Printhead and printing system

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a printing head and a printing system. The printing head comprises a substrate and a plurality of heating parts protruding out of the substrate, and the heating parts are arranged on one side of the substrate in a matrix array mode. According to the embodiment of the invention, the printing head is formed by adopting the substrate and the heating parts, printing ink can be sublimated through the multiple heating parts on the substrate to realize printing, the printing head can be formed by adopting a glass substrate, splicing by adopting a silicon-based substrate is not needed, a whole single body can be made, the manufacturing process is relatively simple, and the manufacturing difficulty of the printing head is reduced.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of printing technology, in particular to a print head and a printing system. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the development of printing technology, printers have developed from early needle printers to inkjet printers and laser printers. Inkjet printers form images or text on paper by ejecting ink through a nozzle, but inkjet printers have slower printing speeds, and the nozzle is prone to clogging, which requires maintenance and replacement of the nozzle, increasing the cost and time cost of use, and inkjet printers are prone to ink bleeding when processing high-resolution and high-precision images, resulting in blurred image edges and affecting printing quality. Laser printers use a laser beam to scan a photosensitive drum to form an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum, and then transfer toner to the paper through a developing and transferring process to form an image, laser printers have high printing speed and high text clarity, but the quality of printed images and photos is low. In order to improve the effect of image and photo printing, a thermal sublimation printer is proposed, which has high color reproduction and delicate printing texture. However, existing thermal sublimation printers use silicon-based integrated circuits to control the temperature of the heating material, and the silicon substrate needs to be spliced, which is a complex process.

[0003] Therefore, the existing thermal sublimation printer using a silicon-based integrated circuit to control the temperature of the heating material has the technical problem of a complex process. SUMMARY

[0004] The embodiments of the present application provide a print head and a printing system to solve the technical problem of a complex process of the existing thermal sublimation printer using a silicon-based integrated circuit to control the temperature of the heating material.

[0005] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, according to the first aspect of the present application, a print head is provided, which comprises a substrate and a plurality of heating portions protruding from the substrate, the heating portions are arranged in a matrix array on one side of the substrate.

[0006] According to the second aspect of the present application, a printing system is provided, which comprises a print head as described in any of the above embodiments, a ribbon and a driving device, the print head is arranged opposite to the ribbon, and the print head and the ribbon are electrically connected to the driving device.

[0007] This application provides a printhead and a printing system. The printhead includes a substrate and multiple heating elements protruding from the substrate, with the heating elements arranged in a matrix array on one side of the substrate. This application, by using a substrate and heating elements to form the printhead, allows printing ink to be sublimated through the multiple heating elements on the substrate. A glass substrate can be used to form the printhead, eliminating the need for splicing with silicon substrates. It can be made into a single, monolithic piece, simplifying the manufacturing process and reducing the manufacturing difficulty of the printhead.

[0008] Other features and advantages of this application will be described in detail in the following detailed description section. Attached Figure Description To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0009] To gain a more complete understanding of this application and its beneficial effects, the following description will be provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein the same reference numerals in the following description denote the same parts.

[0010] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a comparative printer provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0011] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the printhead provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0012] Figure 3 This is a first circuit diagram of the drive circuit for the printhead provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0013] Figure 4 A second circuit diagram of the printhead driving circuit provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0014] Figure 5 This is a planar schematic diagram of the printhead provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0015] Figure 6 This is a first schematic diagram of a printing system provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0016] Figure 7 This is a second schematic diagram of a printing system provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0017] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 11. Dye-sublimation printhead; 12. Printing ribbon; 13. Paper; 14. Impression roller; 21. Printhead; 211. Substrate; 212. Drive circuit; 213. Drive circuit layer; 214. Insulating layer; 215. Heating unit; 22. Ribbon; 23. Printing paper; 24. Drive chip; 25. Drive circuit board; 3. Printing system; 31. Drive unit.

