and press
FVTool.

13-37

13

FDATool: A Filter Design and Analysis GUI

Saving and Opening Filter Design Sessions

You can save your filter design session as a MAT-file and return to the same
session another time.
Select the Save session button
to save your session as a MAT-file.
The first time you save a session, a Save Filter Design File browser opens,
prompting you for a session name.

For example, save this design session as TestFilter.fda in your current

working directory by typing TestFilter in the File name field.
The .fda extension is added automatically to all filter design sessions you
save.
Note You can also use the File > Save session and File > Save session
as to save a session.
You can load existing sessions into the Filter Design and Analysis Tool
or File > Open session . A
by selecting the Open session button,
Load Filter Design File browser opens that allows you to select from your
previously saved filter design sessions.

13-38

Importing a Filter Design

Importing a Filter Design

In this section...
Import Filter Panel on page 13-39
Filter Structures on page 13-40

Import Filter Panel

The Import Filter panel allows you to import a filter. You can access this
region by clicking the Import Filter button in the sidebar.

The imported filter can be in any of the representations listed in the Filter
Structure pull-down menu. You can import a filter as second-order sections
by selecting the check box.
Specify the filter coefficients in Numerator and Denominator, either
by entering them explicitly or by referring to variables in the MATLAB
workspace.
Select the frequency units from the following options in the Units menu, and
for any frequency unit other than Normalized, specify the value or MATLAB
workspace variable of the sampling frequency in the Fs field.
To import the filter, click the Import Filter button. The display region is
automatically updated when the new filter has been imported.
You can edit the imported filter using the Pole/Zero Editor panel.

13-39

13

FDATool: A Filter Design and Analysis GUI

Filter Structures
The available filter structures are:
Direct Form, which includes direct-form I, direct-form II, direct-form I
transposed, direct-form II transposed, and direct-form FIR
Lattice, which includes lattice allpass, lattice MA min phase, lattice MA
max phase, and lattice ARMA
Discretetime Filter (dfilt object)
The structure that you choose determines the type of coefficients that you
need to specify in the text fields to the right.

Direct-form
For direct-form I, direct-form II, direct-form I transposed, and direct-form II
transposed, specify the filter by its transfer function representation

H ( z)

b(1) b(2) z1 b(3) z2 b(m 1) z m

a(1) a(2) z1 a(3) Z 3 a(n 1) z n

The Numerator field specifies a variable name or value for the numerator
coefficient vector b, which contains m+1 coefficients in descending powers
of z.
The Denominator field specifies a variable name or value for the
denominator coefficient vector a, which contains n+1 coefficients in
descending powers of z. For FIR filters, the Denominator is 1.
Filters in transfer function form can be produced by all of the Signal
Processing Toolbox filter design functions (such as fir1, fir2, firpm, butter,
yulewalk). See Transfer Function for more information.
Importing as second-order sections. For all direct-form structures,
except direct-form FIR, you can import the filter in its second-order section
representation:

13-40

Importing a Filter Design

H ( z) G

b0 k b1k z1 b2k z2

k1 a0 k

a1k z1 a2k z2

The Gain field specifies a variable name or a value for the gain G, and the
SOS Matrix field specifies a variable name or a value for the L-by-6 SOS
matrix

b01

b02
SOS

b
0L

b11
b12

b21
b22

b1 L

b2 L

1
1

a11
a12

1 a1 L

a22

a22

a2 L

whose rows contain the numerator and denominator coefficients bik and aik
of the second-order sections of H(z).
Filters in second-order section form can be produced by functions such as
tf2sos, zp2sos, ss2sos, and sosfilt. See Second-Order Sections (SOS)
for more information.

