Contact device for a stator, stator and electric machine

A contact device for a stator of an electric machine having a plurality of coil conductors each having a conductor contact surface, said contact device comprising:

• a contact carrier comprising an electrically insulating material, an upper side positioned to face away from the stator in use and a lower side positioned to face the stator in use;
• a plurality of electrically conductive connection conductors disposed on said upper side of said contact carrier, each said connection conductor having a connection contact surface;
• a plurality of feedthrough openings disposed in said contact carrier, each said feedthrough opening having an output end opening through said upper side of said contact carrier;
• and
• at least one holding lug disposed at said output end of each of said feedthrough openings and projecting towards a central axis of the respective feedthrough opening so as to define a narrowing at said output end thereof, said narrowing having a cross-sectional dimension, when viewed in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of the corresponding said feedthrough opening, less than a cross-sectional dimension of a part of said feedthrough opening disposed closer to said lower side of said contact carrier than said output end, said at least one holding lug comprising an elastically deformable material, said elastically-deformable material comprising a pre-tensioned configuration when a coil conductor of the stator is inserted through the respective said feedthrough opening, the conductor contact surface of the inserted coil conductor contacting said connection contact surface of an adjacent one of said connection conductors at said upper side of said contact carrier.

A stator for an electric machine, said stator comprising:

• a plurality of coil conductors, each said coil conductor having a conductor contact surface;
• a contact carrier comprising an electrically insulating material, an upper side and a lower side facing away from said upper side, said contact carrier comprising:
• a plurality of electrically conductive connection conductors disposed on said upper side of said contact carrier, each said connection conductor having a connection contact surface;
• a plurality of feedthrough openings disposed in said contact carrier, each said feedthrough opening having an output end opening through said upper side of said contact carrier and each said coil conductor extending through one of said feedthrough openings;
• and
• at least one holding lug disposed at said output end of each of said feedthrough openings and projecting towards a central axis of the respective said feedthrough opening so as to define a narrowing at said output end thereof, said narrowing having a cross-sectional dimension, when viewed in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of the corresponding said feedthrough opening, less than a cross-sectional dimension of a part of said feedthrough opening disposed closer to said lower side of said contact carrier than said output end, said at least one holding lug comprising an elastically deformable material, said elastically-deformable material being pre-tensioned when the corresponding said coil conductor is inserted through said feedthrough opening, each said coil conductor having a portion projecting outwardly from said output end of the corresponding said feedthrough opening, said portion including said conductor contact surface and each said conductor contact surface being disposed in contact with said connector contact surface of an adjacent one of said connection conductors.