WO2004079253A2

WO2004079253A2 - Lubricating device with an injection device and lubricating method

Info

Publication number: WO2004079253A2
Application number: PCT/EP2004/000502
Authority: WO
Inventors: Götz SPIESS
Original assignee: Willy Vogel Ag
Priority date: 2003-03-06
Filing date: 2004-01-22
Publication date: 2004-09-16
Also published as: DE10310118A1; WO2004079253A3

Abstract

The invention relates to a lubricating device (1) and a lubricating method for lubricating, a lubricating point, such as a tool and/or a work piece and/or a bearing, by means of a lubricant mist. In order to precisely regulate the oiliness of the lubricating mist, the lubricant is injected directly through an injection device (3) onto a lubricating point or into a mixing chamber (2), wherein it is mixed with a carrier gas in order to form a lubricant. As a result, an exact dose of a lubricant can be produced without using a carrier gas or the flow speed of a carrier gas.

Description

Lubrication device with injection device and lubrication process

The invention relates to a lubrication device by means of which a lubrication point, such as a tool and / or a workpiece and / or a bearing, can be supplied with a lubricant mist during operation, with a nebulization device, through which a lubricant mist can be generated during operation, and with a conveying device, through which a lubricant can be conveyed to the nebulizer.

The invention further relates to a lubrication method in which a lubricant is atomized and a lubrication point, such as a tool and / or a workpiece, is supplied with the lubricant mist.

Such a device and such a method are known for example from EP 1 106 902 A1. There, a lubricating mist is generated in an atomizer nozzle, to which compressed air and, via a pump and an oil inlet, lubricant are fed. In the atomizer nozzle, the lubricant that has been fed to the lubricant inlet and the compressed air are mixed to create a mist that is sprayed into a mist chamber. In a similar manner, a lubricant mist or aerosol is generated in the device of DE 196 54 321 A1, although the lubricant is sucked in automatically by the negative pressure in the atomizer nozzle, without a conveying device.

With this type of aerosol generation, the lubricant in the atomizer nozzle is entrained by the compressed air, so that the amount and droplet size of the lubricant in the compressed air stream is strongly dependent on the air throughput. If this decreases, the amount of aerosol generated also decreases, regardless of how much lubricant is delivered to the spray nozzle. Especially with small air throughputs, such as occur with small tools to be lubricated, an almost complete drop in aerosol generation can be observed. Because of the strong dependence on the air flow, the known devices and methods for producing a lubricant mist are extremely difficult to regulate. The quality of the lubricant mist generated depends heavily on the lubricating tools and workpieces.

BESTÄT.GUWGSKOPIE EP 1 090 690 A1 describes a device for producing an aerosol, in which oil is pumped from the lower part of an aerosol container via a pump to an oil line. The oil line is surrounded concentrically by a carrier gas line, which continues beyond the end of the oil line. In the area in which the carrier gas line continues beyond the end of the oil line, the carrier gas mixes with the oil conveyed by the oil pump from the oil line. From this area, the oil-carrier gas mixture is passed into the container serving as the mixing chamber and from there to a consumption point.

The object of the invention is therefore to improve the known lubrication method and the known lubrication device in such a way that they generate the lubricant mist largely independently of the tools and workpieces to be lubricated.

This object is achieved according to the invention for the lubrication device of the type mentioned at the outset in that the nebulization device comprises an injection device by means of which the lubricant can be sprayed directly onto the lubrication point under pressure for mixing with a carrier gas into a mixing chamber or for lubrication.

For the lubrication method mentioned at the outset, this object is achieved according to the invention in that the lubricant is sprayed under pressure directly onto the lubrication point or into a mixing chamber, where it mixes with a carrier gas.

This solution is simple and differs from the known, carburetor-like devices in that the lubricant mist is generated independently of the carrier gas by injecting the lubricant. In contrast to the device of EP 1 090 690 A1, the carrier gas line, which is indispensable there, can be dispensed with, since, according to the invention, the lubricant can be sprayed directly into the mixing chamber or directly onto the lubrication point at any point, independently of a carrier gas. EP 1 090 690 A1 accordingly has no injection device and, in order to produce the aerosol like the devices in EP 1 106 902 A1 and DE 196 54 321 A1, requires a compressed air flow for atomization. As a result, the carrier gas is no longer required to generate the lubricant mist, but only to transport the lubricant droplets generated by the injection process to the lubrication point. As a result, the generation and transport of the lubricant mist are decoupled from one another and the carrier gas can be enriched with lubricant regardless of its flow rate up to the saturation limit. Consequently, the greasiness, ie the amount of the lubricant dissolved in the carrier gas, can be set independently of the flow resistances in the flow path of the carrier gas.

