JP2001105644A - Thermal head and thermal transfer printer using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thermal head and a thermal transfer printer using the same capable of simultaneously printing on plural sheets of thermal recording media. SOLUTION: A thermal head comprises a substrate having a heat resistance property; a heat insulation layer having a chevron shaped lateral cross section which is provided to be projected from one main face of the substrate in a line shape; a heating resistor layer laminated on the main face including the heat insulation layer and a common electrode; and individual electrodes which have tip sections arranged in teeth shaped fashion and are provided on the surface of the heating resistor layer, in such a manner that the tips are allowed to face portions corresponding to top section of the heating resistor layer from both sides of the heating resistor layer, and the tip sections of the teeth are opposed to each other with predetermined distances at the portions corresponding to the top section of the heating resistor layer. Each heating resistor layer in a region where the teeth shaped tip sections of the common and individual electrodes are opposed with each other is made to be the heating region and cutout sections which are made such that the heating resistor layer is partially removed are provided to the interface section of the adjacent heating regions. This thermal transfer printer comprises the above thermal head.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a thermal head and a thermal copying apparatus using the same (hereinafter, the copying apparatus is abbreviated as a printer).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art OA (Office Automation) equipment and FA
In the field of X (Facximile), a thermal head occupies an important position as a recording device. Thermal heads are used to record heat-sensitive paper, plate making film, etc. by generating heat from heating resistors placed on the substrate.Various developments have been made from the advantages of low noise and low running cost. I have. In recent years, it has also been used in video printers and has received much attention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the entire structure of a conventional thermal head partially broken away for easy understanding, and FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the thermal head taken along the line XX. It is. In each of these drawings, one main surface of an aluminum substrate 1 having a thin and long plane shape and having a predetermined rigidity is provided with heat resistance and a relatively large heat transfer coefficient of 0.5 to 1 on one main surface. A ceramic substrate 2 having a thickness of 0.0 mm and a plurality of ICs 8 arranged in a row on its side are mounted. Of these, at the center in the width direction of the ceramic substrate 2,
The glaze layer 3 as a heat insulating layer having a mountain-shaped cross section is formed linearly in the longitudinal direction. This glaze layer 3
The heating resistor layer 4 is laminated on the surface of the ceramic substrate 2 including

Among them, the glaze layer 3 is formed mainly by glass by screen printing or the like, and the heating resistor layer 4 is formed by a thin film forming method such as sputtering using an alloy such as Ta-SiO2 as a film forming source. . The common electrode 5 and the individual electrode 6 are formed on the surface of the heating resistor layer 4 by forming a conductive layer of aluminum or the like and then performing photoengraving. this house,
The common electrode 5 is formed in a comb-like shape on one side when viewed from the center of the glaze layer 3, and the individual electrode 6 is formed as a strip on the other side, that is, on the side where the IC 8 is disposed, when viewed from the center of the glaze layer 3. Are arranged in a tooth shape. In this case, the respective tips of the common electrode 5 and the individual electrodes 6 are opposed to each other with a predetermined gap at the peak of the chevron of the glaze layer 3. The other end of each individual electrode 6 is connected to a lead wire 9 derived from an IC 8. And the common electrode 5
And a heat-resistant and wear-resistant protective film layer 7 on the surface of the individual electrode 6.
Are formed, for example, by sputtering.

With such a configuration, the vicinity of the apex of the protective film layer 7 formed by the glaze layer 3 is defined as a recording unit 10.
A thermal head having a resolution of about 200 d / i to 400 d / i is configured.

[0006]

In the above-described thermal head, when a current is applied between the common electrode 5 and the individual electrode 6, the recording section 10 is instantaneously heated by the Joule heat of the heating resistor layer 4, and conversely, the common electrode A glaze layer 3 having a relatively low thermal conductivity is used as the glaze layer 3 and a ceramic substrate 2 having a relatively low thermal conductivity so that the recording unit 10 is rapidly cooled when the current between the electrodes 5 and the individual electrodes 6 is cut off. Large ones are used. In order to simultaneously record a plurality of thermal papers using this thermal head, it is necessary to transmit more heat to the recording medium while satisfying the above-mentioned conflicting events. However, there was a situation in which an innovative material and shape satisfying these conditions could not be found.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a thermal head capable of simultaneously recording a plurality of thermal recording media and a thermal printer using the same.

