Armature with winding segments having conductors engaged with end plates secured to an armature core

An armature comprising:

• a multiphase stator winding assembly comprising multiphase stator windings, each of the multiphase stator windings comprising a plurality of winding segments;
• a tubular armature core having first and second ends in an axial direction thereof, and having an outer surface portion;
• a pair of first and second end plates secured to the respective first and second ends of the armature core, each of the first and second end plates having an outer major surface;
• a plurality of first protrusions extending from the outer major surface of the first end plate in the axial direction of the armature core, the first protrusions being arranged on the outer major surface at predetermined intervals in a circumferential direction of the armature core;
• and
• a plurality of second protrusions extending from the outer major surface of the second end plate in the axial direction of the armature core, the second protrusions being arranged on the outer major surface at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction of the armature core, wherein:
• each of the winding segments comprises a conductor,
• the conductor of each of the winding segments of each of the multi-phase windings is wound along the armature core while:
• being engaged with a corresponding at least one of the first protrusions and a corresponding at least one of the second protrusions;
• and
• extending along the outer surface portion of the armature core;
• the number of the first protrusions is n, n being an integer more than or equal to 2;
• the number of the second protrusions is n;
• the armature core has a polygonal shape in a transverse cross section perpendicular to the axial direction thereof, the outer surface portion of the armature core with the polygonal shape in the transverse cross section having n or 2×n sides;
• each of the first protrusions is arranged at a predetermined first circumferential position, the first circumferential position of each of the first protrusions being axially aligned with a corner of a corresponding adjacent pair of the sides of the outer surface portion of the armature core;
• and
• each of the second protrusions is arranged at a predetermined second circumferential position, the second circumferential position of each of the second protrusions being axially aligned with a corner of a corresponding adjacent pair of the sides of the outer side surface of the armature core.