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CHAPTER 3

AMPLITUDE
MODULATION
Presented by Group 2
AMPLITUDE MODULATION

Amplitude modulation (AM) is a method used in electronic communication


to encode information such as audio or data onto a carrier wave by varying
the amplitude (strength) of the carrier signal in accordance with the
variations in the input signal. In simpler terms, AM alters the height or
intensity of a carrier wave to represent the changes in the original signal,
allowing the transmission of information through changes in signal strength.
This modulation technique is commonly used in broadcasting for AM radio
transmissions.
Amplitude modulation (AM) is a technique for encoding information onto a
carrier wave by varying its amplitude. The mathematical representation of
AM involves multiplying the carrier wave
by the modulating signal (m(t)), where "A" is the carrier amplitude, "f_c" is
the carrier frequency, and "m(t)" is the time-varying message signal. The
resulting modulated signal can be expressed as:
Message signal m(t)
Virtues, Limitations, and Modifications of Amplitude
Modulation
&
Double Sideband-Suppressed Carrier Modulation
- Amplitude modulation is the oldest method of performing modulation. The
net result is that an amplitude modulation system is relatively inexpensive to
build. However, from Chapter 1 we recall that transmitted power and channel
bandwidth are our two primary communication resources, and they should be
used efficiently.
II. Limitations, and Modifications of Amplitude Modulation
1. Amplitude modulation is wasteful of transmitted power. The carrier wave
c(t) is completely independent of the information-bearing signal, The
transmission of the carrier wave therefore represents a waste of power.
2. Amplitude modulation is wasteful of channel bandwidth. The upper and
lower sidebands of an AM wave are uniquely related to each other by virtue
of their symmetry about the carrier frequency; hence, given the amplitude
and phase spectra of either sideband, we can uniquely determine the other
- Amplitude modulation is the oldest method of performing modulation. The
net result is that an amplitude modulation system is relatively inexpensive to
build. However, from Chapter 1 we recall that transmitted power and channel
bandwidth are our two primary communication resources, and they should be
used efficiently.
3.3 Double sideband-suppressed carrier (DSB-SC) modulation
- The transmission of a signal, which contains a carrier along with two
sidebands can be termed as Double Sideband Full Carrier system or simply
DSBFC. It is plotted as shown in the following figure.
- However, such a transmission is inefficient. Because, of the power is being
wasted in the carrier, which carries no information.
- If this carrier is suppressed and the saved power is distributed to the two
sidebands, then such a process is called as Double Sideband Suppressed
Carrier system or simply DSBSC.
- Let us consider the same mathematical expressions for modulating and
carrier signals as we have considered in the earlier chapters.

(Modulating signal)

(Carrier signal)
- Product of modulating and carrier signals.
Double sideband-suppressed carrier (DSB-SC) modulation
Bandwidth of DSBSC Wave
- We know the formula for bandwidth (BW) is

- Consider the equation of DSBSC modulated wave.


