Comb Filter Research Articles

Comparison of filtering methods for real-time extraction of the volitional EMG component in electrically stimulated muscles

ObjectiveRecorded electromyograms (EMG) of electrically stimulated muscles can contain both an exogenous-evoked potential (M-wave) and an endogenous, or volitional, component. This study evaluated the effectiveness of three filtering methods (i.e., high-pass, adaptive, and comb), commonly used in neurorehabilitation, in extracting the volitional component of simulated and experimental EMG during upper-limb tasks. MethodsVolitional EMG and M-wave were simulated through a physiological model of muscle recruitment, comprising of a motor neuron pool and associated muscle fibres, superimposed to a stimulation artefact. Experimental EMG data during different levels of volitional muscle contraction in isometric and dynamic tasks were recorded from five unimpaired individuals. Electrical stimulation artefact was removed with different techniques (i.e., none, removing samples, blanking, and interpolation) to assess filter performance across time and frequency domains, and information content (i.e., Kolmogorov-Smirnov D-value). ResultsThe experimental results agreed with the simulations, wherein the adaptive filter outperformed the other filters when using no artefact removal or removing artefact samples from the signal, while for the blanking and interpolation artefact removal methods, the adaptive and comb filters outperformed the high-pass filter. ConclusionThe adaptive and comb filters best estimated volitional muscle activity in electrically stimulated muscles. SignificanceResults from this study will enable the enhanced design of real-time neuroprosthesis control.

Wavelength-tunability of arbitrary transmittance functions in first-order fiber comb filters based on heterogeneous waveplate combination

We investigated the wavelength tunability of arbitrarily chosen transmittance functions (ACTFs) in first-order fiber comb filters using heterogeneous waveplate combinations: specifically, a combination of dual quarter-wave plates (QWPs) and a set of a half-wave plate and a QWP in a polarization-diversified fiber loop (PDFL). PDFL comb filters studied here create polarization interference using two polarization-maintaining fiber (PMF) segments of equal length and a polarization beam splitter. We considered two comb filters with different waveplate combinations to scrutinize the effect of waveplate combination order. By analyzing the effect of the waveplates and PMF on the output polarization state (OPS) of the filter, we identified the orientation angles of the waveplates that resulted in a redshift of the ACTF by one free spectral range (λS) by making all polarization states on the OPS trace of the second PMF move in the direction of wavelength decrease. For each filter, we theoretically derived 360 sets of waveplate angles that enabled the tuning of its ACTF by λS. Among these sets, we picked eight sets inducing a wavelength shift of λS/8 for each increase in set order and displayed wavelength-shifted comb spectra at these eight sets, which corroborate the wavelength tunability of the ACTFs of the filters.

Wavelength-tunable soliton molecule in spatiotemporal mode-locked Yb-doped fiber laser

Spatiotemporal mode-locking (STML) fiber lasers could realize the synchronized locked of multiple transverse and longitudinal modes, which could be regarded as an ideal platform to investigate high-dimensional nonlinear dynamics. The observation of STML in the soliton molecule state could offer a unique opportunity to reveal the mechanism of molecular complexity. Due to the distinctive spatiotemporal characteristics, realizing the wavelength tunable of soliton molecule in STML fiber laser is still challenging. In this letter, we report wavelength-tunable soliton molecules in an STML Yb-doped fiber laser. By rotating the wave plates at a fixed pump power, both single dissipative soliton (SDS) and various soliton molecules, including loose bounded dissipative soliton pairs (BDSPs), tight BDSPs, soliton molecules of triplet pulses or soliton molecules of quadruplets pulses, have all realized wavelength tunable with a tuning range of ∼25 nm. The realization of the wavelength tunable and the formation of the soliton molecule can all be attributed to the tunable comb filter and saturable absorber induced by the nonlinear polarization rotation technique. The formation of SDS and BDSPs was further confirmed by the numerical simulations. And the numerical results contribute to further comprehending the nonlinear dynamics of the STML fiber laser.

Dynamic Mode Suppression and Frequency Tuning in S-Band GaN/YIG Magnetoelastic HBARs.

