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A Novel Analog-to-digital conversion Technique using nonlinear duty-cycle

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 International Journal of Electronics and Computer Science Engineering 818

Available Online at www.ijecse.org ISSN: 2277-1956

A Novel Analog-to-digital conversion Technique using

nonlinear duty-cycle modulation
Jean Mbihi 1, François Ndjali Beng 2, Martin Kom 3, Léandre Nneme Nneme 4
1
Advanced Teachers' Training College for Technical Education,
University of Douala, BP 1872, Douala, Cameroun
mbihidr@yahoo.fr*
http://www.cyberquebec.ca/mbihi/
2
Advanced Teachers' Training College for Technical Education,
University of Douala, BP 1872, Douala, Cameroun
bndjali@yahoo.fr
3
Ecole Polytechnique, University of Yaoundé I,
BP 8390, Yaoundé, Cameroun
kommar@yahoo.fr
4
Advanced Teachers' Training College for Technical Education,
University of Douala, BP 1872, Douala, Cameroun
Abstract- A new type of analog-to-digital conversion technique is presented in this paper. The interfacing hardware is a very
simple nonlinear circuit with 1-bit modulated output. As a implication, behind the hardware simplicity retained is hidden a
dreadful nonlinear duty-cycle modulation ratio. However, the overall nonlinear behavior embeds a sufficiently wide linear
range, for a rigorous digital reconstitution of the analog input signal using a standard linear filter. Simulation and experimental
results obtained using a well tested prototyping system, show the feasibility and good quality of the proposed conversion
technique.

Keywords: Analog-to-digital conversion, interfacing circuit, nonlinear duty-cycle modulation, digital filer.
1. Introduction
A variety of n-bit A/D (analog-to-digital) conversion structures have been invented over years, in order to meet the
specific requirements of instrumentation systems. These A/D conversion structures include ([1], [2]): successive
approximation, parallel approximation or flash, simple or multiple slopes, sigma-delta, and pipelined. In addition, the
PWM (pulse width modulation technique) usually encountered in power and control electronics has received a great
attention of professionals and researchers for solving A/D conversion problems ([3]-[5]). It is important to mention that
PWM is a special case of DCM (duty-cycle modulation) providing 1-bit modulated code, under a constant modulating
frequency [6].
However, most n-bit A/D converters require complex conversion logic and a great size of the binary code. Even for
the PWM approach of A/D conversion with 1-bit modulated code, the related interfacing hardware is greatly complex, and
consists of a variety of devices including an oscillator, a triangle wave generator, a comparator, logic gates, digital counters,
and more. Thus, the aim of this paper is to present a novel A/D conversion technique, founded on nonlinear DCM, and
embedding a wide linear modulating range to be used for a rigorous digital reconstitution of the control input. In Section 2,
the principle of A/D conversion via nonlinear DCM is presented. Then, the proposed conversion scheme is analyzed and
simulated in Section 3, and the experimental results obtained from a well tested workbench are presented in Section 4.
2. Principle of A/D conversion via nonlinear DCM
The principle of A/D conversion scheme via nonlinear DCM is described in Fig 1. It consists of a
nonlinear DCM interface (see Fig. 1(a)), with an intermediary response xM (t) ϵ {-E, +E } or an equivalent

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A Novel Analog-to-digital conversion Technique using nonlinear duty-cycle modulation

Figure 1: A/D conversion scheme via nonlinear DCM.

1-bit TTL output signal xm (t) ϵ {0, Vcc}. As an implication, the related duty-cycle Rm (x) is defined as follows:

R m ( x ) = T on ( x ) / T m ( x ) (1)
where Tm(x) = Ton(x)+Tof(x) is the modulation period, Ton(X) and Tof (x) being the durations for which xM(t) switches and
remains to +E or –E respectively. Both quantities Ton(x) and Tm(x) simultaneously vary according to the shape of the
modulating input x. In addition, the Fourier’s series of xM(t) in Fig. 1(c) obtained after a few straightforward
developments, is given at discrete times 0, T, 2T, …, k T, …, by :

 4 E  ∞  sin (n π R m ( x ) )  ( k T )  
x M ( k T ) = (2 R m ( x ) − 1) E +   ∑ cos  2 π n  (2)
1 442 4 43  π  n =1  n  T m ( x )  
y f : Low frequency term 144444444 42 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 44 3
High frequency terms

