Detection of baseband signals using a delta modulator

The performance of a digital delta modulator when used as a repeater for binary non-return-to-zero signals between a noisy channel and an error-free link is analyzed. A Markov chain is used to model the accumulator output (observation process) of the device, and a Bayes test with a probability of error criterion is formulated to evaluate its performance in additive band-limited Gaussian channel noise. The key design parameters of sampling rate and accumulator range are varied for computation of performance degradation relative to the optional matched filter. Numerical results are presented that demonstrate the feasibility of this technique.