[0018] T1, Switching transistor; T2, Heating transistor; T3, First heating control transistor; T4, Second heating control transistor; C, Capacitor; Data, Data line; Scan, Scan line; EM, Heating control line; OVDD, High-potential power line; OVSS, Low-potential power line. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without creative effort are within the protection scope of this application.

[0020] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "joining," "electrical connection," and "electrical link" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; they can refer to mechanical connections, electrical connections, or connections that allow for communication; they can refer to direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0021] To illustrate the principle behind the technical problems in the embodiments of this application, a comparison printer is provided. It should be understood that this comparison printer cannot be considered prior art in the embodiments of this application. Figure 1 As shown, the comparison printer includes a sublimation printhead 11, a printing ribbon 12, and an impression roller 14. When printing with the comparison printer, paper 13 is placed on the impression roller 14, and the ink on the printing ribbon 12 is sublimated by the sublimation printhead 11 and transferred to the paper 13, thus achieving printing. Figure 1 As can be seen, existing thermal sublimation printheads 11 use silicon-based integrated circuits to control the current of the heating material, thereby sublimating the ink. However, the printheads are relatively large, generally requiring the splicing of multiple silicon-based substrates, making the manufacturing process quite complex. Therefore, existing thermal sublimation printers using silicon-based integrated circuits to control the temperature of the heating material face the technical challenge of a complex manufacturing process.

[0022] This application provides a printhead and a printing system to address the aforementioned technical problems.

[0023] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the printhead provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 3 This is a first circuit diagram of the drive circuit for the printhead provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 4 A second circuit diagram of the printhead driving circuit provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 5 This is a planar schematic diagram of the printhead provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 6 This is a first schematic diagram of a printing system provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 7 This is a second schematic diagram of a printing system provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0024] like Figures 2 to 5 As shown, this application embodiment provides a printhead 21, which includes a substrate 211 and a plurality of heating elements 215 protruding from the substrate 211. The heating elements 215 are arranged in a matrix array on one side of the substrate 211. This application embodiment provides a printhead 21 formed using a substrate 211 and heating elements 215. Printing can be achieved by sublimating printing ink through the plurality of heating elements 215 on the substrate. The printhead 21 can be formed using a glass substrate, eliminating the need for splicing with silicon-based substrates. It can be made into a single piece, simplifying the manufacturing process and reducing the manufacturing difficulty of the printhead.

[0025] In some embodiments, such as Figure 5 As shown, the shape of the heating part 215 includes at least one of rectangle, circle, square, rhombus, rounded rectangle, and rounded square; by making the shape of the heating part 215 include rectangle, circle, square, rounded rectangle, and rounded square, various texts and patterns can be printed.

[0026] Specifically, such as Figure 5 As shown, the substrate 211 is provided with a plurality of heating elements 215, which are arranged in an array along a first direction X and a second direction Y on the substrate 211. The shape of the heating elements 215 includes at least one of rectangle, circle, square, rounded rectangle, and rounded square; the included angle between the first direction X and the second direction Y is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 90 degrees. By arranging the heating elements 215 in an array along the first direction X and the second direction Y on the substrate 211, various areas of the printing paper can be printed simultaneously during printing, improving printing efficiency. The heating elements 215 can be rectangular, circular, square, rounded rectangle, or rounded square, allowing for the printing of various texts and patterns.

[0027] Specifically, such as Figure 5As shown in (a), the heating element 215 is a rounded square, and multiple heating elements 215 are spaced apart on the substrate 211, thereby improving printing accuracy and efficiency; Figure 5 As shown in (b), the heating element 215 is circular in shape, and multiple heating elements 215 are spaced apart on the substrate 211, thereby improving printing accuracy and printing efficiency.

[0028] Specifically, it is understandable that Figure 5 Only the substrate 211 and the heating part 215 are shown in the figure, but in fact, a driving circuit layer may be provided on the substrate 211.

