AMPLITUDE MODULATION SUMMARY

Introduction to Modulation

Message signal: 𝑚(𝑡)

Carrier signal: 𝑐(𝑡) = 𝐴𝑐 cos(2𝜋𝑓𝑐 𝑡 + ∅𝑐 ), 𝐴𝑐 : carrier amplitude, 𝑓𝑐 : carrier freq., ∅𝑐 : carrier phase

Modulated signal: 𝑢(𝑡)

Amplitude Modulation (AM) & Implementation of Amplitude Modulators and Demodulators & AM
Radio Broadcasting

Double-Sideband Suppressed-Carrier AM (DSB-SC AM)

DSB-SC amplitude modulated signal: 𝑢(𝑡) = 𝑚(𝑡)𝑐(𝑡) = 𝐴𝑐 𝑚(𝑡) cos(2𝜋𝑓𝑐 𝑡)

𝐴 𝐴
• Using a pilot tone: 𝑢(𝑡) = 𝑚(𝑡)𝑐(𝑡) + 𝐴𝑝 𝑐(𝑡) = 𝐴𝑐 [ 𝐴𝑝 + 𝑚(𝑡)] cos(2𝜋𝑓𝑐 𝑡)
𝑐 𝑐

𝐴𝑐
Spectrum of DSB-SC AM signal: 𝑈(𝑓) = [𝑀(𝑓 − 𝑓𝑐 ) + 𝑀(𝑓 + 𝑓𝑐 )]
2

𝐴2𝑐
Power of DSB-SC AM signal: 𝑃𝑢 = 𝑃 ,𝑃 : power of 𝑚(𝑡)
2 𝑚 𝑚

Demodulation of DSB-SC AM signal: 𝑟(𝑡) cos(2𝜋𝑓𝑐 𝑡) → Lowpass filter → 𝑚(𝑡), 𝑟(𝑡): received signal

• Using a pilot tone:

o 𝑟(𝑡) → Narrowband filter tuned to 𝑓𝑐 → 𝑥(𝑡)
o 𝑟(𝑡)𝑥(𝑡) → Lowpass filter → 𝑚(𝑡)

Implementation of DSB-SC modulator:

• Balanced modulator:
o 𝑚(𝑡), 𝑐(𝑡) → Conventional AM modulator → 𝑢1 (𝑡) = 𝐴𝑐 [1 + 𝑚(𝑡)] cos(2𝜋𝑓𝑐 𝑡)
o −𝑚(𝑡), 𝑐(𝑡) → Conventional AM modulator → 𝑢2 (𝑡) = 𝐴𝑐 [1 − 𝑚(𝑡)] cos(2𝜋𝑓𝑐 𝑡)
o 𝑢1 (𝑡) − 𝑢2 (𝑡) → 𝑢(𝑡) = 2𝐴𝑐 𝑚(𝑡) cos(2𝜋𝑓𝑐 𝑡)
• Ring modulator

Implementation of DSB-SC demodulator:

• Using a phase-locked loop (PLL):

o 𝑟(𝑡) → PLL → 𝑥(𝑡), 𝑟(𝑡): received signal
o 𝑟(𝑡), 𝑥(𝑡) → Balanced modulator → Lowpass filter → 𝑚(𝑡)

Conventional AM

Conventional amplitude modulated signal: 𝑢(𝑡) = 𝐴𝑐 [1 + 𝑚(𝑡)] cos(2𝜋𝑓𝑐 𝑡), |𝑚(𝑡)| ≤ 1

• Alternative representation of 𝑚(𝑡): 𝑚(𝑡) = 𝑎𝑚𝑛 (𝑡), 𝑎: modulation index (0 < 𝑎 < 1)
𝑚(𝑡)
• Normalized 𝑚(𝑡): 𝑚𝑛 (𝑡) = , |𝑚𝑛 (𝑡)| ≤1
max|𝑚(𝑡)|
• Alternative representation of 𝑢(𝑡): 𝑢(𝑡) = 𝐴𝑐 [1 + 𝑎𝑚𝑛 (𝑡)] cos(2𝜋𝑓𝑐 𝑡)
 𝐴𝑐 𝑎 𝐴𝑐
Spectrum of conventional AM signal: 𝑈(𝑓) = [𝑀𝑛 (𝑓 − 𝑓𝑐 ) + 𝑀𝑛 (𝑓 + 𝑓𝑐 )] + [𝛿(𝑓 − 𝑓𝑐 ) +
2 2
𝛿(𝑓 + 𝑓𝑐 )]

𝐴2𝑐 𝐴2𝑐 2
Power of conventional AM signal: 𝑃𝑢 = 2
+ 2
𝑎 𝑃𝑚𝑛 , 𝑃𝑚𝑛 : power of 𝑚𝑛 (𝑡)

• Power of 𝑚(𝑡): 𝑃𝑢 = 1 + 𝑎2 𝑃𝑚𝑛

Implementation of conventional amplitude modulator:

• Power-law modulation: 𝑚(𝑡) + 𝑐(𝑡) → Nonlinear device → BPF tuned to 𝑓𝑐 → 𝑢(𝑡)

• Switching modulator

Implementation of conventional amplitude demodulator:

• Envelope detector

Conventional AM radio broadcasting superheterodyne receiver structure:

• Receive antenna → RF amplifier (tuned by a variable capacitor) → Mixer (uses a local

oscillator output which is tuned by the variable capacitor) → IF amplifier (uses an automatic
volume control provided by the detector) → Detector (feedbacks the automatic volume
control to the IF amplifier) → Audio frequency amplifier → Speaker

