JPH09207367A - Thermal head - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize no projection of a fixing number above its surface without impairing the rigidity of a head cover by a method wherein the head cover is fixed to a base with a screw, which engages with a threaded hole bored from the base side in the head cover. SOLUTION: The fixing of an insulating substrate 2, a flexible base plate 6 and a heat cover 8 to an aluminum base 1 is performed by screwing a screw 91 in the threaded hole 92 of the head cover 8 through a through hole 93 from the aluminum base 1 side. The screw 91 fitted from the aluminum base 1 side into the through hole 93 is threaded in the threaded hole 92 provided in the head cover 8 and clamped. Thus, the head cover 8 is fixed through the flexible base plate 6 to the aluminum base 1 and the flexible base plate 6 is pressed against the insulating substrate 2 by means of the elastic deformation of a pressing member 7 supported by the head cover 8 and, at the same time, the flexible base plate 6 and the insulating substrate 2 are fixed to the aluminum base 1.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a thermal head used in a heat-sensitive or thermal transfer recording device or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 4 is a view showing the structure of a thermal head of this type. In FIG. 4, 1 is a base of the thermal head and an aluminum base as a heat radiating member, 2 is an insulating substrate made of ceramic or the like, Reference numeral 3 denotes a conductor portion formed on the insulating substrate 2, which includes a heating resistor 31, an individual electrode 32, a common electrode 33, and a connection terminal 34, 4 is a drive IC, 5 is a sealing material,
6 is a flexible substrate, 7 is a pressing member, 8 is a head cover, and 9 is a fixing member.

The individual electrode 32 is connected to the heating resistor 31 and the driving IC 4 formed in a line, and the driving IC 4
Generates heat by selectively energizing the heating resistance element formed by being divided into the individual electrodes 32. Drive IC4
Are connected to the individual electrodes 32 and the connection terminals 34 by the bonding wires BW.

A flexible substrate 6 having a conductive pattern corresponding to the connection terminal pattern is superposed on the connection terminal 34, and the flexible substrate 6 is pressed against the insulating substrate 2 by a pressing member 7 which is an elastic body. It is connected. In this pressing member 7, the head cover 8 has the pressing member 7
The flexible substrate 6 is constantly pressed against the insulating substrate 2 by being attached to the aluminum base 1 while being elastically deformed.

The control unit of the recording apparatus (not shown) is configured to transmit recording data to the drive IC 4 via the flexible substrate 6 and the connector to drive and control the heating resistor 31.

[0006]

In a recording apparatus using this type of thermal head, when recording paper or the like is used as the recording medium, the recording paper is wound around a part of the peripheral surface of a cylindrical platen roller, The heating resistor part of the thermal head is pressed against the portion of the platen roller around which the recording paper is wound, and the recording paper is conveyed by rotating the platen roller, and the heating resistor is selectively driven to generate heat. Is configured to record.

Further, the thermal head is applied to a recording medium which is not flexible or has a large rigidity, or a recording medium which is stretched by applying tension like a gauze for making a screen printing plate. In the case of an apparatus for recording by using the recording medium, the heating resistor 31 of the thermal head is directly pressed against the recording medium without winding it around the platen roller, and the thermal head and the recording medium are relatively moved and the heating resistance is It is configured to selectively drive the body for recording. In the case of such a recording apparatus, it is desirable that the head cover 8 and the fixing member 9 do not protrude from the insulating substrate 2 as much as possible so that the portions other than the heat generating resistor 31 do not come into contact with the recording medium. However, in the case of a conventional thermal head,
Since the screw 91 of the fixing member 9 protrudes from the surface portion of the head cover 8 on the recording medium side, it cannot be applied to a recording apparatus using a recording medium having high rigidity or inflexibility. Was occurring. Further, in order to prevent the screw member 91 from protruding from the surface of the head cover 8, there is a method of forming a groove having a predetermined depth on the surface of the head cover 8 and attaching the screw member 91 from this groove portion. The provision of the groove in the head cover 8 causes a problem that the rigidity of the head cover 8 is lowered and the force for pushing the insulating substrate 2 and the flexible substrate 6 by the pushing member 7 is lowered.