[0029] In some embodiments, such as Figure 5 , Figure 6 As shown, the area of ​​the substrate 211 is greater than or equal to the area of ​​the printing paper 23. By making the area of ​​the substrate 211 greater than or equal to the area of ​​the printing paper 23, multiple heating elements 215 can be provided on the substrate 211, so that printing can be performed through multiple heating elements 215 during printing without rotating the paper, thus speeding up the printing efficiency.

[0030] Specifically, such as Figure 1 , Figure 6 As shown, the printhead 11 in the comparative printer is elongated, and the length of the printer is greater than the width of the printhead. This comparative printer requires an impression roller, which rolls to print different parts of the paper, resulting in low printing efficiency. In this embodiment, the area of ​​the substrate 211 is greater than or equal to the area of ​​the paper 23, and multiple heating elements 215 are provided on the substrate 211. This allows for simultaneous printing of different areas of the paper 23 when printing is needed, accelerating the printing speed and improving printing efficiency.

[0031] Specifically, it is understandable that while the area of ​​the substrate 211 is theoretically equal to the area of ​​the printing paper 23 in the design, in the actual design, the area of ​​the substrate 211 may differ somewhat from the area of ​​the printing paper 23. Furthermore, it is understandable that during use, not all areas of the printing paper 23 will be printed with text or patterns; for example, the edges of the printing paper 23 are often not printed with text or patterns. Therefore, the area of ​​the substrate 211 can be slightly smaller than the area of ​​the printing paper 23, while still allowing printing on all areas of the printing paper 23; or the area of ​​the substrate 211 can be slightly larger than the area of ​​the printing paper 23, while still allowing printing on all areas of the printing paper 23, thus improving printing efficiency.

[0032] Specifically, printing paper 23 can be A4 paper.

[0033] Specifically, the area of ​​the substrate 211 can be greater than or equal to half the area of ​​the printing paper 23.

[0034] Specifically, it is understandable that when the area of ​​the substrate is equal to the area of ​​the printing paper, the imprint roller can be omitted, reducing the complexity of the print head.

[0035] Specifically, it is understood that the above embodiments are illustrated using the example of the substrate area being equal to the area of ​​the printing paper, but the embodiments of this application are not limited to this. The substrate can also be elongated, thereby achieving the printing function through the rotation of the imprinting roller.

[0036] In some embodiments, the substrate 211 can be made of glass or ceramic. Compared to using a silicon substrate to control the current of the heating material, which requires splicing to reach the required size, in this embodiment, glass or ceramic can be used to form the substrate, and a driving circuit can be set on the substrate to control the temperature, thereby controlling the temperature of the heating device in thermal sublimation printing.

[0037] In some embodiments, such as Figure 4 As shown, the printhead 21 also includes a drive circuit 212, which includes a heating transistor T2 integrated within the heating section 215. By integrating the heating transistor T2 within the heating section 215, no additional heating structure is needed for heating; the printing function is achieved by sublimating the printing ink through the heating transistor T2.

[0038] In some embodiments, such as Figure 4 As shown, the printhead 21 also includes a drive circuit 212, which includes a heating transistor T2, which serves as the heating element 215. By using the heating transistor T2 as the heating element 215, there is no need to set up an additional heating element 215 for heating; the printing function is achieved by sublimating the printing ink through the heating transistor T2.

[0039] In some embodiments, such as Figure 3 As shown, the printhead 21 also includes a drive circuit 212, which is electrically connected to the data line Data and the heating element 215. The data writing time for each line of the heating element 215 is 5 microseconds. By connecting the drive circuit 212 to the heating element 215, the heating element 215 can be activated via the drive circuit 212, thereby controlling the printing process and ensuring that the data writing time for each line of the heating element 215 is 5 microseconds, which shortens the data writing time and speeds up the printing process.

[0040] Specifically, the data writing time for each row of heating section 215 can be 2 microseconds to 10 microseconds.

