OVERVIEW

A digital communication system conveys information in the form of discrete symbols from its source to a destination some distance away. The approach used to address the subject is from a general viewpoint: since all communication systems share the same basic function of transferring information, the teaching presents the principles and problems of conveying information in terms of digital messages in electrical form through a noisy channel.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The teaching is aimed at providing the bases of digital communications: the baseband and bandpass transmissions will be presented, discussed, and compared. The goal is to give the students an adequate knowledge needed to understand the key elements for designing and developing modern telecommunication systems.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

Attendance, active participation to lectures, and individual study will allow students

- to appreciate the theoretical and actual advantages deriving from the use of digital systems

- to understand the main elements of a digital communication system;

- to know the main baseband transmission systems and to compare the principal parameters affecting their performance;

- to know the main bandpass transmission systems and to compare the principal parameters affecting their performance.

PREREQUISITES

Students are expected to have a reasonable background in signal theory, probability theory, random processes and analog modulations.

TEACHING METHODS

Traditional lectures (50 hours) in attendance

Any further information will be published on the course's AulaWeb page.

Students with DSA certifications are invited to contact both the lecturer and the disability contact person to arrange any individual learning accommodations. These accommodations will always consider the course's learning objectives.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

General concepts: analog and digital messages. Scheme of a digital communication system. Digital transmission over baseband channels: PAM. Intersymbol interference: Nyquist criterion. PAM power spectrum. Main line codes and their spectra. PAM optimum receivers.

-  Bit and frame synchronization: basic techniques.

-  Digital transmission over bandpass channels: OOK, ASK, FSK, CPFSK, PSK and their power spectra. Noise equivalent bandwidth. Synthesis of modulators by means of QAM systems.

-  Coherent reception for binary bandpass systems: optimal receivers for OOK, FSK, PRK. Noncoherent OOK, FSK, DPSK receivers: performance (error probability) evaluation. Bandpass M-ary QAM, APK and PSK receivers, performance evaluation. Link budget in a digital transmission

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

A. B. Carlson, P. B. Crilly, J. C. Rutledge, “Communication Systems”, 4th edition,  Mac Graw Hill, 2002

B. Sklar “Digital Communications: Fundamentals and Applications”, Prentice Hall 2001

Handouts by the teacher.

Generally, the notes taken during lectures, the provided teaching materials, and the recommended textbook are sufficient for exam preparation.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Written + oral

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The written exam is devoted to assess whether the students have actually learnt  the spectra estimation of digital modulations, the use of constellations, and the evaluation of link budgets.

Oral examination will focus on the topics covered during the lectures. The aim is to evalute the degree of learning, autonomy, reasoning skills achived by the student.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Ask the professor for other information not included in the teaching schedule