Lattice
For lattice allpass, lattice minimum and maximum phase, and lattice ARMA
filters, specify the filter by its lattice representation:
For lattice allpass, the Lattice coeff field specifies the lattice (reflection)
coefficients, k(1) to k(N), where N is the filter order.
For lattice MA (minimum or maximum phase), the Lattice coeff field
specifies the lattice (reflection) coefficients, k(1) to k(N), where N is the
filter order.
For lattice ARMA, the Lattice coeff field specifies the lattice (reflection)
coefficients, k(1) to k(N), and the Ladder coeff field specifies the ladder
coefficients, v(1) to v(N+1), where N is the filter order.
Filters in lattice form can be produced by tf2latc. See Lattice Structure
for more information.

13-41

13

FDATool: A Filter Design and Analysis GUI

Discrete-time Filter (dfilt object)

For Discrete-time filter, specify the name of the dfilt object. See dfilt for
more information.

Multirate Filter (mfilt object)

For Multirate filter, specify the name of the mfilt object. See mfilt in the
DSP System Toolbox product for more information.

13-42

14
Designing a Filter in the
Filterbuilder GUI
Filterbuilder Design Process on page 14-2
Designing a FIR Filter Using filterbuilder on page 14-11

14

Designing a Filter in the Filterbuilder GUI

Filterbuilder Design Process

In this section...
Introduction to Filterbuilder on page 14-2
Design a Filter Using Filterbuilder on page 14-2
Select a Response on page 14-3
Select a Specification on page 14-5
Select an Algorithm on page 14-5
Customize the Algorithm on page 14-7
Analyze the Design on page 14-9
Realize or Apply the Filter to Input Data on page 14-9

Introduction to Filterbuilder
The filterbuilder function provides a graphical interface to the fdesign
object-object oriented filter design paradigm and is intended to reduce
development time during the filter design process. filterbuilder uses a
specification-centered approach to find the best algorithm for the desired
response.
Note filterbuilder requires the Signal Processing Toolbox. The
functionality of filterbuilder is greatly expanded by the DSP System
Toolbox. Many of the features described or displayed below are only available
if the DSP System Toolbox is installed. You may verify your installation by
typing ver at the command prompt.

Design a Filter Using Filterbuilder

The basic workflow in using filterbuilder is to choose the constraints and
specifications of the filter, and to use those as a starting point in the design.
Postponing the choice of algorithm for the filter allows the best design method
to be determined automatically, based upon the desired performance criteria.
The following are the details of each of the steps for designing a filter with
filterbuilder.

14-2

Filterbuilder Design Process

Select a Response
When you open the filterbuilder tool by typing:
filterbuilder

at the MATLAB command prompt, the Response Selection dialog box

appears, listing all possible filter responses available in DSP System Toolbox.

Note This step cannot be skipped because it is not automatically completed

for you by the software. You must select a response to initiate the filter design
process.
After you choose a response, say bandpass, you start the design of the
Specifications Object, and the Bandpass Design dialog box appears.
This dialog box contains a Main pane, a Data Types pane and a Code
Generation pane. The specifications of your filter are generally set in the
Main pane of the dialog box.
The Data Types pane provides settings for precision and data types, and the
Code Generation pane contains options for various implementations of
the completed filter design.

14-3

14

Designing a Filter in the Filterbuilder GUI

For the initial design of your filter, you will mostly use the Main pane.

14-4

Filterbuilder Design Process

The Bandpass Design dialog box contains all the parameters you need to
determine the specifications of a bandpass filter. The parameters listed in
the Main pane depend upon the type of filter you are designing. However,
no matter what type of filter you have chosen in the Response Selection
dialog box, the filter design dialog box contains the Main, Data Types, and
Code Generation panes.

Select a Specification
To choose the specification for the bandpass filter, you can begin by selecting
an Impulse Response, Order Mode, and Filter Type in the Filter
Specifications frame of the Main Pane. You can further specify the
response of your filter by setting frequency and magnitude specifications in
the appropriate frames on the Main Pane.
Note Frequency, Magnitude, and Algorithm specifications are
interdependent and may change based upon your Filter Specifications
selections. When choosing specifications for your filter, select your Filter
Specifications first and work your way down the dialog box- this approach
ensures that the best settings for dependent specifications display as available
in the dialog box.

