FIR Filter Design Using Distributed Maximal Flatness Method

In the paper a novel method for filter design based on the distributed maximal flatness method is presented. The proposed approach is based on the method used to design the most common FIR fractional delay filter - the maximally flat filter. The MF filter demonstrates excellent performance but only in a relatively narrow frequency range around zero frequency but its magnitude response is no greater than one. This ,,passiveness” is the reason why despite of its narrow band of accurate approximation, the maximally flat filter is widely used in applications in which the adjustable delay is required in feedback loop. In the proposed method the maximal flatness conditions forced in standard approach at zero frequency are spread over the desired band of interest. In the result FIR filters are designed with width of the approximation band adjusted according to needs of the designer. Moreover a weighting function can be applied to the error function allowing for designs differing in error characteristics. Apart from the design of fractional delay filters the method is presented on the example of differentiator, raised cosine and square root raised cosine FIR filters. Additionally, the proposed method can be readily adapted for variable fractional delay filter design regardless of the filter type.