Interpolation is the process of estimating unknown values of a signal given a set of known values of the same signal. Interpolation essentially is able to estimate particular missing data points by taking a weighted average of nearby given data points. Applications of interpolation include (but are not limited to) D/A conversion, sampling rate conversion, signal restoration, and fractional delay filters.
Mathematically, interpolation can be modeled by the block diagram system below.
A given discrete signal x[n] must first be upsampled to zero-pack the signal with L-1 zeros. Zero-packing is simply the process of inserting zeros in between the samples of x[n]. The resulting signal will have L times as many samples as the original signal x(n). Upsampling can be described mathematically as:
(1.1)
Subsequently, the upsampled signal xe[n] must be convolved with the impulse response of a low-pass filter with cutoff frequency , and gain L. The equation for the ideal low-pass filter with cutoff and gain L is given as:
(1.2)
By performing the following convolution, the upsampled signal is interpolated to obtain$latex<\x_i[n]>$. Given a signal x[n] with N total samples, the interpolated signal xi[n] will have N*L total samples. Figure 1 on the following page demonstrates the application of interpolation on a sinusoidal waveform. Note that, in order to perfectly reconstruct the ideal desired signal, an infinite amount of filter taps must be used.
(1.3)