Select an Algorithm
The algorithms available for your filter depend upon the filter response and
design parameters you have selected in the previous steps. For example, in the
case of a bandpass filter, if the impulse response selected is IIR and the Order
Mode field is set to Minimum, the design methods available are Butterworth,
Chebyshev type I or II, or Elliptic, whereas if the Order Mode field is set
to Specify, the design method available is IIR least p-norm.

14-5

14

14-6

Designing a Filter in the Filterbuilder GUI

Filterbuilder Design Process

Customize the Algorithm

By expanding the Design options section of the Algorithm frame, you
can further customize the algorithm specified. The options available will
depend upon the algorithm and settings that have already been selected in
the dialog box. In the case of a bandpass IIR filter using the Butterworth
method, design options such as Match Exactly are available, as shown in
the following figure.

14-7

14

14-8

Designing a Filter in the Filterbuilder GUI

Filterbuilder Design Process

Analyze the Design

To analyze the filter response, click on the View Filter Response button. The
Filter Visualization Tool opens displaying the magnitude plot of the filter
response.

Realize or Apply the Filter to Input Data

When you have achieved the desired filter response through design iterations
and analysis using the Filter Visualization Tool, apply the filter to the
input data. Again, this step is never automatically performed for you by the
software. To filter your data, you must explicitly execute this step. In the
Bandpass Design dialog box, click OK and DSP System Toolbox creates the
filter object and exports it to the MATLAB workspace.
The filter is then ready to be used to filter actual input data. The basic filter
command takes input data x, filters it through the Filter Object, and produces
output y:
>> y = filter (Hbp, x)

14-9

14

Designing a Filter in the Filterbuilder GUI

To understand how the filtering commands work, type:

>> help dfilt/filter

Tip If you have Simulink, you have the option of exporting this filter to
a Simulink block using the realizemdl command. To get help on this
command, type:
>> help realizemdl

14-10

Designing a FIR Filter Using filterbuilder

Designing a FIR Filter Using filterbuilder

FIR Filter Design
Example Using Filterbuilder to Design a Finite Impulse Response
(FIR) Filter
To design a lowpass FIR filter using filterbuilder:
1 Open the Filterbuilder GUI by typing the following at the MATLAB prompt:

filterbuilder

The Response Selection dialog box appears. In this dialog box, you can
select from a list of filter response types. Select Lowpass in the list box.

2 Hit the OK button. The Lowpass Design dialog box opens. Here you

can specify the writable parameters of the Lowpass filter object. The
components of the Main frame of this dialog box are described in the
section titled Lowpass Filter Design Dialog Box Main Pane. In the dialog
box, make the following changes:
Enter a Fpass value of 0.55.
Enter a Fstop value of 0.65.

14-11

14

Designing a Filter in the Filterbuilder GUI

3 Click Apply, and the following message appears at the MATLAB prompt:

The variable 'Hlp' has been exported to the command window.

14-12

Designing a FIR Filter Using filterbuilder

4 To check your design, click View Filter Response. The Filter

Visualization tool appears, showing a plot of the magnitude response of

the filter.

You can change the design and click Apply, followed by View Filter
Response, as many times as needed until your design specifications are
met.

