Signal Conversion

Convert signal to new type without altering signal values

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Libraries:
Simulink / Signal Attributes
HDL Coder / Signal Attributes

Alternative Configurations of Signal Conversion Block:
Signal Copy | To Virtual Bus | To Nonvirtual Bus

Description

The Signal Conversion block converts a signal from one type to another. To select the type of conversion to perform, use the Output parameter or one of the preconfigured Signal Conversion blocks:

• Signal Copy block

• To Virtual Bus block

• To Nonvirtual Bus block

Examples

Create Contiguous Copy of Bus

Use the Signal Conversion block to create a contiguous copy of a bus.

The Bus Creator block creates a nonvirtual bus that is input to the Signal Conversion block. With the Output parameter set to Signal copy, the Signal Conversion block creates another contiguous copy of that input bus.

Convert Virtual Bus to Nonvirtual Bus

Use the Signal Conversion block to convert a virtual bus to a nonvirtual bus.

The Bus Creator block creates a virtual bus that is input to the Signal Conversion block. To convert the virtual bus to a nonvirtual bus, the Signal Conversion block has its Output parameter set to Nonvirtual bus and its Data type parameter set to a Simulink.Bus object. The specified Bus object matches the bus hierarchy of the bus from the Bus Creator block. The nonvirtual bus output from the Signal Conversion block is input to the Bus Selector block.

Convert Nonvirtual Bus to Virtual Bus

Use the Signal Conversion block to convert a nonvirtual bus to a virtual bus.

The Bus Creator block creates a nonvirtual bus that is input to the Signal Conversion block. To convert the nonvirtual bus to a virtual bus, the Output parameter of the Signal Conversion block is set to Virtual bus. The virtual bus output from the Signal Conversion block is input to the Bus Selector block.

Convert Mux Signal to Vector

Use the Signal Conversion block to convert a mux signal to a vector.

The Mux block creates a mux signal that is input to the Signal Conversion block. To convert the mux signal to a vector, the Output parameter of the Signal Conversion block is set to Signal copy. The vector output from the Signal Conversion block is input to the Display block.

Ports

Input

Port_1 — Input signal to convert

scalar | vector | matrix | array | bus

The input signal is a scalar, vector, matrix, array, or bus that this block converts to another type.

Data Types: single | double | half | int8 | int16 | int32 | int64 | uint8 | uint16 | uint32 | uint64 | string | Boolean | fixed point | enumerated | bus | image

Output

Port_1 — Converted signal

scalar | vector | matrix | array | bus

The output signal is the input signal converted to the specified type.

Data Types: single | double | half | int8 | int16 | int32 | int64 | uint8 | uint16 | uint32 | uint64 | Boolean | fixed point | enumerated | bus | image

Parameters

To edit block parameters interactively, use the Property Inspector. From the Simulink^® Toolstrip, on the Simulation tab, in the Prepare gallery, select Property Inspector.

Output — Type of conversion

Signal copy | Virtual bus | Nonvirtual bus

Specify the type of conversion to perform.

• Signal copy — Create a contiguous copy of the input signal. This value is the default value for the Signal Conversion and Signal Copy blocks.

• Virtual bus — Convert a nonvirtual bus to a virtual bus. This value is the default value for the To Virtual Bus block.

• Nonvirtual bus — Convert a virtual bus to a nonvirtual bus. This value is the default value for the To Nonvirtual Bus block.

For the Signal copy option, the type of input determines how the block makes the copy.

For example, suppose the block receives a mux signal, which has elements that occupy discontiguous areas of memory. The conversion allocates a contiguous area of memory for the elements of the mux signal and copies the values from the discontiguous areas represented by the block input to the contiguous areas represented by the block output at each time step. The output is a vector with elements that occupy contiguous areas of memory.

The type of conversion that you use depends on your modeling goal.

Modeling Goal	Option
Reduce generated code for a muxed signal. For an example involving Simulink Coder™ software, see Generate Reentrant Code from Subsystems (Simulink Coder).	Signal copy
Connect a block with a constant sample time to an output port of an enabled subsystem.	Signal copy
Save memory by converting a nonvirtual bus to a virtual bus.	Virtual bus
Pass a virtual bus to a modeling construct that requires a nonvirtual bus.	Nonvirtual bus
Create a copy of an array of buses. The block cannot convert an array of buses to a nonvirtual or virtual bus. To extract a bus from an array of buses, use a Selector block.	Signal copy

Programmatic Use

To set the block parameter value programmatically, use the set_param function.

