Air conditioning apparatus and air conditioning method for reducing electric power consumption by reducing pressure loss in circulation air

Claim 2

An air conditioning apparatus comprising: a clean room; an air cleaning section cleaning air to supply to said clean room as cleaned air; a cooling section which comprises, a plurality of cooling units cooling air from said clean room to send out as cooled air, and a plurality of non-cooling units sending out as non-cooled air from said clean room without cooling air, wherein each of the quantity of said cooled air and said non-cooled air is determined to compensate an amount of heat generated in said air conditioning apparatus and to reduce a pressure loss given to said air passing through said cooling section to a substantial minimum; and an air mixing section mixing said cooled air and said non-cooled air to supply to said air cleaning section, such that said cleaned air is circulated through said clean room, said cooling section and said air mixing section to said air cleaning section.

Claim 3

An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said air cleaning section gives a first pressure to said cleaned air to circulate said cleaned air through said clean room, said non-cooling unit in said cooling section and said air mixing section to said air cleaning section; and said cooling section gives a second pressure to said cooled air to compensate said pressure loss given to said air passing through said cooling unit.

Claim 4

An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said air cleaning section comprises: a fan filter unit comprising a filter and a fan, wherein said fan sucks air and sends said sucked air to said filter and said filter cleans said air sent by said fan.

Claim 5

An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said cooling unit comprises: a cooling equipment cooling said cooled air, and a fan motor giving a fan pressure to said cooled air, wherein said fan pressure compensates for said pressure loss given said cooled air passing through said cooling equipment.

Claim 6

An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said fan motor further comprises: a temperature measuring section measuring a temperature of circulation air circulated in said air conditioning apparatus; and a temperature controller storing a pre-determined temperature and controlling a quantity of said circulation air passing through said cooling equipment, based on a comparison with said measured temperature and said pre-determined temperature.

Claim 7

An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising: a temperature measuring section of measuring a temperature of circulation air circulated in said air conditioning apparatus; and a temperature controller storing a pre-determined temperature and controlling a number of said fan motors to be driven, based on a comparison with the measured temperature and said pre-determined temperature.

Claim 8

An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said cooling unit comprises: an air conditioning unit adjusting a temperature and a humidity of air passing through said air conditioning unit, and wherein said cooling section divides said air passing through said cooling section into said cooled air, non-cooled air and a conditioned air passing through said air conditioning unit to compensate said amount of heat generated in said air conditioning apparatus and to reduce the pressure loss given to said air passing through said cooling section to a substantial minimum.

Claim 9

An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising: a temperature humidity measuring section of measuring a temperature and a humidity of circulation air; and a temperature humidity controller storing a pre-determined temperature and a pre-determined humidity of said circulation air, and controlling a quantity of said cooled air and said conditioned air based on a comparison with said measured temperature and said pre-determined temperature and another comparison with said measured humidity and said pre-determined humidity.

Claim 10

An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising: a temperature humidity measuring section measuring a temperature and a measured humidity of circulation air; and a temperature humidity controller storing a pre-determined temperature and a pre-determined humidity of said circulation air, and controlling the numbers of said air controlling units to be driven and said cooling units to be driven based on a comparison with said measured temperature and said pre-determined temperature and another comparison with said measured humidity and said pre-determined humidity.

Claim 11

An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 7, wherein an arrangement of said cooling units, said non-cooling units and said air conditioning units are changeable in said cooling section.

Claim 12

An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an arrangement of said cooling units and said non-cooling units are changeable in said cooling section.

Claim 13

An air conditioning method of an air conditioning apparatus including a clean room; an air cleaning section of cleaning air passing through said air cleaning section; a cooling section including a plurality of cooling units of cooling air passing through said plurality of cooling units and a plurality of non-cooling units without cooling air passing through said plurality of non-cooling units; and an air mixing section mixing said air passing through said plurality of cooling units and said air passing through said plurality of non-cooling units; comprising: (a) giving a pressure to circulation air circulated in said air conditioning apparatus to circulate said circulation air through said clean room, said non-cooling unit in said cooling section and said air mixing section to said air cleaning section; (b) dividing said circulation air passing through said cooling section into a first air passing through said plurality of cooling units and a second air passing through said plurality of non-cooling units to cool said first air based on an amount of heat generated in said air conditioning apparatus and to reduce a pressure loss given to said circulation air passing through said cooling section to a substantial minimum; and (c) giving to said first air a pressure substantially equal to a pressure loss given to said first air passing through said cooling unit.

Claim 14

An air conditioning method of an air conditioning apparatus including a clean room; an air cleaning section of cleaning air passing through said air cleaning section; a cooling section including a plurality of cooling units of cooling air passing through said plurality of cooling units and a plurality of non-cooling units without cooling air passing through said plurality of non-cooling units; and an air mixing section mixing said air passing through said plurality of cooling units and said air passing through said plurality of non-cooling units; comprising: (a) giving a pressure to circulation air circulated in said air conditioning apparatus to circulate said circulation air through said clean room, said non-cooling unit in said cooling section and said air mixing section to said air cleaning section; (b) dividing said circulation air passing through said cooling section into a first air passing through said plurality of cooling units and a second air passing through said plurality of non-cooling units to cool said first air based on an amount of heat generated in said air conditioning apparatus and to reduce a pressure loss given to said circulation air passing through said cooling section to a substantial minimum; and (c) giving to said first air a pressure substantially equal to a pressure loss given to said first air passing through said cooling unit.