The solution according to the invention accordingly provides a lubrication device and a lubrication method by means of which the composition of the lubricant mist is easier to regulate in comparison with the prior art and which can be used with a wide range of tools and workpieces to be lubricated.

In order to generate the finest possible lubricant mist with droplets whose largest diameter is between 0.1 μm and 4 μm, it is advantageous if the lubricant is injected under the highest possible injection pressure. For this purpose, a high-pressure pump can be provided, by means of which the lubricant can be conveyed to the injection device during operation. In particular, a high-pressure pump can be used which generates a pressure of at least 100 bar, typically between approximately 600 bar and approximately 800 bar. In particular, pressures of 2000 bar and more are possible.

According to an advantageous embodiment, a pressure accumulator can be arranged between the high-pressure pump and the injection device, which holds the lubricant delivered by the high-pressure pump at the level of the delivery pressure of the pump.

In order to supply a plurality of lubrication points or mixing chambers with lubricant according to a further embodiment, a plurality of injection devices can be provided, each of which is assigned a pressure accumulator. In this embodiment, the pressure accumulator can be configured as a manifold similar to a “common rail” system in diesel engines, which feeds the same high injection pressure to individual injection devices.

A high-pressure pump can also form a structural unit in the form of a pump-nozzle combination with the atomizer nozzle. With this configuration, it is advantageous that the supply of the pump-nozzle combination can take place via simple lubricant supply lines which have no or only a low pre-pressure. are struck. The lubricant can therefore be pumped over long distances without affecting the quality of the lubricant mist. Due to the simple design of the lubricant supply lines, this design is particularly suitable if the injection device sprays the lubricant directly onto the lubrication point in droplet form. The high-pressure pump can be designed as a metering pump, which doses the lubricant to be injected in a predetermined amount.

In order to obtain as fine a lubricant mist as possible through the injection, a heating device acting on the lubricant can be provided in the feed direction of the lubricant, by means of which the viscosity of the lubricant is reduced. The low viscosity facilitates droplet formation during the injection process. If the heating device is also arranged in front of the high-pressure pump, the energy consumption of the pump can be reduced due to the reduced viscosity.

A controlled heating system can also be used to influence the droplet size in a targeted manner by changing the viscosity. If commercially available pump-nozzle combinations or nozzles from the field of diesel injection technology are used, a heating device may be necessary to adjust the usually higher lubricating oil viscosity of the diesel fuel. The aim of this application is to limit the maximum pressure.

The heating device can be designed in such a way that it controls the temperature of the lubricant during operation within a predetermined, preferably lubricant-dependent range, which can itself be adjustable. This measure prevents the temperature of the lubricant from rising so high that partial combustion or decomposition of components of the lubricant takes place. On the other hand, it is avoided that the viscosity of the lubricant increases too much when the temperature is too low and that the quality of the lubricant mist is impaired.

The injection device can in particular have an injection valve which is designed to be magnetically and / or piezoelectrically actuable. The injection valve can be designed as a metering valve, which allows a predetermined or adjustable amount of lubricant to pass through each time it is actuated. The lubricating device can also form a fog chamber formed by the mixing chamber or connected to the mixing chamber, in which drops whose diameter exceeds a predetermined value settle. For this purpose, the fog chamber can be provided with various internals, for example a device through which a swirl flow is generated. Such a swirl flow accelerates large drops outwards, while small drops can follow the swirl flow. The large drops are caught and led out of the lubricant mist.

In one embodiment, the fog chamber can have a liquid reservoir, which is connected to the injection device in a liquid-transmitting manner. This measure reduces the consumption of lubricant, since droplets separating out in the cloud chamber can be returned to the reservoir and sprayed again. This measure also simplifies the structural design of the lubrication device.

