Thermal print head

Abstract

A thermal print head including a conductive base plate, a substrate slab mounted on the base and having various deposits on the upper and lower surfaces thereof, such deposits including conductive traces, conductive leads, a thermally insulating material, resistors, and conductive deposits for delivering electrical potential across the resistors, one or more integrated circuits mounted on the slab for controlling said print head based on electrical signals from external data processing equipment and connectors for delivering signals and potentials to the print head.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A thermal print head comprising: a base plate;   a substrate slab of electrically insulating material mounted upon said base plate, deposits on the upper surface of such slab including a plurality of isolated individual resistors comprising thin film deposits of electrically resistive material arrayed linearly across said slab, a plurality of isolated electrically conductive traces equal in number to and respectively connected at one end to each of said resistors, conductive means for delivery electrical potential to said resistors at points displaced from the connections of said traces, an electrically insulating strip encompassing the surface of said resistors, and a plurality of isolated electrically conductive leads;   means for delivering electrical potential and data signals to said leads; and   at least one integrated circuit for controlling the electrical energy delivered to said resistors mounted upon such substrate slab, said integrated circuit being electrically connected to the opposite end from said resistors of each of said conductive traces and also connected to each of said conductive leads.[...]. .Iadd., said integrated circuit including:   one or more shift register means for receiving serial input data signals provided to said integrated circuit along one or more of said leads and outputting a plurality of parallel output data signals; and   a plurality of drivers coupled to said resistors and equal in number thereto, for receiving said parallel output data signals and providing current flow through said resistors in response thereto. .Iaddend.   
     
     
       2. A thermal print head as recited in claim 1 wherein, said base plate is rectangular in shape; and   said substrate slab is a rectangular solid mounted with its outside edges vertically congruent with the edges of one end of said base plate.   
     
     
       3. A thermal print head as recited in claim 1 wherein, each of said resistors comprises an elongated rectangular deposit of a resistive material with one end in electrical contact with one of said traces and the other end in electrical contact with said conductive means.   
     
     
       4. A thermal print head as recited in claim 1 wherein, said conductive traces comprise isolated individual strips of material with one end connected to one of said resistors and the other end connected to discrete contact points on such integrated circuit.   
     
     
       5. A thermal print head .[.as recited in claim 1.]. .Iadd.comprising: a base plate;   a substrate slab of electrically insulating material mounted upon said base plate, deposits on the upper surface of such slab including a plurality of isolated individual resistors comprising thin film deposits of electrically resistive material arrayed linearly across said slab, a plurality of isolated electrically conductive traces equal in number to and respectively connected at one end to each of said resistors, conductive means for delivering electrical potential to said resistors at points displaced from the connections of said traces, an electrically insulating strip encompassing the surface of said resistors, and a plurality of isolated electrically conductive leads;   means for delivering electrical potential and data signals to said leads; and   at least one integrated circuit for controlling the electrical energy delivered to said resistors mounted upon such substrate slab, said integrated circuit being electrically connected to the opposite end from said resistors of each of said conductive traces and also connected to each of said conductive leads; .Iaddend.   wherein, the base plate is electrically conductive and is connected to a power supply means adapted for generating electrical potential, and   said conductive means comprises a deposit of electrically conductive material extending over the edge surface of said substrate surface to contact said base plate.   
     
     
       6. A thermal print head as recited in claim 1 wherein, said leads comprise deposits of conductive material on the surface of said substrate slab; and   said means for delivering electrical potential and data signals to said leads comprise a plurality, equal in number to said leads, of discrete electrically conducting solder pads respectively contacting said leads and extending outwardly from the surface of said substrate slab so as to be accessible to connection with data signals and potential generation means situated external to said thermal print head.   
     
     
       7. A thermal print head as recited in claim 1 wherein, said electrically insulating strip is comprised of a material having a finite rate of thermal conductance, such rate being significantly greater than zero and significantly lower than the rate of heat generated by the application of the desired electrical potential across said resistors.   
     
     
       8. A thermal print head .[.as recited in claim 1 wherein,.]. .Iadd.comprising: a base plate;   a substrate slab of electrically insulating material mounted upon said base plate, deposits on the upper surface of such slab including a plurality of isolated individual resistors comprising thin film deposits of electrically resistive material arrayed linearly across said slab, a plurality of isolated electrically conductive traces equal in number to and respectively connected at one end to each of said resistors, conductive means for delivering electrical potential to said resistors at points displaced from the connections of said traces, an electrically insulating strip encompassing the surface of said resistors, and a plurality of isolated electrically conductive leads;   means for delivering electrical potential and data signals to said leads; and   at least one integrated circuit for controlling the electrical energy delivered to said resistors mounted upon such substrate slab, said integrated circuit being electrically connected to the opposite end from said resistors of each of said conductive traces and also connected to each of said conductive leads, .Iaddend.each of said integrated circuits .[.comprises.]. .Iadd.comprising .Iaddend.a large scale integrated circuit capable of receiving signals and potentials from said leads and selectively opening and closing circuits on a plurality of said traces.   
     