[0041] In some embodiments, the data writing time of all heating elements 215 is greater than or equal to 35 milliseconds; thereby shortening the data writing time and speeding up the printing process.

[0042] Specifically, the data writing time for all heating elements 215 can be 36 milliseconds, 37 milliseconds, 38 milliseconds, 39 milliseconds, or 40 milliseconds.

[0043] In some embodiments, such as Figure 3 , Figure 4 As shown, the driving circuit 212 includes a heating transistor T2, the operating temperature of which is greater than the sublimation temperature of the printing ink.

[0044] Specifically, the printhead 21 includes a substrate 211 and a driving circuit 212. The driving circuit 212 includes a heating transistor T2, which is disposed on one side of the substrate 211. When the printhead is configured to operate, the operating temperature of the heating transistor T2 is greater than the sublimation temperature of the printing ink.

[0045] By including a heating transistor T2 in the drive circuit 212, printing ink can be sublimated through the drive circuit 212 on the substrate 211 to achieve printing. A glass substrate can be used to form the printhead, eliminating the need for splicing with a silicon substrate. This simplifies the process and reduces the manufacturing difficulty of the printhead.

[0046] Specifically, such as Figure 6 , Figure 7 As shown, this application embodiment provides a printing system 3, which includes a print head 21 and a ribbon 22. The ribbon 22 is disposed on one side of the print head 21. The print head 21 includes a substrate 211 and a driving circuit 212. The driving circuit 212 includes a heating transistor T2, which is disposed on the side of the substrate 211 near the ribbon 22. When the printing system 3 is configured to operate, the ribbon 22 is coated with printing ink, and the operating temperature of the heating transistor T2 is greater than the sublimation temperature of the printing ink.

[0047] This application provides a printing system; the printing system 3 forms a print head 21 by using a substrate 211 and a driving circuit 212, and the driving circuit 212 includes a heating transistor T2. Printing can be achieved by sublimating printing ink through the driving circuit 212 on the substrate 211. The print head can be formed using a glass substrate, eliminating the need for splicing with a silicon substrate. The process is relatively simple, reducing the manufacturing difficulty of the print head.

[0048] Specifically, it can be understood that when the printing system is not printing, the ribbon 22 may not contain printing ink. When the printing system needs to print, the ribbon 22 may contain printing ink. The color system of the printing ink may be CMY (i.e., cyan, magenta or magenta, yellow) or CMYK (i.e., cyan, magenta or magenta, yellow, black) to achieve the colors required for thermal sublimation printing.

[0049] Specifically, when the printhead resolution is 600 DPI and the printing paper is A4, the paper resolution is 4962*7014. Assuming the data writing time per line is 5 microseconds, the data writing time for a single full-page image is 7014*5 microseconds. Adding the blank time after each line of data is written, the data writing time for a single full-page image can be 36 to 40 milliseconds. Therefore, when printing a certain image, it requires 3 data writing times + 3 heating times + 3 ribbon drive times. Using the printing system in this embodiment, printing can be completed in 1 second. In contrast, when the printer resolution is 600 DPI, full-color printing on A4 paper takes 1.2 to 2 minutes. The printing efficiency of the printing system in this embodiment is greatly improved.

[0050] Specifically, it's understandable that the reason for needing 3 data writing times + 3 heating times + 3 ribbon drive times is as follows: Taking full-color printing as an example, it's necessary to heat the printing inks of cyan and magenta or magenta and yellow separately. The heating process for each color of printing ink requires data writing, heating, and ribbon drive. However, it's understandable that in actual printing, only one color of printing ink may be needed. In this case, the total printing time can be reduced to 1 data writing time + 1 heating time + 1 ribbon drive time.

[0051] Specifically, it can be understood that data writing time and heating time refer to the time it takes for data to be written to the corresponding transistor and the time it takes to turn on the heating control transistor to make the heating transistor heat up, respectively.

