TUTORIAL ON DIGITAL MODULATIONS

Part 7: Intersymbol interference

[last modified: 2010-

2010-11-
11-23]

Roberto Garello
Garello,, Politecnico di Torino

Free download at: www.tlc.polito.it/

www.tlc.polito.it/garello
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only))

1
 Part 7:
Intersymbol interference
Summary:

ISI

No ISI condition in time

II Nyquist theorem

Ideal low pass filter

Raised cosine filters

TX filters
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 Time domain constraint

{
M = s1 (t ),..., si (t ),..., sm (t ) }

Until now: all the constellation signals have finite time domain

0t <T

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 Consequence

There is no intersymbol interference: every symbol can be independently

analyzed.

s(t ) = ( s[0](t ) | s[1](t ) | ... | s[i](t ) | ...

r (t ) = ( r[0](t ) | r[1](t ) | ... | r[i ](t ) | ...

T T T

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 Example 1
1 0 1 0t <T

s(t)

T 2T 3T t

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 ISI
What happens if we remove this time domain constraint?

s(t ) = ( s[0](t ) | s[1](t ) | ... | s[i](t ) | ...

r (t ) = ( r[0](t ) | r[1](t ) | ... | r[i ](t ) | ...

T T T

The signal received in a given interval also depends on other

transmitted signals.

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 Example 2
0 t < 2T
1 0 1

s(t)

T 2T 3T

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 ISI
In this example, it is not possible to separate the symbol intervals.

Does this happen for any signal without the time constraint?

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 Analytical procedure
Let us consider a mono-dimensional constellation with basis signal p(t). We
have:

s(t ) = [ n ] p ( t nT )
n

Let us transmit s(t) over an ideal channel:

r (t ) = s(t )

By computing the projection of r(t) on p(t-nT) we should obtain [n].

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 r (t ) p ( t nT ) dt = [ n]p ( t nT ) p ( t nT ) dt =
n

= [ n ] + [ m] p ( t mT ) p ( t nT ) dt
m n

ISI
We obtain [n] + a second term that depends on all the other symbols: ISI

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 With time domain contraint

If p(t) has time domain 0t <T

All the integrals are zero

p ( t mT ) p ( t nT ) dt = 0 mn

There is NO ISI

r (t ) p ( t nT ) dt = [ n]

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 Without time domain contraint

There is NO ISI if and only if

p ( t mT ) p ( t nT ) dt = 0 mn

All the shifted versions of the basis signal must be orthogonal.

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 Example 1
p(t)
0t <T
t
p(t-T)

t
p(t-2T)

t
p(t+T)

A pulse p(t) with time-domain constraint is automatically orthogonal to

all its shifted versions

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 Example 2

0 t < 2T
p(t)

t
p(t-T)

p(t+T) t

The pulse p(t) is not orthogonal to these two shifted versions

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 NO ISI condition

Does exist any pulse p(t) without the time domain constraint 0 t < T that
satisfy the No ISI condition?

p ( t mT ) p ( t nT ) dt = 0 mn

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 The function x

Let us introduce

x( ) = p ( t ) p ( t nT ) dt

Clearly, the No ISI condition is equivalent to:

x(0) = 1 (p(t) has unitary energy)

x( ) = 0 = nT n0

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 The NO ISI condition in time

If p(t) satisfies the No ISI condition, then x(t) has this time behavior:

x(t)
1

-3T -2T -T T 2T 3T t

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 The time domain contraint

Clearly, an infinite number of functions x(t) have this properties.

The key question is if some of them do not have the time domain constraint

If p(t) has the time domain constraint, then its Fourier transform P(f) has
infinite frequency response
Since
x( ) = p ( t ) p ( t nT ) dt

then
X ( f ) = P ( f ) P* ( f )

Also X(f) has infinite frequency response

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 Looking for X(f)

Do exist any X(f) with finite frequency response that satisfies the No ISI
condition?