     
       9. A thermal print head as recited in claim 5 wherein, said base plate is connected to a power supply and carries a constant large electrical potential; and   each of said integrated circuit operates, on appropriate external signals, to connect said traces to ground thus creating a significant potential across said resistors resulting in a current across said resistors and generation of thermal energy in the immediate area of said resistors.   
     
     
       10. A thermal print head as recited in claim 9 wherein, each of said integrated circuit includes an even number of output drivers, corresponding on a one-to-one basis with said traces and resistors, which function on appropriate signal, to connect such traces to ground, said output drivers being divided into two equal banks, a static shift register having storage bit capacity equal to one half the number of output drivers controlled by such integrated circuit, each bit in such register corresponding to a specific output driver in each such bank and determining the signal to be delivered to such driver, a bank bit, the character of the information therein contained determining the bank of output drivers to which signals will be delivered, means for delivering external data signals to said static shift register and said bank bit; and   means for powering the operation of said shift register, bank bit and output drivers.   
     
     
       11. A thermal print head comprising: a rectangular base plate of electrically conducting material for carrying an electrical potential from an external power supply;   means for connecting said base plate to an external power source;   a rectangular substrate slab of material mounted to cover one end of said base plate, said substrate slab being of an insulator and thermal absorber material and having deposited on the upper surface thereof;   a plurality of resistors equal in number to a multiple of forty-eight, each resistor comprising an elongated rectangular deposit of an electrically resistive material arrayed in a side-by-side row extending along a long axis of said slab and displaced from the center thereof upon the upper surface of said substrate slab,   a plurality of traces equal in number to the number of resistors, each of said traces comprising an isolated strip of a thick film electrically conducting material having one end thereof connected to the end nearest the center of said slab and the other end connected to a corresponding resistor,   a conductive layer for providing electrical contact between said base plate and said resistors, the conductive layer extending over the edge of said substrate slab in contact with said base plate and onto the upper surface of said slab in contact with the outer end of each of said resistors,   a strip of electrically insulating material deposited so as to encompass the central portion of each of said resistors, such strip having a finite rate of thermal conductance greater than zero and lower than the rate of heat generation caused by application of the desired electrical potential across such resistors, and   at least six conductive leads for each integrated circuit adapted for carrying externally generated electrical signals and potential, and conductive leads having contact areas extending to the edge of said slab opposite said conductive layer and extending on the slab surface to the interior thereof;   means for connecting said leads to external signal and power sources; and   a large scale integrated circuit for each group of forty-eight resistors mounted on the interior upper surface of said substrate slab, including, means for connecting each said circuit with the interior ends of said leads, means for connecting with the ends of said traces, and operational means for receiving signals through said leads, storing and collating said signals and, upon appropriate combination of said signals, connecting selective of said traces to groung potential so as to create a current through said resistors and to generate heat thereby.   
     
     
       12. A thermal print head as recited in claim 11 wherein, said leads comprise a lead for carrying data signals, a lead for carrying clock signals, a lead for carrying burn signals, a lead for carrying base biasing voltage, a lead for carrying circuit operating voltage, and a lead for carrying ground potential.   
     
     
       13. A thermal print head as recited in claim 12 wherein said operational means comprise: forty-eight individual output drivers for each large scale integrated circuit, the drivers being connected to said traces for connecting said traces to ground potential upon appropriate signals, such output drivers being divided into two banks of twenty-four drivers;   a 24-bit static shift register for receiving and serially retaining data received through said leads with each bit therein corresponding to a specific output driver in each of said banks;   a bank bit for receiving a data signal and determining to which bank for drivers signals from said shift register will be delivered; and   means for delivering signals from said leads to said shift register and said shift register for delivering ground potential and biasing voltage to said output drivers and for delivering signals from said shift register and said bank bit to said output drivers.   
     
     
       14. A thermal print head as recited in claim 12 wherein, each of said output drivers comprises a gate for closing the connection between said trace and said ground potential upon simultaneous reception of said burn signal, said signal from the corresponding bit in said shift register and said signal from said bank bit.   
     