The fog chamber can in particular be designed as a pressure vessel, the pressure of which can be regulated in a further embodiment. The pressure in the fog chamber can be used to transport the lubricant mist through a line system to the lubrication point.

The cloud chamber can be supplied with the carrier gas via a carrier gas line, wherein a proportional valve can be provided in the carrier gas line to adjust the volume flow of the carrier gas.

A control device with appropriate sensors can be provided to control the injection process and / or the supply of carrier gas. In particular in the case of an interval-type injection of the lubricant, the control device can set the injection duration, the amount of lubricant injected during an injection process and / or the injection timing on the injection device. In a further advantageous embodiment, the pressure in the cloud chamber can be detected by pressure sensors and the volume flow of the carrier gas into the cloud chamber can be controlled as a function of this pressure. This can be done independently of the control of the injection process of the lubricant.

Furthermore, an aerosol sensor can be provided on an output line from the cloud chamber through which the lubricant mist is directed to the lubrication point, by means of which an operational signal can be generated which is representative of the amount of aerosol flowing through the output line per unit of time and can be output to the control device. This signal can also be generated in the form of the lubricant density, for example the diameter and the number of lubricant particles in the carrier gas stream. The aerosol sensor can comprise, for example, an ultrasound Doppler probe, by means of which the number, speed and size of the lubricant droplets can be detected. For this purpose, an ultrasound signal is radiated into the aerosol line and the reflections of the droplets are evaluated. Another embodiment of the aerosol sensor could include an optical device in which the intensity of the light reflected by the aerosol drops is evaluated.

Depending on the signal from the aerosol sensor, the injection quantity of the lubricant and the degree of saturation of the lubricant mist in the cloud chamber can be changed such that the deviation from a saturation setpoint is reduced in the output line. Saturation is the lubricant content of the lubricant mist, i.e. its fat content.

An air quantity sensor can also be provided in the output line or the input line, by means of which the volume flow of the carrier gas can be detected. The carrier gas flow in the outlet line essentially influences the transport properties of the lubricant mist to the lubrication point. The amount of carrier gas can be set to a value independent of the injection of the lubricant, which enables the lubricant mist to be transported quickly to the lubrication point, without the lubricant droplets coagulating and the quality of the lubricant mist deteriorating during this transport. For this purpose, the signal from the air quantity sensor can be detected and the signal to the mixing chamber led carrier gas quantity depending on a deviation of the actual volume flow in the outlet line from a setpoint.

In the following, the invention is explained by way of example using embodiments with reference to the drawings. Individual features of the different embodiments can be combined with one another as desired.

Show it:

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a first embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a schematic view of a second embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 3 is a schematic view of a third embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 4 is a schematic representation of a fourth embodiment of the invention.

First, the construction of a lubrication device according to the invention is described with reference to the embodiment in FIG. 1.

The lubrication device 1 has a mixing chamber 2, into which lubricant 4 is injected by an injection device 3. The size of the mixing chamber 2 depends on whether an aerosol flow that is as uniform as possible is to be achieved, then one chooses a rather large mixing chamber, or a rapid change in the dosage of the aerosol is desired, then the mixing chamber is rather smaller.

The mixing chamber 2 is designed as a pressure vessel, with carrier gas under pressure, such as compressed air, being fed into the mixing chamber 2 via a carrier gas line 5.

The carrier gas 5 mixes in the mixing chamber 2 with the injected lubricant 4 to form a lubricant mist or an aerosol. The mixing chamber 2 and the injection device 3 form a nebulizing device for the lubricant in the embodiment of FIG. 1. Fluidic internals (not shown) can be provided in the mixing chamber 2, which produce a flow 6 in the mixing chamber through which lubricant droplets resulting from the injection process are filtered out with a droplet diameter above a certain maximum diameter. The filtered flow droplets collect on the wall or on the bottom of the mixing chamber 2 and form a supply quantity 7 of lubricant.

The flow 6 can be, for example, a swirl flow in which large droplets are accelerated radially outwards and settle on the walls of the mixing chamber 2.

In this way, a lubricant mist or an aerosol is formed only from small droplets in the interior of the mixing chamber 2. This lubricant mist is passed via an outlet line 8 to lubrication points (not shown), such as tools or workpieces to be lubricated.