This work presents the detailed characterization and analysis of recently reported magnetoelastic high-overtone bulk acoustic resonators (ME-HBARs), which are multimode RF-acoustic (phononic) resonators operating in the S -band. These unique devices are fabricated by microtransfer printing (MTP) piezoelectric GaN transducers onto a ferrimagnetic yttrium iron garnet (YIG) substrate. The YIG substrate also supports spin waves (magnons) when biased with an external magnetic field. The resulting phonon-magnon hybridization can be used to suppress or tune the acoustic modes of the ME-HBAR. The experiment spans 66 distinct acoustic resonance modes from 2.4 to 3 GHz, each of which can be suppressed or tuned as much as ±6 MHz, with a bias magnetic field ≤ 0.21 T. The experimental ME-HBAR data show good agreement with analytical modeling of the magnetoelastic hybridization in YIG. Such ME-HBARs can be used as dynamically tunable or switchable resonators, oscillators, comb filters, or frequency selective limiters in RF signal processing subcomponents. By integrating incompatible materials (YIG, epitaxial GaN) and disparate functionalities (spin waves, acoustic waves) into one hybrid multidomain system, this work also demonstrates the power and broad scope of the MTP technique.

Continuous dynamic gesture recognition using surface EMG signals based on blockchain-enabled internet of medical things

The integration of blockchain technology in the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) enhances user security, convenience and interoperability. It introduces a novel approach to gesture recognition. Dynamic surface electromyography (EMG) is essential to address the shortcomings of visual analysis and gesture similarity in discrete pattern recognition. This paper uses an improved comb filter and a Gaussian mixture model to reduce the noise of surface EMG signals. Continuous dynamic gesture recognition models have been improved based on temporal network and generalized regression neural network. These models are applied to blockchain-enabled IoMT and ensure the traceability of data sharing. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method effectively reduces the false recognition rate attributed to signal complexity, thus achieving accurate continuous dynamic gesture recognition. This paper's approach lays a crucial foundation for implementing it in the blockchain-enabled IoMT.

Spectral characteristic of multi-wavelength random fiber laser using a microfiber knot resonator

We demonstrate a U-band multi-wavelength random Raman fiber laser (RRFL) based on a microfiber knot resonator (MKR). The RRFL has a forward-pump half-open cavity, wherein a 10-km single mode fiber provides both Rayleigh backscattering feedback and Raman gain. A MKR with a 0.18 nm free spectral range is used as the broadband comb filter. Up to 40 and 38 wavelength channels within 3 dB bandwidth were achieved from the intracavity and the end of the RRFL, respectively. The laser showed a good stability with maximum 0.38 and 0.1 dB peak power fluctuation within an hour at the two outputs, respectively. The spectral evolution with two envelopes was observed, and the impact of the MKR was discussed. The MKR is a small-size all-fiber and wavelength-insensitive broadband filter, which suits well with the broadband operation of the RRFL. The proposed RRFL has a simple structure and good potential tunability and provides guidance for flexible multi-wavelength lasers in the U-band and other wavebands, which have great potential in applications.

Period-refined CYCBD using time synchronous averaging for the feature extraction of bearing fault under heavy noise

Deconvolution methods have been widely used in machinery fault diagnosis. However, their application would be confined due to the heavy noise and complex interference since the fault feature in the measured signal becomes rather weak. Time synchronous averaging (TSA) can enhance the periodic components and suppress the others by the comb filter function. And in the iteration process of the deconvolution methods, the filtered signal after each iteration can be further processed using TSA, and the time delay with maximum Gini index value is refined as the iterative period for the next iteration. Benefitting from these advantages, a period-refined maximum second-order cyclostationarity blind deconvolution (PRCYCBD) using TSA is proposed for the weak fault detection of rolling element bearings (REBs) in this paper. Firstly, without any prior knowledge, the proposed method which can estimate the period more accurately is more suitable for the weak fault detection of REBs, especially incipient fault. Secondly, TSA is firstly applied to estimate the iterative period rather than just depending on the Signal Noise Ratio (SNR) of the filtered signal in the iterative process . Furthermore, the new improvement frame can be expanded to other deconvolution methods using iterative algorithms, especially under heavy noise. Finally, a simulation with a slight bearing fault as well as two real experimental data including the vibration signal with the wind turbine bearing fault and the acoustical signal with the locomotive wheel bearing fault is used to verify the superiority of the proposed PRCYCBD compared with the traditional minimum entropy deconvolution and the traditional autocorrelation-improved cyclostationarity blind deconvolution.

