Digital signal processing facts for kids

A simple digital processing system, ADC converts analog signal to digital, then DAC returns it back to analog format after processing

Digital signal processing (DSP) is concerned with the processing of digital signals or analog signals after converting from analog to digital format. DSP includes subfields like: communication signals processing, radar signal processing, sensor array processing, digital image processing, etc.

DSP is usually used with real-world analog signals found in our lives, the first step is usually to convert the signal from an analog to a digital form, by using an analog-to-digital converter. Often, the required output signal is another real-world analog signal, which requires a digital-to-analog converter.

Digital signal processing algorithms can run on:

1. General purpose microprocessors and standard computers.
2. Specialized processors called digital signal processors (DSPs).
3. Purpose-built hardware such as application-specific integrated circuit (ASICs) and field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).
4. Digital Signal Controllers (mostly for industrial applications such as motor control).
5. Stream processing that works very well for traditional DSP or graphics processing applications (such as image, video).

Related fields

• Automatic control
• Computer Science
• Data compression
• Electrical engineering
• Information theory
• Telecommunication

Images for kids

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  An example of the 2D discrete wavelet transform that is used in JPEG2000. The original image is high-pass filtered, yielding the three large images, each describing local changes in brightness (details) in the original image. It is then low-pass filtered and downscaled, yielding an approximation image; this image is high-pass filtered to produce the three smaller detail images, and low-pass filtered to produce the final approximation image in the upper-left.

See also

In Spanish: Procesamiento digital de señales para niños