Quadrature Phase - Uses

Uses

Quadrature phase is used in a number of different applications. Rotary encoders generate two signals in quadrature phase, as this allows measurement of both distance (number of turns) as well as the direction of movement (forward or backwards).

Software-defined radio devices provide signal data as two signals in a quadrature phase relationship (for example by storing the sampled I and Q waveforms as the left and right channels in an audio file), allowing the phase relationship of the original RF signal to be preserved during processing, and especially ensuring both sidebands are preserved during downconversion to baseband.