14-13

14

14-14

Designing a Filter in the Filterbuilder GUI

A
Bibliography
Advanced Filters on page A-2
Adaptive Filters on page A-3
Multirate Filters on page A-4
Frequency Transformations on page A-5
Fixed-Point Filters on page A-6

Bibliography

Advanced Filters
[1] Antoniou, A., Digital Filters: Analysis, Design, and Applications, Second
Edition, McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1993.
[2] Chirlian, P.M., Signals and Filters, Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1994.
[3] Fliege, N.J., Multirate Digital Signal Processing, John Wiley and Sons,
1994.
[4] Jackson, L., Digital Filtering and Signal Processing with MATLAB
Exercises, Third edition, Springer, 1995.
[5] Lapsley, P., J. Bier, A. Sholam, and E.A. Lee, DSP Processor
Fundamentals: Architectures and Features, IEEE Press, 1997.
[6] McClellan, J.H., C.S. Burrus, A.V. Oppenheim, T.W. Parks, R.W. Schafer,
and H.W. Schuessler, Computer-Based Exercises for Signal Processing Using
MATLAB 5, Prentice-Hall, 1998.
[7] Mayer-Baese, U., Digital Signal Processing with Field Programmable Gate
Arrays, Springer, 2001, refer to the BiQuad block diagram on pp. 126 and the
IIR Butterworth example on pp. 140.
[8] Moler, C., Floating points: IEEE Standard unifies arithmetic
model. Cleves Corner, The MathWorks, Inc., 1996. See
http://www.mathworks.com/company/newsletter/pdf/Fall96Cleve.pdf.
[9] Oppenheim, A.V., and R.W. Schafer, Discrete-Time Signal Processing,
Prentice-Hall, 1989.
[10] Shajaan, M., and J. Sorensen, Time-Area Efficient Multiplier-Free
Recursive Filter Architectures for FPGA Implementation, IEEE International
Conference on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing, 1996, pp. 3269-3272.

A-2

Adaptive Filters

Adaptive Filters
[1] Hayes, M.H., Statistical Digital Signal Processing and Modeling, John
Wiley and Sons, 1996.
[2] Haykin, S., Adaptive Filter Theory, Third Edition, Prentice-Hall, Inc.,
1996.

A-3

Bibliography

Multirate Filters
[1] Fliege, N.J., Multirate Digital Signal Processing, John Wiley and Sons,
1994.
[2] Harris, Fredric J, Multirate Signal Processing for Communication
Systems, Prentice Hall PTR, 2004.
[3] Hogenauer, E. B., An Economical Class of Digital Filters for Decimation
and Interpolation, IEEE Transactions on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal
Processing, Vol. ASSP-29, No. 2, April 1981, pp. 155-162.
[4] Lyons, Richard G., Understanding Digital Signal Processing, Prentice
Hall PTR, 2004
[5] Mitra, S.K., Digital Signal Processing, McGraw-Hill, 1998.
[6] Orfanidis, S.J., Introduction to Signal Processing, Prentice-Hall, Inc.,
1996.

A-4

Frequency Transformations

Frequency Transformations
[1] Constantinides, A.G., Spectral Transformations for Digital Filters, IEEE
Proceedings, Vol. 117, No. 8, pp. 1585-1590, August 1970.
[2] Nowrouzian, B., and A.G. Constantinides, Prototype Reference Transfer
Function Parameters in the Discrete-Time Frequency Transformations,
Proceedings 33rd Midwest Symposium on Circuits and Systems, Calgary,
Canada, Vol. 2, pp. 1078-1082, August 1990.
[3] Feyh, G., J.C. Franchitti, and C.T. Mullis, Allpass Filter Interpolation
and Frequency Transformation Problem, Proceedings 20th Asilomar
Conference on Signals, Systems and Computers, Pacific Grove, California,
pp. 164-168, November 1986.
[4] Krukowski, A., G.D. Cain, and I. Kale, Custom Designed High-Order
Frequency Transformations for IIR Filters, 38th Midwest Symposium on
Circuits and Systems (MWSCAS95), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 1995.

A-5

Bibliography

Fixed-Point Filters
[1] Jackson, L., Digital Filtering and Signal Processing with MATLAB
Exercises, Third edition, Springer, 1995, pp.373422.
[2] Dehner, G, Noise optimized IIR digital filter design: tutorial and some
new aspects, Signal Processing, Vol 83, Issue 8 (August 2003) pp.15651582.

A-6