Abstract:
It is aimed to prevent a noise reduction function of a twisted pair cable from being reduced near the entrances of cavities. A connector (CO) includes a twisted pair cable formed by twisting a pair of wires, female terminals ( 9 A,  9 B) connected to respective ends of both wires (W) of the twisted pair cable, a housing ( 15 ) formed with cavities ( 18 ) for individually accommodating the female terminals ( 9 A,  9 B), and a locking lance ( 13 ) deflectably arranged in the housing ( 15 ) and capable of locking the female terminals ( 9 A,  9 B). A pair of the female terminals ( 9 A,  9 B) connected to the both wires (W) of the twisted pair cable are accommodated into the cavities ( 18 ) adjacent in a Y direction and the locking lance ( 13 ) integrally and interlockably formed to straddle between the adjacent cavities ( 18 ) is formed in the adjacent cavities ( 18 ).

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of the Invention 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to a connector, particularly to a connector to which a twisted pair cable is to be connected. 
       2. Description of the Related Art 
       [0002]    A cable formed by twisting two wires is called a twisted pair cable and is used in a circuit required to shield the influence of noise in some cases. Terminals are connected to ends of the respective wires of such a twisted pair cable and are accommodated in adjacent cavities of a housing of a connector. Such a technique is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-184954. 
         [0003]    Each terminal of the above-described connector that has been accommodated properly into the corresponding cavity is locked and retained by a locking lance separately provided in the cavity as in normal connectors. However, there has been a high request for the miniaturization of terminals and, accordingly, locking lances also have been miniaturized in recent years. Thus, maintaining a terminal holding force is a problem. 
         [0004]    On the other hand, tests are conducted to determine whether the terminals connected to the respective wires of the twisted pair cable are retained and accommodated properly in the cavities. Specifically, a test is conducted by individually applying a pull-out force to each wire of the twisted pair cable. However, the wires of the twisted pair cable are close to one another, and a worker tends to grip both wires and simultaneously pull them out even though he tries to individually pull out each wire. In such a case, one terminal may be locked properly while the terminal connected to the other wire is inserted incompletely. In this situation, neither of the terminals is pulled out. 
         [0005]    Conventionally, to deal with this situation, the respective wires are untwisted over a certain length range in their parts before the entrances of the cavities. Thus, a noise reduction function of the twisted pair cable may be impaired in the untwisted range. 
         [0006]    The present invention was completed in view of the above situation and aims to provide a connector capable of maintaining a noise reduction function of a twisted pair cable and obtaining a sufficient terminal holding force. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0007]    The present invention is directed to a connector with a twisted pair cable formed by twisting a pair of wires, and terminals are connected to respective ends of the twisted pair cable. A housing is formed with cavities for individually accommodating the terminals, and a deflectable locking lance is arranged in the housing and for locking the terminals. Two of the terminals connected to the twisted pair cable are accommodated into adjacent cavities and the locking lance integrally and interlockably straddles between the adjacent cavities. 
         [0008]    In the connector of the present invention, the terminals connected to the respective ends of the twisted pair cable are inserted simultaneously into the corresponding pair of cavities. Then, the terminals move forward while deflecting the integrally formed locking lance. When the respective terminals are inserted properly into the cavities, the terminals substantially simultaneously are locked resiliently by the locking lance. In this way, the locking lance can be enlarged in a width direction so as to be shared by the terminal pair. Thus, the rigidity of the locking lance itself can be enhanced and a terminal holding force can be improved. 
         [0009]    Further, after the insertion of the terminals, a pull-out force is applied to the twisted pair cable to test whether or not the terminals are locked properly by the locking lance. If either one of the pair of terminals is inserted incompletely, the locking lance is in a deflected state. Thus, the terminals are pulled out together from the cavities, and it is detected that at least one of the terminals was in an incompletely inserted state. 
         [0010]    Further, both wires of the twisted pair cable are pulled together according to the present invention. Thus, it is not necessary to untwist the twisted pair cable over a length range as before, and a noise reduction function is maintained. 
