Thermal head and image forming apparatus using the same
AssigneeKabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
InventorsHayamitu Yukihiro, Kunihiko Miura, Takefumi Nosaki
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A thermal head employed in a printer includes a plurality of heating elements which are mounted on a molybdenum rod arranged at the edge portion of an aluminum plate. A plurality of drive integrated circuits, mounted on the aluminum plate, control the heating elements in response to an image signal through lead electrodes formed on the circumferential surface of the molybdenum rod. Connecting portions of the lead electrodes and integrated circuits are electrically connected through a polyimide film where electric wiring patterns are formed. In order to use the laser bonding process, these connecting portions of the lead electrodes and integrated circuits are flush with one another.
Claims18
A thermal head for an image forming apparatus including a movable image formation sheet, said thermal head comprising:
- (a) a rod member having an elongated, curved, circumferential surface;
- (b) heating means comprising a plurality of heating elements disposed on said rod member in the elongated direction thereof for applying heat to the movable image formation sheet;
- (c) a plurality of lead electrodes attached to said rod member in the circumferential direction thereof, one end of each one of said plurality of lead electrodes being connected to a corresponding one of said plurality of heating elements and the other end of each one of said plurality of lead electrodes having a connecting portion;
- (d) a supporting member for supporting said rod member when the movable image formation sheet is moving across said rod member;
- and
- (e) an integrated circuit having a plurality of connecting terminals thereon, each one of said plurality of connecting terminals being connected to said connecting portion of a corresponding one of said plurality of lead electrodes, said integrated circuit being adapted to individually energize each one of said plurality of heating elements through the corresponding one of said plurality of lead electrodes in response to an image signal, each one of said plurality of connecting terminals of said integrated circuit and said connecting portion of the corresponding one of said plurality of lead electrodes being on at least substantially the same plane.
An image forming apparatus comprising:
- (a) a thermal head including:
- (i) a supporting member;
- (ii) a rod-shaped member attached to one end of said supporting member;
- (iii) a plurality of heating elements arranged on said rod-shaped member in an axial direction of said rod-shaped member;
- (iv) a plurality of lead electrodes formed on said rod-shaped member, each one of said plurality of lead electrodes having an individual connecting portion connected to a corresponding one of said plurality of heating elements;
- (v) an integrated circuit having a plurality of connecting terminals mounted on said supporting member, each one of said plurality of connecting terminals being connected to said connecting portion of a corresponding one of said plurality of lead electrodes, said integrated circuit being adapted to individually energize each one of said plurality of heating elements through the corresponding one of said plurality of lead electrodes in response to an image signal, each one of said plurality of connecting terminals of said integrated circuit being on at least substantially the same plane with said connecting portion of the corresponding one of said plurality of lead electrodes;
- and
- (vi) a connecting sheet electrically connecting each connecting portion of said plurality of lead electrodes and each connecting terminal of said integrated circuit;
- (b) means for feeding a sheet to said thermal head;
- and
- (c) means for supplying the image signal to said integrated circuit, thereby causing a visible image corresponding to the image signal on the sheet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.