Multirate Signal Processing Concepts in Digital Communications
Multirate systems are building blocks commonly used in digital signal processing (DSP). Their function is to alter the rate of the discrete-time signals, by adding or deleting a portion of the signal samples. They are essential in various standard signal processing techniques such as signal analysis, denoising, compression and so forth. During the last decade, however, they have increasingly found applications in new and emerging areas of signal processing, as well as in several neighboring disciplines such as digital communications. The main contribution of this thesis is aimed towards a better understanding of multirate systems and their use in modern communication systems. To this end, we first study a property of linear systems appearing in certain multirate structures. This property is called biorthogonal partnership and represents a terminology introduced recently to address a need for a descriptive term for such class of filters. In the thesis we especially focus on the extensions of this simple idea to the case of vector signals (MIMO biorthogonal partners) and to accommodate for nonintegral decimation ratios (fractional biorthogonal partners). The main results developed here study the properties of biorthogonal partners, e.g., the conditions for the existence of stable and of finite impulse response (FIR) partners. In this context we develop the parameterization of FIR solutions, which makes the search for the best partner in a given application analytically tractable. This proves very useful in their central application, namely, channel equalization in digital communications with signal oversampling at the receiver. A good channel equalizer in this context is one that helps neutralize the distortion on the signal introduced by the channel propagation but not at the expense of amplifying the channel noise. In the second part of the thesis, we focus on another class of multirate systems, used at the transmitter side in order to introduce redundancy in the data stream. This redundancy generally serves to facilitate the equalization process by forcing certain structure on the transmitted signal. We first consider the transmission systems that introduce the redundancy in the form of a cyclic prefix. The examples of such systems include the discrete multitone (DMT) and the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems. We study the signal precoding in such systems, aimed at improving the performance by minimizing the noise power at the receiver. We also consider a different class of communication systems with signal redundancy, namely, the multiuser systems based on code division multiple access (CDMA). We specifically focus on the special class of CDMA systems called `a mutually orthogonal usercode receiver' (AMOUR). We show how to find the best equalizer from the class of zero-forcing solutions in such systems, and then increase the size of this class by employing alternative sampling strategies at the receiver.
An application of neural networks to adaptive playout delay in VoIP
The statistical nature of data traffic and the dynamic routing techniques employed in IP networks results in a varying network delay (jitter) experienced by the individual IP packets which form a VoIP flow. As a result voice packets generated at successive and periodic intervals at a source will typically be buffered at the receiver prior to playback in order to smooth out the jitter. However, the additional delay introduced by the playout buffer degrades the quality of service. Thus, the ability to forecast the jitter is an integral part of selecting an appropriate buffer size. This paper compares several neural network based models for adaptive playout buffer selection and in particular a novel combined wavelet transform/neural network approach is proposed. The effectiveness of these algorithms is evaluated using recorded VoIP traces by comparing the buffering delay and the packet loss ratios for each technique. In addition, an output speech signal is reconstructed based on the packet loss information for each algorithm and the perceptual quality of the speech is then estimated using the PESQ MOS algorithm. Simulation results indicate that proposed Haar-Wavelets-Packet MLP and Statistical-Model MLP adaptive scheduling schemes offer superior performance.
HIERARCHICAL MOTION ESTIMATION FOR EMBEDDED OBJECT TRACKING
This paper presents an algorithm developed to provide automatic motion detection and object tracking embedded within intelligent CCTV systems. The algorithm development focuses on techniques which provide an efficient embedded systems implementation with the ability to target both FPGA and DSP devices. During algorithm development constraints on hardware implementation have been fully considered resulting in an algorithm which, when targeted at current FPGA devices, will take full advantage of the DSP resource commonly provided in such devices. The hierarchical structure of the proposed algorithm provides the system with a multi-level motion estimation process allowing low resolution estimation for motion detection and further higher resolution stages for motion estimation. An initial MATLAB prototype has demonstrated this algorithm capable of object motion estimation while compensating for camera motion, allowing a moving object to be tracked by a moving camera.
An FPGA Implementation of Hierarchical Motion Estimation for Embedded Oject Tracking
This paper presents the hardware implementation of an algorithm developed to provide automatic motion detection and object tracking functionality embedded within intelligent CCTV systems. The implementation is targeted at an Altera Stratix FPGA making full use of the dedicated DSP resource. The Altera Nios embedded processor provides a platform for the tracking control loop and generic Pan Tilt Zoom camera interface. This paper details the explicit functional stages of the algorithm that lend themselves to an optimised pipelined hardware implementation. This implementation provides maximum data throughput, providing real-time operation of the described algorithm, and enables a moving camera to track a moving object in real time.