Power Calculations of DSBSC Wave
-Consider the following equation of DSBSC modulated wave.
-Power of DSBSC wave is equal to the sum of powers of upper sideband and lower sideband frequency components.
-We know the standard formula for power of cos signal is.
LET'S GO STEP BY STEP!
1. First, let us find the powers of upper sideband and lower sideband one by one.
-Upper sideband power
2. Similarly, we will get the lower sideband power same as that of upper sideband power.
3. Now, let us add these two sideband powers in order to get the power of DSBSC wave.
Costas Receiver
&
Quadrature-Carrier Multiplexing
3.4 Costas Receiver:
The Costas receiver is a method used for coherent detection of a Double Sideband Suppressed Carrier (DSB-SC) modulated wave. Coherent
detection requires synchronization of the locally generated carrier in the receiver with the transmitter's carrier in both frequency and phase.
I-channel & Q-channel
These two detectors are coupled together to form a negative feedback system designed in such a way as to maintain the local
oscillator in synchronism with the carrier wave.
In-phase coherent detector or (I-channel)
-The I-channel focuses on extracting the desired signal from the incoming DSB-SC wave.
Quadrature-phase coherent detector or (Q-channel)
-Q-channel operates similarly but with a crucial distinction.
-A phase shifter introduces a 90-degree phase difference compared to the I-channel.
Voltage Controlled Oscillator (VCO)
-A voltage-controlled oscillator is an electronic oscillator whose oscillation frequency is controlled by a voltage input.
-This VCO, in ideal conditions, maintains synchronization with the carrier wave.
-Phase drift is the gradual change in the starting point or alignment of a signal's waveform from its expected position.
Phase Discriminator.
-The Phase Discriminator compares signals from both channels, detecting any phase disparity.
3.5 Quadrature-Carrier Multiplexing:
or QAM, is a technique that utilizes the quadrature null effect of the coherent detector. It allows two Double-Sideband Suppressed Carrier
(DSB-SC) modulated waves, resulting from two physically independent message signals, to share the same channel bandwidth.
Transmitter Part
It involves the use of two separate product modulators supplied with carrier waves of the same frequency but with a phase difference of -90
degrees.
The transmitted signal, s(t), is the sum of these two modulator outputs. The transmitted signal, s(t), occupies a channel bandwidth of 2W
centered on the carrier frequency.

Receiver Part
The multiplexed signal is applied to two coherent detectors with local carriers of the same frequency but differing in phase
Ensuring Synchronization:
To ensure the system operates satisfactorily, maintaining the correct phase and frequency relationships is crucial. This synchronization can
be achieved using a Costas receiver, as described in Section 3.4, or through other methods such as sending a Pilot signal outside the
passband.
Costas receiver - It ensures the proper phase and frequency relationships between the transmitter and receiver, contributing to the stability of
the QAM system.
Pilot Signal Method - This pilot signal is associated with the carrier wave and is usually a low-power sinusoidal tone. The pilot signal is
extracted and translated at the receiver for use in the coherent detector.
Single-Sideband Modulation
&
Vestigial Sideband Modulation
Single-Sideband Modulation
In suppressing the carrier, DSB-SC modulation takes care of a major limitation of AM that
pertains to the wastage of transmitted power. To take care of the other major limitation of
AM that pertains to channel bandwidth, we need to suppress one of the two sidebands in
the DSB-SC modulated wave. This modification of DSB-SC modulation is precisely what
is done in single sideband (SSB) modulation. In effect, SSB modulation relies solely on the
lower sideband or upper sideband to transmit the message signal across a communication
channel. Depending on which particular sideband is actually transmitted, we speak of
lower SSB or upper SSB modulation.
-we start the study of SSB modulation by first considering the simple case of a sinusoidal modulating wave, and then
we generalize the results to an arbitrary
modulating signal in a step-by-step manner.

To proceed then, consider a DSB-SC modulator using the sinusoidal modulating wave
Frequency Discrimination Method
One straightforward method for SSB generation, called the frequency discrimination
method, is depicted in Fig. 3.19; this discriminator follows directly from Eqs. (3.24) and
(3.25) presented in Problem 3.10. The SSB modulator of Fig. 3.19 consists of two compo-
nents: product modulator followed by band-pass filter. The product modulator produces
a DSB-SC modulated wave with an upper sideband and a lower sideband. The band-pass
FIGURE 3.18 (a) Spectrum of a message signal with energy gap centered around zero
frequency. Corresponding spectra of SSB-modulated waves using (b) upper sideband, and
(c) lower sideband. In parts (b) and (c), the spectra are only shown for positive frequencies.

filter is designed to transmit one of these two sidebands, depending on whether the upper
SSB or lower SSB is the desired modulation. For the design of the band-pass filter to be prac-
tically feasible, there must be a certain separation between the two sidebands that is wide
enough to accommodate the transition band of the band-pass filter. This separation is equal
to where is the lowest frequency component of the message signal, as illustrated in
Fig. 3.18. This requirement limits the applicability of SSB modulation to speech signals
Phase
Discrimination Method
The second method for SSB generation, called the phase discrimination method, isdepicted in Fig. 3.20; its
implementation follows from the time-domain description of SSBwaves defined in Eq. (3.23). This second SSB
modulator consists of two parallel paths, one called the in-phase path and the other called the quadrature path.

