{"id":2322,"date":"2023-09-26T12:45:27","date_gmt":"2023-09-26T12:45:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/35.94.173.37\/blog\/?p=2322"},"modified":"2026-03-04T15:30:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T15:30:08","slug":"unlocking-the-power-of-weather-radar-technology-with-ni-flexrio-and-labview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/unlocking-the-power-of-weather-radar-technology-with-ni-flexrio-and-labview\/","title":{"rendered":"Unlocking the Power of Weather Radar Technology with NI FlexRIO and LabVIEW"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/The-Power-of-Weather-Radar-Tech-w-FlexRIOLabVIEW.mp3\"><\/audio><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong><em>Click here to listen to this post.<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-align-left\">In the ever-evolving world of weather radar technology, innovation is the key to staying ahead of the curve. In this post, we will take a look at a previous case study- when Furuno Electric Co., Ltd. faced significant challenges in developing a cutting-edge weather radar system. To overcome these hurdles, they turned to the formidable combination of NI FlexRIO and LabVIEW, revolutionizing the way we approach weather radar system design and simulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-8825e0ea64f48ec4c0eba79889a2fdc9\" style=\"font-size:25px\"><strong>The Challenge: Enhancing Weather Radar Technology<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-align-left\">Creating a weather radar system that can accurately predict and prevent natural disasters is no small feat. Furuno\u2019s vision was to harness the power of weather radar technology to protect communities from events like guerrilla rain and tornadoes. However, they encountered two major challenges:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-align-left\"><strong>Flexibility in System Design<\/strong>: As a company familiar with the complexities of weather radar technology, Furuno anticipated the need for continuous design enhancements throughout the development process. The traditional custom design approach was too rigid to accommodate these necessary revisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-align-left\"><strong>Unified Simulation Environment:<\/strong>&nbsp;Simulating both digital and analog sections of the radar system in a unified environment was a formidable challenge. Typically, these sections are designed independently and verified separately, leading to integration complications later on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-1 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:50%\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"393\" height=\"527\" src=\"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/processed_ni-5762-angle.jpg\" alt=\"Angled view of the NI-5762 FlexRIO Adapter Module\" class=\"wp-image-3678\" style=\"width:312px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/processed_ni-5762-angle.jpg 393w, https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/processed_ni-5762-angle-224x300.jpg 224w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 393px) 100vw, 393px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/modular-systems\/national-instruments\/flexrio\/NI-5762\">NI-5762<\/a>\u00a0FlexRIO Adapter Module<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:50%\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"394\" height=\"527\" src=\"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/processed_ni-5761-angle.jpg\" alt=\"Angled view of the The NI-5761 FlexRIO Adapter Module\" class=\"wp-image-3679\" style=\"width:307px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/processed_ni-5761-angle.jpg 394w, https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/processed_ni-5761-angle-224x300.jpg 224w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 394px) 100vw, 394px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/modular-systems\/national-instruments\/flexrio\/NI-5761\">NI-5761<\/a>\u00a0FlexRIO Adapter Module<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-c7b40e9fd434f53b42f0bfabf448895d\" style=\"font-size:25px\"><strong>The Solution: NI FlexRIO and LabVIEW<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-align-left\">Furuno Electric Co., Ltd. embarked on a journey of innovation, leveraging NI\u2019s cutting-edge solutions to address these challenges head-on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-align-left\"><strong>Embracing Graphical System Design with NI FlexRIO:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-align-left\">To tackle the challenge of system design flexibility, Furuno adopted the&nbsp;<strong>NI FlexRIO platform<\/strong>. This comprehensive platform includes the&nbsp;<strong>NI FlexRIO FPGA module<\/strong>, an adapter module for high-performance I\/O, and the PXI system. The game-changer? All software components are programmable using NI LabVIEW system design software. This meant they could now employ graphical programming in&nbsp;<strong>LabVIEW<\/strong>, enabling them to easily accommodate design revisions, even within the software. Furthermore, it simplified data acquisition during the prototyping stage, a critical step in refining weather radar technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-align-left\"><strong>Unified Simulation with LabVIEW:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-align-left\">To address the need for a unified simulation environment, Furuno harnessed the co-simulation capabilities of&nbsp;<strong>AWR Visual System Simulator (VSS)<\/strong>&nbsp;and LabVIEW. They seamlessly integrated LabVIEW code with their analog circuit design in VSS. This groundbreaking approach allowed them to not only validate the performance of the analog section, but also comprehensively verify the system\u2019s overall performance. This eliminated technical obstacles for their analog designers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-671c31f3836e56561633bdb9cd8f36c1\" style=\"font-size:25px\"><strong>THE OUTCOME: A 40% REDUCTION IN DEVELOPMENT TIME<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-align-left\">The results of adopting NI solutions were nothing short of remarkable:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-align-left\">Furuno Electric Co., Ltd. achieved a reduction in development time of&nbsp;<strong>more than 40%<\/strong>&nbsp;compared to conventional methods. The NI FlexRIO platform eliminated the need for hardware changes, streamlining the development process. LabVIEW\u2019s graphical development significantly reduced the need for domain-specific expertise. The dream of conducting system-level simulations that combine analog and digital sections became a reality, pushing the boundaries of weather radar technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/2022-05-04_OUN_radar_loop-1.gif\" alt=\"Radar loop of developing supercells near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma from the NWS Norman radar\" class=\"wp-image-2406\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>National Weather Service Weather Radar<\/em>&nbsp;in 2022<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-align-left\">Following the success of the weather radar system, Furuno set their sites on commercializing their advanced weather radar system. Their vision included developing systems capable of simultaneous observations with multiple radars, and predicting precipitation to mitigate the impact of natural disasters. For Furuno, LabVIEW and NI FlexRIO were instrumental not only for weather radar technology but for their future design endeavors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-align-left\">This case study serves as a testament to the potential of innovative technology and forward-thinking methodologies in the realm of weather radar technology. Furuno\u2019s journey is a shining example of what\u2019s possible when innovation and determination unite to drive progress!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left has-text-align-left\"><em>The case study discussed in this post was originally co-authored by Takuo Kashiwa, Yasunobu Asada, and Tomonao Kobayashi from Furuno Electric Co., Ltd.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-7fd81a87ca82e7cddcccb5c69d9a845c\" style=\"font-size:25px\"><strong>ADDITIONAL INFORMATION<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-outline is-style-outline--1\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/furunousa.com\/en\/products\/radars\">Furuno USA<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-outline is-style-outline--2\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cadence.com\/en_US\/home\/resources\/datasheets\/awr-visual-system-simulator-ds.html\">AWR Datasheet<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the ever-evolving world of weather radar technology, innovation is the key to staying ahead of the curve. In this post, we will take a look at a previous case study- when Furuno Electric Co., Ltd. faced significant challenges in developing a cutting-edge weather radar system. To overcome these hurdles, they turned to the formidable [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2822,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,10],"tags":[110,171,172,242,318,393,437,654,910,921,971],"class_list":["post-2322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-case-study","category-technology","tag-case-study","tag-data","tag-data-acquisition","tag-flexrio","tag-labview","tag-national-instruments","tag-ni","tag-radar","tag-technology","tag-test-equipment","tag-weather-radar"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2322","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2322"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2322\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3681,"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2322\/revisions\/3681"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2822"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.apexwaves.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}