Brushless motor and electric power steering apparatus having exposed bus bar

1. A three-phase brushless motor comprising:

a cylindrical housing extending in an axial direction of the motor;

a cylindrical stator arranged in the housing, the stator including a stator core having a plurality of teeth projecting radially inwardly therefrom;

a plurality of coils each wound about an associated one of the teeth and having an end;

an insulator arranged between each tooth and associated coil which electrically insulates the tooth from the associated coil; and

a plurality of bus bars which electrically connect the ends of the plurality of coils supplied with an external current having the same phase;

wherein each of the bus bars includes a main portion and a connection portion, in which the main portion comprises an elongated plate shaped electrically conductive strip having opposed plate surfaces terminating at an edge, wherein the main portion extends in a circumferential direction, and the connection portion is arranged at a predetermined position on the main portion and connected to the end of an associated one of the coils; and

wherein the insulator includes a support which supports at least one of the bus bars in a state in which the main portion of the bus bar is exposed,

wherein the support of the insulator includes a holding slot that extends in the circumferential direction and holds the main portion of the at least one of the bus bars, wherein the slot includes outer grooves and inner grooves, wherein a width of the plate shaped strip in the axial direction of the motor is greater than the depth of the holding slot in the axial direction of the motor, wherein the plate shaped strip extends out from an open distal end of the holding slot in the axial direction of the motor, whereby the bus bar is exposed,

wherein the connection portion of each of the bus bars includes an extension extending from a predetermined position of the main portion in the axial direction of the motor and a holder formed radially inward from the extension, in which the holder has an opening which opens along the circumferential direction, and

wherein the holders of the first and the second bus bars held in the associated outer grooves are located radially inward from the corresponding inner grooves.

2. The brushless motor according to claim 1 , wherein:

each of the teeth includes opposite end surfaces facing the axial direction of the motor;

the insulator further includes an end cover and an outer restriction wall, in which the end cover covers one of the end surfaces of the associated tooth, and the outer restriction wall extends in the axial direction at an outer side of the end cover; and

the support extends from the outer restriction wall in the axial direction of the motor.

3. The brushless motor according to claim 1 , wherein either one of the main portion and the holding slot includes an engaging projection, and the other of the main portion and the holding slot includes an engaging recess which is engageable with the engaging projection.

4. The brushless motor according to claim 1 , wherein:

the main portion includes a stopper inclined at a predetermined angle relative to the axial direction of the motor; and

the holding slot includes a recess which is engageable with the stopper.

5. The brushless motor according to claim 1 , wherein the holding slot includes an inner groove formed at a radially inward side and an outer groove formed at a radially outward side, in which the inner and outer grooves are concentric.

6. The brushless motor according to claim 5 , wherein:

the plurality of bus bars includes:

a first bus bar having a basal end, which defines a terminal supplied with the external current, and the main portion, which extends from the basal end in the circumferential direction;

a second bus bar having a basal end, which defines a terminal supplied with the external current, and the main portion, which extends from the basal end in a direction opposite the first bus bar; and

a third bus bar having a basal end, which defines a terminal supplied with the external current, and the main portion, which extends from the basal end in the circumferential direction and radially overlaps either one of the first and second bus bars;

the main portion of one of the first and second bus bars includes a basal side and a distal side, in which the main portion is held in the outer groove from the basal side to the distal side;

the main portion of the other of the first and second bus bars includes a basal side and a distal side, in which the basal side is held in the outer groove and the distal side is held in the inner groove; and

the main portions of the first and second bus bars are radially overlapped with the main portion of the third bus bar at the basal sides and radially overlapped with each other at the distal sides.

7. The brushless motor according to claim 6 , wherein the holders of the first, second, and third bus bars are concentric.

8. The brushless motor according to claim 1 , wherein the ends of the coils are welded and connected to the connection portions of the bus bars.

9. The brushless motor according to claim 1 , wherein the stator core includes a plurality of core segments aligned along an inner surface of the housing.

10. The brushless motor according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of coils are delta-connected.

11. The brushless motor according to claim 10 , wherein the coils are parallel-connected between the bus bars that are supplied with current having the same phase.

12. The brushless motor according to claim 1 , wherein the housing is formed from a metal having a high heat conductivity.

13. An electric power steering apparatus comprising:

the brushless motor according to claim 1 .