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Auditory nerve fiber models provide further insight into the inner workings of the ear and brain. These models have helped us to develop physiologically based speech intelligibility metrics, to assess the difficulty of understanding speech objectively. Several metrics have been developed, but they have been developed using a range of auditory nerve (AN) fiber models. A full comparison of different metrics on even footing should be performed to evaluate the accuracy of their predictions. Speech intelligibility is understood to be dependant on both temporal fine structure and envelope cues in the acoustic speech signal, which are however linked in a way where they are very difficult to split. This makes the evaluation of speech intelligibility metrics tricky, as metrics often aim to analyze mean rate and fine timing information in the auditory nerve representation of the acoustic cues. In this study, a method of phase distortion was developed, with the goal of degrading the fine timing information of a speech signal to the point where only the mean rate representation in the AN is contributing to the speech intelligibility. Also, the neural cross correlation coefficients developed in Heinz & Swaminathan (2009) were adapted from the Zilany & Bruce (2007) auditory nerve model to the Bruce, Erfani & Zilany (2018) AN model. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 25-28, 1993 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / Group delay variations are a potential problem in many communication systems. This paper is slanted towards the effects of group delay variations in analog magnetic recorder/reproducer systems but the results are applicable in general. Because it is difficult to get an arbitrary group delay profile at the output of a recorder/reproducer, a method of generating arbitrary group delays for bit error probability (BEP) testing was developed. A 32-bit pattern in which all five-bit sequences appear with equal probability was selected as the test signal. The amplitude and phase of the discrete Fourier components were calculated for both non-return-to-zero-level (NRZ-L) and biphase-level (BI -L) waveforms. Filtering and group delay variations were computer generated by varying the amplitude and phase of the Fourier components. The modified signals were then programmed into an arbitrary waveform generator. Noise was added and the composite signal was applied to a bit synchronizer and bit error detector. BEPs were measured for various noise levels and group delay profiles.

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The objective of this research is to analyze and improve linearity of envelope elimination and restoration (EER) radio frequency (RF) power amplifiers. Envelope elimination and restoration was compared to other efficiency enhancement techniques and determined to likely be the most suitable solution for implementation of multimode, multiband portable RF transmitters. Distortion, stemming from dynamic power-supply modulation of RF transistors in EER RF power amplifiers was identified as one of the key challenges to the development of commercially viable EER transmitters. This dissertation presents a study of phase distortion in RF power amplifiers (PAs) with emphasis on identification of the origins of phase distortion in EER RF power amplifiers. Circuit-level techniques for distortion mitigation are also presented. Memory effects in conventional power amplifiers are investigated through the accurate measurement and analysis of phase asymmetry of out-of-band distortion components. Novel physically-based power amplifier model is developed for attributing measured memory effects to their physical origin. The amount of linearity correction, obtained through pre-distortion for a particular RF power amplifier, is then correlated to the behavior of the memory effects in the corresponding PA. Heterojunction field-effect transistor and heterojunction bipolar transistor amplifiers are used for investigation of voltage-dependent phase distortion in handset EER RF PAs. The distortion is found to stem from vector addition of signals, generated in nonlinear circuit elements of the PA. Specifically, nonlinear base-collector capacitance and downconversion of distortion components from second harmonic frequency are found to be the dominant sources of phase distortion. Shorting of second harmonic is proposed as a way to reduce the distortion contribution of the downconverted signal. Phase distortion is reduced by 50%, however a slight degradation in the amplitude distortion is observed. Push-pull architecture is proposed for EER RF power amplifiers to cancel distortion components, generated in the nonlinear base-collector capacitance. Push-pull implementation enables a 67% reduction in phase distortion, accompanied by a 1-2 dB reduction in amplitude distortion in EER RF power amplifiers. This work, combined with other studies in the field, will help advance the development of multimode, multiband portable RF transmitters, based on the envelope elimination and restoration architecture.

