Thermal head and thermal printer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12049090-B2
Application number	US-202117907672-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 26, 2021
Priority date	Mar 31, 2020
Publication date	Jul 30, 2024
Grant date	Jul 30, 2024

Abstract

A thermal head includes a substrate, an electrode, a bonding material, an electrically conductive member, and a sealing material. The electrode is located on the substrate. The bonding material is located on the substrate or the electrode. The electrically conductive member is located on the bonding material and is electrically connected to the electrode via the bonding material. The sealing material is located on the substrate and covers the bonding material and the electrically conductive member. The bonding material includes a protruding portion located at an outer circumferential edge of the electrically conductive member away from the substrate and the electrically conductive member.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A thermal head, comprising:
a substrate;
an electrode located on the substrate;
a bonding material located on the substrate or the electrode;
an electrically conductive member located on the bonding material and electrically connected to the electrode via the bonding material; and
a sealing material located on the substrate, the sealing material covering the bonding material and the electrically conductive member, wherein
the bonding material comprises a protruding portion located at an outer circumferential edge of the electrically conductive member, the protruding portion being away from the substrate and the electrically conductive member,
the electrically conductive member comprises:
a first end surface facing the bonding material, and
a second end surface located closer to the substrate than the first end surface, and surrounding the first end surface in a plan view, and

an end portion of the protruding portion is located farther from the substrate than the first end surface.

2. The thermal head according to claim 1 , wherein
the sealing material comprises a portion located between the protruding portion and the electrically conductive member.

3. The thermal head according to claim 1 , wherein
the electrically conductive member has a cross-sectional area along at least one of the first end surface or the second end surface of the electrically conductive member facing the substrate, the cross-sectional area becoming smaller as the electrically conductive member gets closer to the substrate.

4. The thermal head according to claim 1 , wherein
the electrically conductive member comprises an exposed region in which no bonding material is located on an outer circumferential surface of the electrically conductive member in a direction intersecting at least one of the first end surface or the second end surface facing the substrate.

5. The thermal head according to claim 1 , wherein
the electrically conductive member includes a plurality of electrically conductive members adjacent to each other,
the bonding material includes bonding materials corresponding to the plurality of electrically conductive members,
the protruding portion includes protruding portions located in a same direction in a plan view, and
the bonding materials include the protruding portions.

6. The thermal head according to claim 1 , wherein
the protruding portion includes a plurality of protruding portions located in different directions in a plan view, and
the bonding material includes the plurality of protruding portions.

7. A thermal printer, comprising:
a thermal head, comprising:
a substrate;
an electrode located on the substrate;
a bonding material located on the substrate or the electrode;
an electrically conductive member located on the bonding material and electrically connected to the electrode via the bonding material; and
a sealing material located on the substrate, the sealing material covering the bonding material and the electrically conductive member, wherein
the bonding material comprises a protruding portion located at an outer circumferential edge of the electrically conductive member, the protruding portion being away from the substrate and the electrically conductive member,
the electrically conductive member comprises:
a first end surface facing the bonding material, and
a second end surface located closer to the substrate than the first end surface, and surrounding the first end surface in a plan view, and

an end portion of the protruding portion is located farther from the substrate than the first end surface;

a transport mechanism transporting a recording medium onto a heat generating part located on the substrate; and
a platen roller pressing the recording medium onto the heat generating part.

Assignees

• Kyocera Corp

Inventors

• Kato Kenichi
• Miyamoto Makoto

Classifications

• B41J2/33525

  Passivation layers · CPC title

• B41J2/3357 Primary

  Surface type resistors · CPC title

• B41J2/3355

  characterised by materials · CPC title

• B41J2/33545

  characterised by dimensions · CPC title

• B41J2/3354

  characterised by geometry · CPC title