Single-Sideband AM (SSB AM)

̂ (𝑡) cos(2𝜋𝑓𝑐 𝑡)
SSB amplitude modulated signal: 𝑢(𝑡) = 𝐴𝑐 𝑚(𝑡) cos(2𝜋𝑓𝑐 𝑡) ∓ 𝐴𝑐 𝑚

• Lower sideband: 𝑢(𝑡) = 𝐴𝑐 𝑚(𝑡) cos(2𝜋𝑓𝑐 𝑡) + 𝐴𝑐 𝑚 ̂ (𝑡) cos(2𝜋𝑓𝑐 𝑡)

• Upper sideband: 𝑢(𝑡) = 𝐴𝑐 𝑚(𝑡) cos(2𝜋𝑓𝑐 𝑡) − 𝐴𝑐 𝑚 ̂ (𝑡) cos(2𝜋𝑓𝑐 𝑡)
• Filtering one of the sidebands of a DSB-SC AM signal: 𝑚(𝑡)𝑐(𝑡) → Bandpass filter → 𝑢(𝑡)

Demodulation of SSB AM signal: 𝑟(𝑡) cos(2𝜋𝑓𝑐 𝑡) → Lowpass filter → 𝑚(𝑡)

Implementation of SSB AM demodulator:

• Using a reference carrier:

o 𝑟(𝑡) → Estimation of the carrier component → 𝑥(𝑡)
o 𝑟(𝑡), 𝑥(𝑡) → Balanced modulator → Lowpass filter → 𝑚(𝑡)

Vestigial-Sideband AM (VSB AM)

VSB amplitude modulated signal: 𝑢(𝑡) = [𝐴𝑐 𝑚(𝑡) cos(2𝜋𝑓𝑐 𝑡)] ∗ ℎ(𝑡), ℎ(𝑡): impulse response of the
VSB filter
𝐴𝑐
Spectrum of VSB AM signal: 𝑈(𝑓) = [𝑀(𝑓 − 𝑓𝑐 ) + 𝑀(𝑓 + 𝑓𝑐 )]𝐻(𝑓)
2

• VSB filter characteristic must satisfy the condition: 𝐻(𝑓 − 𝑓𝑐 ) + 𝐻(𝑓 + 𝑓𝑐 ) = constant,
for |𝑓| ≤ 𝑊, 𝑊: bandwidth of 𝑚(𝑡)

Demodulation of VSB AM signal: 𝑟(𝑡) cos(2𝜋𝑓𝑐 𝑡) → Lowpass filter with |𝑓| ≤ 𝑊 → 𝑚(𝑡)
Implementation of VSB AM demodulator:

• Using a reference carrier:

o 𝑟(𝑡) → Estimation of the carrier component → 𝑥(𝑡)
o 𝑟(𝑡), 𝑥(𝑡) → Balanced modulator → Lowpass filter → 𝑚(𝑡)
• Envelope detector

Signal Multiplexing

Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM)

FDM transmitter:

𝑚1 (𝑡) LPF 𝑥1 (𝑡)

𝑚 (𝑡) LPF 𝑥 (𝑡)
• [ 2 ]→[ ]→[ 2 ]
⋮ ⋮ ⋮
𝑚𝐾 (𝑡) LPF 𝑥𝐾 (𝑡)
𝑥1 (𝑡), 𝑐(𝑡) Modulator 𝑢1 (𝑡)
𝑥2 (𝑡), 𝑐(𝑡) Modulator 𝑢2 (𝑡)
• [ ]→ [ ]→[ ]
⋮ ⋮ ⋮
𝑥𝐾 (𝑡), 𝑐(𝑡) Modulator 𝑢𝐾 (𝑡)
• 𝑠(𝑡) = 𝑢1 (𝑡) (𝑡)
+ 𝑢1 + ⋯ + 𝑢1 (𝑡) → Channel

FDM receiver:

• Channel → 𝑟(𝑡)
𝑟(𝑡) BPF 𝑦1 (𝑡)
𝑟(𝑡) BPF 𝑦 (𝑡)
• [ ]→[ ]→[ 2 ]
⋮ ⋮ ⋮
𝑟(𝑡) BPF 𝑦𝐾 (𝑡)
𝑦(𝑡), cos(2𝜋𝑓𝑐 𝑡) Demodulator LPF 𝑚1 (𝑡)
𝑦2 (𝑡), cos(2𝜋𝑓𝑐 𝑡) Demodulator LPF 𝑚2 (𝑡)
• [ ]→ [ ]→ [ ]→[ ]
⋮ ⋮ ⋮ ⋮
𝑦𝐾 (𝑡), cos(2𝜋𝑓𝑐 𝑡) Demodulator LPF 𝑚𝐾 (𝑡)

Quadrature-Carrier Multiplexing

Quadrature-carrier multiplexing transmitted signal: 𝑢(𝑡) = 𝐴𝑐 𝑚1 (𝑡) cos(2𝜋𝑓𝑐 𝑡) +

𝐴𝑐 𝑚2 (𝑡) sin(2𝜋𝑓𝑐 𝑡)

Demultiplexing & demodulation:

• 𝑟(𝑡) cos(2𝜋𝑓𝑐 𝑡) → Lowpass filter → 𝑚1 (𝑡)

• 𝑟(𝑡) sin(2𝜋𝑓𝑐 𝑡) → Lowpass filter → 𝑚2 (𝑡)