Tapered Meander Line Antenna for Maximum Efficiency and Minimal Environmental Impact

The environmental impact of mass produced, disposable antennas is a major consideration in such areas as RFID, cellular telephones and keyless entry devices. The selection of environmentally benign materials and low energy manufacturing impacts the efficiency of antennas. This letter outlines a design methodology based on tapering printed meander line antennas to gain maximum efficiency within a fixed area. The strategy involves an iterative optimization technique in which the thickness of each segment is changed proportionally with the current in each segment of the line. At 860 MHz, the same efficiency can be achieved with 50% of the conductive material. Alternatively, the efficiency can be increased without increasing the volume of conducting material.