Dual-Mode FMCW Harmonic Radar Supporting Auxiliary Transmitter Operation

In this paper, we propose a dual-mode FMCW harmonic radar capable of both harmonic and intermodulation operation. The presented system prototype operates in the X band in the uplink (radar to the target) and the K-band in the downlink (target to the radar). For intermodulation operation, an additional external X-band tone transmitter is utilized to boost the target response. The viability of the proposed system is demonstrated in field tests using a passive harmonic tag as a nonlinear target.