Patent ID: 7687954

Claim:
A brushless vehicle alternator, comprising: a housing; a stationary shaft disposed at the housing, the stationary shaft having a first end portion that extends to a second end portion through an intermediate portion, the intermediate portion having a substantially constant diameter; a stationary field coil disposed at the intermediate portion of the stationary shaft, the stationary coil being radially proud of magnetically active portions of the shaft; a first bearing positioned at the first end of the shaft; a second bearing positioned at a second end of the shaft, the intermediate portion extending from the first bearing to the second bearing; a pole segment rotatable relative to the housing, the pole segment extending across in a spaced relationship the intermediate portion so as to define a stator air gap; a stator surrounding the pole segment, the stator including a core having a plurality of core slots in a surface thereof, the core slots extending between a first end and a second end of the stator core; and a stator winding including a plurality of phases, each of the phases having at least one conductor having a plurality of substantially straight segments disposed in the core slots, the straight segments alternately connected at the first and second ends of the stator core by a plurality of end loop segments, wherein a section of at least one of the conductors including three consecutive end loop segments and two straight segments, is formed from a single continuous conductor, and one of the core slots houses a plurality of the straight segments arranged in at least one radial row.