MathWorks Releases Fixed-Point Toolbox 2

NATICK, Mass - The MathWorks has released Fixed-Point Toolbox 2, which provides enhanced floating-to-fixed-point conversion capabilities and accelerated fixed-point MATLAB® algorithms that execute at compiled C-code speed. As a result, design engineers now have a cohesive workflow for optimizing and verifying embedded algorithms entirely within MATLAB, which speeds up design iterations and eliminates translation errors.

Most embedded signal processing and control systems require fixed-point algorithms for implementation on digital signal processors (DSPs), microcontrollers, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). A major challenge that embedded system designers face is maintaining the correct behavior of an algorithm when converting it from floating-point to fixed-point representation. Fixed-Point Toolbox provides tools for data logging and data-type override that streamline the conversion process and ensure consistent algorithm behavior in both representations. A new accelerated simulation mode in the toolbox increases the execution speed of fixed-point MATLAB algorithms by factors of up to a thousand.

“Fixed-point development usually involves managing a design expressed in several different languages, such as MATLAB, C, assembly, and HDL. This is a time-consuming and error-prone process,” said Dr. Houman Zarrinkoub, technical marketing manager at The MathWorks. “Now, with the new version of Fixed-Point Toolbox, The MathWorks introduces a complete workflow that equips engineers with efficient tools to perform design validation and tradeoff analysis on fixed-point algorithms in MATLAB.”

Fixed-Point Toolbox also facilitates the use of fixed-point MATLAB algorithms within Simulink® for system simulation, system verification, and automatic generation of embeddable C code. Because the algorithms have the same fixed-point representation across MATLAB and Simulink, design engineers can complete their designs in a single environment.