COHERENT DETECTION OF SSB


The demodulation of DSB-SC is complicated by the suppression of the carrier in the trans-mitted signal. To make up for
the absence of the carrier in the received signal, the receiverresorts to the use of coherent detection, which requires
synchronization of a local oscillator in the receiver with the oscillator responsible for generating the carrier in the
transmitter.
FREQUENCY TRANSLATION
The basic operation performed in single sideband modulation is in fact a form of frequency
translation, which is why single sideband modulation is sometimes referred to as frequency
changing, mixing, or heterodyning.
Vestigial Sideband Modulation
Single-sideband modulation works satisfactorily for an information-bearing signal with an energy gap centered around
zero frequency. However, for the spectrally efficient transmission of wideband signals, we have to look to a new
method of modulation for two reasons:
1. Typically, the spectra of wideband signals (exemplified by television video signals and
computer data) contain significant low frequencies, which make it impractical to use
SSB modulation.

2. The spectral characteristics of wideband data befit the use of DSB-SC. However, DSB-
SC requires a transmission bandwidth equal to twice the message bandwidth, which
violates the bandwidth conservation requirement.
To overcome these two practical limitations, we need a compromise method of modulation that lies somewhere between
SSB and DSB-SC in its spectral characteristics. Vestigial sideband, the remaining modulation scheme to be considered
in this section, is that compromise scheme.
Vestigial sideband (VSB) modulation distinguishes itself from SSB modulation in two
practical respects:
1. Instead of completely removing a sideband, a trace or vestige of that sideband is
transmitted; hence, the name “vestigial sideband.”
2. Instead of transmitting the other sideband in full, almost the whole of this second band
is also transmitted.
SIDEBAND SHAPING FILTER

To produce VSB modulation, we may use the modulator depicted in Fig. 3.23, which con-
sists of a product modulator followed by a band-pass filter. For VSB modulation, the band-
pass filter is referred to as a sideband shaping filter.
COHERENT DETECTION OF VSB
For an exact recovery of the message signal from the VSB modulated wave except for some
amplitude scaling, we may use the coherent detector shown in Fig. 3.12. As with the DSB-SC and
SSB demodulations studied previously, the demodulation of VSB consists of multiplying with a
locally generated sinusoid and then low-pass filtering the resulting product signal
Baseband Representation of
Modulated Waves and Band-Pass
Filters
&
Theme Examples
3.8 Baseband Representation of Modulated Waves and Band-Pass Filters
A modulated wave with a sinusoidal wave as the carrier is really a band-pass signal with its center located at the carrier frequency,
as we have seen from the examination of various modulation techniques in this chapter. The carrier wave imprints itself onto the
modulated wave's structure precisely because of this. When the carrier wave is contained as a distinct element in the transmitted
signal, it does so explicitly. Depending on the type of modulation employed, the sidebands of the transmitted spectrum are
positioned around the carrier frequency in some way to indicate to the receiver that the carrier wave is suppressed.
BASEBAND REPRESENTATION OF MODULATED WAVES
Consider then a generic, linear modulated wave, which is defined by
Let

be the carrier wave with frequency and


be the carrier's quadrature-phase version. In order to maintain generality, we have simplified the situation by setting the carrier
amplitude to unity. We now use the compact form to express the modulated wave.
Example:
Example of amplitude modulation (AM) using the given equations. In this case, we'll assume a simple message signal s (t) and a
carrier frequency fc. The modulated signal can be expressed using Equation (3.40):
Here,
·I(t) is the in-phase component,
·Q(t) is the quadrature-phase component,
·s(t) is the modulated signal,
·fc​is the carrier frequency.

