Wavelet theory is applicable to several subjects. All wavelet transforms may be considered forms of
time-frequency representation for
continuous-time (analog) signals and so are related to
harmonic analysis. Discrete wavelet transform (continuous in time) of a
discrete-time (sampled) signal by using
discrete-time filterbanks of dyadic (octave band) configuration is a wavelet approximation to that signal. The coefficients of such a filter bank are called the shift and scaling coefficients in wavelets nomenclature. These filterbanks may contain either
finite impulse response (FIR) or
infinite impulse response (IIR) filters. The wavelets forming a
continuous wavelet transform (CWT) are subject to the
uncertainty principle of Fourier analysis respective sampling theory: given a signal with some event in it, one cannot assign simultaneously an exact time and frequency response scale to that event. The product of the uncertainties of time and frequency response scale has a lower bound. Thus, in the
scaleogram of a continuous wavelet transform of this signal, such an event marks an entire region in the time-scale plane, instead of just one point. Also, discrete wavelet bases may be considered in the context of other forms of the uncertainty principle. Wavelet transforms are broadly divided into three classes: continuous, discrete and multiresolution-based.
Continuous wavelet transforms (continuous shift and scale parameters) In
continuous wavelet transforms, a given signal of finite energy is projected on a continuous family of frequency bands (or similar subspaces of the
Lp function space L2(
R) ). For instance the signal may be represented on every frequency band of the form [
f, 2
f] for all positive frequencies
f > 0. Then, the original signal can be reconstructed by a suitable integration over all the resulting frequency components. The frequency bands or subspaces (sub-bands) are scaled versions of a subspace at scale 1. This subspace in turn is in most situations generated by the shifts of one generating function ψ in
L2(
R), the
mother wavelet. For the example of the scale one frequency band [1, 2] this function is \psi(t)=2\,\operatorname{sinc}(2t)-\,\operatorname{sinc}(t)=\frac{\sin(2\pi t)-\sin(\pi t)}{\pi t} with the (normalized)
sinc function. That, Meyer's, and two other examples of mother wavelets are: The subspace of scale
a or frequency band [1/
a, 2/
a] is generated by the functions (sometimes called
child wavelets) \psi_{a,b} (t) = \frac1{\sqrt a }\psi \left( \frac{t - b}{a} \right), where
a is positive and defines the scale and
b is any real number and defines the shift. The pair (
a,
b) defines a point in the right halfplane
R+ ×
R. The projection of a function
x onto the subspace of scale
a then has the form x_a(t)=\int_\R WT_\psi\{x\}(a,b)\cdot\psi_{a,b}(t)\,db with
wavelet coefficients WT_\psi\{x\}(a,b)=\langle x,\psi_{a,b}\rangle=\int_\R x(t){\psi_{a,b}(t)}\,dt. For the analysis of the signal
x, one can assemble the wavelet coefficients into a
scaleogram of the signal. See a list of some
Continuous wavelets.
Discrete wavelet transforms (discrete shift and scale parameters, continuous in time) It is computationally impossible to analyze a signal using all wavelet coefficients, so one may wonder if it is sufficient to pick a discrete subset of the upper halfplane to be able to reconstruct a signal from the corresponding wavelet coefficients. One such system is the
affine system for some real parameters
a > 1,
b > 0. The corresponding discrete subset of the halfplane consists of all the points (
am,
nb am) with
m,
n in
Z. The corresponding
child wavelets are now given as \psi_{m,n}(t) = \frac1{\sqrt{a^m}}\psi\left(\frac{t - nba^m}{a^m}\right). A sufficient condition for the reconstruction of any signal
x of finite energy by the formula x(t)=\sum_{m\in\Z}\sum_{n\in\Z}\langle x,\,\psi_{m,n}\rangle\cdot\psi_{m,n}(t) is that the functions \{\psi_{m,n}:m,n\in\Z\} form an
orthonormal basis of
L2(
R).
Multiresolution based discrete wavelet transforms (continuous in time) In any discretised wavelet transform, there are only a finite number of wavelet coefficients for each bounded rectangular region in the upper halfplane. Still, each coefficient requires the evaluation of an integral. In special situations this numerical complexity can be avoided if the scaled and shifted wavelets form a
multiresolution analysis. This means that there has to exist an
auxiliary function, the
father wavelet φ in
L2(
R), and that
a is an integer. A typical choice is
a = 2 and
b = 1. The most famous pair of father and mother wavelets is the
Daubechies 4-tap wavelet. Note that not every orthonormal discrete wavelet basis can be associated to a multiresolution analysis; for example, the Journe wavelet admits no multiresolution analysis. From the mother and father wavelets one constructs the subspaces V_m=\operatorname{span}(\phi_{m,n}:n\in\Z),\text{ where }\phi_{m,n}(t)=2^{-m/2}\phi(2^{-m}t-n) W_m=\operatorname{span}(\psi_{m,n}:n\in\Z),\text{ where }\psi_{m,n}(t)=2^{-m/2}\psi(2^{-m}t-n). The father wavelet V_{i} keeps the time domain properties, while the mother wavelets W_{i} keeps the frequency domain properties. From these it is required that the sequence \{0\}\subset\dots\subset V_{1}\subset V_{0}\subset V_{-1}\subset V_{-2}\subset\dots\subset L^2(\R) forms a
multiresolution analysis of
L2 and that the subspaces \dots,W_1,W_0,W_{-1},\dots are the orthogonal "differences" of the above sequence, that is,
Wm is the orthogonal complement of
Vm inside the subspace
Vm−1, V_m\oplus W_m=V_{m-1}. In analogy to the
sampling theorem one may conclude that the space
Vm with sampling distance 2
m more or less covers the frequency baseband from 0 to 1/2
m-1. As orthogonal complement,
Wm roughly covers the band [1/2
m−1, 1/2
m]. From those inclusions and orthogonality relations, especially V_0\oplus W_0=V_{-1}, follows the existence of sequences h=\{h_n\}_{n\in\Z} and g=\{g_n\}_{n\in\Z} that satisfy the identities g_n=\langle\phi_{0,0},\,\phi_{-1,n}\rangle so that \phi(t)=\sqrt2 \sum_{n\in\Z} g_n\phi(2t-n), and h_n=\langle\psi_{0,0},\,\phi_{-1,n}\rangle so that \psi(t)=\sqrt2 \sum_{n\in\Z} h_n\phi(2t-n). The second identity of the first pair is a
refinement equation for the father wavelet φ. Both pairs of identities form the basis for the algorithm of the
fast wavelet transform. From the multiresolution analysis derives the orthogonal decomposition of the space
L2 as L^2 = V_{j_0} \oplus W_{j_0} \oplus W_{j_0-1} \oplus W_{j_0-2} \oplus W_{j_0-3} \oplus \cdots For any signal or function S\in L^2 this gives a representation in basis functions of the corresponding subspaces as S = \sum_{k} c_{j_0,k}\phi_{j_0,k} + \sum_{j\le j_0}\sum_{k} d_{j,k}\psi_{j,k} where the coefficients are c_{j_0,k} = \langle S,\phi_{j_0,k}\rangle and d_{j,k} = \langle S,\psi_{j,k}\rangle.
Time-causal wavelets For processing temporal signals in real time, it is essential that the wavelet filters do not access signal values from the future as well as that minimal temporal latencies can be obtained. Time-causal wavelets representations have been developed by Szu et al and Lindeberg, with the latter method also involving a memory-efficient time-recursive implementation. == Mother wavelet ==