Alternatively, the lubricant can also be injected into a mixing chamber arranged in the carrier gas line 5, similar to a gasoline injection in internal combustion engines. The carrier gas and the lubricant are mixed in this mixing chamber. In this embodiment, the pressure container then has a mist chamber connected downstream of the mixing chamber, into which the lubricant mist is guided out of the mixing chamber and in which the large drops are separated out.

The injection device 3 comprises a high-pressure pump 9, through which lubricant is drawn out of the lubricant supply quantity 7 via an intake line 10 and brought to a very high pressure level, such as 800 bar. Pressures of 2000 bar and above are also possible. In addition to the high-pressure pump 9, a pre-pressure pump 9 'can be provided, which is indicated by dashed lines in FIG. 1.

A piezoelectrically or mechanically operated injection valve 11, which ends in an atomizing nozzle 12, is arranged on the high-pressure side of the pump 9. The atomizer nozzle 12 generates 2 droplets of lubricant when it is injected into the mixing chamber, the largest diameter of which depends on that generated by the high-pressure pump 9 Pressure can typically be between 0.1 μm and 4 μm. The injection valve 11 and / or the high-pressure pump 9 can be designed as a metering valve or metering pump such that they meter the amount of lubricant per injection process. The injection valve 11 is actuated at intervals by a control device 13.

A heating device 14 can be provided between the high-pressure pump 9 and the quantity of lubricant 7, which heats up the lubricant supplied to the high-pressure pump 9, thereby reducing its viscosity. The heating device 14 can comprise a temperature sensor 15 and a heating element 16 and, together with a control device, for example the control device 13, form a control loop with which the temperature of the lubricant can be set within a predetermined, variably predefinable range. This range is preferably selected so that the temperature of the heated lubricant is sufficiently high to effectively reduce the viscosity of the lubricant and thus the work to be carried out by the high-pressure pump 9, and at the same time is sufficiently low that the lubricant does not decompose or atomize can.

Of course, the heating device 14 can also be arranged between the high-pressure pump 9 and the injection valve 11, in which case, however, the high-pressure pump 9 then has to do more work due to the higher viscosity of the unheated lubricant.

A flow control device 17 is provided in the carrier gas line 5, by means of which a variable flow rate of carrier gas per unit time can be set as a function of a signal output by a control device, for example the control device 13, via a control line 18. The flow control device 17 can comprise, for example, a proportional valve. The flow rate depends essentially on the type of lubricant used, in particular its viscosity, the ambient conditions, such as the temperature and the pressure, and the tool used, as well as the machining conditions, such as the cutting speed and the workpiece or tool temperature. An aerosol sensor 19 can be provided in the outlet line 8, by means of which the density and number of lubricant droplets in the carrier gas stream can be detected and output as a signal to a control device, for example the control device 13. Furthermore, the carrier gas volume flow in the outlet line 8 can be detected by the aerosol sensor 19 and output in signal form to a control device, for example the control device 13.

The aerosol sensor can be configured as an ultrasonic Doppler sensor, which sends ultrasonic signals into the output line 8 and receives the ultrasonic waves reflecting from the lubricant droplets.

In an alternative embodiment, an optical sensor can also be provided as the aerosol sensor, which measures the light reflected by the lubricant droplets.

The pressure in the mixing chamber 2 is detected by a pressure sensor 20 and transmitted in signal form to a control device, such as the control device 13. In a similar manner, a pressure sensor 20 ′ can detect the pressure generated by the high-pressure pump 9 and a pressure sensor 20 ″ the pressure in the supply line for the carrier gas and can be output to a control device, such as the control device 13. The function of the invention is described below by way of example the embodiment of FIG. 1 explained.

Before the start of aerosol generation, lubricant, for example a lubricating oil, is poured into a storage container which is formed by the mixing chamber 2 itself in the embodiment of FIG. 1. A lubricant supply quantity 7 then forms there. From the lubricant supply quantity 7, the high-pressure pump 9 pumps the lubricant under a pressure of up to 2000 bar and more to the injection valve 11. When the valve 11 is actuated by the control device 13, the lubricant becomes high Pressed pressure through the atomizer nozzle 12 and sprayed into the mixing chamber 2 as a droplet jet 4. In the mixing chamber 2, the lubricant droplets thus generated are captured by a carrier gas flow 6, so that the droplets, the diameter of which lies above a predetermined limit, are separated out and returned to the lubricant supply quantity 7. In another embodiment, the mixing chamber contains only a very small volume, which is so small that the aerosol can exit the nozzles undisturbed so that the droplets do not touch the inner wall.