[0052] In some embodiments, such as Figure 3 , Figure 4As shown, the driving circuit 212 further includes a switching transistor T1 and a heating control transistor (e.g., a first heating control transistor T3). The gate of the switching transistor T1 is electrically connected to the scan line Scan, the first electrode of the switching transistor T1 is electrically connected to the data line Data, and the second electrode of the switching transistor T1 is electrically connected to the gate of the heating transistor T2. The heating transistor T2 and the heating control transistor are connected in series between the high-potential power line OVDD and the low-potential power line OVSS. By configuring the switching transistor T1 and the heating control transistor, the gate of the switching transistor T1 is connected to the scan line Scan, and the two electrodes of the switching transistor T1 are respectively connected to the data line Data and the gate of the heating transistor T2. This allows the switching transistor T1 to control whether the data signal on the data line Data is written to the gate of the heating transistor T2. At the same time, by connecting the heating control transistor and the heating transistor T2 in series between the high-potential power line OVDD and the low-potential power line OVSS, the heating time of the heating transistor T2 can be controlled, thereby controlling the printing process.

[0053] Specifically, such as Figure 3 , Figure 4 As shown, the gate of the switching transistor T1 is connected to the scan line Scan, so that the switching transistor T1 is controlled to turn on or off by the scan line Scan. The first electrode of the switching transistor T1 is connected to the data line Data, and the second electrode of the switching transistor T1 is connected to the gate of the heating transistor T2, thereby controlling whether the heating transistor T2 is working or not, and controlling the current passing through the heating transistor T2 by making the input voltage of the data line Data different, thereby controlling the temperature of the heating transistor T2.

[0054] Specifically, such as Figure 3 , Figure 4 As shown, by connecting the heating control transistor and the heating transistor T2 in series between the high-potential power line OVDD and the low-potential power line OVSS, the actual heating time of the heating transistor T2 can be controlled during the gating of the scan signal output by the scan line Scan, thereby controlling the printing process.

[0055] In some embodiments, such as Figure 3 , Figure 4 As shown, the driving circuit 212 further includes a storage capacitor C. One plate of the storage capacitor C is electrically connected to the gate of the heating transistor T2, and the other plate of the storage capacitor C is electrically connected to the second electrode of the heating transistor T2. By setting the storage capacitor C such that one plate of the storage capacitor C is electrically connected to the gate of the heating transistor T2, and the other plate of the storage capacitor C is electrically connected to the second electrode of the heating transistor T2, the storage capacitor C can maintain the voltage of the gate of the heating transistor T2, making the heating temperature of the heating transistor T2 more stable and improving the printing quality.

[0056] In some embodiments, such as Figure 3 , Figure 4 As shown, the heating control transistor includes a first heating control transistor T3 and a second heating control transistor T4. The gate of the first heating control transistor T3 is connected to the heating control line EM, the first electrode of the first heating control transistor T3 is connected to the high-potential power line OVDD, and the second electrode of the first heating control transistor T3 is connected to the first electrode of the heating transistor T2. The gate of the second heating control transistor T4 is connected to the heating control line EM, the first electrode of the second heating control transistor T4 is connected to the second electrode of the heating transistor T2, and the second electrode of the second heating control transistor T4 is electrically connected to the low-potential power line OVSS. By including the first heating control transistor T3 and the second heating control transistor T4, and connecting the first heating control transistor T3 in series between the high-potential power line OVDD and the heating transistor T2, and connecting the second heating control transistor T4 in series between the heating transistor T2 and the low-potential power line OVSS, the heating time of the heating transistor T2 can be controlled by the first heating control transistor T3 and the second heating control transistor T4, thereby controlling the printing process.

