A thermal printhead substrate device

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of thermal printing equipment manufacturing, and specifically relates to a thermal print head substrate device which is reasonable in structure, small in size, can effectively simplify the adjustment complexity of heating selection communication signals, and reduces the influence of residual heat on Zink paper printing, is provided with three rows of heating resistor bodies parallel to each other, is respectively recorded as C color heating resistor body, M color heating resistor body and Y color heating resistor body, the spacing range of three rows of heating resistor bodies is 0.8mm-2mm, and three rows of heating resistor bodies are connected with control IC through electrode wires arranged independently respectively, compared with the prior art, under the premise of not increasing the complexity of external control logic, three rows of heating resistor bodies and the corresponding electrode wires are reasonably arranged, the adverse influence of residual heat on printing quality is effectively overcome on the portable Zink printing product which is small in size and compact in space, and the utility model has the remarkable advantages of reasonable structure, low cost, high printing quality and the like.

Description

Technical fields:

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of thermal printing equipment manufacturing technology, specifically a substrate device for a thermal printhead used in Zink printing that has a reasonable structure, small size, can effectively simplify the adjustment complexity of the heating gating signal, and reduce the impact of residual heat from a single row of heating elements on Zink paper printing. Background technology:

[0002] Zink color printing relies on the heating temperature and time of the photo paper to achieve color development, and is mostly used in small, portable products. The heating time and duty cycle required for C, M, and Y colors are different. For Zink printing paper, C color requires the lowest temperature but the longest heating time, while Y color requires the highest temperature but the shortest heating time. M color's temperature and heating time are in between, falling into the middle range. Furthermore, the type of thermal printhead (TPH) and the type of printing consumables also affect the heating time and duty cycle. In actual printing, complex printing algorithms are needed to adjust the heating time and duty cycle.

[0003] In recent years, with the continuous development of thermal printing technology, the quality of Zink color printing has been improving year by year, and the heating control methods in the printing algorithm are also constantly being improved. However, since the existing TPH printhead only has a single row of heating points, the heating points need to be heated three times during the printing process of each line to print the three colors C, M, and Y. The residual heat after each heating will affect the effect of the next heating, resulting in a deviation between the final printed color and the actual color. Summary of the Invention:

[0004] This invention addresses the shortcomings and deficiencies of existing technologies by proposing a thermal printhead substrate device for Zink printing that is structurally sound, compact in size, effectively simplifies the adjustment complexity of the heating gating signal, and reduces the impact of residual heat from a single row of heating elements on Zink paper printing.

[0005] This utility model achieves its purpose through the following measures:

[0006] A thermal printhead substrate device includes a ceramic substrate with a heat-storing glaze layer on its upper surface. A heating resistor and a control IC are mounted on the heat-storing glaze layer. The heating resistor is connected to the control IC via electrode wires. The device is characterized by having three rows of parallel heating resistors on the upper surface of the ceramic substrate, designated as C-color, M-color, and Y-color heating resistors, respectively. The spacing between the three rows of heating resistors ranges from 0.8mm to 2mm, and each of the three rows is connected to the control IC via independently configured electrode wires.

[0007] The three rows of parallel heating resistors in this invention are arranged in the order of contact with the printing medium: C-color heating resistor, M-color heating resistor, and Y-color heating resistor.

[0008] The present invention provides a ceramic substrate and a heat storage glaze layer on its upper surface with through-holes for wires. At least one row of electrode wires corresponding to heating resistors extends along the through-holes to the bottom surface of the ceramic substrate and is then connected to a control IC. The bottom surface of the ceramic substrate is provided with an insulating protective layer for covering the electrode wires. By providing through-holes, the wiring space can be extended to the bottom surface of the ceramic substrate to expand the wiring space.

[0009] In the three rows of parallel heating resistors described in this invention, at most two rows of heating resistor electrode wires are arranged on the upper surface of the ceramic substrate. One electrode wire is arranged between the heat storage glaze layer and the ceramic substrate and connected to the control IC, while the other electrode wire extends along the surface of the heat storage glaze layer and is connected to the control IC. Specifically, the electrode wires of the M-colored heating resistors are arranged between the heat storage glaze layer and the ceramic substrate, and the electrode wires of the C-colored heating resistors extend along the surface of the heat storage glaze layer and are connected to the control IC.

