AM Demodulation Techniques

COMMUNICATION SYSTEM ( TC-307), FALL, 2022

 AM/DSB-FC Demodulation
The process of extracting an original message signal from the modulated wave is known
as detection or demodulation. The circuit, which demodulates the modulated wave is known as
the demodulator.
The following demodulator (detector) is used for demodulating AM wave:
Envelope Detector
Envelope Detector
Envelope detector is used to detect (demodulate) DSBFC/ AM wave. Following is the circuit diagram of
the envelope detector.

This envelope detector consists of a diode and low pass filter. Here, the diode is the main detecting element.
Hence, the envelope detector is also called as the diode detector. The low pass filter contains a parallel
combination of the resistor and the capacitor.
The AM wave is applied as an input to the detector.
Envelope Detector
At time t=0, when the input is zero, diode will not work because initially the voltage across the capacitor will
be zero i.e., capacitor is not charged.
When the zero voltage is applied across the diode as shown in the figure below, the voltage potential remains
same across the diode and the circuit will not be operational.

At time t=0+ , the input value is greater than 0 as shown in the figure, the voltage potential at P side is greater
than the N side of diode so the diode will be forward biased. At this condition, the diode is acting as a short
circuit as shown in the figure and the output across the diode will be equal to the capacitor voltage. The
capacitor will start charging with that voltage.
Envelope Detector

At time t=t1, the input value to the envelope detector reaches the maximum value i.e. A , the output to the envelope detector will
also reach to the maximum value A.
 At time t=𝑡1+ , the input voltage starts decreasing but the output voltage at the capacitor is already maximum i.e. A, and
now the voltage at N side is more than the voltage at P side, the diode will be reverse biased and becomes open circuited. Due to
that, the capacitor voltage decreases and it starts discharging through the resistor R as shown in the figure below.
Envelope Detector
The process will be repeated and the capacitor will be charging and discharging according to the provided input voltage. The
voltage across the capacitor will be exactly equal to the envelope after passing it through smoothing filter, hence the information
signal will be extracted.
 For the capacitor voltage to follow the envelope properly, the capacitor has time constant which should satisfies the following
condition:
𝟏 𝟏
<<RC<<
𝒇𝒄 𝒇𝒎
Envelope Detector
𝟏
Case 1: RC< :
𝒇𝒄
𝟏
When the RC time constant is less than the , the capacitor discharges very fastly as shown in the
𝒇𝒄
figure below: There is a very big gap between capacitor voltage and envelope so the envelope of
input signal is not followed properly.
 Envelope Detector
𝟏
Case 2: RC> :
𝒇𝒎

𝟏
When the RC time constant is greater than the , the capacitor discharges very slowly and takes more time
𝒇𝒎
to discharge completely as shown in the figure below: The peak values of envelope is missed by the
capacitor voltage and the effect is known as “Diagonal Clipping”. Hence, the envelope of input signal is not
𝟏
followed properly. To avoid the diagonal clipping, RC< .
𝒇𝒎
 DSBSC Demodulator
The process of extracting an original message signal from DSBSC wave is known as detection or demodulation
of DSBSC. The following demodulator (detector) is used for demodulating DSBSC wave.
1. Coherent Detector
1. Coherent/Synchronous Detector: The product modulator has two inputs. One is the received DSBSC
input and other is the carrier signal which is locally generated with the help of oscillator at the receiver side
that must be synchronized with that of the transmitted carrier signal. Therefore, the frequency and phase of
the carrier signal which is locally generated at the receiver should be same as the frequency and phase of
the transmitted signal. Hence, this process of detection is called as coherent or synchronous detection.
Following is the block diagram of the coherent detector. As the message signal is the low frequency signal
so Low pass filter is used with the cutoff frequency of 𝑓𝑚 to transmit the signal at 𝒇𝒎 and less than 𝒇𝒎 .
Coherent/Synchronous Detector:

 As the DSBSC signal is given by:

