Patent ID: 6198187
Filing Date: 2001-03-06
Classification: H02K

Abstract:
An automotive alternator comprising:a case;a shaft rotatably disposed inside said case;a rotor secured to said shaft;a stator secured to an inner wall of said case being provided with a stator coil composed of wire wound onto a stator core; anda rectifier disposed inside said case and electrically connected to said stator coil for converting alternating current generated in said stator coil to direct current,said rectifier including:a plurality of rectangular positive-side diodes secured to a surface of an arc-shaped positive-side heat sink; anda plurality of rectangular negative-side diodes secured to a surface of an arc-shaped negative-side heat sink,said positive-side heat sink and said negative-side heat sink having different inside diameters and being both disposed on a generally flat plane perpendicularly intersecting said shaft,the longitudinal direction of each of said diodes secured to the radially inner heat sink of said positive-side and negative-side heat sinks being disposed along the radial direction of said heat sink,the longitudinal direction of each of said diodes secured to the radially outer heat sink being disposed along the circumferential direction of said heat sink,said diodes secured to said radially outer heat sink and said diodes secured to said radially inner heat sink being cooled by external air introduced into said case by the rotation of fans mounted to said rotor.