Fiber laser with dual-channel and a selectable comb filter based on Vernier effect of parallel-connected two Mach–Zehnder interferometers

We propose and demonstrate the implementation and application of a new configuration of an all-fiber comb filter based on the Vernier effect produced by parallel-connected two in-line Mach–Zehnder interferometers (MZIs). Each in-line MZI was fabricated by fusion splicing a section of panda-type polarization maintaining fiber (PMF) with peanut-shaped tapers between two single-mode fibers. These two in-line MZIs, respectively, form reference and sensing interferometers, which are parallel-connected by two 3-dB optical fiber couplers to realize the Vernier effect. By incorporating the proposed comb-filter into the erbium-doped fiber laser cavity, two output channels at 1533.2 and 1558.2 nm have been achieved. Further, the combination of the parallel-connected two in-line MZIs and polarization controllers (PC1 and PC2) promotes the lasing in a switchable and selective way. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first demonstration of a comb filter that employs paralleled two peanut-shaped MZIs in PMF. The experimental results indicate that the proposed filter has the potential to be used in communication systems.

Fiber laser with intracavity parallel Mach-Zehnder interferometers towards Vernier refractive index sensing.

In this paper, dual-wavelength laser emission of an erbium-doped fiber laser (EDFL) with a tunable distinct wavelength selection of the simultaneously produced laser lines was achieved by applying a parallel comb filter configuration based on the optical Vernier effect. The intracavity inserted proposed comb filter consists of two parallel branches to generate the Vernier effect. Each branch is an in-line Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) filter, which is composed of a polarization-maintaining fiber fusion spliced between single-mode fibers with sphere shapes at both ends. The tunability of the selected laser wavelength was realized by submerging the proposed filter in different sodium chloride/water mixtures. The proposed comb filter-based Vernier effect was used to independently achieve the selection of the dual-wavelength EDFL lines and for refractive index (RI) sensing applications. The in-line M Z I 1 and M Z I 2 structures show a wavelength shift sensitivity to RI variations of -88 and 79nm/RIU, respectively. Our proposed MZI structure presents a reliable, straightforward, and low-cost spectral comb filter for separate tunable dual-wavelength laser generation in the c-band region. Furthermore, the proposed filter structure-based Vernier effect presents a new perspective and method in the RI sensing application.

Quantitative and qualitative image quality assessment in shoulder examinations with a first-generation photon-counting detector CT

Photon-counting detector (PCD) CT allows for ultra-high-resolution (UHR) examinations of the shoulder without requiring an additional post-patient comb filter to narrow the detector aperture. This study was designed to compare the PCD performance with a high-end energy-integrating detector (EID) CT. Sixteen cadaveric shoulders were examined with both scanners using dose-matched 120 kVp acquisition protocols (low-dose/full-dose: CTDIvol = 5.0/10.0 mGy). Specimens were scanned in UHR mode with the PCD-CT, whereas EID-CT examinations were conducted in accordance with the clinical standard as “non-UHR”. Reconstruction of EID data employed the sharpest kernel available for standard-resolution scans (ρ50 = 12.3 lp/cm), while PCD data were reconstructed with both a comparable kernel (11.8 lp/cm) and a sharper dedicated bone kernel (16.5 lp/cm). Six radiologists with 2–9 years of experience in musculoskeletal imaging rated image quality subjectively. Interrater agreement was analyzed by calculation of the intraclass correlation coefficient in a two-way random effects model. Quantitative analyses comprised noise recording and calculating signal-to-noise ratios based on attenuation measurements in bone and soft tissue. Subjective image quality was higher in UHR-PCD-CT than in EID-CT and non-UHR-PCD-CT datasets (all p < 0.001). While low-dose UHR-PCD-CT was considered superior to full-dose non-UHR studies on either scanner (all p < 0.001), ratings of low-dose non-UHR-PCD-CT and full-dose EID-CT examinations did not differ (p > 0.99). Interrater reliability was moderate, indicated by a single measures intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.66 (95% confidence interval: 0.58–0.73; p < 0.001). Image noise was lowest and signal-to-noise ratios were highest in non-UHR-PCD-CT reconstructions at either dose level (p < 0.001). This investigation demonstrates that superior depiction of trabecular microstructure and considerable denoising can be realized without additional radiation dose by employing a PCD for shoulder CT imaging. Allowing for UHR scans without dose penalty, PCD-CT appears as a promising alternative to EID-CT for shoulder trauma assessment in clinical routine.