     
       15. A thermal print head comprising: an electrically conductive base plate adapted for connection to a power supply means generating electrical potential;   a substrate slab of electrically insulating material mounted upon said base plate, deposits on the upper surface of such slab including a plurality of isolated individual resistors comprising deposits of electrically resistive material arrayed linearly across said slab, a plurality of isolated electrically conductive traces equal in number to and respectively connected at one end to each of said resistors, conductive means for delivering electrical potential to said resistors at points diplaced from the connections of said traces, said conductive means comprising a deposit of electrically conductive material extending over the edge surface of said substrate surface to contact said base plate, an electrically insulating strip encompassing the surface of said resistors, and a plurality of isolated electrically conductive leads;   means for delivering electrical potential and data signals to said leads; and   at least one integrated circuit for controlling the electrical energy delivered to said resistors mounted upon such substrate slab, said integrated circuit being electrically connected to the opposite end from said resistors of each of said conductive traces and also connected to each of said conductive leads, said integrated circuit being operable on appropriate external signals to connect said traces to ground to create a potential across said resistors resulting in a current across said resistors and generation of thermal energy in the immediate area of said resistors, each said integrated circuit including an even number of output drivers, corresponding on a one-to-one basis with said traces and resistors, which function on appropriate signal, to connect such traces to ground, said output drivers being divided into two equal banks, a static shift register having storage bit capacity equal to one half the number of output drivers controlled by such integrated circuit, each bit in such register corresponding to a specific output driver in each such bank and determining the signal to be delivered to such driver, a bank bit, the character of the information therein contained determining the bank of output drivers to which signals will be delivered, means for delivering external data signals to said static shift register and said bank bit; and   means for powering the operation of said shift register, bank bit and output drivers. .Iadd.   
     
     
       16.  A thermal print head comprising: a base plate;   a substrate slab of electrically insulating material mounted upon said base plate, having thin film and thick film deposits on the upper major surface thereof, including:   an elongated electrically insulating strip having length substantially greater than the width;   a plurality of isolated individual resistors, comprising thin film deposits of electrically resistive material formed on the upper surface of said insulating strip and spaced apart linearly along the elongated direction of said strip;   a plurality of isolated electrically conductive thick film traces equal in number to, and respectively connected at one end to, each of said resistors;   conductive means for delivering electrical potential to said resistors at points displaced from the connections of said traces;   a plurality of electrically conductive contacts electrically for receiving electrical potential and data signals provided externally to said print head;   a plurality of isolated electrically conductive thick film leads coupled to said conductive contacts; and   a large scale integrated circuit mounted upon said substrate slab for controlling the electric energy delivered to said resistors, said large scale integrated circuit being electrically connected to the opposite end from said resistors of each of said conductive traces and also electrically connected of each of said conductive leads; said large scale integrated circuit comprising:   serial to parallel converter means for receiving serial data signals provided along one or more of said conductive leads and providing parallel output signals corresponding to said input data signals; and   a plurality of output drivers responsive to said output signals for allowing current flow through said resistors in response to said output signals. .Iaddend. .Iadd.   
     
     
       17.  A thermal print head as set out in claim 16 wherein said serial to parallel converter means comprise shift registers and said driver means comprise a plurality of NAND gates coupled to said shift register. .Iaddend. .Iadd.18. A thermal print head as set out in claim 16 wherein said plurality of electrically conductive leads comprises at least three leads receiving externally provided burn signals, clock signals and data signals, respectively. .Iaddend. .Iadd.19. A thermal print head as set out in claim 18 wherein only one lead receives externally provided data signals for each large scale integrated circuit. .Iaddend. .Iadd.20. A thermal print head as set out in claim 16 wherein the number of electrically conductive traces is much greater than the number of 
     
     
        electrically conductive leads. .Iaddend. .Iadd.21.  A thermal print head as set out in claim 20 wherein the number of electrically conductive traces is at least 96 and the number of electrically conductive leads is 
     
     
        no more than 13. .Iaddend. .Iadd.22.  A thermal print head comprising: a flat flexible base member;   a substrate slab of electrically insulating material mounted upon said base member, having thin film and thick film deposits on the upper major surface thereof including:   an elongated electrically insulating strip of length substantially greater than width;   a plurality of isolated individual resistors, comprising thin film deposits of electrically resistive material formed on the upper surface of said insulating strip and spaced apart linearly along the elongated direction of said strip;   a plurality of isolated electrically conductive thick film traces equal in number to, and respectively connected at one end to, each of said resistors and arranged on said surface of said substrate slab so as to not overlap or intersect with each other;   conductive means for delivering electrical potential to said resistors at points displaced from the connections of said traces;   a plurality of isolated electrically conductive thick film leads;   a plurality of electrically conductive contacts electrically coupled to said leads for receiving electrical potential, data signals and clock signals provided externally to said print head; and   a protective layer formed over a portion of the upper major surface of said slab including at least said insulating strip and said resistors; a large scale integrated circuit mounted upon said substrate slab for controlling the electric energy delivered to said resistors, said large scale integrated circuit being electrically connected to the opposite end from said resistor of each of said conductive traces and also electrically connected of each of said conductive leads; said large scale integrated circuit comprising: serial to parallel converter means for receiving serial data signals provided along one or more of said conductive leads and providing a plurality of data signals corresponding to said input data signals; and means for receiving said clock signals and providing clock signals to a plurality of locations within said integrated circuit; a plurality of output drivers responsive to said output signals and said clock signals for allowing current flow through said resistors in response   
     
     
        to said output signals and said clock signals. .Iaddend. .Iadd.23.  A thermal print head as set out in claim 22 wherein said base member is electrically conductive and coupled to said conductive means and an externally provided source of potential to thereby provide such potential to said resistors. .Iaddend.