[0008]

The invention according to claim 1 is
A heat-resistant substrate, a heat-insulating layer linearly projecting from one main surface of the substrate, and a heating resistor layer laminated on one main surface of the substrate including the heat-insulating layer, It has a tip portion aligned in a tooth shape, and is directed from a portion corresponding to both sides of the heat insulation layer to a portion corresponding to the top portion, and at a portion corresponding to the top portion of the heat insulation layer, the tips of the tooth shapes are mutually predetermined with the other. In a thermal head including a common electrode and an individual electrode attached to the surface of the heating resistor layer so as to face each other at an interval, the heating resistor layers in the regions where the tooth-shaped tips of the common electrode and the individual electrode face each other. A heating region is provided, and a cutout portion formed by partially removing the heating resistor layer is provided at a boundary between adjacent heating regions.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the thermal head according to the first aspect, the cutout portion has a width of an intermediate portion as viewed in a direction in which a tip of each tooth profile faces, thereby increasing a width of the heating resistor layer. The feature is that the width is narrowed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the thermal head according to the first aspect, the tip of each tooth shape of the common electrode and the individual electrode is in line with the tip which is linearly arranged like the heat insulating layer. Has a side end aligned on a straight line obliquely intersecting with the heat insulating layer, and the cutout portion is substantially the same as a gap between the side ends of the tooth-shaped front end portions of the common electrode and the individual electrode. And formed on an extension of the gap.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a thermal printer using the thermal head according to any one of the first to third aspects as a recording element for a thermal recording medium.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a thermal head according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a partial plan view showing the configuration of the embodiment. This is because the protective film layer 7 shown in FIG. 4 or FIG.
2 is an enlarged view of a portion corresponding to the top of FIG. Here, the common electrode 5 having a comb-like tip is formed on the heating resistor layer 4.
And an individual electrode 6 having a tip portion in which strips are arranged in a tooth shape are formed in a state where the tip ends of the tooth shape face each other. The tips of the common electrode 5 and the individual electrodes 6 are adjacent to each other with an interval of the width d, and the heating resistor layer 4 at the portion corresponding to this interval is also engraved with the width d, and the adjacent portions are separated from each other, and The cutout portion 11 is formed by engraving such that the opposing portions are continuous.

In the notch 11, an intermediate portion of the opposing tooth tip is expanded in a rectangular shape having a width w (> d). As a result, the width of the heating region at the portion where the tooth-shaped tips of the common electrode 5 and the individual electrode 6 face each other is reduced, and the concentrated heat generating portion 21 is formed here. That is, a region where the tooth-shaped tips of the common electrode 5 and the individual electrode 6 face each other is a heating region, and a notch formed by partially removing the heating resistor layer 4 at a boundary between adjacent heating regions. By providing 11, an “I” -shaped concentrated heat generating portion 21 is formed.

[0015] In this manner, a thermal head capable of increasing the surface temperature between the opposing electrodes and intensively applying heat to the thermosensitive recording medium is obtained. Further, by using this thermal head, a thermal printer capable of simultaneously recording a plurality of thermal recording media can be configured.

FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the thermal head according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a partial plan view showing the configuration of the embodiment of FIG.
The same elements as those described above are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted. In the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the lateral width of the cutout portion 11 is expanded in a rectangular shape, but here, a cutout portion 12 expanded in an elliptical shape whose minor axis is w (> d) is provided, and The configuration differs from that of FIG. 1 in that a concentrated heat generating portion 22 having the highest temperature in the central portion is formed. With this configuration, the surface temperature of the thermal head can be more locally increased,
A preferable thermal head can be obtained by simultaneously recording a plurality of thermal recording media.

