Keysight Technologies’ Signal Studio Software Simplifies Multi-Emitter Scenario Generation for Aerospace/Defense Applications

04/06/2015

Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: KEYS) announced N7660B Signal Studio for multi-emitter scenario generation (MESG). The software provides aerospace/defense engineers with performance-optimized, Keysight-validated multi-emitter signals that they can download to one or more Keysight N5193A UXG agile signal generators for effective testing of electronic countermeasures (ECM) systems.

Creating realistic multi-emitter scenarios is a complex challenge that involves correctly interleaving multiple pulse trains as well as identifying, counting and prioritizing pulse collisions. Managing all these parameters manually can be a daunting task. With the MESG capability, Signal Studio simplifies threat interleaving for ECM system test applications such as sorting and identification, subsystem interface management and threat correlation.

"Coupled with the UXG, Signal Studio for MESG supports realistic scenarios at multiple stages in the development cycle, increasing design productivity and accelerating system testing," said Satish Dhanasekaran, marketing manager of Keysight's Microwave and Communications Division. "It's a powerful combination of hardware and software that allows engineers working in reprogramming labs or developing new platforms to respond more quickly to new intelligence and achieve greater confidence in system performance."

A graphical user interface allows test engineers to easily configure radar parameters such as frequency, amplitude and pulse width, and then interleave multiple radar emitters. This includes the ability to combine radars into scenarios using dropped-pulse reports to optimize pulse density. Engineers also can reduce pulse collisions by changing emitter start times, priorities and pulse-repetition intervals, by toggling emitters on and off, and by adding more UXG signal generators to the simulation.

Engineers can download the multi-emitter scenarios, created in Signal Studio, directly to one or more UXGs as pulse descriptor word (PDW) lists. The UXG provides phase-coherent frequency and amplitude transitions as fast as 180 ns, timing resolution of 2 ns, and spurious-free dynamic range of -70 dBc.

Off the shelf, the UXG is a powerful building block that engineers can use as either a dependable local oscillator or a scalable threat simulator. Its capabilities enable aerospace/defense engineers to generate increasingly complex simulations that get closer to reality for increased confidence in ECM system performance.

Company profile:  Keysight Technologies