A finite impulse response (FIR) filter is a type of a digital filter, that is normally implemented through digital electronic computation.
The Z-transform of an FIR filter has only zeros and no poles.
The number of coefficients in an FIR filter is its order (sometimes referred to as "taps").
Z-transform derivation
Given a time-invariant input signal x(n) and a Pth-order FIR filter h(n), the convolution of x with h is defined as follows:
The z-transform of h(n), denoted H(z) is defined as follows:
The z-transform of y(n) is then Y(z) = H(z)X(z).
Properties
A FIR filter has a number of useful properties which sometimes make it preferable to an infinite impulse response filter:
- FIR filters are inherently stable
- Require no feedback
- Can have linear phase
An FIR filter has linear phase if and only if its coefficients are symmetric about the center coefficient.
See also