Abstract: A vent line (440) for establishing communication between the interior of headlamps (500) and at least a blower (300) is formed integrally with a front end panel (400). The vent line (440) makes up a duct member (441) leading from each of the headlamps (500) to the blower (300). A light controller (560) is assembled by being fixed on the panel (400) in such a manner as to be located at the air inlet (442) of the duct member (441) (vent line (440)).

Abstract: When a load given to the engine 100 is less than a predetermined value, the outside air suction port 104 is closed and only inside air is supplied to the engine 100, and the valve 112a is opened so as to supply warm water to the heater 112. When the load given to the engine 100 is not less than the predetermined value and the temperature of air outside the engine compartment 11 is lower than a predetermined value, the inside air suction port 102 is closed and only outside air is supplied to the engine 100, and the valve 112a is closed so that the supply of warm water to the heater 112 is stopped.

Abstract: When the suction opening portion 121 is covered with the decoration grill 300 from the front side of a vehicle, the suction chamber 140 filled with air is formed on the front side of the suction opening portion 121, and the communication passage 141 to connect the suction chamber 140 with the outside of the suction chamber 140 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is formed into a labyrinth structure by the decoration grill 300, bumper cover 410 and front end panel 100. Due to the above structure, it is possible to supply air, which has been sucked from the outside of the engine compartment, to the engine while foreign material, such as rain water and snow, is prevented from being sucked into the engine.

Abstract: The flexible section 452 made of rubber or elastomer is molded integrally with the panel body 450 on the forward end side of the guide duct section 451 of the panel body made of resin, and the seal section 461 for tightly closing gap &dgr; between the panel body 450 and the heat exchanger 21 is molded integrally with the panel body 450 on the introduction opening section 460 side in the panel body 450. Due to the foregoing, it is possible to prevent the panel body 450 and the guide duct section 451 from being damaged in the case of a light collision. Therefore, a repair cost, which must be paid by a vehicle owner, is reduced and an increase in the number of parts of the front end structure and an increase in the cost of assembling are suppressed even though gap &dgr; between the panel body 450 and the heat exchanger 21 is tightly closed so that a decrease in the heat radiating capacity (heat exchange capacity) of the heat exchanger 21 can be prevented.

Abstract: Protrusions are provided in a front end panel, and holes in which the protrusions are fitted are provided in a front fender in a vehicle body. Accordingly, when the front end panel is secured to the vehicle body, the protrusions are fitted in the holes so that the front end panel is provisionally positioned relative to the vehicle body, and is completely secured by fastening bolts thereafter. Therefore, the front end panel can be easily secured to the vehicle body while being positioned to the latter, without providing the main reference hole or the sub-reference hole in the front end panel or without preparing a special tool to hold the front end panel while the front end panel is positioned relative to the vehicle body, prior to tightening the bolts.

Abstract: In a double heat exchanger having a condenser core and a radiator core, a protrusion is provided on a condenser header tank which contacts a radiator header tank so that a clearance between the condenser header tank and the radiator header tank around the protrusion is in a range of 0.5 mm-1.5 mm. Further, a coating-removing restriction material such as magnesium for restricting the removal of an oxidation coating formed on the surface of a brazing material is added to one of the contact areas of the protrusion and the contact area of the condenser header tank. Thus, it can prevent brazing material from being collected in the contact areas of the protrusion and the condenser header tank by a capillary phenomenon during brazing. Accordingly, the heat-transmitting area between the radiator header tank and the condenser header tank is not increased, and the heat-radiating capacity of the condenser core is increased.

Abstract: An intake duct (intake air path) utilizes an upper beam member of a front end panel, the cross section of which is substantially a C-shape. When the front end panel is assembled into a vehicle with the duct member being attached to the front end panel, assembling of the intake duct is completed. In another embodiment, a space (intake duct) is formed in a first pillar section of the front end panel with an intake port and a discharge port, which communicate the inside of the space with the outside of the space; the parts are arranged such that they are shifted from each other when they are viewed from the front side of the vehicle. Thus, a current of air flowing into the space flows in a crank-shape and passes outside of the space. Accordingly, foreign objects such as rain water and snow, which have entered the space together with air, will not flow together with the current of air flowing in the space. Therefore, the foreign objects such as rain water and snow remain in the space.

Abstract: In a vehicle front end panel to which a front end member including at least a radiator is assembled, an air guiding portion for guiding air into the radiator is provided integrally with a body panel portion, and a low strength portion having a mechanical strength lower than that of the panel body portion is provided in the air guiding portion. Accordingly, during a minor vehicle collision, the low strength portion of the air guiding portion is preferentially broken to absorb a collision energy. Thus, collision force applied to the panel body portion can be reduced, and it can prevent the panel body portion from being broken during the minor vehicle collision.

Abstract: A first pipe 231 and a second pipe 232 are connected so that at least one of connectors 233 and 234 is located in a through-hole 133, in a state in which both the connectors 233 and 234 are connected. In this way, since the through-hole 133 is brought to a state of being filled in by the connector 233, the gap between a refrigerant pipe 230 and the edge of the through-hole 133 can be considerably reduced. It is, therefore, possible to prevent hot air from moving to the front side of a vehicle, in front of a panel 100 through the gap between the refrigerant pipe 230 and the edge of the through-hole 133 without the necessity of filling in the gap with a filling means such as rubber (a grommet) and packing.