Then, for a given sampling period T, the discrete wave {xM (0), xM (T), xM (2T), …, xM(kT), …} obtained from “Eq.
(2)”, could be processed using a low-pass filter, in order to recover the numerical value of the modulating input signal
x from the estimate of the low frequency term (2 Rm(x) -1) E. In PWM A/D technique, the duty-cycle Rm (x) in “Eq.
(2)”, is a linear function of the modulating input x at the expense of the great complexity of the hardware interfacing
circuit. Whereas the novelty of the piecewise linear DCM A/D conversion proposed in this paper, is to resort to a low-cost
nonlinear interfacing circuit, while providing around an operating point a sufficiently linear modulating range to be
numerically explored, for a rigorous extraction of the input sample using a simple digital linear filter. Thus, in the target
~
range of interest, the nonlinear function Rm (x) is equivalent to a linear approximate Rm ( x) defined by,

~ 1
Rm (x) ≅ Rm ( x) = p m x + , (3)
2
where pm is a design parameter, in which case an ideal digital low-pass filter with static gain 1/(2 E pm ) could be
used for a numerical measure of x from the sampled wave xM(kT) given by “Eq. 2”.
3. Analysis and simulation of a prototyping A/D conversion system via nonlinear DCM
3.1 The overall nonlinear duty-cycle structure and its linear approximation
The prototyping A/D conversion system via nonlinear DCMis presented in Figure 2. The nonlinear DCM interface
is an extended version of a basic modulation circuit proposed in for analog signal processing [7]. Following the
analysis reported in [7], the duty-cycle function Rm(x) associated with the circuit presented in Fig 2(a) is given by :

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Jean Mbihi et al.

 α x − (1 + α 1 ) E 
ln  2 
T on ( x )  α 2 x + (α 1 − 1) E 
R m ( x) = = (4)
Tm ( x)  (α x )2 − ((1 + α 1 ) E )2 
ln  2 2 
 (α x ) − ((α − 1) E )2 
 2 1 
with α 1 = R1/(R1+R2) and α 2 = 1 − α 1 . Surprisingly, behind the schematic simplicity of the interfacing circuit presented
in Fig. 2(a), the quantity Rm(x) provided, appears to be a dreadful nonlinear function of the control input x. Fortunately,
from the simulation results obtained using Matlab and plotted in Fig. 3 for different value of α 1 , it is a challenge to
discover that for a good choice of the design parameter α1, such a nonlinear duty-cycle function offers a sufficiently large
modulating range of interest, to be sampled for a rigorous reconstitution of the modulation signal x. It is important to
observe on Fig. 3 that, in all cases, the relative error due to the linear approximation,

α 1α 2
~ 1 E (1 − α 12 ) ,
Rm (x) ≅ Rm ( x) = p m x + where pm =
dR m ( x )
= (5)
2 dx x =0  1 + α1 
log  
 1 − α1 
indicates that the duty-cycle Rm (x) embeds an exact linear behavior in the modulating range [-2 2] volts.

Figure 2: Prototyping nonlinear DCM

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A Novel Analog-to-digital conversion Technique using nonlinear duty-cycle modulation

~
Fiureg 3: Simulation of Rm(x) & Rm ( x) , εRm(x) and εx (x) for different values of α1.

3.2 The linear digital filter

In the linear modulating range of interest, a digital linear filter is then used to extract the control input x from
the sampled image of the DCM wave xM. The predicted static gain Kf = 1/(2 pm E) of the filter is computed from “Eq.
(5)” as follows:

(1 − α 12 )  1 + α1 
Kf = log   (6)
2 α 1α 2  1 − α1 
In addition, the discrete model of the filter is computed from that of an analog filter with transfer function

X f (s) K ω n2
Fc ( s ) = =
f
(7)
X M (s) s 2 + 2 ξ ω n s + ω n2

where ξ is the damping coefficient, ωn being the natural frequency. Then, for a sampling period T, the related recursive
equation obtained from the transfer function given by “Eq. (7)”, using Tustin’s discretization technique ([8], [9]), is
defined at discrete times k T (for k = 0, 1, 2, …) as follows :
2
y ( k ) = b0 x M ( k ) + ∑ (bi x M ( k − i ) − a i y ( k − i ) ) (8)
i =1

where y(k) = 0 for all k < 0, where as y(0) and y(1) are given. The coefficients b0, b1, b2, a1, a2 coefficients resulting
from the discretization process.

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Jean Mbihi et al.

