System and method for radar receiver harmonic distortion and spurious response control

A method for mitigating the effect of nonlinear receiver harmonic distortion and receiver spurious responses in a radar receive system, comprising the following steps:

• receiving from free space radar return signals with an antenna;
• modulating the radar return signals with a modulation signal;
• detecting the modulated radar return signals to provide analog detector signals;
• converting the analog detector signals into digital detector signals;
• demodulating the digital detector signals to remove said modulation signal from said digital detector signals and provide digital demodulated signals;
• wherein the modulation and demodulation mitigates the effect of nonlinear receiver harmonic distortions and receiver spurious signal responses.

An active radar receive system, comprising:

• an antenna for receiving active radar return signals;
• modulator apparatus for modulating the radar return signals with a modulation signal;
• detector circuitry responsive to the modulated return signals to provide analog detector signals;
• analog-to-digital converter for converting the analog detector signals into digital detector signals;
• demodulator for removing said modulation signal from said digital detector signals to provide digital demodulated signals;
• wherein the modulation and demodulation mitigates the effect of nonlinear receiver harmonic distortions and receiver spurious signal responses.