CoWare, Agility Design Solutions, Numerical Algorithms Group add algorithms, enhance simulation.
Control engineers and others needing powerful tools for optimization, modeling, and simulation have some new choices to extend their use of Matlab from The Mathworks, Natick, MA. CoWare has partnered with Agility Design Solutions, Inc. to accelerate the simulation and implementation of complex DSP algorithms starting from Matlab models. The Numerical Algorithms Group has provided a new toolbox of more than 1,300 algorithms. And Mathworks itself has introduced a new multiple-input and multiple-output/orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (MIMO/OFDM) demo that highlights the use of Embedded Matlab functions for implementing space-time block codes in the company’s Simulink product.
The NAG Toolbox for Matlab released by the Numerical Algorithms Group, gives users access to more than 1,300 additional math and statistical algorithms within the Matlab environment. This additional mathematical and statistical functionality was previously unavailable or accessible to Matlab users only by purchasing multiple toolboxes.
NAG CEO Rob Meyer said, “NAG routines have been written by experts and are globally renowned for their quality, flexibility and robustness. The NAG Toolbox for Matlab is designed to help engineers get the breadth of functionality they really need in a single toolbox at a fraction of the cost of the multiple toolboxes. It includes algorithms especially important to many research projects that just aren’t found in any other commercially available Matlab toolbox.”
The NAB Toolbox for Matlab is available for both Microsoft Windows 32-bit & 64-bit and Linux 32-bit & 64-bit and is compatible with Matlab versions 2007a, 2007b, and 2008a. Pricing begins at $2,490 for an individual license, with discounts available to existing NAG license holders. For a fully functional trial version or more information, contact Kurt Peckman .
Partnership to accelerate DSP simulation
CoWare Inc., supplier of platform-driven electronic system-level (ESL) design software and services, has partnered with Agility Design Solutions, Inc. to accelerate the simulation and implementation of complex DSP algorithms starting from Matlab models.
Agility’s Matlab -to-C development tools accelerate signal processing algorithm design, verification and implementation. Through the partnership, CoWare is offering its customers integration support for accelerated C models generated by Agility’s RMS and MCS products into the entire range of CoWare’s ESL 2.0 solutions.
“Many of our customers are developing DSP algorithms starting in Matlab and later transitioning into CoWare’s ESL 2.0 solutions,” said Dr. Johannes Stahl, vice president of marketing and business development at CoWare. “With the innovative Agility solutions, we are greatly reducing the transition pain and making the entire flow from Matlab much more productive.”
According to Stahl, C models generated from Matlab will efficiently run inside CoWare Signal Processing Designer, increasing the simulation performance by more than three times in typical cases for the entire DSP system explored. This is in comparison to traditional co-simulation running the interpreted Matlab model using the Matlab engine. This is relevant in particular in new, complex wireless standards such as the 3GPP Long-Term Evolution (LTE) standard, where many design teams are now transitioning from research in Matlab to production design efforts.
Simulate wireless systems
Communications Blockset 4 from The Mathworks extends Simulink with a library of blocks for designing, simulating, and verifying the physical layer of communication systems. The latest version provides enhanced support for code generation and examples of important features of WiMAX and Long Term Evolution (LTE) communications systems. According to the company, the code generation capability enables faster simulation on multicore computers, and the expanded modeling library lets wireless and communications engineers simulate next-generation wireless systems that use higher bandwidth and more complicated signal processing technologies.
Communications Blockset 4, available immediately for the Windows, Linux, Solaris, and Macintosh platforms, offers expanded fixed-point support implemented for library blocks that are useful for engineers developing 3G and 4G wireless communications systems. A new multiple-input and multiple-output/orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (MIMO/OFDM) demo highlights the use of Embedded Matlab functions for implementing space-time block codes. MIMO, OFDM, and space-time block codes are being used in the development of WiMAX broadband wireless systems scheduled for widespread marketplace introduction in 2009. Key features include:
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Blocks for designing and simulating the physical layer of communications systems, including source coding, block and convolutional coding, interleavers, filters, and modulators;
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Sources, such as random integer and binary generators, PN and Gold code sequences, and sinks, such as error-rate calculations, eye diagrams, and constellation plots;
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Channel models, including AWGN, Multipath Rayleigh and Rician Fading, and RF impairments, including nonlinearity, phase noise, thermal noise, and phase and frequency offsets;
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Integration with Matlab and Communications Toolbox for post-simulation analysis; and
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Channel visualization tool for visualizing and exploring time-varying communications channels.
— Edited by Renee Robbins , senior editor
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