Digital signal processors, or DSPs, are specialized microprocessors designed to capture signals for various applications like audio, video, or voice in digital format, followed by efficient information processing and feeding the information back for mathematical manipulation. Signal processing is crucial for displaying, analyzing, and converting the embedded information into applicable forms. Furthermore, DSPs are designed to make sound clearer, images sharper, and allow data transfer faster. In addition, they are found in a wide range of electronic applications.
What are the key components of the digital signal processors?
A DSP consists of the following essential components.
- Data Memory- is designed for information storage to be processed further.
- Compute Engine- process the computational math, access programs in program memory and data in data memory.
- Program Memory- memory for storing programs that the DSP uses to process the data.
- Input/Output- perform a multitude of functions for connecting various input and output devices to the system exterior.
When choosing the right DSP, the essential considerations include:
- RAM size: RAM size should be carefully ascertained because the greater the size, the better the performance.
- Program Memory: It is crucial to consider the program memory to allow customization of a DSP for several specialized functions.
- Frequency: refers to the number of data points per second, which is assumed as a speed.
Where are digital signal processors used?
Digital signal processors also come as specialized microprocessors that perform various functions, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. DSPs are found in a wide variety of environments with uncountable applications in:
- Disk Drives
- Audio signal processing
- Digital image processing
- Digital signal processing
- Radar and sonar
- Telecommunications
- Mobile phones
- Speech recognition systems
- Biomedical engineering
- Seismology
- High-definition television (HDTV), and many more.