         [0011]    A common unlocking portion for unlocking the terminals may be formed in a front part of the locking lance. According to this configuration, if the locking lance is deflected and deformed in an unlocking direction by operating the common unlocking portion, the terminals connected to the twisted pair cable can be pulled out simultaneously. 
         [0012]    Two removal holes for molding both side surface parts of the locking lance may be open in side surfaces of the housing. The removal holes communicate with a retainer mount hole for mounting a retainer for locking the terminals, and openings of the removal holes are closed by the retainer with the retainer mounted in the housing. According to this configuration, the retainer closes the removal holes to prevent the entrance of an external matter into the housing and to avoid an inadvertent operation of the locking lance. 
         [0013]    An arrangement direction of the cavities for accommodating the terminals connected to the twisted pair cable may be set in a direction perpendicular to a deflection direction of the locking lance. According to this configuration, an interval between the cavities for accommodating the pair of terminals can be narrowed. Thus, a high noise removal function of the twisted pair cable can be maintained also in the cavities. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]      FIG. 1  is a view showing a part of an in-vehicle network. 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a plan view of a joint terminal. 
           [0016]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing a connected state of the twisted joint terminal and a female terminal. 
           [0017]      FIG. 4  is a section of a joint connector in a state where the joint terminal and the female terminals are connected. 
           [0018]      FIG. 5  is a bottom view of a housing. 
           [0019]      FIG. 6  is a right side view of the housing. 
           [0020]      FIG. 7  is a left side view of the housing. 
           [0021]      FIG. 8  is a plan view in section of the housing. 
           [0022]      FIG. 9  is a front view in section showing a state where the joint terminal is shallowly inserted in a first terminal accommodating portion of the housing. 
           [0023]      FIG. 10  is a section along A-A of  FIG. 9 . 
           [0024]      FIG. 11  is a front view in section showing a state where the joint terminal is inserted to an intermediate position into the first terminal accommodating portion of the housing. 
           [0025]      FIG. 12  is a section along B-B of  FIG. 11 . 
           [0026]      FIG. 13  is a front view in section showing a state where the joint terminal is inserted to a proper depth into the first terminal accommodating portion of the housing. 
           [0027]      FIG. 14  is a section along C-C of  FIG. 13 . 
           [0028]      FIG. 15  is a perspective view schematically showing a tab entrance path and a cam portion. 
           [0029]      FIG. 16  is a front view schematically showing the tab entrance path and the cam portion. 
           [0030]      FIG. 17  is a plan view in section of the housing showing a locking lance part. 
           [0031]      FIG. 18  is a side view in section showing the locking lance part viewed from the side of the first terminal accommodating portion. 
           [0032]      FIG. 19  is a perspective view showing the locking lance part in section. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0033]    A specific embodiment of a connector of the present invention is described with reference to the drawings. 
       (Summary of In-Vehicle Network) 
       [0034]    This embodiment is described, taking a joint connector used in an in-vehicle network as an example. 
         [0035]      FIG. 1  shows a part of the in-vehicle network called CAN (Control Area Network), and a plurality of electronic control units U can communicate with each other via a wiring harness WH. 
         [0036]    The wiring harness WH is composed of a main line  1  and branch lines  2  branched from this main line  1  at a plurality of branch points  3  and connected to the respective electronic control units U at respective branch destinations. Further, the main line  1  and each branch line  2  are constituted by twisted pair cables formed by twisting a pair of wires W. 
         [0037]    The main line  1  is formed with bypasses  4  toward joint connectors CO at the respective branch points  3 . A forward path  4 A and a return path  4 B in each bypass  4  are relayed in the joint connector CO and branched toward each electronic control unit U. 