The present invention has been made in order to solve these problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a thermal head in which the fixing member does not protrude from the surface thereof without impairing the rigidity of the head cover.

[0009]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in the thermal head of the present invention, the head cover is provided with a screw hole on the surface on the base side, and the base is provided with a screw through hole. The head cover is fixed to the base by screws that engage with screw holes provided in the head cover from the base side.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The thermal head of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing each structure of the thermal head of the present invention, and the same or corresponding structures as those of the above-mentioned thermal head are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In the head cover 8 of the thermal head of the present invention, a plurality of screw holes 92 are formed on the aluminum base 1 side, that is, the surface (lower side surface) in contact with the flexible substrate 6 at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction of the head. The aluminum base 1 has a plurality of through holes 93 corresponding to the screw holes 92.

Also in the thermal head of the present invention, similarly to the above-described conventional thermal head, the insulating substrate 2 is placed and positioned on the aluminum base 1, and the connecting terminal is placed on the connecting terminal 34 on the insulating substrate 2. A flexible substrate 6 having a conductive pattern corresponding to the pattern is overlaid, and a head cover 8 is further attached via a pressing member 7 to the drive control circuit 4 on the insulating substrate 2.
Place it so that it covers. At this time, the through hole 93 provided in the aluminum base 1 and the screw hole 92 provided in the head cover 8 are positioned so as to coincide with each other.

The insulating substrate 2, the flexible substrate 6, and the head cover 8 are fixed to the aluminum base 1 by tightening screws 91 in the screw holes 92 of the head cover 8 from the aluminum base 1 side through the through holes 93. That is, the screw 91 fitted into the through hole 93 from the aluminum base 1 side is screwed into the screw hole 92 provided in the head cover 8 and is tightened. As a result, the head cover 8 is fixed to the aluminum base 1 via the flexible substrate 6 and the pressing member 7 supported by the head cover 8 is provided.
The flexible substrate 6 is pressed against the insulating substrate 2 by the elastic deformation of, and these are fixed to the aluminum base 1.

In the thermal head of the present invention, as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, since the member for fixing the head cover 8 is provided on the side of the aluminum base 1 which is the base, and it is not necessary to form a groove or the like, the rigidity is lowered and the cost for processing parts is increased. It is possible to configure a thermal head in which a screw or the like does not project to the recording medium side.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention. The difference from the above-mentioned embodiment is that a groove extending in the longitudinal direction of the head is formed in the portion of the aluminum base 1 into which the screw 91 is fitted. It is in the point where it was formed. According to this embodiment, the screw 91 does not protrude from the aluminum base 1, and the entire head can be formed thin.

Further, in this embodiment, the common electrode 33 is used.
The fixing member 9 of the present invention is applied to a so-called near-edge type thermal head in which the heating resistor 31 is formed at the end portion of the head by providing the above. However, the present invention is not limited to this and alternates. It goes without saying that it can be applied to other thermal heads such as the lead type.

[0017]

As described above in detail, in the thermal head of the present invention, a screw hole is provided on the surface of the head cover on the base side, and a screw through hole is provided on the base so that the head cover is provided from the base side. Since the head cover is fixed by engaging the screw with the screw hole,
The fixing member does not protrude from the surface of the head cover,
The present invention has an effect of being applicable to a recording apparatus that records on a recording medium having high rigidity.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing each configuration of a thermal head of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a thermal head of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a conventional thermal head.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Aluminum Base 2 Insulating Substrate 3 Conductor 4 Drive IC 5 Sealing Material 6 Flexible Substrate 7 Pressing Member 8 Head Cover 9 Fixing Member

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A heating resistor, an individual electrode connected to the heating resistor, an insulating substrate connected to the individual electrode and provided with a drive control circuit for selectively driving and controlling the heating resistor, In a thermal head having a protective cover for covering a drive control circuit on an insulating substrate and a base for supporting the insulating substrate and the protective cover, the head cover is provided with a screw hole on the surface on the base side, and A thermal head characterized in that a screw through hole is provided in the base, and the head cover is fixed to the base with a screw engaging with a screw hole provided in the head cover from the base side.