www.jntuworld.

com

Time-Frequency Analysis
Introduction and Applications
S. R. M. Prasanna
Dept of ECE,
IIT Guwahati,
prasanna@iitg.ernet.in

Time-Frequency Analysis p. 1/1

How to analyze and process time varying spectra?

www.jntuworld.com

Motivation for TFA

We experience time varying spectra as a basic
phenomenon
Message in speech as time varying spectra
Music information in audio as time varying spectra
Image signal information as spatially varying spectra
Video signal information as temporally and spatially
varying spectra
Physiological information in biomedical signals as
time varying spectra
In FM, message is transmitted as a time varying
spectra

Time-Frequency Analysis p. 2/1

What is meant by a time varying spectra?

www.jntuworld.com

Signal Processing Curiosity

How such a spectra is evolved?
How can we analyze and process such a spectra?
Signal Representation
Time domain representation
Frequency domain representation
Time frequency representation
Signal classification
Single tone v/s multi tone
Stationary v/s non-stationary
Constant v/s time varying spectra

Time-Frequency Analysis p. 3/1

Most signals in practice exhibit time varying spectra

www.jntuworld.com

Why Time Frequency Representation?

Humans have the inherent ability to extract information
from them
Conventional signal processing tools either in time or
frequency domain do not provide such interpretation
Hence we need tools exclusively for handling signals
with time varying spectra

Time-Frequency Analysis p. 4/1

Analysis and processing of signals with time varying

spectra

www.jntuworld.com

Time Frequency Analysis

Tools for TFA

Short Term Fourier Transform (STFT)
Wavelets
Time Frequency Distribution (TFD)
Time varying spectra is best represented using TFDs
TFD gives distribution of signal values over
time-frequency plane
Features may then be extracted from TFDs for further
processing

Time-Frequency Analysis p. 5/1

In time domain representation signal is integrated out

with respect to frequency variable.
Signal is localized with respect to time only
R
s(t) = S(j)ejt d

www.jntuworld.com

Origin of TFDs

Frequency content information is not available

In frequency domain representation signal is integrated
out with respect to time variable.
Signal is localized with respect to frequency only
R
S() = s(t)ejt dt
Timing information is not available
Alternatively localization with respect to both time and
frequency is needed in TFA
TFD is aimed to provide such localization

Time-Frequency Analysis p. 6/1

s(t) v/s time is TD representation. |s(t)|2 energy of

signal distributed over time.

www.jntuworld.com

T, F and TF Distributions

S() v/s frequency is FD representation. |S()|2 energy

of signal distributed over frequency.
(t, ) v/s time and frequency is TF representation.
|(t, )|2 energy of signal distributed over time and
frequency.
constant-t section in a TF gives FD representation.
constant-f section in a TF gives TD representation.

Time-Frequency Analysis p. 7/1

TFD shows variation in frequency as a function of time,

which may be described using the instantaneous
frequency fi (t).

www.jntuworld.com

Significance of TFDs

Concept of fi (t) is not apparent in conventional signal

processing.
Once we have TFD for a signal, feature extraction
methods to extract time variation, frequency variation,
number of components, relative amplitudes, etc.
Designing filters in TFD to select wanted components.
Synthesizing signals in time domain by selecting
components from TFD.
Tracking instantaneous amplitudes, frequencies and
bandwidths.
Mathematical model for the signal.

Time-Frequency Analysis p. 8/1

TFD is real (signal energy is real)

www.jntuworld.com

Desirable Characteristics of TFDs

Integral of TFD over entire time frequency plane is the
total energy of the signal.
Integral of TFD over a rectangular region in the time
frequency plane is the energy of the signal in that
bandwidth and duration.

Time-Frequency Analysis p. 9/1

A single sinusoid with normalized amplitude, constant

frequency and zero phase is represented as
s(t) = cos(2f t).

www.jntuworld.com

Signal formulation

A single sinusoid with constant amplitude, frequency

and phase is represented as s(t) = A cos(2f t + ).
A multi tone sinusoid with M sinusoids is represented
PM
as s(t) = i=1 Ai cos(2fi t + i ).
A multi tone non-stationary sinusoid with M sinusoids is
PM
represented as s(t) = i=1 Ai (t) cos(2fi (t)t + i (t))

Time-Frequency Analysis p. 10/1

www.jntuworld.com

Applications of TFA
Analysis of FM systems.
Speech and audio processing.
Biomedical signal analysis and processing.
Radar and sonar signal processing.
Seismic signal analysis and processing.
In general, analysis and processing of any signal with
time varying spectra.

Time-Frequency Analysis p. 11/1

Plot the following signals in Time, Frequency and

Time-Frequency domains using suitable values.
A single sinusoid with normalized amplitude,
constant frequency and zero phase represented as
s(t) = cos(2f t).
A single sinusoid with constant amplitude, frequency
and phase represented as s(t) = A cos(2f t + ).
A multi tone sinusoid with M sinusoids represented
PM
as s(t) = i=1 Ai cos(2fi t + i ).
A multi tone non-stationary sinusoid with M
sinusoids represented as
PM
s(t) = i=1 Ai (t) cos(2fi (t)t + i (t))

www.jntuworld.com

Expt. 1: Signal Representation

In each case comment on the need for TF

representation.

Time-Frequency Analysis p. 12/1