Switchable multi-wavelength actively Q-switched erbium-doped fiber laser based on nonlinear polarization rotation and Sagnac filter

This letter describes a switchable multi-wavelength actively Q-switched erbium-doped fiber (EDF) ring laser based on nonlinear polarization rotation (NPR) structure with Sagnac filter and electro-optic modulator (EOM). The intensity-dependent loss (IDL) generated by the constructed NPR structure can suppress the mode competition caused by EDF, combined with a comb filter Sagnac loop which composed of only 2-m-long polarization maintaining fiber (PMF), the constructed laser generates nine-wavelengths laser output with a constant wavelength interval of 3 nm. When the NPR structure is removed, the constructed laser generates quadruple-wavelengths laser output with 3 nm constant wavelength interval. It is proved that the effect of the NPR can suppress mode competition to achieve multi-wavelength laser output. In the laser with the constructed NPR structure, the nine-wavelengths laser output has a maximum wavelength shift of 0.21 nm and a maximum power fluctuation of 0.69 dB, while when the NPR structure is removed from the constructed laser, for the quadruple-wavelengths laser output, the maximum wavelength shift is 0.16 nm and the maximum power fluctuation is 0.29 dB. When the constructed laser with or without NPR structure, the minimum Q-switched pulse width and maximum average output power are 1.42 μs, 1.24 μs and 3.2μW, 10.2μW, respectively.

A smart approach to EMG envelope extraction and powerful denoising for human–machine interfaces

Electromyography (EMG) is widely used in human–machine interfaces (HMIs) to measure muscle contraction by computing the EMG envelope. However, EMG is largely affected by powerline interference and motion artifacts. Boards that directly provide EMG envelope, without denoising the raw signal, are often unreliable and hinder HMIs performance. Sophisticated filtering provides high performance but is not viable when power and computational resources must be optimized. This study investigates the application of feed-forward comb (FFC) filters to remove both powerline interferences and motion artifacts from raw EMG. FFC filter and EMG envelope extractor can be implemented without computing any multiplication. This approach is particularly suitable for very low-cost, low-power platforms. The performance of the FFC filter was first demonstrated offline by corrupting clean EMG signals with powerline noise and motion artifacts. The correlation coefficients of the filtered signals envelopes and the true envelopes were greater than 0.98 and 0.94 for EMG corrupted by powerline noise and motion artifacts, respectively. Further tests on real, highly noisy EMG signals confirmed these achievements. Finally, the real-time operation of the proposed approach was successfully tested by implementation on a simple Arduino Uno board.

Vernier effect based on hybrid fiber interferometers: a new tool for wavelength switchability and adjustable free spectral range fiber lasing

In optical communications systems, the used filter and/or demultiplexer needs to have a broad free spectral range (FSR) in order to accommodate more channels and have acceptable interchannel crosstalk. The Vernier effect applied to fiber filters is a recent effective tool to enlarge the FSR. Here, by harnessing the Vernier effect of a hybrid interferometer consisting of a Mach–Zehnder interferometer (MZI) and Sagnac interferometer (SI), we proposed and experimentally demonstrated a new kind of comb filter for a switchable and interval adjustable multi-wavelength C-band erbium-doped fiber laser (EDFL) application. In the designed comb filter, the MZI is composed of bi-tapered polarization-maintaining fibers (PMFs) fabricated by fusion splicing and has the function of achieving the switchability of the proposed dual-wavelength EDFL. The SI configured by nesting tapered PMF is employed as a switchable and wavelength-spacing tuning component of triple-wavelength EDFL. In this experiment, the FSR of the MZI and the SI is designed to be close but not equal, which could be achieved by properly adjusting the length of the employed PMF, so the Vernier effect can exist and a comb spectrum with an obvious envelope is obtained. Through the adjustment of the polarization controller (PC1) and (PC2) inside the cavity, a switchable and interval-adjustable multi-wavelength EDFL was achieved. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first time that an all-fiber hybrid filter based on the Vernier effect has been used to manipulate the spectral output characteristic of an EDFL and achieve a switchable multi-wavelength fiber laser.

