Design of Allpass Variable Fractional Delay Filter

This correspondence investigates the least squares and minimax design problems for allpass variable fractional delay (VFD) filters. A two stage optimization approach is proposed to solve the resulting minimax optimization problem. This approach includes a combination of a one-dimensional global search method and an adaptive scheme to refine the discretization points. In addition, the paper investigates the design of allpass VFD filters which minimizes the weighted integral squared error subject to constraints on peak error deviation from the desired response. By using approximations, the design problem can be formulated as a quadratic optimization problem. Design examples show that a tradeoff between the weighted integral squared error and the peak error deviation can be achieved. In addition, the integral squared error can be reduced significantly from the minimax solution while maintaining approximately the same peak error deviation. Similarly, the peak error deviation can be significantly reduced from the least squares solution while maintaining approximately the same integral squared error.