Composite signal decomposition by digital inverse filtering

Inverse filters are conventionally used for resolving overlapping signals of identical waveshape. However, the inverse filtering approach is shown to be useful for resolving overlapping signals, identical or otherwise, of unknown waveshapes. Digital inverse filter design based on autocorrelation formulation of linear prediction is known to perform optimum spectral flattening of the input signal for which the filter is designed. This property of the inverse filter is used to accomplish composite signal decomposition. The theory has been presented assuming constituent signals to be responses of all-pole filters. However, the approach may be used for a general situation.