       (Joint Terminal: See FIG.  2 ) 
       [0038]    Two joint terminals  5  shown in  FIG. 2  are accommodated in the joint connector CO (only one joint terminal  5  is shown in  FIG. 1 ). Each joint terminal  5  is made of conductive metal and formed of three tab terminals  6  juxtaposed in a width direction and a coupling piece  7  in the form of a flat plate coupling end parts of these tab terminals  6 . The wires W paired in the above twisted pair cable are connected respectively to the tab terminals  6  paired between the joint terminals  5  via female terminals  9 A,  9 B. 
         [0039]    A substantially rectangular follower portion  8  protrudes on one side edge of a central part of each tab terminal  6  in a length direction. A chamfered portion  8 A in the form of a curved surface is formed on a front edge part of each follower portion  8 . The chamfered portion  8 A achieves a smooth entrance into a cam portion  27  to be described later. 
         [0040]    The joint terminal  5  is punched out from a base material in the form of a flat plate by a press. Thus, both side edges of the tab terminals  6  are fracture surfaces. When being punched out by the press, plate surfaces (top and under surfaces shown in  FIG. 2 ) of the tab terminals  6  are on the same planes as plate surfaces of the coupling piece  7  as shown in  FIG. 2 . However, after being incorporated into the joint connector CO, the respective tab terminals  6  are twisted by 90° about axes thereof and the plate surfaces of the coupling piece  7  and those of the tab terminals  6  are in a substantially perpendicular positional relationship. This is described in detail later. 
       (Female Terminal: See FIG.  3 ) 
       [0041]    The same female terminals  9 A,  9 B are used for each of the main line and the branch lines. The female terminals  9 A,  9 B also are bent into a predetermined shape after being punched out from a conductive metal plate material by a press. The female terminal  9 A,  9 B is composed of a terminal connecting portion  10  in the form of a rectangular tube, into which the tab terminal  6  is insertable, and a wire connecting portion  11  arranged behind the terminal connecting portion  10 . The wire connecting portion  11  is composed of a wire barrel  11 A to be crimped to a core exposed at an end part of the wire (each wire constituting the twisted pair cable) and an insulation barrel  11 B to be crimped to a coating part of the wire W. 
         [0042]    The terminal connecting portion  10  is formed by being bent into a rectangular tube shape and a ceiling is a double wall. An outer surface of the ceiling of the terminal connecting portion  10  is cut in a central part in a longitudinal direction, thereby having a single wall structure. Two protrusions  12 A,  12 B project at front and rear sides of this cut part on the outer surface of the ceiling in the terminal connecting portion  10 . The protrusions  12 A,  12 B function as stabilizers and the front protrusion  12 A also has a function of locking together with a locking lance  13  to be described later. 
         [0043]    Further, as shown in  FIG. 4 , a resilient contact piece  14  to be connected electrically to each tab terminal  6  of the joint terminal  5  is formed inside the terminal connecting portion  10 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , the resilient contact piece  14  is cantilevered rearwardly and deflectable in a direction opposite to a projecting direction of the protrusions  12 A,  12 B. In other words, the resilient contact piece  14  is deflected along a deflection direction of the locking lance  13  (X direction: see  FIGS. 4 and 6 ). 
         [0044]    (Connector Housing: See Mainly  FIGS. 4 to 8 ) 
         [0045]    The housing  15  is made of synthetic resin and is formed internally with a pair of first terminal accommodating portions  16  (accommodating portion located on a left side in the housing  15  in  FIG. 4  and only the first terminal accommodating portion  16  on one side is shown in  FIG. 4 ) for accommodating the pair of joint terminals  5  and a pair of second terminal accommodating portions  17  (accommodating portion located on a right side in the housing in  FIG. 4  and only the second terminal accommodating portion  17  on one side is shown in  FIG. 4 ) for accommodating a total of three pairs of female terminals (two pairs of main line female terminals  9 A and one pair of branch line female terminals  9 B). Each second terminal accommodating portion  17  includes a total of three cavities  18  for accommodating two main line female terminals  9 A and one branch line female terminal  9 B. 
