Mathworks Introduces RF Design, Simulation Products For MATLAB, Simulink
RF Blockset and RF Toolbox expand scope of model-based design for wireless system development
Natick, MA -- The MathWorks today announced the availability of the RF Blockset and the RF Toolbox, two new products designed to expand the scope of model-based design for signal processing and communications engineering applications. Both products enhance the functionality of the MathWorks software platforms MATLAB and Simulink by providing users with features for RF system design, analysis, development, and implementation.
The MathWorks RF Blockset works within the Simulink environment and offers users a library of blocks to model the behavior of RF amplifiers, mixers, filters, and transmission lines. Using the RF Blockset, system architects can apply model-based design to develop commercial and defense wireless communication systems and semiconductors faster and more efficiently. Engineers can validate a working model in Simulink and then use that model as an executable specification to verify design and implementation. As a result, users can optimize an entire RF system, eliminating laborious programming and delivering time and cost savings.
The RF Blockset integrates with the RF Toolbox and the Communications Blockset (available separately) to simulate the effect of RF impairments and architectures on system performance.
"Modeling the interaction of the two worlds of signal processing algorithms and RF power amplifier characteristics is critical to my work," said Jussi Hovila, algorithm and hardware design engineer with Nokia Networks. "With RF Blockset I can model both domains in a rapid way. Building the model is faster than by other methods, and the conversion to a baseband complex model means the model runs fast too."
Also available from The MathWorks is the RF Toolbox, which extends the MATLAB technical computing environment by providing users with pre-built design and analysis functions and a graphical tool for working with, analyzing, and visualizing the behavior of RF components. With the RF Toolbox, RF engineers can now access industry standard data files and work with network parameters in MATLAB to manipulate data and visualize results of analysis, thereby eliminating error-prone manual calculations. Additionally, the RF Toolbox includes rectangular, polar, and Smith charts for visualizing data.
The RF Blockset works with the RF Toolbox to manipulate network parameters in the MATLAB workspace or to read in data from industry-standard file formats. During simulation, blocks are modeled using a time-domain, complex-baseband representation for fast simulations and compatibility with other Simulink blocks, such as those in the Communications Blockset (available separately). This combination enables the development of algorithms to mitigate the effect of RF impairments on system performance.
"Engineers from all industries have come to rely on The MathWorks as providers of leading tools for developing algorithms, modeling and simulating complex systems, generating real-time code, and verifying hardware and software implementation," said Colin Warwick, communication product manager, The MathWorks. "The release of these two new tools for RF applications provides engineers and system architects with even more functionality in MATLAB and Simulink and ultimately enables them to accelerate the development of signal processing and communication systems."
Source: The MathWorks