Eastman-kodak Company

David A Newman

William B Scott, Jr

Bryan A Beaman

William R Laubengayer

Wesley H Bacon

Thomas E Przybylowicz

Jeffrey G LaPointe

A printhead, particularly a light emitting diode (LED) printhead, which has improved apparatus for distributing signals to individual printing elements, i.e. LEDs, that are used in the printhead. Specifically, this printhead contains a number of print element arrays, typically arrays of light emitting diodes, and a corresponding number of drive circuits all of which are mounted to a common member, this member illustratively being a metallic stiffener plate. Each of the drive circuits is connected to a corresponding one of the print element arrays. All the print element arrays are typically situated in a co-linear orientation transversely along the member with the drive circuits co-linearly arranged along a side of the arrays. In addition, both drive circuits in every pair of adjacent drive circuits are interconnected, through for example spreader boards mounted to said member along the same side of the print element arrays and outward of the drive circuits with wire bonds extending between adjacent spreader boards, such that all the drive circuits in the printhead are interconnected in a daisy-chained fashion.

Light emitting diode printhead having improved signal distribution

A plurality of narrowly spaced electrodes of an electronic device are connected to a corresponding plurality of similarly spaced electrodes of another electronic device by two superimposed mutually separated layers of wires. The lower wires of the lower layer are bonded to outer bonding pads of alternate device electrodes that are located in a first row near the corresponding edges of the respective devices. Inner bonding pads of the other device electrodes are located in a second row further from the corresponding device edges between the outer pad electrodes and are bonded to the wires of the upper layer, the connecting ends of which extend beyond the corresponding ends of the lower wires.

High density tape-automated bonding (TAB) of electronic components

An LED array module for use in an LED array printhead is fabricated on a frame of tape-automated bonding (TAB) tape that provides all of the wiring for connecting the chips together, for connecting the module to one or more external circuit boards and for testing the module; thereby protecting the delicate components and allowing the module to be completely tested prior to excising it from the TAB frame and mounting it to the printhead support member.

Method of making LED array printhead with tab bonded wiring

An LED array printhead comprises an elongate support bar of generally rectangular cross section with a row of LED array chips mounted end-to-end along one of the narrow elongate edge faces of the bar. The bar is sandwiched between heat sink members confronting its wide faces. The heat sink members dissipate heat from the bar and also support circuit board means electrically connected to the LED chips.

Growing community of inventors

Rochester, NY, United States of America

David A Newman