Amplitude Modulation on MATLAB Simulink

What is Amplitude Modulation?

This topic is the result of Digital Signal Processing term project named Amplitude Modulation
and Demodulation on Texas Instrument Kit DSK C6713 with Matlab Simulink. One of the
fundamental part of our project is included in this very post. The whole term mini project will be
gradually discussed in subsequent posts. Before we proceed, we must know what actually
modulation and amplitude modulation is? A modulator alters the carrier waves corresponding to
the variation of the modulating signals. Resulting modulated signal thus carries message
information. Amplitude modulation is the process of changing the amplitude of a high frequency
carrier signal corresponding to the amplitude of the modulating signal (Information). The wave
whose amplitude is being varied is called the carrier wave and the signal doing the variation is
called the modulating signal i-e message signal or information signal. The carrier is always
almost a sinusoidal wave. The modulating or message signal can be a sine wave but it can be
arbitrary waveform such as audio signal etc.

Some Mathematics :
For simplicity, suppose both carrier wave and modulating signal are sinusoidal:
vc = Vc sin wc t (c denotes carrier)
and
vm = Vm sin wm t (m denotes modulation)
We want the modulating signal to vary the carrier amplitude, Vc, so that:
vc = (Vc + Vm sin wmt).sin wc t
where (Vc + Vm sin wm t) is the new, varying carrier amplitude.
Expanding this equation gives:
vc = Vc sin ωc t + Vm sin ωc t. sin ωm t
which may be rewritten as:
vc = Vc [sin ωc t + m sin ωc t. sin ωm t]
where m = Vm/Vc and is called the modulation index.
sin ωc t.sin ωm t = (1/2) [cos(ωc - ωm) t - cos(ωc + ωm) t]
so, from the previous equation:
vc = Vc [sin ωc t + m sin ωc t. sin ωm t]
we can express vc as:
vc = Vc sin ωc t + (mVc/2) [cos(ωc - ωm) t] - (mVc/2) [cos(ωc + ωm) t]

1.

The original carrier waveform, at frequency ωc, containing no variations and thus
carrying no information.
 2.

A component at frequency (ωc - ωm) whose amplitude is proportional to the modulation

index. This is called the Lower Side Frequency.

3.

A component at frequency (ωc + ωm) whose amplitude is proportional to the modulation

index. This is called the Upper Side Frequency.

AMPLITUDE MODULATION USING MATLAB SIMULINK

A Sinusoidal signal of frequency 1 Hz, Amplitude=1

Carrier Signal of frequency 20 Hz and Amplitude=1

The above model is the equivalent of the mathematical expression:

s(t)=[1+m(t)](cos(2πfct))
Where;
m(t) represent the message signal
And cos(2πfct) represent the carrier
 Run the Simulink model, the message, carrier and modulated output can be observed on the
oscilloscope.

MATLAB Simulink Model of Amplitude Demodulation

Demodulation is the process of extracting the baseband message signal from the carrier so that it
may be processed at the receiver. Demodulation is necessary for the massage signal to be
received properly at the receiver. For that purpose various methods are used like diode detector
method, product detector method, filter detector etc. The same has been implemented on
simulink model. Let’s see the block diagram of a basic demodulator:-

BLOCK DIAGRAM OF DEMODULATOR

Low pass filter has been implemented to extract the carrier from the modulated signal. Lowpass
filter (LPF) filters out the high frequency component and allows the low frequency component
to pass. Since the carrier signal is of relatively much higher frequency than that of message
signal, carrier signal is attenuated while the message signal is received at the receiver.

MATLAB SIMULINK MODEL OF DEMODULATION

Here is the snapshot of MATLAB Simulink Model of Amplitude Demodulation which you can
also by download it from here.