         [0046]    As shown in  FIG. 6 , pairs of female terminals (main line female terminals  9 A and branch line female terminals  9 B) connected to the wires W constituting the twisted pair cables are accommodated in the cavities  18  adjacent in a lateral direction shown in  FIG. 6  (Y direction in  FIG. 6 ) in the pair of second terminal accommodating portions  17 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , an interval between the cavities  18  constituting the respective second terminal accommodating portions  17  in the Y direction is narrower than an interval between the cavities  18  in the X direction. 
         [0047]    Further, as shown in  FIG. 4 , insertion holes  20  for allowing the passage of the tab terminals  6  and through holes  21  used to mold common unlocking portions  30  in front end central parts of the locking lances  13  or unlock the locking lances  13  are open in boundary walls  19  between the respective second terminal accommodating portions  17  and the corresponding first terminal accommodating portions  16 . These through holes  21  communicate with the first terminal accommodating portions  16  along the front-rear direction in the housing  15 . 
       (Locking Lance: See Mainly FIGS.  17  to  19 ) 
       [0048]    The locking lances  13  for simultaneously locking the pair of the female terminals  9 A,  9 B connected to the respective wires W of the twisted pair cable are provided in the housing  15  in front of a body portion accommodating portion  22 A (see  FIG. 5 ) of a retainer mounting hole  22  to be described later. Three locking lances  13  are arranged in the X direction in the second terminal accommodating portion  17 . Each locking lance  13  is cantilevered forward as shown in  FIGS. 17 to 19 . Further, each locking lance  13  has a width to straddle between the cavities  18  adjacent in the Y direction, deflectable and deformable along the X direction and integrally formed to be able to collectively lock the pair of female terminal fittings  9 A,  9 B accommodated in the cavities  18  that are adjacent in the Y direction. 
         [0049]    As shown in  FIG. 19 , two escaping recesses  31  are formed in areas of the upper surface of the locking lance  13  where the protrusions  12 A of the female terminals  9 A,  9 B pass. The escaping recesses  31  are formed along the front-rear direction over a range from the rear end of the locking lance  13  to a position slightly behind the front end. The escaping recesses  31  are substantially horizontal from the rear end to a central part, thereby forming horizontal recesses  31 A in which the rear protrusions  12 B are located with the female terminals  9 A,  9 B locked by the locking lance, but are formed with gradually upwardly inclined slopes  31 B from the central part to the front end. A central part of the front end surface of the locking lance is cut backwardly and the aforementioned common unlocking portion  30  is formed on a back surface. 
         [0050]    Two locking surfaces  32  are formed across the aforementioned common unlocking portion  30  in the width direction on the front end surface of the locking lance  13  and respectively are capable of locking the front protrusions  12 A of the corresponding female terminals  9 A,  9 B. In unlocking the pair of female terminals  9 A,  9 B, an unlocking tool (not shown) in the form of a long bar is inserted into the through hole  21  from the side of the first terminal accommodating portions  16  to operate the common unlocking portion  30  so that the locking lance  13  is deflected in an unlocking direction. 
         [0051]    As shown in  FIG. 18 , each locking lance  13  is formed to be slightly displaced in a leftward direction with respect to the cavities  18  adjacent in the Y direction. As shown in  FIG. 18 , a partition wall  33  between the cavities  18  and the common unlocking portion  30  are in a positional relationship to correspond in the width direction. Further, the right locking surfaces  32  in  FIG. 18  is in a positional relationship to be aligned with the corresponding cavity  18  in the width direction and is formed to have a slightly smaller width than this cavity  18 , but the left locking surface  32  is in a positional relationship to be slightly displaced leftward with respect to the corresponding cavity  18  and is formed to have substantially the same width as this cavity  18 . 
         [0052]    Further, as shown in  FIGS. 17 and 18 , a total of three removal holes  34  are open for the respective locking lances  13  on each side surface of the housing  15  to mold front sides of both widthwise side surfaces of the respective locking lances  13 . Thus, in a single state of the housing  15 , the side surfaces of the front side of each locking lance  13  are exposed to the outside through the respective removal holes  34 . On the other hand, the respective removal holes  34  communicate with both leg portion accommodating portions  22 B of the retainer mount hole  22 . When a retainer  23  is mounted properly into the housing  15 , legs of the retainer  23  can close the respective removal holes  34  to conceal the respective locking lances  13 . 
