Patent ID: 7332844
Filing Date: 2008-02-19
Classification: H01R,H02K

Abstract:
1. An alternator comprising: a housing including a first portion, and a second portion having a plurality of electrical connectors and having an aperture; a stator supported at least partially by the first portion of the housing; a rotor, including first and second slip rings, and including a rotor shaft configured to rotate about an axis, the shaft having first and second ends; first and second bearings respectively supporting the first and second ends of the rotor shaft in the housing for rotation relative to the stator; and a removable assembly including a support member removably mounted to the housing, a resistor, and brush blocks configured to support first and second brushes for engagement with the first and second slip rings, respectively, to pass a force current through the rotor via the slip rings, the brush blocks being supported by the support member, the removable assembly being selectively fixed relative to the second portion of the housing against movement relative to the second portion of the housing in a use position in which the brushes engage the slip rings and in which the support member at least partially closes the aperture, wherein the first and second slip rings are located between the first and second bearings with respect to the axis defined by the rotor shaft, wherein the removable assembly is removable from the second portion of the housing from outside the housing, without the need to remove the second portion of the housing from the first portion of the housing, and wherein a resistor is removably mounted to the support member by a releasable fastener, electrically coupled to the rotor, and configured to reduce the current through the rotor, with the resistor being removable and replaceable.