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PALO ALTO, Calif., Jan. 27, 2003
For generations there has been a gap between
electronic design automation (EDA) tools and test instrumentation.
Traditionally, EDA tools have been used in design simulation,
and instrumentation has filled essential roles in the debugging
of hardware, prototyping, and manufacturing test by connecting
and interfacing with real-world hardware. Until now, EDA tools
and instrumentation have operated independently, with little
or no connection between them. Fortunately this independence
is coming to an end. Agilent Technologies' connected solutions
have bridged the gap between the design and test aspects of
the product development cycle to change the way product development
is performed.
"Connected solutions" describes
the integration of Agilent Advanced Design System (ADS) tools
and test instrumentation to provide capabilities that cannot
be delivered with EDA tools or instrumentation alone. Current
product development costs rise almost exponentially as development
time increases, underscoring the importance of shortening design
cycles. Agilent connected solutions offer an effective way to
shorten design cycle time, thereby bringing products to market
earlier with significantly lower development costs.
Connected Solutions - the Basics
Connected solutions integrate Agilent ADS
tools and Agilent test instrumentation to enable the transport
of data back and forth between simulation models and test instruments.
This migration of customer intellectual property (IP) through
the product development process is the most basic value delivered
by connected solutions.
Although simple in concept, the technology
behind an effective connected solution is complex. Differences
between simulated and measured results can add uncertainty and
make it difficult to identify problem areas of new designs.
One way in which Agilent connected solutions mitigate the problems
these differences create is by sharing complex algorithms whenever
possible. The updated instrumentation algorithms provided by
Agilent connected solutions enable designers to begin the development
process with the best available correlation between simulated
and hardware test results.
A connected solution application requires
the use of Agilent ADS simulation software and one or more of
the following types of instruments:
- The Agilent ESG signal generator with arbitrary
waveform generator, which synthesizes impaired wireless signals
containing amplitude and phase impairments. The ESG signal
generator interfaces with Agilent Signal Studio, a software
utility that provides new signal formats. New links between
Signal Studio and ADS provide users of ADS with access to
the latest wireless signal standards supported by Agilent
test equipment. Common algorithms enable correlation between
simulation results and measured results.
- The Agilent 89600 series and 4406 vector
signal analyzers (VSAs), which export data into ADS using
common algorithms. The Agilent 89600 VSA software is also
available as an embedded option within ADS for extended capability.
- The Agilent vector network analyzer (VNA),
which works interactively with Agilent ADS to provide data
for building the measurement-based models used by R&D
engineers in the design and verification process.
- Agilent pattern generators, which are
used in conjunction with Agilent ESG vector signal generators
to provide RF data patterns for data analysis.
- Agilent logic analyzers, which provide
the means to collect raw baseband data that can be compared
with generated data for a complete analysis. Used with ADS,
the logic analyzer plays an essential role in advanced de-bugging
or early verification applications.
Connected Solutions Applications
There are five major categories of connected
solution applications. An in-depth look at each category reveals
the power Agilent connected solutions bring to the product development
process.
- Hardware Emulation - Re-using component
system designs helps to speed the design process, lower product
development costs, reduce design risk and provide economies
of scale for production. Designers can use Agilent connected
solutions to verify the performance of new component designs
within an existing system without fabricating the new design.
This is done by removing the old component and replacing it
with a hardware emulation of the newly designed component
using ADS, then connecting to the real-world hardware using
Agilent instrumentation. At this point, system performance
can be tested with a combination of real-world hardware and
a new, virtual design. This system verification concept is
especially valuable when applied to a wireless chipset design,
because the price of a new mask set and the time associated
with wafer processing make it prohibitive to do multiple design
spins.
- Creating Simulation Models from Hardware
Measurements - Engineers making build-or-buy decisions often
evaluate new designs by developing hardware component models.
Measurement-based behavioral modeling is the process by which
engineers can build advanced models using ADS and measurement
instruments. These models contain both amplitude and phase
information that can be "wrapped" through the ADS
application layers into models for use in ADS simulation.
The models are a compact form of the hardware being evaluated
and can provide advantages in the form of faster simulations,
better simulation convergence and smaller model size.
- Virtual Prototyping - Wireless system designers
developing new products may want to test designs that use
an off-the-shelf component. Applying a methodology that is
similar to hardware emulation, designers are able to use their
system design as a "prototype" in the virtual world
via ADS. They can then remove the off-the-shelf component
design modeled in ADS, and use instrumentation to link to
the real-world component. A variety of the off-the-shelf component's
performance parameters can be analyzed and evaluated within
the new system design.
- Debugging - ADS can generate and analyze
complex signals anywhere along the design path. For the prototyping
phase of product development, ADS enables troubleshooting
of designs by generating impaired reference signals containing
noise and phase distortions. When ADS is connected to Agilent
signal analyzers, its troubleshooting capabilities are expanded.
For example, Agilent pattern generators and logic analyzers
linked with ADS can generate digitally modulated RF data,
which can then be routed into communications cards for data
analysis.
- Extending the Capability and Value of
Test Instrumentation - Agilent connected solutions make it
possible to test new communications standards for which no
test equipment previously existed. For example, users can
employ Agilent ADS wireless systems libraries and associated
test bench test set-ups to form a real-world packet error
rate (PER) tester for WLAN 802.11a signals. Alternatively,
users developing new 4G-wireless system designs can select
Agilent's connected solutions to generate test vectors that
support pilot production and eliminate the hardware that was
formerly required to generate real-world impairments.
Conclusion
Traditionally, engineers considering leveraging
instrumentation into the design process tend toward downloading
measurement-based data. With the advent of connected solutions,
the gap between simulation and test is closing. Agilent connected
solutions enable the development of algorithms and software
that can be shared by Agilent ADS tools and test instrumentation
to provide new design verification capabilities.
Agilent Technologies is extending its leadership
in EDA and test and measurement by using advanced connectivity
to merge technologies and provide unmatched capabilities for
the product development marketplace. Agilent connected solutions
enhance the value of existing investments by enabling designers
to use Agilent ADS tools and instrumentation throughout the
product development cycle to increase productivity and speed
the introduction of new products.
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Contact:
Janet Smith, Agilent
+1 970 679 5397
janet_smith@agilent.com
Heather Van Schoiack
Weber Shandwick, for Agilent
+1 425 452 5457
hvanschoiack@webershandwick.com
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