Pulse modulation

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pulse modulation is a collective term for modulation methods that use a pulse as a carrier:

  • Pulse amplitude modulation (PAM), type of modulation in which the amplitude of the signal is sampled at certain time intervals
  • Pulse code modulation (PCM), extension of the PAM in which the sampled value is translated (quantized) into a mostly binary code
  • Pulse frequency modulation (PFM), modulation of a square wave signal in its frequency, whereby the width of the pulses (their on-time or off-time) remains constant
  • Pulse width modulation (PWM), modulation of a square wave signal in its pulse width, whereby the frequency remains constant
  • Pulse-pause modulation (PPM), for radio remote controls: There are pauses of different lengths between pulses of constant amplitude and length, which are proportional to the value to be transmitted
  • Pulse phase modulation (PPM), type of modulation in which pulses of the same amplitude and pulse length are sent; the carrier frequency remains constant
  • Pulse position modulation (PPM) see also Manchester code