         [0053]    Further, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the retainer mount hole  22  is open in one side surface of the housing  15 . The retainer mount hole  22  communicates with all of the cavities  18 . The retainer mount hole  22  is composed of the body accommodating portion  22 A aligned with a body  23 A of the retainer  23  to accommodate the body  23 A and two leg accommodating portions  22 B arranged to communicate with opposite widthwise sides of the body accommodating portion  22 A to accommodate both legs (not shown in detail) of the retainer  23 . 
         [0054]    On the other hand, the body  23 A of the retainer  23  to be mounted into this retainer mount hole  22  is formed into a frame shape to enable the female terminals  9 A,  9 B to pass therethrough, and each frame portion is formed with a locking projection  24  capable of locking the rear end of the terminal connecting portion  10  of each female terminal  9 A,  9 B. Further, although not shown in detail, the both legs of the retainer  23  are locked at two depth positions in the corresponding leg accommodating portions  22 B, with the result that the retainer  23  is held at two positions, i.e. a partial locking position and a full locking position with respect to the housing  15 . At the partial locking position, each locking projection  24  waits outside an entrance path for the female terminal  9 A,  9 B so that each female terminal  9 A,  9 B is inserted freely into and withdrawn from the cavity  18 . However, at the full locking position, each locking projection  24  projects into the entrance path for the female terminal  9 A,  9 B, thereby being able to lock the rear end of the terminal connecting portion  10 . 
         [0055]    Next, the first terminal accommodating portions  16  are described. As shown in  FIG. 7 , the first terminal accommodating portions  16  are arranged in two rows along the Y direction. As shown in  FIG. 13 , coupling piece accommodating portions  25  into which the coupling pieces  7  of the joint terminals  5  are to be accommodated are formed in entrance parts of the first terminal accommodating portions  16 . An opening width of the coupling piece accommodating portion  25  is slightly smaller than a width of the coupling piece  7  of the corresponding joint terminal  5 . Thus, in a state where the joint terminal  5  is accommodated in the first terminal accommodating portion  16 , the front end edge of the coupling piece  7  butts against the back wall of the first terminal accommodating portion  16  and the coupling piece  7  is somewhat press-fit into the coupling piece accommodating portion  25  so that the entire coupling piece  7  is retained. 
         [0056]    As shown in  FIGS. 7, 9 and 10 , three tab entrance paths  26  are formed in parallel along the X direction in each of the first terminal accommodating portions  16 , and each tab terminal  6  of the joint terminal  5  is insertable into each tab entrance path  26 . Each tab entrance path  26  is formed straight along the front-rear direction and each tab terminal  6  of the joint terminal  5  is insertable therein. Each tab entrance path  26  is formed straight along the front-rear direction and is substantially coaxial with the corresponding cavity. An entrance part of each tab entrance path  26  communicates with the coupling piece accommodating portion  25 . The front end of each tab entrance path  26  is open as the aforementioned insertion hole  20  in the boundary wall  19 . As shown in  FIG. 7 , the tab entrance path  26  is a substantially circular hole having a larger diameter than an outer diameter of the tab terminal. 
         [0057]    As shown in  FIGS. 15 and 16 , the cam portion  27  communicates with each tab entrance path  26  over the entire length of the tab entrance path  26 . The cam portion  27  is formed to have a thickness substantially equal to or slightly larger than a plate thickness of the follower portion  8  and the follower portion  8  can enter the cam portion  27 . As shown in  FIGS. 15 and 16 , a part of the cam portion  27  from the entrance of the first terminal accommodating portion  16  (rear end of the housing  15 ) to a position slightly behind the entrance serves as a straight portion  28 . A spiral portion  29  is formed in a length range on a side before the straight portion  28 . The spiral portion  29  is formed to spirally turn about an axis of the tab entrance path  26 . In the case of this embodiment, a turning angle from the start end to the final end of the spiral is substantially 90°. The cam portion  27  is formed to reach a front end while maintaining a cross-sectional shape at the final end of the spiral also on a side before the final end of the spiral. 
