Problems in User-Performed Validation Tests of a Communications Simulator

Abstract

The modelling of communication system circuit ‘blocks’ at a high level of abstraction is often referred to as behavioural modelling. This topic is becoming increasingly important in the context of digital wireless transceiver development, because of problems with long execution times using direct simulation approaches. However, there are a number of approximations and assumptions involved in the common techniques for behavioural modelling, the effects of which may be hard to assess for users of commercial CAD tools. This contribution examines some of these limitations in the context of a specific simulator, the ADS suite from Agilent Technologies. Alternative approaches are illustrated, including an accurate ‘benchmark’ simulator using state-space and convolution techniques and a discrete Volterra series approach. Results from the latter method are verified by experimental measurements.