Radar device with compensation of nonlinearities

A method comprising:

• in a first mode:
• feeding a test signal into a receiving channel of a radar device, such that the test signal is fed to a mixer contained in the receiving channel and is thus downconverted to a baseband, wherein a baseband signal that includes intermodulation products on account of a nonlinearity of a transfer characteristic of the receiving channel is provided at a mixer output;
• generating a digital output signal based on the baseband signal;
• in the first mode:
• determining at least one intermodulation product and, based on the at least one intermodulation product, ascertaining a parameter of a model which characterizes the nonlinearity, and storing the parameter;
• and
• in a second mode, in which an antenna signal is fed to the mixer as an input signal:
• suppressing the at least one intermodulation product in the digital output signal based on the parameter and the baseband signal.

A radar system comprising:

• a radar sensor;
• and
• a radar device comprising:
• a receiving channel comprising:
• a radio frequency (RF) signal path, and
• a mixer configured to generate a baseband signal based on an RF input signal a local oscillator signal,
• wherein the receiving channel is configured to:
• generate a digital output signal based on the baseband signal,
• wherein the baseband signal includes an intermodulation product associated with a nonlinearity of a transfer characteristic of the receiving channel;
• a test signal generator configured to:
• generate a test signal, and
• provide the test signal into the RF signal path;
• and
• a signal processing unit configured to:
• in a first mode:
• determine the intermodulation product, and
• determine, based on the intermodulation product, a parameter of a model,
• wherein the model characterizes the nonlinearity, and
• wherein the first mode is associated with the test signal being provided to the mixer as a first input signal;
• and
• in a second mode:
• attenuate the intermodulation product in the digital output signal based on the parameter and the baseband signal,
• wherein the second mode is associated with an antenna signal being provided to the mixer as a second input signal.