RF Blockset provides a Simulink model library and simulation engine for designing RF communications and radar systems.
RF Blockset lets you simulate RF transceivers and front-ends. You can model nonlinear RF amplifiers to estimate gain, noise, even-order, and odd-order intermodulation distortion, including memory effects. For RF mixers, you can predict image rejection, reciprocal mixing, local oscillator phase noise, and DC offset. RF models can be characterized using data sheet specifications or measured data such as multiport S-parameters. They can be used to accurately model adaptive architectures, including automatic gain control (AGC), digital predistortion (DPD) algorithms, and beamforming.
The RF Budget Analyzer app lets you automatically generate transceiver models and measurement test benches to validate performance and set up a circuit envelope multicarrier simulation.
With RF Blockset you can simulate RF systems at different levels of abstraction. Circuit envelope simulation enables high-fidelity, multicarrier simulation of networks with arbitrary topologies. The Equivalent Baseband library enables fast, discrete-time simulation of single-carrier cascaded systems.
RF System Simulation
Simulate RF front ends at the system-level and integrate with digital signal processing algorithms. Either start from scratch or generate models from the RF Budget Analyzer app. Use the Circuit Envelope library for multi-carrier simulation or raise the abstraction level with the Idealized Baseband library.
MIMO, Antennas, and Beamforming
Design analog and hybrid beamforming systems operating at mmWave frequencies. Integrate antenna arrays with RF front ends and adaptive beam steering algorithms. Model antenna coupling, impedance mismatch, RF channels, and in-band / out-of-band interfering signals.
RF Transceivers Modeling
Build and share models of digitally assisted RF transceivers with adaptive feedback loops such as automatic gain control (AGC) and digital predistortion (DPD). Speed up simulation with the Idealized Baseband library and C code generation.
Amplifiers, Mixers, and Non-Linearity
Model non-linearity using specifications such as IP3, IP2, saturation power, and 1dB compression point. For power amplifiers, provide AM/AM-AM/PM characteristics or model wideband behavior using generalized memory polynomials. For mixers, use intermodulation tables to describe spurs and mixing products.
S-Parameters, RF Filters, and Dispersion
Simulate dispersion, group delay, and impedance mismatches of passive and active components with frequency-dependent models. Read Touchstone files and simulate S-parameter data in the time domain to model lumped and distributed components.
Noise Generation
Simulate and optimize low-noise systems with accurate SNR estimations. Specify the noise figure and the spot-noise data or read frequency-dependent noise data from Touchstone files. Specify arbitrary frequency-dependent noise distributions for local oscillators and model phase noise.
Product Resources:
Once the antenna, beamformer devices, and transceiver hardware are assembled, engineers can run experiments in over-the-air (OTA) test chambers to characterize their design. However, it is often weeks—or even months, depending on hardware and software development time, as well as product availability—before all the pieces of the radio system become available. Our team has built a behavioral model of the Otava OTBF103 Beamformer Integrated Circuit (BFIC) that enables engineers to obtain essential performance information by running system-level simulations of their 5G millimeter wave system designs.
RF Blockset FAQs
RF Blockset provides Simulink model libraries and simulation engines for designing RF communications and radar systems, including transceivers and front-ends.
You can simulate RF transceivers, front-ends, amplifiers, mixers, beamforming systems, and adaptive architectures including automatic gain control (AGC) and digital predistortion (DPD) algorithms.
RF Blockset includes the Circuit Envelope library for high-fidelity multicarrier simulation of networks with arbitrary topologies, and the Idealized Baseband library for fast, discrete-time simulation of single-carrier systems.
The RF Budget Analyzer app automatically generates transceiver models and measurement test benches to validate performance and rapidly set up circuit envelope multicarrier simulations.
Yes, RF Blockset can model nonlinear RF amplifiers to estimate gain, noise, intermodulation distortion, and memory effects, as well as RF mixers for image rejection, reciprocal mixing, phase noise, and DC offset.
RF models can be characterized using data sheet specifications such as Gain, noise figure, IP3, and saturation characteristics. You can also use measured data such as multiport S-parameters, including reading Touchstone files for frequency-dependent models, AM-AM/AM-PM look up tables, and I/Q waveforms to fit generalized memory polynomials
Yes, you can design analog and hybrid beamforming systems at mmWave frequencies and integrate antenna arrays with RF front ends using Antenna Toolbox. This allows you to model antenna coupling, impedance mismatch, polarization effects, and RF channels based on ray tracing.
You can specify noise figure, spot-noise data, or frequency-dependent noise data from Touchstone files, and model arbitrary frequency-dependent noise distributions for local oscillators including phase noise.
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