JP3114057B2 - Thermal stamp head - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a thermal stamp head for performing thermal marking on a prepaid card or a point card.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, this type of card has a marking according to the number of times of use as a measure of the card usage of a user. There is a method in which a thermosensitive coloring layer mainly containing a system dye and a phenol compound is provided, and a simple figure such as a circle or a square is heated and colored by a thermal head or a heater provided in a card reader / writer.

[0003]

However, in the former line thermal head, dots of a heating resistor are formed in a line on a substrate such as alumina by a combination of a heating resistor and a comb-shaped electrode. This is a method of printing a desired shape by synchronizing the selection of a heating dot and the conveyance of a card by an external input signal. However, since marking is represented by a group of dots, jaggies are generated in the outline and the appearance is poor.

As described above, the marking shape is a specific shape such as a circle, a square or a logo mark. However, a line thermal head requires a highly accurate thin film pattern and complicated energization control regardless of the shape. The cost is very high for a simple printing shape.

In the latter heater, an insulating material and a heating wire are buried in a metal rod, and the heating element is heated by the heat of the heating wire, and the heating temperature is detected by a temperature detecting element such as a thermoelectric element. Generally, the temperature is controlled by controlling the power supply at all times. This is a factor that hinders the reduction in size and weight of the card reader / writer due to the head structure and the temperature control mechanism.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a low-cost, low-cost thermal stamp head which has a small, lightweight, and simple structure and allows clear and free marking.

[0007]

According to the present invention, as a result of intensive studies to solve the above problems, as a result, the plus electrode and the minus electrode are laid out in a desired shape while maintaining a parallel gap at equal intervals. It has been found that a desired printed shape can be obtained by forming a heating resistance layer having a uniform film thickness therebetween, and the above-mentioned object has been achieved. That is, according to the present invention,
Then, on the heat resistant ceramic substrate, the conductive paste
Separated by gaps of the desired shape
A pair of formed electrode layers and a heating resistor covering the gap
And a non-conductive paste covering the heating resistance layer.
Protective layer, and the pair of electrode layers is
An insulated electrode with the desired shape with the gap
Thermal stun characterized by forming a printed shape of
Head is obtained. Further, according to the present invention, the pair
Electrode layers consist of a spiral positive electrode and a negative electrode.
Wherein the printing shape is a circle.
A stamp head is obtained.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1A and 1B are schematic views of a thermal stamp according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing the external shape of the thermal stamp, and FIG. It is sectional drawing. FIG. 1 (a) and (b)
As shown in FIG. 3, a pair of electrode layers 3 and 6 of a plus electrode and a minus electrode are formed on a heat-resistant substrate 1 at a distance from each other, and the opposing portions are covered with a heating resistor 4.
Is covered with a protective film 5. Reference numeral 2 denotes a through hole that is electrically connected to the external connection terminal on the back surface.

FIGS. 2 (a), 2 (b) and 2 (c) show FIG.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a simple configuration and a printing shape of the thermal stamp. Referring to FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C, a pair of electrodes of a positive electrode and a negative electrode is etched by printing and firing an Au paste serving as an electrode on an alumina substrate that is a heat-resistant substrate 1. Electrode patterns forming layers 3 and 6 were formed, respectively. At this time, the gap between the pair of electrode layers 3 and 6 is equally spaced to maintain the inter-electrode gap 7 up to the end face.

Next, a RuO ₂ paste to be the heating resistor 4 was printed and fired from above the electrode pattern.

In order to protect the heating resistor 4, a protective film 6
A glass paste as shown in FIG. 1 was printed and fired to complete a thermal stamp as shown in FIG. Next, the thermal stamp is pressed against the printing medium on which the thermosensitive coloring layer is formed.
When a current was applied at 24 V DC for 1 second while keeping the contact at 00 g, a print shape as indicated by reference numeral 8 in FIG. 2C was obtained. In the thermal stamp head having such a configuration, if the pair of electrode layers 3 and 6 are used as a plus electrode and a minus electrode, and the distance between the electrodes is always maintained, the polarity of the plus electrode and the minus electrode is reversed. However, since the current flows uniformly between all the electrodes, the heat generation is uniform over the entire surface of the electrodes regardless of the shape of the electrodes themselves. Also, by changing the electrode interval arbitrarily, the heat generation temperature changes, and an arbitrary temperature range can be formed in the marking pattern.

