Communication Engineering

(KEC401)
Pulse Modulation
(Unit-4)

Ashish K. Rao
REC, Kannauj
Modulation Classification
Types of Modulation
 Pulse Modulation
• Lecture 1- Topics
• 4.1- Introduction to Pulse Modulation
• 4.2- Pulse Analog Modulation Techniques
Pulse amplitude modulation
Pulse width modulation
Pulse position modulation
Sampling process
Numerical Examples
 Introduction
• In pulse modulation, to advancing the communication field
pulse train is used as a carrier signal in place of sine wave.

• The characteristic of the pulse train signal (amplitude width

and position) is varied in according to the massage signal
known as pulse modulation

• If the amplitude of the pulse is made proportional to the

message signal then it is termed as pulse amplitude
modulation.
 Introduction
• Alternatively if the width of the pulse is made proportional to
the message signal, then it is termed as the pulse width
modulation.

• The position of the pulse, i.e., its instant of occurrence

compared to its position in the reference pulse train is varied
in proportion to the message signal is known as pulse position
modulation.

• Finally, the amplitude of the pulse can be approximately

represented by discrete amplitude value which lead to the
pulse code modulation (PCM)
 Introduction
• Further, variants of PCM include delta modulation (DM) and
differential PCM (DPCM).

• To summarize, in case of pulse analog modulation, time is

discrete, but the pulse parameter are analog, where as, both
time and pulse parameters are discrete in case of pulse digital
modulation.
 Pulse Analog Modulation Techniques
• PAM, PWM, PPM.
• Pulse amplitude modulation (PAM)
– This is defined as the process of varying the amplitude of the pulse in
proportion to the instantaneous variation of message signal.
• Let message signal given by

• The pulse train is a periodic signal with some fundamental

period say . Then the information present in each period of the
pulse train is given by.
 Pulse amplitude modulation (PAM)

=0
• Where is the width of the pulse and the leading edge of the
pulse is assumed to be coinciding width the starting of the
interval in each period.

• The pulse amplitude modulated wave in the time domain is

obtained by multiplying the message with the pulse train and
is given by.
 Pulse amplitude modulation (PAM)

• Substituting p in the above equation we get

•
= 0

[2]Open source internet access

PAM
 PAM
• Figure shows the message, pulse train and PAM signal.
• The amplitude of the PAM signal follows the message signal contour.
• It can be shown that the spectrum of PAM signal is a sinc function present at all
frequencies (topic of Fourier series in any of the signals and systems textbook).
• Of course, its significant spectral amplitude values will be in the low frequency
range and tapers off as we move towards the high frequency range.
• The message signal is a low frequency signal. Multiplication of the two for
generating the PAM signal results in the convolution of their spectra in the
frequency domain.
• Thus PAM signal still retains the message spectrum in the low frequency range
after modulation. This is the difference between amplitude modulation of sine wave
and pulse train.
• Therefore,
• PAM is not useful like AM for communication. Alternatively, PAM is found to be
useful in understanding the sampling process to be described next.
 Sampling Process
• PAM is found to be useful in understanding the sampling
process.

• Sampling Process: sampling is a signal processing operation

that helps in sensing the continuous time signal values at
discrete instant of time.

• The sampled sequence will have amplitudes equal to the signal

values at the sampling instants and undefined at all over times.
 Sampling process
• It is as treated as an electronic switching action as in fig.

Analog Electronic Sampled

Signal Switch Signal

Control Signal
=Pulse train
• The continuous time signal to be sampled is applied to the input terminal. The
pulse train is applied as the control signal of the switch.
• When the pulse occurs, the switch is in ON condition, that is, act as short
circuit between input and output terminal. The output value will therefore be
equal to input.
• During the other intervals of the pulse train, the switch is in OFF condition, that is,
acts as open circuit. The output is therefore undefined.
• Diode, transistor or FET can be used as a switch.
 Sampling process
• There is two aspect :
– 1. how often the signal need to be sampled or sensed, so that when
needed CT signal can be reconstructed. (based on sampling theorem)
• The sampling frequency (Fs) i.e., number of samples per second
should be greater than or equal to twice the maximum frequency
component (Fm) of the input signal.

