The invention relates to a profile clamp, especially with respect to a profile clamp with a screw having a section of reduced diameter.

Profile clamps are typically used to secure two objects together, for instance two cylindrical pipes having flanges at their ends. Prior art clamps have featured a clamping band with two tensioning heads, a threaded screw and a corresponding threaded nut, whereby the screw is arranged through the tensioning heads and the nut may be tightened onto the screw so as to decrease the circumference of the clamping band. This has the effect that the pipes are drawn together so that a fluid tight connection is achieved.

In the particular case of a flanged connection, i.e. where a connection between two pipes with flanges on their respective ends is to be formed, it is necessary to open the clamp to a very wide position in order to be able to fit it over the flanges and into a pre- clamping position. It is therefore necessary to tighten the nut over essentially the entire length of a relatively long screw, which can cost some time. Whilst this issue is faced by flanged connections it particular, it also applies to forming any connection where a nut has to be tightened onto a screw. When multiplied over thousands of products, this extra tightening time can add up to many valuable production hours.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a clamp with which the time needed to screw the nut onto the screw body to tighten the clamp is reduced.

Main features of the invention and embodiments are specified in detail hereafter.

In a profile clamp comprising a clamping band and a first tensioning head arranged at a first end and a second tensioning head arranged at a second end of the clamping band, wherein the first tensioning head comprises a first opening and the second tensioning head comprises a second opening, wherein a screw is provided comprising a screw head and a screw body, wherein the screw body may be guided through the first opening and the second opening, and wherein a threaded nut is provided, which may be arranged on the screw body when the screw body is guided through the first opening and the second opening, wherein the object is solved according to the invention in that the screw body comprises a first threaded section and a second threaded section and a section of reduced diameter therebetween.

The purpose of the section of reduced diameter is to reduce the length that the nut must be rotated over a screw thread in order to tighten the clamp, since rotating the nut over a screw thread inherently means that the nut must be rotated a great number of times in order to be moved along the thread of the screw. Since the distance along which the nut needs to be rotated is reduced, the tightening time is also minimised, since the nut is able to slide over a length of the screw rather than be tightened all the way over the entire length of the screw thread. This is achieved by the fact that the section of reduced diameter does not engage with the thread of the nut sufficiently, so that a user it not forced to rotate the nut in order to move it along the screw's length. A section of thread may be skipped out as it were, by simply pushing the nut over the screw over its section of reduced diameter. Tightening via nut rotation can then be resumed once the screw reaches the further section of screw thread. Overall, the number of turns and therewith the time necessary to tighten the clamp may therefore be significantly reduced.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the screw body is guided through the first opening and the second opening and the threaded nut is arranged on the screw body.

This corresponds to a final state of the inventive clamp once it has been assembled.

Particularly preferable is that the section of reduced diameter is longer in a longitudinal direction of the screw than one thread turn. In this way, it is possible to miss out several turns of the nut. The more turns of the nut that can be missed out, the greater the reduction in length that the nut has to be turned, and thereby the greater the reduction in tightening time.

In a favourable embodiment, the section of reduced diameter comprises at least 20% of the length of the screw body. This enables approximately a 20% reduction in the length over which the nut must be rotated to cause tightening, thereby enabling a 20% reduction in the tightening time, assuming that the entire thread length would have been utilized if no section of reduced diameter were present. Preferably, the section of reduced diameter comprises at least 25% of the length of the screw body. More preferably, the section of reduced diameter comprises at least 30% of the length of the screw body. More preferably still, the section of reduced diameter comprises at least 40% of the length of the screw body.

In a very favourable embodiment, the section of reduced diameter has no thread. This means that no thread flanks are present on the screw body in that region that could interfere with thread flanks in the nut as the nut is slid along the section of reduced diameter.

Ideally, the section of reduced diameter is smooth along its length, for instance formed as a cylinder. This smoothness ensures that no projections or indentations are present that could hamper sliding the nut over the section of the reduced diameter. A cylindrical form is particularly preferable. This means that there are also no edges or corners that could catch in the nut. In an important embodiment, the diameter of the section of reduced diameter matches or is less than the diameter between outer flanks of the thread of the threaded nut. This enables the nut to be slid along the section of reduced diameter. The term outer flanks is used to describe the outermost points of the thread flanks of the nut that face towards the centre of the nut and act to form the effective inner diameter of the nut.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the first threaded section and the second threaded section have a same outside diameter of thread. This greatly simplifi machining and ensures that the tightening action of the nut in both the first and the second threaded section occurs in a most consistent manner.

Ideally, the reduced diameter section corresponds to the diameter of a groove of the first threaded section or second threaded section. In this way, the diameter of the section of reduced diameter is easily defined and it is not necessary to carry out further machining of the screw in the section of reduced diameter.

Preferably, the first threaded section extends from a first end of the section of reduced diameter towards the screw head, and a second threaded section extends from a second end of the section of reduced diameter towards the end of the screw body. In this way, the section of reduced diameter is located in a middle of the screw body, so that a pre-assembly position is possible in which the nut is arranged at the end of the screw body interfering with the second threaded section. By rotating the nut a few turns and then squeezing the tensioning heads of the clamp towards each other and pushing the nut via the section of reduced diameter towards the first threaded section, the clamp may be taken in a short time from a preassembly position to a tightening position.

Preferably, the thread of the threaded nut is suitable to engage with the thread of the first and the second threaded sections of the screw body. Such a clamp embodiment is particularly easy to operate and tighten.

