The design of multilevel multiharmonic signals

The design of excitation signals with a low number of time domain amplitude levels is discussed. The criterion is to approximate a specified Fourier amplitude spectrum, where it is assumed that the phases are free for optimization. The design method is similar to that employed for binary and sum of harmonics signals and the results obtained make them an attractive alternative to the established periodic signals when the selection of the perturbation signal is limited due to the physical nature of the device under test.