Thermal head, method for manufacturing the same, and method for adjusting dot aspect ratio of thermal head

• US 20050146594A1
• Filed: 01/06/2005
• Published: 07/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Terao, Hirotoshi, Nakatani, Toshifumi, Usami, Shuuichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,170,539 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 347/193
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/33515 Heater layers
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/3353 Protective layers

Abstract

In a thermal head provided with a resistance layer having a plurality of heating element portions which generate heat by energization, an insulating barrier layer which determines the two-dimensional size of each heating element portion by covering each heating element portion, and electrode layers electrically connected to two end portions of each of the plural heating element portions, in the length direction of the resistance, a heat transfer layer is disposed on at least the insulating barrier layer to determine the two-dimensional surface exposure area of the insulating barrier layer by covering part of the insulating barrier layer and to dissipate the heat generated from the plural heating element portions, and surface exposure regions of the insulating barrier layer are specified as effective heating regions of the plural heating element portions by adjusting the two-dimensional size of the heat transfer layer.

Claims

1. A thermal head comprising a resistance layer having a plurality of heating element portions which generate heat by energization, an insulating barrier layer which is disposed covering individually the plurality of heating element portions and which determines a two-dimensional size of each heating element portion, and electrode layers electrically connected to two end portions of each of the plural heating element portions, in a length direction of the resistance,

the thermal head further comprising a heat transfer layer provided on at least the insulating barrier layer to determine a two-dimensional surface exposure area of the insulating barrier layer by covering part of the insulating barrier layer and to dissipate heat generated from the plurality of heating element portions, and surface exposure regions of the insulating barrier layer are specified as effective heating regions of the plurality of heating element portions by the heat transfer layer.

2. The thermal head according to claim 1, wherein a two-dimensional shape of the effective heating region of each heating element portion is specified to be square by the heat transfer layer.

3. The thermal head according to claim 1, wherein a two-dimensional shape of each heating element portion specified by the insulating barrier layer is rectangular.

4. The thermal head according to claim 1, wherein a pair of the heat transfer layers having a predetermined spacing in a direction parallel to the length direction of the resistance of the heating element portions are disposed on the insulating barrier layer, and the electrode layers are disposed on the resistance layer while being in contact with two end portions of each of the plural heating element portions in the length direction of the resistance and the heat transfer layers.

5. The thermal head according to claim 1, wherein a pair of the heat transfer layers having a predetermined spacing in a direction parallel to the length direction of the resistance of the heating element portions are disposed on the insulating barrier layer and the resistance layer, and the electrode layers are disposed on the heat transfer layers.

6. The thermal head according to claim 1, wherein the heat transfer layer is formed from a metallic material having a melting point higher than a maximum exothermic temperature of the heating element portion.

7. The thermal head according to claim 6, wherein the metallic material constituting the heat transfer layer is a high-melting point metallic material containing at least one of Cr, Ti, Ta, Mo, and W.

8. A method for manufacturing a thermal head comprising a plurality of heating element portions which generate heat by energization and electrode layers electrically connected to two end portions of each of the plural heating element portions, in a length direction of the resistance, the method comprising the steps of:

forming an insulating barrier layer to determine a two-dimensional size of each heating element portion by covering the surfaces of the plural heating element portions and, thereafter, forming a heat transfer layer on at least the insulating barrier layer to determine a surface exposure area of the insulating barrier layer by covering part of the insulating barrier layer and to dissipate heat generated from the plural heating element portions; and

specifying surface exposure regions of the insulating barrier layer as effective heating regions of the plural heating element portions by the heat transfer layer.

9. A method for adjusting a dot aspect ratio of a thermal head comprising a plurality of heating element portions which generate heat by energization, electrode layers electrically connected to two end portions of each of the plural heating element portions, in a length direction of resistance, an insulating barrier layer to determine the two-dimensional sizes of the heating element portions by covering the surfaces of the plural heating element portions, and a heat transfer layer which is formed covering part of the insulating barrier layer and dissipates the heat generated from the plurality of heating element portions, and

an aspect ratio of an effective heating region of each heating element portion by changing the two-dimensional size of the heat transfer layer.