Claim 15

An air conditioning method according to claim 12, wherein said (b) dividing said circulation air comprises: (d) determining a pre-determined temperature; (e) measuring a temperature of said circulation air before passing through said cooling section; and (f) dividing said circulation air passing through said cooling section into a quantity of said first air passing through said plurality of cooling units and a quantity of a second air passing through said plurality of non-cooling units based on a comparison with said measured temperature and said pre-determined temperature to reduce said pressure loss given to said air passing through said cooling section to a substantial minimum.

Claim 16

An air conditioning method according to claim 13, wherein said (c) giving to said first air further comprises: (g) controlling the quantity of said first air based on the result of said (f) dividing said circulation air.

Claim 17

An air conditioning method according to claim 12, wherein a part of said cooling units include air conditioning units of changing a temperature and a humidity of an air passing through said air conditioning units, and said (b) dividing said circulation air comprises (h) dividing said circulation air passing through said cooling section into a first air passing through said plurality of cooling units, a second air passing through said plurality of non-cooling units and a third air passing said air conditioning units to cool said first air and said third air in response to said amount of heat generated in said air conditioning apparatus and to reduce said pressure loss given to said circulation air passing through said cooling section to a substantial minimum, and further comprising: (i) giving to said third air a pressure substantially equal to a pressure loss given to said third air passing through said air conditioning units.

Claim 18

An air conditioning method according to claim 15, further comprising: (j) determining a pre-determined temperature and a pre-determined humidity; and (k) measuring a temperature and a humidity of said circulation air before passing through said cooling section; and wherein said (h) dividing said circulation air comprises (l) dividing said circulation air passing through said cooling section into a first air passing through said plurality of cooling units, a second air passing through said plurality of non-cooling units and a third air passing said air conditioning units to cool said first air and said third air and to adjust a humidity of said third air based on a comparison with said measured temperature and said pre-determined temperature and another comparison with said measured humidity and said pre-determined humidity to reduce said pressure loss given to said circulation air passing through said cooling section to a substantial minimum.

Claim 19

An air conditioning method according to claim 16, wherein said (c) giving a pressure to said first air further comprises: (m) controlling the quantity of said first air based on said (l) dividing said circulation air; and wherein said (i) further comprises: (n) controlling the quantity of said third air based on said (l) dividing said circulation air.

Claim 20

An air conditioning apparatus of a clean room comprising: an air cleaning portion cleaning air passing through said air cleaning section; a cooling portion which comprises; a plurality of cooling units cooling air passing through said cooling units; and a plurality of non-cooling units without cooling air passing through said non-cooling units; an air mixing portion; and an air circulating section circulating a first air cleaned by said air cleaning portion, through said clean room, said cooling portion and said air mixing portion to said air cleaning portion, wherein said cooling portion comprises: a dividing section dividing said first air passing through said cooling section into a second air passing through said plurality of cooling units and a third air passing through said plurality of non-cooling unit; and a cooling section cooling said second air in said plurality of cooling units, and said air mixing portion comprises: a mixing section mixing said second air cooled by said cooling section and said third air.

Claim 21

An air conditioning apparatus of a clean room comprising: an air cleaning portion cleaning air passing through said air cleaning section; a cooling portion which comprises; a plurality of cooling units cooling air passing through said cooling units; and a plurality of non-cooling units without cooling air passing through said non-cooling units; an air mixing portion; and an air circulating section circulating a first air cleaned by said air cleaning portion, through said clean room, said cooling portion and said air mixing portion to said air cleaning portion, wherein said cooling portion comprises: a dividing section dividing said first air passing through said cooling section into a second air passing through said plurality of cooling units and a third air passing through said plurality of non-cooling unit; and a cooling section cooling said second air in said plurality of cooling units, and said air mixing portion comprises: a mixing section mixing said second air cooled by said cooling section and said third air.

Claim 22

An air conditioning apparatus of a clean room according to claim 18, wherein each of said plurality of cooling units comprises: an cooling apparatus; and an wind supplying apparatus supplying said second air to said cooling apparatus.

Claim 23

An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 19, wherein said wind supplying apparatus comprises: a storing area storing a pre-determined temperature; a first temperature measuring section measuring a temperature of a circulation air circulated in said air conditioning apparatus; and a controller controlling a quantity of said second air supplied to said cooling apparatus based on a comparison with said measured temperature and said pre-determined temperature.

Claim 24

An air conditioning apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said cooling section further comprises: a plurality of air conditioning units; and a dividing section dividing said first air passing through the cooling section into a second air passing through said plurality of cooling units, a third air passing through said plurality of non-cooling units and a fourth air passing through said plurality of air adjusting units; said air conditioning unit further comprises: a storing area storing a pre-determined temperature and a pre-determined humidity; a second temperature humidity measuring section measuring a temperature and a measured of said circulation air; and an adjusting section adjusting a temperature and a humidity of said fourth air passing through said air conditioning unit based on a comparison with said measured temperature and said pre-determined temperature and another comparison with said measured humidity and said pre-determined humidity; and wherein said mixing section mixes said second air, said third air and said fourth air passing through said cooling section.