Terminal assembly with a multi-wire planar cable

A connector assembly for connecting to voltage sensors monitoring voltage of battery cells, the connector assembly comprising:

• a connector having a housing extending between a front and a rear, the connector having a plurality of cavities defined by cavity walls, the cavities being open at the rear and being open at the front;
• and
• a terminal assembly having a plurality of terminals received in corresponding cavities through the rear, the terminals having mating ends being configured to be mated with mating terminals of a mating connector, the terminals having terminating ends opposite the mating ends, the terminal assembly having a multi-wire planar cable having a plurality of flat wires and a common jacket for the plurality of flat wires, the flat wires being configured to be electrically connected to corresponding voltage sensors of the battery cells, the jacket having grooves between adjacent flat wires for controlled separation of the flat wires and surrounding jacket portions at an end of the multi-wire planar cable into separated jacketed wire portions extending a length of the flat wires each including an insulating sleeve and a terminating end of the flat wire, the terminating ends of the flat wires being exposed beyond the insulating sleeves for termination to the terminating ends of the terminals to electrically connect the terminals to corresponding voltage sensors of the battery cells, wherein the insulating sleeves are at least partially received in the corresponding cavities with the terminals such that the insulating sleeves are separated by the cavity walls.

A battery system comprising:

• a plurality of battery cells forming a battery module;
• a carrier assembly mounted to the battery module, the carrier assembly holding a plurality of bus bars for electrically connecting adjacent battery cells of the battery module, the bus bars having voltage sensors sensing a voltage of the corresponding bus bar;
• and
• a connector assembly held by the carrier, the connector assembly having a multi-wire planar cable having a plurality of flat wires and a common jacket for the plurality of flat wires, the flat wires being terminated to corresponding voltage sensors and extending to an end of the multi-wire planar cable, the jacket having grooves between adjacent flat wires for controlled separation of the flat wires and surrounding jacket portions at an end of the multi-wire planar cable into separated jacketed wire portions extending a length of the flat wires each including an insulating sleeve and a terminating end of the flat wire, the terminating ends of the flat wires being exposed beyond the insulating sleeves, the connector assembly having a plurality of terminals terminated to corresponding flat wires to electrically connect the terminals to corresponding voltage sensors of the battery cells, the connector assembly having a connector including a housing extending between a front and a rear, the connector having a plurality of cavities defined by cavity walls, the cavities being open at the rear and being open at the front, the cavities receiving corresponding terminals and insulating sleeves through the rear such that the terminals and the insulating sleeves are separated by the cavity walls.