FIG. 3 shows a third embodiment of the thermal head according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a partial plan view showing the configuration of the embodiment of FIG.
Alternatively, the same elements as those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. In this embodiment, the mutually opposing tips of the common electrode 5a and the individual electrode 6a are aligned in a straight line in the direction in which the glaze layer 3 (not shown in FIG. 3) is provided. 45 for the arrangement direction of 3
A notch 13 is formed at an angle of about a degree, and on the extension of the gap between the adjacent tips, and with a width substantially equal to the gap.

In this case, the common electrode 5a and the individual electrode 6a
Paying attention to the pair of opposite end portions, the left end shown in the drawing of the end portion of the common electrode 5a and the right end shown in the drawing of the end portion of the individual electrode 6a are closest in distance, and current is concentrated in this portion. It is clear that it flows to. Thus, the concentrated heat generating portion 23 having a width of about 1/2 to 1/3 of the width of the tip of each electrode is formed. At this time, by adjusting the interval between the electrodes and the inclination angle of the notch 13,
Since the width of the concentrated heat generating portion 23 changes, there is an advantage that a thermal head suitable for the required resolution can be easily obtained.

Thus, also according to the third embodiment shown in FIG. 3, a thermal head capable of increasing the surface temperature between the opposing electrodes and applying heat intensively to the thermosensitive recording medium can be obtained. Further, by using this thermal head, a thermal printer capable of simultaneously recording a plurality of thermal recording media can be configured.

[0020]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a thermal head capable of simultaneously recording a plurality of thermal recording media and a thermal printer using the same.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial plan view showing a configuration of a first embodiment of a thermal head according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial plan view showing a configuration of a second embodiment of the thermal head according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a partial plan view showing a configuration of a third embodiment of the thermal head according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the entire configuration of a conventional thermal head, partially cut away in sequence.

5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a part of the conventional thermal head shown in FIG. 4;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Aluminum substrate 2 Ceramic substrate 3 Glaze layer 4 Heating resistor layer 5, 5a Common electrode 6, 6a Individual electrode 7 Protective film layer 8 IC 9 Lead wire 10 Recording part 11-13 Notch part 21-23 Concentrated heating part

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Takashi Oseki 8 Shinsugita-cho, Isogo-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture F-term in Toshiba Yokohama Office 2C065 KA05 KA08

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A heat-resistant substrate, and a heat-insulating layer having a chevron cross-sectional shape and projecting linearly from one principal surface of the substrate.
A heating resistor layer laminated on one main surface of the substrate including the heat insulating layer, having a tip portion aligned in a tooth shape, from a portion corresponding to both sides of the heat insulating layer to a portion corresponding to the top portion A thermal head including a common electrode and an individual electrode attached to a surface of the heating resistor layer so as to be directed and to have a tooth-shaped tip opposed to the other at a predetermined interval at a portion corresponding to the top of the heat insulating layer. In the above, the heating resistor layer in the region where the tooth-shaped tips of the common electrode and the individual electrode face each other is a heating region, and the heating resistor layer is partially formed at a boundary between the adjacent heating regions. A thermal head having a cutout portion removed. 2. The notch according to claim 1, wherein the width of the heating resistor layer is reduced by enlarging the width of an intermediate portion viewed in a direction in which the tips of the respective tooth shapes face each other. The described thermal head. 3. A tip part of each tooth shape of the common electrode and the individual electrode has a tip which is linearly arranged like the heat insulation layer, and a tip part opposed to each other obliquely intersects the heat insulation layer. The notch has a width substantially equal to the gap between the side ends of the tooth-shaped tips of the common electrode and the individual electrodes, and 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the extension is formed on the extension.
The thermal head according to 1. 4. A thermal copying and printing apparatus using the thermal head according to claim 1 as a recording element for a thermal recording medium.