The average droplet size in the mixing chamber can be set by changing the flow conditions in the mixing chamber, for example by changing the rotational speed of a swirl flow or by changing the injection pressure.

The generated lubricant mist is fed from the pressurized mixing chamber 2 through the outlet line 8 to a lubrication point, not shown in FIG. 1, wherein the lubricant mist can be guided past an aerosol sensor 19.

The aerosol sensor 19 detects properties of the lubricant mist directed to the lubrication point, such as, for example, the average number and the average diameter of the lubricant droplets per unit volume, their speed and the flow rate of the lubricant droplets. These data are output from the aerosol sensor 19 to the control device 13.

The greasiness, i.e. the lubricant content per unit volume, adapted to the requirements of the lubrication point.

If the greasiness in the output line 8 is below a predetermined threshold value, the control device 13 actuates the injection valve 11 one or more times in succession in order to inject more lubricant into the mixing chamber 2 and to increase the greasiness. Depending on the difference between the actual lubricant content and the target lubricant content determined by the control device 13, the injection duration or the number of individual injection processes and thus the injection quantity can be controlled. The quantity can also be influenced via the injection duration. Normally, clocking with different frequencies / PWM ratios is carried out continuously. If the aerosol sensor 19 or an air water meter (not shown) detects an excessively rich lubricant mist, ie a lubricant mist with an excessively high lubricant content, the time period between successive injection cycles can be extended by the control device. In addition, carrier gas can be introduced into the mixing chamber 2, so that the lubricant mist becomes leaner.

If the flow rate of the lubricant mist is found to be too low on the aerosol sensor 19, which can result in coagulation of the lubricant droplets and poor lubricant supply to the lubrication point, the pressure in the mixing chamber 2 is increased by supplying more carrier gas to the mixing chamber 2 via the proportional valve 17. In order to keep the greasiness of the lubricant mist constant, correspondingly more lubricant is injected through the injection valve 11 into the mixing chamber 2.

Thus, the amount of lubricant and the amount of carrier gas in the lubricant mist or in the mixing chamber 2 are set independently of one another, which was not possible with the previous devices based on the carburetor principle.

In order to achieve a uniform droplet size even over a longer operating period, the pressure immediately before the injection valve 11 is kept as constant as possible. In pump nozzle combinations, pressure is generated by a piston pump driven by a camshaft. The pressure upstream of the valve is not constant, but depends on the speed. The pressure behind the high-pressure pump 9 is determined via the pressure sensor 20 'and the high-pressure pump 9 is actuated or the speed of the camshaft is increased as soon as the pressure in this area falls below a predetermined or variably adjustable threshold value.

Since the droplet size is also determined by the viscosity of the lubricant, the heating element 16 is actuated as soon as the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 15 falls below a predetermined or adjustable threshold value.

For the injection device 3, in particular an injection valve 11 together with the injection nozzle 12 from automotive engineering and / or a high-pressure pump 9 from automotive engineering can be used. FIG. 2 shows a further embodiment of the invention, the same reference numerals being used for elements whose structure and / or function is known from the embodiment of FIG. 1. The simplicity only deals with the differences from the embodiment of FIG. 1.

In contrast to the embodiment of FIG. 1, FIG. 2 has a plurality of lubrication devices 1, 1 ', 1 "which are constructed essentially the same. The structure of each individual lubrication device 1, 1', 1" corresponds to the structure of the embodiment of FIG 1. However, only a single high-pressure pump 9 is provided, which supplies the injection valves 11, 11 'and 11 "with pressurized lubricant via a manifold 21, which also serves as a pressure accumulator. Each injection valve 11, 11', 11" is assigned to its own mixing chamber 2, 2 ', 2 ", from each of which an outlet line 8, 8', 8" leads. The high pressure pump 9 conveys the lubricant from all the lubricant supply quantities 7, 7 ', 7 "of the devices 1, 1' and 1" via a further manifold 22.

