Notes About the Signal Flow Diagram
To help you understand where and how the filter performs fixed-point
arithmetic during filtering, the figure shows various labels associated
with data and functional elements in the filter. The following table
describes each label in the signal flow and relates the label to the
filter properties that are associated with it.
The labels use a common format — a prefix followed by
the word “format.” In this use, "format" means the word
length and fraction length associated with the filter part referred
to by the prefix.
For example, the InputFormat label refers to the word length
and fraction length used to interpret the data input to the filter.
The format properties InputWordLength and InputFracLength (as
shown in the table) store the word length and the fraction length
in bits. Or consider NumFormat, which refers to the word and fraction
lengths (CoeffWordLength, NumFracLength)
associated with representing filter numerator coefficients.
Signal Flow LabelCorresponding
Word Length PropertyCorresponding Fraction
Length PropertyRelated PropertiesAccumFormatAccumWordLengthAccumFracLengthNone
InputFormatInputWordLengthInputFracLengthNone
NumFormatCoeffWordLengthNumFracLengthCoeffAutoScale,, Signed, Numerator
OutputFormatOutputWordLengthOutputFracLengthNone
ProductFormatProductWordLengthProductFracLengthNone
TapSumFormatInputWordLengthInputFracLengthInputFormat
Most important is the label position in the diagram, which identifies
where the format applies.
As one example, look at the label ProductFormat, which always
follows a coefficient multiplication element in the signal flow. The
label indicates that coefficients leave the multiplication element
with the word length and fraction length associated with product operations
that include coefficients. From reviewing the table, you see that
the ProductFormat refers to the properties ProductFracLength and ProductWordLength that
fully define the coefficient format after multiply (or product) operations.