17-03-10

EECE 2602 -- Signals and Systems in Continuous Time

Week 9 – Continuous-Time Filter

(Textbook: Ch. 7)

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EECE 2602 -- Signals and Systems in Continuous Time

Continuous-time filters
•  An ideal frequency-selective filter is a system that passes a
pre-specified range of frequency components without any
attenuation but completely rejects the remaining frequency
components.

•  Filter classification:
1.  Lowpass filters

2.  Highpass filters

3.  Bandpass filters

4.  Bandstop filters

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EECE 2602 -- Signals and Systems in Continuous Time

Characteristic of Continuous-time filters

•  The transfer function of an ideal lowpass filter is:
⎧ A 0 ≤ ω ≤ ωc
H LP = ⎨
⎩0 ω > ωc
where ωc is the cut-off frequency

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EECE 2602 -- Signals and Systems in Continuous Time

Characteristic of Continuous-time filters

•  The transfer function of an ideal highpass filter is:
⎧0 0 ≤ ω ≤ ωc
H HP = ⎨
⎩ A ω > ωc
where ωc is the cut-off frequency

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EECE 2602 -- Signals and Systems in Continuous Time

Characteristic of Continuous-time filters

•  The transfer function of an bandpass filter is:
⎧A ω c1 ≤ ω ≤ ω c2
⎪
H BP = ⎨
⎪0 ω < ω c1 and ω > ω c2
⎩
where ωc1 and ωc2 are referred to as the lower cut-off and
higher cut-off frequencies

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EECE 2602 -- Signals and Systems in Continuous Time

Characteristic of Continuous-time filters

•  The transfer function of an ideal bandstop filter is:
⎧0 ω c1 ≤ ω ≤ ω c2
⎪
H BS = ⎨
⎪A ω < ω c1 and ω > ω c2
⎩
where ωc1 and ωc2 are referred to as the lower cut-off and
higher cut-off frequencies

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EECE 2602 -- Signals and Systems in Continuous Time

Cut-off Frequency
•  The cut-off frequency (ωc) is defined as the frequency for
which the transfer function magnitude is decreased by the
factor 1 2 from its maximum value:

1
H (ωc ) = H max
2

where Hmax is the maximum magnitude of the transfer

function

•  At the cut-off frequency, the average power delivered by a

filter circuit is one-half the maximum average power. Thus
ωc is also called the half-power frequency.7
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EECE 2602 -- Signals and Systems in Continuous Time

An Example of a Lowpass Filter

R
•  Transfer function
+ +
1 x(t) C y(t)
H (ω ) =
1 + jωCR _ _

1
H (ω ) =
2
1+ (ωCR)
⎯ω⎯
=0
→ H (ω ) max = 1

•  The cut-off frequency is then determined as:

1
ωc =
CR
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EECE 2602 -- Signals and Systems in Continuous Time

An Example of a Highpass Filter

R
•  Transfer function
jω + +
H (ω ) = x(t) L y(t)
R
jω + _ _
L
ω when ω = ∞
H (ω ) = ⎯→ H (ω ) max = 1
⎯
2
2⎛R⎞
ω +⎜ ⎟
⎝L⎠
•  The cut-off frequency is then determined by:
1 ωc R
= ⎯→ ωc =
⎯
2 ⎛R⎞
2 L
ωc2 + ⎜ ⎟
⎝L⎠ 9
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EECE 2602 -- Signals and Systems in Continuous Time

Bandpass filter
•  A bandpass filter has two cut-off frequencies. Another
important parameter that characterizes a bandpass filter is
the center frequency ωo (or called the resonant frequency)
H(ω)
passband
A

ω1 ωo ω2 ω
•  The center frequency is defined as the frequency for which
a filter circuit’s transfer function is purely real (i.e no
imaginary component).
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EECE 2602 -- Signals and Systems in Continuous Time

An Example of Bandpass Filter

L C
•  Transfer function
R + +
H (ω ) =
1 x(t) R y(t)
R + jω L +
jωC _ _

R
=
⎛ 1 ⎞
R + j ⎜ω L − ⎟
⎝ ωC ⎠

•  The center frequency is defined as the frequency for which

a filter circuit’s transfer function is purely real (i.e no
imaginary component). Hence:
1 1
ωo L − =0⎯
⎯→ ωo =
ωo C LC 11
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EECE 2602 -- Signals and Systems in Continuous Time

An Example of Bandpass Filter (2)

•  At ωo, no voltage drop across L and C, this implies Y(ω) =

X(ω) or :

H (ω ) max = H (ωo ) = 1
L C

+ +
x(t) R y(t)
_ _

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EECE 2602 -- Signals and Systems in Continuous Time

An Example of Bandpass Filter (3)

•  The magnitude of the transfer function is:
1
H (ω ) =
2
⎛ 1 ⎞
⎜ ωL − ⎟
⎝ ωC ⎠
1+
R2
•  At the two cut-off frequencies:
2
⎛ 1 ⎞
⎜ω c L − ⎟
1 1 ⎝ ω cC ⎠
H (ω c ) = = →1+
⎯⎯ 2
=2
⎛ 1 ⎞
2
2 R
⎜ω c L − ⎟
⎝ ω cC ⎠
1+
R2 13
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EECE 2602 -- Signals and Systems in Continuous Time

An Example of Bandpass Filter (4)

•  Hence:
2
⎛ 1 ⎞
⎜ω c L − ⎟
⎝ ω cC ⎠
1+ =2
R2
•  The two cut-off frequencies are:
2
R ⎛ R⎞ ⎛ 1 ⎞
ωc1 = − + ⎜ ⎟ +⎜ ⎟
2L ⎝ 2 L ⎠ ⎝ LC ⎠
2
R ⎛ R⎞ ⎛ 1 ⎞
ωc 2 = + ⎜ ⎟ +⎜ ⎟
2L ⎝ 2 L ⎠ ⎝ LC ⎠
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