A DGPS/Radiobeacon Receiver for Minimum Shift Keying with Soft Decision Capabilities
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is now in operation, and many improvements to its performance are being sought. One such improvement is Differential GPS (DGPS), where known errors in the GPS broadcast are identified and the corrections broadcast to the end user. One implementation of DGPS being considered is the use of coastal marine radio direction finding (RDF) radiobeacons in the 285-325kHz band as transmitters for the DGPS broadcast. The normal RDF beacon signal consists of a continuous carrier on a one kilohertz boundary plus a Morse-code identification signal 1025Hz above the carrier. In the DGPS/radiobeacon implementation proposed for the US coastal regions, the differential data link signal uses minimum shift keying (MSK) at a data rate of 25, 50, 100, 200 or 400 baud (the exact baud rat has not yet been decided). This MSK signal is centered between the RDF beacon carrier and identification signal. At the frequencies that these radiobeacons are operated, the prevailing atmospheric noise is both non-Gaussian and very strong. This noise characteristic makes the design of a long-range data link difficult. One solution that has been proposed is the use of forward error correction (FEC) coding of the data. The performance of FEC decoders can be improved by the used of a soft decision receiver, which delivers both bit decisions and information about the validity of the bit decisions. This work describes the design of a radio receiver for DGPS/Radiobeacon servics which is capable of reception of 400 baud MSK in the DGPS/Radiobeacon band. The receiver is designed to be easily augmented to provide soft decisions and easily modified to recieve MSK at data rates of 25 to 400 baud. The radio is a microprocessor controlled dual conversion superheterodyne with an audio frequency of 1kHz. The demodulator runs on the same microprocessor that controls the radio. The weak-signal performance of the demodulator is very good: the Eb/No vs. bit error rate performance of the demodulator is only a couple of dB worse than the theoretical performance of differential phase-shift keying. The radio has a noise floor of -114dBm referenced to it's 500Hz wide audio bandwidth and a 3rd order intermodulation intercept of +7dBm for a dynamic range of 83dB. This work concludes with a thumbnail analysis of the operations needed to implement a soft bit decision estimator, and some suggestions for the implementation of said soft bit decision estimator.
IMPLEMENTATION OF PERIODOGRAM SMOOTHING OF NOISYIMPLEMENTATION OF PERIODOGRAM SMOOTHING OF NOISY SIGNALS USING TMS320C6713 DSK
Periodogram Smoothing is a technique of power spectrum estimation. The discrete Fourier transform of a digital signal simply resolves the frequency components. The algorithm is implemented on Texas Instruments’ TMS320C6713 DSP Starter Kit (DSK). This is a 32-bit floating-point digital signal processor running at 225 MHz. The programs are basically written in the C programming language. However, those sections of code which are time-critical and memory-critical are written in assembly language of C6713. A MATLAB™ graphical user interface is also provided. The MATLAB™ program calls C programs loaded in Code Composer Studio (CCS). The C programs in turn call the assembly programs when required.
Hidden Markov Model based recognition of musical pattern in South Indian Classical Music
Automatic recognition of musical patterns plays a crucial part in Musicological and Ethno musicological research and can become an indispensable tool for the search and comparison of music extracts within a large multimedia database. This paper finds an efficient method for recognizing isolated musical patterns in a monophonic environment, using Hidden Markov Model. Each pattern, to be recognized, is converted into a sequence of frequency jumps by means of a fundamental frequency tracking algorithm, followed by a quantizer. The resulting sequence of frequency jumps is presented to the input of the recognizer which use Hidden Markov Model. The main characteristic of Hidden Markov Model is that it utilizes the stochastic information from the musical frame to recognize the pattern. The methodology is tested in the context of South Indian Classical Music, which exhibits certain characteristics that make the classification task harder, when compared with Western musical tradition. Recognition of 100% has been obtained for the six typical music pattern used in practise. South Indian classical instrument, flute is used for the whole experiment.
Design and implementation of odd-order wave digital lattice lowpass filters, from specifications to Motorol DSP56307EVM module
This thesis is dedicated to applying and developing explicit formulas for the design and implementation of odd-order lattice Lowpass wave digital filters (WDFs) on a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), such as a Motorola DSP56307EVM (Evaluation Module). The direct design method of Gazsi for filter types such as Butterworfh, Chebyshev, inverse Chebyshev, and Cauer (Elliptic) provides a straightforward method for calculating the coefficients without an extensive knowledge of digital signal processing. A program package to design and implement odd-order WDFs, including detailed procedures and examples, is presented in this thesis and includes not only the calculations of the coefficients, but also the simulation on a MATLAB platform and an implementation on a Motorola DSP56307EVM board. It is very quick, effective and convenient to obtain the coefficients when the user enters a few parameters according to the general specifications; to verify the characteristics of the designed filter; to simulate the filter on the MATLAB platform; to implement the filter on the DSP board; and to compare the results between the simulation and the implementation.