In an advantageous embodiment, an abutment element is provided that may be or is arranged on the screw body. Such an element may serve to prevent the nut from falling off or being screwed off the screw body, especially when the tensioning heads are biased against the nut. Preferably, the abutment element is arranged in the region of an end of the screw body, against which the nut may abut in the longitudinal direction away from the screw head. This ensures that the clamp can be opened as far as possible for mounting and also that the screw and nut are held securely on the clamp in the preassembly position.

In a particularly advantageous embodiment, the abutment element is a washer. A washer is relatively cheap to produce and simple to use and assemble.

In one embodiment, the abutment element is fixed to the screw body, which prevents it from coming detached. Preferably the abutment element is fixed via a weld joint, which is particularly strong. Other securing means are possible, for instance adhesive or a frictional connection.

In a desirable embodiment, the first and second openings are formed in the region of the respective centres of the first and second tensioning heads. This ensures that the screw cannot slide out of the openings laterally under stress or a load.

In one embodiment, the clamping band comprises a first section and a second section joined by a joining element. This facilitates a particularly wide pivoting action of the clamp in the region of the joining element, so that the clamp can be opened wide for mounting.

Preferably, the clamping band is biased to an open position. In this way, a user could simply press the clamp together via the section of reduced diameter and then tighten the nut.

In one embodiment, the profile clamp is a V-profile clamp having a clamping band with a V-profiled cross-section. These may be used advantageously to fix two parts together that comprise flanges.

Ideally, the nut is secured against rotation in respect to the tensioning head. For example, the nut may be secured by an additional element of the clamp which prevents the nut from turning, for instance a protrusion, or a shaping that may fit around or into some part of the nut. This ensures that it is not necessary to hold the nut during tightening with a tool to prevent it from turning when tightening the clamp via the screw, for example. Preferably, the screw head is arranged so that it may be tightened with a tool. For instance, it may have a hexagonal, cross-shaped or linear indentation.

Preferably, the clamp and its components are made from metal. Such a clamp is relatively strong and stiff.

It is also thinkable that the screw comprises multiple sections of reduced diameter, which correspond to, for instance, a preassembly position and an intermediate position before tightening. The screw may have two, three, four or more sections of reduced diameter.

Depending on the application, the lengths of the first and second threaded sections may be different or the same.

Further features, details and advantages of the invention may be derived t from the following description of embodiments and figures.

Fig. 1 shows a side view of a screw used with a profile clamp.

Fig. 2 shows a side view of the profile clamp.

Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of an end of a screw and a washer.

Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of the profile clamp.

The screw of Fig. 1 is for use with a profile clamp and has a screw head 21 formed at one end of a screw body 22. The screw body has a thread 23 with a first threaded section 27 that extends from a first end 29 of the section of reduced diameter 25 towards the screw head 21 , and a second threaded section 28 that extends from a second end 30 of the section of reduced diameter 25 towards the screw end 26. In other words, the section of reduced diameter 25 is arranged between the first threaded section 27 and the second threaded section 28. Here, the section of reduced diameter 25 is formed as a smooth cylinder with no thread 23, whereby the diameter D1 of the section of reduced diameter 25 is smaller than the outer diameter of the thread 23 in the first threaded section 27 and the second threaded section 28 of the screw body 22.

The section of reduced diameter 25 encompasses around 35% of the total length of the screw body 22, whereby other percentages are also thinkable as described herein. The thread 23 comprises thread flanks 24 that mate with a corresponding thread of a nut element (not shown).

The profile clamp 1 of Fig. 2 uses the screw 20 shown in Fig. 1 . The clamp 1 has a clamping band 5 formed with a first section 6 and a second section 7 that are connected via a joining element 8. Here, the joining element 8 is formed as a band of material attached to respective ends of the first section 6 and second section 7. A first tensioning head 1 1 and a second tensioning head 12 are arranged at a first end 9 and second end 10 of the clamping band 5.

The screw 20 is fed through a first opening and a second opening (not shown) and secured in the openings by a nut 40, which in turn is held on the screw body 22 by an abutment element 50, which is this case is formed as a washer 60. In the state of the clamp 1 shown in Fig. 2, it is possible to press the clamp together so that the section of reduced diameter 25 of the screw body 22 slides through the nut 40 and the opening of the second tensioning head 12. Thereafter or at the same time, the nut 40 may also be moved along the section of reduced diameter 25 until it reaches the first threaded section 27 of the screw body 22, where it may be tightened again so as to prevent the clamp 1 from springing open.

Fig. 3 shows a screw end 26 of the screw 20 shown in Fig. 1 and a nut 40. Here it may be seen that a diameter D1 of the section of reduced diameter 25 matches a free diameter D2 between outer flanks 42 of the thread 41 of the nut 40, so that the nut 40 may be easily slid along the section of reduced diameter 25 of the screw 20.

Fig. 4 shows a side perspective view of the clamp 1 . Here, the first opening 13 and second opening 14 through which the screw 20 is inserted may be clearly seen. They are both formed in the centre of the first tensioning head 1 1 and the second tensioning head 12 respectively. List of References

Profile clamp 42 Outer flanks

Clamping band 50 Abutment element

First section

Second section 60 Washer

Joining element

First end L Longitudinal direction of

Second end screw

First tensioning head D1 Diameter of SRD

Second tensioning head D2 Distance between nut flanks

First opening

Second opening Screw

Screw head

Screw body

Thread

Thread flank

Section of reduced diameter

(SRD)

Screw end

First threaded section

Second threaded section

First end of SRD

Second end of SRD

Nut

Thread