[0010] The ceramic substrate of this invention has an insulating protective layer on its upper surface, which covers the heating resistor and the electrode wires.

[0011] In operation, this invention sends C-color printing data, Y-color printing data, and M-color printing data from the external printer host to three rows of heating resistors via three separate channels. This causes the printing medium, in conjunction with the paper feeding operation of the rollers, to sequentially contact the C-color, Y-color, and M-color heating resistors. When printing the same line, the three independent heating control signals ensure that the C-color heating resistor heats up first, followed by the M-color heating resistor, and finally the Y-color heating resistor. Since printing the corresponding C-color requires the heating element to be heated to approximately 200°C... The right color has the highest temperature requirement but also the shortest heating time. Color Y requires the heating element to be heated to around 100℃, which has the lowest temperature requirement but the longest heating time. Color M's conditions are in between. Based on the color development characteristics of Zink photo paper, this invention sets the arrangement of three rows of heating resistors to ensure that the printed colors are not deviated. This invention can complete the development of multiple colors through three rows of independent heating resistors, thereby avoiding the impact of residual heat on printing when using a single row of heating resistors in the heating substrate of a traditional thermal printhead to achieve multi-color printing.

[0012] Compared with the prior art, this utility model, without increasing the complexity of external control logic, rationally arranges three rows of heating resistors and corresponding electrode wires, effectively overcoming the adverse effects of residual heat on print quality in small and compact portable Zink printing products. It has significant advantages such as reasonable structure, low cost, and high print quality. Attached image description:

[0013] Appendix Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the front structure of the TPH of this utility model.

[0014] Appendix Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the TPH of this utility model.

[0015] Appendix Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram showing the connection between the three rows of heating resistors and the control IC in this utility model.

[0016] Figure reference numerals: C-color heating element 1, M-color heating element 2, Y-color heating element 3, electrode wire 4, wire via 5, ceramic substrate 6, heat storage glaze layer 7, insulating protective layer 8, control IC 9. Detailed implementation method:

[0017] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0018] As attached Figure 1 , 2 As shown, this utility model proposes a heating substrate for a thermal printhead in Zink printing. It includes a ceramic substrate 6 with a heat-storing glaze layer 7 on its upper surface. The heat-storing glaze layer 7 contains heating resistors and a control IC. The heating resistors are connected to the control IC via electrode wires. The upper surface of the ceramic substrate has three rows of parallel heating resistors, designated as C-color heating resistor 1, M-color heating resistor 2, and Y-color heating resistor 3. The spacing between the three rows of heating resistors ranges from 0.8mm to 2mm. If the spacing is too short, the heating of adjacent rows will affect each other. If the spacing is too long, it is difficult for the three rows to heat precisely in one location when heating the same row, placing high demands on the precision of motor control and mechanical design. Each of the three rows of heating resistors is connected to the control IC via independently configured electrode wires 4.

[0019] The ceramic substrate 6 and the heat storage glaze layer 7 on its upper surface of the present invention have wire vias. At least one row of electrode wires corresponding to the heating resistors extend along the wire vias 5 to the bottom surface of the ceramic substrate 6 and are then connected to the control IC. The bottom surface of the ceramic substrate 6 is provided with an insulating protective layer 8 for covering the electrode wires 4. By opening the wire vias 5, the wiring space can be extended to the bottom surface of the ceramic substrate 6 to expand the wiring space.

[0020] In the three rows of parallel heating resistors described in this invention, at most two rows of heating resistor electrode wires are arranged on the upper surface of the ceramic substrate 6. One electrode wire is arranged between the heat storage glaze layer and the ceramic substrate 6 and is connected to the control IC. The other electrode wire extends along the surface of the heat storage glaze layer 7 and is connected to the control IC. Specifically, the electrode wire of the M-colored heating resistor 2 is arranged between the heat storage glaze layer 7 and the ceramic substrate 6, and the electrode wire corresponding to the C-colored heating resistor 1 extends along the surface of the heat storage glaze layer and is connected to the control IC.