         [0058]    However, spiral turning directions are opposite between the first terminal accommodating portions  16  paired in the Y direction. For example, in  FIGS. 10, 12 and 14 , the turning direction is clockwise in the first terminal accommodating portion  16  located in an upper row in the Y direction, whereas the turning direction is counterclockwise in the first terminal accommodating portion  16  located in a lower row. 
         [0059]    In the process of inserting the joint terminal  5  into the first terminal accommodating portion  16  in this way, the follower portion  8  of each tab terminal  6  initially moves forward along the straight portion  28  of the cam portion  27  so that the tab terminal  6  is not deformed. However, as shown in  FIG. 11 , when the follower portion  8  enters the spiral portion  29  of the cam portion  27 , a front end part of the coupling piece  7  of the joint terminal  5  enters the coupling piece accommodating portion  25  and is sandwiched in a plate thickness direction. Thus, as the follower portion  8  moves along a spiral path of the spiral portion  29  thereafter, each tab terminal  6  is twisted and deformed about an axis thereof. As a result, the phase of the follower portion  8  is shifted substantially by 90° from that of the coupling piece  7 . In other words, when the joint terminal  5  is first inserted into the first terminal accommodating portion  16 , a plate surface direction of the tab terminal  6  is a direction along the Y direction. However, when the insertion of the joint terminal  5  into the first terminal accommodating portion  16  is completed, the plate surface direction of the tab terminal  6  is converted into the X direction. 
         [0060]    Note that since the follower portion  8  is located in a front end part of the spiral portion  29  and sandwiched in the plate thickness direction by facing inner wall surfaces of the spiral portion  29  in a state where an inserting operation of the joint terminal  5  is completed, a return (springback) from the twisted and deformed state is restricted. 
         [0061]    Next, an example of a manufacturing procedure of the joint connector CO is described. First, the joint terminals  5  are accommodated into the first terminal accommodating portions  16 . In that case, each follower portion  8  is inserted into the straight portion  28  of the corresponding cam portion  27  at the same time as each tab terminal  6  of the joint terminals  5  is inserted into the corresponding tab entrance path  26  (see  FIGS. 9 and 10 ). 
         [0062]    When the joint terminal  5  is pushed farther in that state, the front end part of the coupling piece  7  enters the entrance part of the coupling piece accommodating portion  25  as shown in  FIG. 11 . Thus, the coupling piece  7  is sandwiched in the plate surface direction by the facing wall surfaces in the coupling piece accommodating portion  25 . On the other hand, since each follower portion  8  enters the entrance part of the spiral portion  29 , the follower portion  8  receives a twisting force of a predetermined direction about the axis of the tab terminal  6  from the inner surface (cam surface) of the spiral portion  29  as the joint terminal  5  is pushed. 
         [0063]    When the front end of the coupling piece  7  butts against the back wall of the first terminal accommodating portion  16 , the insertion of the joint terminal  5  is completed. Since both side edges of the coupling piece  7  in the longitudinal direction are somewhat press-fit to bite into the facing walls in the coupling piece accommodating portion  25  at this time, the entire joint terminal  5  is retained and accommodated in the first terminal accommodating portion  16 . On the other hand, each follower portion  8  has reached the front end part of the spiral portion  29  by this time and each tab terminal  6  has been twisted by 90° about the axis thereof until the follower portion  8  reaches here. As a result, as described above, the plate surfaces of each tab terminal  6  were initially facing in the Y direction, which is the same direction as the plate surface direction of the coupling piece  7 , but the tab terminal  6  is twisted by 90° and the plate surface direction thereof is converted into the X direction when the joint terminal  5  is completely accommodated. 
