Understand all the needed ideas about envelope

detector in time and frequency domain

By : Oussama Gassab

Contact : oussamagassab@yahoo.com

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282
1- to understand how the envelope detector demodulate the
signal (( how it extract the original signal s(t) from the
modulated signal x(t) )) and why the condition

1
RC

0

must be achieved , we have to analyze the concepts in frequency
domain
When look to the phenomena of envelope detector in time
domain we will see only the detection of the envelope ,
when the capacitor is charged and discharged, and all the
other amazing concepts cannot be seen
Because when we try to construct and prove the relation

1
RC

0
we will only say that the period of the charging
capacitor must be very large than the period of the frequency
0

so
0

0

1
RC

0

But when we try to prove

1
RC
we will not have clear
vision in time domain .
To take very clear understand we have to observe the
phenomena in both time and frequency domains.


Since the AM signal is in the
form
= 1 +
0

The diode is On for the
positive wave of
0
and
is Off in the negative wave

So the diode will follow the following graph










The Fourier series of this signal
=
1
2
+
2

(1)

2 +1
+
=0
cos(2 + 1)
0

So the current i(t) is

= where = 1 +
0
so
= 1 +
1
2

0
+
2

2 +1

0

+
=0
cos(2 +1)
0

We have

0
cos2 + 1
0
=
1
2
cos2 + 2
0
+ cos(2)
0

With small simplification we got :
= 1 +
1

+
1
2

0

2

4
2
1
2
0

+
=1

We have obtained the Fourier series of the current through the
diode
When we drew the spectrum () of the current , we will
observe
If the spectrum of s(t) is given by




0
t
d(t)
1







Than the spectrum of () is given by







The resistor and the capacitor circuit
construct low pass filter with transfer
function
=

1+
the cutoff frequency is
1

and

R
its graph as shown
below . when the current passes
through this low pass filter
We will obtain the original signal as
Shown below


So to retain our signal that must
1
RC
must be between
0

and

and since
0

that is mean
1
RC
must satisfy the
condition

1
RC

0

As an remark we have always to understand any phenomena in
both time and frequency domains in order to get complete
understanding about this phenomena