Patent ID: 7091644

Claim:
A segment joined armature for a multi-phase ac machine comprising: an armature core having slots, q(=integer greater than or equal to two) for each pole in each phase, the slots being arrayed in a circumferential direction of said armature core; and an armature winding made up of m(=integer greater than or equal to three) phase coils, each of the phase coils being made up of a first phase winding and a second phase winding which are identical in number of turns and extending in opposite winding directions, wherein each of the first and second phase windings is made up of at least one wave winding segment and lap winding segments joined alternately, the wave winding segment and the lap winding segments being formed by sequentially joined-conductor segments, each of the conductor segments including a substantially V-shaped head portion, a pair of leg portions extending from ends of the head portion, disposed in two of the slots of said armature core located at a given interval away from each other, and a pair of joint end portions extending from ends of the leg portions, s(=integer greater than or equal to four) of the leg portions being arrayed within each of the slots of said armature core in a radius direction of said armature core, each of the joint end portions of each of the conductor segments being joined to one of the joint end portions of another of the conductor segments to make each of the first and second phase windings, wherein the wave winding segment is made up of the conductor segment having the joint end portions located at ends thereof at an interval away from each other which is greater than one pole pitch, each of the lap winding segments being made up of the conductor segment having the joint end portions located at ends thereof at an interval away from each other which is less than one pole pitch, and wherein an end of the first phase winding and an end of the second phase winding are formed by two of the leg portions of the conductor segments which are disposed adjacent to each other in the radius direction within the same one of the slots of said armature core and which lead to two first terminal leads, and the other end of the first phase winding and the other end of the second phase winding are formed by two of the leg portions of the conductor segments which are disposed adjacent to each other in the radius direction within the same one of the slots of said armature core and which lead to two second terminal leads.