[0057] In some embodiments, the driving circuit 212 further includes a switching transistor T1, a first heating control transistor T3, a second heating control transistor T4, and a storage capacitor C. The gate of the switching transistor T1 is electrically connected to the scan line Scan, the first electrode of the switching transistor T1 is electrically connected to the data line Data, the second electrode of the switching transistor T1 is electrically connected to the gate of the heating transistor T2, the gate of the first heating control transistor T3 is connected to the heating control line EM, the first electrode of the first heating control transistor T3 is connected to the high-potential power line OVDD, the second electrode of the first heating control transistor T3 is connected to the first electrode of the heating transistor T2, the gate of the second heating control transistor T4 is connected to the heating control line EM, the first electrode of the second heating control transistor T4 is connected to the second electrode of the heating transistor T2, the second electrode of the second heating control transistor T4 is electrically connected to the low-potential power line OVSS, one plate of the storage capacitor C is electrically connected to the gate of the heating transistor T2, and the other plate of the storage capacitor C is electrically connected to the second electrode of the heating transistor T2.

[0058] Specifically, such as Figure 5As shown, the printhead 21 includes a substrate 211, a driving circuit layer 213, an insulating layer 214, and a heating element 215. Each film layer in the driving circuit layer 213 can form each transistor and each trace in the driving circuit. For example, the driving circuit layer 213 includes an active layer, a first gate insulating layer, a first gate layer, a second gate insulating layer, a second gate layer, an interlayer insulating layer, and a source-drain layer.

[0059] Specifically, the active layer can form the active part in each transistor. For example, the active layer can form the active part of the heat-generating transistor T2, the active part of the switching transistor T1, the active part of the first heat-generating control transistor T3, and the active part of the second heat-generating control transistor T4.

[0060] Specifically, the first gate layer can form the gates of various transistors. For example, the first gate layer can form the gate of the heating transistor T2, the gate of the switching transistor T1, the gate of the first heating control transistor T3, and the gate of the second heating control transistor T4. The first gate layer can also form one plate of a storage capacitor, and it can also form scan lines and heating control lines.

[0061] Specifically, the second gate layer can form the other pole of the storage capacitor.

[0062] Specifically, the source-drain layer can form the first and second electrodes of each transistor. For example, the source-drain layer can form the first and second electrodes of the heating transistor T2, the first and second electrodes of the switching transistor T1, the first and second electrodes of the first heating control transistor T3, and the first and second electrodes of the second heating control transistor T4. The source-drain layer can also form the data line Data and the high-potential power line OVDD.

[0063] Specifically, the active layer can be made of silicon semiconductor, specifically low-temperature polycrystalline silicon; or the active layer can be made of oxide semiconductor, specifically indium gallium zinc oxide.

[0064] Specifically, the above embodiment is illustrated using one structure of a driving circuit layer 213 as an example. It can be understood that the film structure of the driving circuit layer 213 can be other structures. For example, the driving circuit layer 213 may include multiple source and drain layers, and multiple source and drain layers are used to form transistor electrodes and data lines, etc.

[0065] In some embodiments, such as Figure 4 As shown, the second electrode of the second heating control transistor T4 is directly connected to the low-potential power line. Therefore, in the driving circuit 212, the heating transistor T2 can be used for heating, without the need to set up a heating part. The printing function is achieved by sublimating the printing ink through the heating transistor T2.

[0066] In some embodiments, such as Figure 2 As shown, the heating element 215 is disposed on the side of the driving circuit 212 away from the substrate 211. By disposing the heating element 215 on the side of the driving circuit 212 away from the substrate 211, the heating element can heat the ribbon to sublimate the ink, thereby achieving the printing function. Furthermore, the heating element has a certain height, which is more conducive to heating the ribbon, thereby improving the printing effect and printing efficiency.

[0067] Specifically, such as Figure 2 As shown, the heating element 215 is disposed on the side of the driving circuit layer 213 away from the substrate 211. An insulating layer 214 can be disposed between the heating element 215 and the driving circuit layer 213. The heating element 215 protrudes toward the side away from the substrate 211, so that the heating element 215 has a certain height, which is convenient for heating the ribbon to sublimate the printing ink.

