Case Study: Orolia achieves 8-month faster analysis and testing and 50% reduced FPGA implementation time with MathWorks' MATLAB and Simulink

Orolia Builds Emergency Locator Beacon SDR Receiver Using Model-Based Design and Analog Devices System on Module Hardware

Orolia faced the challenge of building a software‑defined radio (SDR) receiver for second‑generation emergency locator beacons that use complex spread‑spectrum OQPSK modulation. With aggressive one‑year delivery goals and limited FPGA integration experience, the team needed tools and expertise to model, validate, and deploy a digital receiver. Orolia worked with MathWorks and used MATLAB and Simulink (along with toolboxes such as Communications Toolbox and Instrument Control Toolbox) to accelerate design and testing.

Working with MathWorks engineers, Orolia applied Model‑Based Design to model the receive chain, convert floating‑point designs to fixed point, generate synthesizable HDL with HDL Coder, and produce embedded C for the SoM’s ARM processor using Embedded Coder. The implementation on an Analog Devices SDR system on module was validated with real RF tests. MathWorks’ toolchain and support shortened analysis and testing by eight months, cut FPGA implementation time by at least 50%, enabled delivery of a full prototype within the project timeline (12 months) without an FPGA specialist, and jumpstarted Orolia’s adoption of Model‑Based Design.

Orolia

Boris Van Amerongen

Senior Director of R&D