Implementing IS-95, the CDMA Standard, on TMS320C6201 DSP
IS-95 is the present U.S. 2nd generation CDMA standard. Currently, the 2nd generation CDMA phones are produced by Qualcomm. Texas Instruments (TI) has ASIC design for Viterbi Decoder on C54x. Several of the components in the forward link process are also implemented in hardware. However, having to design a specific hardware for a particular application is expensive and time consuming. Thus, the possibility of the alternative implementations is of great interest to both customers and TI itself. This research has achieved in successful implementation of IS-95 entirely in software on TI fixed-point DSP TMS320C6201, and met the real time constraint. IS-95 system, the industrial standard for CDMA, is a very complicated system and extremely computationally demanding. The transmission rate for an IS-95 system is 1.2288 Mcps. This research project includes all the major components of the demodulation process for the forward link system: PN Descrambling, Walsh Despreading, Phase Correction & Maximal Ratio Combining, Deinterleaver, Digital Automatic Gain Control, and Viterbi Deccc:r. The entire demodulation process is done completely in C. That makes it a very attractive alternative implementation in the future applications. It is well known that ASIC design is not only expensive and but also time consuming, programming in assembly is easier and cheaper, but programming in C is a much easier and efficient way out, in particular, for general computer engineers. During the whole process, efforts have been devoted on developing various specific techniques to optimize the design for all the components involved. These developments are successfully achieved by making the best use of the following techniques: to simplify the algorithms first before programming, to look for regularity in the problem, to work toward the Compiler's full efficiency, and to use C intrinsics whenever possible. All these attributes together make the implementation scheme great for DSP applications. The benchmark results compare very well to the TI-internal hand scheduled assembly performance of the same type of decoders. The estimated percentage usage of all the components (excluding PN) is only 21.18% of the total CPU cycles available (4,000 K), which is very efficient and impressive.
Towards a Real-Time Implementation of Loudness Enhancement Algorithms on a Motorola DSP 56600
Most of the cellular phone companies with audio speaker capabilities focus on reducing the current drain to extend battery life. None of these companies concentrate on modifying the speech signal itself to make it sound louder in noisy listener environments without adding additional energy. Such algorithms have been described in literature by Boillot and form the backbone of this thesis. The current project focusses on taking a step towards running these algorithms in real-time on a 16-bit fixed point Motorola DSP 56600. Implementation of the autocorrelation, Levinson- Durbin, FIR, and IIR filters in assembly for the Motorola DSP 56600 has been investigated in the thesis. The challenges and alternate solutions to circumvent the challenges have been described, and experimental results have been presented. Results indicate that the modified signed LMS algorithm, which can be considered to be a blend between the LMS and signed LMS algorithms, turns out to be an elegant solution to circumvent the challenges in implementing the Levinson-Durbin recursion.
Orthogonal Adaptive Digital Filters with Applications to Acoustic System Identification
The Transform-Domain LMS Algorithm (Narayan, 1983) is studied in the context of an acoustic system identification problem. The power estimator in this two-stage digital filter is shown to affect the achievable rates and depths of convergence significantly. Preferred values for the two tracking parameters, $\beta$ and $\mu,$ are determined. Dynamic Step-size Initialization is proposed to improve early convergence by accelerating the rate at which true power measurements replace (arbitrary) initial values. Later, linear estimators are shown to be sub-optimal, particularly where the spectral distribution of the reference changes rapidly. A simple non-linear Peak Window Power Estimator which eliminates these problems is described. It will be shown to improve the tracking rates and misadjustment simultaneously. The benefits of these methods are demonstrated using FIR sequences representative of typical acoustic environments and using recordings from a commercial telephone set. The proposed structures surpass theexisting algorithms consistently under all circumstances tested.
Decimator Image Response
This article presents a way to compute and plot the image response of a decimator. I'm defining the image response as the unwanted spectrum of the impulse response after downsampling, relative to the desired passband response.
Specifying the Maximum Amplifier Noise When Driving an ADC
I recently learned an interesting rule of thumb regarding the use of an amplifier to drive the input of an analog to digital converter (ADC). The rule of thumb describes how to specify the maximum allowable noise power of the amplifier.
An Introduction To Compressive Sampling
This article surveys the theory of compressive sensing, also known as compressed sensing or CS, a novel sensing/sampling paradigm that goes against the common wisdom in data acquisition.