[0068] In some embodiments, such as Figure 3 As shown, the heating part 215 is connected between the second electrode of the heating transistor T2 and the low-potential power line OVSS. By connecting the heating part 215 between the second electrode of the heating transistor T2 and the low-potential power line OVSS, the heating part 215 can be heated by itself when the heating transistor T2 is used to heat the heating part 215, thereby improving the heating speed and temperature.

[0069] Specifically, when setting the heating element 215, the heating element 215 may not be connected to the drive circuit, for example... Figure 4 As shown, the driving circuit 212 is not connected to the heating unit 215. The heating unit 215 is positioned above the driving circuit 212, and the heating transistor T2 heats the heating unit 215, increasing its temperature. This heats the ribbon to sublimate the printing ink, thus achieving the printing function. Alternatively, when the heating unit 215 is positioned above the driving circuit 212, it can also be connected to the driving circuit 212. The current flowing through the heating unit 215 can then heat it, thereby heating the ribbon to sublimate the printing ink and achieving the printing function.

[0070] In some embodiments, the operating temperature of the heating transistor T2 is greater than or equal to 150 degrees Celsius. By making the operating temperature of the heating transistor greater than or equal to 150 degrees Celsius, the printing ink on the ribbon can be sublimated when the heating transistor is working, thereby realizing the printing function.

[0071] Specifically, the heating element is made of metals, metal oxides, and alloys. Specifically, the heating element can be made of aluminum, copper, or their alloys, and the surface of the heating element can be gold-plated to further increase its height and improve the printing effect.

[0072] Specifically, the operating temperature of the heating element is greater than or equal to 150 degrees Celsius.

[0073] Specifically, it is understandable that the temperature rise of the heating transistor is a certain process, and the operating temperature mentioned here is the temperature that the heating transistor can stably reach after heating. Similarly, the temperature rise of the heating element is a certain process, and the operating temperature mentioned here is the temperature that the heating element can stably reach after heating.

[0074] Specifically, it is understood that the voltage of the data line can be different under different requirements, thereby causing the temperature of the heating transistor to be different. However, the embodiments of this application are not limited to this and the heating temperature of the data line can be kept constant.

[0075] Specifically, such as Figure 5 As shown, the printhead 21 also includes a driver chip 24 and a driver circuit board 25. The driver circuit board 25 can be connected to the driver chip 24, and the driver chip 24 can be electrically connected to the driver circuit 212 to control the heating state of each heating part 215. The driver circuit board 25 is bonded to the substrate 211, and the driver chip 24 can be located on the substrate 211 or on the driver circuit board 25.

[0076] Specifically, the driver chip 24 can output an electrical signal to control the signal output to the scan line Scan, thereby turning the switching transistor T1 on or off. The driver chip 24 can also output an electrical signal to control the signal output to the data line Data, thereby controlling the magnitude of the current passing through the heating transistor T2 to achieve different temperatures. Furthermore, the driver chip 24 can output an electrical signal to control the signal output to the heating control line EM, thereby controlling whether the heating transistor T2 heats up and the duration of heating.

[0077] In some embodiments, this application provides a printing system that includes a printhead as described in any of the above embodiments.

[0078] Specifically, such as Figure 6 As shown, the printing system 3 includes a print head 21 and a ribbon 22. When the printing system 3 is working, the print head 21 is positioned relative to the printing paper 23.

[0079] Specifically, such as Figure 7 As shown, the printing system 3 may include a printhead 21, a ribbon 22, and a drive unit 31, which may be electrically connected to the printhead 21 and the ribbon 22.

[0080] Specifically, the drive device 31 can be connected to the print head 21 and input corresponding electrical signals to the print head 21, thereby controlling the heating transistor T2 to heat up and change the temperature through the drive circuit 212, so as to realize the printing function or not to print.