• The minimum possible value of sampling frequency is termed

as Nyquist rate.
– 2. the width of the pulse should not influence the amplitude of the
sampled value.(Frequency domain behaviour of PAM)
 Pulse Width Modulation
• Pulse width modulation (PWM) is defined as the process of
varying the width of the pulse in proportion to the
instantaneous variations of message.
• Let be the width of the pulse in the unmodulated pulse train.
ln PWM

• Mathematically, the width of pulse in PWM signal is given by

• When there is no message, i.e., = 0, then the width of lhe pulse

will be equal to the original width . For positive values of
message, the width will be proportionately increases by (1 + )
factor. For negative values of message, the width decreases by
( I - ) factor.
 Pulse Width Modulation

Fig. Generation of PWM signal. (n) Message, (b) pulse h·ni11 and (c) PWM.
 Pulse Width Modulation
• Fig. shows the generation of PWM signal. The amplitude of the pulse
remains constant in this case. Thus PWM is morn robust to noise compared
to PAM. This is the difference with respect to PAM signal.
• The mathematical treatment about the frequency domain aspect of PWM is
an· involved process. However, the resulting PWM will still have the
spectrum in the baseband region itself. The illustration given in Fig. is
made only using trailing edge of the pulse.
• We can also perform the same using either leading edge or both. Even
though, the PWM signal also contains the message information in the pulse
train, it is seldom used as a sampling process to discretize the continuous
time signal as in PAM case due to its indirect way of storing message
information and also the randomness involved in the width modification.
Thus PWM has limited use in signal processing and communication field.
Alternatively, PWM finds use in power applications like direct current
(DC) motor speed control
 Pulse Position Modulation
• Pulse position modulation (PPM) is defined as the process of
varying the position of the pulse with respect to the instantaneous
variations of the message signal.
• Let tp indicates the timing instant of the leading or trailing edge of
the pulse in each period of the pulse train. In PPM

• Mathematically, the position of the leading or trailing edge of the

pulse (in each period) in PPM signal is given by

• When there is no message, then the position of the leading or

trailing edge of the pulse will be equal to the original position and
hence tp =0.
 Pulse Position Modulation
• For positive values of message, the position will be
proportionately shifted right by tp = f(vm). For negative values
of message, the position will be proportionately shifted left by
–tp =-f(vm ) factor. One way of generating PPM is to generate
PWM and postprocess the same to get PPM.
• Fig above shows the generation of PPM signal. As illustrated
in the figure, if PWM is generated by varying the width of the
trailing edge, then this edge will be extracted to get the
position of the pulse in each period.
• Once the position is extracted, the leading or trailing edge of
the pulse is placed at this instant.
• The amplitude and width of the pulse remain constant as in the
original pulse train.
 Pulse Position Modulation
• Thus PPM is equally robust to noise like PWM. The mathematical
treatment about the frequency domain aspect of PWM is an involved
process.
• However, the resulting PPM will also have the spectrum in the
baseband region itself. Alternatively, if PWM is generated by
varying the leading edge, then this edge needs to be extracted to
generate PPM and any edge can be used in case of modification of
both edges.
• Even though, the PPM signal also contains the message information
in the pulse train; it is seldom used due to its indirect way of storing
message. information as in PWM and also the randomness involved
in the position modification. Thus PPM is of theoretical interest only
and bas limited use in signal processing and communication field.
 Pulse Position Modulation

Fig. Generation of PPM. (a) Message, (b) pulse train (c) PWM and (d)
PPM.
 Demodulation of Pulse Analog Modulated
Signals
• PAM, PWM and PPM stores the message in the baseband itself.
They essentially represent the message information at discrete
instants of time.

• Further the message signal is coded in one of the pulse parameters.

We can recover the message that is, reconstruct the approximate
version of the continuous time signal from them when needed.

• This is illustrated in Fig. below. The process is straightforward in

case of PAM.
 Demodulation of Pulse Analog Modulated
Signals
• The PAM signal can be passed through a low pass filter which
retains essentially the low frequency message signal and
smoothing out the pulse train information.
• Alternatively, demodulation of message from PWM and PPM
appears to be difficult, since visually the message information
is not available as amplin1de variations.
• However, the same is available in the other forms as width and
position variations.
• One simple way of thinking the possibility of demodulation
process is to first convert PWM and PPM to PAM and then
perform, low pass filtering.
 Demodulation of Pulse Analog Modulated
Signals
•
PAM Low Pass Filter
Message

PWM/PPM
PWM To Low Pass Filter
PPM PAM converter Message

Fig. Demodulatio.11 of pulse analog modulated signals: (n) PAM, and (b)
PWM and PPM.'
 Numerical
• Ex1- A message signal made of multiple frequency components has a
maximum frequency value of 4 kHz. Find out the minimum sampling
frequency required according to sampling theorem.
• Answer: 8 kHz
• Ex2- A message signal has the following frequency component: a single
tone sine wave of 500 Hz and sound of frequency components with lowest
value of 750 Hz and highest value of 1800 Hz. What should be the
minimum sampling frequency to sense the information present in this
signal according to the sampling theorem ?
• Ex3- Determine the Nyquest rate and sampling interval of the following
CT signal

• Answer: 1500, 0.67

 References
• 1. Kennedy’s “Electronic Communication systems,” sixth
Edition, special India edition 2018, Mc Graw Hill publication.

• 2. open source internet access

Thank You