Further, the energization control is turned on by an external input signal.
Only / OFF, complicated control by an expensive dedicated IC chip is not required. Therefore, the heat generating resistor, the electrodes, the external terminals, and the protective layer are merely formed by a thin-film or thick-film process in the form of a heat-resistant insulating substrate, so that a very compact stamp head can be manufactured.

Therefore, according to the thermal stamp head of the embodiment of the present invention, not only a small, lightweight and inexpensive thermal stamp head can be provided to the market, but also a clear, compact and low-cost printing system having a clear marking can be constructed. it can.

3 (a), 3 (b) and 3 (c) are plan views showing a configuration and a printing shape of a thermal stamp according to another embodiment of the present invention, which is prototyped in the same manufacturing process as in FIG. . In FIG. 3A, the substrate, paste, process and outline are the same as those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, but the shape of the pair of electrode layers 3 and 6 is as shown in FIG. The "swirl type" is shown below. The gap 9 between the electrodes of the pair of electrode layers 3 and 6 forming the plus and minus electrodes shown in FIG. 3A is covered with the heating resistor 4 and the protective film 5 as shown in FIG. 3B. At this time, the inter-electrode gap 9 is maintained over the ends of the pair of electrode layers 3 and 6 as described above. When a current was applied to the pair of electrode layers 3 and 6 under the above-described printing conditions, a “circular” printing shape 10 shown in FIG. 3C was obtained.

FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C show FIGS.
FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a configuration and a printing shape of a thermal stamp according to another embodiment of the present invention, which is prototyped in the same manufacturing process as that of FIG. 4 (a) and 4 (b), the substrate, paste, process and outline are the same as in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, but the shape of the pair of electrode layers 3 and 6 is indicated by the numeral "2". Is shown. The gap 9 between the electrodes of the pair of electrode layers shown in FIG. 4A is covered with the resistor 4 and the protective film 5 as shown in FIG. 4B. At this time, the inter-electrode gap 11 is maintained over the ends of the pair of electrode layers 3 and 6 as described above. When a current was applied to the pair of electrode layers 3 and 6 under the above-described printing conditions, a printing shape 12 of “2” shown in FIG. 4C was obtained.

[0017]

As described above, the thermal stamp head according to the present invention can be manufactured in a simple process at a low cost and can freely form a desired printing shape. The printing system itself can provide a thermal stamp head that can have a simple configuration and can perform clear printing.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a thermal stamp head according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a perspective view and (b) is a cross-sectional view.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are views showing a W-shaped print-shaped thermal stamp head of FIG. 1, wherein FIGS.
(C) is a plan view showing a print shape.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are views showing a round print shape thermal stamp head according to another embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIGS. 3A and 3B are plan views showing the configuration, and FIG. It is.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams showing a two-printed thermal stamp head according to another embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIGS. 4A and 4B are plan views showing the configuration, and FIG. It is.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Heat resistant insulating substrate 2 Through hole 3, 6 Electrode layer 4 Heating resistor 5 Protective film 7, 9, 11 Gap between electrodes 8, 10, 12 Printing shape

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-58-1577 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41J 2/335-2/345

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A pair of electrode layers formed on a heat-resistant ceramic substrate and separated from each other by a gap formed of a conductive paste and having a desired shape, a heating resistor layer covering the gap, and a heating resistor layer. ; and a protective layer made of a non-conductive paste for covering, the pair of electrode layers and respective positive electrode and the negative electrode, the plants with the gap
A thermal stamp head which forms a desired print shape . 2. The thermal stamp head according to claim 1, wherein said pair of electrode layers comprises spiral plus and minus electrodes, and said printing shape is a circle.