[0021] The ceramic substrate 6 of this invention has an insulating protective layer 8 on its upper surface, which covers the heating resistor and the electrode wires.

[0022] In operation, the C-color, Y-color, and M-color printing data sent by the external printing host are distributed to three rows of heating resistors via three separate paths. This allows the printing medium to contact the C-color, Y-color, and M-color heating resistors respectively, with the assistance of the paper feeding rollers. The order of these heating resistors is as follows: when printing the same line, the C-color heating resistor heats up first, followed by the M-color heating resistor, and finally the Y-color heating resistor. This is because C-color requires heating to approximately 200°C, the highest temperature requirement, but the shortest heating time; Y-color requires heating to approximately 100°C, the lowest temperature requirement, but the longest heating time; and M-color falls between these two requirements. Based on the color development characteristics of Zink photo paper, heating the lower-temperature colors first would cause subsequent high-temperature heating to alter the low-temperature color layer, resulting in color deviation.

[0023] Example:

[0024] As attached Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, this example provides a TPH structure for Zink printing. In this example, a heat storage layer 7 is attached to a ceramic substrate 6. The C color heating element 1, the M color heating element 2, and the Y color heating element 3 are arranged in three rows on the heat storage layer 7, which are used to heat the C, M, and Y colors respectively. The IC output wire 4 is connected to the M color heating element 2 and the Y color heating element 3 through the through hole 5.

[0025] In this example, when printing begins, the external printer host drives the C-color heating element 1, M-color heating element 2, and Y-color heating element 3 to generate heat through the control IC. The heating control of each row of heating resistors is the same as the control circuit of the existing single row of heating resistors. The control circuit involved is existing technology and will not be described in detail here.

[0026] The above implementation methods can reduce the impact of residual heat from the heating element on the next color printing and reduce the complexity of gating control.

[0027] Compared with the prior art, the structure of the three rows of heating elements (C, M, Y) in this invention enables independent control of the three colors during the printing process, avoiding the mutual influence of residual heat after the three colors are heated.

Claims

1. A thermal printhead substrate device, comprising a ceramic substrate, wherein a heat-retaining glaze layer is provided on the upper surface of the ceramic substrate, and a heating resistor and a control IC are provided on the heat-retaining glaze layer, wherein... The heating resistor is connected to the control IC via electrode wires. The feature is that the upper surface of the ceramic substrate is provided with three rows of parallel heating resistors, which are respectively labeled as C-color heating resistors, M-color heating resistors and Y-color heating resistors. The distance between the three rows of heating resistors is 0.8mm-2mm. The three rows of heating resistors are respectively connected to the control IC via independently set electrode wires.

2. The thermal printhead substrate device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The three rows of parallel heating resistors are arranged in the order of contact with the printing medium, namely, C-color heating resistor, M-color heating resistor, and Y-color heating resistor.

3. The thermal printhead substrate device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The ceramic substrate and the heat storage glaze layer on its upper surface are provided with wire vias. At least one row of electrode wires corresponding to the heating resistors extend along the wire vias to the bottom surface of the ceramic substrate and are then connected to the control IC. The bottom surface of the ceramic substrate is provided with an insulating protective layer for covering the electrode wires.

4. The thermal printhead substrate device according to claim 3, characterized in that, Of the three rows of parallel heating resistors, at most two rows of heating resistor electrode wires are arranged on the upper surface of the ceramic substrate. One electrode wire is arranged between the heat storage glaze layer and the ceramic substrate and is connected to the control IC. The other electrode wire extends along the surface of the heat storage glaze layer and is connected to the control IC.

5. The thermal printhead substrate device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The electrode wires of the M-colored heating resistor are laid between the heat storage glaze layer and the ceramic substrate, and the electrode wires of the C-colored heating resistor extend along the surface of the heat storage glaze layer and are connected to the control IC.

6. The thermal printhead substrate device according to claim 1, characterized in that, An insulating protective layer is provided on the upper surface of the ceramic substrate, which covers the heating resistor and the electrode wires.

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