A regenerator in a telecommunications context is a type of
repeater
In telecommunications, a repeater is an electronic device that receives a signal and retransmits it. Repeaters are used to extend transmissions so that the signal can cover longer distances or be received on the other side of an obstruction. Som ...
that is used in copper line or optical fibre line transmission systems. The regeneration function involved also appears in other types of systems, e.g. computer networking systems.
A digital signal travelling a significant distance will become weaker and distorted and require periodic help to continue its journey successfully.
A simple amplifier will only increase the
amplitude
The amplitude of a periodic variable is a measure of its change in a single period (such as time or spatial period). The amplitude of a non-periodic signal is its magnitude compared with a reference value. There are various definitions of am ...
of the signal and will not correct the distortion of the waveform shape.
A
threshold detector can be used to correct the amplitude levels although the exact time that the transition occurs may not be in the right place. This timing inaccuracy is referred to as
jitter.
A regenerator includes circuitry to recover the
clock
A clock or a timepiece is a device used to measure and indicate time. The clock is one of the oldest human inventions, meeting the need to measure intervals of time shorter than the natural units such as the day, the lunar month and t ...
timing information, which is then used to determine when the output signal switches its state. This ensures that the recovered data from the threshold detector is adjusted to provide the correctly timed signal output.
Notes
References
#Edis E A & Varrall J E, ''Newes Telecommunications Pocket Book'' (Butteworth-Heinemann, 1992)
#Bissell C C & Chapman D A, ''Digital Signal Transmission'' (University Press Cambridge, 1992) {{ISBN, 0 521 42557 3
Telecommunications equipment