Alternator

An alternator comprising:

• a stator including a cylindrical stator core provided with a plurality of slots extending in an axial direction of said stator, said plurality of slots being disposed in parallel to each other along the circumference of said stator, and a stator winding mounted in said plurality of slots of said cylindrical stator core, said stator winding including n-sets (n represents a natural number) of a three-phase alternating winding, each set of said three-phase alternating winding being constructed by connecting winding phase groups for three phases offset from each other by an electrical angle of 120 degrees into an alternating connection;
• a rotor enclosed by said cylindrical stator core;
• a fan unit mounted on said rotor;
• and
• a rectifier,
• wherein said stator winding comprises first wave-shaped windings and second wave-shaped windings, said first wave-shaped windings being composed of 3n first winding sub-portions each having one turn constructed by winding in a wave-shape a strand of wire so as to alternately occupy an inner layer and an outer layer in a slot-depth direction within said slots at every 3·nth slot, said first winding sub-portions being disposed at a pitch of one slot from each other, and said second wave-shaped windings being composed of 3n second winding sub-portions each having one turn constructed by winding in a wave-shape said strand of wire so as to alternately occupy the inner layer and the outer layer in the slot-depth direction within said slots at every 3·nth slot and so as to be inversely wound and offset by an electrical angle of 180 degrees relative to said first winding sub-portions, said second winding sub-portions being disposed at a pitch of one slot from each other, whereby m-pairs (m represents a natural number) of said first wave-shaped windings and said second wave-shaped windings are disposed so as to arrange alternately and in a row in-slot-received portions of said first winding sub-portions and in-slot-received portions of said second winding sub-portions in the slot-depth direction within each of said slots;
• wherein each set of said three-phase alternating winding is formed by connecting a plurality of lead wires to each other extending from said first winding sub-portions and said second winding sub-portions via a conductive relay member, and connecting into the alternating connection said three winding phase groups each composed of said first winding sub-portions and said second winding sub-portions which are mounted in every 3·nth slot;
• and
• wherein said conductive relay member opposes the top of a coil-end group of said stator winding across a gap therebetween.