Abstract: When a load given to the engine 100 is less than a predetermined value, the outside air suction port 104 is closed and only inside air is supplied to the engine 100, and the valve 112a is opened so as to supply warm water to the heater 112. When the load given to the engine 100 is not less than the predetermined value and the temperature of air outside the engine compartment 11 is lower than a predetermined value, the inside air suction port 102 is closed and only outside air is supplied to the engine 100, and the valve 112a is closed so that the supply of warm water to the heater 112 is stopped.

Abstract: In a vehicle front end panel to which a front end member including at least a radiator is assembled, a water filling port for introducing water into the radiator is integrally formed with an upper beam of a panel body portion on a vehicle rear side of the upper beam. The water filling port is coupled with the radiator through a panel joint portion having an opening opened toward a vehicle front side, and the panel joint portion is formed integrally with the panel body portion. Accordingly, the radiator can be readily assembled to the panel body portion of the front end panel, and vehicle assembling performance can be improved.

Abstract: A front end structure of a vehicle for preventing heat from going around to before a heat exchanger (or vehicle) while reducing the damage of a shock which may be imparted on the front end portion of the vehicle is disclosed. Gaps are formed between a panel wall portion and a bumper cover, between the panel wall portion and a grille, between a bumper wall portion and the panel, and between a grille wall portion and the panel. At the same time, labyrinth structures are configured of the panel wall portion and the bumper wall portion on the one hand and the panel wall portion and the grille wall portion on the other hand. As a result, heat is prevented from going (flowing) around to before the heat exchanger (or vehicle) while at the same time reducing the damage under a shock which may be imparted on the front end portion of the vehicle.

Abstract: The present invention provides a front-end structure comprising a panel body (400) to which a center member (500), being fixed to a body of a vehicle at a front end of the vehicle and supporting, at least, a driving engine (E/G), is joined, wherein the panel body (400) is molded out of aluminum by die-casting and a joining section (421) of the panel body (400) to which the center member (500) is joined has a mechanical strength higher than that of any other sections of the panel body (400) near the joining section (421) except the joining section (421).

Abstract: A vent line (440) for establishing communication between the interior of head lamps (500) and at least a blower (300) is formed integrally with a front end panel (400). The vent line (440) makes up a duct member (441) leading from each of the head lamps (500) to the blower (300). A light controller (560) is assembled by being fixed on the panel (400) in such a manner as to be located at the air inlet (442) of the duct member (441) (vent line (440)).

Abstract: A vehicle front end member including at least a radiator has an upper protrusion fixed to an upper insertion hole of a vehicle front end panel, and a lower protrusion fixed to a lower insertion hole of the front end panel. When an exterior force larger than a predetermined value is applied to the vehicle from a front side, a fixing state of the upper protrusion into the upper insertion hole is released, while a fixing state of the lower protrusion into the lower insertion hole is maintained. Therefore, is can prevent all the front end member from being separated from the front end panel when the exterior force is applied to the vehicle from the front i side. Accordingly, a damage of the front end member due to the exterior force is prevented while a collision of the front end member on a road surface is prevented.

Abstract: A radiator has plural metal tubes and a metal header tank. The header tank has plural connection portions each of which is connected to each of the tubes, and plural reinforcement ribs formed opposite the connection portions at a non-connection portion of the header tank to which no tube is connected. The reinforcement ribs and the connection portions are arranged in a longitudinal direction of the header tank at substantially the same pitch, so that each of the reinforcement ribs is disposed opposite each of the connection portions. Therefore, a rigidity of the non-connection portion is increased by the reinforcement ribs, and an internal pressure of the header tank is restricted from being intensively applied to the non-connection portion. As a result, a mechanical strength of the header tank is sufficiently increased without increasing a thickness of a metal plate from which the header tank is formed.

Abstract: In a vehicle front end panel, a horn cover for defining a passage of sound generated by a horn is formed integrally with a panel body to which a front end member such as a radiator is assembled. Further, the panel body and at least a part of the horn cover are integrally molded by resin. Therefore, the horn structure including the horn and the horn cover is readily manufactured in a low cost.

Abstract: A front end structure according to the present invention is constituted such that a front end panel (400) is configured of a duct structure for preventing the air introduced from a grille opening (452) from bypassing a condenser (200) and a radiator (100), and a fan unit (300) is arranged on the most upstream side portion of the structure. As a result, without the need to provide parts making up a duct structure, fresh air low in temperature can be blown, while at the same time, the air that has passed through the condenser (200) can be prevented from bypassing the radiator (100). Thus, the heat releasing capacity of the condenser (200) and the radiator (100) can be improved while at the same time improving the hermetic sealing between the condenser (200) and the radiator (100) with simple means.

Abstract: A front-end module, including a heat exchanger including a radiator and a condenser integrated with each other, brackets, etc. and having a dual function as a strength member for the vehicle body, is mounted on an automotive vehicle. As a result, the front end panel is eliminated, and a simple structure is provided in which the parts which can be assembled on the front end of the vehicle, including the radiator, the condenser, headlights, a hood lock, a horn and sensors, can be assembled on the vehicle.

Abstract: A filler neck is connected to a connection pipe attached to a pouring port of a header tank of a radiator. A radiator cap having a pressure valve and an overflow pipe connected to a reservoir are attached to the filler neck. The filler neck has a cylindrical portion which includes an annular pressure-valve sealing portion making contact with the pressure valve, an opening formed inside an inner diameter of the pressure-valve sealing portion to communicate with the connection pipe and an opening peripheral portion formed along a periphery of the opening. The opening peripheral portion is disposed above a lower end of the overflow pipe. The filler neck is formed by pressing a metal plate. Therefore, the filler neck made of metal is readily formed into a shape substantially equal to that of a resin filler neck.