HaLo - Hardware in the Loop Simulation Platform for Matlab and Simulink

The "Hardware in the Loop" concept allows cost efficiency in the design of future wireless systems.

The “Hardware in the Loop” concept enables a cost efficient wireless system design for future
wireless systems. It addresses the problems within the algorithm design stage and provides
the designer with a toolkit for early proof-ofconcept R&D. Built upon Signalion’s fl exible
and scalable hardware platform, HaLo is a system especially designed for seamless integration
in the Matlab/Simulink and C-based design flows. No hardware programming is needed by
the user to setup a HaLo transmission. HaLo allows the designer to transmit simulated
signals over an air-interface, to receive them, and to send them back to Matlab/Simulink
simulation environment. With this approach the designer faces all problems of real world
transmission, such as channel estimation errors, RF-impairments, and real world radio
channel characteristics already in the first design phase. These are issues that cannot be
realistically covered by pure simulations.

Therefore, many of the potential design faults and limitations can be discovered at this early
stage of the design fl ow by using the HaLo system. The easy-to-use programming interface
also makes HaLo a perfect tool for education and academic research.
HaLo supports a wide range of applications as a

• Wireless Signal Monitoring Tool
• Arbitrary Waveform Generator
• Wireless System Simulation/Prototyping System

HaLo-Arbitrary Waveform Generator

In this mode, HaLo serves as a waveform generator
that transmits an arbitrary waveform with a bandwidth up to 20MHz. The signal can
be either transmitted periodically or on certain trigger events. HaLo-Wireless Signal Monitoring Confi gured as a receiver, HaLo records the baseband waveform of a received RF-signal. This signal can be fed into simulations to further
analyze the characteristics.

HaLo-Wireless System Simulation/Prototyping

The HaLo system simply replaces the channel model within the simulation. Two HaLo devices simulate both the Transmitter and the Receiver of the wireless link. Simulation of an ad-hoc network with many terminals is possible using multiple HaLo systems.

Seamless MATLAB/Simulink integration offers plug’n play operation

HaLo offers Plug & Play interconnection to PC via USB 2.0 with any PC. An ‘easy to use’ application
programming interface (API) enables seamless integration of the hardware into your
simulation environment just by means of two functions (halo_transmit, halo_receive). Currently
MATLAB/Simulink and C are supported by the API. Signal bursts are periodically transmitted.
Measurements of the received signals can be done on user request

Download the HaLo product flyer (pdf, 1392 kb) >>