         [0064]    Next, the connection of the main line female terminals  9 A and the branch line female terminal  9 B to the respective tabs of the joint terminal  5  is described. 
         [0065]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , the main line  1  includes the bypass  4  for each branch point  3  toward each electronic control unit U. Each bypass  4  is composed of the forward path  4 A toward the joint connector CO and the return path  4 B returning again to the main line  1  from the joint connector CO. The main line female terminals  9 A are connected respectively to the end parts of the wires W of the twisted pair cable serving as the forward path  4 A and the end parts of the wires W of the twisted pair cable serving as the return path  4 B. Further, the branch line female terminals  9 B are connected respectively to the end parts of the wires W of the twisted pair cable serving as the branch line to be connected to each electronic control unit U. 
         [0066]    Then, as shown in  FIG. 1 , the two main line female terminals  9 A connected to the respective end parts of the twisted pair cable constituting the forward path  4 A of the bypass  4  are inserted simultaneously into the cavities  18  on the left end shown in  FIG. 1  of the second terminal accommodating portions  17  paired in the Y direction in  FIG. 6  (cavities  18  are not shown in  FIG. 1 ) (note that only the main line female terminals  9 A and the joint terminal  5  on one side are shown in  FIG. 1  for convenience of drawing preparation). Similarly, the two main line female terminals  9 A connected to the return path  4 B of the bypass  4  are inserted simultaneously into the cavities  18  in the center shown in  FIG. 1  of the two second terminal accommodating portions  17  paired in the Y direction. Further, the two branch line female terminals  9 B are inserted simultaneously into the cavities  18  on the left end shown in  FIG. 1  of the two second terminal accommodating portions  17  paired in the Y direction. 
         [0067]    Note that in the case of inserting any pair of female terminals into the corresponding pair of cavities, the twisted pair cable is in a state where the wires are kept twisted and close to each other without being untwisted. Further, as described above, when the respective female terminals  9 A,  9 B are inserted into the cavities  18 , the retainer  23  is held at the partial locking position. 
         [0068]    When the female terminals  9 A,  9 B connected to the respective wires W of the twisted pair cable are inserted simultaneously into the cavities  18  corresponding in the Y direction in this way, the terminals move forward while deflecting the same integral locking lance  13 . When the front protrusions  12 A pass the locking lance  13 , the locking lance  13  resiliently returns. As a result, the two female terminals  9 A,  9 B are locked together by the locking lance  13 , thereby entering a primarily locked state. The retainer  23  then is moved from the partial locking position to the full locking position, and each locking projection  24  of the retainer  23  locks the rear end of the terminal connecting portion  10  of the corresponding female terminal  9 A,  9 B. Thus, each female terminal  9 A,  9 B is retained doubly by the locking lance  13  and the locking projection  24 . 
         [0069]    When each female terminal  9 A,  9 B is inserted properly into the corresponding cavity  18 , as described above, the corresponding tab terminal  6  of the joint terminal  5  enters the terminal connecting portion  10  of each female terminal  9 A,  9 B. In this process, the tab terminal  6  slides in contact with the resilient contact piece  14  while deflecting the resilient contact piece  14 , thereby being electrically connected. Since the resilient contact piece  14  is in contact with the plate surface of the tab terminal  6  rather than the fracture surface of the tab terminal  6  during this time, the resilient contact piece  14  is not damaged by the fracture surface. 
         [0070]    As described above, in the joint connector CO of this embodiment, the two female terminals  9 A,  9 B connected to the twisted pair cable share one locking lance  13 . Thus, a situation where only one female terminal is inserted incompletely and the other female terminal is locked properly does not occur. In that respect, since female terminals conventionally are locked by individual locking lances, a situation is possible where if one female terminal constituting a pair is locked by the locking lance  13 , the other female terminal is not pulled out even if being incompletely inserted. However, in this embodiment, the two female terminals  9 A,  9 B are pulled out together from the cavities  18  in such a case. Thus, the twisted pair cable need not be untwisted at the entrance parts of the cavities  18  as before and can be inserted into the cavities while being kept in a twisted state. Therefore, the wires W are kept close to each other and, hence, a noise reduction function is not impaired. 