3.3 Simulation results

The simulated results presented in Fig. 4 have been obtained using Matlab from the following set of data related
to the DCM circuit: x(t) = 2 sin (20 π t), R1=10k and R2= 8.2k (or α1 = 100/182, α2 = 1-α1 = 0.4505), R = 10k, C=33 nF,
E = 9 Volts, T = 0.2 ms, N = 3500 (sample size) and Nh = 20 (highest rank for a numerical computation of the Fourier
series of xM).

Figure 4: A/D conversion via NDCM – Simulation results.

In Fig. 4(a), the modulating signal x is plotted in white color within the graph of the related modulated wave xM(t). Fig
4(b) indicates that, the zoomed view of the modulated wave xM (numerically computed from “Eq. (2)” for the first 20th
harmonics is plotted from time 0.1 s to 0.1040 s. The distortions observed on the modulated wave results from the effects
of two combined phenomena. In fact, it is due to the numerical computation of the Fourier series “Eq. (2)” over a fine
number Nh of harmonics, and to Gibb's phenomenon.
4. Experimentation of a prototyping A/D conversion system via nonlinear DCM
The didactic workbench built for testing the A/D conversion via nonlinear DCM is presented in Fig 5. The
instrumentation set (Fig. 5(a)) consists of an integrated signal generator (ICL8038) used as a triangle wave source, a low
frequency generator (Philips PM5107) used as a sine signal source, and a Hewlett Packard HP1631 analyzer, used as a
reference monitoring instrument. The duty-cycle modulation interface Fig. 5(b) is the same used for previous simulations.
Furthermore, a NEC Power Mate Computer (single core, 2 Mhz) with an embedded LPT port is used as a digital processing
and monitoring unit. Then, the related input state register from which the TTL modulated signal xm(t) is sampled is
available at address 379 hexadecimal. It is important to note that, if a LPT is not available as it is the case for most recent
personal computers, a low cost PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) digital input card could be used as well.
Furthermore, the testing acquisition and monitoring software, is developed using Windows programming techniques
presented in [10].

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A Novel Analog-to-digital conversion Technique using nonlinear duty-cycle modulation

Figure 5: Workbench for A/D conversion via nonlinear DCM.

Fig 6 shows a sample of results recorded during experiments and run in Matlab environment. In Fig. 6(a), the
modulating sine wave x(t) = 2 sin(20 π t) to be converted observed on the screen of the HP1631D analyzer is generated
using Philips PM5107 low frequency generator. In Fig. 6(b), the parameters (E, α1, N, fc, , ξ, ) and the related experimental
results (modulated signal xM, and DCM-based A/D conversion output y), are observed on the screen of the control panel
of our visual instrumentation software. In Fig. 6(c), the graphs of the DCM-based A/D conversion output y obtained from
experiments and that of the pure modulating input x(t) = 2 sin (20 π t) are plotted for the sake of comparison. Finally,
Fig. 7 shows a sample of results obtained under a triangle modulating input x generated by the ICL8038 integrated circuit.
For all cases, the experimental results obtained and compared with the simulated behavior show the high quality of
the proposed DCM-based A/D conversion technique. Thus, according to our best knowledge, combining a simple
nonlinear interfacing hardware and a piece of software, for implementing a rigorous A/D conversion solver, appears to be a
novelty in instrumentation engineering.
5. Conclusion
A new type of A/D conversion technique is analyzed, simulated and well tested in this paper. Because of the
great simplicity of both the required hardware interface and the related digital decoding unit, it could be used with great
ease to match the requirements of low cost A/D conversion systems. In addition, it could be used also, as a low cost
building block for multichannel A/D conversion systems, with 1-bit output code per analog channel.

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Jean Mbihi et al.

Figure 6: A/D conversion via NDCM – Experimental results obtained when a sine
Modulating signal is generated using a PM5107 low frequency generator.

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A Novel Analog-to-digital conversion Technique using nonlinear duty-cycle modulation

Figure 7: Real time A/D conversion results obtained when the modulating signals are generated by the ICL8038 integrated circuit.
Finally, for the sake of higher performance, an implementation of the proposed A/D conversion scheme using a microchip
device with a high precision and stable clock, might be a great challenge in industrial instrumentation engineering. These
attractive unsolved instrumentation problems, are new perspectives for short term research works.
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1111, Krismadinata Chaniago in Electronics, 2009..
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[5] Altera, Pulse Width Modulation Using MAX II CPLDs, Application note AN-501, Altera Corporation, December 2007.
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