OPTIMAL DESIGN OF DIGITAL EQUIVALENTS TO ANALOG FILTERS
The proposed optimal algorithm for the digitizing of analog filters is based on two existing filter design methods: the extended window design (EWD) and the matched–pole (MP) frequency sampling design. The latter is closely related to the filter design with iterative weighted least squares (WLS). The optimization is performed with an original MP design that yields an equiripple digitizing error. Then, a drastic reduction of the digitizing error is achieved through the introduction of a fractional time shift that minimizes the magnitude of the equiripple error within a given frequency interval. The optimal parameters thus obtained can be used to generate the EWD equations, together with a variable fractional delay output, as described in an earlier paper. Finally, in contrast to the WLS procedure, which relies on a “good guess” of the weighting function, the MP optimization is straightforward.
EFFICIENT MAPPING OF ADVANCED SIGNAL PROCESSING ALGORITHMS ON MULTI-PROCESSOR ARCHITECTURES
Modern microprocessor technology is migrating from simply increasing clock speeds on a single processor to placing multiple processors on a die to increase throughput and power performance in every generation. To utilize the potential of such a system, signal processing algorithms have to be efficiently parallelized so that the load can be distributed evenly among the multiple processing units. In this paper, we study several advanced deterministic and stochastic signal processing algorithms and their computation using multiple processing units. Specifically, we consider two commonly used time-frequency signal representations, the short-time Fourier transform and the Wigner distribution, and we demonstrate their parallelization with low communication overhead. We also consider sequential Monte Carlo estimation techniques such as particle filtering, and we demonstrate that its multiple processor implementation requires large data exchanges and thus a high communication overhead. We propose a modified mapping scheme that reduces this overhead at the expense of a slight loss in accuracy, and we evaluate the performance of the scheme for a state estimation problem with respect to accuracy and scalability.
BLAS Comparison on FPGA, CPU and GPU
High Performance Computing (HPC) or scientific codes are being executed across a wide variety of computing platforms from embedded processors to massively parallel GPUs. We present a comparison of the Basic Linear Algebra Subroutines (BLAS) using double-precision floating point on an FPGA, CPU and GPU. On the CPU and GPU, we utilize standard libraries on state-of-the-art devices. On the FPGA, we have developed parameterized modular implementations for the dot product and Gaxpy or matrix-vector multiplication. In order to obtain optimal performance for any aspect ratio of the matrices, we have designed a high-throughput accumulator to perform an efficient reduction of floating point values. To support scalability to large data-sets, we target the BEE3 FPGA platform. We use performance and energy efficiency as metrics to compare the different platforms. Results show that FPGAs offer comparable performance as well as 2.7 to 293 times better energy efficiency for the test cases that we implemented on all three platforms.
Biosignal processing challenges in emotion recognition for adaptive learning
User-centered computer based learning is an emerging field of interdisciplinary research. Research in diverse areas such as psychology, computer science, neuroscience and signal processing is making contributions to take this field to the next level. Learning systems built using contributions from these fields could be used in actual training and education instead of just laboratory proof-of-concept. One of the important advances in this research is the detection and assessment of the cognitive and emotional state of the learner using such systems. This capability moves development beyond the use of traditional user performance metrics to include system intelligence measures that are based on current theories in neuroscience. These advances are of paramount importance in the success and wide spread use of learning systems that are automated and intelligent. Emotion is considered an important aspect of how learning occurs, and yet estimating it and making adaptive adjustments are not part of most learning systems. In this research we focus on one specific aspect of constructing an adaptive and intelligent learning system, that is, estimation of the emotion of the learner as he/she is using the automated training system. The challenge starts with the definition of the emotion and the utility of it in human life. The next challenge is to measure the co-varying factors of the emotions in a non-invasive way, and find consistent features from these measures that are valid across wide population. In this research we use four physiological sensors that are non-invasive, and establish a methodology of utilizing the data from these sensors using different signal processing tools. A validated set of visual stimuli used worldwide in the research of emotion and attention, called International Affective Picture System (IAPS), is used. A dataset is collected from the sensors in an experiment designed to elicit emotions from these validated visual stimuli. We describe a novel wavelet method to calculate hemispheric asymmetry metric using electroencephalography data. This method is tested against typically used power spectral density method. We show overall improvement in accuracy in classifying specific emotions using the novel method. We also show distinctions between different discrete emotions from the autonomic nervous system activity using electrocardiography, electrodermal activity and pupil diameter changes. Findings from different features from these sensors are used to give guidelines to use each of the individual sensors in the adaptive learning environment.
Bilinear Transformation Made Easy
A formula is derived and demonstrated that is capable of directly generating digital filter coefficients from an analog filter prototype using the bilinear transformation. This formula obviates the need for any algebraic manipulation of the analog prototype filter and is ideal for use in embedded systems that must take in any general analog filter specification and dynamically generate digital filter coefficients directly usable in difference equations.