The document discusses analog to digital conversion. It explains that analog signals are converted to discrete digital signals through sampling. This allows the signals to be stored and processed by computers. It describes how sampling works, noting that the sampling rate must be greater than twice the highest frequency in the analog signal to avoid aliasing. It also discusses resolution and how the number of bits in an analog to digital converter determines the precision of digitized signals.
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Lecture 6 - Analog To Digital Basics
The document discusses analog to digital conversion. It explains that analog signals are converted to discrete digital signals through sampling. This allows the signals to be stored and processed by computers. It describes how sampling works, noting that the sampling rate must be greater than twice the highest frequency in the analog signal to avoid aliasing. It also discusses resolution and how the number of bits in an analog to digital converter determines the precision of digitized signals.
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Analog to Digital basics
By Fareed Ahmed Jokhio
Analogue to digital conversion • In the process of analogue to digital conversion, an analogue signal is converted into a digital signal which can then be stored in a computer for further processing. • Analogue signals are "real world" signals Analogue to digital conversion • In order for them to be stored and manipulated by a computer, these signals must be converted into a discrete digital form the computer can understand. Analogue to digital conversion • Using A/D conversion and a computer to analyze data has many advantages over older non-computerized methods. • Computer data is easily transported and manipulated. • Computer analysis of signals is far more efficient than analysis by hand and paper. Analogue to digital conversion • Most importantly, real-time analysis can be performed - this means that signals can be analyzed as they are acquired during the course of an experiment Sampling • Consider the signal shown in the figure. • It is an analogue signal, since it is continuously changing in time. Sampling
• Any arbitrarily given value that is within the
range of the signal can be obtained simply by measuring electrical activity at the right point in time. • The object of A/D conversion is to convert this signal into a digital representation, and this is done by sampling the signal. Sampling
• A digital signal is a sampled signal, obtained by
sampling the analogue signal at discrete points in time. • These points are usually evenly spaced in time, with the time between being referred to as the sampling interval. Sampling
• In the figure, the sampling interval is 2.5
milliseconds, with samples being taken at the times indicated by the red dots on the waveform. Sampling
• The electronic circuit that carries out the process of
sampling the signal and A/D conversion is called an analogue-to-digital converter (ADC). • Being an electronic device, it requires an electrical signal at its input. • Thus the first step in the process of A/D conversion is to convert the analogue (non-voltage) signal into an analogue voltage signal. Sampling
• The device that carries out this function is called
a transducer. • For signals which are inherently voltages such as the electrocardiogram from the heart, the electrooculogram from the eyes, or the electromyogram from muscle, transduction is of course not necessary. Sampling • There are two important parameters related to sampling: • The sampling rate, fs, determines the number of samples taken per second. • Sampling precision, N, determines the gradations for the sampling process. (In other words, sampling precision dictates the y-axis divisions of a graphed signal.) Sampling Sampling • The image above shows a sample rate which is too slow for the changes in the analog signal. • In the latter half of the signal mapping, especially, the digital signal fails to accurately reproduce the analog one because the analog signal experiences rapid amplitude changes between samples. • By doubling the sample rate, the digital signal would begin to look much more like the original analog one. Sampling Rate and Aliasing • A consideration to be kept in mind during the process of A/D conversion is the choice of sampling rate. • The sampling rate is the frequency expressed in Hertz (Hz) at which the ADC samples the input analogue signal Sampling Rate and Aliasing • The sampling interval is the time between successive samples: the sampling rate is thus the inverse of the sampling interval. • Generally speaking, the faster the rate at which a signal changes, the higher the frequency content of the signal, and the higher is the sampling rate needed to reproduce it faithfully. Sampling Rate and Aliasing Sampling Rate and Aliasing • This can be appreciated from the figure, which shows that the rapidly rising phase of the wave form is not represented as well in the sampled waveform as is the more slowly changing part. • In fact, it can be proven mathematically that the sampling rate to be used must be greater than twice the highest frequency contained in the analogue signal. • This critical sampling rate is called the Nyquist Sampling rate Sampling Rate and Aliasing • The figure below illustrates the sampling of a sine wave using two different sampling rates. • The times at which A/D conversion are made are given by the vertical lines beneath the signal, while the red asterisks on the waveform show the voltages that are sampled. • The highest frequency present in this signal is the frequency of the signal itself, since it is a simple sine wave, and so contains only one frequency. Sampling Rate and Aliasing Sampling Rate and Aliasing • Note that the sampling rate in the upper figure is about ten times higher than the highest frequency present in the signal and so is about five times the Nyquist rate. • The sampled signal is thus a reasonable approximation of the analogue signal. Sampling Rate and Aliasing • The lower figure above shows the situation that results when the sampling rate is reduced to about 1.2 times the highest frequency contained in the analogue signal. • This sampling rate is thus lower than the Nyquist rate, and the sampled signal (dashed line) bears little resemblance to the analogue signal. Sampling Rate and Aliasing • Note that the frequency of the sampled signal is much smaller than that of the analogue signal. • This artifactual result due to improper choice of the sampling rate is called aliasing. Resolution and Quality • Analog-to-digital converter precision is determined by the number of bits the device possesses. • The number of bits, n, is directly related to the number of sampling gradations, N, so that N = 2n . • (Gradations can be thought of as the scale of measured intervals with which to express values contained in the analog signal.) Resolution and Quality • For example, a 12-bit converter is capable of 4096 gradations. • If the analog signal is within the range of 0-5 V (a typical control signal), this range would be broken up into 4096 intervals in order to express analog values, with 0 V being 0 and 5 V being 4095. • If the analog signal measures 2.4414 V at a given sample time, the digital equivalent would be 2000. • The entire analog signal can be mapped proportionally using these gradations. Resolution and Quality • Device precision can be defined as 1/N, with smaller values indicating greater precision. • For example, a 4-bit converter has a precision 1/16 that of the analog signal, while a 10-bit one is 1/1024 as precise Resolution and Quality