FIR FILTER DESIGN

DESIGN OF FIR DIFFERENTIATOR

 FIR DIFFERENTIATORS
• Differentiation is a common signal processing requirement which gives a
measure of instantaneous rate of change or slope.

• Various techniques non-recursive and recursive are available for

differentiating digital signals. Here, we concentrate on a non-recursive
technique based on the use of window functions.

• A ideal differentiator has the frequency response defined as

H d (ω ) = jω ;-π ≤ ω ≤ π
• The magnitude and phase responses are given by |H d (ω ) |=| ω | ;-π ≤ ω ≤ π
π 
2 ;ω >0 
 
θ (ω ) = ∠H d (ω ) = 0 ;ω =0 
 −π 
 ;ω <0 
 2 
 FIR DIFFERENTIATORS
• The corresponding magnitude and phase responses are as shown in the
figures below.

• It may be noted that magnitude response exhibits even symmetry and

phase response exhibits odd symmetry with respect to ω = 0.

The Magnitude Response is shown Left and Phase Response is shown Right of
the figure
 FIR DIFFERENTIATORS
• The unit impulse response hd (n) corresponding to H d (ω ) is obtained by
taking inverse DTFT of H d (ω )
π π
1 1
∫ ∫
jω n
hd (n) = H d (ω )e dω = jω e jωn d ω
2π −π
2π −π

2 cos π n j sin π n cos π n

hd (n) = − 2
= ; since, sin(nπ )=0 for all integer values of n
2π n πn n
0; n=0 
 
hd (n) =  cos π n 
 n ; -∞ <n< ∞ , n ≠ 0 
• The implication of hd (n) being a two-sided infinite length impulse response
is that the ideal differentiator is an unrealizable system.

• Since hd (n) = −hd (−n) , we say that, a digital ideal differentiator has an anti-
symmetric impulse response about n = 0.
 FIR DIFFERENTIATORS
• By translating hd (n) to the right by an amount α = (N-1)/2, we will have anti-
symmetry about n = α. That is, the impulse response of an ideal
differentiator that is anti-symmetric about n = α is

'
cos π ( n − α ) 
h (n) = hd (n − α ) =
d ; -∞ <n<∞, n ≠ α
n −α
Also hd' (α ) = 0 (using L-Hospital’s rule).

• The impulse response h(n) of an FIR differentiator will have linear phase if
its impulse response exhibits either symmetry or anti-symmetry about its
midpoint.

• Here, we design h(n) to have anti-symmetry h(n) = - h(N-1-n), sincehd' (n) is

anti-symmetric about n = α.
 FIR DIFFERENTIATORS
'
• That is, h(n) = hd (n) w(n); 0 ≤ n ≤ N-1
 cos [π (n − α )] 
this implies that, h(n)= 
x w(n); 0 ≤ n ≤ N-1, n ≠ α 
 (n − α ) 
0; n = α 
 

• Since, h(n) is anti-symmetric about n = α and is zero at n = α, it implies that

N has to be an odd integer only.

• The magnitude frequency response for N odd and h(n) = - h(N-1-n) is

N −3
2
  N − 1 
| H (ω ) |=| H r (ω ) |=| 2 ∑ h(n) sin ω  − n  |
n=0   n 
 FIR DIFFERENTIATORS
Note: 1) It can be observed that an ideal differentiator is characterized by
an anti-symmetric impulse response. Hence, it can be realized by either a
Type 3 or Type 4 FIR filter.

2) However, the equation for ideal frequency response implies that the
amplitude response |H(π)| = π for an ideal differentiator. Hence, Type 3
FIR filter cannot be used as its TF has a zero at z = -1 that forces amplitude
response to be zero at ω = π.

3) Thus, only a Type 4 FIR filter can be used for the design of a
differentiator.

4) Since, the signals of interest are in a frequency range 0 ≤ ω ≤ ω p for

most practical applications, a differentiator with a band-limited frequency
response
 FIR DIFFERENTIATORS
4) Since, the signals of interest are in a frequency range 0 ≤ ω ≤ ω p for
most practical applications, a differentiator with a band-limited frequency
response

 jω ; 0 ≤| ω |≤ ω p 
H d (ω ) =  
 0; ω s ≤| ω |≤ π 

is desired. Now it is possible to design a differentiator using both Type 3

and Type 4 FIR filters with the frequency ω p as its bandwidth.