Each of the mixing chambers 2, 2 ', 2 "is supplied with carrier gas via a common carrier gas manifold 23.

In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the composition of the lubricant mist in the respective outlet line 8, 8 ', 8 "is controlled by the control device 13 by independently controlling the flow rate control device 17, 17', 17", the respective injection valves 11, 11 ', 11 " and the heaters 14, 14 'and 14 "as regulated in the embodiment of FIG. 1.

In the manifold 21, the lubricant and all valves 11, 11 ', 11 "are made available at the same pressure. About the injection timing, the injection duration and the injection quantity of the respective injection valves 11, 11', 11" and the amount of carrier gas supplied by the Flow control devices 17, 17 ', 17 "independently control the greasiness of the lubricant mist of each device 1, 1', 1". In this way, each of the devices 1, 1 ', 1 "can serve lubrication points with different requirements for the composition of the lubricant mist. In a machining center, for example, the bearings can be operated by the device 1 a machine tool, through the device 1 "milling heads and through the device 1" a lathe of a lathe are lubricated.

The control and the structure of the individual devices 1, V, 1 "corresponds to the rest of the control described above in the embodiment of FIG. 1.

3 shows a further embodiment of a lubrication device 1 according to the invention. The same reference numerals are used for elements whose function and / or structure is known from one of the preceding embodiments, as in these embodiments. For the sake of simplicity, only the differences from the previous embodiments will be discussed.

The embodiment of FIG. 3 differs from the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 only in that the injection device 3 has an integrated pump-nozzle combination through which the lubricant in droplet form 4 is injected into the mixing chamber 2. The pump-nozzle combination 24 has an injection valve, and an injection pump, preferably a metering pump, which injects a predetermined amount of lubricant into the mixing chamber 2 directly on a signal from the control device 13. Such a pump-nozzle combination is known from automotive technology, in particular from diesel engine technology.

Otherwise, the structure of the embodiment in FIG. 3 corresponds to the structure in the embodiment in FIG. 1.

In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the amount of lubricant is metered by the pump-nozzle combination 24 independently of the amount of the carrier gas supplied through the carrier gas line 5.

FIG. 4 shows a further embodiment of a lubrication device 1 according to the invention, in which, in contrast to the embodiments described above, the injection device 3 places the lubricant 4 in droplet form directly on lubrication points, such as a milling cutter 25 and a turning tool 25 'or workpieces 26, 26' directed. Bearing points, ball bearings or roller bearings can of course also be lubricated by the lubricating device 1. In this case, the nebulization device consists only of the injection device 3. In order to avoid transport of the lubricant mist over long distances, which would result in a deterioration in the quality of the lubricant mist, the lubricant mist is generated directly at the lubrication points 25, 25 ', 26, 26' by a pump-nozzle combination 24 and onto that Lubrication points directed. The pump-nozzle combination 24 generates an injection pressure of typically about 800 bar, preferably of 2000 bar and more. Because of this high spray pressure, the lubricant droplets leaving the pump-nozzle combination 24 receive such a high kinetic energy that they penetrate the air layer 27 rotating with the lubrication points 25, 26 'and strike the respective lubrication point. This ensures reliable lubrication.

The lubricant from the lubrication points 25, 25 ", 26, 26 'is collected by the collecting container 28 and supplied to the lubricant supply quantity 7. The lines 29 near the lubrication point supply the pump-nozzle combinations 24 with lubricant from the lubricant supply quantity 7. In the lines 29 can also be provided with heating devices, as described above.

The injection time, the injection quantity and the injection duration can be controlled via the control device 13 at predetermined time intervals or as a function of signals from a processing sensor 30. The processing sensor 30 supplies parameters essential for the lubrication process, such as the temperature of the tool 25, 25 'and / or of the workpiece 26, 26', for example, by means of a non-contact heat measurement. The control device 13 can each be connected to machine tools (not shown) via a cutting part 31 in order to obtain the processing parameters, such as processing speed, feed speeds, forces measured on the tool 25, 25 ′ in signal form and to meter the amount of lubricant 4 accordingly.

