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Basics of Digital Fourier Transform

The document discusses the applications of Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) in noise filtering across various fields, including audio processing, biomedical signals, and communication systems. DFT is effective in identifying and removing noise from signals, enhancing sound quality, and ensuring accurate medical diagnoses. However, it has limitations such as assuming stationary signals and potential spectral leakage, which can affect its effectiveness in real-world applications.

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11 views4 pages

Basics of Digital Fourier Transform

The document discusses the applications of Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) in noise filtering across various fields, including audio processing, biomedical signals, and communication systems. DFT is effective in identifying and removing noise from signals, enhancing sound quality, and ensuring accurate medical diagnoses. However, it has limitations such as assuming stationary signals and potential spectral leakage, which can affect its effectiveness in real-world applications.

Uploaded by

a7madsala7ussain
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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5.

Applications and Real-World Examples of DFT in Noise Filtering


DFT plays an important role in digital signal processing due to its strength and effectiveness. Converting
a signal from time-domain form to frequency-domain form helps with actions on signals that are more
difficult in the time domain. DFT is frequently used for noise filtering in many real-life applications. The
section deals specifically with how DFT noise filtering is applied to audio, biomedical signals and
systems that transmit information.

5.1 Noise Filtering in Audio Signals


It is common for audio signals to run into noise such as humming from power lines, backdrop noise and
different interferences. Engineers can use DFT to check the frequency content of an audio signal and
detect the noise it generates. Using the DFT on an audio signal allows the distinct peaks at definite
frequencies to be viewed. As an example, a common sign of power line interference is a narrow spike
located at 50 Hz (elsewhere) or 60 Hz (in the US). Once the interference has been found, a special filter
can be developed to lower or remove its presence by attenuating just that frequency. To make the sound
cleaner, the inverse DFT is used on the filtered signal. Likewise, you can find those techniques in systems
for improving speech, hearing aids and devices used in music production. Most audio editing systems
include spectrum analysis tools that implement DFT to assist engineers in editing audio using frequency.
[6]

5.2 DFT in Biomedical Signal Processing (e.g., ECG)


An ECG is a widely used test for viewing the heart’s electrical activity. Even so, noise from muscle
movement (electromyographic noise), various movements and interference from other devices (including
power lines’ 50 or 60 Hz noise) often contaminate ECG signals. Sig Compiled used DFT to clear the
noise from these signals. If the main signal in ECG matches the normal range of 0.5 to 150 Hz, a filtering
procedure can take out any consistent noise around 50/60 Hz. The use of DFT allows workers in
healthcare and biomedics to pinpoint these frequencies and remove them which in turn helps them
improve the accuracy of their equipment. This is necessary for using real-time patient monitors and health
wearables. With DFT, important decisions in medicine are not put at risk by faulty signals.[6]

5.3 Fourier Transform in Communication Systems


All kinds of communication networks, from the simplest radio to the latest 5G technology, rely heavily on
studying signals in the frequency domain. The analysis and implementation of filters is mostly based on
DFT in these systems. For example, OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) is a type of
modulation that is used in Wi-Fi, LTE and 5G. OFDM spreads the entire spectrum into a group of narrow
sub-bands, where each sub-band is handled separately. The benefit of modulation and demodulation with
OFDM lies in using FFT, a fast and efficient variation of DFT. In channel equalization, DFT is needed to
filter out noise and correct the distortion an unmatched signal may experience during its transmission over
the frequency spectrum. It helps eliminate noise and interference that could damage communications data.
In addition, scientists apply DFT in satellite communications and radar systems to examine the spectrum
and remove channel interference or background noise.[5]

In conclusion, discrete fourier transform is used broadly in processing signals, because it is both practical
and very important. You can use it to improve and arrange your recordings for a better sound. In
medicine, it helps guarantee an accurate diagnosis based on biomedical readings. It is also vital for
making communication systems that maintain our global links. Regardless of the field, DFT-based noise
filtering has proven to be adaptable and dependable. When technologies progress and demand higher-
quality and instant output, DFT and noise filtering will take on greater significance.[5]
6. Advantages and Limitations of DFT in Noise Filtering [7]
The main use of DFT in modern digital signal processing is in powerful frequency analysis, filtering and
reconstructing signals. There are both positives and negatives to using DFT for noise filtering. Being aware of them
is useful for finding out when to apply DFT-based methods and when to choose other methods.

