Fog machine with instantaneous heating element

Abstract

A fog machine has a heating chamber configured to generate fog substantially instantaneously upon powering a heating element coupled to the heating chamber.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A fog machine comprising: 
 a heating chamber configured to receive a metered amount of fluid physically transformable into fog at a predetermined temperature; and    a heating element coupled to the heating chamber and operative to generate the predetermined temperature sufficient to create the fog substantially instantaneously upon entering the fluid into the heating chamber.    
     
     
         2 . The fog machine of  claim 1 , wherein the heating chamber is formed within a casing provided with a heating plate receiving the heating element and having a surface which defines a contact area with the fluid received in the heating chamber.  
     
     
         3 . The fog machine of  claim 2 , wherein the heating element is mounted to the heating plate adjacent to the surface of the heating plate and extends substantially along an entire length of the casing to effectively heat the fluid to the predetermined temperature.  
     
     
         4 . The fog machine of  claim 3 , wherein the heating element is cast with the heating plate or removably attached thereto.  
     
     
         5 . The fog machine of  claim 2 , wherein the heating plate is configured to provide the fluid running along the surface thereof with such a rate of advancement that, as the fluid flows along a downstream stretch of a flow path in the heating chamber, an entire volume of the received fluid is transformed into the fog.  
     
     
         6 . The fog machine of  claim 5 , wherein the heating plate is corrugated to increase the contact area between the surface of the heating plate and the entire volume of fluid controllably received in the heating chamber.  
     
     
         7 . The fog machine of  claim 5 , further comprising an inlet pipe sealingly mounted to the casing and traversed by the fluid and an exhaust pipe sealingly mounted to the casing and spaced from the inlet pipe and traversed by the fog leaving the heating chamber.  
     
     
         8 . The fog machine of  claim 5 , wherein the exhaust pipe has at least one single outlet nozzle guiding the fog out of the heating chamber, the inlet and exhaust pipes being mounted to the casing in an aligned or offset spatial relationship.  
     
     
         9 . The fog machine of  claim 4 , wherein the heating element is a rod-like structure or a U-shaped structure functioning as a resistance heater in response to a voltage applied across the heating element to generate the predetermined temperature.  
     
     
         10 . The fog machine of  claim 2  wherein the heating plate forms a bottom of the heating chamber, the fog machine further comprising an inner layer of thermal insulation provided along an inner surface of the casing to minimize radiation of heat generated by the heating element.  
     
     
         11 . The fog machine of  claim 1 , wherein the heating element is configured to have at least one upstream heating plate and a downstream heating plate mounted in the heating chamber along a flow path of the fluid and configured to heat the fluid so that when the fluid flows along the downstream heating plate, an entire volume of the received fluid is being vaporized.  
     
     
         12 . The fog machine of  claim 11 , further comprising an intermediary heating plate located between the at least one upstream and downstream plates, the at least one upstream and intermediary heating plates being mounted to spaced apart locations of the heating chamber and extending angularly downwards towards the downstream heating plate so that free ends of the at least one upstream and intermediary heating plates are positioned in a staggered manner to provide the flow path with a substantially zig-zag configuration.  
     
     
         13 . The fog machine of  claim 11 , wherein the downstream heating plate is substantially horizontal, the at least one upstream and downstream heating plates each being configured to have a fluid guiding channel shaped and dimensioned to prevent the fluid from overflowing.  
     
     
         14 . The fog machine of  claim 11 , wherein the at least one upstream and downstream heating plates each are resistance heaters generating heat in response to a voltage applied across each of the at least one upstream and downstream heating plates.  
     
     
         15 . The fog machine of  claim 1 , further comprising 
 a housing enclosing the heating chamber and having a reservoir for containing the fluid, and    a delivery unit providing flow communication between the reservoir and the heating chamber and operative to controllably block fluid flow from the reservoir to deliver a metered volume of the fluid into the heating chamber, whereas sequential portions of the metered volume of the fluid are delivered in the heating chamber to continuously generate the fog upon powering the heating element.    
     
     
         16 . The fog machine of  claim 15 , wherein the fluid is delivered in the heating chamber by gravity, the delivery unit being a valve controllably closable to provide the sequential portions of the metered volume of the fluid, each of the portions including a respective entire volume of the fluid, which is delivered in the heating chamber, vaporized substantially instantaneously upon powering the heating element.  
     
     
         17 . The fog machine of  claim 15 , wherein the fluid is compulsory fed into the heating chamber by the delivery unit which includes a pump coupled to a controller operative to periodically actuate the pump to create the sequential portions of the metered volume of the fluid, each of the portions being so selected that the entire volume of the fluid constituting a respective portion delivered in the heating chamber is vaporized substantially instantaneously upon powering the heating element.  
     
     
         18 . The fog machine of  claim 15  further comprising a level sensor operative to detect a level of the fluid in the reservoir and generate a signal indicating a low level of the fluid requiring refilling the reservoir.  
     
     
         19 . The fog machine of  claim 15 , further comprising a remote control element operative to actuate the delivery unit from a location spaced from the casing the fluid being a chemical solution.  
     
     
         20 . The fog machine of  claim 2 , wherein the metered amount of fluid delivered to the heating chamber covers the heating plate only to provide for substantially instantaneous heating.