Tuning of FIR filter transition bandwidth using fractional Fourier transform

The transition bandwidth of window-based FIR filters is proportional to the window main-lobe width, which in turn is proportional to the length of the window function. As such, transition bandwidth of FIR filters can be directly tuned by varying window length for on-line tuning applications. However, analysis of window functions in fractional Fourier domain, a generalization of Fourier domain, also establishes the dependence of window main-lobe width on the order of fractional Fourier transform (FRFT). Thus, an alternative methodology to tune the transition bandwidth, based on FRFT, is developed in this work. The proposed methodology is useful for frequency domain filtering and introduces a comparative ease in tuning by eliminating the need to re-compute the impulse response coefficients. Also, significant computational saving has been achieved using FRFT. However, it is observed that the direct approach can introduce a lot more adjustability in the transition bandwidth than the FRFT approach. Apart from Kaiser window, considered to be optimum for FIR filter design, another window with a high side-lobe fall-off-rate (SLFOR), viz, Parzen-cos6 (πt) (PC6), has also been used in the proposed on-line filter tuning. Better performance of windows with high SLFOR in on-line sharpening is illustrated with the aid of simulation results.