Patent ID: 8193677

Claim:
A three-phase brushless motor comprising: a cylindrical housing extending in an axial direction of the motor; a cylindrical stator arranged in the housing, the stator including a stator core having a plurality of teeth projecting radially inwardly therefrom; a plurality of coils each wound about an associated one of the teeth and having an end; an insulator arranged between each tooth and associated coil which electrically insulates the tooth from the associated coil; and a plurality of bus bars which electrically connect the ends of the plurality of coils supplied with an external current having the same phase; wherein each of the bus bars includes a main portion and a connection portion, in which the main portion comprises an elongated plate shaped electrically conductive strip having opposed plate surfaces terminating at an edge, wherein the main portion extends in a circumferential direction, and the connection portion is arranged at a predetermined position on the main portion and connected to the end of an associated one of the coils; and wherein the insulator includes a support which supports at least one of the bus bars in a state in which the main portion of the bus bar is exposed, wherein the support of the insulator includes a holding slot that extends in the circumferential direction and holds the main portion of the at least one of the bus bars, wherein the slot includes outer grooves and inner grooves, wherein a width of the plate shaped strip in the axial direction of the motor is greater than the depth of the holding slot in the axial direction of the motor, wherein the plate shaped strip extends out from an open distal end of the holding slot in the axial direction of the motor, whereby the bus bar is exposed, wherein the connection portion of each of the bus bars includes an extension extending from a predetermined position of the main portion in the axial direction of the motor and a holder formed radially inward from the extension, in which the holder has an opening which opens along the circumferential direction, and wherein the holders of the first and the second bus bars held in the associated outer grooves are located radially inward from the corresponding inner grooves.