Method for operating a radar sensor device and radar sensor device

A method for operating a radar sensor device, the radar sensor device including antenna elements including a plurality of transmitting antenna elements and a plurality of receiving antenna elements, wherein all of the antenna elements are situated together along an arc and wherein the antenna elements are divided into a plurality of antenna systems, that each includes at least two of the transmitting antenna elements and at least two of the receiving antenna elements, the method comprising:

• operating each of the antenna systems as an independent multiple-input-multiple-output radar system relative to one another, wherein the operating includes:
• transmitting transmit signals using the transmitting antenna elements of a first antenna system of the antenna systems and the transmitting elements of a second antenna system of the antenna systems, the first antenna system being different than the second antenna system, wherein those of the transmitting antenna elements whose transmission ranges overlap have transmit signals orthogonal to one another;
• and
• receiving reflections of the transmitted transmit signals using the receiving antenna elements;
• wherein at least one transmitting antenna element of the first antenna system is operated with the same transmit signal as at least one transmitting element of the second antenna system.