Amplitude Modulation

Lesson 6
EEE352 Analog Communication Systems
Mansoor Khan
 Amplitude Modulation
• Amplitude Modulation is the process of changing
the amplitude of a relatively high frequency carrier
signal in proportion with the instantaneous value of
the modulating signal (information).

• Use in commercial broadcasting of both audio and

video signals.

• Also used for two-way mobile radio

communications.
AM Waveforms
Time Domain
Signal

time

Carrier

time

time
Detection of Signal

time

time
Susceptible to Noise

time
 Frequency Domain
watts
Unmodulated

Carrier
Signal

frequency
Baseband

watts
Modulated
Carrier
Signal

frequency
Baseband Baseband
 AMPLITUDE MODULATION: DOUBLE
SIDE BAND (DSB)
• Modulating signal, base band signal, information
signal
m(t ) M ( )
• Carrier signal:
c(t )  cos(ct  c )
• with Spectrum
C ( )    (  c )   (  c )
 DSB (cont)
• Modulation is the product of the base band with the
carrier
m(t ) cos(c t )  M (  c )  M (  c )
1
2
 DSB (cont)
• DSB-SC modulation simply shifts the frequency
contents of m(t) to the carrier frequency
USB & LSB
 Demodulation
• To demodulate we multiply the signal by a cos(wct )
1 1 
m(t ) cos(wct )cos(wct )  m(t ) cos (wct )  m(t )  cos(2wct )
2

2 2 

• Therefore the FT of this signal is

1 1 
m(t )   cos(2wct )  M ( w)  M ( w  2wc )  M (  2wc )
1 1
2 2  2 4
• If we lowpass filter this signal we recover
1
m(t )
2
 Demodulation (cont)
• We need a carrier of exactly the same frequency and
phase as the carrier used for modulation:
Synchronous Detection or Coherent Detection
Demodulation (cont)
 Modulators
• Multiplier Modulators
• Nonlinear Modulators
• Switching Modulators
• Ring Modulator
 Nonlinear Modulators
• Let the IO characteristic of a system to be

y(t )  ax(t )  bx (t )
2

 
z(t )  y1 (t )  y2 (t )  ax1 (t )  bx1 (t )  ax2 (t )  bx2 (t )
2 2

• Substituting the two inputs

x1 (t )  cos wct  m(t ) x2 (t )  cos wct  m(t )

• We obtain
z (t )  2am(t )  4bm(t ) cos wct
 Nonlinear Modulators (cont)
• If we pass the signal though a BPF centered at wc we
will get the modulated signal

z (t ) AFTER THE BPF  4bm(t ) cos wct

 Switching Modulators
• In this case we multiply the modulating signal by any periodic
signal of frequency wc
• The fourier series of a square pulse train is (Eq. 2.75)
1 2 1 1 
w(t )    cos wct  cos 3wct  cos 5wct....
2  3 5 
• then
m(t ) 2  m(t ) m(t ) 
m(t ) w(t )    m(t ) cos wct  cos 3wct  cos 5wct....
2  3 5 
 Switching Modulators (cont)
• If this signal is passed trough a BPF centered at wc we
get our modulated signal

m(t ) w(t ) AFTER THE BPF 

2
m(t ) cos wct.

Series/Shunt bridge diode
modulator
 Ring Modulator
• This is the second kind of switching modulators, in this case
the square wave is bipolar
• The fourier series of this pulse train will be given by (Eq. 2.76-
B.P. Lathi)
4 1 1 
w(t )   cos wct  cos 3wct  cos 5wct....
 3 5 
• then

4 m(t ) m(t ) 
m(t ) w(t )   m(t ) cos wct  cos 3wct  cos 5wct....
 3 5 
 Ring Modulator (cont)
• The desired signal after the BPF is

m(t ) w(t ) AFTER THE BPF 

4
m(t ) cos wct.

• The input of the BPF does not contain any of the original input
signals, therefore this is an example of a double balanced
modulator
 Frequency Mixer or converter
• We wanted to change the modulated signal from wc to wI
• The product x(t) is
x(t )  2m(t ) cos c t cos mix t
x(t )  m(t )cosc  mix t  cosc  mix t 
• Down conversion if we select
mix  c   I
x(t )  m(t )cosc  (c   I )t  cosc  c   I t 

x(t )  m(t )cos I )t  cos2c   I t 

 Frequency Mixer (cont)
• Up conversion if we select
mix  c  I
x(t )  m(t )cosc  (c  I )t  cosc  c  I t 

x(t )  m(t )cos I )t  cos2c   I t 

Frequency Mixer (cont)
 AMPLITUDE MODULATION
(Transmitted Carrier DSB-TC)
• In this case we send the carrier with the signal

 AM (t )  A cos ct  m(t ) cos ct



 
Carrier Sidebands

• We can think as the modulating signal to be

 
 AM (t )   
A  m(t )
 
 cos ct
mod ulating 
 signal with a DC 
 AM (cont)
• The spectrum of this signal is

 AM ( w) 
1
M (w  wc )  M (w  wc )  1 A (w  wc )   (w  wc )
2  
 2 
DSB SC spectrum Carrier spectrum
EEE 352
 AM (cont)

• A is large enough that A  m(t )  .0The demodulation can be

achieved by a simple envelope detector

• Let’s consider the peak value of m(t )to be m p. Then the

condition for envelope detection of AM signal is

A  m(t )  0
• Which is equivalent to

A  mp
 Modulation Index

• We define the modulation index as

mp

A
• Therefore we can see that if we want to maintain the
condition A  m p

• We have
0   1
Example 4.4
Example 4.4 (cont)
 Percentage Modulation

Under modulated (<100%) 100% modulated Over Modulated (>100%)

Envelope Detector Envelope Detector

Can be used Gives Distorted signal