M(t) = 𝑋 𝑡 𝐴𝑐 𝐶𝑜𝑠𝑤𝑐 𝑡
Therefore, the v(t)=M(t)×C(t)
1+𝑐𝑜𝑠2𝑤𝑐 𝑡
V(t)=𝑋 𝑡 𝐴𝑐 𝐶𝑜𝑠𝑤𝑐 𝑡×𝐴𝑐 𝐶𝑜𝑠𝑤𝑐 𝑡=𝑋 𝑡 𝐴𝑐 2 𝐶𝑜𝑠 2 𝑤𝑐 𝑡=𝑋 𝑡 𝐴𝑐 2 ( )
2
𝑋 𝑡 𝐴𝑐 2 𝑋 𝑡 𝐴𝑐 2 𝑐𝑜𝑠2𝑤𝑐 𝑡
V(t)= 2 + 2
Coherent/Synchronous Detector:
The frequency spectrum of the v(t) is given below: The low pass filter will pass only the frequency component
of 𝒇𝒎 and reject the another term at 2𝒇𝒄 frequency.
The output is given below and the information signal is recovered back from the DSBSC signal.
𝑋 𝑡 𝐴𝑐 2
V(t)= 2
Coherent/Synchronous Detector
The effects of asynchronous carrier signal at the receiver side with respect to transmitted carrier signal are
discussed below:
Case 1: Effects of phase drift in synchronous detector:
The balanced modulator has two inputs i.e., DSBSC signal and carrier signal 𝑉𝑐 cos (𝑤𝑐 𝑡+θ)which has the
phase shift with respect to transmitted carrier signal. At the transmitter, carrier signal is 𝑉𝑐 cos(𝑤𝑐 𝑡) having
phase 0 but at the receiver, phase shift of θ is present in the locally generated carrier signal. Therefore,
x(t) 𝑉𝑐 2
X(t)= x(t) 𝑉𝑐 cos(𝑤𝑐 𝑡)×𝑉𝑐 cos (𝑤𝑐 𝑡+θ)= ×2 cos(𝑤𝑐 𝑡) cos (𝑤𝑐 𝑡+θ)
2
Coherent/Synchronous Detector
x(t) 𝑉𝑐 2
X(t)= [cos(𝑤𝑐 𝑡 + 𝑤𝑐 𝑡+θ) +cos (𝑤𝑐 𝑡 − 𝑤𝑐 𝑡+θ)]
2
x(t) 𝑉𝑐 2
X(t)= [cos(2𝑤𝑐 𝑡+θ) +cos (θ)]
2

The first term has the frequency 2𝑓𝑐 so when the signal is passed from the low pass filter, it will be
rejected and only the second term will be passed. The output will be:
x(t) 𝑉𝑐 2
X(t)= cos (θ)
2

When θ=90⁰ then the output will be zero i.e., Y(t) = 0. This effect is called as Quadrature Null Effect.
At the receiver side, the locally generated carrier will be 𝑉𝑐 cos (𝑤𝑐 𝑡+90⁰)=-Sin𝑤𝑐 𝑡 where as at transmitter
side, the carrier signal is 𝑉𝑐 cos 𝑤𝑐 𝑡, hence the cos and sin signals are perpendicular/quadrature to each
other and the output we get is 0 therefore its known as Quadrature null effect.
Coherent/Synchronous Detector
Case 2: Effects of frequency drift in synchronous detector:
The balanced modulator has two inputs i.e., DSBSC signal and carrier signal 𝑉𝑐 cos 2π (𝑓𝑐 +∆f)t which has
the frequency shift with respect to the transmitted carrier signal. At the transmitter, carrier signal is
𝑉𝑐 cos(2π𝑓𝑐 𝑡) having frequency 𝑓𝑐 but at the receiver, frequency shift of ∆f is present in the locally
generated carrier signal.
x(t) 𝑉𝑐 2
Therefore, X(t)= x(t) 𝑉𝑐 cos(𝑤𝑐 𝑡)×𝑉𝑐 cos (𝑤𝑐 𝑡+ ∆w)t= ×2 cos(𝑤𝑐 𝑡) cos (𝑤𝑐 + ∆w)t
2
 Coherent/Synchronous Detector
x(t) 𝑉𝑐 2
X(t)= [cos(𝑤𝑐 +𝑤𝑐 + ∆w)t + cos (𝑤𝑐 − 𝑤𝑐 + ∆w)t ]
2
x(t) 𝑉𝑐 2
X(t)= [cos(2𝑤𝑐 + ∆w)t + cos (∆w)t ]
2
As the low pass filter is centered to the 𝑓𝑚 , 𝑠𝑜 𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 2𝑓𝑐 .
The output will be:
x(t) 𝑉𝑐 2
X(t)= cos (∆w)t
2
The message signal is now shifted to small frequency ∆w. As the message signal is multiplied with the cos
signal and cos signal is oscillatory signal so the amplitude of message signal will also vary and distortion in
output will occur. This effect is called as Beat effect and the message signal will not be recovered.
Therefore, in order to get the information back from the modulated signal, it is necessary that the locally
generated carrier signal at receiver should be synchronized with that of the transmitted carrier signal.
SSBSC and VSBSC Demodulation
The synchronous detection technique as
discussed in DSBFC is also used for SSBSC and
VSBSC demodulation to extract the information
signal from these modulated signals.