         [0071]    Further, since the two female terminals  9 A,  9 B are conventionally locked by individual locking lances, a sufficient terminal holding force may not be obtained due to a reduction in the rigidity of the locking lances themselves if the locking lances become narrower with the miniaturization of terminals. However, since the common locking lance  13  is wide in this embodiment, a high holding force can be obtained for the female terminals  9 A,  9 B. 
         [0072]    The joint connector CO of this embodiment also has the following functions and effects. Specifically, the branch points  3  of the main line  1  are connected by relaying the joint terminals  5  and the main line female terminals  9 A for forward and return paths in the bypasses  4 . By connecting each branch point  3  in this way, the entire main line  1  is configured. Further, each electronic control unit U is connected while being branched from the main line  1  by connecting the joint terminals  5  and the branch line female terminals  9 B at each branch point  3 . By connecting each branch point  3  in this way, the in-vehicle network is built and communication is possible among the electronic control units U. 
         [0073]    Further, according to this embodiment, the deflection direction of the locking lance  13  is set not in the arrangement direction (Y direction) of the cavities for accommodating the pair of female terminals  9 A,  9 B connected to each twisted pair cable, but in the direction (X direction) perpendicular to this direction. Thus, an interval between the cavities for accommodating the pair of female terminals  9 A,  9 B can be narrowed. Thus, at a connected part to the connector, a high noise removal function of the twisted pair cable can be maintained also in the cavities. Further, even if the positions of the locking lances  13  are changed in adopting such a configuration, the resilient contact pieces  14  of the female terminals are not in contact with the fracture surfaces of the tab terminals  6  of the joint terminals  5  and can be protected from damage since the tab terminals  6  are twisted substantially by 90° about the axes. In addition, since the tab terminals  6  are not twisted beforehand, but twisted as being inserted into the housing  15  of the joint connector CO, the manufacturing efficiency of the joint connector can be enhanced since there is no pre-processing. 
         [0074]    Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the follower portions  8  are located in the front end parts of the spiral portions  29  and sandwiched in the plate thickness direction by the facing inner wall surfaces of the spiral portions  29  in the state where the inserting operation of the joint terminal  5  is completed. Thus, there is no return (springback) of each tab terminal  6  from the twisted and deformed state. Therefore, it is also possible to obtain an effect that the tab terminal  6  can be stably in contact with the plate surface of the resilient contact piece  14  of the corresponding female terminal  9 A,  9 B. 
         [0075]    The invention is not limited to the above described and illustrated embodiment. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the scope of the invention. 
         [0076]    Although the present invention is applied to the joint connector used in the in-vehicle network in the above embodiment, the use and form of the connector should be not limited. For example, although the joint terminals and the female terminals are accommodated together into one housing in the above embodiment, the present invention may be applied to female connectors for accommodating only female terminals. 
         [0077]    Although the locking lance locks the female terminals in the above embodiment, the locking lance may, of course, lock male terminals. 
         [0078]    Although the common unlocking portion is arranged in the widthwise central part of the front end part of the locking lance in the above embodiment, the common unlocking portion may be arranged, for example, at least on one widthwise end part. In short, the disposed position of the common unlocking portion should not be limited provided that the common unlocking portion is provided at such a position that the locking lance can be deflected and deformed in an unlocking direction in a balanced manner in the width direction without being twisted or the like when the common unlocking portion is operated. 
       LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS 
       [0000]    
       
           9 A . . . main line female terminal (terminal) 
           9 B . . . trunk line female terminal (terminal) 
           13  . . . locking lance 
           15  . . . housing 
           18  . . . cavity 
           30  . . . common unlocking portion 
         W . . . wire 
         CO . . . joint connector (connector)