MEC304 Lecture 4-11878
MEC304 Lecture 4-11878
(MEC 304)
Lecture 4
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Credits for the original slides go to Dr. Ahmed Helmi
Chapter 2
Component Interconnection and Signal Conditioning
• Components Interconnection.
• Impedance characteristics.
• Amplifiers.
• Bridge circuits.
• Analog and digital filters.
• Modulators.
• ADC and DAC.
• Multiplexers.
• Linearization devices.
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Analog Filters
• A filter is a device that allows through only the desirable part
of a signal, rejecting the unwanted part.
• Unwanted signals can seriously degrade the performance of
a control system.
• External disturbances, error components in excitations, and
noise generated internally within system components and
instrumentation are undesired signals, which may be
removed by a filter.
• A filter is capable of shaping a signal in a desired manner.
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Categories of Filters
1. Low-pass filters
2. High-pass filters
3. Band-pass filters
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Categories of Filters
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Low-pass Filter
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Low-pass Filter
• The frequency response of the low-pass filter is shown below
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Low-pass Filter
• The cutoff frequency (fc), also called corner or critical
frequency, of a filter is defined as the frequency at which
the output power is reduced to one-half of the input
power (or at which the ratio of the output to the input
voltage is 0.707).
• In the case of the first order low-pass filter, the cutoff
frequency is given by:
1
fc =
2RC
• The output to input ratio is determined by
Vout 1
=
Vin
1 + f
2
fc
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Filter Design
To design a filter we need first to choose a suitable corner
frequency, fc, satisfying the criteria or the specifications.
Then, suitable values for R and C are determined.
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Example
A measurement signal has a frequency < 1 kHz, but there is
unwanted noise at about 1 MHz. Design a low-pass filter that
attenuates the noise to 1%?
Answer
• At frequency f = 1 MHz, it is required to have Vout /Vin = 0.01
• Therefore, using the relationship,
Vout 1
=
Vin
1+ f
2
voltage gain in dB = 20 log Vo
Vi
power gain in dB = 10 log Po
Pi
• For example, the ratio Vo/Vi = 0.707 is equivalent to -3dB.
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High-pass Filter
• High-pass filter passes high frequencies and
rejects low frequencies.
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High-pass Filter
The ratio of output voltage to input voltage
of the high pass filter is
f
Vout = fc
Vin
1+ f
2
fc
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Example 2
Answer
• First, it is clear that a high pass filter is required.
• In order to find its corner frequency, fc, we know
that at f = 2000 Hz, the ratio Vo/Vi = -3dB.
• From the relationship
gain in dB = 20 log Vo Vo = 0.707
Vi Vi
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Answer (continued)
fc
fc
yields Vo/Vi = 0.03 which means that the noise has been
reduced to only 3% with the designed filter which is very
good result.
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Analog/Digital Filters
• Passive analog filters employ analog circuits containing passive
elements such as resistors and capacitors (and sometimes
inductors) only.
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Active Filters Pros
• Loading effects and interaction with other components are
negligible because active filters can provide a very high input
impedance and a very low output impedance.
• They can be used with low signal levels because both signal
amplification and filtering can be provided by the same active
circuit.
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Active Filters Cons
• They need an external power supply.
• They are susceptible to saturation-type nonlinearity at
high signal levels.
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Active low-pass Filter
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Active low-pass Filter
• Think first in the passive filter (RC circuit):
Transfer function:
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Active low-pass Filter
• For the active filter (RC with op-amp circuit):
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Active low-pass Filter
• Frequency response transfer function:
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Active high-pass Filter
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Active low-pass Filter
• Active filters are much better in cascaded circuits.
• If two passive filter stages are connected together, the overall
transfer function is not equal to the product of the transfer
functions of the individual stages (input impedance of the
second stage is not sufficiently larger than output impedance
of the first stage).
• But for active filters, op-amp with feedback introduces a high
input impedance and low output impedance, and the voltage
gain at unity (in voltage follower).
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