Parameter:	ConversionOutput
Values:	'Signal copy' (default) | 'Virtual bus' | 'Nonvirtual bus'

Example: set_param(gcb,'ConversionOutput','Virtual bus')

Data type — Nonvirtual bus data type

Inherit: auto (default) | Bus: <object name> | <data type expression>

Specify the output data type of the nonvirtual bus that this block produces.

• Inherit: auto — Inherit the data type from an upstream block. For example, inherit the Simulink.Bus object data type from an upstream Bus Creator block.

• Bus: <object name> or <data type expression> — Specify a Simulink.Bus object that matches the hierarchy of the input bus. If an upstream Bus Creator block specifies a bus object, specify the same bus object.

The Data Type Assistant helps you set data attributes. To use the Data Type Assistant, click . For more information, see Specify Data Types Using Data Type Assistant.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, set Output to Nonvirtual bus.

Programmatic Use

To set the block parameter value programmatically, use the set_param function.

Parameter:	OutDataTypeStr
Values:	'Inherit: auto' (default) | 'Bus: <object name>' | '<data type expression>'

Example: set_param(gcb,'OutDataTypeStr','Bus: myBusObj')

Exclude this block from 'Block reduction' optimization — Option to exclude block from block reduction optimization

off (default) | on

When the elements of the input signal occupy contiguous areas of memory, by default, the software eliminates this block from the compiled model as an optimization. For more information, see Block reduction.

To prevent this block from being eliminated from the compiled model, select this parameter.

Changes to this parameter take effect the next time you compile the model.

Dependencies

To enable this parameter, set Output to Signal copy.

Programmatic Use

To set the block parameter value programmatically, use the set_param function.

Parameter:	OverrideOpt
Values:	'off' (default) | 'on'

Example: set_param(gcb,'OverrideOpt','on')

Block Characteristics

Data Types	Boolean | bus | double | enumerated | fixed point | half | image | integer | single | string
Direct Feedthrough	yes
Multidimensional Signals	yes
Variable-Size Signals	yes
Zero-Crossing Detection	no

Alternative Configurations

Signal Copy — Duplicate input signal

Since R2019a

The Signal Copy block differs from the Signal Conversion block in name only.

Libraries:
Simulink / Quick Insert / Signal Attributes

To Virtual Bus — Convert nonvirtual bus to virtual bus

Since R2019a

The To Virtual Bus block sets Output to Virtual bus.

Libraries:
Simulink / Quick Insert / Signal Attributes

To Nonvirtual Bus — Convert virtual bus to nonvirtual bus

Since R2019a

The To Nonvirtual Bus block sets Output to Nonvirtual bus.

Libraries:
Simulink / Quick Insert / Signal Attributes

Extended Capabilities

C/C++ Code Generation
Generate C and C++ code using Simulink® Coder™.

HDL Code Generation

Generate VHDL, Verilog and SystemVerilog code for FPGA and ASIC designs using HDL Coder™.

HDL Coder™ provides additional configuration options that affect HDL implementation and synthesized logic.

HDL Architecture

This block has a pass-through implementation.

HDL Block Properties

ConstrainedOutputPipeline	Number of registers to place at the outputs by moving existing delays within your design. Distributed pipelining does not redistribute these registers. The default is 0. For more details, see ConstrainedOutputPipeline (HDL Coder).
InputPipeline	Number of input pipeline stages to insert in the generated code. Distributed pipelining and constrained output pipelining can move these registers. The default is 0. For more details, see InputPipeline (HDL Coder).
OutputPipeline	Number of output pipeline stages to insert in the generated code. Distributed pipelining and constrained output pipelining can move these registers. The default is 0. For more details, see OutputPipeline (HDL Coder).

Complex Data Support

This block supports code generation for complex signals.

PLC Code Generation
Generate Structured Text code using Simulink® PLC Coder™.

Fixed-Point Conversion
Design and simulate fixed-point systems using Fixed-Point Designer™.

Version History

Introduced before R2006a