# US 10,864,749 B2 · Thermal print head and thermal printer > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,864,749 B2 - Document ID: US10864749B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/213,115 - Filed: 2018-12-07 - Published: 2019-06-27 - Granted: 2020-12-15 - Earliest claimed: 2017-12-25 - Assignees: Toshiba Hokuto Electronics Corporation - Applicants: Toshiba Hokuto Electronics Corporation - Inventors: Megumi Yamauchi; Seiichi Noro; Masakatsu Doi; Tsuyoshi Yamamoto; Yoshihide Abe; Tomonori Suzuki; Yuuki Komori - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10864749B2 ## CPC - B41J 2/355: Control circuits for heating-element selection - B41J 2/3351: {Electrode layers} - B41J 2/33515: {Heater layers} - B41J 2/33525: {Passivation layers} - B41J 2/3353: {Protective layers} - B41J 2/3354: {characterised by geometry} - B41J 2/3355: {characterised by materials} - B41J 2/3357: {Surface type resistors} - B41J 2/375: Protection arrangements against overheating - B41J: TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS ## Abstract According to one embodiment, a thermal print head includes a heat sink; a head substrate placed on the heat sink and having a plurality of heat generating elements arranged in a primary scanning direction; a circuit board placed on the heat sink so as to be adjacent to the head substrate in an auxiliary scanning direction and provided with a connection circuit; and a control element electrically connected to the heat generating element via a first bonding wire and electrically connected to the connection circuit via a second bonding wire, in which at least one of the first bonding wire and the second bonding wire includes any of a copper wire, a copper alloy wire, and a wire mainly made of copper and coated with a metal different from copper. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A thermal print head comprising: a heat sink; a head substrate having a support substrate placed on the heat sink, a glaze layer stacked on the support substrate, and a plurality of heat generating elements provided on the glaze layer and arranged in a primary scanning direction; a circuit board placed on the heat sink so as to be adjacent to the head substrate in an auxiliary scanning direction and provided with a connection circuit; and a control element electrically connected to the heat generating element via a first bonding wire and electrically connected to the connection circuit via a second bonding wire, wherein at least one of the first bonding wire and the second bonding wire includes any of a copper wire, a copper alloy wire, and a wire mainly made of copper and coated with a metal different from copper, has a wire diameter of 18 μm or more and 23 μm or less, and is bonded with a long span of 0.5 mm to 3 mm. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The thermal print head according to claim 1, wherein the control element is placed on an upper surface of the circuit board close to the head substrate, the first bonding wire is any of a copper wire, a copper alloy wire, and a wire mainly made of copper and coated with a metal different from copper. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The thermal print head according to claim 2, wherein the first and second bonding wires are substantially the same kind of wires. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The thermal print head according to claim 2, further comprising: a sealing body provided to cover the control element, the first bonding wire, and the second bonding wire, on an upper surface of the head substrate close to the circuit board and an upper surface of the circuit board close to the head substrate. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The thermal print head according to claim 4, wherein the sealing body is a resin having a hardness lower than a hardness of an epoxy resin. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The thermal print head according to claim 5, wherein the resin is a silicone resin. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The thermal print head according to claim 1, wherein the control element is placed on an upper surface of the head substrate close to the circuit board, the second bonding wire is any of a copper wire, a copper alloy wire, and a wire mainly made of copper and coated with a metal different from copper, and a wire diameter is 18 μm or more and 23 μm or less. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The thermal print head according to claim 7, wherein the first and second bonding wires are substantially the same kind of wires. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The thermal print head according to claim 7, further comprising: a sealing body provided to cover the control element, the first bonding wire, and the second bonding wire, on an upper surface of the head substrate close to the circuit board and an upper surface of the circuit board close to the head substrate. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The thermal print head according to claim 9, wherein the sealing body is a resin having a hardness lower than an epoxy resin. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The thermal print head according to claim 10, wherein the resin is a silicone resin. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The thermal print head according to claim 1, wherein the first and second bonding wires are substantially the same kind of wires. ### Claim 13 A thermal print head comprising: a heat sink; a head substrate having a support substrate placed on the heat sink, a glaze layer stacked on the support substrate, and a plurality of heat generating elements provided on the glaze layer and arranged in a primary scanning direction; a circuit board placed on the heat sink so as to be adjacent to the head substrate in an auxiliary scanning direction and provided with a connection circuit; a control element electrically connected to the heat generating element via a first bonding wire and electrically connected to the connection circuit via a second bonding wire; and a sealing body provided to cover the control element, the first bonding wire, and the second bonding wire, on an upper surface of the head substrate close to the circuit board and an upper surface of the circuit board close to the head substrate, wherein at least one of the first bonding wire and the second bonding wire includes any of a copper wire, a copper alloy wire, and a wire mainly made of copper and coated with a metal different from copper. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The thermal print head according to claim 13, wherein the sealing body is a resin having a hardness lower than a hardness of an epoxy resin. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The thermal print head according to claim 14, wherein the resin is a silicone resin. ### Claim 16 A thermal printer comprising: a thermal print head; and a platen roller to hold an image-receiving sheet with a plurality of heat generating elements and press the image-receiving sheet against the plurality of heat generating elements to move the image-receiving sheet in an auxiliary scanning direction, wherein the thermal print head comprises: a heat sink; a head substrate having a support substrate placed on the heat sink, a glaze layer stacked on the support substrate, and the plurality of heat generating elements provided on the glaze layer and arranged in a primary scanning direction; a circuit board placed on the heat sink so as to be adjacent to the head substrate in an auxiliary scanning direction and provided with a connection circuit; and a control element electrically connected to the heat generating element via a first bonding wire and electrically connected to the connection circuit via a second bonding wire, wherein at least one of the first bonding wire and the second bonding wire includes any of a copper wire, a copper alloy wire, and a wire mainly made of copper and coated with a metal different from copper, has a wire diameter of 18 μm or more and 23 μm or less, and is bonded with a long span of 0.5 mm to 3 mm. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The thermal printer according to claim 16, wherein the control element is placed on an upper surface of the circuit board close to the head substrate, the first bonding wire is any of a copper wire, a copper alloy wire, and a wire mainly made of copper and coated with a metal different from copper. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The thermal printer according to claim 16, wherein the control element is placed on an upper surface of the head substrate close to the circuit board, the second bonding wire is any of a copper wire, a copper alloy wire, and a wire mainly made of copper and coated with a metal different from copper, and a wire diameter is 18 μm or more and 23 μm or less. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The thermal printer according to claim 16, wherein the first and second bonding wires are substantially the same kind of wires. ### Claim 20 A thermal printer comprising: a thermal print head; and a platen roller to hold an image-receiving sheet with a plurality of heat generating elements and press the image-receiving sheet against the plurality of heat generating elements to move the image-receiving sheet in an auxiliary scanning direction, wherein the thermal print head comprises: a heat sink; a head substrate having a support substrate placed on the heat sink, a glaze layer stacked on the support substrate, and the plurality of heat generating elements provided on the glaze layer and arranged in a primary scanning direction; a circuit board placed on the heat sink so as to be adjacent to the head substrate in an auxiliary scanning direction and provided with a connection circuit; a control element electrically connected to the heat generating element via a first bonding wire and electrically connected to the connection circuit via a second bonding wire; and a sealing body provided to cover the control element, the first bonding wire, and the second bonding wire, on an upper surface of the head substrate close to the circuit board and an upper surface of the circuit board close to the head substrate, wherein at least one of the first bonding wire and the second bonding wire includes any of a copper wire, a copper alloy wire, and a wire mainly made of copper and coated with a metal different from copper.