Properties of Paraunitary Filter Banks

An $N$-channel filter bank can be viewed as an $N\times 1$ MIMO filter

$$\mathbf{H}(z) = \left[\begin{array}{c} H_1(z) \\ [2pt] H_2(z) \\ [2pt] \vdots \\ [2pt] H_N(z)\end{array}\right]$$

A paraunitary filter bank must therefore obey

$${\tilde{\mathbf{H}}}(z)\mathbf{H}(z) = 1$$

More generally, we allow paraunitary filter banks to scale and/or delay the input signal [98]:

$${\tilde{\mathbf{H}}}(z)\mathbf{H}(z) = c_K z^{-K}$$

where $K$ is some nonnegative integer and $c_K\neq 0$.

We can note the following properties of paraunitary filter banks:

• A synthesis filter bank $\mathbf{F}(z)$ corresponding to analysis filter bank $\mathbf{H}(z)$ is defined as that filter bank which inverts the analysis filter bank, i.e., satisfies
  $$\mathbf{F}(z)\mathbf{H}(z) = 1.$$
  Clearly, not every filter bank will be invertible in this way. When it is, it may be called a perfect reconstruction filter bank. When a filter bank transfer function $\mathbf{H}(z)$ is paraunitary, its corresponding synthesis filter bank is simply the paraconjugate filter bank ${\tilde{\mathbf{H}}}(z)$, or
  $$\mathbf{F}(z) = {\tilde{\mathbf{H}}}(z).$$

• The channel filters $H_k(z)$ in a paraunitary filter bank are power complementary:
  $$\left\vert H_1(e^{j\omega})\right\vert^2 + \left\vert H_2(e^{j\omega})\right\vert^2 + \cdots + \left\vert H_N(e^{j\omega})\right\vert^2 = 1$$
  This follows immediately from looking at the paraunitary property on the unit circle.

• When $\mathbf{H}(z)$ is FIR, the corresponding synthesis filter matrix ${\tilde{\mathbf{H}}}(z)$ is also FIR. Note that this implies an FIR filter-matrix can be inverted by another FIR filter-matrix. This is in stark contrast to the case of single-input, single-output FIR filters, which must be inverted by IIR filters, in general.

• When $\mathbf{H}(z)$ is FIR, each synthesis filter, $F_k(z) = {\tilde{\mathbf{H}}}_k(z),\, k=1,\ldots,N$, is simply the $\flip$ of its corresponding analysis filter $H_k(z)=\mathbf{H}_k(z)$:
  $$f_k(n) = h_k(L-n)$$
  where $L$ is the filter length. (When the filter coefficients are complex, $\flip$ includes a complex conjugation as well.)

  This follows from the fact that paraconjugating an FIR filter amounts to simply flipping (and conjugating) its coefficients.

  Note that only trivial FIR filters can be paraunitary in the single-input, single-output (SISO) case. In the MIMO case, on the other hand, paraunitary systems can be composed of FIR filters of any order.

• FIR analysis and synthesis filters in paraunitary filter banks have the same amplitude response.

  This follows from the fact that $\flip (h) \leftrightarrow \overline{H}$, i.e., flipping an FIR filter impulse response $h(n)$ conjugates the frequency response, which does not affect its amplitude response $\vert H(e^{j\omega})\vert$.