TE331: Principles of Analogue

Telecommunications

Lecture #7
Multiplexing of Signals
 Contents

 Multiplexing

 Frequency Division Multiplexing

 Time Division Multiplexing

 Bandwidth requirements

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 Multiplexing
 In communication networks, most of the
individual communicating devices typically
require modest bandwidth (or data rates).

 Usually the communication media have much

higher bandwidth compared to what is needed.

 As a consequence, two communicating stations

do not utilize the full capacity of a communication
link.

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 Multiplexing
 When the bandwidth of a medium is greater than
individual signals to be transmitted, the medium
can be shared by more than one channel of
signals.
 The method of combining multiple signals into
one signal and transmit over a shared
communication link (medium) is called
multiplexing
 Performing multiplexing makes the most effective
use of the available channel capacity.
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 Multiplexing
 Sometimes multiplexing is referred to as muxing
 At the receiver the combined signal are separated
back to individual signals, a method know as
demultiplexing (demuxing)
 Other related terms
– Multiple Access; multiple users share same
channel resources.
 Note that: Multiplexing and multiple access are
two different terms**

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 Multiplexing

DEMUX
1 medium
MUX
n inputs n outputs
n channels

Multiplexing allows n users to occupy the channel

for the duration in time that the channel is
available
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 Multiplexing
 The multiplexer is connected to the demultiplexer
by a single data link.
 The multiplexer combines data from these 𝑛
input lines and transmits them through the high
capacity data link.
 At the receiving side the line is demultiplexed
and signals are delivered to the appropriate
output lines.
 Thus, Multiplexing can also be defined as a
technique that allows simultaneous transmission
of multiple signals across a single data link.
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 Multiplexing
 Consider a signal 𝑥 𝑡 = 𝐴𝑐𝑜𝑠(2𝜋𝑓𝑡)
 The signal is characterised by amplitude,
frequency, phase and time.
 Various multiplexing methods are possible in
terms of the channel bandwidth and time.
 The two basic methods are;
– Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM)
– Time Division Multiplexing (TDM)

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 Frequency Division Multiplexing

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 Frequency Division Multiplexing
 The available bandwidth of a single physical
medium is subdivided into several independent
frequency bands.
 Independent message signals are translated into
different frequency bands with different carrier
frequencies using modulation techniques (sub-
carriers)
 Then they are combined by a linear summing
circuit in the multiplexer, to a composite signal

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 Frequency Division Multiplexing
 Each signal occupies its own specific band within
the same physical channel all the time.
 At the receiving end the composite signal is
applied to a bank of band-pass filters (with
different cut-off frequencies), which separates
individual frequency channels.
 The band pass filter outputs are then
demodulated and distributed to different output
channels.

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Frequency Division Multiplexing
FDM Transmitter
m1 (t ) Modulator
1

Modulator
m2 (t )
2 Linear
Communication Channel
Summing
Circuit sFDM (t )
m3 (t ) Modulator
3

mn (t ) Modulator
n

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Frequency Division Multiplexing
FDM Receiver
Demodulator
BPF
1
m1 (t )

Demodulator
Communication Channel
BPF
2 m2 (t )

sFDM (t )
Demodulator
BPF
3
m3 (t )

Demodulator mn (t )
BPF
n

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 Cross Talk & Guard Bands
 If the channels are very close to one other, it
leads to inter-channel cross talk (interference).
 Channels must be separated by strips of unused
bandwidth to prevent inter-channel cross talk.
 These unused gaps between each successive
channel are known as guard bands
 By Definition, a guard band is a narrow frequency
range that separates two ranges of wider
frequency.

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 Cross Talk & Guard Bands

........ n
1 2 n-1

f
BT

Guard bands

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 FDM – Applications
 In FM and AM Radio broadcasting

 In Television broadcasting (Cable TV systems)

 In first generation cellular telephone systems

(multichannel telephony, public telephones)

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 FDM – Advantages
 No need of synchronization between the
transmitter and receiver.

 Easy to multiplex and demultiplex

 A large number of signals can be transmitted

simultaneously.

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 FDM – Disadvantages
 The system is all Analog

 Channel is allocated even if no data is transmitted

 Suffers problem of cross-talk.

 Intermodulation distortion takes place.

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 FDM carrier Systems
 The frequency band used for voice transmission
in a telephone network is 4 kHz,
 for a particular cable of 48 kHz bandwidth, twelve
separate 4 kHz sub channels can be used for
transmitting twelve different messages
simultaneously.
 Each radio and TV station, in a certain broadcast
area, is allotted a specific broadcast frequency, so
that independent channels can be sent
simultaneously in different broadcast areas.