광섬유 빗살 필터의 사분파장 지연기 연속 조합을 이용한 협대역 다파장 스펙트럼의 연속 주파수 조정에 관한 연구

We propose an optical fiber comb filter based on a polarization-diversity loop structure, which can continuously adjust the narrowband multiwavelength spectrum. The proposed comb filter consists of a polarization beam splitter(PBS), a successive combination of quarter-wave retarders(QWRs), a set of a half-wave retarder and a QWR, and two polarization-maintaining fiber(PMF) segments of equal length. For the convenient adjustment of the narrowband multiwavelength spectrum, the successive combination of QWRs was located between the PBS and the first PMF segment. The transmittance function of the proposed filter was theoretically derived using the Jones calculus. Based on the filter transmittance, we theoretically predicted the orientation angle sets of four wave retarders, which allow the extra phase difference φ of the transmittance function to vary from 0˚ to 315˚ with increments of 45˚. Then, the proposed filter successfully demonstrated the predicted results by obtaining ∼0.0915 ㎚ average wavelength shift and a high linearity of 0.99878.

A new method to derive rail roughness from axle-box vibration accounting for track stiffness variations and wheel-to-wheel coupling

Railways require frequent inspection to maintain acceptable levels of rail roughness. Accelerometers mounted on in-service railway vehicles potentially offer a cost-effective method of near-continuous roughness monitoring by using a transfer function in the frequency domain to derive rail roughness spectra from measurements of axle-box vibration. This paper addresses two phenomena that currently limit the effectiveness of such a method: the variation in track support stiffness along the track, which is the least known property of the vehicle-track system, resulting in a variable transfer function; and the vibration coupling between wheels, which limits the effectiveness of a transfer function based on a single wheel. A new method is presented that estimates the track stiffness by curve-fitting a transfer function to the peak in the axle-box acceleration spectrum associated with the so-called ‘P2’ resonance of the wheel-rail system. Wheel-to-wheel coupling is addressed by refining the transfer function to account for multiple wheels running on the same rail. Axle-box acceleration is also affected by wheel roughness, and the use of a comb filter is briefly demonstrated to mitigate this effect. The developments are evaluated by both numerical simulation and measurement trials conducted on London Underground’s Victoria line.

A high-impedance fault detection scheme for DC aircrafts based on comb filter and second derivative of voltage

Faults in a DC aircraft power system typically lead to serious equipment damage, which severely threatens the safety of the whole aircraft system. A fast and accurate real-time fault detection scheme is necessary for aircraft power systems to provide high reliability in the system. In this paper, a new fault detection device (FDD) is proposed based on the comb filter and second derivative of the system voltage to detect both low and high-impedance faults (HIFs) in a fast way. The proposed method utilizes the comb filter in the middle of the two first derivatives to detect both high and low-impedance faults within several microseconds. For demonstrating the efficiency, authenticity, and compatibility of the proposed method, digital time-domain simulations are carried out and verified by real-time simulations using an OPAL-RT simulator under different scenarios such as low- and high-impedance fault, overload, and motor starting to verify distinguishing between non-fault disturbances and faults. The results, which are compared with reported methods, prove the accuracy and speed of the proposed FDD in a DC aircraft.

Ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation of the bonding strength of polyurethane coatings based on feedforward comb filtering effect

Because of the ability to protect and decorate materials, polyurethane coatings (PU) are being applied more and more extensively in the transportation, furniture, automotive, and electronic industries. However, it is difficult to effectively evaluate the bonding quality of coatings by conventional destructive methods for high-volume products in industrial applications. In this work, an ultrasonic nondestructive method based on the feedforward comb filtering effect was proposed to assess the bonding strength of the PU coatings. The coating and substrate interface can be modeled as a distributed spring system. The phase of the reflected ultrasonic wave is highly related to the interfacial stiffness. The superimposed signals can be well analyzed based on the comb filtering effect, and an index called the ratio of notch frequencies to interval frequencies (NIR) was constructed to represent the phase difference. Finite element simulations were conducted to show the index’s construction method and variation with different interfacial stiffnesses. Immersed ultrasonic testing experiments with a transducer of 39.43 MHz were then conducted on PU coatings on two kinds of substrates made of aluminum and magnesium alloys. Each specimen was scanned as a grid to mimic the procedure of the well-known cross-cut test. The notch frequencies of the scanned received signals were applied to obtain the NIR index. To avoid the interference of the thickness of coatings, the decimal part of NIR was further proposed to link with the bonding strength obtained by the cross-cut test. This index changes accordingly with aluminum- and magnesium-based coatings’ bonding strength. The results prove that the proposed ultrasonic method based on the feedforward comb filter effect is high potential to assess the bonding strength of coatings nondestructively.

