Semi-Symbolic Analysis of Analog and Signal Processing Systems

Analog circuits and systems are by nature sensitive to parameter deviations. These variations cause a system behavior differing from the nominal constructed property. In this paper, we discuss and demonstrate the applicability of Affine Arithmetic for analyzing the impact of parameter deviations and uncertainties on system parameters. Affine Arithmetic allows us to model deviations and uncertainties by ranges, and to simulate their propagation through systems involving analog circuits, analog behavioral models, and also DSP systems in a symbolic way. For illustration, we model deviations and uncertainties of a 4-QAM receiver, and analyze their impact on the resulting constellation diagram.