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 FDM carrier Systems
Hierarchy of FDM schemes
 Group
– 4 kHz for each channel
– Bandwidth of transmission = 48 kHz
– 12 channels
 Super-group
– FDM of 5 group signals
– 60 channels
 Master-group
– FDM of 10 super-group signals
 Jumbo Group
– FDM of 6 master-group signals

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 FDM carrier Systems

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 Time Division Multiplexing

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 Time Division Multiplexing
 In TDM system, several message signals are
transmitted over a common communication
channel by dividing the time into slots.
 All signals operate with same frequency at
different time slots.
 TDM is made possible by the sampling theorem.
Samples of each message signal are assigned a
separate time slot.

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 Time Division Multiplexing
 Most TDM systems in use are digital. Analog signals
are converted to digital format before transmission in
multiplexed form.
 An electronic commutator samples all message
signals in sequence and combines them to form a
composite signal
 The composite signal is then transmitted through the
media
 At the receiving end the signal is demultiplexed into
appropriate independent message signals by the
corresponding decommutator.

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 Time Division Multiplexing

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 Time Division Multiplexing
 Low-pass filters are used to band-limit the spectra
of the message signals
1
 Commutator makes 𝑓𝑠=
, revolutions per
𝑇𝑠
second.
 The output of the commutator is a PAM signal
that contains samples of the input signals
periodically interlaced in time within the
transmission bandwidth.
 Decommutator outputs are filtered by
reconstruction LPFs
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 Time Division Multiplexing

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 Time Division Multiplexing
 Samples from adjacent input message signals are
separated by 𝑇𝑠 𝑁 where 𝑁 is the number of
message signals.
 For signals with equal bandwidth 𝐵, Number of
pulses per second 𝑟 is given by;

r  Nf s  2 NB

 The time 𝑇𝑠 is a frame for within this time, each

signal has one sample.

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 TDM – Synchronization

 In TDM, Synchronisation between the multiplexer

and demultiplexer is required
 Synchronization can be achieved by assigning one
time slot per frame (framing bits) for transmission
of a marker pulse

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 TDM – Synchronization

 Marker pulses establish the frame frequency 𝑓𝑠 at

the receiver.

 These marker pulses follow a pattern that allows

the demultiplexer to synchronize with the
incoming stream so that it can separate the time
slots accurately

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 Bandwidth Requirements
 Let 𝑁 message signals with maximum bandwidth
𝐵 𝐻𝑧
 Sampling theorem suggests that the sampling
period to be 1 1
Ts  
fs 2B
 Time spacing between adjacent samples in the
TDM signal is given by
Ts
T sec
N
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 Bandwidth Requirements
 Assuming the one sample of the multiplexed
signal to be low-pass with bandwidth 𝐵𝑇𝐷𝑀 ,
Sampling theorem requires that:
1
BTDM   BN Hz
2T

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 Cross Talk and Guard Times
 Transmission channel causes pulse tails of TDM
signals to overlap into the next time slot.

 This results in inter-channel cross talk with

distorted reconstructed signals at the receiver.

 Establishing guard times between adjacent pulses

of the TDM signal can control cross talk and its
effects.

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 Cross Talk and Guard Times

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 TDM – Applications
 ISDN telephone lines
 Public Switched Telephone Networks
 2G telephone systems (GSM)

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 TDM – Advantages
 Full utilization of available bandwidth for each
channel
 No intermodulation distortions
 No subcarriers at the same time in the medium
 Problem of crosstalk is not severe (like FDM)
 High throughput for all users
 TDM Circuit is simple

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 TDM – Disadvantages
 Requires careful synchronization between
commutator and decommutator
 Require AD conversion at high rate
 Requires higher bandwidth
 Clocks in different sources drifting
 Probability of bit error
 Data rates from different sources not related by
simple manner

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 Digital Carrier Systems
US system based on DS format
 Multiplexes 24 channels
 Each frame has 8 bits per channel plus one
framing bit – 193 bits per frame

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 Digital Carrier Systems
 For voice each channel contains one word of
digitized data
– PCM
– 8000 samples per sec
– Data rate 8000x193 = 1.544Mbps
– Five out of six frames have 8 bit PCM samples
– Sixth frame is 7 bit PCM word plus signaling bit
– Signaling bits form stream for each channel
containing control and routing info

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 Digital Carrier Systems
 Same format for digital data
– 23 channels of data
• 7 bits per frame plus indicator bit for data or systems control
– 24th channel is sync

 mixed voice and data signals

– 24 channels used
– No sync byte
– Can also interleave DS-1 channels
– Ds-2 is four DS-1 giving 6.312Mbps

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 TDM Digital Hierarchy

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