Improved Signal Control: An Analysis of the Effects of Automatic Gain Control for Optical Signal Detection

摘要

This paper is to analyze the effects of an automatic gain control (AGC) in an optical receiver system. The intent of using an AGC is to improve the performance of the receiver. The received signal is Manchester encoded and contains fluctuations caused by transmission attenuation. In the conversion from an optical signal to an electrical signal, the photodetector produces shot noise. The purpose of the AGC will be to amplify the photodetector signal, control signal fluctuations, reduce shot noise, and improve detection accuracy. Using this criteria, the effects of the AGC in the receiver was examined. But because of the non-linearitis associated with an AGC, an analytical analysis can not be conducted. Therefore, the receiver was simulated on the computer. This paper describes the models and algorithms used to analyze the receiver. Through the simulations, the receiver's performance with an AGC is compared to the performance without an AGC. Because of the limited time for the analysis, only three specific AGC's were examined.