Patent ID: 7798441
Filing Date: 2010-09-21
Classification: H01F,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A conductor assembly comprising: a continuous, splice-free segment of conductive material arranged to provide a coil which, when conducting current, generates a magnetic field or, in the presence of a changing magnetic field, conducts current; a structure comprising a plurality of layers extending along a path with multiple ones of the layers positioned about a common axis, each layer formed in a tubular shape having an outer surface, with one or more of the layers positioned around at least one of the layers to form a sequence of layers extending outward from the axis, the sequence including at least a first layer and a second layer, (i) with the first layer being at a first position in the sequence and situated closer to the axis than the second layer, and (ii) with the second layer surrounding the first layer and positioned both next to and after the first layer in the sequence such that no other layer is positioned between the first and second layers, wherein the splice-free segment of conductor material extends through a first helical pattern along the outer surface of the first layer and through a second helical pattern along the outer surface of the second layer so that the splice free segment provides a continuous length along at least both the first and second layers, wherein the first and second layers each include a first region of a first thickness and a shoulder region having a greater thickness than the first thickness, and wherein the combination of the splice-free segment and the layer sequence provides first and second opposing coil pattern end regions (i) with the first coil pattern end region comprising the shoulder region of the first layer and a first portion of conductor material positioned therein, and (ii) with the second coil pattern end region comprising the shoulder region of the second layer and a second portion of conductor material positioned therein, such that: the shoulder region of the first layer with conductor material is positioned in the first coil pattern end region and the shoulder region of the second layer is positioned in the second coil pattern end region, and wherein the first region of first thickness in the second layer extends from the shoulder region in the second layer to the shoulder region in the first layer in the first coil pattern end region, and the first region of first thickness in the first layer extends from the shoulder region in the first layer and to the second coil pattern end region, so that each coil pattern end region only comprises shoulder regions of different layers with the first regions of the first and second layers extending between the first and second coil pattern end regions.