Special-effects fogger

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for producing special effect fog, in particular in the field of stage technology, comprising fog generator (1) which is equipped with a heating element, wherein a fog fluid is evaporated by means of the heating element, and at least one ultrasonic vaporizer (5) which is arranged in a housing (2) on the bottom (3) of a main mixing chamber (4), wherein the fog which is generated by the fog generator (1) can be conducted into the main mixing chamber (4), and wherein, furthermore, a baffle wall (7) is provided in the main mixing chamber (4) close to an outlet opening (6). In addition, a pre-mixing chamber (8) is provided, into which an air stream which is generated by a fan (9) and the fog which is generated by the fog generator (1) can be introduced via respective access openings (14, 15). The pre-mixing chamber (8) is connected by means of a transfer opening (10) to the main mixing chamber (4), wherein the transfer opening (10) is arranged in the main mixing chamber (4) so as to lie opposite the baffle wall (7).

Claims

1. A special-effects fogger for theater use, the fogger comprising: a fog generator holding a fog fluid and having a heating element for vaporizing the fog fluid; a housing forming a main mixing chamber holding water and having an outlet hole and a transfer port; a baffle wall in the housing adjacent the outlet hole; an ultrasonic vaporizer in the housing at the bottom of the main mixing chamber for vaporizing the water; a premixing chamber opening through the transfer port into the main mixing chamber opposite the baffle wall and formed with fog and air intake ports of which the fog intake port receives the vaporized fog fluid from the fog generator; and a fan forcing an air stream through the air intake port into the premixing chamber for mixing with the vaporized fog fluid and for passing the mixture of vaporized fog fluid and air through the transfer port into the main mixing chamber and against the baffle wall and out the outlet hole.

2. The fogger according to claim 1, wherein the premixing chamber and the transfer port are aligned with the main mixing chamber in such a way that the mixture of vaporized fog fluid and air coming from the premixing chamber impinges at an oblique angle on a surface of the water above the ultrasonic vaporizer.

3. The fogger according to claim 1, wherein the baffle wall is an element that can be inserted into the main mixing chamber and has a hole for passage of the special-effect fog toward the outlet hole, the hole being in the vertical direction at an end of the baffle wall remote from the ultrasonic vaporizer and/or in the horizontal direction at an end of the baffle wall remote from the outlet hole.

4. The fogger according to claim 1, further comprising: a nozzle at the fog intake port and directed into the premixing chamber, an inner diameter of the nozzle being smaller than an inner diameter of an evaporator hose wound around the heating element such that the fog fluid can be conveyed to the heating element and, following evaporation, to the foci intake port.

5. The fogger according to claim 1, wherein there is a plurality of ultrasonic vaporizers at the bottom of the main mixing chamber, the ultrasonic vaporizers being controllable individually or independently of one another in groups.

6. The fogger according to claim 5, further comprising: a controller that can adjust a number and output rate of the ultrasonic vaporizers, a speed of the fan, and an ejection power of the fog generator, whereby different effects can be set on the basis of different mixing conditions between vaporized fog fluid and atomized water as well as different total amounts of special-effect fog produced.

7. The fogger according to claim 6, wherein a frequency of each of the ultrasonic vaporizers can be also regulated by the controller.

8. The fogger according to claim 6, wherein the controller has a programmable memory in which presets for individual controllable parameters can be stored.

9. The fogger according to claim 8, further comprising: an air-humidity sensor is provided that is coupled to the controller such that the controllable parameters regulated by the controller can be corrected for compensation factors stored in the programmable memory on the basis of the data received from the air-humidity sensor, so that a constant special-effect fog can be generated independently of the environment.

10. The fogger according to claim 1, wherein the fog generator and the heating element are in the housing with the ultrasonic vaporizer, the fan, and the main and premixing chambers, or that the fog generator is a separate module and can be coupled by its outlet port with the fog intake port of the premixing chamber.

11. The fogger according to claim 1, further comprising: a UV light source in the main mixing chamber that sterilizes the special-effect fog produced.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention be described below in greater detail with reference to an embodiment and the accompanying drawings in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic top view of a fogger according to the invention with the housing cover removed, and

(3) FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the fogger of FIG. 1.

MANNER(S) OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

(4) The embodiment of a fogger according to the invention shown schematically in FIG. 1 comprises a housing 2 holding a fog generator 1 and a heating element. In the fog generator 1, a fog fluid is conducted via a hose to the heating element and there vaporized and subsequently introduced via an intake port 14 in the form of a nozzle 13 into a premixing chamber 8. A fan 9 at a further intake port 15 of the premixing chamber 8 forces an air stream into the premixing chamber 8. The fog generated by the fog generator 1 is thereby swirled in the premixing chamber 8 and thus homogenized and dried.

(5) The resulting fog-air mixture is introduced through a transfer port 10 into a main mixing chamber 4 and passed over liquid-covered ultrasonic vaporizers 5 on a floor 3 of the main mixing chamber 4. In the illustrated example, the ultrasonic vaporizers 5 are arrayed in groups 16 of ten ultrasonic vaporizers 5 each and can be switched on or off individually depending on the application. In the main mixing chamber 4, the fog-air mixture is thus mixed with aerosol droplets generated by the ultrasonic vaporizers 5, and the aerosol droplets adhere to the fog particles. In order for this adhesion to be particularly effective, it is necessary to tune the frequency and output of the ultrasonic vaporizers 5 to the output and temperature of the heating element of the fog generator 1. The desired adhesion takes place only when the aerosol particles and fog particles are of similar size, and the desired weight and thus depth of the emerging special-effect fog can be set by controlling the proportions between fog-air mixture and aerosol.

(6) After mixing in the main mixing chamber 4, the generated special-effect fog is moved against a baffle wall 7. Here, excess condensate is able to settle out before the special-effect fog passes through a hole 12 in the baffle wall 7 toward an outlet port 6. The hole in the baffle wall 7 is oriented such that it is at the upper end in the vertical direction and at the end remote from the port 6 end in the horizontal direction, so that the special-effect fog has to pass along a maximum path and thus over a maximum contact surface with the baffle wall 7 before exiting the fogger.

(7) FIG. 2 shows the fogger of FIG. 1 in a sectional side view. It is readily apparent here that the entire premixing chamber is inclined toward the floor 3 of the main mixing chamber 4, so that the generated air-fog flow hits a water surface 11 precisely above the ultrasonic vaporizers 5. The water surface 11 is always kept constant so that the ultrasonic vaporizer 5 can work optimally. Of course, this means that, depending on the number of active switching groups, the appropriate amount of liquid must be introduced into the main mixing chamber, which is achieved by controlling a feed pump that is coupled in a known manner with corresponding liquid-level sensors. If, due to an error of the feed pump, an excessively high liquid level is established at the ultrasonic vaporizers 5, a corresponding alarm can be triggered. Furthermore, a pumping unit (not shown) can be provided in order to convey excess fluid into a separation tank. In principle, any water can be used as the liquid for the ultrasonic vaporizers, but distilled and/or demineralized water is preferably used, since this makes it possible to implement the desired effects particularly well, and the fogger is less contaminated by deposits.