Let's say our message signal s (t) is a simple sinusoidal signal:


be the carrier's quadrature-phase version. In order to maintain generality, we have simplified the situation by setting the carrier
amplitude to unity. We now use the compact form to express the modulated wave.
Let's say our message signal s(t) is a simple sinusoidal signal:
s(t)=Am​cos(2πfm​t)
Where Am​is the amplitude of the message signal, and fm​is its frequency. Now, let's define the in-phase I (t)) and quadrature-
phase Q (t)) components based on the given equations:
I(t)=Am​cos(2πfm​t)
Q(t)=Am​sin(2πfm​t)
Now, substitute these into the modulated signal equation:
s(t)=Am​cos(2πfm​t)cos(2πfc​t)+Am​sin(2πfm​t)sin(2πfc​t)
This is the equation for an amplitude-modulated signal. The in-phase component I(t)) is modulated onto the carrier cosine wave,
and the quadrature-phase component Q(t)) is modulated onto the carrier sine wave.
The complex envelope of the modulated wave, as defined in Equation (3.41), would be:
E(t)=I(t)+jQ(t)=Am​cos(2πfm​t)+jAm​sin(2πfm​t)
BASEBAND REPRESENTATION OF BAND-PASS FILTERS
The development of the baseband representation of a band-pass signal (exemplified by a modulated wave) in this section
inspires the urge to build the comparable representation for band-pass filters, including band-pass communication channels.
Consider a linear band-pass filter whose input-output behavior is determined by the transfer function, which is limited to
frequencies inside the mid-band frequency; in effect, 2B limits the filter's bandwidth. Assume a modulated wave is applied to
this filter, resulting in the output depicted in Fig. 3.26(a). We assume that the modulated wave's transmission bandwidth is
2W, centered on a carrier frequency. In other words, the modulated wave's spectrum and the frequency response of the band-
pass filter are aligned, with (The reason for ignoring the case is that in such a situation, the modulated wave passes through
the filter completely unaffected, which is therefore of no practical importance.)
3.9 Theme Examples
We provide three theme instances in this section, which build on the continuous-wave modulation theory described in previous
sections of the textbook. Rather than mathematical calculations or design details, the talks stress insight into the operational
features of analog communication systems.
Example 1: Signal Processing in Frequency-Division Multiplexing (FDM) Systems
This theme could illustrate how continuous-wave modulation theory is applied in practical systems, particularly in the context of
Frequency-Division Multiplexing (FDM). FDM involves combining multiple signals onto a single transmission medium by
allocating different frequency bands to each signal. The example might delve into how FDM systems handle the simultaneous
transmission of multiple signals and how signal processing is employed to separate them at the receiver.
Example 2: Frequency Modulation (FM) in Broadcasting
This example could provide insights into the operational aspects of analog communication systems using Frequency Modulation
(FM). Instead of focusing on the intricate mathematical details of FM, it might discuss how FM is employed in broadcasting,
emphasizing aspects such as signal quality, noise resilience, and the practical considerations in implementing FM for radio
transmissions. This could offer a more practical and intuitive understanding of FM applications.
Example 3: Phase-Locked Loops (PLL) in Communication Systems
The third theme might revolve around the operational significance of Phase-Locked Loops (PLL) in communication systems.
PLLs are crucial components in maintaining the phase coherence of signals, ensuring accurate demodulation and synchronization.
This example could explore how PLLs contribute to the stability and reliability of continuous-wave modulation systems,
highlighting their role in practical communication applications.
These theme examples appear to be intended to provide a better practical knowledge of how continuous-wave modulation theory
is applied in real-world communication systems. The emphasis on operational aspects emphasizes that rather than becoming
caught down in the complexities of mathematical formulations or technical design concerns, the emphasis should be on functional
aspects and applications.
Hey there, who's got
a burning question
to ask?
A WARM
THANK YOU
TO ALL OF YOU!

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