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 II Nyquist theorem

X(f) satisfies the No ISI condition in time if and only

i
i X f T =T

Given X(f), the sum of all its replicas centered around multiples of
1/T must be a constant:

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 Proof

x(t ) ( t nT ) = ( 0 )
n

1 i
X ( f )
T n
f =1
T
i
i
X f =T
T

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 Nyquist criterion, case 1
X(f )
1
Case 1: f max <
2T
1
2T
f max f max

2 1 1 2

T T T T

n
In this case it is impossible to satisfy the Nyquist criterion X f = T
n T
(holes at frequencies n/2T)

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 Nyquist criterion, case 2
1
Case 2: f max = X(f )
2T

1
2T
f max f max

2 1 1 2

T T T T

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 Nyquist criterion, case 2
1
Case 2: f max =
2T

A solution exists: the ideal low pass filter

X(f )

1 1

2T
2T 2T
2T It satisfies the
frequency-domain Nyquist criterion
T

n

2

1 1 2 n X f T = T
T T T T

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 Ideal low pass filter
sin( t / T )
The ideal low pass filter x(t ) =
( t / T )
1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2
Note that it clearly satisfies
0.0 the time-domain Nyquist criterion

x(iT ) = 1 if i = 0
-0.2

x(iT ) = 0 if i 0
-0.4
-10 -8 -6 -4 -2 0 2 4 6 8 10
t/T

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 Ideal low pass filter

The ideal low pass filter

X(f )

1 1

2T 2T
1
T

This is the waveform satisfying Nyquist

with the smaller bandwidth occupation

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 Ideal low pass filter

The ideal low pass filter represents the best possible solution.
Unfortunately it is not possible to implement it.

It has an infinite impulse response.

Even if we truncate it, it is not possible to obtain a good approximation.

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 Nyquist criterion, case 3
1
Case 3: f max >
2T
X(f )

f max 1 f max
2T

2 1 1 2

T T T T
There are a lot of solutions.

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 Raised cosine filters
Example (very important for applications)
Raised cosine filters

sin( t / T ) cos( t / T ) roll-off coefficient

x(t ) =
( t / T ) 1 (2 t / T )2 0 1

Note that

1. They clearly satisfy the time-domain Nyquist criterion x(iT ) = 1 if i = 0

x(iT ) = 0 if i 0
2. For =0 we obtain the ideal low pass filter

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 Raised cosine filters
alfa=0.2
1.0 alfa=0.8

0.8

sin( t / T ) cos( t / T )
0.6 x(t ) =
( t / T ) 1 (2 t / T ) 2
0.4

0.2

0.0

-0.2

-0.4
-10 -8 -6 -4 -2 0 2 4 6 8 10
t/T

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 X(f)/T
alfa=0.2
Raised cosine filters 1.0 alfa=0.8

0.8

Frequency response
0.6

0.4

0.2

0.0

-1.2 -1.0 -0.8 -0.6 -0.4 -0.2 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2
fT

(1 )
X( f ) =T for f
2T
T T 1 (1 ) (1 + )
X( f ) = 1 sin f for f
2 2T 2T 2T
(1 + )
X( f ) = 0 for f
2T

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 Raised cosine filter

Raised cosine filters

sin( t / T ) cos( t / T )
x(t ) =
( t / T ) 1 (2 t / T )2

They can be approximated very well if is not too low.

The impulse response is infinite and must be truncated
secondary lobes.
Can be very low (FIR filters).

(Example, FIR digital filter, windowing design, 16 intervals

= 64 taps with sampling frequency 4R)

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 TX filter

Remember that we have studied the properties of the function x(t), where

x( ) = p ( t ) p ( t nT ) dt

X ( f ) = P ( f ) P* ( f )

Given X(f) equal to the ideal low pass filter or the raised cosine, what
is p(t)?

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 TX filter
If we look for an even function p(t)=p(-t)

P ( f ) = P* ( f )
X ( f ) = [ P( f )]
2

P( f ) = X ( f )

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 Ideal low pass TX filter

sin( t / T )
For the ideal low pass filter x(t ) =
( t / T )

1 sin( t / T )
We obtain p(t ) =
T ( t / T )

If X(f) is the ideal low pass filter than P(f) is the ideal low pass
filter, too.

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 Ideal low pass TX filter

Transmission filter p(t): ideal low pass filter

Minimal bandwidth occupancy equal to 1
2T
XP((ff) )

1 1

2T 2T
1
T

The best possible solution in terms of bandwidth
ideal benchmark.

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 RRC TX filter
sin( t / T ) cos( t / T )
For the raised cosine filter x(t ) =
( t / T ) 1 (2 t / T )2
We obtain

t t t
sin( (1 )) + 4 cos( (1 + ))
Root Raised Cosine 1 T T T
(RRC)
p (t ) =
T t t
(1 (4 ) 2 )
T T

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 RRC TX filter

Transmission filter p(t): root raised cosine filter

1
Bandwidth occupancy equal to (1 + )
2T

We will approximate P(f) as a trapezoid, too:

XP((ff) )

1 1
(1 + ) (1 + )
2T 2T
1
(1 + )
T

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 RRC TX filter
Can be well approximated by a FIR filter, if is not too low (typically,
0.2)

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