Real-Time Workshop

Rapid Prototyping for Digital Signal Processing

The first step in the rapid prototyping process for digital signal processing is to consider the kind and quality of the data to be worked on, and to relate it to the system requirements. Typically this includes examining the signal-to-noise ratio, distortion, and other characteristics of the incoming signal, and relating them to algorithm and design choices.

System Simulation and Algorithm Design

In the rapid prototyping process, the block diagram plays two roles in algorithm development. The block diagram helps to identify processing bottlenecks, and to optimize the algorithm or system architecture. The block diagram also functions as a high-level system description. That is, the diagram provides a hierarchical framework for evaluating the behavior and accuracy of alternative algorithms under a range of operating conditions.

Analyzing Results, Tuning Parameters, and Monitoring Signals

After creating an algorithm (or a set of candidate algorithms), the next stage is to consider architectural and implementation issues. These include complexity, speed, and accuracy. In a conventional development environment, this would mean running the algorithm and recoding it in C or in a hardware design and simulation package.

Simulink external mode allows you to change parameters interactively, while your signal processing algorithms execute in real time on the target hardware. After building the executable and downloading it to your hardware, you tune (modify) block parameters in Simulink. Simulink automatically downloads the new values to the hardware. You can monitor the effects of your parameter changes by simply connecting Scope blocks to signals that you want to observe.

Key Aspects of Rapid Prototyping

Rapid Prototyping for Control Systems