Electric rotating machine having a thermistor in a gap between U-shaped and odd-shaped coil ends

1. An electric rotating machine comprising: a rotor mounted on a rotating shaft rotatably supported; and a stator disposed around an outer circumference of the rotor via a minute clearance between the rotor and the stator; the stator including a stator core having a plurality of slots formed in a circumferential direction, a stator winding formed by connecting a plurality of segment conductors inserted into the slots of the stator core, and a thermistor for measuring the temperature of the stator winding, and the stator winding including slot portions received in the slots, and connecting portions each of which connects end portions of the slot portions, wherein a temperature measuring element portion of the thermistor is fitted in a minute gap defined by the connecting portions of the segment conductors at a stator coil end, the stator coil end being formed by arranging a plurality of the segment conductors in the slots of the stator core to thereby form the connecting portions of the segment conductors at the end portion of the stator core, and

the thermistor is separated from the connecting portions of the segment conductors only by dead air that defines the minute gap,

wherein the minute gap is defined by at least four connecting portions of the segment conductors that immediately surround the temperature measuring element portion of the thermistor.

2. The electric rotating machine according to claim 1 ,

wherein the segment conductors includes:

a U-shaped segment conductor having a general U-shape which has slot portions received in two separate slots of the stator core and has connecting portions each of which connects end portions of the slot portions; and

an odd-shaped segment conductor which has a slot portion received in one of the slots and a connecting portion for connecting an end portion of the slot portion to a U-, V-, or W- lead terminal, a neutral point or a transition portion, the odd-shaped segment conductor being different in shape from the U-shaped segment conductor, and

wherein a plurality of the U-shaped segment conductors and of odd-shaped segment conductors are arranged in the slots of the stator core so that the connecting portions of the U-shaped segment conductors and the connecting portions of the odd-shaped segment conductors are arranged in the end portion of the stator core to form the stator coil end, and

the temperature measuring element portion of the thermistor is inserted into the stator coil end from an opening defined among the U-shaped segment conductors and the odd-shaped segment conductor adjacent thereto and is fitted into a minute gap defined among the connecting portions of the U-shaped segment conductors and the connecting portion of the odd-shaped segment conductor in the stator coil end.

3. The electric rotating machine according to claim 1 ,

wherein the segment conductors includes:

a U-shaped segment conductor having a general U-shape which has slot portions received in two separate slots of the stator core and has connecting portions each of which connects end portions of the slot portions; and

an odd- and U-shaped segment conductor which has slot portions received in the two separate slots of the stator core and odd-shaped connecting portions each connecting end portions of the slot portions, the odd-shaped connecting portions being shaped convex and being different in shape from the connecting portions of the U-shaped segment conductor, and

wherein a plurality of the U-shaped segment conductors and of the odd- and U-shaped segment conductors are arranged in the slots of the stator core so that the connecting portions of the U-shaped segment conductors and the odd-shaped connecting portions of the odd- and U-shaped segment conductors are arranged in the end portion of the stator core to form the stator coil end, and

wherein the temperature measuring element portion of the thermistor is inserted into the stator coil end from an opening defined among the U-shaped segment conductors and the odd- and U-shaped segment conductor adjacent thereto and is fitted into a minute gap defined among the connecting portions of the U-shaped segment conductors and the connecting portion of the odd- and U-shaped segment conductor or a minute gap defined among the odd-shaped connecting portions in the stator coil end.

4. The electric rotating machine according to claim 2 ,

wherein the temperature measuring element portion of the thermistor is secured by means of varnish in the minute gap sandwiched among the connecting portions of the segment conductors.