Here too, 24 components of internal combustion engines can be used as pump-nozzle combinations.

Claims

claims

1. Lubrication device (1), through which a lubrication point (25, 26, 25 ', 26'), such as a tool and / or a workpiece and / or bearing, can be supplied with a lubricant mist during operation, with a nebulization device (2, 3, 24), by means of which a lubricant mist can be generated during operation, and with a pump (9), by means of which a lubricant can be conveyed to the nebulizing device (2, 3, 24), characterized in that the nebulizing device (2, 3, 24 ) comprises an injection device (3) through which the lubricant can be sprayed under pressure for mixing with a carrier gas into a mixing chamber (2) or for lubrication directly onto the lubrication point (25, 26, 25 ', 26').

2. Lubrication device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the pump (9) is designed as a high-pressure pump, by means of which a pressure of at least 100 bar can be generated during operation.

3. Lubrication device (1) according to claim 2, characterized by a pressure accumulator (21) arranged between the high pressure pump (9) and the injection device (3).

4. Lubricating device (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that a plurality of injection devices (3, 3 ", 3") is provided, which are connected to the pressure accumulator (21).

5. Lubricating device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the pump (9) and the injection device (3) form a structural unit in the form of a pump-nozzle combination (24).

6. Device according to one of the above claims, characterized in that a heating device (14) acting on the lubricant is arranged in the conveying direction of the lubricant in front of the injection device (3).

7. Lubrication device (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that the heating device (14) is designed as a temperature controller, by which in operation Injection device (3) supplied lubricant can be heated to an adjustable temperature.

8. Lubricating device (1) according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the heating device (14) is arranged in the conveying direction of the lubricant in front of the pump (9).

9. Lubrication device (1) according to one of the above claims, characterized in that the injection device (3) comprises a magnetically actuated injection valve (11).

10. Lubrication device (1) according to one of the above claims, characterized in that the lubrication device (1) comprises a piezoelectrically actuated injection valve (11).

11. Lubricating device (1) according to one of the above claims, characterized in that a proportional valve (17) is provided in a carrier gas line (5) leading to the mixing chamber (2).

12. Lubricating device (1) according to one of the above claims, characterized in that a control device (13) is provided, by means of which an injection duration, an injection quantity and / or an injection timing of the injection device (3) can be set.

13. Lubrication device (1) according to one of the above-mentioned claims, characterized in that an output line (8) which conducts the lubricant mist from the mixing chamber (2) is provided with an aerosol sensor (19), by means of which, in operation, a lubricant density per unit volume Carrier gas representative signal can be generated.

14. Lubrication device (1) according to one of the above-mentioned claims, characterized in that an output line (8) which conducts the lubricant mist from the mixing chamber (2) is provided with an air quantity sensor (19) by means of which a signal representative of the carrier gas volume flow can be generated ,

15. Lubrication method in which a lubricant is atomized and a lubrication point (35, 36), such as a tool and / or a workpiece, is supplied with lubricant mist, characterized in that the lubricant in the form of a fog directly onto the lubrication point (35, 36) or is injected into a mixing chamber (2), where it is mixed with a carrier gas.

16. Lubrication method according to claim 15, characterized in that the lubricant is injected at intervals into the mixing chamber (2) or onto the lubrication point (35, 36).

17. Lubrication method according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that the lubricant for injection is metered through an injection device (3).

18. Lubrication method according to one of claims 15 to 17, characterized in that the lubricant is heated before the injection.

19. Lubrication method according to one of claims 15 to 18, characterized in that the injection quantity injected during an injection process is regulated as a function of the lubricant consumption of the lubrication point.

20. Lubrication method according to one of claims 15 to 19, characterized in that the injection quantity of the lubricant is set as a function of the greasiness of the lubricant mist guided out of the mixing chamber.

21. Lubrication method according to one of claims 15 to 20, characterized in that the amount of carrier gas supplied to the mixing chamber per unit of time is regulated as a function of the greasiness of the lubricant mist.

22. Lubrication method according to one of claims 15 to 21, characterized in that the injection quantity is controlled by controlling the injection duration.

23. Lubrication method according to one of claims 15 to 21, characterized in that the injection quantity of the lubricant is controlled by controlling the injection frequency with a substantially constant injection duration.