Patent ID: 7177591

Claim:
A radio frequency converter for converting a signal in a first frequency band to a signal in a second frequency band by successively mixing the signal in the first frequency band with a plurality of local-oscillation signals having different frequencies, the frequency converter comprising an oscillator employing a dielectric resonator for providing a first one of the local-oscillation signals in a quasi millimeter bandwidth or a millimeter bandwidth which contains a frequency drift; and a phase-locked loop, wherein the phase-locked loop generates at least a second one of the local-oscillation signals having a lowest frequency among the plurality of local-oscillation signals, based on an intermediate frequency beacon signal, said intermediate frequency beacon signal is generated by mixing a predetermined radio frequency beacon signal generated from the signal in a first frequency band with the first local-oscillation signals, and the intermediate frequency beacon signal is mixed with the second one of the local-oscillation signals to compensate the frequency drift contained therein, and wherein the first frequency band and the second frequency band fall in a quasi millimeter bandwidth of 20–30 GHz or a millimeter bandwidth 30–300 GHz.