published_or_final_version / Electrical and Electronic Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Lin Pui-Yu. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 103-105). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Acknowledgement / Chapter Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- Nonlinear Phenomenon of Power Amplifier --- p.5 / Chapter 2.1. --- AM-AM and AM-PM Distortion --- p.5 / Chapter 2.2. --- Intermodulation Distortion --- p.7 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- Linearization Techniques --- p.10 / Chapter 3.1. --- Power Backoff --- p.11 / Chapter 3.2. --- Feedback --- p.12 / Chapter 3.3. --- Predistortion --- p.12 / Chapter 3.4. --- Feedforward --- p.14 / Chapter 3.5. --- Other Linearization Techniques --- p.15 / Chapter Chapter 4 --- Analysis of Feedforward Power Amplifier --- p.17 / Chapter 4.1. --- Feedforward Efficiency --- p.18 / Chapter 4.2. --- Design Criteria of the Auxiliary Amplifier --- p.20 / Chapter 4.3. --- Sensitivity Analysis --- p.21 / Chapter 4.3.1. --- Phase and Amplitude Mismatch --- p.22 / Chapter 4.3.2. --- Delay Mismatch --- p.23 / Chapter 4.3.3. --- Combined Effect --- p.25 / Chapter 4.3.4. --- Practical Consideration --- p.27 / Chapter 4.4. --- Other Design Criteria --- p.28 / Chapter Chapter 5 --- Adaptive Control Networks for FFPA --- p.29 / Chapter 5.1. --- Basic Principles of the Adaptive Control Network --- p.30 / Chapter 5.1.1. --- Lookup Table --- p.30 / Chapter 5.1.2. --- Power Minimization Vs. Correlation --- p.31 / Chapter 5.2. --- Analog Vs Digital Implementation of the Adaptive Control Network --- p.34 / Chapter 5.3. --- Techniques for Improving the Convergence Behaviour at the Distortion Cancellation Loop --- p.35 / Chapter 5.4. --- Important Notes on the Control Networks --- p.38 / Chapter Chapter 6 --- Novel Analysis of Adaptive FFPA --- p.40 / Chapter 6.1. --- Gradient algorithm --- p.40 / Chapter 6.2. --- Dual Loop Adaptive FFPA --- p.41 / Chapter 6.2.1. --- System Modeling --- p.42 / Chapter 6.2.2. --- Adaptation Behavior of the Distortion Extraction Loop --- p.44 / Chapter 6.2.3. --- Adaptation Behavior of the Distortion Cancellation Loop --- p.48 / Chapter 6.2.4. --- Accuracy Requirement of the Control Signals --- p.50 / Chapter 6.2.5. --- Effect of Delay Mismatch on the Convergence Accuracy --- p.51 / Chapter 6.2.6. --- Convergence Behaviors for Two Tone Input Signal --- p.52 / Chapter 6.2.6.1. --- Distortion Extraction Loop --- p.53 / Chapter 6.2.6.2. --- Distortion Cancellation Loop --- p.55 / Chapter 6.2.6.3. --- Simulation Results --- p.57 / Chapter 6.2.7. --- Convergence Behaviors for Digital Modulated Test signal --- p.60 / Chapter 6.2.7.1. --- Distortion Extraction Loop --- p.61 / Chapter 6.2.7.2. --- Distortion Cancellation Loop --- p.66 / Chapter 6.2.7.3. --- Simulation Results --- p.68 / Chapter 6.2.8. --- Comparison for the Adaptation Performance with Two Tone and Digital Modulated Test Signal --- p.70 / Chapter 6.3. --- Triple Loop Adaptive FFPA --- p.71 / Chapter 6.3.1. --- Adaptation Performance of the Additional Loop --- p.73 / Chapter 6.3.2. --- Adaptation Performance of the Distortion Cancellation Loop --- p.75 / Chapter 6.3.3. --- Improvement in Bias Error at the Distortion Cancellation Loop --- p.76 / Chapter 6.3.4. --- Effect of Delay Mismatch --- p.77 / Chapter 6.3.5. --- Simulation Results --- p.79 / Chapter Chapter 7 --- Implementation and Measured Performance of Triple Loop Adaptive FFPA --- p.85 / Chapter 7.1. --- Hardware Design --- p.85 / Chapter 7.1.1. --- Vector Modulator --- p.87 / Chapter 7.1.2 --- Complex Correlator --- p.88 / Chapter 7.2. --- Experimental Setup and Measured Results --- p.90 / Chapter Chapter 8 --- Conclusion --- p.95 / Appendix I Matlab Program for Simulation of Dual Loop Adaptive FFPA --- p.97 / Appendix II Matlab Program for Simulation of Triple Loop Adaptive FFPA --- p.100 / Reference --- p.103 / Author's Publication --- p.106

Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries / Department: Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 138-149). Also available in print.

Loudspeakers are used professionally and for leisure as a device which presents audio information to a listener. Loudspeakers “color” this information in different ways because of different properties, which they inherit from the decisions made in the design process. This study investigated the audibility of phase distortion in loudspeaker systems in ecologically valid environments using different types of program material and levels of group-delay. 13 subjects participated in a listening test, each performing 48 trials across various conditions. Results revealed significant differences in the ability to differentiate between reference and impaired signals based on program material and impairment level. Notably, participants demonstrated better discrimination for simple transient sounds compared to a mixed music recording. These results suggest that phase distortion may be less audible in mixed music reproduction than in click-like sounds. However, findings indicate a lower audible threshold for phase distortion compared to existing literature for click-like stimuli. Overall, while phase distortion may not always be audible, consideration for it can be relevant for achieving high audio quality in loudspeaker systems. These findings hopefully contribute to the understanding of phase distortion's perceptual effects and its implications for audio engineering and consumer electronics design.