[0081] Specifically, the positions of the drive unit 31 and the print head can be set according to requirements. The drive unit 31 can be set above or to the side of the print head.

[0082] Specifically, the above embodiments have been described in detail from the aspects of circuit design and film structure of the printhead and printing system. It is understood that when there is no conflict between the embodiments, the embodiments can be combined. For example, the driving circuit also includes a storage capacitor. One plate of the storage capacitor is electrically connected to the gate of the heating transistor, and the other plate of the storage capacitor is electrically connected to the second electrode of the heating transistor. The heating control transistor includes a first heating control transistor and a second heating control transistor. The gate of the first heating control transistor is connected to the heating control line. The first electrode of the first heating control transistor is connected to the high-potential power line. The second electrode of the first heating control transistor is connected to the first electrode of the heating transistor. The gate of the second heating control transistor is connected to the heating control line. The first electrode of the second heating control transistor is connected to the second electrode of the heating transistor. The second electrode of the second heating control transistor is electrically connected to the low-potential power line.

[0083] In the description of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more features. In the description of this application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0084] In the above embodiments, the descriptions of each embodiment have different focuses. For parts not described in detail in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions in other embodiments.

[0085] The embodiments, implementation methods, and related technical features of this application can be combined and substituted for each other without conflict.

[0086] The above are merely preferred embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit this application in any way. Any simple modifications, equivalent changes, and alterations made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of this application without departing from the scope of the technical solution of this application shall still fall within the scope of the technical solution of this application.

Claims

1. A printhead, characterized in that, It includes a substrate and a plurality of heating portions protruding from the substrate, the heating portions being arranged in a matrix array on one side of the substrate.

2. The printhead according to claim 1, characterized in that, The shape of the heating element includes at least one of the following: rectangle, circle, square, rhombus, rounded rectangle, and rounded square.

3. The printhead according to claim 1, characterized in that, The substrate is made of materials including glass and ceramic.

4. The printhead according to claim 1, characterized in that, The printhead also includes a drive circuit, which includes a heating transistor integrated within the heating element.

5. The printhead according to claim 1, characterized in that, The printhead also includes a drive circuit, which is electrically connected to the data line and the heating element. The data writing time for each line of the heating element is 5 microseconds.

6. The printhead according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that, The driving circuit includes a heating transistor, the operating temperature of which is greater than the sublimation temperature of the printing ink.

7. The printhead according to claim 6, characterized in that, The driving circuit further includes a switching transistor, a first heating control transistor, a second heating control transistor, and a storage capacitor. The gate of the switching transistor is electrically connected to the scan line, the first electrode of the switching transistor is electrically connected to the data line, and the second electrode of the switching transistor is electrically connected to the gate of the heating transistor. The gate of the first heating control transistor is connected to the heating control line, the first electrode of the first heating control transistor is connected to the high-potential power line, the second electrode of the first heating control transistor is connected to the first electrode of the heating transistor, the gate of the second heating control transistor is connected to the heating control line, the first electrode of the second heating control transistor is connected to the second electrode of the heating transistor, and the second electrode of the second heating control transistor is electrically connected to the low-potential power line. One plate of the storage capacitor is electrically connected to the gate of the heating transistor, and the other plate of the storage capacitor is electrically connected to the second electrode of the heating transistor.

8. The printhead according to claim 7, characterized in that, The heating element is connected between the second electrode of the heating transistor and the low-potential power line.

9. The printhead according to claim 6, characterized in that, The heating element is located on the side of the drive circuit away from the substrate.

10. The printhead according to claim 6, characterized in that, The operating temperature of the heating transistor is greater than or equal to 150 degrees Celsius.

11. A printing system, characterized in that, It includes a printhead, a ribbon, and a drive unit as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the printhead and the ribbon are disposed opposite to each other, and the printhead and the ribbon are electrically connected to the drive unit.

Images