NATICK, USA: The MathWorks announced the availability of Communications Blockset 4, which extends Simulink with a comprehensive 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. 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 offers expanded fixed-point support implemented for library blocks that are useful for engineers developing 3G and 4G wireless communications systems. Additionally, 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. Communications Blockset is also being used by aerospace and defense engineers to develop next-generation radars and electronic warfare systems.

Key features include:

· Blocks for designing and simulating the physical layer of communications systems, including source coding, block and convolutional coding, interleavers, filters, and modulators;
· 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;
· Channel models, including AWGN, Multipath Rayleigh and Rician Fading, and RF impairments, including nonlinearity, phase noise, thermal noise, and phase and frequency offsets;
· Integration with MATLAB and Communications Toolbox for post-simulation analysis; and
· Channel visualization tool for visualizing and exploring time-varying communications channels