Thermal head, cleaning method thereof and color thermal printer
AssigneeFuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
InventorsSatoru Goto, Takao Miyazaki
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In a thermal head, a partial glaze layer is formed on an alumina basal plate, and on that laminated are a heating body, an electrode and a protective layer. A photocatalytic layer composed of titanium oxide is provided on the protective layer. Stains of organic substances, adhered to the photocatalytic layer because of a transparent protective layer of a color thermal recording sheet softened in thermography, is photolized by ultraviolet ray from a magenta-fixing lamp, which loses a coloring capacity of a magenta thermal coloring layer.
Claims18
A thermal head for thermally recording an image onto a color thermal recording sheet, said thermal head comprising:
- an array of heating elements wherein plural heating elements are lineally arranged;
- and
- a photocatalytic layer, covering said array of heating elements, to photolyze and remove substances adhered to the surface of said photocatalytic layer as exposed to light.
A thermal head described in claim 2, wherein said photocatalytic layer is exposed to fixation light for optical fixation of an image recorded on said color thermal recording sheet.
A thermal head for thermally recording an image onto a color thermal recording sheet, said thermal head comprising:
- an array of heating elements wherein plural heating elements are arranged lineally in a main scanning direction;
- and
- a protective layer for protecting the surface of said array of heating elements, said protective layer containing photocatalytic substance to photolyze and remove substances adhered to the surface of said protective layer as light is exposed.
A method for cleaning a thermal head provided in a color thermal printer, said thermal head being provided with an array of heating elements wherein plural heating elements are arranged lineally to record an image on a color thermal recording sheet, said method comprising the step of:
- exposing light to a photocatalytic layer covering said array of heating elements so as to photolyze and remove substances adhered to the surface of said photocatalytic layer.
A color thermal printer for thermally recording an image onto a color thermal recording sheet, said color thermal printer comprising:
- a thermal head provided with an array of heating elements wherein plural heating elements are arranged lineally;
- a photocatalytic layer to cover said array of heating elements;
- and
- a lamp for exposing light to said photocatalytic layer to photolyze and remove substances adhered to the surface of said photocatalytic layer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.