RF Frequency Selective Switch by Multiple PMIM Conversions

Nowadays, broadband and multi-channel radio frequency (RF) processing has been widely used in communication, radar, countermeasure, and other applications. At present, multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO)-oriented microwave photonic signal processing technology is relatively scarce, so this paper proposes an RF frequency selective switch (FSS) based on multiple phase modulation to intensity modulation (PMIM) conversions. PMIM conversion has been used in narrowband microwave photonic filtering in the past. We extend it to a wideband and arbitrarily reconfigurable RF spectrum processing unit through an optical frequency comb and periodic optical filter. Although we use the incoherent combination of a multi-wavelength light source, we can obtain any frequency response including rectangles only by using all positive tap coefficients. Using an optical wavelength selective switch (WSS), we obtain RF FSS, and the spectral resolution of RF FSS is much better than that of optical WSS, which is improved by more than two orders of magnitude. The above principles, including single-channel reconfigurable filtering and multi-channel RF FSS, are verified by experiments. Our technology provides a stable solution for future RF MIMO signal processing.

A Novel Control Scheme Using UAPF in an Integrated PV Grid-Tied System

This article investigates the photovoltaic fed universal active power filter (PV-UAPF) system for enhancing power quality indices. A novel comb filter together with second-order generalized integrator (CFSOGI) based instantaneous power balance theory with power angle (IPBTPA) control scheme is implemented. Under distorted or adverse grid conditions, the CFSOGI effectively extracts the phase angle, frequency, and fundamental positive and negative sequence components (FPNSC) to overcome the limitations of adaptive notch filters. Here, a comb filter constitutes a cluster/group of zeros at multiple harmonic frequencies to achieve notch peaks thereby providing superior harmonic rejection ability. Whereas, IPBTPA generates the reference signals to operate the system at dual compensation strategy with or without solar PV. The power angle is used to extract the desired load voltages under grid voltage fluctuations thereby reducing the burden on the shunt converter. Moreover, the hysteresis controller generates the switching pulses based on the calculation of reference and load powers which improves the dynamic performance by maintaining system power balance and effective DC voltage regulation. Besides, reactive power compensation, suppression of harmonic currents and mitigation of grid voltage fluctuations is also carried out to strengthen the system further. The system is also tested in grid voltage interruption for islanding mode to realize a microgrid system. The overall system performance is also validated using simulation and in a real-time experimental set-up, and results are demonstrated under various conditions.

High-Power Multi-Wavelength Double-Clad Erbium Ytterbium Co-Doped Fiber Laser Using Two-and Four-Mode Fiber Filters

This work demonstrated a multiwavelength erbium-ytterbium co-doped double-clad fiber laser using two- (TMF) and four-mode fibers (FMF) as comb filters. At the maximum pump power of 9 W, the multi-wavelength fiber laser (MWFL) using the TMF filter generated 4 stable lasing lines with a spacing of 0.56 nm. The maximum output power recorded for this setup was as high as 553 mW with a 6.4% slope efficiency. Meanwhile, MWFL uses FMF filter generated 3 lasing lines with a spacing of 0.95 nm. The laser had a maximum output power of 443 mW with a slope efficiency of 5.3%. Both MWFLs were stable when operated for an extended period. The long-term stability test shows that the laser had only small wavelength drifts of 0.21 nm and 0.15 nm using the TMF and FMF filters, respectively. The maximum power fluctuations of the lasing lines were measured to be 2.10 dB for the MWFL using the TMF filter and 2.52 dB using the FMF filter. This work proposed stable high-power MWFL with higher output power and efficiency.