6.1 Advantages of DFT in Noise Filtering:

1. Easy to Understand Frequency-Domain Information


DFT allows us to view the different frequencies present in a signal. With DFT, changing a time-domain signal to the
frequency domain enables simpler removal of noise present at a specific frequency (such as distortion from the
50/60 Hz power line). It proves particularly beneficial for ECG denoising, analyzing sounds and spectrum
measurements.

2. Selective Filtering
With DFT, it is possible to select and remove only the desired frequency bins from the audio. That way, noise
confined to a narrow frequency band can be removed using a notch filter, while leaving the other parts of the signal
unchanged. Achieving such a low level of overall error is harder with either FIR or IIR filters when the frequency
components are very close together.

3. Reversibility
The DFT is a transform that can be reversed. After removing the noise from the frequency domain signal, the IDFT
can transform the filtered signal from frequency to time domain. In this case, the process remains flawless and
without losses when everything is handled properly and no information is lost.

4. Useful in Frequency Masking


DFT can be used to implement frequency masking techniques, which involve removing or attenuating certain
frequency bands based on known signal characteristics. This is especially helpful when the frequency of the noise is
known beforehand.

6.2 Limitations of DFT in Noise Filtering:

1. Assumes Stationary Signals


The main limitation of DFT is that the signal is expected to be stationary, so its frequencies don’t vary during time
analysis. Oftentimes, signals encountered in the real world are not stationary, but are speech, EEG or seismic data.
Being used on such signals can produce filters that do not work well and reports with inaccurate frequencies.

2. Spectral Leakage
While analyzing data of finite length using DFT, it is common for frequency components to split into several nearby
bins. As a result, it might be challenging to separate nearby frequencies and less accurate to clean up the noise.

3. No Time Localization
DFT can give you the frequency of a signal, yet it cannot reflect its timing. It only reveals the frequencies present in
a signal; timing is not shown. Because of this, DFT is hardly used for dealing with time-varying noise. Short-Time
Fourier Transform (STFT) and Wavelet Transform are preferred for signals that are not stationary.

7. Conclusion
During this report, we studied how DFT is used to eliminate noise in digital signals. The DFT enabled us to separate
and detect any disturbances we did not want in our data. With this method, unwanted changes could be removed
from the signal without affecting its key components. We managed to use frequency domain techniques in MATLAB
to clear up noise in the sample measurements. The outcome showed that the DFT filter successfully improved the
quality of the signal. It is most practical to use this method only when the noise occurs in fixed-frequency bands and
the signal is stable for the most part. Yet, using DFT can be difficult in a few cases. It considers the signal to be
stationary and does not mark any particular frequencies. If not administered properly, it may result in distortions in
the signal. Generally, DFT filtering is helpful in several realistic uses, mostly in areas such as working with sound,
medical signals and communication technologies. Using filtering, broadcasting can minimize the noise in a signal
while boosting its quality.

8. References:
[1] "Principles of Communication - Noise," Tutorials Point. [Online]. Available:
https://www.tutorialspoint.com/principles_of_communication/principles_of_communication_noise.htm.

[2] "Filters," Dewesoft Training. [Online]. Available: https://training.dewesoft.com/online/course/filters#:~:text=in


%20Dewesoft%20X.-,In%20the%20field%20of%20signal%20processing%2C%20a%20filter%20is%20a,and%20to
%20reduce%20background%20noise.

[3] G. Akyol, "What are Filtering in Frequency Domain and Fourier Transform? | Image Processing #5," Medium,
Jan. 16, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://medium.com/@gokcenazakyol/what-are-filtering-in-frequency-domain-
and-fourier-transform-image-processing-5-6f4cace43c91.

[4] M. H. Hayes, Schaum's Outline of Theory and Problems of Digital Signal Processing. New York, NY, USA:
McGraw-Hill, 1999, ch. 6.

[5] B. McFee, "Inverse DFT," An Introduction to Digital Signal Theory, [Online]. Available:
https://brianmcfee.net/dstbook-site/content/ch07-inverse-dft/InverseDFT.html.

[6] "Frequency Domain Filters and its Types," GeeksforGeeks, Dec. 5, 2019. [Online]. Available:
https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/frequency-domain-filters-and-its-types/.

[7] A. V. Oppenheim and R. W. Schafer, Discrete-Time Signal Processing, 3rd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ, USA:
Prentice Hall, 2010, chapters 8 and 9.

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