Patent ID: 7673670

Claim:
In a heat exchanger comprising a refrigerant inlet header and a refrigerant outlet header arranged side by side in a front-rear direction, and a refrigerant circulating passage for holding the two headers in communication with each other therethrough, the inlet header having a refrigerant inlet at one end thereof, the outlet header having a refrigerant outlet at one end thereof alongside the inlet end, a refrigerant being permitted to flow from the refrigerant inlet into the inlet header and to return to the outlet header through the circulating passage so as to be sent out from the refrigerant outlet, a semifinished joint plate for making a joint plate joined to both the inlet header and the outlet header and having a refrigerant inlet portion in communication with the refrigerant inlet and a refrigerant outlet portion in communication with the refrigerant outlet, the semifinished joint plate having a refrigerant inlet portion and a refrigerant outlet portion arranged in a front-rear direction at a spacing, a slit formed between the inlet portion and the outlet portion and extending upward or downward, and slit width adjusting portions extending through the thickness of the semifinished plate and communicating with respective upper and lower ends of the slit.